What is the Sludge Grudge

[Mr.Krinkle]

Toyota Class Action

Most experts say it takes years for brands to lose -- and restore -- their reputations.

"The sludge issue was a significant blow," said Art Spinella, president of CNW Marketing Research Inc. in Bandon, Ore. "Toyota's in the position that GM was in back in the 1970s. A lot of people were buying GM products in the '70s because they were GM products, but they had fractures at the edges. It took 15 years before GM started to suffer from that long-term negative word-of-mouth."

With engine replacements costing as much as $10,000, the final tab could run into the billions. But the damage to Toyota's reputation might be even more costly for the Japanese automaker.

I doubt it, but hey ya never know. The billions is possible.

"Then we had our suspicions up that this isn't an unusual case, that Lexus knows about the problem, and has formed a response -- just deny, deny, deny," said Meckstroth, a 47-year-old New Orleans stockbroker. "We decided to sue."

His case mushroomed into a class-action suit representing prior and current owners of nearly 4 million Toyota and Lexus vehicles that may have suffered engine damage due to thickening oil, or sludge.

Edited February 8, 2007 by Mr.Krinkle

[Intrepidation]

This is sort of like how DCX denies that th3 2.7L has sludge problems....it really hurts their reputation (more).

[regfootball]

toyota

moving forward

(through a thick pile of sludge)

[Dsuupr]

:rotflmao:

[sciguy_0504]

This case will hinge on whether or not these owners can prove they maintained their cars. If they can provide proof (receipts, logs, invoices, etc.) then they'll get money. If not, Toyota isn't at fault.

[Sixty8panther]

Posted yesterday by me...

http://www.cheersandgears.com/forums/index...c=15376&hl=

[balthazar]

This case will hinge on whether or not these owners can prove they maintained their cars. If they can provide proof (receipts, logs, invoices, etc.) then they'll get money. If not, Toyota isn't at fault.

No one involved is willing to go thru 4 million owner's maintenance records- it's a class-action suit. At the very least, toyoda will settle, at the worst (for TMC)- they will stubbornly continue to blame their clients and pay a whole lot more. Clearly there's an issue here beyond maintenance; toyota will end up paying... the question is how much.

[Dsuupr]

Hopefully in reputation (long term loss) more than cash.

[Sixty8panther]

If it was due to maintenance then we'd see an even spread of

all the different manufacturers with this problem, what Toyota

is trying to insist that people who drive/own GM, BMW, Ford,

Mazda, Nissan etc. never neglect their cars' naintenance but

millions of their cars' owners do? BULL$#IT!

In typical Japanese engineering fashion they over-annalize

one aspect of a design while completely neglecting another,

some Re-Re engineer probably thought that the thinner oil

passages were the best thing since sliced bread. Those

stuid Americans are too dumb to narrow down their WIDE &

wastefull oil passages in order to improve fuel economy

and save the environment and such.