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Anyone install Cat Security Plates? Cost for dealer install?

Discussion in 'General 4Runner Talk' started by RunningBear, Jan 20, 2023.

  1. Jan 20, 2023 at 1:10 PM
    #1
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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    I just asked my dealer to install my new Cat Security anti-theft plates (great product, by the way). No estimate given, they previously told me they have installed a lot. Got invoice today, $1,320 labor. WTF? I could have installed myself in 2 hours or less. I expected to pay shop rate for reasonable time. Called Cat Security and they said normally it's a one hour job, at most two hours, and that anything more is "INSANE". I read the instructions and I agree. I would have done it myself if I had a lift.

    So, two questions:

    1. If you had the same or similar installed by a dealer or mechanic, how much did they charge.

    2. If you installed a system yourself, how long did it take you.

    I wasn't born yesterday and this dealer are crooks in my opinion.

    They wouldn't agree to any even close to reasonable adjustment. Then they told me they could remove the plates instead. I told them go for it.
     
    Last edited: Jan 20, 2023
  2. Jan 20, 2023 at 1:16 PM
    #2
    Dillusion

    Dillusion New Member

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    First problem was going to a dealer to install.

    Second problem was having them do it without a quote.

    If the one you got is bolt on an hour.
     
    5six, Lockdown, Mass4runner and 2 others like this.
  3. Jan 20, 2023 at 1:39 PM
    #3
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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    Thanks. Yeh, just figured an hour or two at shop rate and the dealer service advisor said they had installed many. It has now become their problem because with no estimate the most they can charge is a reasonable fee and that is a reasonable shop rate at no more than two hours. So then they bluffed and said OK we can remove them, and I told them to go ahead. I'll then either do it myself or I have a great little independent shop and I am sure they can do it for a couple hundred.
     
  4. Jan 20, 2023 at 2:50 PM
    #4
    RumHamRunner73

    RumHamRunner73 Dead on with a zero

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    Head to your independent shop and have them install. Going forward always get an estimate beforehand, Preaching to the choir, I know.

    Rock on!
     
    RunningBear[OP] likes this.
  5. Jan 20, 2023 at 7:51 PM
    #5
    kolter45

    kolter45 Inferno Pro & 4.0 Tacoma

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    I havent on my 4Runner but I went RCI on my tacoma
     
    Fisch likes this.
  6. Jan 20, 2023 at 9:47 PM
    #6
    Fisch

    Fisch New Member

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    Empty wallet
    Second for RCI skid with cat covers. It was my first purchase after buying the 4Runner.
     
  7. Jan 20, 2023 at 10:41 PM
    #7
    Mass4runner

    Mass4runner New Member

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    Just for curiosity I asked my dealer what it would cost to replace tailgate struts (I had already done it myself but was curious what it would have cost for them to do it). They told me $400. It's a 5 minute job and the parts are maybe $40.

    They are predators who prey on the uninformed.
     
  8. Jan 20, 2023 at 11:51 PM
    #8
    Lockdown

    Lockdown New Member

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    What color purse did you have while you were at the dealership?
     
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  9. Jan 21, 2023 at 9:11 AM
    #9
    McSpazatron

    McSpazatron New Member

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    Too soon, let the guy get back up first lol:laugh:

    Folks at dealers can be tricky. And they are really good at getting your confidence and manipulating social interactions so that you just don't bother doing your normal due diligence. I’ve been there, know it’s happening when it’s happening, and it infuriates me. Makes it a bit traumatic to even go to dealers, even though i’ve had a small handful of positive experiences in the last 20 years or so.

    At least in this case they took off the plates for free. Im surprised they didnt demand money for that! After all, if it was 1300 dollars worth of labor to put them on…

    OP…did they damage them out of spite? Or, did they look like they were even installed to begin with? Maybe they just pretended to install them before giving you the car, threw the price at you, you balked, and they made you wait an hour before “uninstalling” them. I absolutely believe outfits like this can be that deceptive.
     
  10. Jan 21, 2023 at 9:16 AM
    #10
    McSpazatron

    McSpazatron New Member

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    It’s not just the uninformed. Anybody that’s polite, plays well with others, and assumes kindness will be returned…those are also perfect victims in these situations.
     
  11. Jan 21, 2023 at 10:23 AM
    #11
    wingo

    wingo New Member

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    I ordered from RCI and installed them myself. It took less then an hour to install.

    Cat guard.jpg
     
    Kfish likes this.
  12. Jan 21, 2023 at 10:52 AM
    #12
    Mass4runner

    Mass4runner New Member

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    Yep, no matter how much rapport you think you have with the service department, never forget that they are not your friends.
     
    McSpazatron[QUOTED] likes this.
  13. Jan 21, 2023 at 10:52 AM
    #13
    Lockdown

    Lockdown New Member

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    @wingo you just made yourself a $1000.

    Congrats!
     
  14. Jan 21, 2023 at 10:54 AM
    #14
    Lockdown

    Lockdown New Member

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    @RunningBear I'm curious, what price do you believe would be fair and reasonable dealership pricing?
     
  15. Jan 21, 2023 at 1:21 PM
    #15
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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    I don't carry a purse. My Scottish clan motto is Conquer or Die. It is quite clear that I and my two grown sons inherited those genes.

    I have driven Porsches daily for the past 30 years. I have extremely good relationships with my Porsche dealer, including continuing friendships with the now retired GM and others. They have gotten more expensive over time, but they have never tried to screw me and have usually given me breaks on prices. So being spoiled for 30 years, perhaps I forgot to do more to protect myself. That paradigm is now over, will be very on guard anywhere in the future.

    I read the install instructions. It simply ain't complicated. If I had a lift I would have done it myself, but I don't and thought I could have done it with a jack, but I just wanted to get it done. Two more reports on Nextdoor last night about two more neighborhood cat thefts. I estimate I could have done it in an hour or so with a lift, otherwise with inexperience and no lift, max two hours. The manufacturer told me one hour job normally, but anything the dealer was charging over two hours was totally insane. I know enough about cars to fully agree. Dealer said it took 5-6 hours - I told them they were lying thieves or their tech was a totally incompetent moron. [I didn't ask, "well, which was it, 5 or 6?"] They finally (bluffing, I think) said they could just take them off. I said OK and they did. They had sent me pictures of them installed earlier before I knew the price. Clear they put them on and then took them off. I saw no damage but need to take a closer look today. I doubt they did anything, at least intentionally. If they did, I will rake them over the coals with the state automotive repair board and in court, if needed. At the end I paid them nothing.

    What's a reasonable price in my opinion? I figured it would probably be a couple hours at their shop rate, so I guessed $300-400+. I would have paid them more than that to resolve things, but they were a-holes and only offered a 10% discount. They claimed they gave me an estimate but they didn't. I checked in while the service advisor I had previously talked to was at lunch, they spoke with him, checked me, and I left the car, no estimate. Yeh, I should have asked and I foolishly "assumed" it would be a couple hours (max) at shop rate. I was spoiled for the previous 30 years. No more.

    My buying experience two weeks ago was actually good. The whole thing now is actually sad - very convenient dealer a mile from my office, could have been a long-time good customer, but I will never go back for anything, probably not even the free service work or warranty.
     
    Last edited: Jan 21, 2023
    McSpazatron likes this.
  16. Jan 21, 2023 at 2:50 PM
    #16
    wingo

    wingo New Member

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    I believe $8500 would be a fair and reasonable dealership pricing. That pricing does not include the doughnuts you would have to bribe them to do it when you want it done. It would take 6 months or longer without it.
     
    RunningBear[OP] likes this.
  17. Jan 21, 2023 at 3:46 PM
    #17
    funrunner21

    funrunner21 New Member

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    RC 3inch spacers and rear shocks
    ha y n and SlvrSlug like this.
  18. Jan 21, 2023 at 5:21 PM
    #18
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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    LOL. The invoice I got when I picked up the truck last night (with a ZERO due amount), shows the Estimate as $25,889.99. Didn't ask them to explain that.
     
  19. Jan 22, 2023 at 10:53 AM
    #19
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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  20. Jan 22, 2023 at 9:19 PM
    #20
    McSpazatron

    McSpazatron New Member

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    Yup, it sounds like they were true pricks. And were also willing cut their noses off to spite their own faces. Bunch of thieving idiots is exactly what they were.

    I like my toyota. Lots. One of the reasons is because hopefully, I won’t need to depend on the dealer service for anything. I took mine in under warranty twice…once for the needle bearing, and once for a squeaking rear seat. Neither were that big of a deal to me, but I figured I should at least try to get those things addressed through warranty. Both times it I was lied to directly, and worst of was their subtle attempts to make you feel like it was your problem that you were bothered by it lol. The service dept felt like buying a used car at Diamond Jim’s, with no down payment. And you could also see them in action with other people doing the same thing…

    The 4runner in particular, being that it’s been around for so long, should be easily serviceable by any good independent, if I cant do it myself.
     
  21. Jan 26, 2023 at 4:45 AM
    #21
    Beachguy

    Beachguy Normal turned up too loud

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    I still get those $29.99 oil change fliers in the mail from the dealer I bought mine from. Absolutely not. Didn’t even let them touch it for the “free” service visits. There’s a local shop I trust that does excellent work for a fair price. My daughter will be 30 next month and they started on her second-handed Tucson when she was 15 before we even gave it to her. She just sold it before Christmas and it was doing fine. Find a shop you trust every day with your daughter’s safety on the highway. That’s the measuring stick we used.
     
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  22. Jan 26, 2023 at 11:43 AM
    #22
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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    Yeh, I've pretty much decided to skip all the "free" services and go to an independent. I checked the yelp reviews on the five closest Toyota dealers, and they all suck. One is a little farther away and inconvenient, but they are one of the oldest and biggest Toyota dealers anywhere (maybe in the country), and they still get positive reviews, so I'll probably go there if I need warranty work.
     
  23. Jan 27, 2023 at 5:28 AM
    #23
    Frizzle77

    Frizzle77 Mawl Crawler

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    Did they end up removing them at your request?
     
  24. Jan 29, 2023 at 12:57 PM
    #24
    RunningBear

    RunningBear [OP] New Member

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    ^^^Nope, they offered and I said go for it. Picked it up, no charge. I am gearing up to put it back myself, in my estimate should take me no more than an hour. I would have paid the idiots more than what I considered reasonable but when they said they could just take it off, I said OK.
     
  25. Feb 18, 2023 at 6:48 AM
    #25
    Austin26

    Austin26 New Member

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    Same here.

    They're currently having a sale. Buy the transmission skid plate you need for the cat guards and the cat guards are free. I think mine was $350 shipped to my door. If you have factory thin engine skid plates they will work, message me if you want.

    0D9145C6-9E56-4E35-9E58-012F0580015B.jpg
     
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