Craig Ferguson at Germain Toyota of Columbus

I received a recall notice on my 2000 Toyota Tundra.
Previously, I had taken it to River Valley Toyota in Lancaster, thinking that it is sometimes easier to work with smaller dealerships, I was WRONG!

Last spring, River Valley Toyota had replaced one of the two straps on the gas tank and asked me to bring in back sometime when the other strap was in stock.
I had mentioned to them that I had significant rust on my driveway and they dismissed it as, "just a common problem with the Tundra's during those years", and that there was nothing that could be done. I still haven't received the call to let me know that the other strap is in, a year later!
My 18-year-old daughter has been driving the truck to college for the past several years. I have been worried about the amount of rust that continually would fall from the frame.
I had purchased some cans of undercoating and sprayed the underneath this winter trying to prevent more damage.

Several weeks ago, I received another recall requesting that I take the truck for further inspection to an authorized dealership. I decided to take it back to Germain, where I have purchased several Toyota's and have always been pleased with their service.

I spoke with Jim McClaren, and he had one of his technicians, Ron, look it over.
Jim and Ron could not have been friendlier or more helpful! They told me that there was SIGNIFICANT damage to the frame, which I assumed from the chunks of metal on my drive and rust stains.
They told me that it was totally unsafe to drive and that they would provide me with a loaner car.
They told me that the rust was so significant that they were afraid to put it up on the rack!
I am very grateful to Jim and Ron for their help and honesty!

Jim called me to come in to see the progress. Ron had the vehicle apart and was putting the pieces together back on the new frame.
I also decided to replace some things that needed to be replaced and to basically have a new truck with only 200,000 miles.
There was no pressure to replace anything, but I did ask them for their opinions.

I would not hesitate to return to Germain for any work that needed to be done. I appreciate being treated like a valuable customer, and will definitely tell my friends and family!
I also had Craig Ferguson, GM at Germain, speak to my students in high school about
hiring quality individuals like Jim and Ron.


Sincerely,



Gary Barstow

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