Carmax Warranty Issues

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sr900400

Member
Joined
Dec 6, 2016
Messages
18
Purchased a Toyota Rav4 EV not one month ago, Vin 1799. I was so looking forward to it, all electric, and could handle my 50 mile daily commute. Everyone said not to buy this car without the Toyota Platinum warranty but because of the mileage and age of the vehicle it was not possible. I looked over the Toyota warranty and compared it to the Maxcare warranty and they looked comparable so I pulled the trigger.

3 weeks into the ownership of the car (which I was absolutely loving) it died on the highway. I had it towed to my dealership who supplied me with a loaner car and went to work. They called later that evening to say they would have more information the following day, apparently they had no technicians that could work on it.

The following day Carmax service called me back to tell me that they normally send vehicles to local dealerships to certified mechanics when they cannot fix it themselves. Unfortunately, the dealership they deal with wouldn't touch it and it would have to be shipped to California (I'm in NV) and the repairs done there. They told me that they had approval to do this once but if I had any further issues, it would be MY responsibility to pay for the trip to CA and back. I told them that since I paid for Maxcare, once I got it to their dealership, it should be their problem to get it fixed wherever need be (I mean they regularly ship cars between states at no charge if you want to test drive something not on their lot).

I contacted corporate who told me they'd look into it and call me back the following day, When they did, I was informed that my only choice now was to return the vehicle and get something else. I was told that this was being done because I was still in my 30 day guarantee window. I assume that we're I not in that window, I'd be shit out of luck.

I figured Carmax could be relied upon to fix what they'd sold.

Even though I had it less than a month, this was my all time favorite car.

I know I should have tried harder to find one that I could buy a platinum warranty for but the Maxcare looked pretty good and the recall regarding losing power on the highway had been done so I figured I was in the clear.
 
I thought Toyota had a mobile technician that worked on these cars not in certified states.
Maybe CarMax could be informed how to get this person into their shop instead of transporting the car.
I wish I knew the details. Have just read a few posts periodically.
Good luck.
 
I would return that car to CarMax. Also, look into the terms under which a Toyota dealer can and will sell you a Used Car Platinum Service Agreement. Strictly speaking, the Toyota Financial site says you have to buy the plan with the car from a Toyota dealer, but I know for a fact that others have bought this Used Car plan in a separate transaction. You can get up to 5 years and 60,000 miles from used purchase. After you get the terms of the Toyota warranty purchase straightened out, find another vehicle to buy. There are quite a few cars available out there.
 
It's already there.

I spoke with a couple of Toyota dealers in the area and none of them would sell a Platinum warranty if you bought from a third party. I was really trying for one before going the Carmax route

I'm picking up a Chevy Volt Tuesday or Wednesday. It's a lot smaller but it'll do until I can get into one of the higher capacity battery cars in a few years used.

Thanks..
 
I purchased my 2013 RAV4 EV from Carmax Sahara on Sept. 2015 as a birthday gift to me. about a week ago it completely dies. It turned into a brick and had it towed to Toyota Henderson. Just found out today that it needs to be shipped to the Ontario Toyota location for a complete Tesla battery replacement. It's cool that I'm getting a new battery covered under warranty. It sucks that I am now responsible for having the vehicle ship there for the job. How much are these batteries anyway? no clue. But I do love my Rav4 and really want to keep it.
 
Sorry I don't have an answer for you but I'll tell you that my "New" Volt doesn't hold a candle to my Rav4 (and I only had it for 2-3 weeks). Carmax by the way no longer sells these in NV, all of them have been shipped back to California.
 
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