Getting hit with surprise repair bills is frustrating enough.
But when your nearly-new car needs work that should be covered under warranty, those charges sting even more. So why is this woman being charged hundreds out of pocket?
In a video with more than 8,200 views as of this writing, TikToker Sonia (@sonia_rodri10) vents about what she sees as an unfair charge by her Toyota dealership.
Sonia explains that her RAV4 is only a year-and-a-half old, yet she was billed $500 in diagnostic fees just to figure out why the infotainment system keeps glitching.
"Every time I get my car worked on, I always feel like I'm getting ripped off," she says.
The fees particularly bothered her given the vehicle's age. She questions why two separate diagnostic fees were necessary for a system malfunction on such a new car.
"$500 just to figure out what's going on with my car," she says, adding, "Do better Toyota."
"Am I getting ripped off or is this what it's like owning a vehicle these days?" Sonia adds in the caption.
Understanding New Car Warranty Coverage
According to Toyota, new vehicles come with a comprehensive 36-month/36,000-mile limited warranty that covers most components against defects in materials or workmanship.
Endurance Warranty notes that infotainment systems are typically covered under factory bumper-to-bumper warranties. System glitches on a year-old vehicle would normally fall squarely within that protection.
So why the $500 diagnostic bill?
According to Ford's warranty guidance, dealerships are entitled to charge diagnostic fees upfront. But if the repair ends up being covered under warranty, those diagnostic fees are customarily waived.
That's where things get murky. Dealerships often require customers to agree to pay diagnostic fees before examining the vehicle, only waiving them if they confirm the problem is covered under warranty.
But if the dealership can't replicate the problem or determines it's not a "defect," you're stuck with the bill.
Bogleheads forum users have reported similar experiences, with some dealerships charging $130-$200 for diagnostics even on cars well within their warranty period. The practice varies wildly by dealership. Some absorb diagnostic costs for warranty-eligible vehicles, while others pass them directly to customers.
Although it is a dealership’s discretion as to whether they should charge for diagnostics, people who commented on the post were widely unimpressed by the dealership Sonia took her RAV4 to.
“Under warranty should be $0,” one read.
“Wait. You had to pay for diag while under warranty?” another said.
“If it’s a glitching like that, it’s probably a factory defect, that’ll be covered as a warranty issue, it’s the dealership that’s ripping you off not Toyota,” a third theorized.
At least one person took the dealership’s side.
They pointed out, “1) y’all don’t know what the mileage is for her car and 2) they have to charge a diagnostic fee in case it is [the] owner’s fault and if it isn’t then they take away the diagnostic fees.”
Motor1 reached out to Sonia via TikTok direct message and comment and to Toyota via contact form. We’ll update this if either responds.
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