Graff Toyota — Local services in Burns Harbor

I first went into Bosak Toyota to have a brand new 2023 Toyota Tundra Platinum serviced for a transmission recall. I left my truck there for the repair of the recall only to come back and find out that the technician had never done one before and had ruined my electrical system and injectors. I was crushed. I asked them for an extended warranty because I didn’t have confidence the repairs were done properly. They refused to accommodate me even though their shop caused the damages to my new truck.

At this point I had invested considerable funds in this truck as my intent was to keep the truck for several years. I had the truck ceramic coated, windows tinted, mudflaps installed, front and rear emblems installed, and changed the oil at 500 miles. Obviously this was a huge disappointment having majors done that were unrelated to the reason for my service.

I then asked if they had another Tundra Platinum that I would consider trading into. They indicated no but that they had a 2024 Tundra Capstone, which is the model above the Platinum. It was a year newer, and my warranty would start all over. Considering the situation I was in I decided to pay the difference, which was a considerable amount more, for peace of mind.

After a few weeks a film on the lower passenger side of the new truck started to come off. I immediately brought this to the service department. The Service manager at that time brought my truck into the back service area. A service adviser looked at it and ordered the new part. Then came the continuation of the nightmare as they told me Toyota had to have an authorized body shop do it. I asked to speak with the general manager and was sent to voicemail. After several more calls to him I realized he wasn’t ever going to call me back.

I went back to the service manager to discuss this matter and to my dismay I found he was no longer there at Bosak. I spoke with the sales manager and conveyed my problem, and she assured me she would address it. After a few more days I called back to speak with her and found out she was no longer there too. My next alternative was to go back to the service manager; enter another service manager. This cat and mouse game continued for almost four weeks. They could have paid a local body shop $50.00 dollars to do it.

I then noticed what appeared to be a small tear in the driver’s side leather seat and cracks in the plastic where the controls are on it. I brought this to the attention of the fourth service adviser, she took pictures of it and said she was going to submit it to the Toyota representative. After another 2 weeks she said they wouldn’t fix it because it was wear and tear. I found this extremely unsettling because this was a brand new truck and in no way was I in it or drove it enough to wear it out. At this point I had enough! I received excuse after excuse, and none of the numerous service managers could make a decision. I dealt with 4 service managers in 3 months, 1 sales manager and 1 parts man. Either they don’t pick good people or they don’t treat them right.

I decided to go to Merrillville Toyota. The service manager said he would have to get authorization to repair the seat. He was professional and pleasant. 4 days later he called me and said he ordered the new parts and would call me to bring in my truck when the parts came in. I was in shock because I had been told by Bosak Toyota that the Toyota rep denied my claim. At this point it is very obvious that service is not a priority at Bosak Toyota as they can’t keep people: 4 service managers in 3 months, the sales manager who promised she would intervene on my behalf, the parts man that ordered the film for the lower part of my truck who informed me when part came in and took almost 2 months to install, lastly the General manager that did not have the courtesy to return any of my phone calls. When you purchase an $85,000.00 truck and the service is this poor I would NEVER recommend Bosak Toyoya as the environment is a dysfunctional and...

Car shopping. How does anyone feel about the process? If you took an anonymous poll, I'd wager that most folks would let out a loud sigh of reluctance as they think about the stereotype and the challenges of dealing with a typical salesman on the lot. I know I did, and I loathed the very thought of engaging. In today's modern world, one can purchase nearly anything online without speaking to a soul. That said, I began my shopping experience over the internet. However, once I targeted a specific auto, there needed to be test drives. Enter the sales people I tried so hard to avoid. With my luck, the car I wanted was no where to be found. I know this because I talked to about 15 dealerships as far as 100 miles away from home. Not finding any, I pivoted to other models and visited dealerships for inspection. During the process, I walked off lots, hung up on sales managers, and backed out of potential deals on cars that I, at the time, wanted and was ready to purchase; check in hand. These dealers left too much to be desired when it came to how they treated me as a prospective buyer. I had reached a point where I was ready to start shopping for used cars from the want ads. I preferred to deal with a person in their driveway over a salesman on a lot. At the breaking point, I received a random text message from an unknown face I had only spoken to over text during my online shopping phase. This person ended up being Don McCarty from Bosak Toyota of Chesterton. He was letting me know that a car showed up on his lot similar to what I was looking for. A little bit of back and forth Q&A satisfied me enough to pick up the phone. To my surprise, I enjoyed the conversation with Don. Finally, someone who kept it honest and human. A couple days later, I took a two hour drive to meet Don and view the car that he told me about. In dealing with him, I never felt slighted or concerned that I'm being taken advantage of. Not once did I feel like Don was feeding me nonsense for the sake of making a sale, as I did with all the previous people I spoke with. As a sales professional myself (from a different discipline) I was impressed with Don's candor, politeness, patience and his eagerness to put the customer first and not the car. I'm feeling good but in the back of my mind I know there's a sales manager lurking in the shadows that I'm going to have to deal with and I'm at the ready to cut bait. Enter Mathew Domka. As I paced the sales floor deliberating on the car, Mat checked in. We shared some small talk and a few laughs. I confided in Mat where my head was at. He made himself available but left me to my process. No pressure, no salesman talk... it was perfect. Shortly thereafter, I knocked on his door asking for some time to address some questions I had. Mat was courteous, professional, and very easy to work with. Just like Don. In the end, I left Bosak Toyota the owner of a new automobile and comfortable with the terms. Thank you Mat and Don for your professionalism and assistance. If anyone reading this finds themselves in a similar scenario, I encourage you to give Don McCarty...

Just another car dealership looking to make a sale, up sell you on things, and then they're done with you. Used truck I bought (2019 Tundra) was dirty (they just took it in on trade shortly before I bought it, allegedly. I'll give them the benefit of the doubt on it). They promised they would get it completely detailed, inside and out before I took it home. They initially had it for 3 days after I bought it. When I picked it up, they said the seats weren't as clean as they'd like and they'd like to have it back soon to clean them (cool, I appreciate that). The seats were the only thing they attempted to clean, the rest of the truck was still filthy after 3 days. Took the truck back a couple days later. Reminded them that not only the stats needed attention and that I was promised a full detail, inside and out. I was assured that the entire truck was going to be cleaned. Picked the truck up the next day. Seats were moderately cleaner, entire rest of the truck still filthy. Expressed my displeasure. They asked if they could have it another day to clean it. I said yes, because I still wanted what they promised me. Got the truck back to them a couple days later so their "cleaning company they use" (which I thought was supposed to be doing the work in the first place) could do the job. Got the truck back the next day. The "cleaning company" they use either needs to be replaced or the "company" is just their porters. Truck was slightly cleaner than it was. Exterior still completely dirty, interior received bare minimum attention. At this point I was tired of asking for work that was promised. I was promised a touch-up paint pen for the scratches they didn't fix, haven't heard a peep about that. After finally getting to start getting settled in my truck, I find out the hitch is frozen in the receiver; not a word about that when I bought it. I've attempted to schedule service for a new issue with the stereo system, absolutely no reply from the dealership; you know, the one who sold me the extended warranty because they want to make sure they get any issues I might have taken care of for me. They got what they wanted out of me and now I'm on my own I guess. No owners manuals to be found and only given one key. I can't wait to see what else I find as time goes on. They get barely 2 stars because at least I got the truck at a decent price and for the minimal effort they put in for the rest of it. I cannot and will not recommend anyone buy from here or utilize this...