speaker covers '02 camry

hello group, i have an '02 camry and the rear speaker covers or grills as some call them have disinegrated i'm guessing from sun exposure. i went to Toyota today and they do nott sell just the covers the whole rear back panel must be purchased for almost $500.00. They are not covered under warranty said the serv.dept.

i looked online and cannot find anything to replace them with. anyone with car audio experience have any suggestions??? i'll be calling around to local junk yards but i don't really want to purchase the complete back panel.......i just want some speaker covers.

mike.........

Reply to
JerseyMike
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Reply to
desgnr

Reply to
johngdole

JerseyMike, has this car been parked in the sun extensively? I also own an 02', but it has the built-in sunshade and I also slip in one of those foil sunshields front and back when the car parked in direct sunlight during the hot weather. As far as I know, the covers seem fine.

Reply to
Bob

before i got it about 2 years ago, it was living life as an outside car, now i keep it in the garage.......except for when i'm driving it : )

mike........

Reply to
JerseyMike

hello group...after getting some e-mails about the speaker covers, i'll post a report that none of the junk (2) yards around here are willing to just part w/ the speaker grills. like the dealer, they want to sell the whole pkg of rear deck and speaker covers......and not for much less than the dealer cost.

mike.............

Reply to
JerseyMike

What a joke - I found that my 2003 Camry rear speaker covers had cracked and fallen into the speaker area. I took my car to my dealer (Courtesy Toyota, Brandon, FL) to change the oil and replace the speaker covers. Surprise - Oil change $29.95, rear speaker covers $650.00!

I was told it cost $650.00 because the entire rear deck must be replaced.

I declined the repair and did some research. The Internet proved that lots of people have the same problem.

The problem is clear. 2002 - 2005 Camrys have rear speaker covers that simply distinegrate. You see a crack, touch the cover and find out quickly that the material has broken down (as it falls into the speaker area).

Toyota put out a technical service bulletin (BO019-07) out on

12/7/07 to just replace the speaker covers. I am going to call my dealer on Monday with this information and see what they say. (Others have posted that dealers want $25.00 for the covers and $200.00 in labor to replace them.)

This cost is ridiculous. $225.00 means Toyota dealers make money on this problem. Why should Toyota be rewarded (with profits) by replacing covers that are clearly defective. Where is their part of this repair?

I understand that Toyota did not expect this problem. OK, they made a bad choice in this material. I don't blame them for it but I am watching how they react as this people become aware of this problem via the Internet.

I purchased a Toyota because I hated the uncaring attitude of Detroit auto makers. Making a profit from a manufacturing-induced problem was a common strategy employed by Detroit. Lets see how Toyota responds - will they step up or will they step back?

If you have the same problem, please call Toyota and tell them:

  1. You know your problem is not an "isolated instance" (refer them to web site above)
  2. You would like them to step up and take responsibility for the poor choice of material.
  3. You will make sure all of your friends know what Toyota did about this - good or bad.

Toyota Customer Assistance Center: 1-800-331-4331 TSB(technical service bulletin): BO 019-07

Reply to
bob33572

Like many others my 2003 suffered rotted speaker covers. I checked the dealer and was shocked at the repair cost. Went to a local auto hi fi place and the guy made new covers using MDF covered with material that is a near perfect match to the deck color, added back fabric over a black protective screen, NEW speakers on the deck and charged $212. Took him a long day but most of that time was in making the new covers. He indicted this is very common and he does a lot of them.

The shop is called Audio Advice, in La Crescenta, CA.

Harry

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Reply to
Harry Avant

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