I think I already know the answer to this question, but wanted to ask anyway to be certain. I've had all service on my 2011 Prius done so far at the dealer from which I bought it. It's coming up on 35,000 miles, however, and it would be convenient to take it to another Toyota dealer closer to my work. Am I right in thinking that it makes no difference to Toyota which dealer I use for maintenance visits? Do these all end up in some centralized database somewhere?
Yes all services done at the dealer gets recorded into a database, accessible on carfax (or similar service) or Toyota owners network. Although you can go to any dealer, some dealers have better techs than others.
That is the mystery question, though...... How do you find out which dealerships have the common sense, skilled technicians /mechanics working for them? All the local dealership shows on their website are the smiling faces of the service managers with no pictures or information on their technicians. I hate the way Toyota has their service departments set up. Technician #143387 did my last oil change according to my receipt. Nothing like the personal touch!
Ask around. If all else fails, you can start waylaying other Toyota owners in parking lots and asking them for recommendations...
I would look around the internet for nearby dealers, and dig around to see if anyone has said anything good or bad about them. I would also make a list of specific questions/concerns, then discuss them with each dealership. In the end, you'll eventually have to let one work on your car, which will be the final test. I'm still a huge proponent of using a local mechanic whenever possible, which is where all of my vehicles (including my new Prius) have work done.
I just had the inverter replaced under warranty & the inverter recall done on my 2010 Prius. The invoice has the full name of the tech which did each step of the work. It is listed on a separate line under each work item "Work performed by first last". The dealers service department page seems to list the full bio of _all_ their techs... Service Department at Earl Stewart Toyota serving North Palm Beach So it seems all service centers are not managed the same way. I see my inverter was replaced by a "Certified Master Diagnostic Technician" & performs flawlessly Kim
