Toyota service

My issue with your complaint is that the motorist who has a problem with the operation of the car would expect the service department to be qualified to diagnose it. When trouble strikes, you're the first place they'll turn. To feel they're ignorant is justified as most people aren't mechanics. But unfortunately that's the nature of the beast in the business you're currently in. And as a shop foreman, you must have heard and seen it all.

As a customer, I expect to have my car serviced properly and not have the oil overfilled or the wheels tore up by a untrained individual who's been given an air ratchet for the first time in his life. If the dealership is not interested in taking care of my vehicle, that's fine. I'll go elsewhere. BUT, I don't find that out until I've tried the place to see what kind of work they do. Then it's too late.

 

Actual cases:

1. My Toyota dealership makes up PSI readings on their check list. They claim they found the tires one or two PSI low and set them to spec and in fact they were never touched, and had the 38/37 PSI I had been running, just now rotated.

2. They seem to have problem closing the windshield washer tank flap correctly. Every time.

(How can I trust the said tech to perform the other inspections on the check list correctly, if they are cheating over these obvious, trivial things? )

3. This was witnessed by a friend of mine who was a former Ford tech. Tech was replacing an oil pump and dropped a washer into the oil pan. Instead of wasting time, dropping the oil pan to fetch the part, he put in a new washer and moved on.

I am glad that you beat the book time AND do the job correctly. A lot beat the book time OR do the job correctly.

Bottom line is, the bad stereotypes exists, because the subjects keep reinforcing them.

 

Just a plug for our local dealer, Beaver Toyota of Santa Fe, NM. Their facility is way too small for the business they do, and shop customers are often lined up around the block. Despite this, they do reliable work for a reasonable price and time (~1hr, $76 for oil/filter change, tire rotation, x-point inspection). We've had our Prius for over 4 years, 104,000 miles and never a problem (except for recalls, not dealer's fault).

 

Day after I got my 2012 , I found out bout the R beep, took back talked to service mgr
$50.00 was his answer , talked to sales rep , come with me , will take care of . Talked
To dealer general manager $50.00 was his reply no budge , sales rep told me to
Have a seat , took my "keys" 10 minutes latter he handed me the keys , said thank you
So either the sales rep paid to gave it done or ? Did himself , point being , service mgr
And general manager IMO didn't handle well ... And no donuts ....

 

To be fair, the employees of a car dealership reflect the owner/management. Kind of like how kids reflect on their parents/upbringing. If you do not like the way they do things and treat you, write some letters and/or go somewhere else.

If you don't like the service and food at a restaurant, do you keep going back? If it's the only restaurant in town, learn to cook.

There are bad dealerships and bad customers, just as there are good.

 

"If you find a good mechanic keep it to yourself or he will be over worked" heard this along time ago. The dealership I deal with, Casey VW & Toyota ( Williamsburg VA) has always treated me right. That's why I give them my business. I have taken my VW in a panic & said I don't know what's wrong just fix it. Brought my car out & did not charge me. It was a simple 5 minute fix. I have had repairs done that cost hundreds ( VW Jetta TDI ) and been happy. Having someone you trust to work on your car is a great feeling. I get the same service at Casey Toyota.

 

That is the closest dealer to me and Ive heard good things about them. When I go in for my service is there anyone there you would recommend?

 

Doug Ranzer.

 

Thanks very much.

 

The service department at the Toyota dealer I go to has free car washes that I hate as well. I have only been to their service department a couple of times so I have not yet told them not to wash my car. Their car washes are lousy. I took mine in once and I had a good car wash on mine. They washed it and screwed up my good car wash. They don't dry the car off and it looks awful after they wash it.

 

I gave Birchwood Toyota of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, an "Above and Beyond" award because whilst traveling to Alaska they (1) took us in without an appointment on a Monday morning, (2) had the complete servicing done in under an hour so that we could be on our way, (3) charged us nothing rather than the normal Canadian rate for the Toyota Prius service because "It wouldn't be fair to you", and (4) gave us a free Toyota food cooler and reusable water bottle as parting gifts! I don't recall free donuts there, but they did direct us to the nearby Tim Horton's, which had LOTS of donuts!
We also have very good luck with Miller Toyota of Manassas, Virginia. I bought our Prius there because they were absolutely honest and competent about REPLACING the entire frame of our 2003 Tundra, and that was truly a heckuva job. All Prius maintenance work has been done correctly, competently, and within time specifications.
So I agree that there are good dealers and competent, honest mechanics as well as bad ones.
(Good to know about that Williamsburg, VA, Toyota dealer as we get down that way quite often.)

 

I recently had a problem with Beaver Toyota. I took my 2013 C4 in for its 10000 service (which took under an hour). A few days later my wife opened the glove compartment then it wouldn't close. When we got home I took off the glove box and found that the tech hadn't put the in cab air filter cover back on properly and it was blocking the glove box door. No big deal but since I was in there I thought I'd take a look at the air filter. To my surprise it was quite dirty and needed a good shaking out. I looked at the service report and the tech gave it a green check but really was yellow at best. I don't think the tech even took it out to inspect it. I complained to the dealership and they offered to re-inspect it and to replace it. I told them I wasn't looking for free parts but wanted reliable service. My thought is that the techs are under a lot of pressure to do the work as fast as possible and in doing so cut corners. This makes me nervous as I wonder what else is half done. Don't have a lot of confidence in them and will double check their work from now on.

 

He had to look at it if the door was loose. His interpretation of a green check is not the same as yours. If in doubt, do it yourself

 

I think he took the cover off but didn't take the filter out. If I have to check all the service areas myself there is no point in taking the car in for service.

 

I never get tired of reading great stories like this. I would certainly agree they went "Above and Beyond". There are some very good dealers around.

 

As cars become more complex and sophisticated it will require a bit more effort on the part of the car owner to learn how to properly use the car. By the same token I believe the dealership should have a responsibility to highlight some of the more important aspects of owning a car, and in specific a Prius. There is much I learned here that I felt the dealer should have explained. Yes, I do have the 600+ page manual and am currently reading through it. However, I didn't have much time to read it all before I drove my car off the lot... and wanted to drive my new car! And while we can point fingers and others and say they "should have read the manual!" the reality is that few people slough through manuals, many of which are not well written, organized, or completely explain everything. Let's face it, the days of "turnkey" cars are gone when all you did was put gas in the car turn the key, shift into 1st (or drive) and go. The mechanics of that engine, while still sophisticated for its day, was really pretty primitive in terms of its function.

A combined sense of responsibility is important, but I feel the dealership should make that extra effort in educating the new buyer. It would be a win-win for both.

 

I avoid any dealership/shop for service without first doing a lot of research into the quality of their work.

Most places are on time constraints and feel no guilt over billing for service not performed at all (figuring you won't notice). Heck, they could say they changed your oil and filter and actually not do it. If you keep going back and they change it every other time, you probably won't notice ever during the warranty period.

 

You certainly bring up some very good points. I traded my 2011 Prius Two in on a 2014 Avalon Hybrid XLE Touring. I had no idea how complex this car was until I bought it although I like the car very much. It does not have just one owners manual with it. Would you believe at least five? I think even six. Just totally ridiculous. When you say the days of the "turnkey" cars are over you are right. I am living proof of that and you know how much help you get from the dealer negotiating through this complicated maze. Practically nothing. There are features on this car I will never use. I'll just use what is important to me. Am I going to sit down and constantly read all these manuals? No way.

 

Now that you mention it, I found out how the keyless entry works, how to turn it off for storage, and how to use the brake-hold-on-a-hill function all from reading Priuschat posts rather than the manuals. As our car is exiting warrantee, I will soon be changing my own oil and will again rely on Priuschat and YouTube posts.
(But could I add that although newer cars are much more complex, some of those old "turnkey" cars were really "turkey" cars!)