I think I caught a Toyota dealer lying to me today.

Yep - my first car ('64 Dodge Dart 170 - with pushbutton transmission) had the slant 6 - in fact - it even predated the 225CID slant 6.

Those were the days you could climb into the engine compartment to work on the engine - or lean on a fender without making a dent!

 

Haven't tried it for the standard P codes since I can get them through Torque or ScanGuage. Those won't read the codes for the ABS systems though. You can get those codes to blink out if you don't have Techstream.

I had an older BMW where you would stomp the gas pedal a bunch and the ECU with flash the check engine light for you. Codes were pretty all encompassing then so you still had to know a lot more then you do now.

I miss working on my old Chevy pickup. I would sit in the engine bay to swap plugs on that!

 

As with most things, "YMMV" (Your mileage may vary).

Moisture CAN BE a problem for brake fluid, and putting in fluid from an open container, taking the reservoir cover off too often, not re-seating it properly, or a damaged "follower" diaphragm in it (that little flexible rubber membrane) will introduce moisture or allow it in over time.

That said, people in the high desert with very low humidity have less to worry about there than folks who live in NOLA.

"Age" isn't so much a factor as heat.

I know a guy who races a Mazda Miata doing something called "performance driving". (something like "Road America" I think) He bleeds his brakes after EVERY RUN because the brakes and the fluid are exposed to such abnormally high temperatures that the fluid that went in clear comes out brown - like coffee.

Changing the fluid is cheap insurance. A savvy owner or any competent shop can do this quickly and for not too much money.

I know people love to pick on dealers - I used to be one of them. The fact is that ANY shop could be as eager to sell you unnecessary service IF you broadcast that you are fair game. Knowing your car, it's service history, any symptoms and not being afraid to ask questions will help keep you from paying too much. As a former dealer mechanic - I never sold unnecessary services or performed unneeded repairs. I even talked customers OUT of repairs they asked for if they were not necessary,

Consider also that a dealership has much more incentive to treat you right than a repair shop - the dealer wants you to buy another Prius from him in a couple of years. The repair shop has no such hopes. The very term "Stealership" gives a free pass to the repair shops who actually have a much more checkered history of bilking customers for unnecessary repairs. In every profession there are good guys and not-so-good guys. "They" say that knowing a good mechanic is as important as knowing a good surgeon or a good lawyer. You never hope to need ANY of them - but when you do - it's good to have one in your Rolodex - er - smart phone contacts list.

 

I agree and your theory is sound. Unfortunately it does not reflect reality. I have found good and bad repair shops but mostly good. I have yet to even come across a good Stealership. Other than recalls, I would never, ever, ever use a Stealership to service my car. NEVER! Not even one time.

They're worse when they try to sell a car. It is as though the things that come out of your mouth don't even register with the salesman. I had my car in for a recall repair and started walking around the lot looking at cars. A salesman approached me and I told him the truth. I am not here to buy a car I am only burning time. He said something along the lines "ya sure anything you'd like to drive?" I said I'd like to drive a new Camaro for the hell of it so he found me one and we took it on a drive. As we get back I get the full on sales push. "Let's go sit down and talk financing," "my manager would like to talk to you," etc. I didn't matter what I said. My words were meaningless. I just laughed at the guy and walked off. I don't like being rude but he forced my hand.

That's why I say all you have to do is watch their lips.

 

There are some that..."suck less" but generally speaking I won't even let them do a recall unless it cannot be avoided, and their "free oil changes" are too expensive when you consider that I can change it myself faster and cheaper when you factor in time wasted at a dealer and gas to get there.

The last three times I've bought vehicles the actual selection, and most of the negotiating were done before I arrived at the dealership, and I only returned ONCE....to pick up the vehicle that I left in their parking lot when I picked up the new one.

I do not know that I've had a dealer repair done since about 2010........

 

Wow.

It's sad that there are apparently no honest people working in the automotive repair field.

I'll TRY not to take that seriously as it was my first career.


I'll file this in my "EVERYBODY cheats on their taxes, Beats their spouse & kids, and steals money out of the collection plate on Sunday morning" folder.

Somebody actually expressed a view on this that is also worth noting:

“Cheaters often accuse you of cheating. Liars often accuse you of lying. Insecure people often crumble your security. Behavior speaks... How someone treats you may have nothing to do with you; but can be a reflection of who they are.”

― Steve Maraboli

 

^ they’re “projecting”. Sometimes...

 

that’s a quote?! It will never make it to my signature

 

z

Nobody ever said there were not. I do business with two very honest independent automotive repair shops here in town. I can guarantee you they are not Stealerships. From your description of yourself it sounds like you are an honest individual. Had I run into you maybe I'd have a "one off" that I could share with the group.

Bazackly. How a Stealership treats me has nothing to do with me. But I already knew that. I would never walk into a Stealership and fleece them for as much as I could for no other reason than I was greedy. LOL

Just curious. Ever sit in on a timeshare sales pitch? Or had a Kirby vacuum salesman come to your house? Walk into a Stealership to buy a new car? Its all in the lips.

Good because it shouldn't. The quote is irrelevant as it is being offered up here. Who among us is calling out Stealerships as thieves because we're Stealerships who are thieves?

 

Right - I checked out your quotes - this one is WAY too useful to be included...

 

Read the OP and ....if you live in Florida?
Decide for yourself whether or not if the dealer's actions (as described) merit repeat business....

OK.
SO...
Maybe the OP is a lying liar face.
I personally do NOT AT ALL think that this is so....NOR do I think that this describes an isolated incident with dealer service departments in general nor Toyota dealerships specifically.
But that's me.

YOU?
Be you.

Again....READ THE OP.

Then?
Do a Boolean keyword search for "dealer" + "lie" and decide for yourself whether or not this is an isolated occurrence or something that describes a dealership or even a corporate climate.

Me?
I've had two family friends who were GEN-u-WINE certified, double rectified, fact-o-ree trained by gawd service technicians.
One Yota and one Honda.
BOTH of them left the dealerships in disgust....one in the mid 80's and one in the mid 90's.

They both opened up import auto repair facilities and their stories over the years have taught ME important life lessons about automobile repair and small businesses....which IN NO SMALL PART is why I continue to be an Electronics Technician for a living....and NEITHER a dealer mechanic victim NOR a small business owner.

Not all dealerships are crooked.
Not all customers are honest.
Not all dealership service departments are crooked.

HOWEVER (comma!) the data are the data.
There are companies that I will not patronize more or less on principle.
There are also companies that I will not patronize because they've LIED to me in the past....or there is a high degree of probability that they will cheat me.


My post @ #65 stands.
This does not indicate that all mechanics or dealerships are crooks, but rather MY inclination to use my abilities and knowledge to take them out of the loop.

ACTUAL MILEAGE will vary!

 

I hate that the high desert heat is bad for the traction battery. However, at least the dry climate is good for the longevity of the brake fluid.

 

(I am in no way defending any salesmen)

But they probably get a lot of real buyers who come in and say they are not buying but just looking around because the whole car buying experience is such a bad game.

Mike

 

There ARE good salesmen working for dealers. The Gen1 Prius owner we prefer has been giving good deals & service to my family for over 15 years and 4 cars. I drive 150 miles each way to give him my business and save more than the extra fuel costs compared to the local stealership.

The local one insisted my car does not exist because the 2017 Prius Two only had a black interior, They did not even read their own sales brochure!!

 

So what ?
That just goes along with the territory.
It is part of the business they are IN.
What's your point ??

 

those people are here in prius chat also

 

They have sales brochures?

Using sales literature for car buying research is sorta like watching political commercials to decide which candidate you want to vote for.....

Yeah.
It’s information.....BUT.....

 

like information wars?

 

Sometimes it tells you a lot about what the copywriter or politician thinks about you.