Do I have to bring my 2010 Prius the the same dealer I bought it from?

Any dealer in the US will work. Just call the dealer of your choice and make an appointment with their service department.

 

Do make appointment with the nearest dealer. Please share your result after the service.

 

If you have a letter for "The Recall", doesn't it mention where you can have the work done?

 

I don't remember what "the letter" said, but warranty and recall work can be done at any franchised dealer.

 

While you are certainly welcome to use any Toyota dealership for warranty/campaign work, as a service advisor for the last nine years, I cannot impress enough how important developing a relationship with your dealership is.

 

And just how does one do that? I've been using the same dealership for some time now, and nobody there would remember me as nobody has seen me more than once, with the exception of the cashier after the work is done. The records are computerized so they know when I last came in, but I think a bit of that is shared across dealerships anyway.

 

I fixed that one for you. The dealership is only interested in their bottom line. Your satisfaction never enters into that equation as is evidenced by the numerous complaints noted here and other car enthusist sites.

Exactly. They don't know you, me or anyone else that comes in from Adam. Their chief goal is to increase profits. Nothing more. Nothing less.

 

lol@ Chris. The dealership dosen't care about the customers, they just care about lining their pockets with money. Car sales associates are some of the most shady people I've ever met.


Any dealer will work b/c they are authorized with Toyota.

 

Chris,

I was trying to follow your advice above as this is my first Toyota. The first 5K service went very well. They were well aware of the Prius' 0W20 oil requirement, etc. Gave me a free car wash. Life was good.

Second visit, they used 5W30 oil, the service advisor feeds me BS about a Toyota letter confirming the use of 5W30 oil and they over-inflate my tires to 45 psi. Life is not so good.

So, this relationship needs to be a two-way street, not one-way.

Dwight

 

I'm sure the dealer wouldn't mind getting a tip for providing over-priced service as well.

 

There are some dealers that do care about their customers, and will go out of their way to help. Mine does.

 

Thank you.

I always take a little offense when people start ragging on dealership service employees as I've been one for nine years now. I have a very loyal following, make every effort to be as accommodating as reasonable, ensure I'm at the top of my game in terms of my product knowledge and try to help out whenever possible.

However, people with unrealistic expectations or warranty whores will, most likely, receive the bare minimum. There is no need to have an adversarial relationship with your dealership. If you come in with a chip on your shoulder and looking for a fight, you're going to get one. The people who get the best deals out of me are the ones who are the most reasonable and understanding. The ones who spend the most money with me are the ones who like me the most. I subscribe to the basic tenet that it's not how much I can get from you today, but how many times you're willing to come back and how many people you're willing to refer to me.

I don't like being stereotyped any more than anyone else. I take pride in my work. Yes, there are some "bad apples" who spoil it for the rest of us, but, then again, that's the case for just about any group of people, isn't it?

 

Unless you're working for some non-profit organization, I'm sure you would as well.

 

I totally agree with this. The Honda dealer that I have taken my wife's car for the past three years has an excellent service department and are well known for their customer service. This is one of the main reasons I came so close to purchasing the Insight rather than the Prius.

The first visit I had with the Toyota service department went very well. The second one did not. I can also assure Chris that I did not have a chip on my shoulder, even after the advisor fed me the line on the 5W30 oil. I just called him on it and he immediately took me to the technician and had the oil drained and replaced with 0W20.

 

I have yet to find one. When calling to inform my selling dealer that I'll be there in about an hour because I just experienced a stuck shifter the reply was "Do you have an appointment?"

Another dealer installs a crap 12v battery & leaves me stranded in their service dept when my car won't move. No ride home. No loaner. There's superior warranty service for you.

I'll admit that I probably do arrive in the service dept with a chip on my shoulder. This comes from hearing "it's supposed to do that" when complaining that something's wrong. It comes from the attitude "that you the owner don't know anything & should just listen to us because we work in the garage." It comes from hearing too much BS & too many lies.

No, everyone is not the same. Some are honest & capable. (I put our members in this category.) Some look out for the customer. Some look out for their own interests. Some don't know the difference between sh*t & shinola.

 

Stereotypes occur because more often than not the stereotype of behavior being projected actually does occur. Think about it. If it was not a frequent enough occurace then the stereotype would not exist. I do agree that are good dealers out there. Fact of the matter is that I have purchased several vehicles and my experience has been negative more often than not. After purchasing the vehicle I do not recieve the same respect prior to owning the vehicle.

 

Keep in mind -- in no way, shape or form am I trying to defend or justify the actions of those who are not as customer- and solution-focused as I am. However, I want people to realize there are a few of us out there who make every attempt to satisfy any reasonable request, work dilligently to address every concern possible and return your car to you as cordially, inexpensively, expeditiously and completely as possible.

 

...and I would be the 1st in line to salute you. I believe I have the right to complain over poor service. I also have an equal obligation to be just as vociferous when good service is performed. Unfortunately it seems the good & honest mechanic gets driven out of the business.

I've gotten better advice & help from the technically savvy members here than from the dealers and I recommend to coworkers experiencing car problems to search the internet & post in an appropriate chat room because of the quality of the advice & integrity of the posters.

I'm no mechanic--but seem to be able to diagnose problems as well as or better than those being paid to do it.

 

After receiving what I believed to be sub-standard service for an oil change, I told the service manager (in a non-combative manner) that I was dissatisfied with the work done. He asked me what I would like done to be satisfied. I told him, he then told his technician to do exactly that. Afterwards we talked a while about Prius technology, got to meet the lube technician, had a laugh about the recent "runaway hoax", shook hands, then I left.

I know it sounds simplistic, but it worked for me. Guess I was fortunate in getting a service manager who would listen.