Be wary of Toyota Maintenance Reps

Hate to say it, but I'd have to say MOST dealerships are like that. No matter what domestic or foreign brand affiliation.

I can't think of a better scenario to apply Caveat Emptor. That and buying a home/condo. It's a jungle out there, and the spears/knives are always sharp.

Long ago I reached the conclusion that the only way to have a properly built home, a properly serviced HVAC, or a properly serviced car was to build/service it myself. At a certain point that becomes impossible.

Jay

 

By now, dealers (not just Toyota) should be aware of the long life coolants used these days. My '98 Saturn didn't need a coolant change for 100K either.

 

I can't speak for every dealership out there, but from my personal experiences with dealership service departments both Toyota and non-Toyota, at least a portion of the Maintenance Reps pay is commission based. My first tip-off was a rep pushing "Fuel Injection Service" to the tune of $200. That's a service not even listed in the manuf. book but according to him "I've seen lots of cars like yours that would benefit from it." Turns out the "service" was a matter of putting additive into the gas tank to clean out the injectors. What a rip. Happy to say, I haven't seen the injector service ads plastered in the dealership for over a year now.

Same can be said about what I call "early" service intervals. I'm taking 1,500 mile oil changes or yearly trans flushes. Not to manuf. spec, but from the dealership can't hurt the car just the customer's pocketbook.

 

I hope it works out. Also keep in mind the Service Department is where a lot of profit can be padded in.

You should have seen how I was treated by my local GMC Truck dealer when my brand new 2000 GMC Sierra SLT 4x4 started acting up less than 2 weeks old. Without exception, they were complete asses to me.

We also had a Chevrolet dealer troll snooping around making some snide comments about the Prius. Based on his comments, I bet if you had a problem with your beloved Chevy he'd tell you TFB right to your face.

Jay

 

Yet--there are experiences like the one I posted yesterday in the central Texas forum:

 

I think we have learned that dealerships are inclined to include non-scheduled maintenance items in their 5, 10, 15,000... maintenances. So, the key is to go in and specify the maintenance items to be done on your vehicle while it is at their dealership. There is that nice maintenance book that should have come with the vehicle. It should be brought in when the service request is written up just so you can point out all the stuff you want done, and nothing more. It will be very hard for a service writer to argue with a Toyota publication. Although it might be funny to have them explain a particular service package to you, and then pull out the book and compare notes.

 

My credo to many people about business transactions in general is "trust no one". That is cynical and negative, but you shouldn't trust any business entity until you have had time to deal with their people, evaluate services rendered and had a consistent history of satisfaction with said business. I suppose only then can you let your guard down. Even then if you let your guard down too far you can still get hurt.

I've always found it very strange that dealerships frequently choose to lie and cheat customers when they would have much more loyalty and more stable income if they just were honest with customers and willing to work hard to fix their problems or solve their issues. Wouldn't it be easier if a dealership sales department sold the car in an honest fashion with knowledgeable people who didn't embellish the product, but more importantly were square with you when closing the deal (embellishment is part of sales and it is our duty as buyers to not let embellishments get in the way of our judgement)? Wouldn't a service department be more successful in general if they followed the manufacturer service guidelines for maintenance, had highly trained and competent staff members and only recommended maintenance or repair which would solve the direct issue the customer had? Good service, sold at a reasonable price will always lead to greater business success than bad service at bad prices. People will come back again and again, and recommend you to their friends, if they are happy with your service department and do not feel raped every time they visit. On the other hand if your service department continues to lie to customers, sell unnecessary services to pad their pocket or commission or other basically dishonest activities, you will always be fighting to keep people coming back and they will only come when they absolutely have to.

I understood your situation. I was just being much more general in my original post than your specific subject. It is unfortunate that the service writer you were working with chose to act in a way that would loose your business. His loss and his dealership's loss, in more than one waw.

Oh, you know, most dealerships are so used to padding their regular mileage interval services with unnecessary extra services that they are basically ignoring or not being trained in the Toyota spec for Prius service. I expect to have to bring in my maintenance book when I use my local dealer for maintenance because they seem so unfamiliar with how little maintenance they actually have to do on this vehicle. And disappointed at how little they get to charge for.

 

Sorry to hear of the problems with maintenance and dealers. Ever dealer is probably guilty of this. Most dealers, in my opinion, make up their own maintenance packages on what they believe is the typical driving habits for their area. Yes they could go with the normal driving or severe service, but they may have more to it. I guess this is a catch 22 situation. The cars are getting more technical/longer warranties/less maintenance to be done. To look at this and see the normal " Customer Pay " work going down, how do they keep expenses paid? And the customer wants just what is needed by the book. So some "extra's " are left in the packages. It wouldn't be something you wouldn't need if they had seen problems in the area from other cars. And the less work a car needs, the less the dealer makes, and the less the tech ( ) makes. I have seen this first hand, as I have been a tech since '79. Up through the 80's to the mid 90's, it was great to be a tech and make good money. Since then, as they get more technical, most older techs are retiring or finding other work. Good incoming techs are few,especially ones that want to stay and learn. Look at any paper and there is always info about the shortage of techs. Add to this the fact it is getting harder then ever to make good money at this. With the cars getting more technical each year, it takes special techs to keep up on them. Maybe someday the dealers will come around and see what an asset a caring/smart/customer driven tech is worth. Till then we can only hope for the best.

So I guess the most you can ask right now is to go in knowing what you want and if the writer doesn't give you what you want, ask to see the service manager. He is probably the one coming up with the packages. The writer is only selling what he is told. If the local tech understands your concerns and takes care of you, stick with him. Good techs are hard to come by, .

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeromep\";p=\"113709)</div>

Not cynical or negative, but very practical. They think nothing of raking a customer over the coals. We had a Chevy dealer troll here a couple of weeks ago who swore the magic GMAC 0.0% wasn't a scam.

That the rate far below what it costs to borrow money from the bank wasn't patently impossible - unless the MSRP is padded to reflect the "true" cost of borrowing.

So again: Caveat Emptor!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeromep\";p=\"113709)</div>

That's known as "puffery"and is SOP. They figure the few who can be screwed make the SOP a success.

 

Hi Rick:

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rick57\";p=\"113894)</div>

I see the same thing in Industrial Process Control, many Engineering fields, and many Computer-related fields. What you described is generic to these fields.


<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(rick57\";p=\"113894)</div>

Cause and Effect except it's backwards in this case. Just like this mythical "shortage" of skilled engineers or skilled IT workers. They really mean "willing to work part time for minimum wage with no benefits."

Defined that way, every field would have a "critical shortage" of skilled workers.

Jay

 

This is so disheartening. I serviced two vehicles this week..the Prius and a Honda. I knew what I wanted. I had it written down. By the manual.

In both cases, the service writers treated me with a smile that barely concealed their disdain. In the case of the Prius, I had changed the oil myself because they didn't answer my voicemails for an appointment, and in the meantime I had also decided to buy the air filters (from them) and change them myself. That left them with inspections (30,000) that they normally do for free.

When I checked out (this is Toyota), the service writer said "We had to leave the maintenance light on because you did not do the 30,000 service".

Me: "We just did it. I bought the filters. Here's the receipt for the oil change."

"But our recommended 30,000 service is much more extensive and needed for this geographic area".

Me: "Here's my credit card. I'll turn off the light myself".

I'm just about past 36,000, and once that happens, I won't be back there unless there is a "Prius specific" problem.

 

:idea: In my location (North Dallas, Texas) there are five Toyota dealers within "working" (not necessarily convenient) distance. One in particular has a very good reputation for both Prius knowledge and service. Although this dealer is not the nearest, when I need "Prius" service, that's where I will go. Our area "Prius Meetup Group" has been supplied with this Service Advisor's card and we are likely to have him visit our monthly meeting soon. Last meeting, we had 13 Prius and 1 Highlander hybrid in attendance.

:roll: Is it SO DIFFICULT for dealers' service departments to understand that good, honest, appropriate service procedures will pay off in future business both for sales and service?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jeromep\";p=\"113709)</div>

I suspect that car owners of all makes and models will be happier with their service if the dealer has a limited clientele from which to earn repeat business. Specifically, small towns of 5,000 -15,000 barely support one manufacturer's products, but the word get around town quickly, if they abuse the trust of more than a select, wealthy few. Dealers who are willing to settle for a modest profit can still stay in business in that environment IMO.

 

That could be a good thought. I used to work years ago at an Olds/Cad dealer in my home town. Only had most of the domestics in the county,no import dealers(still don't). Our shop only had 4 techs and I got to know most of the customers. But going to a big city dealer,the customers contacts in the service department is usually limited to the service writers. I have spoken to a few customers,most of them Prius owners because I have the most experience with them,so that is nice. If the customer asks to speak to the Prius tech,I am usually around to talk to them and answer their questions.It would be nice if customers and the techs got along, :roll: .

 

Rick, I can't find the thread that dealt with calibration of the fuel gauge. I recall that you were going to post the procedure for the '04 - '05 models but I don't remember seeing the post.

I'd really appreciate it if you post or repost the procedure as soon as yoy can since I would like to do it on my '05.

Thanks.

 

Hi Jay

I agree, most of the carrers are probably this way. The lower ones in the chain are trying to please the owners/bosses to keep the bottom line in the black and showing a profit. So you hire the bare minimum you would need and keep profit margin high. All the while forgetting who keeps you in business, the customer.