Service Dept. trying to rip me off?

If it ain't broke... The only way I would have a fuel system cleaned is if the car was showing symptoms of rough idle, hard to start, seriously bad performance and mileage. Just add a bottle of Chevron Techron to the fuel tank after a fill up and that is all the preventitive maintenance you need.

 

Stop.

If you've had your car regularly serviced by a Toyota dealership for the last 4 years, and you're at a Toyota dealership, and they "can't find all [your] service history", then I would leave immediately after doing three things:

1. Ask for the service manager's card. If you're at a real dealership, they should make these available in a dispenser in the waiting room, or at the cashier's window. If they don't...that's what we call an 'indicator."

2. Ask them to show you the fuel system cleaning service in the schedule of maintenance. It's easy. The Aichi Iron Works schedules required maintenance for the first 60K miles (and beyond for those with extended warranties.) If it's on the SOM, it's required. If it isn't, it isn't.
This "fuel system cleaning" is, at best, a can of cleaner sprayed into your intake.
Unnecessary, and even potentially harmful, since sometimes they'll actually disassemble part of your fuel system to spray their "marvel mystery fluid" (R) into your intake.
Your fuel efficiency OK?....... I thought so.
Do NOT do this.
Ever.
Well....OK. theoretically you might need a fuel system cleaning every quarter million miles or so if you live in harsh environs, or if your gas is for crap.

OK....now for #3.
3. These guys are either crooks or morons. Tell them I said so.
If you have a smart phone, show them this site and invite them to defend themselves if they have the stones.
They won't.
If they're not competent enough to look up your vehicle's service history, you don't want them swinging wrenches on your car. If your vehicle service history really is unavailable in the wilds of NC, then they tried to make a quick buck fifty off of you. $1,99 for carb cleaner. $8 for the half hour that the apprentice tech would charge for pretending to use it, and the rest for the dealer.

Use the business card to pop a flare over whatever Toyota uses for a customer care branch in your part of the United States.

Good Luck!

 

I agree with this.

The items being mentioned as being cleaned as part of this service can be maintained well using an occasional bottle of Techron. I also agree that they will usually give demonstratable warning if/when they approach needing cleaning.

On a vehicle with < 50,000 miles on it? I'd hardly think the service is necessary and nothing more than a cosmetic revenue service for the dealership.

 

All that is a ripoff. If you can go to a different dealer, do that. Otherwise, ask around with other Toyota owners on base and see where they go ala independent shops. But don't go to a quick-lube either.

 

Canesfan,

Maysville is close to Jacksonville, NC, correct? You must be going to Stevenson Toyota in Jacksonville, correct? They own several different dealerships in eastern NC.

They own the Honda dealership in Wilmington. I take my wife's Accord to them and have had excellent service from this dealership. Yes, they always want to offer the fuel system, coolant system, transmission system and brake system flushes. These are all money makers for the dealerships. I just tell them no when they offer and they just move on and do what I ask them to do.

If you continue to have trouble with Stevenson in Jacksonville you may want to try Toyota of Wilmington. It is on the Jacksonville side of Wilmington and maybe 45 minutes from you.

Dwight

 

Canesfan,

Come to Wilmington and you will see lots of Prii running around

Stevenson owns a lot of other car dealerships like the Honda, Mazda and Suzuki dealerships in Wilmington. The Toyota in Jacksonvile is the only one that I know.

I know that Rick Hendrick (NASCAR fame) owns the Toyota dealerships in Fayetteville and Wilmington. I bought my Prius at the Fayetteville dealership and was quite impressed. More so than my local dealership. If you cannot get satisfaction from Stevenson, I would recommend trying one of the Hendrick ones.

If you will go to ToyotaOnline.com, setup an account and enter your VIN you should be able to see all of your car's service history at any Toyota dealership. Of course, Stevenson should have been able to see it also, assuming the past services were at a Toyota dealership.

If I can be of help, let me know.

Dwight

 

Canesfan,

The correct website address is Toyota Owners - Official Toyota Owners Website. I have it listed as Toyota Online in my favorites menu

Dwight

 

Just to make sure, there are multiple pages on my Service History. If you go back to the furthest page, can you not see anything for 2008 or 2009?

I thought I was missing some of my first service records until I realized that a second page had been started and I had to select the previous page to see the previous recoreds.

 

That website is impressive - thanks a million!

 

Another nice thing about this site is that you can add your own service records if you DIY oil changes, etc., or use a non-Toyota service facility. This way you can keep up with all of your service records in one place.

This will be useful for dealership warranty questions and if you sell the vehicle.

 

They do more but basically it amounts to putting a $6 bottle of Fuel Injector cleaner in tank.