10 K Service, less than impressed! dealership misery!

You won't; they're far too desperate to keep whatever they've got.

I just 'fired' my independent mechanic after catching him not rotating my tires (and worse.)

Stay vigilant and try again.

 

Maybe try to talk to the service manager; he might care enough to act on it, for one reason or another.

 

It is pathetic how bad some Toyota "service" departments are. I did take my 2021 Prius in for the free 10,000 mile service (even though it was her 3rd oil change at that point...I did the first two.) First issue was making the appointment (horrible on-line website), 2nd was waiting in the car for 10-minutes after driving into the bay only to be told that the real service manager would be right over...another 10-minutes! They did the service, which took WAY too long and then casually mentioned they didn't have 0W-16 so used 0W-20 (but failed to mention it's required to ONLY have 0W-16 on the next change) Anyway, got home and checked the level...WAY too much...drove on my ramps and drained it and put in 4.3 qts of 0W-16 and will NEVER take any vehicle to them, again.
They just sent me a Toyota Survey asking me why I don't use their service department...I don't think management will like my honest answers!

 

These tires are not only a disaster that might turn into a recall, but they exhausted the entire spare tire supply already for Gen5 Prius: Impossible to find tires for my Prius XLE AWD | PriusChat

If I were in your situation, I'd get your documentation together from an alignment shop indicating that it is NOT an alignment issue, but a tire quality issue. Then once you get a flat, or even before you get a flat buy a new set of tires and take Toyota to small claims court for the cost of replacement tires. Also be on the lookout for a class action lawsuit because defective tires kill people and these tires have all the signs of being that.

 

I'm scheduled tomorrow for my first 10K service. I'm only going back because of the free oil change. Otherwise I'd have it done elsewhere.

 

Anytime a Toytota Stealerships says "one of my best mechanics" looked at it or did the work, you can be fairly certain that they think they can talk their way out of something they failed to do and won't admit wrongdoing...

 

i think i'd just suck it up and pay for an oil change. you'll never get any satisfaction with these thieves

 

Yep! Welcome to the real world of Toyota Dealerships. Like you, I took advantage of the free oil changes (however, I change mine every 5k/6months which ever comes first). Got the last one at the dealership in February. So except for warranty claims, that’s the last time they will touch my car. If I can’t do the work, I’ll take it to a local mechanic who will allow me to watch as they do it. Several in my area are good with that.

 

Reminds me of my toyota dealership - every service/appointment I have, they leave stains on the headliner. Miserable experience in every single way.

 

I'm scheduled for my first service at the dealer today. I plan to ask them to resolve the problem of the battery going dead every night.
This is the second time; the first time they claimed nothing was wrong. It should be interesting.

 

Yeah, your experience with Toyota dealers will vary greatly from dealer to dealer. I tried many dealers in LA County for service before I settled with West Coast Toyota of Long Beach, which are near me anyway. Their service department is really good.

The others that I won't name lost my valve-stem caps, even (almost) lost my coolant-tank etc. caps, put on the wrong tire (P-rated Toyo A29 instead of metric Toyo A41), wasn't sure what SAE viscosity grade of engine oil they used, etc. I am not going to name them here.

I always check all my valve-stem caps and open the hood and checks the caps under the hood after service. So, if anything is missing, loose, or not installed, I have it corrected before I drive off. They look at me to see what I am doing, but that's better than to be sorry later.

West Coast Toyota also has the $149.95 AdvantageCARE deal for three oil changes and tire rotations. I need to go there for service again soon.

https://www.westcoasttoyotalb.com/advantagecare/

 

Dropping a dime on the former employer

 

Again, your experience will vary greatly from dealer to dealer. The main advantage of the dealers are that they (typically) use OEM parts and materials and follow the OEM specs, and hopefully the technicians are trained by the vehicle manufacturer. With certain work such as adjusting the sensors, it could be impossible to perform it at other places.

Incidentally, Consumer Reports just rated car-repair shops, including dealers, independent shops, chains, etc.

 

In the aftermath of my service today, they confirmed that there is a ~300 mA parasitic drain, and the battery still tests OK. They admitted to having no solution -can't fault them for that..
But it still goes dead overnight, so I guess my options are to keep using my battery maintainer, or buy a 100 Ah LiFePo4 battery. Unfortunately, I'm having some difficulty finding one that will fit.
The measurements I took are: 21 cm L x 17 cm W x 15 cm H; (12,25" x 6.75" x6") Nothing exact so far. I'd hate to order one that won't fit.

 

What?? There is no battery that can withstand a 300-mA parasitic drain. What is causing it? You need to eliminate it. The parasitic drain should be near zero.

 

That’s about 280 milliamperes too much. They’re stumped, have washed their hands of it?