Be wary of Toyota Maintenance Reps

I would like to have some contact with the service tech, and I'm sure I would have an easier time communicating with them. Unfortunately around here, customers are only allowed to talk with the service receptionists, and maybe the service manager. From now on I'll take my Prius in to the dealership for waranty work, but for routine maintenance, I'm going to use someone who actually knows how to use a dipstick.

 

This post has been troubling for me to follow. I have had wonderful reps at my last two Toyota Dealers. I believe getting to know them makes a difference.

 

Fred, You make me think about how I look at all this. We, the customer, are partly to blame. We want everything cheap and don't take the time to develop a relationship with our service tech. It doesn't necessarily have to be a dealer, it can be you local garage. We just go to whoever is the cheapest.

I found a repair facility I trust. I do not use the "loss leader" coupons they use to drum up new business. My wife will hand me the latest 12.99 coupon for an oil change and doesn't understand when I go to my repair shop for a 22.99 oil change. This also applies to all you DIY'ers.

Yourrepair tech will get to know your car, kind of like how your doctor gets to know you. I think it is a valid analogy. If you just go to whatever doctor/lawyer/whatever is the cheapest, none of them will have any loyalty toward you when the chips are down.

Me, if I need fit in quickly or a special something done quickly at my repair facility, I can usually get it down while other cars (i.e. non-loyal customers) wait.

This is a lot easier at smaller shops. The problem with big dealerships is they are too impersonal. The dealer I bought my Prius from offers 3 free oil changes. This is no doubt intended to get me to become loyal. They killed that though when I asked what the 5000K service was. They said oil change and tire rotation. I asked how much and they said free oilchange but the rotation is 22.95. HAH!, what an obvious scam. Thanks for nothing. I fully expect them to try to point out something else wrong as well. Luckily, my forward thinking repair shop owner has commented he thinks these hybrids are a big deal and he is going to start training his guys in how to work on them.

 

Yeah that is what I thought too at first. I do not paying extra if the service is good. Then I went into Toyota for a synthetic oil change. Called them up and got a quote of $56. After everything was said and done the bill was $90. Tthey tacked on all kinds of charges, yeah the change was $56, but then there was the oil fee, filter fee, disposal fee... Not to mention they overfilled the thing. The service manager knew less about the car than I did. Maybe it was just this dealer because my last Ford Dealer for my F250 knew their stuff (but then that is basically all they sold F150s and F250s). Now I will change my own oil whenever possible.

 

I'm sorry, what is described is not even close to what I have experienced.

 

I also got a free oil change coupon for the first 5,000 mile oil change. I took it in last week and specified that I did not want the tire rotation - only the free oil change. I didn't even ask what the charge would be for the rotation - I knew it would be ridiculous. I got the oil change plus a free car wash for nothing. I will now take it to a local garage where I have a coupon for tire rotation.I expect I will not be seeing the dealer now again unless there is a problem under warranty, (which will also be free.) The routine dealer maintainence is simply a money making scam. Any car under 36,000 miles needs only very simple routine maintenence. which can be done either by yourself or more cheaply at a local garage. You do not need to go to a Toyota dealer to "protect your warranty". This is the law. You just need to follow the owner's maintenence manual, and keep records of all work done. I have a 1995 toyota Tercel running well with 145,000 miles and it has never seen the inside of a Toyota dealership, but it has been perfectly maintained. Pay hundreds of dollars to the dealer if you want to give your money away ...

 

Windsurfdog, Nothing in my post was aimed at you. I was reading Fred's post (thus I said..Fred) and it made me think about my pet theory as to why things are they way they are. Any personalizing of my post to your situation is purely a figment of your imagination. If anyone else thought I was maligning you, then accept my apology for such an impression. It was not intended. I reserve my pointed comments to "Fred's House of Pancakes"

 

I'd not be sorry - I'd be ecstatic, if my experience had not been close to what was described.

In my dealer's "New Owners Seminar," during which we were treated to light refreshments after the first hour, we were given an "average" cost figure for periodic services. We were offered a coupon exchangeable for an oil and filter change. I seemed welcome to observe the techs performing that change, even to ask questions about the differences between what we saw from under the hoist and the conventional stuff on which I had DIY experience. I dismissed their (2) disagreement on one explanation as probably inequality of ability to express their knowledge fluently.

Thus I was somewhat surprised to see the bill after the 10,000, which I left entirely to them while I killed 2 hours in the sales lobby and adjoining parts/accessories department. It was 50% more than the "average" quoted during the "seminar." The complimentary car wash wasn't up to the quality of our favorite hand wash, for which we happily pay $9.95, outside, only (after $1 senior discount). The 5-qts. of oil charged on the bill didn't catch my eye until logging my own maintenance records. Fortunately, I had checked the dipstick, and know that it was not overfilled. Small details might best be overlooked, except that I can't help wondering what else might be certified as completed, but maybe not as should be. Service Managers (not the Service Dept. Manager) gave different explanations of intrusion alarm operation and test procedures. What's to trust?

This chat site opened my eyes to the sales practice of the same dealer when I saw that I had purchased the Extended Warranty for 50% more than available from Troy.

I'll not haggle over each "service" from such dealers ukeleft: Retired, on a fixed income, I can't afford to make good friends with greedy merchants, to be assured of prompt, reliable service. They probably don't miss my business, either. So be it.

 

Every dealer should have a printout for the exact cost of every service from 5000 miles to 60,000 miles. I assume all these posters have asked for and acquired one of these. If they deviate from the charges, I am confident that Toyota of America would take corrective action or at least would be very interested in hearing about it. In fact, I think all these postings should be made available to them.