Service Rip Off

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Rancid13 @ Aug 2 2006, 03:14 PM) [snapback]296584[/snapback]</div>

In your glove compartment is a little book that Toyota, the manufacturer of the vehicle, has given you. It has the recommended service items for your car. Do only those things. It should cost you about $30 to $35, with rare exceptions, until you get to 100,000 miles.

Toyota, the manufacturer, knows what is needed to maintain the car. Everything else is just throwing money away.

I don't have it in front of me, but IIRC, the maintenance schedule is to change the oil and rotate the tires every 5,000 miles until you reach 30,000 miles. Then you clean or replace the cabin air filter.

When I took my car in for its "10,000 mile service" I said "Change the oil, guys" They said "Don't you want the 10,000 mile service?" and I said "No, change the oil and do the courtesy safety check you always do for free, because that's all the manual says to do". And they do it, and smile, because they know I'm in on the scam.

I don't rotate my tires either because they want to charge me $25 to do it, and I want new tires anyway. After 11,000 miles, I'm $50 richer and there's no uneven wear on the tires. If they last 20,000 miles, I'll have paid for more than one tire by not rotating them, and I'll buy new ones at Costco. They rotate them for free, for life.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(fshagan @ Aug 3 2006, 11:34 PM) [snapback]297508[/snapback]</div>

The only problem is that is a basic guide and doesnt include everything needed to maintain the car. The customers do not know this. With most vehicles, customers don't realize that they have to change other fluids like power steering fluid if it is brown, or their brake fluid because it is hygroscopic. That isn't in the book, but should be done roughly every 50,000 miles or if the fluid is dirty.

Also I do recommend that they perform the scheduled services for that milage. Many come in at 76k and wonder why we throw flushes at them because the fluids never been changed. Change it every 30k and I wont be telling you why its disgusting.


Wow we rotate our tires for 14.95 with an oil change and included free with our scheduled services.

 

My female friend took her '05 Prius in on Wednesday for the recall. She also told World Toyoto "Do the 15,00 mile service." Her bill? $312.00! She is still in a state of shock.