Poor Toyota Service

I have a 2020 4Runner. Just turned 10,000 miles.
Made an appointment for 1:30 today. Indicated I wished to wait.
Showed up at the dealer, 20 minutes before time.
Had to wait about 15 minutes to have the service tech come out.
Indicated I wanted an oil change. He asked if I was going to wait for it. Said yes. He said it would be 2-2.5 hours. I told him all I wanted was an oil change. he repeated....2-2.5 hr. wait.
I pretty much told him where to stick it.
This is where I bought the vehicle about 1.5 years ago.
Will never go back.

 

Wow lol. Welcome to the real world, where have you been? That’s about how long I waited when I took mine to get the free oil change. Don’t like to wait, do it yourself.

 

That’s normal wait time for a busy dealer. Many times they actually finish sooner than the estimated time. Sounded like you were a dick because your expectations were too unreasonable.

 

I just had my 10k service last Friday. They said 2-3 hours. I just asked for a shuttle ride. They called me about 1.5 hours later done. I think 2 hours is just the norm these days

 

I will never take mine to a dealer, any dealer, for service. The free service they provide as an incentive is worth about $100. I do what I can and take it to a trusted mechanic for what I either can’t or choose not to do.

 

I have never waited more than 5 minutes for a service tech to help me except for when I was in Denver and had to get service but that's a different story. As for wait time for oil change and tire rotation, never more than 1 hour.

 

Yeah, this is common. When I used them for oil changes on my tundra appointment or not I would be waiting long enough they’d give me a discount for the wait.

 

I've had this happen 1 time at Autonation Toyota Arapahoe here in CO where I had the appointment at say 12:30 and my car was still at the parking lot for over 1.5 hours. I politely ask for the keys back since it was a working day and I cannot stay any longer. I at least expect for the dealer ship to start work say with in 30 min time when I have an appointment and return the car in 1-1.5 hours time for a tire rotation + oil change service. Nothing big but its just me I cannot wait too long so I politely ask for the keys and schedule an appointment on another day. Or I expect them to inform me at the time I came for the appointment that there is a delay with the jobs due to over booking or some other reason.

 

exactly...I avoid dealers...go straight to my neighborhood mechanic..now if I owned a very new 4Runner, then yeah. I would be at the mercy of the dealer..

 

Stuff happens, man. There could have been a legitimate reason for the time problem. Maybe three guys called in sick. Maybe a scheduling snafu. Who knows without asking? Certainly an oil change doesn’t take 2.5 hours, and I seriously doubt they just felt like making you wait.

 

Everywhere you go will tell you couple hours. They are not just going to take your vehicle in and change the oil right when you drop it off.

This is nothing new.

 

We need to remember that the OP had a schedule time. The fact he had to wait 15 minutes, so be it, but then to be told it’s a 2 hour, shit even an hour wait for a scheduled oil change is not ok. If stuff wasn’t going to go as planned or scheduled, then the dealership should have contacted him. All that being said, if my vehicles go to the garage, I drop them off for the day if possible.

 

Oh, I thought he didn't wait because he got there 20 minutes early. Anyway, like I said, stuff happens. Personally, I would have inquired as to the reason for the wait. I haven't run into this at my dealership (yeah, I know, but I USED to change my own oil on everything until I got my current 2019).

 

Sounds like it's time for OP to start doing his own oil changes.

 

Doesn't matter if you have a schedule time you will wait.

Go to Goodyear, Firestone etc. You will wait this is not a Toyota thing.

We have to get annual safety checks here in Hawaii. Literally takes 5 mins to do. They make you wait couple hours as well if you go to the big boys. Best to find the small shop that will do it right when you show up.

 

Title should be Poor Dealer Service. Toyota had nothing to do with it.

 

Did you ask why the long wait or remind them you made an appointment ? They could have got something mixed up and thought you were a drive up customer.

 

My time is valuable, NO Waiting. I almost walked out on a sales guy last week because I was waiting, but I really wanted to get a deposit on a runner.

 

Everyone time is valuable but if you are expecting any of the big boys to service you immediately you already have the wrong expectation. I'm not saying its right in any way but its how it goes.

 

I use the Internet .... Made appointment for oil, Filter and tire rotation showed up a couple minutes ahead ... drove in to the book in location service writer came over took pictures all the way around 45 minutes latter I drove away. it has always has been this way as long as the service is scheduled ahead of time.

 

Those that allow themselves to be treated this way is the problem. Just think how things would change if more folks walked away and found someone else. That being said, shit happens and I get that, but the service provider should do their best to make you aware of this. With out getting political, folks need to remember in a capitalist society, the consumers vote with their wallets.

 

Treated this way? There is literally a disclaimer on this when you book online and they have told me when you call.

Which is why I said find the small shop if you really need one for service. Some people just want to take it to the dealer because they are the manufacturers rep.

If more people walk and dealers need to start keep the appointment time. They will just reduce their appointment availability so you need to wait weeks to schedule.

 

That’s the way it works in my area, appointments are weeks out at times. I didn’t know it was a disclaimer, but I still wouldn’t accept it as a common practice. It’s was an oil change, the dealership can’t schedule oil changes?

 

The point of making An appointment is so you get service at a specific time and can plan the rest of your day - I understand the OP Frustration

With that being said I HATE dealers and only go if it’s a recall or computer issue I can’t repair myself
Do all of my own maintenance of wife’s Runner and my 18’ Tundra- also never used there “FREE” oil changes -IMO intervals are toooo many miles
JM2C

 

Took mine into selling dealer for first service today (Toyota's dime). Same story, pre-scheduled appointment........2 hour wait...........took their shuttle service both ways.

Unexplainably, same dealership service on my 2018 Tacoma was in and out in 45 the one time I had them service it after Toyota Care expired.

Could it be Toyota/dealership doesn't care if I skip dealer service on their dime. Different story if on mine? Hmmm.

 

“NO waiting” is an expectation that will never be filled. Try as you might, there’s gonna be times when there’s no getting around it.

 

No they can't.

Cheap labor and making $ on oil changes. So they cram as much as they can in one day so their low man tech is busy doing that for his 8+ whatever hours he works. If they go by 30 min appointments and the tech finishes in 10 they lose 20 minutes of billable time. If they take 35 minutes on a 30 minute slot then you will hear bitching down the line. Bottom line is dealership is trying to make as much money as possible.

Want to screw them? Change your own oil. Change oil for anyone that cannot on their own. Thats how you will really boycott them. But we know this will never happen.

 

I am 84 and retired for about 30 years.
I make an appointment so I don't have to wait around an undue amount of time.
I told the guy I have an appointment and he still insisted....2-2.5 hours wait.
I told him forget it....won't go back unless there is a problem since I still have about 1 year on the warranty.

I used to change my own oil. Too old to be sliding under a car to do that.
Plus I have enough money. If they don't want my money there I'll go elsewhere.
Just won't buy another Toyota next time.
And I buy a new car every 2 years or so.
Plus, compared to Ford....Toyota sucks.

 

When I schedule an oil change, I expect it to be done with in the time I scheduled.
I did walk out when the dealership didn’t value my time when buying my 17 Tacoma. We had an appointment to sign paperwork at 11:30 (I think it was) after waiting around for about 30 minutes, I walked over to my sales person and told him he may have just screwed the deal, walked out with my wife and aggressively left the parking lot. It was amazing that both the wife and I only needed to spend about 5 minutes to sign stuff once the deal was put back together.

 

Every dealership I've been to regardless if I had a Toyota, Honda, or Nissan always quoted 2-3 hour wait for Oil Change, Multipoint, and optional wash. Never did it get that high. 1 hour at most.

They give that kind of window as a buffer, but barring no discovered issues other than what you brought it in for? 1.5 hours worse case wait.