Private Mechanic or Service at the Dealership?

I got a 2018 4Runner a few months ago and it's approaching 50K miles. Curious how people feel about taking your ride to a private mechanic or do you take it back to the dealership? I feel like dealerships are always trying to rip me off.

 

Personally, I don't trust the dealership at all. They left the white (shipping) film on our roof (we got it with 15miles) & said their prep guy is short...
Find a great & honest local mechanic! My only advice.
Ryan.

 

There’s no correct answer here, it’s 100% dependent on the staff at each location. Neither is inherently better or worse.

Personally I’d say Invest in some tools, they will buy themselves over time.

 

That has nothing to do with the service department. Service and sales operate as individual completely separate entities.

 

^^I totally agree. In my case, my service experiences with the two Toyota dealerships in my city have been, shall we say, less than stellar.

 

I don’t even own a 4Runner yet, but called around some of my dealerships to ask advice about how often and what type of maintenance the KDSS suspension requires. Several service advisors Asked what am I talking about? They inquired of me what the acronym name stood for. Crazy absolutely crazy

 

Our salesman didn't know what it was either! He also thought that the locking differential was for loading on a flatbed if needed!?!
He was a "senior salesman"... seriously!?

 

Most salesman dont know there ass from a hole in the ground thru my experience.
As far as the service department goes....there lost if they dont have a part #...
I used to have a go to independent mechanic that was good when he did it part time....now hes in it full time n all he want to do is minor repair n charge top dollar.
I started doin 90% of the work that i needed or wanted done myself....bein 58 yrs. old...it not quite as fun but at least you know what kind of work you getting doin it urself....it pays!

 

One dealer in 100 is okay. The old Honda dealer in Twin Falls, Idaho, comes to mind. Other than that, every one I have tried to use has left me doubting. I even had one Missoula Ford service manager tell me, on the sly, "don't come back here these people are crooks."

On the other hand, more than one private garage has either missed needed work, did something unneeded, or actually broke something and did not disclose the damage.

I had an old Mercedes diesel in the 70's. I would have a prospective mechanic do an oil change and adjust the valves. If it came back leaking oil or "clattering", I would re-do the work myself and try a new shop. With that process I found a great shop that I used for everything.

 

You want experienced mechanics who will give you a solid answer and a fair deal. Most of your mechanics at the dealer will not know very much but they may see volume and that can be good. The dealer experience all revolves around the senior mechanics and whether any service reps are knowledgeable. I have a local garage that I trust for all my work unless there is special warranty or system work (I don't have KDSS, but that would fall here) that they aren't able or comfortable completing. But as far as experience goes, this garage is about 100 years old and the senior mechanics all seem to have grown up in this shop, so I trust them for basic stuff more than everyone else. And sometimes I'm disappointed how little they charge for small repairs (I asked them to look at a "sticky door" on my wife's van, it was $6 shop charge to add grease/lube to the rollers).

 

your oil changes will be done by the youngest, most inexperienced junior apprentice at any dealer, any brand.
yes, they will strip your skid plates screws

 

Well, we have had great service experience at our local Toyota dealer for the last 20 years. I guess you can say we've built a good relationship along the way. They have never told me to have any unnecessary work done. We've serviced 7 different Toyota's here including two 4runners and have had no issues.
Good luck!

 

I think this hits the nail on the head. I've had a lot of bad experiences at dealer service departments, but then again I've mostly used the dealer because I've mostly had my cars under warranty and/or had complimentary maintenance.

A potential advantage of the dealer is that they have a lot of experience with your type of vehicle. They've done maintenance and repairs on a zillion of them, so know the little quirks that might trip up another mechanic. They might know better how to drain the the ridiculous filter canister contraption Toyota uses for the 4R without splashing oil all over the place. They may know how to reposition the skid plate to make it less likely they strip the threads when re-bolting it in. They may be more likely to know when the propellor shaft actually needs lubricating or a fluid needs changing. They may be more likely to spot a trouble area before it becomes a bigger problem. They may be more likely to know about a TSB that identifies an issue they should be looking out for.

But whether they do any of that depends on how conscientious they are and how much management values training and quality work. Integrity is always the first thing to look for. Without that, experience isn't much use.

 

Yes. This is the rule. If you get good oil service that is the exception.
I’ve had two service managers tell me that is the only way they can operate, junior trainee techs start out with oil service / tire rotations. And turnover is very high.

Your best bet is to find a reliable private mechanic. Look at Yelp or yahoo reviews, referrals from your local Nextdoor group, friends/family, or better yet ask on the 4Runner forums for recommendations for mechanics near your city.

 

Well, I would not be thrilled either with shitty work and minimum wage.
Your best bet is (if you can) to do it yourself.

 

38 years of good deals , great service dept., etc. at our local Chevy dealer, then one day out of the blue the sales manager tries to take us for a $3000 "ride".... We're gone! Went to Toyota. Moral of the story: Don't let your guard down even though at the time you're having such good luck at the dealership, always pay attention to what's going on, and when they or a private mechanic try to pay for the damn building they are in with your funding alone..... MOVE ON!

 

I have owned nothing but new cars bought from dealers since 1981 and have yet to be satisfied with any dealer service dept. I have dealt with. I will never bring my cars to a dealer unless it's for warranty work and even then I'll hold my breath until I get it back. I have always done all work on my cars but as I get older and vehicles more complicated it's oil changes, tire rotations and maybe spark plug changes now although I have done exhaust modifications on the '19 Runner myself.
I was very fortunate to find a fantastic local mechanic in my neighborhood and went there with complete confidence for almost 40 years. Unfortunately the business has been sold and from what hear the new management leaves a lot to be desired. I'll probably only use them for inspections as the dealers of vehicles I now own aren't that close to me. As others have said, try to find a good local shop and/or do whatever work you can do yourself. Avoid dealers at all costs in my opinion.