Throwing the Toyota dealer under the bus

I really never have much to say about Dealers or even bother to go to one and Now I have Even less reason to go to one.
Last week I decided to use a Free Oil change Coupon and get my tires rotated from Tony Divino's Toyota in Utah Like what could go wrong? (I change my own oil and filter normally) well so OK I figured I would just check up on the work after said and done.
So before going I did other maintenance like change cabin air filter put new engine air filter and wiper blades on.
So 1 hour into the wait on oil change I get a text from the Service department telling me My engine air filter is very dirty and needs to be changed ($48) also the mechanic says the cabin filter is dirty ($34) and my coolant needs to be topped off ($28).
I was about to rip the service manager an new asshole at that point but my better side of me made me count to 100 and figured I will just make a comment when I get my Keys at the service desk..... That I did... I told him "When a dealership lies about what is needed on a job being done you are the one who looses" So to anyone who uses Dealerships to do any work Know what you are walking into.

 

I know what I'm walking into. It is their job to sell you crap that you don't need and you suuuuuuuure don't want. I saw a service dept try to sell a battery to a lady (this was many years ago) that bought the car brand new two weeks prior.

She was old and confused. When the service guy walked away she looked at me and asked me why she needed one. I explained she didn't, but if she did it would be covered under warranty.

I take my SloRunner in to the dealership for the free Toyota Care stuff. They occasionally try to tell me "Oh, you need this and we recommend that. Blah Blah Blah". I give them the same answer every time "Go ahead and change it/replace it, if it's FREE or covered by the warranty."

Then they snatch the paper back and cross out all their suggestions and I go on about my day.

 

Almost like any other profession these days.

 

Agreed. This is why I normally do my own maintenance and whatever repairs I can.

 

I have never been to a dealership I didn’t like. Car shopping, servicing, the whole experience is icky. I hate it. That’s why I buy new cars once every 10 years and have a mechanic I like, for years now.

 

When I take mine to the dealership, it's normally not the dealership but the specific master tech I want to work on my car.
As long as he works on my car, I don't care what these crooks are up to.

 

That I would do if I needed real work done that I do not want to do myself, I do know a Master Toyota Tech very well and he does work on the side from his own very well equip Home shop.

 

I have always used dealers to bring things to my attention early, then i verify and plan accordingly. Its worked great over the years. But what they did to you is an attempt of thevary.

Now i have my own Toyota Master Mechanic that has his own shop and much less expensive than a dealer.

 

That is the only stress free way of owning a vehicle.

 

I had to respond to all these posts.

Good morning. I recently “retired” from being a factory parts and service rep, I worked for both Toyota and. Volkswagen for a combined 21 years. The Toyota job was better because of the product-don’t ever buy a VW unless you enjoy self-punishment’ the quality is terrible and expensive to fix.

Regarding all this “upselling” of services people don’t need….its true, they do this and it is total BS. They’re good at not telling the truth and smiling while they do it. There are cases where you actually find a good/honest service advisor/consultant who has a moral compass along with an experienced tech.

When I retired I brought a brand new 2023 4Runner and took it an independent shop, ex-Lexus techs who did dealerworld for 23 years. I did not take advantage of the first two FREE OIL changes from TMS because I’m not confident they’ll do it right. The place I go to has five techs who are 40+ years old so I know they know what they’re doing!

Dealerland is usually a bad experience! Hey, who wants NITROGEN in their tires?

 

So I'll be that guy..........
Get along with the sales dept. and good relationship with service dept. and particularly a long time service tech.
Have all probed my BS meter? Sure, they're selling goods/services. My push backs are normally good natured but leave little room for a second assault.
And.......it still amazes me what a good quality pizza delivered around lunch the day prior to your appointment buys in good will. You're no longer that sale or repair, you actually have a name and they come to talk to you after they do the work. $100 a year in delivery food and all of a sudden you're treated like a Lexus guy.
All that written, I avoid the free maintenance like the plague.

 

Make sure to leave them a nice Google Maps review and a post on local forums, like some subreddits:
"I almost got scammed by x dealership"