Done with Toyota Dealership

[ShannonMB]

Stealerships! That seems about right. Just for a simple oil change and tire roatation you are looking at a huge bill. A place like WalMart Tire and Lube will do it for 1/2 the price.

If I need a heart surgeon, I'll go to a specialist that charges a pretty penny. If my son gets pink eye at daycare, I don't care if it is some med-school drop out who later got his degree online or in some 3rd world country that calls in the script. Maybe the dealer "expertise" will shine in complex fixes, but light bulbs, oil changes, wiper blades, and brake pads ain't rocket science.

Love this post!

 

[dis-happy]

The certified mechanic at the Honda dealer almost killed off half my family. My dh had taken the car in to have something done to it (can't recall what it was now but it was more than just an oil change). He then drove 3 hours to the beach house with my dd in the car with him. Shortly after arriving there, we took the car to run an errand and some major part of the car fell off the bottom. The mechanic had failed to tighten the part into place. We had it towed to the local dealer at the beach and it took a week for them to fix the car, plus they had to pay for our rental car in the meantime. But if that piece had fallen off while my dh was driving on the highway at 70 mph I'm sure it would have ended in a major deadly accident.

After that we moved on to an independant repair place that came recommended on the Car Guys website. Better prices, no upsell, great mechanics.

 

[daughtersrus]

I took my 2009 Edge to my local Ford dealer for servicing. I knew from their warning me that the cost for the replacement wiper blades is about $52. So I bought two Michelin blades at Wal-Mart and brought them with me when I went for service; they installed the blades for me at no charge.

Back in the 60's-80's, my dad used to own his own gas station/repair center. He said that customers often did this and he likened it to buying a steak at the grocery store and taking it to the restaurant from them to cook it for you.

DH works at a Lincoln/Mercury dealership. They will have customers bring in parts and they will install them. Depending on what it is and what other work is being done, they may charge them. Most techs at a dealership are being paid "book time" so if the customer isn't charged, the tech isn't paid.

 

[melancholywings]

I have the worst luck.

In college I went to Goodyear for the battery to be replaced and they wanted to replace a lightbulb for $200. They claimed that it was because it required a special tool. I took the car to shucks and bought that special tool which was a phillips head screw driver and a $10 light.

My MIL had purchased a new car from a Ford dealership. Drove it around a couple of years before gifting the car to us. Right before she gave it to us she had the dealership replace a chipped windshield. They didn't seal it right, and it rained on us and ruined all the electrical 'stuff'. The car was completely messed up - you had to open the trunk to turn it off. It was the only way the engine would stop even though the key was turned off. The dealership refused responsibility and she ended up having to call up to a Ford CEO to get them to fix the car. No one messes with a Marine Drill Sargent Grandma.

Then we had to take our Chevy Venture back to the dealership to have some free recall thing done to the Onstar system. While there they broke the whole system. A wire was 'suddenly' cut though no one knew how it could have happened. We had to fight with them to fix what they broke and to get us a rental while they ordered in the parts.

I trust the old grizzled, sailor talking mom and pop mechanic over the dealerships. At least with him you expect a lower level of quality control.

 

[melancholywings]

The certified mechanic at the Honda dealer almost killed off half my family. My dh had taken the car in to have something done to it (can't recall what it was now but it was more than just an oil change). He then drove 3 hours to the beach house with my dd in the car with him. Shortly after arriving there, we took the car to run an errand and some major part of the car fell off the bottom. The mechanic had failed to tighten the part into place. We had it towed to the local dealer at the beach and it took a week for them to fix the car, plus they had to pay for our rental car in the meantime. But if that piece had fallen off while my dh was driving on the highway at 70 mph I'm sure it would have ended in a major deadly accident.

After that we moved on to an independant repair place that came recommended on the Car Guys website. Better prices, no upsell, great mechanics.

I take back my comment. You have the worst luck with dealerships. I can't even imagine how scary that is.

 

[mrsklamc]

Toyota has some nerve expecting to be paid anything for anything after the people they've killed. Couldn't pay me enough to drive one.

 

[LoraJ]

I love my Toyota dealership for the most part. I had something done on my Corolla and there seemed to be an issue with the repair. I brought it right back and they resolved it at no charge of course. My friend had a similar issue after going to a mechanic and brought it back and they denied having anything to do with the issue and wanted to charge them to fix what they messed up.

Sometimes I feel like they are charging me for things I don't need, other times they don't pressure me for anything. Like one time they told me my battery would need to be changed within a certain time frame, but did not try and talk me into doing it there and then. Now that I am under warranty, I am sure it will be hassle free for a while.

And they sent me a birthday greeting today. I thought that was nice.

 

[cm8]

I have the worst luck.

In college I went to Goodyear for the battery to be replaced and they wanted to replace a lightbulb for $200. They claimed that it was because it required a special tool. I took the car to shucks and bought that special tool which was a phillips head screw driver and a $10 light.

My MIL had purchased a new car from a Ford dealership. Drove it around a couple of years before gifting the car to us. Right before she gave it to us she had the dealership replace a chipped windshield. They didn't seal it right, and it rained on us and ruined all the electrical 'stuff'. The car was completely messed up - you had to open the trunk to turn it off. It was the only way the engine would stop even though the key was turned off. The dealership refused responsibility and she ended up having to call up to a Ford CEO to get them to fix the car. No one messes with a Marine Drill Sargent Grandma.

Then we had to take our Chevy Venture back to the dealership to have some free recall thing done to the Onstar system. While there they broke the whole system. A wire was 'suddenly' cut though no one knew how it could have happened. We had to fight with them to fix what they broke and to get us a rental while they ordered in the parts.

I trust the old grizzled, sailor talking mom and pop mechanic over the dealerships. At least with him you expect a lower level of quality control.

, Guess they thought that they could get over on you !
You MIL showed them, serves them right!!

 

[aduck126]

Land Rover is the worst! They somehow make it so no other mechanic will work on their cars (cant even get an oil change) so you are forced to go there to get stuff done. I just got an oil change and it cost 150.00! I really need new wiper blades and I can't even get those in the store, they only sell the land rover special ones at the dealer for 100.00, 50.00 a wiper. I went and bought just the wiper part itself at walmart and actually taped it on the plastic area, haha. And the car is a piece of crap on top of all that so moral of the story is...DONT BUY A LAND ROVER

 

[aduck126]

speaking of horrible car stories one time i had my tires changed at some quicky tire change firestone place and as i was pulling away about to turn onto a very busy street i notice my car is kind of rattling then all of a sudden BOOM my tire falls off and goes rolling right into the street! thank god nobody was injured. The mechanic forgot to put the lugnuts back on!!!!! then they dont even discount the tire the give us a coupon for a free oil change! we took my car into the Ford delaership the next day because it cant be good that the entire weight of it fell on the axel and you could see that the bumper was actually bent in. The estimate was 800.00 and the guy was actually arguing with us, saying that we have to go get 5 seperate estimates!!!! when the lawyer called he decided to pay the original estimate.

 

[Serling126]

So how do you know who to trust??? Some people have great luck at mom and pop places and would never trust the dealerships, while others have had their cars torn apart by the smaller places and would never take their cars anywhere but the dealership!!

I need to take my van in for a "check up" as it just rolled over 70k miles, I don't know any small operations that are trustworthy, but I am afraid that I am going to pay an arm and a leg at the dealer... what to do??

 

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

Normally our Toyota dealorship is great - they just change the oil and don't give us any crap.

One time when dh took it in they gave him a list of like 5 things that "urgently" needed to be taken care of. I told dh to call my dad and ask him. Lo and behold, dad said that all of the 'urgent' problems were somehow magically related to the fact that the weather had just changed from regular fall to very cold and not to do anything to the car. Amazingly that was back in the late fall and our car is still running just fine. The battery that was "almost dead" still starts the car without any problems! I can't remember what other problems they mentioned but apparently they weren't all that urgent afterall!

 

[daleswife]

I had a problem with the Pontiac dealership a few years ago, went in to have the remote programed for the keyless entry and they came out and said the ignition switch was broken...went out and I couldnt even turn the KEY!!! THEY BROKE IT thinking I would just say oh well fix it.....So I called my ASE Master Mechanic Husband and he came and fixed it and said a few choice words to them and we went home. and OHHH the look on their faces when i told them Id call my hubby!!! was priceless!!!

I hate dealerships.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

I had a problem with the Pontiac dealership a few years ago, went in to have the remote programed for the keyless entry and they came out and said the ignition switch was broken...went out and I couldnt even turn the KEY!!! THEY BROKE IT thinking I would just say oh well fix it.....So I called my ASE Master Mechanic Husband and he came and fixed it and said a few choice words to them and we went home. and OHHH the look on their faces when i told them Id call my hubby!!! was priceless!!!

I hate dealerships.

Don't get me started on programming a key remote! Last year I was shopping for a used car and I found a Santa Fe, but it only had one key and no remotes. So I called Hyundai, they wanted almost $100 just to program the remote and the remote was just as expensive. Take 2 minutes on Google and you can find the directions to program it for free!

 

[apnep]

I usually just take mine into the dealership knowing they are going to tell me I need to get 40 extra things done and I'm due for a "xxx mile service" on my vehicle. I listen politely and then look them frankly in the eye and tell them, "Look, I'm broke and I can't spend $1000 on XYZ. What do I ABSOLUTELY need to get done today so I don't die while driving the car?"

That always prompts a more genuine analysis of what truly needs to be done on the vehicle. "Well, look, you can wait on all that other stuff but I really think you should do ABC."

Also, if I'm concerned about what they are telling me, I'll call up 2 or three other mom and pop shops or other dealerships and ask tons of questions to learn more. Only then will I make a decision about getting the work done.

Ang

 

[01spirit750]

How about this...

I had my truck for about 13 months (bought new) but it only had 7k miles and I had to take it in for some warranty work. The service writer told me I really needed to have the 15k factory service done.

I don't think so.

A word of advise; always read the actually service you will be getting for those expensive 15k, 30k, etc factory services. Most likely it will just be an oil change and air filter change (less then $20 work of parts) and then a lot of checking and inspections.

If the dealer finds that you need extra repair work, have them give you a written quote. (Sometimes they don't want to do this). Then take the car to a local independant shop and have them inspect / check the car (without telling them about the dealers recommendations).

You can always take the car back to the dealer to have the work done.

 

[arihillfarm]

I took my 2009 Edge to my local Ford dealer for servicing. I knew from their warning me that the cost for the replacement wiper blades is about $52. So I bought two Michelin blades at Wal-Mart and brought them with me when I went for service; they installed the blades for me at no charge.

Advance Auto Parts and Auto Zone will install wiper blades for free if you buy them there and really, it's pretty easy to do yourself. Takes all of a minute per wiper blade. The only time I took them up on the their offer to change the blades was when it was pouring rain and the store manager told me to go sit in the car while he changed them. I thanked him profusely.

-Astrid

 

[arihillfarm]

Don't get me started on programming a key remote! Last year I was shopping for a used car and I found a Santa Fe, but it only had one key and no remotes. So I called Hyundai, they wanted almost $100 just to program the remote and the remote was just as expensive. Take 2 minutes on Google and you can find the directions to program it for free!

You can usually find the remotes for sale on Ebay too, pretty cheaply.

-Astrid

 

[arihillfarm]

Land Rover is the worst! They somehow make it so no other mechanic will work on their cars (cant even get an oil change) so you are forced to go there to get stuff done. I just got an oil change and it cost 150.00! I really need new wiper blades and I can't even get those in the store, they only sell the land rover special ones at the dealer for 100.00, 50.00 a wiper. I went and bought just the wiper part itself at walmart and actually taped it on the plastic area, haha. And the car is a piece of crap on top of all that so moral of the story is...DONT BUY A LAND ROVER

I'm not sure what you mean about no other mechanics can work on Land Rovers. We had one and both DH and I were able to do work on it. It had plenty of electrical issues but my hubby loved it anyway, LOL! While he was deployed, I drove it and did the routine maintenance on it and it was pretty easy. Definitely one of the easiest vehicles I've ever changed oil on (BMW wins that contest hands-down though). Auto Zone usually has some kind of oil change special going on with a filter and 5 qts. of synthetic oil for $29.95. I'd buy the oil filter wrench (these are pretty cheap) and catch pan (cheap also) and save the $120 difference (every 3-4 months no less) for the next Disney trip. You can recycle the oil at the auto parts store. It's at most, a 10-15min. job and that includes letting the engine run a little bit to warm the oil up so it drains better. If you don't want to deal with this, find a neighbor kid or family member who is good with cars and pay them $10-15 to do it and buy the kit at Auto Zone. You'll still be saving over $100 each time.

-Astrid

 

[nowellsl]

So how do you know who to trust??? Some people have great luck at mom and pop places and would never trust the dealerships, while others have had their cars torn apart by the smaller places and would never take their cars anywhere but the dealership!!

I need to take my van in for a "check up" as it just rolled over 70k miles, I don't know any small operations that are trustworthy, but I am afraid that I am going to pay an arm and a leg at the dealer... what to do??

Ask around (friends, co-workers) who they use. I've used the same mechanic for at least 25 years or longer and I recommend him all the time. I dread the day he retires!