Morons that work at the dealership !!

i will say i've never had any issues at my dealership. they seem to know what they are doing. that's not to say every dealership is that way.

there is this one place down the road that has 2 old hippies that work on cars. they have long beards and stuff but they know how to work on cars and trucks. they can pretty much do anything.

 

See, you are stereotyping though. It is not a FACT that most of the dealerships don't know the difference. Dealerships spend MILLIONS of dollars each year to train their techs on the latest technology. See, one of the things I have learned over my 25+ years in dealerships, and this is a fact that you can actually look up: In today's modern world of social media and communication, a satisfied customer typically tells 3 people they were satisfied. A dissatisfied customer will get the word out to an average of 3,000 people. That is a pretty big ratio.

Say all you want about what you have seen with your own experiences, and I promise I am not trying to say you were not treated poorly at your dealership, but be honest and tell me, how many dealerships have you PERSONALLY taken your vehicle to? How many independent shops? I have worked at over 20 dealerships and independent shops and I see how things work from the INSIDE. Yes, there are bad apples, but I guarantee you that there are more GOOD techs than there are bad ones.

Most all techs are paid flat rate, which means they get paid by the work they perform. AND most all techs do NOT get paid if they have to go back and fix something that they made a mistake on. Now do you REALLY think that that many techs can make a living if they have to keep going back and back again on the work they do? It is in our best interest to fix it, and fix it right the first time. Are we perfect? No. But I challenge you to keep up with the constant world of changing technology when it comes to modern automobiles. Look at how much vehicles have changed in just the past 20 years. From carburetors into fuel injection. Throttle body injection to port, to direct injection. Distributor ignition to distributorless injection. ICM to Coil-on-plug. Computers that have gone from 1 computer in a car to over 30! And we have to CONSTANTLY learn the new tech, apply the new tech, diagnose the problems, and fix them. I would be willing to put out a GUARANTEE that you would not survive 6 months in my world. EVERY year something new comes out, and we are expected to learn it, apply it, diagnose it, and fix it as soon as it hits the showroom, with training that in many times doesn't become available until 6 months or more afterwards. When the hybrids came out I had one that I had to extrapolate how the system worked and diagnose the failure on a truck right off the delivery trailer with ZERO training and no hands on experience. Welcome to the real world of being a tech. Now you STILL want to say that most techs don't know what they are doing? You are clueless.

And by the way, stereotypes are based on prior ASSUMPTIONS, not facts.

Rant over.

 

I've never had anything but a good experience with the Toyota techs that have worked on my truck at my dealer

 

BamaToy1997 .... well said.

I have related the same to many businesss ... "Treat me well I'll tell 20 people. Treat me poorly and I'll tell 100." Regardless of the type of business they get it.

Anyone who has terrible customer service will not stay in business for long ... once again, regardless of the service provided.

 

Ditto ... since 1983 and going.

 

This is why I never let anyone else work on my truck for any job within my capability. I have only ever had one shop ever do a job that I had no issues with, and that shop is 45 miles away.

 

But I bet you would stop in at my shop if you were in town! lol.

 

Amen to Bamatoy . I agree with him 100%
One of the reasons I sold the shop . On average , I had 8 technicians in the shop . It would cost me as the employer 5K per year minimum to keep that technician up to date . None of the training was local and required sending the guys on a flight with hotel expenses , meals and rental cars .
My shop was aftermarket which meant we were always a year behind with the latest information . That information has to be paid for . Software updates for my scanner cost me 12k per year .
The average customer doesnt take this into consideration when you drop by the garage for a cheap quote .
With this said
A doctor can bury his mistakes but a mechanic has to live with his .

 

Just to add to this whole dealer "Moron" thing. I took my 2013 Tacoma in for my last free oil change and check over tire rotation etc. The person who changed my oil did not take any steps to contain the oil from the oil filter. No bottle or hose or anything just let the oil drain into the engine compartment. It being my last free service I had went to the parts counter and bought oil filters, oil plug seals and a net for my console compartment. went back to the waiting area to wait until they finished. They finished up and parked my truck. I signed the paperwork and went out to lift the hood and slide under my truck to inspect it. That is when I found oil all over the place. I went back in and asked the service writer to come back out with me and showed him the mess he did not seem to concerned about it so I had him go get the service manager. I explained to him about customer service and pride in workmanship. The service manager looked at the mess and gave my truck to another service writer and told him to pressure wash my engine bay and underneath my truck he apologized to me and took the lube tech and first service writer away to the service department. I do not know what happened after that.

 

This, except in Ohio we don't do state inspections!....

 

Besides not wanting to crawl under the truck and work a breaker bar on a poorly designed ,easy to strip drain plug ...one of the reasons I take it to the dealer is for many of the reasons listed in this thread - they are usually more up to date than us & independent shops and are SUPPOSED to be better trained....

and besides while its still under warranty - Id rather they screw it up than me.

 

Here is how I keep my engine compartment as it gets a bath at least 2 times a month.Now If I get my truck back from service and it is not the way they found it, it's on.

I spend a lot of time maintaining my truck inside and out maybe some sort of OCD I guess.

This is something that was beat into my head as a youngster by my Grandfather who was an Aerospace Engineer for Grumman(Mercury,Gemini, Apollo,Saturn and Shuttle programs) He always told me that if you take care of it it will take care of you.

 

Let me add my experience is not from Toyota dealerships.I get paid by the hour for diagnostic work on diesel engines.Close to 20 years exp in the same shop.Diesel technology in the US has changed drastically in the last 7 years.EPA regulations and DOT regulations are tightening the noose down on most of the industry.We now run Urea in the exhaust and some inject fuel into the exhaust after the turbo before the urea.Most techs I know are not well versed in the technology.Even the dealerships are struggling in most cases.Just want to clear the air that my experience in no way has to do with Toyota Dealerships.I would not even allow them to do the free oil changes for a year on my truck.I like to do my own work on my vehicle so I am aware of all the systems in place.

 

I had a few screw ups at the dealer, but what got me most was the sloppy work done on the simple stuff. On my jeep I had free oil changes thrown in when I bought it...after every oil chnage it was dripping old oil for 2 days...when I did it, it was not dripping a single drop.
BUT I had guys down in FL at the quick oil change place that actually took the time to do it right and cared about their work as well

 

VERY nice looking engine bay!

See, I think that is really where most dealerships get the bad name. It's the oil change/lube techs that just don't seem to care about their job. I hear more complaints about people bringing their vehicle in for an oil change and having to deal with oil on the engine, or dirty interiors. Things like that stick in a person's mind. At my last dealership I always took some extra time that was available and went to our lube section (fortunately for me my 3 stalls were located right next to them) and would try to give suggestions, or help them out. We had one guy that was VERY pridefull of his work. He was only 19 or 20 and he was so detail oriented it was awesome! EVERY vehicle he did an oil change on he would vacuum out the interior, and run it through our carwash. While he was changing the oil he would wipe down the undercarriage of any drips, wipe down the drain plug, and the oil filter after it was installed. Then after putting in the oil he would wipe down the valve covers. I was proud to endorse his application to the ASEP program when he was ready to start! I am willing to bet this kid has come far.

 

I have owned Toyotas for many years and have tried the 3 dealerships in a 30 mile radius for service. What amazes me is the consistency of the poor service I constantly receive from the service departments. The lies and services they said they performed when they never did. Try marking your tires and see if they get rotated. And that 50 point service check is BS. They never check anything or add fluids. I perform most of the service myself but there are rare occasions where I need to bring it in. When I do, I cross my fingers and hope for the best. What I have learned (the hard way) is always look over your truck when the service is completed. Look for body damage, interior damage as well as under the hood. Look in areas that they should not have been working in. Most of all, check for leaks. I have come to realize that if I wanted better service, I should buy a Lexus, Mercedes, or BMW. I will not find decent or competent service at the Toyota price point. Peace.

 

It is unfortunate that you have had a similar issue at 3 locations, but I promise you that it has nothing to do with the manufacturer. Lexus is owned by Toyota. Mercedes and BMW also have their fair share of idiots who work there. So the thought that going to a different brand will get you better service is just not there. Sure, maybe if you went exotic, like Rolls or Bentley.

 

Oil change techs are good guys....ours only make about 8 to 10 bucks an hour on the clock.we have 9 techs...only 2 are trained. just think about this..your an oil change tech,you will do about 20 to 30 oil and filters a day(most with tire rotations and balance),and do a checklist thats a mile long with brake and tire measurements,pull all filters,check battery...and on friday you get your bring home check of about 250 bucks...its sad.

 

I get my oil changes done at the dealer's ExpressLube lane. It's set up like a Toyota assembly line: 3 guys work on the vehicle. One guy in the pit below drains the oil and checks undercarriage/suspension. One guy fills the oil from an overhead hose, replaces the oil filter, tops up fluids, load-checks the battery, and gives the engine bay a look over. Third guy adjusts tire pressure, measures tread depth, and greases locks & hinges. There's a car wash built into the end of the lane which I always tell them to avoid. The entire lane has glass walls so customers can see everything. It's very efficient - I can go in at a busy time (e.g. 5:30 pm on a weekday) and see the work done in half an hour. 13 oil changes so far and no issues.

 

I agree with you. With Toyota giving complementary service for the first 2 years, and the dealership only paying 8 to 10 bucks an hour, would the service improve with their pay increased to let's say 20 bucks an hour. That's why I brought up service for high priced cars such as BMW or Mercedes. Are their oil change techs getting paid more thus providing better service? I do feel that the manufacturer does play a part with service. If Toyota is providing free oil changes for the first 2 years on their cars and only paying the dealership 20 bucks for the service, they are guilty of providing poor service at the dealership. I know that BMW provides similar service with their cars. Are they paying more to their dealer network thus providing better service?