Weird transmission

Have almost 6000 miles. Had 5000 oil change and asked them to check the transmission fluid...was told by Wilson Motors (now Toyota of Bellingham WA) that it would cost me about $225 to have that checked and I would have to pay if they didn't find the fluid low. Terrible customer service.

They did flash the transmission and my mileage dropped 10% (2-3 miles/gallon) though it doesn't seem to search as much for the right gear. It is still an inferior product (the transmission) in my opinion.

This is my third Toyota pickup and probably my last. I don't know how long I'll keep it.

 

Try a different dealer , some are more interested in keeping customers happy than others.....

 

As I have said before, if you want great service take it to a dealer other than the one you purchased from. When a dealer sees you pull up for service and it has another dealer name on it, they want to take extra good care of you so you will return for future service and possibly another purchase.
I am not saying all dealers work this way as my purchasing dealer takes care of me, but most once they have your business with a purchase they think they have you for life so they get relaxed.
You could also bargain with your dealer, say check the fluid, if its low you fill and I pay nothing, if its o.k. then I pay. If it is found to be full you can either pay and feel comfortable knowing its good to go, or you could bring up the fact that it states on the 5k service to check all fluids. Raise enough hell and they will let you go, but wait until the job is done before raising hell. Then find another dealer for future service.

 

Odd, most anyone here that's made the same post stated it would
run about $130 if they had to pay. Find a new dealer man or check
it yourself.

 

Sell it and go get what you like. No sense in paying ~$35K for a vehicle you don't like.


My truck seems to work as designed. I'm pretty happy with it. It is a little shift happy and likes to shift into the highest gear for MPGs, but that's the way it was designed. I just accepted this is how it works. Truck goes and pulls as I wanted, it just does it differently than I'm used to. It likes RPMs, but runs at those higher RPMs like a sewing machine.

 

That is awful customer service. Wow. I hope you have another dealer within a reasonable distance. I had mine done and never was told I would have to pay anything.

A master mechanic could easily hop in your vehicle and drive it around the lot and diagnose the low transmission fluid before even checking.

I noticed the drop on highway mpg myself. My mpg below 45 mph has improved just slightly. I believe that the average mpg has gone down.

Today I am driving with the ECT power on instead of the gas sipper mode to see if any of that crap makes a difference anymore.

 

so many comments about the tranny...i was thinking about it too when i first drove it , but it's better now and am more used to it. I look forward to driving it everyday

 

Stop complaining about the dam transmission already and just go places!

Geez!!

Reading the forum about all the complaints and then come here and complain again is retarded. Just drive the dam thing, don't worry about the ATF lvl, it's sealed for a reason and it's therefore their problem more than yours.
If it's gonna break, it's most will likely go bang before the warranty, so just call Toyota care to come get it.
I live by what I say, I haven't worried or checked the ATF lvl all shifting became stable after a 1k miles and was much better by 1800 miles and at 13k miles its an awesome driving machine!
And if it wasn't I'd get it out of my life and forget it.

Hope that helps!
Cheers!

 

Did you mean to play off of the Toyota slogan there? Lol


Either way, I agree with you, for the most part

 

Yeah I did kind of, sort of lol!

But I really meant to say is that there's already a zillion post on transmission dissatisfaction or complaints and to open brand new threads on the same thing is retarded as it will make searching endless. Better to post on threads already open to keep it all more accessible and comprehensible.

But that's just me happy shifting here
Cheers!

 

Complain about complaints. Smooth.

Your opinion sounds like bad advice. Low ATF fluid is not a let it slide issue. The OP is talking about $$$ to inspect a well-known problem while under warranty. Anybody can vent on TW, even you.

 

That's exactly what I was doing.
VENTING!!
Geezz!
And NO I'll never pay to check a ATF lvl, never have before, never will if that's what they want hehe!

BUT!! Nothing's wrong with the transmission, its fine!
But there maybe a big problem between driver and the steering wheel.

Cheers!

 

OP is asking for an additional service outside the normal service coverage and they said they were only going to charge him for the transmission fluid level inspection only if the level was correct. Even though the amount is unusually high I don't see a problem with what the dealership is doing.

I asked for the same thing when I took delivery of my truck because the PDI didn't include checking the transmission level the manual way. I also agreed to pay for the service if the level was in fact correct. It was and I payed about $130.

 

My disagreement is that if you drive a vehicle with low ATF you can feel the transmission clunking. Maybe some of us have more knowledge and experience with automobiles than others so we know how to diagnose the problem. If I could do it with my truck, I am certain a master mechanic could test drive the truck and say it needs fluid added.

Maybe your dealer decided you were an easy mark and decided to shake you down for the $130. The OP was quoted $225 and that is a red flag for most of us to call bull.

 

Did you not read what I said? It's an extra service he requested and if the level is checked and deemed low there's no charge as topping it off would be covered under warranty. To check the manual method involves a couple of hours of labor and if the level is correct the shop should then be compensated for the work. If the manual method to check the fluid level were part of the TSB reflash then again it would be covered. As it's written now its not part of the procedure you just check for symptoms if present, reflash.

It would be the same as if you asked them to unmount and balance the tires even though they may appear to be properly mounted and balanced from the factory. It's extra work that's outside of a regular service order. If the tires can't be balanced then the additional work is covered under warranty.

OP said shop would only charge if fluid level was correct. Shop is not pulling a scam other than they are higher than most.

 

Part of your toyotacare package includes checking and topping off all fluid levels. They should NOT be charging you for this service. If you don't get satisfaction, call Toyota and bitch.

 

How long does it take to check anyway? In a shop with everything you need. $230 must be their minimum charge. Which is about 2 hours of labor these days.

 

No, it's not an extra service. Checking and topping off all fluid levels is included in the Toyotacare package, that includes tranny fluid. You got suckered.

 

I told them NOT to use tech stream to check, use the manual method to bring the truck up to the appropriate temp to check for proper drip. That is the most ACCURATE method which is not part of the normal inspection as tech stream would be and NOT listed on the PDI because I checked specifically for that procedure.

If you all think your trucks have been checked the manual method upon delivery to the dealer then you're fooling yourself. The manual method is more time consuming but the accuracy is worth the peace of mind. If your dealership is willing to do it for free then good for you but they aren't OBLIGATED to use that method to verify fluid levels and should be justified in charging for the additional work if no problem is found.