The Reality of Dealer Servicing - Beware!

I came across this sobering job posting while looking at inventory in the region. The "Lube Technician" performing LOF and other "minor maintenance" (tire rotation ?) is making close to minimum wage at $100/day and is Not certified by Toyota on any level.

I don't feel comfortable having someone with little or no experience touching, let alone performing what might be the most important maintenance on my truck - even for "free" as in Toyota Care.

 

I think you’re overreacting

 

Kids gotta start somewhere man! I taught my son how to change his own oil and he is pretty damn good at it. I would trust him to work on my truck. It's the person's work ethic that matters, not some "certification" letter saying he or she went to Toyota Oil Change and Tire Rotation Academy.

 

Certificate only means you can pass the test, doesn’t really mean your any better at working on stuff. Shade tree mechanics are some of the best, experience passed down to their kids.

 

I highly doubt the dealership is going to let them not put in a drain plug. Plus, I bet Lube Techs know more than most car owners about basic maintenance. Certified Techs I'm sure started out the same way.

 

It's OK. If lube tech blows up engine THEN the A levels can rebuild it!

What do you do for a living? Did you start out immediately on the top rung? Did you not learn and grow within your career field?

Geez.

 

Then I guess you'd best do it yourself.

 

thats why 2 lugnuts were missing and my oil filter cap was leaking. (free maintenance)

 

Lots of stories around here about problems from the entry level work.

But that's not a certification issue. It's a hiring issue (get right person), an individuals work ethic, local shop training/expectation setting and staff management QC.

 

Here is a recent thread about a missing oil filter element.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/no-oil-filter.748693/

I am of the mindset that if you are handy with a wrench and know what you are doing, do it yourself if you want it done right.

As far as the lower level Techs getting experience, many people can not do there own maintenance and/or don't care to learn. They will keep the service departments in business.

 

I once saw a sign in a dealers waiting room...''If you can't trust your dealer who can you trust''.

 

I graduated top of my class at Toyota T.R.A.

 

Easy. Myself.

 

I had always assumed the guy changing my oil was making 100-120K a year.

 

So the lube techs make as much as entry level airline pilots

 

You get what you pay for. Shouldn't be a surprise that the "free" maintenance services that come with a new car get performed by cheap, inexperienced employees

 

Yup, this happened a couple times when I worked at Toyota just out of highschool. Lube tech would leave the drain plug loose, then the car would be back in after a couple days getting a new motor/motor rebuilt. I wouldnt complain too much about that

 

LOOL. Go to any lube shop ever and you'll find minimum wage kids who often don't know much nor care. Did you think they would be factory trained for changing oil?

 

Nah. When the ‘free’ oil changes that Toyota is paying for expire, the same inexperienced, least trained people are still performing the same work. Its not like there is one tech that does the free oil changes, and then a different one once you start paying…

 

I think that’s pretty much standard across the board, regardless of brand.