Bad oil change experience

Many good points in this thread, but I'll add one more suggestion:
Contact your sales rep. Go see them in person if possible and explain the story. The service department might not care, but the sales rep (and GM) definitely don't want you telling everyone about this bad experience. Sometimes they have some leverage with the service department, especially if they've been there a while.
Contact Toyota USA about it. Most manufacturers require their dealers to respond to complaints. And if this is a common occurrence with a particular dealer then Toyota has ways to punish them.

 

Our HOA has an employee that can't read or write. Can't even read his performance reviews.

He makes $20/hr.

 

part out?

 

Not everyone can service or change their own oil . You have people with advanced age, people with disabilities, and people with no DIY skills, know-how or tools.

For these folks, I would recommend:

A private shop, as they would have more experienced personnel and ownership with better supervised apprentices if any.
Places like Good/Year, Firestone are also much better alternatives than quick lube places. The more busier they are, generally the better the management as bad ones get moved.

Some of these places may let you bring your own oil and filter and you may even be able to observe form a distance. But they generally have longer wait times, so there’s that.
An apprentice can do substantial damage so its best to watch where you bring your expensive vehicle.

 

At least they actually changed the oil. A little over a year ago I was approaching my 15K service and knew I was going to be doing some towing an hauling since I just bought a house. Between my old garage being a mess, cold weather, and just no time I just paid the dealer to change it along with the free service. Took about an hour to do the whole thing. Got the truck back home and checked the oil. Still dark as it was before I took it in and had that smell of "used" oil. Called up the dealer and luckily got the same advisor I dealt with. They actually admitted the "tech" missed the oil change, had the filter and washer on his tool-box, just forgot. Luckily for them I work in the same town as the dealer so I swung by there before heading into work. They had me in and out pretty quick.

20K service they got greasy hand prints on my door, messed up one of my wheel center caps, and oil residue all over the bottom skid plate. I will no longer darken their door except for warranty work!

 

Check the post titled oil change disaster by @Rannyhill . He got a new truck out of the same deal. I recently had the oil tech overtorque my plastic housing causing a crack and leak. I will skip the next free change. Oil and filters are not that expensive.

 

they never take off my lug nut covers/hub caps before taking my wheels off and their impacts always scrape them up. i guess it takes too long to remove them. I wonder if they even use a torque wrench on the oil pan drain plug. i really don't want to deal with stripped threads.

 

here’s a thought:


tell the dealer that four cases of filters and a big bag of drain plug gaskets might help you feel better…

 

Sucky situation, OP, but I am not surprised.

The only local Toyota dealer I trust is a 45 minute drive away. Even then, my service manager ALWAYS checks the oil dip stick and does a once over, right after oil change is done, which I appreciate. But it also shows me that you can’t even trust the techs at a dealer to do it right 100% of the time.

 

Seems that way. Either “ nice guys” out to rip us off or incompetents. Best to stay away unless you have lots of patience and deep pockets.

 

another reason to DYS oil change. is a friend of mine is a service manger at a Toyota dealer and used to tell me all the shop secrets at neighborhood get togethers until I bought a TACO but I remembered him saying you never get the motor oil your vehicle required per manual, you get the cheapest that they buy which is mostly 10w30. and the drug use at the shop is heavy

 

unfortunately there are too many stories to count with bad mechanics, particularly with dealership, as I know from first hand experience. There also good ones but you have look hard for them. I haven’t taken any of my trucks into a dealership in nearly a decade unless it a warranty/tsb issue; rare. I have a friend who works at a dealership in the parts dept and techs come in and take an oil filter of the shelf and unbox it walking out only to throw it in the trash can. It shows coming out of inventory, but is never installed. The industry can have a hard time hiring and I did not realize it but it can take up to 10 yrs to get to a technician level. Maybe someone can clarify that. So the point above about drug-use before, and on the job is legit. Sad state of affairs.

 

Extended warranty for free. At least. Seriously… you won’t know if your engine is bad until you put many miles on it….

 

If you specifically verify that they're putting in the Toyota branded OEM 0W-20 and they tell you they are but don't that would constitute fraud on their part. I guess you would have to send a sample in to be tested to verify the oil was not what they told you it was and then you'd still have to prove the sample you sent in came from their oil change. There's also a pretty big difference in how fast that very watery 0W-20 is compared to 10W-30 when it comes pouring out of the pan.

 

I was going to say "at least he didn't rannyhill the poor truck" and you kinda beat me to it.

 

I hate the stealership and this thread has confirmed why I avoid that place like the plague.. no ownership of mistakes, no accountability, no consequences [in most *not all* situations]
I only go there for warranty stuff and to get parts once/awhile - -

I had an airbag recall on my 128I and drove 1 1/2 hr to the only dealership in the state I remotely trusted to do the work; there are two others that are 30 min and 1hr respectively away and are just too sketchy.
Now I have a PCV valve recall [replace shitty wiring harness with new harness that has an inline fuse] on the car and I am dreading taking it in b/c I don't have the time to run halfway around the state - but I will find time to directly supervise the entire 'repair' so they don't F-- up my car
And if I hear them slip the clutch when they pull it in - - I'll take it right back and pull it out the garage myself.

I have zero tolerance for that kind of shenanigans any more.
It is my vehicle and if they screw up, I'm gonna bear the consequences - not them.

Any time I have work done, I ask to see any/all old parts that are being replaced - in part so I can inspect them for uneven wear and in part b/c I know it helps keep everyone honest.

I change the Taco oil myself and do a few other maintenance things on it but when the job needs tires off the ground I have a good local shop I trust, that is totally on board with me supplying all the parts/fluids and they just do the labour.

 

Nobody ever gets on tacomaworld and starts a thread about how great their dealer oil change experience was.....

 

^ THIS

 

I will say:

Ms. MNMLST bought the extra, warranty-length, service package for her brandy new 4Runner (she travels a lot and makes her own big girl choices). She took her rig to an out of town dealership for a somethousand mile service…. booked it all on-line, they sent her a reminder text, picked it up at her location, did the work, the service manager sent her a full walk around/under video describing and showing all work completed (while it was on the lift), emailed the invoice, washed it, returned it to her location and left some candy in the cup holder.

 

My local VW dealership does this. Pretty cool to see them take the time to send a quick 1 minute video.