What Have You Done To Your 3rd Gen Today?

That's the part that gets me, how many people do they rip off that either don't know they're being taken advantage of or are just non confrontational and say nothing. It's funny you mention the filter, they even had the nerve to call for my wife's 4runner (after the battery incident) and say both filters needed change, I said "neat don't touch them, oil and tire rotation only"!

 

Seems odd.
However I've finally learned to replace my batteries before I have to jumpstart; if I hear its weak and it's a reasonable age, I just go ahead. It does seem to me that batteries don't last as long as they used to as I've recently had several in our other cars fail before their warranty is up. And then I think the warranty thing is a game; you need to be at a shop that sells the same brand, it has to be really dead, and somehow there is always a tiny sale going on: do you want to save $20 or get $4.32 back for the warranty?

 

I do not care for the commissioned mechanic/service advisor model. It incentivizes bad behavior. Yes, I appreciate knowing what needs to be fixed now or in the future to avoid a breakdown yet it seems since our local dealer sold to a national one that our cars "need" more work. In the past it was a conversation about what/when/why and I still think they sold a lot of service, but it was all upfront.
I've also gotten in the habit of checking/replacing the cabin filter and then telling them not to bother. It is such an easy maintenance item; I don't need to pay them $40 to put it in.

 

We bought my wife a Mazda CX90 in January and had it serviced last month prior to a vacation and I must say I was impressed with them. They strapped a camera on the mechanic and made a video inspection of her car and sent a link in a text. The tire wear, brake pad wear, air filter and cabin filter as well as post oil change under carriage inspection for leaks etc…
It was kind of a gimmick but when you see the gauges and the filter condition it’s pretty cool too. You at least know they had the wheels off and looked things over.

 

I’ve had 6 new Toyotas over the years and never had a battery issue. I would replace batteries at the 10 year mark just because batteries aren’t supposed to last that long. Sounds like to me you were the victim of the ol bait and switch. One time at the dealership after a secluded maintenance visit I was told when picking up my car that my water pump was leaking with only 20,000 miles on it, I told them I would keep an eye on it, literally right next to me another customer was told the same thing. Not one to keep quiet I told the service personal that they really should change up their story from customer to customer or maybe it was water pump leaking day.

 

CHROME LIVES MATTER!

 

Yup. It sorta mangled the logo though. It thinks the logo is just a pattern, lol. Here’s some more hallucinations on a chromed Taco

 

Ummm, no clue!
Lemme ask the AI that generated that image

 

Towed Sweet Caroline back from our 4th of July camping adventure ....

 

Maybe you should ask these guys how much a chrome wrapped truck costs so you can cruise on your Tachroma

 

No idea?!? Was under the truck and noticed it. I swapped the gearing over a couple years ago, no issues, re-torqued a couple times. Had one of the top studs backing out but never any issues with the one that broke. I use lubelocker gaskets at work but never on my POV. Glad I did though!

 

Loaded her up to go surf fishing before church!

 

Catch anything?

 

Over 4 years old battery. It happens with the extreme temperatures. Look at it this way it happened before you were on the road.

 

While it's true a 4+ year old battery can just randomly fail, I would be willing to bet (assuming your truck is AT) the tech left it in neutral to set up the truck on a lift and never put back in park leaving the key in the accessory position the whole time which was enough to drain it down. Yes, it dying to the point of not being easily jump started from that short period is an indicator it was getting weak to begin with, but it just wouldn't surprise me if it's exactly how it went down. It may also be why they were able to justify giving a big discount realizing it was in fact ultimately caused by their negligence but that way it wouldn't actually have to be said or cost them anything.

 

Maybe it’s just me, but… I’ve noticed that there isn’t a lot of excess battery capacity on these trucks, maybe Toyota in general.

(No harm or insult intended, just something I noticed). Anytime I have accessory power on for more than a few minutes, there are several indications that the battery reserves are strained.

 

Little flex session in Moab!

 

What a nice rig! Love the functionality of the topper.

 

Replaced the B-Pillar vinyl today because it was faded (2019). Yes, I like the black. I used Toyota vinyl. Removal not hard but takes patience, a heat gun, and goo gone. Install was pretty straightforward. Used a putty knife to hold back the rubber trim.