Remember (always) to ask for the chechsheet

Sorry if this is painfully obvious, but I sit in the waiting room and I see so many Toyota owners blithering off after a service without their documentation. When you take your truck in for the 5,000 or 10,000 or 15,000 and so on... remember to ask for the check sheet for all of the things they are supposed to check (depending on interval). Don't just smile and be happy that you got the latest update... get the checklist. Tread left; brakes left; and so on. Every time.

 

Good point, i always get the workorder with the little info it had on it. Never thought to get the techs service interval checklist.

 

You shouldn't have to, but you have to ask for it. Sometimes it will take 40 minutes to find it. Then you know they are actually doing it. Took them that long to actually do it and fill it out. Now you know they actually did it.

 

They always give me mine. I don't even have to ask.

 

I wish it weren't true, but even though my work order says to provide it, if I don't ask for it at the end I don't get it. Every time. At the same time, they do the work. I see to that, pleasantly, without getting huffed, but letting them know I know. For that part, the know I know stuff, I have to thank TW for making me aware while at the same time helping me to sort through the crap.

 

It's all bullshit anyway. Do you know how many times I've had the service and they leave a burned out taillight or low windshield washer fluid in the vehicle?

 

But did you ask for your checklist? Gives you a talking point. Almost all of my experiences with my dealer have been positive. Those that were not are attributable to paying too much attention to crap I read on this site.

 

Guess I have a good service department. Never had to ask for the check list, even had a print off from the machine that tests the battery stapled to it. I would add, when you take your truck in for service, tell them "Do not wash my truck and thank you anyhow."

 

Don't just tell them, print out a full-page "DO NOT WASH" and leave a copy on the dash and one on the passenger seat. Just because it's in the service notes doesn't mean a porter is going to notice.

 

My dealer used to be so good about giving me all of these documents. One day they didn't and they blamed it on a maint. guy and eventually gave me a copy. Second time (in a row) they just said oops not sure why you didn't get it and made me a copy. To make my point as well, even if in habit you grab your papers and leave, always check then double check.

 

I always ask to have them throw it in the round file.

 

Reminds me of the TSB hood sticker crowd...
"But if I didn't get the sticker, they didn't apply the update!"

 

If they don't let the dealer wash it, how else are the 4x4 mall crawlers going to get their desert pinstripes?

 

@aero90 I think they get plenty of pinstriping scraping a bit too close to the posts or walls at the Starbucks drive-thru...

 

I'm still wondering why I want a Chech sheet, and will it be written in Greek or in Bulgarian?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chech

 

Yup, locally all 3 Toyota dealers attach the checklist at the back

I put a post it note on my steering wheel myself, and porters get the message.

 

Agreed my friend is a tech for Ford and he was saying half the shit is a visual inspection skewed towards you doing something early. Such as "sir your brakes appear low" purely off of mileage and having never even taken off a wheel. Coolant needs to be done, battery isn't holding a charge, etc etc. Many times if you check yourself they are just fine.

Then again it is very important to note what pay structure the dealership has for the particular person you are dealing with. *Granted as a customer you will never know* But some techs are paid by the job which is shop rate $130/hr here in Vancouver divided by 2 with no benefit from parts. My cousin has been making well over $125000 per year because he's a very efficient mastertech working on this system. Others are getting their $32-38/hr with their full ticket and have absolutely no urgency to work fast.

 

So there might be a few halfway decent dealers out there? Imagine that. I went to more than a few within a reasonable radius and the "smallest" turned out to be (and continues to be) the best of the bunch - particularly the sales side. Of course they have to try harder to get their allocation or instead get snubbed... the service department needs to catch up.