Prepaid Maintenance

TL;DR: dealer tried to claim a ~$2000 prepaid maintenance plan consisted of 6 oils changes and 3 cabin/air filter changes and now I’m trying to have them catch up on all maintenance before the plan expires.

Full story: I’m not the extended warranty or prepaid maintenance type but when I bought my 2019 TRD Sport from the original owner he had purchased both which he transferred to me. The dealer was very close to my work so I brought the truck to the dealer every 5k and they always did the basic oil change, tire rotation, air/cabin filter, and multi-point inspection. They stated any maintenance beyond that was not covered. My prepaid maintenance is expiring in several months and I’ll be just shy of 60k miles. I decided to double check with Toyota Financial what was included with my prepaid maintenance to make sure I wasn’t missing out on anything and it turns out the dealer was wrong and every recommended service is included. Toyota confirmed spark plugs are included. The maintenance manual also states if driving on dirt roads and towing then at both 30k and 60k the transfer case oil and front and rear differential oil should be replaced. I called the dealership and they stated they would replace the spark plugs, transfer case oil, and front and rear differential oil since it’s stated in the manual. Is there anything else I should request for my final prepaid service before the plan expires? I would have to articulate where in the service manual it states it’s required. I was hoping to have them flush the coolant but the service manager said the fluid is good for 100k but I’ve read it’s 5 years or 100k in which case I can make a case it should be replaced based on age. It gets technical because the manual says “inspect engine coolant” with a footnote at the bottom stating to use Toyota Long Life coolant but it doesn’t explicitly state the life of the coolant in the manual. I also found a picture of a manual on here where it states if extensive idling or low speed driving then the ATF should be replaced at 60k. I have that same question as it applies to the other fluids in the truck such as the power steering fluid and brake fluid.

 

I'm not going to comment on what is needed as that would require way too much investigative time on my part; just as it is now for you, which is why you're here asking. I'm sad for you.

What I would do during your investigation is keep track of just what the dealer has not done "repeatedly" which should have been done at certain mileages and wasn't.

Example:
Let say you should have had the transmission fluid drained and filled at 30,000 miles and they did not do it, but you get them to do it at or near the 60,000-mile mark under the maintenance contract. I would ask/demand that they do it again in 30,000 miles for free since they did not adhere to the maintenance contract to begin with.

There should be some penalty for the oversite on the dealer's part. Either you should hold them accountable, or Toyota corporate should, this depends upon to whom the moneys went. What entity ultimately received the payment of the $2,000 Prepaid Maintenance contract would decide upon whom to talk with.

You state that you "would have to articulate where in the service manual" some procedure would be required. If they actually said, "Service manual" and not Owner's manual then they must supply you with a "Service Manual" which you do not have free and clear access to and thus could not possibly complete your assignment and an "assignment" is exactly what the dealership has put in front of you.

 

Just an update for anyone that may read this thread later. When I spoke to Toyota Care on the phone they stated the 'additional maintenance items for special driving conditions' was included if applicable (drive on dirt roads and tow) which consisted of replacing transfer case oil, front/rear differential fluid, and transmission fluid. I had my Tacoma serviced this week and spoke to a new service advisor. They agreed the spark plugs were missed but had to confirm with Toyota if 'additional maintenance items for special driving conditions' was included. At the end of the day they said Toyota stated ''additional maintenance items for special driving conditions' was not included but the dealer decided to perform the maintenance anyways. This was probably partly due to their missing maintenance items on previous visits.