3rd gens BEWARE of your dealer mechanic/technician!!

i put investment in single quotes ' ' lol
expenditures are to maintain the 'investment'
it's sorta like 'investing' your time in someone you love to keep her happy or maybe i dunno
hopefully she is not high maintenance because then the expenditures start adding up

@Jamesboy2233 was that a Toyota dealer mechanic that did that?

I suppose I would rather have somebody that is certified to know my vehicle inside and out vs. someone certified to know every single vehicle out there and will use chinese made parts and whatnot

 

I just do everything myself. Pretty easy if you can read. Problem solved.

 

are you fortunate to have a lift in your garage or know somebody who does? I sure wish I did because I would attempt a lot of that underneath stuff by myself so it would be kosher
I have changed my air filter before
took one look at all the stuff needed to come off for the VCG and said need a professional for that one!
the last time I changed my own oil was on a '79 Corolla back in the late 90s and that was a damn challenge getting underneath it back on the ground and getting back up

I was just curious WTH lol
seems this bad dealer service thing is spreading nationwide, what are we supposed to do if we cannot do the work right ourselves!?
I oughta tell you about where they though my front turn signal was at! yikes for their stupidity
is it a ToyoTechs? the good Toyota mechanic you found?!

 

Get one of the metal caps for it- they are a lot more dependable than the plastic ones.

Oh and sorry, but I’d refuse to put that K&N filter on too.

 

just curious if any 3rd gens reading this would be interested in me starting a topic in here (in the 3rd gen section) when I attempt to goto the dealer that wants to buy my 1st gen Taco and get me into a brand new Taco maybe you guys/(gals if there are any females in here?) can give me some advice if you went through something similar with a trade in
I just want to see how it goes, last time I did a trade in I had a 2yr old truck so it was pretty simple, I fear it won't be quite so simple this time as I feel I have aged pretty well

 

Not yet, just been using floor jacks. Buddy of mine has a lift if he ever gets his damn project off it.

I’m in search of a place I can have all that stuff. It’s hard to find what I want. I think I’m gonna end up having to build because everything is either super old or has a giant house I don’t want

 

Why are you warning 3rd gens? Do you not care about the poor unwashed 2nd gens?

 

LOL, I’d love a 2 story, 4 bay garage with an efficiency apartment attached, too!

 

The assumption that dealers want you to fully embrace in their marketing is that their highly trained master mechanics are doing those oil changes. The truth, in most cases, is very far from that. This is the same reason that a good independent shop that cares about their reputation can save you money and headaches.

 

yes, I overlooked this, I should do that!
just thought I would start at the top is all
2nd gens should be just as much concerned!

 

A giant shed with a loft for sleeping? Yeah me too lol

Most stuff around here is either a house from the 1900s (either redone or junk) or 6000 sq feet. Give me like 2000-2500 or so but nooooo

 

Why wouldn't you want the K&N filter? I put the intake/cabin filters in and they're pretty good.

 

I hate these threads especially when people try and put one mechanic against another. That is all.

 

Personal experience with the reusable intake filter - use too much oil and it destroys the MAF sensor. If anything, do it yourself so you are sure to use the right amount, don’t let someone else do it. Still, I went back to paper OEM’s after burning out my sensor on my 1st Gen

 

Dude, this is advice for any person that owns any vehicle, not just "new tacomas"

Your advice should be "always vet your mechanic." That's common sense, dealer or not.

 

I don't normally get drawn into these discussions, but being in the trades myself I get tired of hearing how worthless I am from people who've barely met me.

I know two guys who are UTI grads, one in HVAC, one in auto mechanics. Both of them used that worthless education to get themselves into a good job with a good company, and then used every opportunity that came their way to improve themselves and move up. They are both doing well for themselves, they both do good work, and they both despise people who do shitty work.

Just like any other industry, auto repair has people who do the best work they can, with complete integrity and honesty, and there are kooks who just get by and lie through their teeth. The trick is finding the good people with integrity and work ethic.

There are plenty of lousy doctors, engineers, lawyers, managers, etc. Those college degrees are worth the money they paid for them, just like the UTI degrees are worth what they charge. They both get your foot into the door you're trying to enter. That is the value of education, whatever form it takes.

No reason to bag on mechanics or any other tradesman, there are plenty of us on here, most of us are making a decent living doing work we enjoy. Most of us aren't trying to screw anyone or cut corners. The same can be said of the folks who have "real" educations as well.

There isn't a lot of skill involved in changing oil. When problems like this happen it's usually an inexperienced guy doing the work, or it's a guy with too much time pressure on him. Both of these are management problems, not mechanic problems.

 

Theres nothing wrong with mechanics that work on multiple different brands/kinds of vehicles. A drain plug is a drain plug. Its not like toyota drain plugs are way different than any other manufacturer.

Outside of ebay oil filters, "chinese parts" are not really a thing that exists

 

It's late and I'm tired, so maybe I missed something, but...……..

OP - in the description of your vehicle(close to avatar) - I see mention of a 22 yr. old Tacoma. Is this the vehicle you are referring to or do you also have a 3rd Gen Tacoma?

If not, then you might want to also post this where it should have gone in the first place - 1st Gen Forum. Your post in the 2nd Gen forum may go unheeded. Over there we get at least one "Got FxxxED By The Dealer Yesterday" thread every week.

 

You will have to check the dealers work that was done to your truck every single time.
That's just how it is now days,that's why most guys do their own work.

 

Bought a used 2nd gen at a toyota dealership. The idiots there had the output seal on backwards. Went to another dealership to buy an output seal. The idiot sales person gave me the original that was leaky, so i went to another one and they couldnt find the part number because it doesnt match my vin. Same idiot told me my transmission filter would cost $1000.

Just because theyre working at Toyota doesnt mean they know what theyre doing. Just because theyre working on cars at Toyota it doee not make them a Mechanic.

I dont see much pride and ownership in a lot of people. I call these people entitles zombies.