Silly claims and prices by area Toyota dealers

1. Toyota of Richardson, Tx service rep quotes me $450 labor to change spark plugs. 2006 V6 Tacoma. Toyota of Plano did them for $175, parts and labor.

2. Toyota of Richardson Tx service rep(different one than above) quoted me $335 to purchase and program a new black key. I asked why I would need one(Only got grey key with my used Tacoma and my grey key is worn out), and service rep says I need black key to to open glove box and gate lock. My Taco has no gate lock or glove box lock. Service rep says entire car has to be ref-lashed, that they have no way of cutting and programming black key without original key. Got new key and program from good lock shop, and they programed my new remote too all for $125. A second local dealer also said they would have to completely re-flash my Tacoma. Toyota of Plano service rep said they would do a new key and progam it for $160.

 

That’s why we call them stealerships.

 

Dealerships are like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get. My local dealership is owned by a family that owns every other dealership in town. Ford, GM, Subaru, etc. I won't ever deal with them again. I drove 7 hours to buy my Taco from a different dealer. They have a "We're the only game in town so just deal with it" attitude.

 

That pricing is definitely out to lunch
$120 Cdn to do the plugs at my dealer. Only Toyota dealer in town.

 

I wouldn’t pay the 170 to do the plugs... takes 20 min tops to do it yourself.

 

In my town there is Larry H Miller Toyota, honda, chrysler, jeep, ford, chevy, etc, etc, etc and I will fucking walk before I will ever do business with them again. Fortunately there's one toyota dealer that's OK, Mark Miller.

 

Oh crap! Larry H. Miller is who I bought mine from. In ABQ. They dealt with me a lot better than my local dealer was willing to do.

 

Funny, LHM Toyota in SLC is the only one I'd go back to. They did my warranty claim work without even blinking, no questions asked. Didn't even buy my truck from them. LHM also replaced basically the entire drivetrain under warranty on a friend's truck that was having crazy transmission issues. Couldn't have cared less about the lift, tires, etc on it.

Mark Miller dealerships in SLC are a horrific place. Evidence: Friend went to buy a car (Subaru) last night. She and the sales guy agreed on the price, etc. He gave her papers to the finance group, and 2.5 hours later was still waiting... She walked and killed the deal. Sales guy had a "whatever" attitude about it.

 

Funny, I bought my Tacoma at Larry H. Miller in Colorado Springs, Colorado, not too bad of experience.

 

Funny - your local family dealer is so bad you'll drive 7 hours to buy from Larry Miller. Larry Miller is my local "family owned" dealer that I'd drive 7 hours to not buy from them. I guess you're right dealerships are like a box of chocolates. I've bought 3 new cars from them a Ford, a Jeep, and a Subaru. Each transaction was worse than the previous one and that got me to the place I am today.

 

My question is, is this an issue of service advisors who do not know their product, or a dealer who truly intends to charge these prices?

 

I bought mine from Larry H Miller in San Diego, and they gave me a price way better than I ever thought I could get mine for.

 

And this is why I do all my own work on my truck. I don't even want the stealership doing any warranty work. I hate dealers and when I show up to by a vehicle, they end up hating me in the long run...THEY JUST PLAIN SUCK...

 

Automation Weston in south Florida quoted me almost $900 for plugs and an oil change. Told them that’s rape on the phone and never went back. Did it myself later that day for $50 in plugs and oil haha.

 

As soon as my warranty runs out, you bet I'm gonna DIY or take it to one of the chosen few vouched for by the UT Toyota mafia.

 

And you kept going back?

 

The warranty does not specify Toyota dealers have to do maintinence work.

 

Is that Phoenix?

 

I have found most dealerships hit or miss, I am lucky we have mulitples in Jax and up here in Hampton Roads. I use Coggin Toyota in Jacksonville the wifes vehicle 4Runner, they have treated me fairly in the past and the prices are "reasonable" compared to the others in town, I cant comment on the mark up of OEM parts because I personally don't use them enough to compare what they are charging. Keith Pierson Toyota just plain sucks, I used to think they where "OK" but what did it for me was when the truck had a recall and I asked the service guy if they checked it for recalls and he said yes it had none, and I had recall paperwork in hand from Toyota that I know had not been performed, so I wrote them off. That and they wanted like $25 for a rear diff crush gasket...

Up in VA I drive 45 mins to Williamsburg and skip all the local ones around Hampton Roads because the wait time for any service is just out of control, like 12+ hours.

Casey Toyota in Williamsburg is top notch, reasonable prices and good customer service if you are in the area I highly recommend them. I took it in for service one day and they dented the lower driver side rocker panel, they fixed it no charge of course and gave me a brand new 2018 Tacoma for a week while it was getting fixed. They also do not over inflate the prices of the OEM parts like most dealerships, they still charge full MSRP for them but they don't charge an extra 20-40% like most dealers will, labor cost is standard from what I have seen with all dealers, around $80 an hour iirc.

 

For the wifes Rav4, we went to Russ Darrow. I saw a salesman walking through showroom with 12 pack of beer. Next thing I noticed is everyone was gone. We sitting at salesman desk and nobody was around. They were all in back room watching horse race.

Tacoma 2 years later, same dealership.
After I told saleman that I was going to pay cash and I didn't want the extended warranty, they treated me like a homeless person wanting to use the bathroom.