100 Series 20K Service follow up

Photos, photos, photos.

Take pics of the odometer, invoice and don't forget plenty of close up pics of the offending items.

Find a mech you can trust !!!

Hi there Dave,does not surprise me one bit,my mate who as mentioned before works for toyota and is in charge of 20 odd mechanics (wont mention dealership) has even told me "mate we look underneath and around the vehicle and if it looks like its done city driving only forget the wheel bearings and a few other things that should be greased. Thats with any 4wd that comes in not just cruisers. Thats direct from him to me. Steve M

Steven,

I'm sort of ok with that, if you have been told thats what they did, but if the service manual says oil filters etc etc have to be changed and they don't and then bill you for it, thats deception and theft and thats how i would look at it.

I also would log everything and take photo's and Monday I would treat them as a thief and up them for the rent and report them to fair trading and also forward a letter to Toyota Australia and advise them a breach of service warranty.

At least if something does happen you have at least advised them so its a bit harder for them to say it's your fault.

I hate this sort of stuff.

Brian

Yep had the same thing on my Patrol Ute.

They had only done the things that you can see. Washer fluid, white grease around the hinges/locks, oil changed etc. The give away was I asked about the air filter and if it had needed changing. The service manager came out to show me how to check it and it was full of crap and bugs! I looked at the check plugs on the diffs and gearbox and they hadn't had the dirt cleaned away. Either they weren't checked or a sloppy mechanic. Also all the grease nipples had dirt on them so hadn't been greased. And to top it off I'd had a flat battery and had inadvertently left the caps loose after I charged it. Guess what they were still loose when I got home. The electrolyte levels in both batteries were below the telltales. The Service manager then told me that it only had to be just above the plates , not up to the telltales!
Took 3 visits to get it soretd out but in the end they redid the whole service while I watched.
I'm convinced that New Car servicing at this establishment is "Do what they can see" after all they are new cars, what can go wrong with them?

Hope you get it sorted.
Cheers, Wayne

Aaah! After reading these tales of woe I know why I love my local garage.
Just a little business in a little one pub town in the bush. But at least I get service.
This bloke finds every loose nut,every blown bulb, & can tell you all that is wrong or
may soon go wrong with your vehicle. All that info every time you get a service.
He charges less than $100 for the usual car service, no more than $150 for a 4by,
that includes oil but not parts. He services any brand, any model, trucks,tractors,
lawn mowers, bikes etc etc.
His name is......god. O:)....no its not. But they do exist. How far can you drive
out of town to get good service if it saves you $500 ??. Thats what I would be
finding out. The bigger the show, the less they care.....oldbaz.

I know a workshop that has a contract to service leased cars. They allow a certain time for each service and when the time is up the service is finnished ! Doesn't matter if they are only half way done !

I had the same problem with the mud spatter on both filters , ended being that they washed the engine bay when they were finished , after talking direct to the bloke who actually done the service l did believe him.
tojo

Dave - Dave - Dave ! This is stock practice for much of the auto industry - IF you had come home from that service and found they had done everything in the schedule, and properly, it would sound very odd to a lot of owners- if they have indeed ripped you off, in my book its fraud - many of us have seen it first hand - question is what do you do about it ? A huge dilemma I reckon - make a huge stink at the dealer and you would be wise to find a new dealer (they can play the 'payback game') - go with private, accredited servicers and Toyota is still obliged to honour warranty claims still, but that doesn't mean they have to be helpful about it !! .... and you might have to return to a dealer, to make your claim !..... its a bugger.

Sorry you have to spend the long weekend in that frame of mind. (I know it well)
Its a myth that the dealer is the best person to service your vehicle, whether its under warranty or not. I could tell you many more stories like this and Toyota dealers feature prominently.
Find an independant garage you can trust. Apart from actually doing the required work, they'll probably charge about half what the dealer would.

A mate of mine kept insisting on taking his vehicles to the dealer, despite similar experiences to yours, he got to the point where prior to each service he'd superglue a hair accross all parts which had to be removed and put marker pen dots on the filters.............

Happy ending sort of.....

went back to the dealership this morning.

I explained my concerns that i did not believe the service was complete.

Service advisor called the young Apprentice / Mechanic to see the vehicle.

I was asked to leave the vehicle there all day. there were numerous appologies and "not sure what happened there......"

Returned in the afternoon to find it all completed. Lost another day of work.

What bothered me was the first time it was the obvious dirt in the air filter...
When i questioned this they said the service manual only says to inspect it not to clean it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dave