Anyone had a problem with Toyota Service?

[Mister Gun]

I've had a nightmare day. Admittedly I brought some of it on myself...but I knew it was coming. But I have a tale to tell. It shall edit out the swearing and hope that C-Bomb is an appropriate substitute.

Where to start...

My beloved Hilux has been in for a few warranty repairs lately. I'll correct that. My beloved Hilux has been in for the same warranty repair three times in the last 6 months. (2007 Black SR5 Extra Cab 4x4 LPG/Petrol 4L)

I'm no mechanic. If I'm vague with terminology or parts then I make no excuses. There was a twittering noise. They diagnosed the thrust bearing as the problem and took the ute off the road for two days to replace it.

Two months later the problem reappeared and we went through the exact same process.

6 weeks ago the problem reappears. I book it in and am told that they'll have it in and out over the course of a full day. At 2pm yesterday the service manager for Toyota calls and says they've hit a delay but the likelihood is that I'll need to drive home tonight and return tomorrow to complete the service. At 4pm he rings and says the ute won't be ready until tomorrow. So I ask him if they have a car for me and he blows me off and tells me to catch a taxi. I live in Nth Melb...the service is in Doncaster. The car should be ready around 9am he says.

I get a call at 11 telling me that most of the work is done but the 4x4 light on the dash still doesn't work and they haven't solved that problem. Come get the car, we'll sort that light on the next service. This is the Dealership service dept....completely connected to Toyota.

I go in to get the car and he says "credit card payment for the 60000 service?"

I said "I think it'd be a reasonable thing for you blokes to wear the service considering"

He laughed, said no and so I produced a bill for one lost job per day for three days. Well in excess of their service charge and very reasonable when you actually factor in what the downtime really costs. There's a little back and forth. In the end he said I'd commissioned him to do the service to which I said I didn't sign anything.

So he wouldn't give me the keys. Said we had a Mexican stand off. Said if I wouldn't pay the bill he'd remove the oil filter and put old oil back into the ute. I walked outside, stood in front on the ute and told him he wasn't touching it.

I've got no keys, the ute is locked...he pulls up in front of it in another 4x4 to stop me driving even if I did get keys.

I called the dealership and spoke to someone higher up. Told them I wasn't paying the bill. Told them I want my keys. Ten minutes later the truck unlocks. I jumped in thinking they were going to try to move it. Service manager walks out with my keys, hands them over and tells me the 60000 km service has been erased from their records and my service book doesn't show the service. How they pre-empted that I don't know but when I looked later, the book hasn't been stamped since 30000. It's fine, I have the receipts. So he drops the keys into my hand and says "you're a liar, you told me to do the 60000 k service then told me you didn't. You are no longer welcome here and if you turn up I'll have you removed." I laughed then. Told him he was a C-Bomb. Told him he was the liar and arguing his case backwards was pathetic. Called him a C-Bomb and he "threatened" me not to try calling that again. His staff were watching now. I turned to them. "Your boss is a pathetic C-Bomb" I turn to him. "I've told them you're a C-Bomb and I'm telling you you're a C-Bomb" He looms over me. Oh how he wants to smash my face. I'm now repeating how much of a C-Bomb I think he is. "F*** you grease monkey. I've got my keys, car's serviced and now I get to make a complaint about you."

So then I went to the dealership head office. Got the assistant manager. Took my service book in. Told him it needed to be up to date, i have proof of the services not recorded in the book and also, I want the 60000km service record stamped because even though I won't pay for it, it's serviced. And so it was done.

So I figure they turned mongrel on me because they were completely fed up with trying to fix the ute. I get it. Some jobs drive me insane. But it's no excuse. So the head office suggested it might be better to get my servicing done at another toyota dealer. I've thought about that. Tomorrow I will go to Toyota head office. I'm going to state my case and put it them that I want my 70000k service done at the same place, by the same bloke and they have to fix the existing issues and I expect that to be at their expense. We'll see how we go, but as it stands I'm winning this fight for a change. Maybe it's for actually fighting rather than accepting poor treatment and service which I often ignore.

I said to my wife yesterday that I noticed Mick (service manager) was pretty rude and arrogant to me which was odd because he used to be fine. He'd left and been gone from that shop for a year. He's returned only in the last few months. My wife asked me why he was being rude and I said then I think they don't want to work on the car. The warranty work they're doing is pretty big work. Three mechanics over two days apparently. It's a stuff around for them in simplest terms.

Yup, I got the ****s with being left in Doncaster with no way home and being given the biggest f*** off attitude I've had thrown at me in ages. When he called to tell me to find my own way home he took the attitude that I created the pressure to have the car in and out in a day, thusly he's run the boys into the ground. I told him the only time frame I've ever put on the repair was that I want it sorted within the warranty period. So yes, I did book the car in for warranty repair and the 60000km service. I decided after the attitude I got last night that I wasn't paying for the service and as mentioned, created an invoice for 3 days of work, one lost job per day. $1320.00 I knew that wasn't going to get paid.

So in my opinion they turned mongrel yesterday. Two can play. Had there been a car for me to drive home I would assume this wouldn't have happened. Maybe. This is the third time on the same big job and still the light that indicated 4x4 is engaged does not work. They broke that last time. I drove for a while in 4x4 (4H) without knowing because there was no light. Only I drive my car. It's safe to assume it would be in 2H just as it always is. I put up with all of that with no complaint. No demands. So maybe the car home might have saved us from where we are....but I can't say for certain.

As for forcing them to fix it from here on in, it's spite. I recognise that. I'll probably cool off or not go through with it, but on principle I'm right to push it. I'll probably be servicing at City Toyota or even just go to Ultratune or one of those now. It's not a warranty issue to get it serviced elsewhere.

Oh I forgot to add, he called me a poofter which I thought was pretty weak. I called him a c-bomb for calling me a liar. I called him a liar for the bull**** the day before and he actually stood there and denied telling me to take a taxi. Lied. I'm not ****ting you. I don't know if I want to let it go from here. And there is still the issue of the 4x4 lights on the dash. It's not over. Not even if I want it to be. How far I push it depends on a few things I guess. And I intend to make a full and honest formal complaint.

If I were him I'd be murderous. He lost the entire stand off. Got insulted in front of his staff after handling the situation poorly. Couldn't act on what were his obvious instincts and to his credit, didn't. Didn't get payment. Didn't get the final word on the servicing record. Didn't withhold my vehicle and didn't get backing from his peers in this situation. I personally would feel pressed to quit that job.

And I usually have less to lose in these battles. But I've done it myself. Picked the wrong battles. No doubt I'll do it again. But I think this was the wrong battle for this bloke to choose.

Yeah revenge would be an awesome tactic for them. After making a complaint I'd be happy to dare them to sabotage the vehicle during service. I'm sure there are laws against that sort of thing. The thought of that isn't a deterrent at this point. Even if I do force the issue and win, they'd have to be insane to go tampering. I just have to feel it out. I figure that there's still some issues to raise and the dealership (having three service departments) aren't done with me yet. I have more to nut out. The service was done today for 60000kms. But on the clock I'm at 66336 at service. The car has to be serviced at 70000. So technically to keep the warranty I have to service the car in a little over 3000 ks. Madness. So again, when the 4x4 indicator light is repaired I'll book the 70000k service in and fully intend not to pay. Maybe. Still feels like I'm being screwed any other way. They still have poor workmanship to repair. City Toyota isn't responsible. I don't think it's fair to lump the problem on a new service dept.

What gets me is the gall of this prick to hold the keys on an SR5 4x4 over a dispute for a 250 odd dollar service charge. I knew it wouldn't stick. But to hold the vehicle is so disproportionate that it's ludicrous. At a (rough) guess it's like 180 times the value of the service charge.

Edited April 15, 2010 by Mister Gun

[Rolla Boy]

Honestly you'd be an idiot to go back to the same place and demand they do the work for you...

Do you really think after whats happened they'd treat you nicely or be happy to do a good job for you??? Reverse the situation, would you be happy to serve a customer thats said all that to you???

Much better off heading to another dealer and see if they're able to help you out with your problems... And in saying that, another dealer means a different group of mechanics with different thoughts, might just be what you need for your problems to get sorted...

And the dealer has every right to hold your keys if you refuse to pay, I'd do exactly the same if it was my business...

[Silver-Aurion]

Wow, what a long read that was! We had our fair share of problem with a Ford dealer in the past where it got "verbal" because they charged us for something that we never agreed to or was told about.

In the end, call another dealer, get booked in and try them out. Forget these idiots at Doncaster, they sound like a bunch of monkeys.

Edited April 21, 2010 by unique

[master.Cuong]

dont like their service ? Just go to another there's plenty of toyota dealers around. Going back to the same place to get ur car service or fixed is the wrong idea to do in my opinion. Like i said and other 2 post before mine just go to another one. d=D