Advantage over.. Toyota's excessive service prices

[ezat]

Hello all,

Have a 2008 Aurion zr6. Over the last 3 years that i have had it, ive been sending it to Toyota for a service. Now that I am up for the 75k service, it is interesting to now know that the price has gone up from 120 to 400+.

I have never been happy with the service either way. I think they just done the minimal being honest..(oil, oil filter etc).. nothing of the special kind. My wife drives the aurion and I have a Charade 96 carbi 1.0ltr 3 cylinder runaround that I do services on myself and repairs as well. I kinda feel I either get someone to service it and fill in the log books or do it myself and no log book entry.

Just wondering who has been in my situation and what options they took.

Ezat

[jeffy]

as you say, some have done the service themselves buying the same parts needed and follwing the logbook, depending on your skill and readily available equipment,

[Andrew357]

Hello all,

Have a 2008 Aurion zr6. Over the last 3 years that i have had it, ive been sending it to Toyota for a service. Now that I am up for the 75k service, it is interesting to now know that the price has gone up from 120 to 400+.

I have never been happy with the service either way. I think they just done the minimal being honest..(oil, oil filter etc).. nothing of the special kind. My wife drives the aurion and I have a Charade 96 carbi 1.0ltr 3 cylinder runaround that I do services on myself and repairs as well. I kinda feel I either get someone to service it and fill in the log books or do it myself and no log book entry.

Just wondering who has been in my situation and what options they took.

Ezat

I have been to 3 different UltraTunes in Brisbane and I've been happy with their service and no-nonsense approach. The most recent was even better cause I actually know a little about the car so I was able to talk to them about various things and they didn't try to bullcrap me.

They do logbook services among other things + give you a list at the end of: any concerns you've raised and what their diagnosis, any work they've carried out and any other points of interest.

Here's a scan of my latest visit, the price of my servicing may not reflect what you might pay as I request and OBD scan but provided my own filter and oil.

[ben yip]

how much for ultratune for the CEL diagnosis? That report is very responsible..

For your O2 sensor, they do need to change after certain kilometers for every car no matter what brand and it did trigger a CEL, so it is normal

I have to tell you one story about Toyota for checking the spare tyre, most people did not check it. My friend has deliberately took out the spare and took the car to service, and the report comes with spare tyre being checked !!! My friend called up and complain straight away, and the manager asked my friend to bring the car back. WTF !!!

For toyota, you have to think the other way round, how much salary did the mechanic get paid per hour? Do you think they will take care of you..They got loads of customers, they don't mind losing one...

Also, last time I brought the car to Bob Janes T Mart for a free inspection, I was watching them far away.. One of the item is to check the wheel alignment, they did not do it. Another item is to check the battery, they did not do it.. I won't bring my car to them next time..

I always go to private mechanic, if they do not do a good service, you won't find them next time..and they care about you. Of coze, you have to deal with the owner...

It has come to my conclusion that cutting corners are common for mechanics. Bit hard to trust mechanics these days

Edited August 11, 2011 by ben yip

[petepjs]

Just had my 45,000 km on an ATX 2008 at Scarboro Toyota for $451.80 a little steep when at Adrian's Car Service in Balcatta - who do a reasonable job & do my other car - I got an offer in the mail for Silver Service - $119.00 i.e. change oil & filter, top up fluids and comprehensive check & report.

Scarboro Toyota charged

1) Parts

Filter- $22.49

Air Filter $49.54

Emissions Service $30 (what is that??)

Engine flush $15

Castrol 10W/30 Mag oil $79.71 (could have got it for max of $35 at Supacheap)

Misc $19.46

etc, etc $more

2) Labour

$190.91

Total $451.80

[ezat]

Just had my 45,000 km on an ATX 2008 at Scarboro Toyota for $451.80 a little steep when at Adrian's Car Service in Balcatta - who do a reasonable job & do my other car - I got an offer in the mail for Silver Service - $119.00 i.e. change oil & filter, top up fluids and comprehensive check & report.

Scarboro Toyota charged

1) Parts

Filter- $22.49

Air Filter $49.54

Emissions Service $30 (what is that??)

Engine flush $15

Castrol 10W/30 Mag oil $79.71 (could have got it for max of $35 at Supacheap)

Misc $19.46

etc, etc $more

2) Labour

$190.91

Total $451.80

The Castrol 10/30 Mag oil price says it all. Thats ludicrous. thats double the amount so I am guessing everything else is double as well.

[ezat]

There is another thing that the 75k service has and that is an intank filter change. The guy on the phone made is sound so extreme. Im curious if anyone has changed htis themselves and whats involved.

[JDM-GTFour]

Unfortunately the mechanical trade attracts some real low life, scum bag, lazy, rip off merchants... I went for a pink slip in my hilux and was told the front wheel bearings, of which there were two on each side were stuffed.. ok.. I agreed for them to replace them, I like doing my own work, but at the time was living in the city and didnt have access to tools etc. So they charged me for replacing both front wheels bearings.. After I got it back I asked for the used bearings, only one wheels set of bearings was given to me.. the guy told me the other side was thrown out already to recycling...uh huh.... next years rego comes along.. sloppy bearings. WHAT!... They only changed one wheels bearings and tightened the other side, but charged me for both! So I payed twice for the same wheel. Jobsons Discount Tyre and Mechanical Taren Point Sydney were the culprits.. be warned.

I only trust my mate who Ive known 18yrs to work on my cars now if I cant do the job myself.... You take a risk everytime you put your car in someone else's hands.. and I got done again with my GT4 over the clutch when I broke down 800kms from home. ahhh motoring.

[Andrew357]

There is another thing that the 75k service has and that is an intank filter change. The guy on the phone made is sound so extreme. Im curious if anyone has changed htis themselves and whats involved.

Fuel tank filter change (simplfied):

- Remove back seats

- Remove tank plate

- Unbolt filter top housing

- Remove fuel pump/filter assembly

- Replace fuel filter

- reverse of what you did to put everything back in

Takes around 1-1.5hrs to complete.

[eviltwin]

It's everywhere and not just Toyota unfortunatly , your best off finding a local trusty one man operation type of place otherwise you will pay through the nose for things you don't need or that are unnecessary. When i sold my g/f's Daewoo Kalos i made the mistake of taking the car to the mechanic the new owners were using at the time.. apart from being treated like scum for even asking questions they told me the cam seals on the car were gone and it would need the timing belt , water pump and cam seals done.

I copped it on the chin and took it home to inspect the cam seals for myself and from the start i knew it was fishy as the engine is a single over head cam to begin with. I let that go and thought they may have just made the mistake in writing but when i removed the upper belt cover the cam seal was bone dry.

I called them up and questioned them and the bloke said "Maybe i meant the crank seal" . So i removed the lower crank cover ( yay for not needing to remove the crank pulley ) and once again it was bone dry.

I then phoned them for a third time and told them if the car wasn't passed i would contact the VACC. They very quickly changed their mind about the seal and told me it was a mistake as the mechanic was doing a road worthy on two cars at once.

Ive never taken my sportivo to a mechanic as when i bought it the cheapest i could get a service was over $200 , i can do it myself and know whats been done and when and it costs me a fraction of the price.

There are atill some really good guys out and about you just need to find them!

[nswnotill]

I regularly use the local Repco Service business for my vehicle service and repairs (including 2008 Aurion). All the latest diagnostic gear is on hand, and they have the specs. on hand for all popular vehicles. Charges are reasonable. A comprehensive report is given after each visit, with details of the work carried out, and items that may require attention in the near future. They have my vote.

[Beep Beep]

IMHO, ALL dealer servicing (not just Toyota) are overpriced for the perceived "quality" and "technical expertise" their "factory trained" technicians are supposed to provide to the customer.

Fact of the matter is, there's nothing a suitably qualified mechanic cannot do in terms of servicing.

I'm only going to Toyota for servicing because it's a company lease vehicle. Otherwise I would go to my mechanic who has been servicing every car I've owned since 1993. He doesn't have a very big operation (him and 2 other mechanics) and I only stumbled across his services by chance. The dude did a lot of the factory AirCon installs for Toyota dealers back in the days when A/C isn't standard on Toyotas.

In terms of dealer servicing, the straw that broke the camel's back was when I got assreamed for $1,400.00 for a routine 55k INTERMEDIATE service for my Landcruiser :angry: . There wasn't even anything extra to the standard logbook service (drop oils, etc)! After that I went looking around for a decent mechanic and happened to come across this guy in Canning Vale because I also needed my Air conditioning serviced and regassed. It was a stroke of luck that I found this guy.

Anyway, after having the Cruiser serviced by my mechanic a few times, the major service came at 100k. This was the moment of truth.

My mechanic did everything in the log book (Timing belt, diff oils, pre & main fuel filters etc etc), AND extra stuff I asked him to look at. Cost? $935.00!!!!!

And that was a MAJOR service too!!!

Dealer servicing, what a rort.

PS. No offence intended to anyone on this forum who works as a Technician at Toyota. My gripe isn't with you guys, it's how your employer markets your services and promises things that you can't possibly deliver to the Customer. Management always promises awesome ***** to customers, to get them through their doors. Unfortunately, when the customer doesn't get what they were led to expect by Management/Customer Service, you guys end up copping the rough end of the stick.

Again, my 2c worth.

BB

No Toyotas were harmed in the typing of this rant. © 2011 *Cue theme music*

Edited August 12, 2011 by Beep Beep

[Dauphin3]

As others have said, it's not just Toyota. Subaru are just as bad and just as overpriced!

I've only had my car for 4 months, and already I've been receiving lousy customer service from my local dealership. I brought it in for 1000km check up. I asked the guy about updating the software for the audio system to fix the issues re iPod connectivity. I knew a software update did exist because someone on this forum had said so. The guy straight out told me one didn't exist and didn't want to have a bar of any further questions. If he wasn't sure, the least he could have done was made some enquiries and get back to me.

Then I've emailed the service manager about the same issue - never received a reply.

I've also emailed the parts manager for a quote to get the blue interior illumination kit installed - no reply.

The only reason I take the car to Toyota is for the "peace of mind" that if there is ever a warranty issue with it, you can throw the ball back in their court by saying that they are the only ones that have ever serviced it....but I'm seriously considering cashing in my dealer extended warranty and just taking the car to my local mechanic, who we've been going to fo years and can do log book servicing.

[nswnotill]

Many independent service centres are able to service late model vehicles that are still in the warranty period. However I understand they must use approved parts, and trained labour.

My local Repco service has a large sign to this effect in the reception area. In the event of a mechanical fault in the warranty period, the manufacturer is duty bound to do the repairs.

I understand that this is Commonwealth Law, as restricting vehicle service to brand dealers only is illegal under the Trade Practices Act.

Maybe a lawyer type could elaborate further.

However my guess is that a Toyota dealer would get narky if a warranty job was to be done on a vehicle that has been serviced legally elsewhere.

I for one will take the risk.

[Beep Beep]

However my guess is that a Toyota dealer would get narky if a warranty job was to be done on a vehicle that has been serviced legally elsewhere.

I find that although they stop short of actually saying it directly to your face or have it written on anything (signage or otherwise), car dealers in general insinuate (quite strongly) that your vehicle warranty is void if you don't go back to a dealer for service and maintenance.

Even the logbooks and driver's manual that came with the car always imply any servicing or maintenance carried out by anyone OTHER than the manufacturer's service center will stuff your warranty up.

It's borderline misleading and unconscionable conduct, IMHO.

It might be worth a laugh if those of us who go to the dealers for servicing to ask them outright if the warranty will be void if you went to a Repco's, or Ultra Tune or Auto Masters etc for your logbook service.

I did it with mine, and the reaction was priceless. When I asked that question while having a chat with the Service Manager, for some reason they paid extra attention and care to my car when I picked it up later. Hell, it was even vacuumed and washed and they CALLED me to let me know that it's ready. Usually they never call and hardly ever gets washed and vacuumed.

Cheers,

BB

[matt36415]

I used to be a mechanic at a holden dealership - in the 90's. Now teach primary school.

I think a large part of the problem with dealerships is that they are too focused on profit. Our service dept manager (suttons city holden in roseberry - sydney) used to get quite decent bonuses when we got through more than the set quota of services. There was virtually no training of apprentices or ongoing training of qualified guys either. That would be non chargable time.

They were charging about $110 per hour but the qualified guys got about $20 per hour. Apprentices got $140 to about $450 per week. I used to do all the transmission work, usually a remove - put a rebuild kit in, fit to test car then ship back to whichever dealer it came from - or back into customer car. That took about 5-6 hours and the kit, trans oil and a road test. I got under $100 a day but the job was charged at over $1000 - I think about 1300. So how valued did I feel? What motivation did I have to do it well?

Mechanics are often treated fairly badly by dealerships so they don't always do things carefully and properly - even if they have had the training needed - and even if they are qualified, at Suttons Holden they had way too many apprentices because they were cheap.

[Carismo69]

My 75K service is coming up soon :( , how much will it cost from a toyota dealer? and what extras do they change other than fuel filter?

[DJKOR]

My 75K service is coming up soon :( , how much will it cost from a toyota dealer? and what extras do they change other than fuel filter?

1) I suggest you call at least 3 dealerships that are local to you and having them provide you with a quote. Pricing isn't exactly standardised and can vary, so providing you with a figure may not be so accurate.

2) Refer to the service logbook for your car. That will show you what gets replaced and inspected with each service. A fuel filter is not changed in the 75,000km service by the way.

[Carismo69]

cheers i had my last car for 10yrs and i did all the services myself but i really want to look after this one (get the book filled). Im new to the newish car service and car care

[Shadow_]

my neighbour is a mechanic he only ask for $50 to service my car and i get the parts he needs

[Adamsy]

I’m lead to believe that Toyota shortly will be offering a very competitive service rate (think very close to SA) for used Toyota’s and those that service advantage has finished. Stay tuned for more details.