Servicing at Scion Dealers?
10-07-2008, 06:04 PM
#1
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Servicing at Scion Dealers?
Hello fellow SLers =]
I’m working on a project to re-vamp Scion’s service process at the dealers and I wanted to gather some quick feedback!
I know a lot of people don’t service at the dealerships for various reasons but what would make the service process ideal for Scion owners?
Please comment on anything and everything- from setting up the appointment to picking up the vehicle when it’s ready.
Would you prefer setting up the appointments online? Via text messages?
How about the waiting area? Or shuttle services? How do you like to be greeted upon arriving at the dealer?
Thanks in advance =0)
I’m working on a project to re-vamp Scion’s service process at the dealers and I wanted to gather some quick feedback!
I know a lot of people don’t service at the dealerships for various reasons but what would make the service process ideal for Scion owners?
Please comment on anything and everything- from setting up the appointment to picking up the vehicle when it’s ready.
Would you prefer setting up the appointments online? Via text messages?
How about the waiting area? Or shuttle services? How do you like to be greeted upon arriving at the dealer?
Thanks in advance =0)
10-07-2008, 06:20 PM
#2
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i actually really love my toyota/scion dealership, i go to fitzgerald toyota for my oil changes/tire rotations and such. a few reasons why are that every other oil change is free if you purchase the service plan with new car purchase, and if you get synthetic oil changes, they credit it off every oil change.
next, installation of accessories is only charged $60 per hour instead of 90-99 dollars labor rate.
my dealership also has several computers avaliable with internet access so you can surf the net while you wait. they also have a childrens play room with lots of toys, and a ps2 with kiddie games for them to play, and two different areas with tv's, one on news, the other on daytime tv, like soap operas or the ellen degeneres show.
then, while i was in florida, i went to central florida toyota for service, and one nice thing they had was a nice waiting room with a big screen tv, usually it was on CNN or some news channel, but in the mornings they had a platter of assorted donuts from dunkin donuts, and later on in the afternoon, they had a cold cut sub platter from subway of a giant cut up sub.
then, this according to my friend and co-worker, she says her toyota dealership in south carolina actually gives peticures while you wait, i thought that was quite a neat feature.
hope those ideas help.
next, installation of accessories is only charged $60 per hour instead of 90-99 dollars labor rate.
my dealership also has several computers avaliable with internet access so you can surf the net while you wait. they also have a childrens play room with lots of toys, and a ps2 with kiddie games for them to play, and two different areas with tv's, one on news, the other on daytime tv, like soap operas or the ellen degeneres show.
then, while i was in florida, i went to central florida toyota for service, and one nice thing they had was a nice waiting room with a big screen tv, usually it was on CNN or some news channel, but in the mornings they had a platter of assorted donuts from dunkin donuts, and later on in the afternoon, they had a cold cut sub platter from subway of a giant cut up sub.
then, this according to my friend and co-worker, she says her toyota dealership in south carolina actually gives peticures while you wait, i thought that was quite a neat feature.
hope those ideas help.
10-07-2008, 08:02 PM
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IntegraS, will this information be making it back to Scion / Toyota corporate?
For me, the aversion to dealership servicing is based on cost, convenience and customer service.
For cost:
- would it be possible to standardize servicing prices under a pure pricing structure like they do with the vehicle price. This will eliminate certian dealerships charging more for labor rates or consumable parts, adding "extra" services at additional cost, doing excess work without customer authorization, etc. I know this is a shift from tradition, but if it can be done for sticker prices it can be done for service as well.
For convenience:
- Accurate time estimates and maintaining appointment times are paramount. Nothing is worse than waiting three hours at the dealer for a 15 minute oil change. Online scheduling would be awesome, maybe even tied to Outlook calendars. Munchies in the waiting room are always good, and for us laptop types, free wireless at the dealer would be excellent. For simple oil changes, would it even be possible to eliminate the scheduling all-together. Though their quality is usually worse, this is one of the advantages of going to a lube shop.
- For longer jobs (drop it off at 8, pick it up at 5), could a loaner vehicle be available. It is a pain to get a ride from the dealer to work in the morning and then back in the evening, and most policies are for a loaner only on overnight jobs.
For service:
- I have had good and bad experiences with service. When my windshield developed a stress crack, the dealer rep did the inspection that day in around 5 minutes, sent the claim to Toyota and had approval and the glass in within 3 days. I was very happy with the way it was handled.
On a seperate occasion and with a different dealership, I had a connecting rod put a hole in the block. When I took it in, without further inspection, the service manager was convinced it was hydrolock from the cold air intake (which was TRD). I had two signed letters, one from the tow operator and one from the shhuttle driver, stating that road conditions were dry on the date of failure and a weather station data printout showing no percipitation in the past 24 hours, but that did not matter to them. No oil or coolant samples were ever tested, and I was forced to do a swap myself because that dealer wanted $6800 to replace the block and re-work the head, not even a full new motor. For the record I believe the head gasket may have failed, sucking coolant into the cylinder and causing damage that way. I had the vehicle towed home, and when it was unloaded off the truck I also saw the drive axle was de-coupled from the transmission. This could only happen by moving the transmission 3-4" right, which could only have happened when the dealer removed the engine for inspection. They would not own up to that either, blaming it this time on the tow operator. With a replacement axle at only $79 and me weary of fighting the dealer, I just replaced it on my own as well.
What I want from a service manager is an honest assessment of vehicle issues, and not always jumping to the customer must have abused / modded / raced the car to cause damage. No assembly process is defect free, even with six-sigma, so there are bound to be some defective products. Sorry for the rant, I'm still upset from being let down by the delership, the Scion Experience and Toyota corporate for going along no questions asked with the dealer assessment.
For me, the aversion to dealership servicing is based on cost, convenience and customer service.
For cost:
- would it be possible to standardize servicing prices under a pure pricing structure like they do with the vehicle price. This will eliminate certian dealerships charging more for labor rates or consumable parts, adding "extra" services at additional cost, doing excess work without customer authorization, etc. I know this is a shift from tradition, but if it can be done for sticker prices it can be done for service as well.
For convenience:
- Accurate time estimates and maintaining appointment times are paramount. Nothing is worse than waiting three hours at the dealer for a 15 minute oil change. Online scheduling would be awesome, maybe even tied to Outlook calendars. Munchies in the waiting room are always good, and for us laptop types, free wireless at the dealer would be excellent. For simple oil changes, would it even be possible to eliminate the scheduling all-together. Though their quality is usually worse, this is one of the advantages of going to a lube shop.
- For longer jobs (drop it off at 8, pick it up at 5), could a loaner vehicle be available. It is a pain to get a ride from the dealer to work in the morning and then back in the evening, and most policies are for a loaner only on overnight jobs.
For service:
- I have had good and bad experiences with service. When my windshield developed a stress crack, the dealer rep did the inspection that day in around 5 minutes, sent the claim to Toyota and had approval and the glass in within 3 days. I was very happy with the way it was handled.
On a seperate occasion and with a different dealership, I had a connecting rod put a hole in the block. When I took it in, without further inspection, the service manager was convinced it was hydrolock from the cold air intake (which was TRD). I had two signed letters, one from the tow operator and one from the shhuttle driver, stating that road conditions were dry on the date of failure and a weather station data printout showing no percipitation in the past 24 hours, but that did not matter to them. No oil or coolant samples were ever tested, and I was forced to do a swap myself because that dealer wanted $6800 to replace the block and re-work the head, not even a full new motor. For the record I believe the head gasket may have failed, sucking coolant into the cylinder and causing damage that way. I had the vehicle towed home, and when it was unloaded off the truck I also saw the drive axle was de-coupled from the transmission. This could only happen by moving the transmission 3-4" right, which could only have happened when the dealer removed the engine for inspection. They would not own up to that either, blaming it this time on the tow operator. With a replacement axle at only $79 and me weary of fighting the dealer, I just replaced it on my own as well.
What I want from a service manager is an honest assessment of vehicle issues, and not always jumping to the customer must have abused / modded / raced the car to cause damage. No assembly process is defect free, even with six-sigma, so there are bound to be some defective products. Sorry for the rant, I'm still upset from being let down by the delership, the Scion Experience and Toyota corporate for going along no questions asked with the dealer assessment.
10-07-2008, 08:25 PM
#4
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Thank you draxcaliber for the examples!! I had no idea a pedicure was even an option for a dealer to have in the waiting area! And I LOVE the idea of the cut up sub in the afternoon, as opposed to vending machines with a crappy selection 
It sure will ;) I work for Scion Headquarters in Torrance- so I'm taking what you've written as direct feedback for this project.
For cost, actually you hit it right on the head! We have pricing menus which dealers are supposed to be using (they just hit dealers earlier this year, around May). They are pricing menus for oil changes, intermediate maintenances (15k, 45k) and major maintenances (ie 30k, 60k). Unfortunately we cannot truly standardize a price across all dealers because each dealer is privately owned, however, studies show that having a pricing menu for maintenance for all to see (and of course having the dealer actually charge the posted price (pure price)) leads to more satisfaction.
For convenience, definitely time is precious and having accurate time estimates are key! We are working on an online scheduling system, though it is under development as we speak. But that is a great idea! Snacks of course are always great, and I really like the idea of free wireless.
For a loaner…that one might be tough. The only thing we “enforce” (I use that word lightly) is that dealers provide a loaner when warranty work is being done and it takes more than 8 hours. I’m not sure if we could have dealers provide loaners for regular maintenance—but again, a great idea!
For service, honesty is always a must and building trust with dealerships is going to be a challenge. I definitely agree with you on assessments and not just blaming customers for modding/abusing cars. This will be a challenge but it is definitely something we want to work on. I’m sorry that the experience with the Scion Experience center did not turn out to be a pleasant one—I can’t really speak on behalf of us, or the dealer because I am not familiar with the case, but I really do appreciate your feedback on this—It’s very helpful.
IntegraS, will this information be making it back to Scion / Toyota corporate?
For cost, actually you hit it right on the head! We have pricing menus which dealers are supposed to be using (they just hit dealers earlier this year, around May). They are pricing menus for oil changes, intermediate maintenances (15k, 45k) and major maintenances (ie 30k, 60k). Unfortunately we cannot truly standardize a price across all dealers because each dealer is privately owned, however, studies show that having a pricing menu for maintenance for all to see (and of course having the dealer actually charge the posted price (pure price)) leads to more satisfaction.
For convenience, definitely time is precious and having accurate time estimates are key! We are working on an online scheduling system, though it is under development as we speak. But that is a great idea! Snacks of course are always great, and I really like the idea of free wireless.
For a loaner…that one might be tough. The only thing we “enforce” (I use that word lightly) is that dealers provide a loaner when warranty work is being done and it takes more than 8 hours. I’m not sure if we could have dealers provide loaners for regular maintenance—but again, a great idea!
For service, honesty is always a must and building trust with dealerships is going to be a challenge. I definitely agree with you on assessments and not just blaming customers for modding/abusing cars. This will be a challenge but it is definitely something we want to work on. I’m sorry that the experience with the Scion Experience center did not turn out to be a pleasant one—I can’t really speak on behalf of us, or the dealer because I am not familiar with the case, but I really do appreciate your feedback on this—It’s very helpful.
10-07-2008, 08:28 PM
#5
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I just hate how dealerships send out service coupons and in the fine print it says: "Toyota Vehicles Only", or "Excludes Scions".
That's just like a big eff you to the owner. Last time I checked, I have a Toyota badge on my engine.
Actually, I have one on my hatch too... I wonder if I could trick em.
That's just like a big eff you to the owner. Last time I checked, I have a Toyota badge on my engine.
Actually, I have one on my hatch too... I wonder if I could trick em.
10-07-2008, 08:33 PM
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Originally Posted by burstaneurysm
I just hate how dealerships send out service coupons and in the fine print it says: "Toyota Vehicles Only", or "Excludes Scions".
That's just like a big eff you to the owner. Last time I checked, I have a Toyota badge on my engine.
Actually, I have one on my hatch too... I wonder if I could trick em.
That's just like a big eff you to the owner. Last time I checked, I have a Toyota badge on my engine.
Actually, I have one on my hatch too... I wonder if I could trick em.
Thanks for the input!!!
10-07-2008, 09:08 PM
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Shady practices is what keeps me away from having the dealership work on my car. If I were a cutthroat service manager, I would love any Scion that came in, because I knew I could get away with pretty much anything because of the demographic of the car. Your first car, you say? High school, right? Oh, well, you're going to have to have the headlight fluid changed at regular intervals... This is no fault of, Scion, of course... but I don't exactly put much stock in any dealership service.
vettereddie actually said everything I was going to, and in a much more coherent way.
vettereddie actually said everything I was going to, and in a much more coherent way.
10-07-2008, 10:01 PM
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Originally Posted by CDogbert
Shady practices is what keeps me away from having the dealership work on my car. If I were a cutthroat service manager, I would love any Scion that came in, because I knew I could get away with pretty much anything because of the demographic of the car. Your first car, you say? High school, right? Oh, well, you're going to have to have the headlight fluid changed at regular intervals... This is no fault of, Scion, of course... but I don't exactly put much stock in any dealership service.
vettereddie actually said everything I was going to, and in a much more coherent way.
vettereddie actually said everything I was going to, and in a much more coherent way.
10-08-2008, 01:37 AM
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I could go on forever.
The issues why i HATE to go to the dealer.
*Go in for one thing and have to go back for something the screwed up or broke.
I would goto the dealer if i did not have to go back 4 times for their screw up's and wast my time and my money.
For the long story.
Called and made an appointment for them to look at the gaps in the rear airbag panels. Show up on the scheduled date, 20 min prior, appointment was made 2 weeks prior. When i give them all my info the look confused and ask who i talked to because they have no appointment for me. So i call corporate to get this looked at and i go to another dealer an hour out of my way and they look at it and get grease on the head liner, so now i have to go back to the dealer so they can clean or replace the affected parts.
I have had issues with #1 dealer before with my supra they said the car was ready goto pick it up and the dash is apart. So i come back a week later after they said it was ready and it dose not idle right. So a week later go and pick it up and they had scratched my head unit, they replaced and screwed up the wiring for it so i had to rewire it.
The issues why i HATE to go to the dealer.
*Go in for one thing and have to go back for something the screwed up or broke.
I would goto the dealer if i did not have to go back 4 times for their screw up's and wast my time and my money.
For the long story.
Called and made an appointment for them to look at the gaps in the rear airbag panels. Show up on the scheduled date, 20 min prior, appointment was made 2 weeks prior. When i give them all my info the look confused and ask who i talked to because they have no appointment for me. So i call corporate to get this looked at and i go to another dealer an hour out of my way and they look at it and get grease on the head liner, so now i have to go back to the dealer so they can clean or replace the affected parts.
I have had issues with #1 dealer before with my supra they said the car was ready goto pick it up and the dash is apart. So i come back a week later after they said it was ready and it dose not idle right. So a week later go and pick it up and they had scratched my head unit, they replaced and screwed up the wiring for it so i had to rewire it.
10-08-2008, 06:13 AM
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Man, I love my Scion dealer for servicing. Leith Scion.
Here are my suggestions:
1. Free coffee. Hell yes, important enough to be number one on the list. That shiz is the juice of life, and they charge for it. The Ford dealer has free coffee and snacks.
2. An update on your vehicle would be nice. Often times the wait is lengthy, and having the service guy come out once or twice and tell you where it's at in the process would be great.
3. For basic stuff like oil changes, rotations, brake pads, etc. they can honestly have a quick turnaround bay or two. Sucks having to wait while they have bays clogged up doing major work.
Here are my suggestions:
1. Free coffee. Hell yes, important enough to be number one on the list. That shiz is the juice of life, and they charge for it. The Ford dealer has free coffee and snacks.
2. An update on your vehicle would be nice. Often times the wait is lengthy, and having the service guy come out once or twice and tell you where it's at in the process would be great.
3. For basic stuff like oil changes, rotations, brake pads, etc. they can honestly have a quick turnaround bay or two. Sucks having to wait while they have bays clogged up doing major work.
10-08-2008, 06:22 AM
#11
my dealer i got my car from in NY was awesome. Rockland Toyota in Blauvelt NY. 15 miles north of NYC
anyways they have a drive in bay with automatic garage doors that keep you from getting wet or snowed on, the service waiting area is huge with large flat screen TV's and a kids play area with its own TV in some hut looking thing. the lounge has a full cafe also.
here's their website. see for yourself. their is always a car show over there for all Toyota vehicles and stuff
http://www.rocklandtoyota.com/
anyways they have a drive in bay with automatic garage doors that keep you from getting wet or snowed on, the service waiting area is huge with large flat screen TV's and a kids play area with its own TV in some hut looking thing. the lounge has a full cafe also.
here's their website. see for yourself. their is always a car show over there for all Toyota vehicles and stuff
http://www.rocklandtoyota.com/
10-08-2008, 01:11 PM
#12
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Any chance on rolling out wifi for customers at the dealership? Whenever I go anywhere I will be sitting / waiting a while, (doctor, mechanic, hotels, coffee shop, etc.) that's one of the things I look for. Free is the key though, it's very annoying to pick up a wirelss signal only to be directed to a TMobile Hot Spot where it's $10 / day to access it.
Oh, and for service, online updates of vehicle status would be excellent, like if you could log on to a site and see a progress bar or text update of what's going on with the vehicle. This would put a data collection burden on the maintainer, but can be minimized if done well, unless Toyota's maintenance procedures are already electronically documented.
For my unpleasesnt experiences, so far it's been limited to Bayside Toyota in Prince Frederick, MD. They are also a Chevrolet dealership, that probably should have tipped me off. Toyota of Southern Maryland did an excellent job on my windshield replacement and Toyota of Waldorf went above and beyond what was required when I ended up replacing my own engine, giving tech advice over the phone while I was elbow deep in oil in the garage.
Hey, that's another one, since we're shooting for the moon here, what about a technical hotline? I'm sure you'd get a lot of calls about resetting the Maintenance Required light but it could also be useful for issues not covered in the owner's manual.
I like the idea of dedicated bays for routine work too, kind of an express lane instead of the standard first in, first out queing process.
Oh, and for service, online updates of vehicle status would be excellent, like if you could log on to a site and see a progress bar or text update of what's going on with the vehicle. This would put a data collection burden on the maintainer, but can be minimized if done well, unless Toyota's maintenance procedures are already electronically documented.
For my unpleasesnt experiences, so far it's been limited to Bayside Toyota in Prince Frederick, MD. They are also a Chevrolet dealership, that probably should have tipped me off. Toyota of Southern Maryland did an excellent job on my windshield replacement and Toyota of Waldorf went above and beyond what was required when I ended up replacing my own engine, giving tech advice over the phone while I was elbow deep in oil in the garage.
Hey, that's another one, since we're shooting for the moon here, what about a technical hotline? I'm sure you'd get a lot of calls about resetting the Maintenance Required light but it could also be useful for issues not covered in the owner's manual.
I like the idea of dedicated bays for routine work too, kind of an express lane instead of the standard first in, first out queing process.
10-08-2008, 03:47 PM
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swiber:
Wow I’m sorry to hear about that happening to you =/ Having the dealer fix an issue the first time, without causing damage to any other component is always a quality standard we encourage our dealers to have and I definitely appreciate you sharing your experience as an example for us to look at here.
13edge:
Complimentary coffee and snacks in a dealer waiting is always a bonus and I see that is a recurring suggestion =) I agree with you on that! Updates on vehicles is always a plus and some dealers are currently very good at doing that while others of course…not so much. I really like your idea about having service bays specifically for routine, simple services—that’s an excellent suggestion!
Thank you for your input!!!!!
firesquare:
Thanks for your example of Rockland Toyota!
vettereddie:
Thanks again for taking the time to put down some more suggestions here—I really do think the idea of dedicated service bays for routine work is an excellent one and I hope that is something that can be realistically done at most, if not all of our dealers.
WiFi is another great idea as you mentioned before and I will definitely bring that up as ideal item the dealers could offer.
Online updates of the vehicle for service—we are looking into something similar actually! I believe there is a system (not online unfortunately) in which you could look at screens in the dealer waiting area and see progress bars showing at what stage your vehicle is at in the service process—now, don’t get me wrong—this system has a long way to go before it is standardized and I’m not even sure how far along Toyota is in the development of such a system—but I know if’s something the company is definitely looking into!
Technical hotlines…I wish I had some positive news about this one, but I don’t see this happening with Toyota/Scion- There are liability concerns when it comes to offering technical advice over the phone so I’m not really sure how possible it would be—but thanks for throwin that out there =)
Thanks again for all of your suggestions—if you have any more please keep adding them—This is a going to be a huge project for Scion and any feedback you, the owners, can provide is extremely helpful!!!
Wow I’m sorry to hear about that happening to you =/ Having the dealer fix an issue the first time, without causing damage to any other component is always a quality standard we encourage our dealers to have and I definitely appreciate you sharing your experience as an example for us to look at here.
13edge:
Complimentary coffee and snacks in a dealer waiting is always a bonus and I see that is a recurring suggestion =) I agree with you on that! Updates on vehicles is always a plus and some dealers are currently very good at doing that while others of course…not so much. I really like your idea about having service bays specifically for routine, simple services—that’s an excellent suggestion!
Thank you for your input!!!!!
firesquare:
Thanks for your example of Rockland Toyota!
vettereddie:
Thanks again for taking the time to put down some more suggestions here—I really do think the idea of dedicated service bays for routine work is an excellent one and I hope that is something that can be realistically done at most, if not all of our dealers.
WiFi is another great idea as you mentioned before and I will definitely bring that up as ideal item the dealers could offer.
Online updates of the vehicle for service—we are looking into something similar actually! I believe there is a system (not online unfortunately) in which you could look at screens in the dealer waiting area and see progress bars showing at what stage your vehicle is at in the service process—now, don’t get me wrong—this system has a long way to go before it is standardized and I’m not even sure how far along Toyota is in the development of such a system—but I know if’s something the company is definitely looking into!
Technical hotlines…I wish I had some positive news about this one, but I don’t see this happening with Toyota/Scion- There are liability concerns when it comes to offering technical advice over the phone so I’m not really sure how possible it would be—but thanks for throwin that out there =)
Thanks again for all of your suggestions—if you have any more please keep adding them—This is a going to be a huge project for Scion and any feedback you, the owners, can provide is extremely helpful!!!
10-09-2008, 04:38 AM
#14
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I can't add much to the input already in here, but I have one small thing.
One main reason I don't bring my car to the dealership is because I have been turned down a couple times so far because my car is too low to get on the racks.
I've also been turned down at oil change places like Sears and stuff so now I just do it myself, but I would like the Toyota dealers to at least have some long wooden planks to get the real low cars up onto the 4 post ramps, since Scions are supposed to be customized and lowering is basically a must-have mod.
Not sure how much can really be done about that, but it's a pet peeve of mine.
Thanks for coming on SL and asking for our input also.
One main reason I don't bring my car to the dealership is because I have been turned down a couple times so far because my car is too low to get on the racks.
I've also been turned down at oil change places like Sears and stuff so now I just do it myself, but I would like the Toyota dealers to at least have some long wooden planks to get the real low cars up onto the 4 post ramps, since Scions are supposed to be customized and lowering is basically a must-have mod.
Not sure how much can really be done about that, but it's a pet peeve of mine.
Thanks for coming on SL and asking for our input also.
10-09-2008, 04:55 AM
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maybe look into getting toyota techs that are really into cars and have a great knowledge of how modifications and such work.
my toyota dealership has a fantastic tech who is apparently one of the best toyota techs on the east coast, but he does mainly the really complicated stuff, he rebuilt my transmission after the LSD was improperly installed. he did my supercharger installation, which thus far is flawless, and he did my motor mounts and polyurethane suspension bushings. when installing my stop tech stage 2 brake kit, he even heat cycled the pads and rotors for me so i didn't have to break them in myself, he is fantastic.
he is also a diehard car fanatic, he actually has a turbo toyota celica all-trac, and a 1969 camaro. so it is great going to a dealership garage where they have a fantasitic tech who really knows his $h!t when it comes to performance modifications since that is a huge part of scions for some people.
my toyota dealership has a fantastic tech who is apparently one of the best toyota techs on the east coast, but he does mainly the really complicated stuff, he rebuilt my transmission after the LSD was improperly installed. he did my supercharger installation, which thus far is flawless, and he did my motor mounts and polyurethane suspension bushings. when installing my stop tech stage 2 brake kit, he even heat cycled the pads and rotors for me so i didn't have to break them in myself, he is fantastic.
he is also a diehard car fanatic, he actually has a turbo toyota celica all-trac, and a 1969 camaro. so it is great going to a dealership garage where they have a fantasitic tech who really knows his $h!t when it comes to performance modifications since that is a huge part of scions for some people.
10-13-2008, 04:01 PM
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As both a Scion owner & a Scion service manager, I talk to a lot of customers about their expectations here. We've long ago addressed a lot of the issues I've rear in this post so far, but we're always trying to improve (living by the whole Toyota "continuous improvment" motto), so I'm watching this thread closely too.
Almost all of our Scion service items are menu priced (most at a pre-discounted rate, compared to Toyotas since we can't use coupons), and are clearly posted both in our service drives & on our website so anyone can find the prices before they even come in. This is actually a requirement thru Scion so I would hope all other dealers are doing this too. And we keep our prices pretty competitive too.
We also have an entire service dept. dedicated to quick services called the Express Lube where you never need an app't and all we do are oil changes, tire rotations, filter changes, etc so you can be in & out quick without having to wait hours for just a simple maintenance visit. We also still have a full service dept that handles bigger issues & repairs and all that work gets done faster too since those techs are not getting pulled off big jobs to do oil changes every few minutes; it makes a huge differance to segregate the work like that. We also do all of our Scion accessory installs in the Express Lube building, most of our techs on this side are youger guys that grew up around the tuner scene so they are familiar with the kind of mods we are installing on the Scions, so these guys know their way around these kind of accessories and that has helped a lot. Due to liability concerns, there is some stuff we just can't do like body kits, turbos, custom sound etc. so we have relationships with a few local performance shops that we refer customers to, and even though we're sending them elsewhere, it builds huge credibility that we are still trying to help them out (though we do have to warn them about voiding certain parts of their warranty of course).
Little bits like free coffee do make a huge differance (some people seem to care more about the free coffee than whatever work we are doing for them
). We have WiFi hooked up and that is huge because for a lot of people, what used to be an hour of just sitting around can now be a hour of productive work time. Free car washes are another nice touch, again, some people get more excited about this than anything else. We also set up our waiting rooms with one section that has a TV in it, one thats more quiet & relaxed, and one that plays kids movies and has toys, juice & snacks for customers with kids. Overall its the little stuff like this that sets you apart from other dealers & the independants, and most inportantly, it keeps people coming back. Anything you can do to make the service experience more enjoyable and less like a chore, is a good thing.
Almost all of our Scion service items are menu priced (most at a pre-discounted rate, compared to Toyotas since we can't use coupons), and are clearly posted both in our service drives & on our website so anyone can find the prices before they even come in. This is actually a requirement thru Scion so I would hope all other dealers are doing this too. And we keep our prices pretty competitive too.
We also have an entire service dept. dedicated to quick services called the Express Lube where you never need an app't and all we do are oil changes, tire rotations, filter changes, etc so you can be in & out quick without having to wait hours for just a simple maintenance visit. We also still have a full service dept that handles bigger issues & repairs and all that work gets done faster too since those techs are not getting pulled off big jobs to do oil changes every few minutes; it makes a huge differance to segregate the work like that. We also do all of our Scion accessory installs in the Express Lube building, most of our techs on this side are youger guys that grew up around the tuner scene so they are familiar with the kind of mods we are installing on the Scions, so these guys know their way around these kind of accessories and that has helped a lot. Due to liability concerns, there is some stuff we just can't do like body kits, turbos, custom sound etc. so we have relationships with a few local performance shops that we refer customers to, and even though we're sending them elsewhere, it builds huge credibility that we are still trying to help them out (though we do have to warn them about voiding certain parts of their warranty of course).
Little bits like free coffee do make a huge differance (some people seem to care more about the free coffee than whatever work we are doing for them
). We have WiFi hooked up and that is huge because for a lot of people, what used to be an hour of just sitting around can now be a hour of productive work time. Free car washes are another nice touch, again, some people get more excited about this than anything else. We also set up our waiting rooms with one section that has a TV in it, one thats more quiet & relaxed, and one that plays kids movies and has toys, juice & snacks for customers with kids. Overall its the little stuff like this that sets you apart from other dealers & the independants, and most inportantly, it keeps people coming back. Anything you can do to make the service experience more enjoyable and less like a chore, is a good thing.
10-14-2008, 05:52 PM
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tell the dealers to hire more polite people that dont act like they know if it all because they really dont. ive been treated poorly several time by people when i was asking simple questions.
and more educated techs. or ones that arent so out of it, they seems to always f something up or forget small things.
and tell them to ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CONDITION wash the customers car before asking. ive seen so many ppl on here (including me) get a complimentary car wash when they take their car in for service. i appreciate the attemp but the car wash bay they have sucks and leaves swirls in the paint.
tell them to ask if there are any precautions they should take while working on the car.
CrazyChris took his car in for service and they gave him that lovely complimentary car wash, but the rails on the car wash scratched his rims.
alot of us have modded cars. (lowered, lip kits, aftermarket expensive rims, etc.) certain precautions need to be taken and driving habits need to be changed to account for these mods.
and more educated techs. or ones that arent so out of it, they seems to always f something up or forget small things.
and tell them to ABSOLUTELY UNDER NO CONDITION wash the customers car before asking. ive seen so many ppl on here (including me) get a complimentary car wash when they take their car in for service. i appreciate the attemp but the car wash bay they have sucks and leaves swirls in the paint.
tell them to ask if there are any precautions they should take while working on the car.
CrazyChris took his car in for service and they gave him that lovely complimentary car wash, but the rails on the car wash scratched his rims.
alot of us have modded cars. (lowered, lip kits, aftermarket expensive rims, etc.) certain precautions need to be taken and driving habits need to be changed to account for these mods.