ZOMGXB

I think it's kind of funny they didn't "recommend" you change your spark plugs, since that's one of things you're actually supposed to do at 30K.

Or is that 35K? I can never remember...I did mine at 50K because I'm a terrible person

"Recommended" services crack me up. My Toyota dealer "recommended" so many obvious crap services that I stopped going there for oil changes, even though I still had a free one left.

I got angry when I noticed that they were going off the a "Bridgestone Automotive Maintenance" chart that looked like it had been on the wall since the Clinton administration.

I was like "WTF," and when I pointed out that the Toyota vehicle Maintenence Guide said something very different...Toyota, who had, y'know, MANUFACTURED THE CAR...he actually argued with me! And just kept pointing back at the chart...like the poster that Bridgestone threw together in 1992 for crappy domestic cars actually applied to my Toyota engine.

Just because they don't hold a gun to your head doesn't make it NOT reprehensible to recommend services you fully know aren't necessary.

bB2NER

Heck, I never used any of my so called "free" oil changes. I've seen what can happen when you trust your car to those so called "techs". They don't call them stealerships for nothing.
To me a stealership is just a place to buy stuff you can't get at a regular parts store.

Blackbelt

No, not a word about the plugs that are actually supposed to be changed, you are right, at 30K.
I guess i should have known when i went there for my free oil changes. At first i didnt pay much attention to the little decal they stick up in the upper left of the windshield, until i noticed an odd mileage. So i asked the service advisor about it. He responded "Thats 3750 miles form your prvious oil change, to remind you to come in" (duh). To which i responded "Toyota recommends 5000 miles between oil changes". His response was "i know, but WE recommend 3750"

swartzautoman

iTrader: (3)

3750?
thats just strange.
i don't trust my car to anyone uless i have to, and i havent had to in over 10 years.
i once (when i was a tech) saw a customers car that came into the shop i was working for.
the car came in draging its back tires because the breaks were locked up.
when i check the break resivuar it looked like a lava lamp.
she had just had her oil changed a day or 2 befor at a Jiff Lube and the tech had topped off the resivuar with something other than break fluid.
we had to do $800 worth of work to fix the issue.

like i said i don't trust anyone

tanakasan

TRUE DAT!

Never got my three free oil; changes either.

Bad dealer experiences:
1) Paid for a 15k service. Charged for grease, there were no zerk fittings installed. Charged for plugs, only 4 of 8 were done...the easy ones. The rest were discolored around the porcelain. Charged for valve adjustment...the valve cover still had road dust on it AND NO HAND/FINGER PRINTS! Either they are magicians or did not adjust my valves! Tech was MAD when I called them on it! Next DIY air filter change 10k miles later, found a shop rag in the cold air inlet. Fawk! Nissan dealer.

2) Brake job done. Drove home, rears were smoking. Tech had a hard time removing rear drums b/c I painted them black. Over tightened rear brakes. Thanks Midas.

3) Tech told my wife she needed a timing belt replacement on a 2000 MBZ...at 24k miles. She called, thinking BS and I told her she was right. Guess where we DID NOT get our 2008 Benz!

DIY FTW!

Robert

bB2NER

Robert, we are having similar issues with Honda M/C dealers when people take their Rebel 250s in for valve adjustments. To make sure they are actually doing the service people are using a drop of superglue accross one of the valve cover bolts. If the glue seal is disturbed it means they actually did the work. Many dealers are being busted for not.

tanakasan

Sorry to hear that, Jeff!

Imagine...actually doing the work if you are going to charge a customer for it! Wonder how many unknowing/uneducated/unsuspecting HONEST people are getting RIPPED!

Robert

bB2NER

It would boggle the mind thinking about it.
When I ran a radiator shop back in the 80's I never charged for stuff I didn't do. How do service techs and dealer owners sleep at night?

ZOMGXB

Wow. Seriously? SERIOUSLY?

All that crap, and they FORGOT the thing you actually NEED. See, this kind of crap makes me sick. It's become a requirement for every car owner to become an expert on his or her car, not so they're better equipped against vehicle failure, but so they're better equipped against the people who sold them the car.

In any case, you really need to have the plugs done. Either go to a local mechanic or do them yourself...it's actually fairly easy...I know nothing about cars, and I did them myself. You'll need a few special tools (less than $15), new plugs, a gapping tool, and need to watch the video on YouTube of a guy changing the spark plugs in his 2005 xB. :p

they forgot the plugs...sheesh. I feel sorry for the HONEST car dealers on this board (and in the world)...it must be infuriating to watch people act like total a-holes and give them all a bad name.

Blackbelt

Being that the car only has 27K on it, i am OK for now on the plugs. Like i said,i had planned on letting them do a 30K service as outlined in the manual(no more but no less). Not any more. I have been a car enthusiast all of my life, and for most of that time, i have done all my own work.
I used to do all my own oil changes, tuneups(back when you actaully had to replace points and set dwell..LOL), pretty much whatever my car needed. The only things i didnt do were exhaust work(no lift, cheaper to let midas do it)and windshield replacement(cheaper to let safelite do it.). Otherwise, i did it myself.

Since my brother is a dealer service manager, i have been turning most of the stuff over to him to do. I don't get charged all that much for labor and parts(employee prices), plus he puts the best techs on it and makes sure it's done right. At this point in my life, i am not going to spend several hours on a saturday afternoon to replace my brakes, when i can pay $20 labor and have him take care of it. I work a lot of hours at my job, and i like to have some free time for myself. I still do almost all my own work on my VW, so that keeps my urge to tinker satisfied.
I talked to my brother yesterday. I will give him first shot on any non warranty work my box needs. If he doesn't want to do it, i will just do it myself. There are some things he said he has no issue doing, but they are a not a toyota store, so he daoesn;t want it in there too often. Luckily, these cars are pretty reliable, so i don't think that will be an issue.
I have a pretty good tool collection, so i guess i will be changing my plugs in the spring. I have read a lot of good things here on the forum about the NGK Iridium plugs, so i think i will throw in a set of them.

Blackbelt

BTW, as way of an update, i finally had a chance to really look over my box today. The cap for the PS fluid had not even been touched by anyones hand(it was very easy to tell), and when i checked the fluid it looked just like new, no darkening and discoloration at all.
I am calling the owner of the dealership on Monday, this is BS. In addition, they also tried to overcharge me compared to their posted pricing, both in the shop and on their website, so i am going to contact Scion too.
Nothing may change, but if no one _____es, nothing will EVER change.

ajayaitch

I'm not trying to add any fuel to the fire, and I'm a hypocrite for even mentioning it because I don't do it myself, but the brake system should be flushed every two years, regardless of mileage. Unless our cars have DOT5 in them.
And I agree with your thoughts as to services being performed as part of another service. For instance, if the tires have to come off anyway for the state insepction, then there's no need for you to be charged $20 to move them to another corner of the car. And yes, I read everyone's words saying the dealer has to stay in business, yadda yadda. It's still bogus. If they really wanted to charge me for the work, I'd have them do the inspection, put the wheels back on, take it for a drive around the lot (don't leave the driveway), then bring it right back for them to rotate the tires. Might as well, you know, make them WORK for it. But that's just me.
I ha a similar experience with a local non-dealer. We took my wife's van in because the brakes were acting odd on it, and they wanted to replace the MC, booster (said MC was leaking into booster), turn the rotors and replace the rear wheel cylinders. $1281. I brought it back home, replaced the wheel cylinders myself (they were sstarting to weep, but hadn't contaminated the linings) and flushed the entire system. $50. There was no evidence of a leaking MC or booster. Couldn't even tell how they came to that conclusion. Nothing (grease, dust, etc) was disturbed under the dash or near the MC. I had done the front pads myself about 30k ago, and didn't get the rotors turned, because they didn't need it.

bearcave

The dealerships are relying on the maintenance fees to stay open right now. My best friends are mechanics at a local dealership (not stating where) and jobs are being cut serverely due to the economy. BTW - dealerships make their money on the labor and parts. I know first hand that dealers will go to pepboys if they don't have a part and charge you 3 times what they paid for it.

You do get a better class of tech working on your ride if you go to the dealership (make sure its during the week - the best techs usually have weekends off). The only drawback, you will pay 200% or more for the service by going there. If you can do preventative maintenance yourself, do it, but save all receipts and document, document, document. If you later need to have warranty work performed and you do not have the data to show that you have performed the maintenance, you may not be covered.

Just my $.02.