problems at service departments - am I the only one?!

This entire thread should be sent to Toyota Motor Corporation. So many unhappy experiences just might get them to look into service quality at dealerships. They charge top dollar for service, and are supposed to know how much oil goes in a specific vehicle. Damaging a customers vehicle, leaving grease on the seats, not following customers directions such as use my synthetic oil, grease all the fittings. Simple maintenance should never be a major drama event. Toyota needs to know about the large amount of lackluster service. Toyota prides themselves on quality and reliability, this is not a good reflection of them.

The overall service reputation of toyota dealerships has been the lowest of any carmaker since toyota started selling cars in the US. And I'm not joking when I say that. Want a good service department? Buy a GM and go to the dealer, GM takes service and how customers are treated EXTREMELY seriously (the corporate folks audit the dealers), hence why they advertise GM goodwrench. (not that anyone on a toyota forum is going to actually do that, I'm just saying) In fact I know from experience that a single call to the corporate complaint number for GM or Ford would have the Dealership's GM on the phone with you the next morning promissing you everything under the sun, most notably because the main corporate folks call back afterwards to find out how the issue was resolved and the dealerships can be punished contracturally, both financially and in vehicle availability prioritization for failing to meet customer expectations.

When Toyota started they gave dealerships to every tom-dick and harry that wanted one, didn't matter if they were convicted felons (maybe a bit of an exageration). As a result a lot of the early dealerships have post-sale and even pre-sale customer service that makes used car salesmen look like the arch-bishop of Canterbury.

When I bought my '06 the first dealer I went to (also the first toyota dealer in my state) I had a condescending and idiot sales manager who violated every Costco purchase program requirement including showing me bogus pricing sheets. Although I believe the dealship I did end up buying from probably has a good service department, I wouldn't take my car to a dealship for any routine maintence (unless I was unable to do it myself and it's was still under warranty).

Fact is you probably get better service and a better guarantee of properly done general maintence at a quicklube place because they do so many of them a day and their reputation is actually very important to them. But that's just my opinion as a person that does all the routine maintence (and some not so routine) myself.