Yep, Brad is still there and he’s a great resource. Agreed on the other points.

Sales mgt there was one of the big factors that went into why I flew to Atlanta this fall to buy the new rig with the options I absolutely wanted & we can’t get as factory installed parts for the vehicles shipping to the Western US (sliding cargo deck, etc). That’s a different topic and thread tho ;)

I worked for a few years at a large Toyota dealer and I can say without a doubt that the majority of the lube techs there were decent. They were paid hourly, worked as a team of 2, and had a Master level tech supervise them. We had a few oddballs, like the guy that didn't know the difference between fractional and metric tools. And the guys that couldn't drive stick. But right before I left, they switched them to flat rate. The amount of sheer **** ups drastically increased, because now everyone is rushing to try to make extra money. I would bet the dealer you went to pays their lube guys flat rate. Needless to say if I ever needed basic service like that, I wouldn't take it to a place that pays flat rate for all the reasons you've experienced. The techs and the writers are far more concerned about wait times and throughput than doing it well and retaining customers. Glad to hear you got it straightened out though

When I have to take my runner to any shop for alignment , wheel balance etc,
I ALWAYS, remove my center caps and wheel locks.

It's stories like these that made me avoid the dealership like the plague on my new 4Runner.

sorry this happened ....I would lose my mind if that happened to my 4runner.........I agree with some of the others that have replied. I am fortunate to have a killer garage set up in new england - so doing the oil / filter is a good way to avoid the frustration of poor quality work, and while under the 4runner I have a change to inspect all of the major components. I do the oil / filter every 5000, so I feel confident that there is nothing major going on that is undetected.
I feel for you brother.

Good plan. I’ll be doing just that when I take it in for the wheel swap & detail.

In my case, whenever I’ve needed the wheels to come off for rotation, balancing, etc, I’m ALWAYS*** the one that removes/installs the wheels (and I don’t do that at the dealer since lifetime rebalancing is included with the tire purchases at my local tire shop).

***this assumes that the service writer properly specifies the requested services (and services NOT to be performed in this case of an “included” service task) AND the shop doesn’t have a master key set for the locks to bypass my (incorrect) plan that if they can’t find the key, they can’t remove the wheels…

The Toyota OEM wheel locks are made by McGard. Toyota requires all dealers to carry keys for them. But just because Toyota national requires something, does not mean they do.

Right, just because they are Toyota...hit it right on the head. They are just as corrupt as the next company. They were just fined $60,000,00 (60 million) because they would not refund cancelled GAP and some warranties. That is pretty bad. If this affects you read the article below

CFPB Orders Toyota Motor Credit to Pay $60 Million for Illegal Lending and Credit Reporting Misconduct | Consumer Financial Protection Bureau

These "accidents" are far more common than most know, about 2 times a week at the dealership I worked for. Always with the lube techs but not just at dealerships, any fast lube/Walmart or tire shop that lets inexperienced people learn on your car can have issues. The best defense is doing it yourself but if not possible next best is to insist the service be done by a certified tech with no less than 5 years experience, not a lube tech! It may take a little longer or even cost a little more but the odds of a mishap are FAR less. Some dealers don't use lube techs at all and line techs do all the maintenance anyway. It's worth a few calls/visits to establish a a relationship with a service advisor and take care of them just as you would anyone you depend on.

I have always changed my oil and filters , myself, since 1977 > Never had an issue.

Learn to work on your car ! I do not do it to save money, I do it because I enjoy working on cars and know I will do the job right .

I have always changed my oil and filters , myself, since 1977 > Never had an issue. Only cars that were a PIA was a 1980 FIAT Brava and my Porsche 911.

Learn to work on your car ! I do not do it to save money, I do it because I enjoy working on cars and know I will do the job right .

Same reason I build all of my bikes (ie bicycles, MTB/road/gravel/etc) myself from the frame up and do all the wrenching in my garage bike shop (only a couple of the more expensive bike tools I don’t own after racing bikes for +25 yrs )

Yeah, Already know how to work on the truck (previously installed the lift on my old 2010 TE solo in the garage for instance), but in the past spending the time on other more enjoyable tasks (like bike riding/training/racing) vs doing the “easy” auto maintenance tasks I don’t enjoy doing (esp when it’s cold in the garage and/or work load/travel has me running crazy).

Not any more. Dusting off the auto maintenance tools moving forward

UPDATE: Performance Toyota of Bountiful made good on the TRD Pro wheel replacement & engine cleaning this week (was traveling for work the last 2 weeks so finally able to get back in yesterday).

Was able to talk with the tech (Adam) that was assigned before he pulled it back and review the gameplan. Made sure he had the Hunter Collets & Flange Adapter Plate for proper balancing. He did everything by hand & didn’t use the air ratchet on the lugs, big kudos. His post work inspection video made it clear he definitely took his time to make sure everything was done right.

Tried to give him and my normal service advisor (Jace) $100 each afterwards for their exceptional efforts to make sure everything was done right and the dang dudes wouldn’t take the cash!

Confidence in their service team is restored and the 4Runner is back to “nearly new” condition. Back to happy!

If you ever need service work done there, definitely work with Jace May as your service advisor. He’ll make sure one of the detail oriented top techs (Adam or other) does the work.

PS - also bought a box of 10 filters & gaskets from Brad in parts so I can get back to taking care of the routine maintenance items in my garage moving forward…