Sunnyvale Toyota Service
 

Well, I’ve proven once again that it’s a bad idea to use the dealer service department for your minor scheduled services like tire rotations and oil changes. Unless you carefully check their work afterward.

I bought a new 2018 TORP at Sunnyvale Toyota (Bay Area CA) at the end of 2017 and decided to get my free warranty services there. I’ve had three services so far and here are the results from my own post-service check.

1. 5,000 miles: Fluid check and tire rotation. The four hub cap covers were all bashed up from the service tech hammering them back on with a mallet after tire rotation. As you know, all it takes is a slap of the hand to install them. To their credit, the service manager ordered me a new set for free after I complained.
2. 10,000 miles: Fluid check, tire rotation, oil & filter change. Service tech only installed two of the four bolts holding on the front skid plate. More on that later.
3. 15,000 miles: Fluid check and tire rotation. Before I took it in I marked the four tires according to their location so I could see what their rotation pattern was. When service was done I drove out of the shop into their parking lot and I discovered that one side was rotated front to back. The other side not rotated at all. I drove back in again and had the one side rotated properly.

For several weeks I’ve been noticing a little external banging noise sometimes when going over parking lot speed bumps. I crawled under the truck to look around and discovered that the front skid plate was being held on by only the two front bolts. This is the plate that has to be removed to change the oil filter. The service tech, in his hurry, must have installed only two bolts after the oil filter change. So, I’ve been driving around for 5000 miles with the skid plate flapping.

I took the truck to the dealer service and explained the situation, asking for two replacement bolts that I would put in myself. They said they couldn’t do that without a tech checking it out and since it’s lunch time and they’re busy could I leave it for about 3 hours. Or bring it in the next day and leave it with them? I didn’t have the time to waste, so I said no thanks, went to another Toyota dealer, paid $4 for two bolts, and put them in myself.

I know these are pretty minor problems, but how do I have confidence in them for complex issues if they mess up the easy ones?

Dealers use their least experienced new guys to do the easy stuff like oil service etc., they are paid by the job so they rush and don’t give a crap. I’m sure it’s more cost effective for the managers to clean up their tech’s mistakes than insist that they slow down and do things right. No wonder people hate dealer service.

Thanks for the heads up! I just went to check my skid plate too lol but all good. Luckily I only have 1 more free service. Then I'll take it to a place I trust