I hav 2012 TE and just hit 10,000 miles. I went to the dealership to use my free service plan. ya know the oil job and tires rotation. I explained to the guy writing my info that this is a trail edition and the skids plate must come off to complete the oil job. I even asked if they had ever done one and he said the Tundras have the skid plates. Whatever I said, just make sure the skid plate comes off before you drain. I left the TE there on a sat. They said it would take about 3 hours cus they were busy. No worries. I got a call in about an hour and they said all done. I showed up and laid on the ground to see how nice of a job they did. The skid plate had about 2 inches of oil. Keep in mind still a brand new vehicle. I raised so much hell. I made them take it aprt 2 differ times to clean all the oil up. Basically it looked like they loosened the front screws and just lowered the plate on one side and when they took the filter out, the oil just went everywhere. They didnt even bother to clean any of it up. What a mess. freaking dealers did an awful job. So beware for those that get their 1st oil job at a dealer.
1st Oil Job at Dealership = awful
- Thread starter erocker14
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Stopbreakindown
New member
I doubt they even bothered to rotate the tires.
Whiplash Willy
New member
Hopefully they put your cartridge filter in properly, and didn't strip your oil pan, and put the correct oil in....
For $50 and about 1 hour of time, I did my 10k service myself.
If it is a tech doing the oil change, the faster he completes the job, the more he gets paid, because he can move on to another job.
If it is a minimum wage lube tech, they probley don't know/care what they are doing.
Either way, its hard to find people who take pride in their work these days.
For $50 and about 1 hour of time, I did my 10k service myself.
If it is a tech doing the oil change, the faster he completes the job, the more he gets paid, because he can move on to another job.
If it is a minimum wage lube tech, they probley don't know/care what they are doing.
Either way, its hard to find people who take pride in their work these days.
mikebontoft
New member
Maybe someday someone will notice how much future/ return business the service center is losing directly as a result of the people they hire as lube techs. At that level, the service is likely on par with that of Yiffy Lube. Maybe even worse depending on the service personnel.
Independent shops (at least most that I'm aware of) don't have someone dedicated to changing oil. This means that someone who takes pride in their job (such as myself) will recognize that even if it's a low-paying oil change, it needs to be done correctly and respectfully, however that may be.
edit: also, you NEVER make time on oil changes. at least, not here.
Independent shops (at least most that I'm aware of) don't have someone dedicated to changing oil. This means that someone who takes pride in their job (such as myself) will recognize that even if it's a low-paying oil change, it needs to be done correctly and respectfully, however that may be.
edit: also, you NEVER make time on oil changes. at least, not here.
Go JayBee
New member
[MENTION=78819]erocker14[/MENTION],
This really blows, man.
You think you can trust someone to do the job correctly, and what happens?
Apparently they really don't give a s**t, do they?
I'm in the same boat with many others here. Don't trust anyone else but myself to do the oil change. My 2012 TE is over a year old now and only have ~6,100 miles on it. (really)...I did my own change at 5,000mi even though the recommended interval is 10,000. Figure I'll do it again at 10,000 then get on the 10,000 interval. Probably takes me way too much time, but I don't end up with a mess.
Bravo for you making them clean their crap up!!! Unfortunately, they'll probably just chalk it up to you being a picky customer. "The nerve of that guy, actually expecting us to remove the crash pan. Can you believe that?"
Next time, do it yourself. You will enjoy it.
This really blows, man.
You think you can trust someone to do the job correctly, and what happens?
Apparently they really don't give a s**t, do they?
I'm in the same boat with many others here. Don't trust anyone else but myself to do the oil change. My 2012 TE is over a year old now and only have ~6,100 miles on it. (really)...I did my own change at 5,000mi even though the recommended interval is 10,000. Figure I'll do it again at 10,000 then get on the 10,000 interval. Probably takes me way too much time, but I don't end up with a mess.
Bravo for you making them clean their crap up!!! Unfortunately, they'll probably just chalk it up to you being a picky customer. "The nerve of that guy, actually expecting us to remove the crash pan. Can you believe that?"
Next time, do it yourself. You will enjoy it.
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superwhite
New member
Sheesh, this is exactly why my alarm just reminded me I need to cancel my Toyota Care Plus plan I paid $900 for!
LandCruiser
New member
Been there...
What you say: I have a vehicle that has a full set of skids, which need to be dropped before you change the oil or you will make a mess of it.
What dealer hears:
-He wants us to remove the skids, lets see how long it takes him to realize we left them on the shop floor. We're guessing two... three days.
-There's a hole in the oil pan skid, that's for draining oil. See, it comes right out... oh, wait... shit. Meh, odds are he won't notice the 3 foot puddle of synthetic on his garage floor
-Torque the hell out of the skid bolts, except for one, which will fall off--we need to charge for SOMETHING with this free service
-all this work taking off the skid plate is hard, let's not rotate these heavy-ass mud tires. No one will notice.
What you say: I have a vehicle that has a full set of skids, which need to be dropped before you change the oil or you will make a mess of it.
What dealer hears:
-He wants us to remove the skids, lets see how long it takes him to realize we left them on the shop floor. We're guessing two... three days.
-There's a hole in the oil pan skid, that's for draining oil. See, it comes right out... oh, wait... shit. Meh, odds are he won't notice the 3 foot puddle of synthetic on his garage floor
-Torque the hell out of the skid bolts, except for one, which will fall off--we need to charge for SOMETHING with this free service
-all this work taking off the skid plate is hard, let's not rotate these heavy-ass mud tires. No one will notice.
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tamerunner
New member
I feel your pain. When I went in for the 5k service they bent my running boards because they didn't use the extensions. Didn't crush them, just enough to kink them so you could see it in the chrome. I went in on Saturday and didn't notice it till I got home. They would be closed by the time I got back, so I called and let them know that I would be back first thing Monday morn. Showed up and they took a look at them and ordered up a new set and installed when they showed up. Oddly enough they remembered me and made sure the next time, probably didn't help that I stood there and watched them the whole time.
BlackWorksInc
New member
That's the unfortunate, but even more unfortunately common at dealerships. The Lube Techs are often the most under-paid, under-trained, and over worked guys at the dealership. Our current Service Manager wants to unrealistically get oil changes done in 10 minutes maximum while checking vehicle history, inspecting the vehicle from head to toe, and expecting the Lube Techs to know half the services and components that may or may not need servicing; oh add another 10 minutes for tire rotations and brake inspections with measurements.
Its a stupid system that leads to many many mistakes in many dealerships, I'm not saying that MDTs should be doing oil changes; but so many dealers are trying to compete with Jiffy Lube and other quick change services these days. Why, I have no idea because obviously these places sacrifice quality for quantity and speed and the dealer SHOULD take longer in my opinion since you want a factory trained technician to take his time and make sure everything is good on your vehicle from head to toe. I mean if you're going to be paying a premium vs. the Jiffy Lube Guy you should expect something for that money right? Wouldn't you want the satisfaction of knowing not only the job was done right, but that the guy who looked at your vehicle didn't just shine a flash light for a second and go "yup looks like a car..." before marking "OK" on 20+ items on the vehicle inspection sheet.
Its a stupid system that leads to many many mistakes in many dealerships, I'm not saying that MDTs should be doing oil changes; but so many dealers are trying to compete with Jiffy Lube and other quick change services these days. Why, I have no idea because obviously these places sacrifice quality for quantity and speed and the dealer SHOULD take longer in my opinion since you want a factory trained technician to take his time and make sure everything is good on your vehicle from head to toe. I mean if you're going to be paying a premium vs. the Jiffy Lube Guy you should expect something for that money right? Wouldn't you want the satisfaction of knowing not only the job was done right, but that the guy who looked at your vehicle didn't just shine a flash light for a second and go "yup looks like a car..." before marking "OK" on 20+ items on the vehicle inspection sheet.
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chmura
New member
Its really a gamble when going to dealership for service. I try to avoid the dealer as much as possible even if they offer free service.
My previous Lexus IS came with a 1st free oil service. When the time came I just skipped it and changed the oil myself. I rather spend the $40 bucks and change it myself than have the dealer change it and come home and stain up my driveway with oil stains. Not worth it.
My previous Lexus IS came with a 1st free oil service. When the time came I just skipped it and changed the oil myself. I rather spend the $40 bucks and change it myself than have the dealer change it and come home and stain up my driveway with oil stains. Not worth it.
mikebontoft
New member
10 minutes. yeah not so good. I have to do a thorough inspection of every car I bring in and it is supposed to take 15 minutes. it takes that long to fill in the inspection alone so I spend about 30 minutes. I don't care, because it gives me work and maintains excellent client relationships.
There's a reason we have a 4.7 (out of 5) star rating on Google with over 70 reviews
The people who change your oil get paid dirt, they are noobs who only change oil but they suck at it. To get a master tech you need to usually come in with a concern with your oil change. The people i see who change oil only i wouldn't let them put air in my car.
IronManKansas
New member
I have heard that alot of times they are using an oil vacs and not draining through the plug to save time. When I go in I have thought of taking off the skid cover and putting tape across the filter cover. Figure it would be a quality check. Make sure they change the filter and see if the mention that the skid plate panel is missing. After the 2 years I am going to do any maintenance I can at home.
DaPersianRug
New member
It's disappointing to hear about all of the bad service people here have received, even after putting in the diligence to clarify the scope of the work required.
I'm here to say it's not all bad though, I've had great service from my dealer. The service manager did a field walk-through with me on what were going to do before every service. When I raised a concern about a rattle in the front passenger door ~20k miles they inserted foam cushions in the entire door for free and asked me to call them back if the issue wasn't completely resolved.
My roommate has a Chevy Silverado with Extended Warranty and he has to pull teeth, raise hell, and work his way up the service ladder to get any traction out of them to make repairs... I have never once been challenged on a concern with my dealer.
I'm here to say it's not all bad though, I've had great service from my dealer. The service manager did a field walk-through with me on what were going to do before every service. When I raised a concern about a rattle in the front passenger door ~20k miles they inserted foam cushions in the entire door for free and asked me to call them back if the issue wasn't completely resolved.
My roommate has a Chevy Silverado with Extended Warranty and he has to pull teeth, raise hell, and work his way up the service ladder to get any traction out of them to make repairs... I have never once been challenged on a concern with my dealer.
bernardmwrangle
Member
I guess I am in the minority here, Toyota of Marin has been great. The Trail is sitting there right now for an oil change. I have not had any problems, and they gave me a sweet deal on the part and did not charge for labor when I busted a tail light. The BudBuilt front skid has the door for oil changes, comes off easy, a good reason to upgrade that skid.
BobsTrail
Senior Member
Oil Change
I took mine to the dealer for the 5K and 10K service. Both times a few wheel nuts were torqued too loose. On the oil change I had removed the skid plates myself and when I got it back I noticed oil drips in the garage. I went under to find the filter was tightened ok but they got sloppy and spilled oil on the frame members and it was dripping from there. I cleaned it up and cheked it over the next few days, no problems. I agree with the other comments about the oil change guys not having much experience.
I just did my own 15K service and will continue to do the others myself including the oil and filter change.- (Thanks to Antman's write up.)
I hope their regular mechanics are OK if I need something else. This was at Cabe Toyota in Long Beach, CA. I let them know about the lug nuts in their survey. I did not get a survey for the 10K service. Makes me wonder if my negative comments had them take me off of the survey list.
I took mine to the dealer for the 5K and 10K service. Both times a few wheel nuts were torqued too loose. On the oil change I had removed the skid plates myself and when I got it back I noticed oil drips in the garage. I went under to find the filter was tightened ok but they got sloppy and spilled oil on the frame members and it was dripping from there. I cleaned it up and cheked it over the next few days, no problems. I agree with the other comments about the oil change guys not having much experience.
I just did my own 15K service and will continue to do the others myself including the oil and filter change.- (Thanks to Antman's write up.)
I hope their regular mechanics are OK if I need something else. This was at Cabe Toyota in Long Beach, CA. I let them know about the lug nuts in their survey. I did not get a survey for the 10K service. Makes me wonder if my negative comments had them take me off of the survey list.
