First 5000 Mile Service = Oil Bath & 4 Scuffed TRD Pro Wheels! ARRGH!!!

[UtahSooner]

Good news - I spoke with my normal service guy this morning and sent pictures of the wheels. He was able to run the issues up the chain to the GM. They’re replacing all 4 wheels & doing a full engine/exterior detail next week to make things right.

The service manager reviewed the video of the shop work and was able to see the mess that ensued during the oil “spill” & confirm the tire rotation sloppiness (guess they had to use their McGuard master key set for the locking lugs since they couldn’t find mine stashed in the back).

I was able to check the skid bolts yesterday & nothing was stripped. Definitely covered in oil tho…

At this point I’m just super thankful it wasn’t worse!

In other news, I got the Rock Road Outfitters Supersliders mounted up yesterday. Next mod project will be a roof rack swap but that’ll have to wait till the spring…

 

[Grug556]

As a former master tech at Toyota and independent shops, my 4Runner hasn't and never will go back to the dealer for anything.

The "free oil changes" are not worth the damage they will do.

Lube techs training on your $50k 4Runner, and a general lack of care and competence that is far too prevalent, means I'll never give them the chance to screw up a carefully built vehicle. I didn't even want them to wash my 4Runner when it was new, as they often do more damage than good. I had them pull off the protective shipping plastic, fill the gas tank, AND LEAVE IT ALONE.

If you pull your skidplates, let us know if they stripped any fasteners.

I'd tell them they need to replace the damaged wheels, and don't let the highschool kid in training do the job.

Good luck.

I had a tech at Toyota in Ontario actually take a ****ing grinder to the back of one of my snow tire rims (they are aftermarket 17s, black and not cheap). Anyhow the **** i guess spazzed out and just hacked up the back of the rim face where you wouldnt see it inside the truck. What an *******. No reason for this shit, I saw the damaged a few days after I got truck back.

In case anybody from the dealership has doubts ill post the pics.

Lesson learned avoid the dealer as much as possible. Do it all yourself like above.

 

[sprouty115]

If you pull your skidplates, let us know if they stripped any fasteners.

What? I literally had my oil changed last week and I was told one of the skid plate bolts was "broken" and had to be replaced... I thought it was odd, considering the truck is lives in the city and is only driven by me.

So is stripping fasteners a common thing?

 

[thatoneguy]

Who’s your local Mazda dealer here in UT?

Bountiful Mazda. I would recommend them highly.

 

[97BlackAckCL]

What? I literally had my oil changed last week and I was told one of the skid plate bolts was "broken" and had to be replaced... I thought it was odd, considering the truck is lives in the city and is only driven by me.

So is stripping fasteners a common thing?

Yes, or not reinstalling them at all

 

[02SE]

What? I literally had my oil changed last week and I was told one of the skid plate bolts was "broken" and had to be replaced... I thought it was odd, considering the truck is lives in the city and is only driven by me.

So is stripping fasteners a common thing?

It's been common as long as I can remember. Cross-threading, over-torquing, stripping the threads, breaking the bolts, etc. Back in my consumer car repair days, I often had to fix the problems caused by hacks with impact wrenches, who didn't understand starting fasteners by hand, or how over-torquing fasteners will cause problems.

 

[02SE]

Good news - I spoke with my normal service guy this morning and sent pictures of the wheels. He was able to run the issues up the chain to the GM. They’re replacing all 4 wheels & doing a full engine/exterior detail next week to make things right.

The service manager reviewed the video of the shop work and was able to see the mess that ensued during the oil “spill” & confirm the tire rotation sloppiness (guess they had to use their McGuard master key set for the locking lugs since they couldn’t find mine stashed in the back).

I was able to check the skid bolts yesterday & nothing was stripped. Definitely covered in oil tho…

At this point I’m just super thankful it wasn’t worse!

In other news, I got the Rock Road Outfitters Supersliders mounted up yesterday. Next mod project will be a roof rack swap but that’ll have to wait till the spring…

So from your location, I'm assuming Performance Toyota in Bountiful?

 

[UtahSooner]

So from your location, I'm assuming Performance Toyota in Bountiful?

Correct

 

[UtahSooner]

Bountiful Mazda. I would recommend them highly.

Figured that was going to be the one. The previous owner of Bountiful Mazda (Mike McDonald) used to sponsor a Masters Road Race team in partnership with Bountiful Bicycle. Good to know the crew that took over after Mike retired is still top notch. Will consider them in the future (but honestly, I’m probably just going to be changing the oil in my garage myself moving forward).

 

[02SE]

Correct

They had a good Parts guy, when it was Menlove Dodge Toyota.

Brad G.

He might still be there, or he could be retired by now.

Sales and service are less impressive, IME.

 

[UtahSooner]

They had a good Parts guy, when it was Menlove Dodge Toyota.

Brad G.

He might still be there, or he could be retired by now.

Sales and service are less impressive, IME.

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

 

[Erjar]

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

 

[Firesq14]

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

 

[johnnygraphic]

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

 

[Mark4runnar]

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.

 

[UtahSooner]

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

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…

 

[fkheath]

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.

 

[vermontmike]

.... 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

 

[like2lean]

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.

 

[GNB]

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 .