I have the worst service department luck

[Derek]

I took my 4Runner to the Cobb County Toyota service department yesterday for a simple oil change. Well, I go to leave and notice a film on my windshield that was mixing with the rain and making it IMPOSSIBLE to see anything. I got out, tried to wipe it off, and it didn't work, so I drove straight home and took soap and water and scrubbed the film off the windshield and thought that was the end of it..... Well, I took a closer look and found oil all over the steering wheel, shift knob, center consol, and door panel....then I looked closer today after the rain had dried, and found oil spots on my DRIVERS SEAT, side view mirrors, roof rack, and front doors.

I call the service manager and tell him what happened, and he says, "I find that hard to believe, you'll have to bring it to me so I can see it myself"

So...as soon as I'm off work, I'm going straight there to raise hell, its bad enough they dented my fender while doing an alignment when it had 700 miles on it! I'm going to ask them to replace the seat cover and the foam padding underneath because you can't just clean oil off of a seat!

 

[Sac State]

dealers

Sorry to hear about your frustration. I have had the same thing happen to me, it is as if they don't even give a rip about what they do to your vehicle. Did you check and make sure they changed the filter? I always mark my new filters with a black sharpie. Put the date on there, if they didn't change the filter as requested, bingo!

 

[greasefingers]

Simply don't let anyone perform such a simple task as changing the oil. My co-workers all have stories. It's usually that the service dept. only put either the oil drain plug or the filter back in "hand tight".

 

[mikes4runner]

Simply don't let anyone perform such a simple task as changing the oil. My co-workers all have stories. It's usually that the service dept. only put either the oil drain plug or the filter back in "hand tight".

.


:iagree: The most important thing to do to your truck, and also the easiest to do. I don't get it.

BTW next time you get a alignment go to Sears they do a great job and they alllow you to stand out in the shop and watch them do it/ask questions and watch your car/truck.

Hope everything works out.

 

[Guest]

Did they or you clean the car? That sure sounds a lot like Armor All or some other form of cheap (silicone disollate-derived) interior 'conditioner'.

 

[Guest]

only put either the oil drain plug or the filter back in "hand tight".

The oil plug is a bad idea to put on 'hand tight', but the oil filter itself is actually a bad idea to do anything tighter than 'hand tightness'. Almost all oil filter instructions will confirm this if for nothing else. But basically on most filters you're supposed to turn until it just barely makes contact (when you first start to feel a little bit of resistance), and from that point you should turn it at least another turn and a half to two turns, which should incidently be about the point that your hand can no longer tighten the filter anymore without your eyes coming out of their sockets.:eek2:

 

[4route]

i'm sorry that happened to you, but from the stories i've heard and the experiences i've had, you still had better service dept. luck than some people.

i hope they take care of the problems they caused for you. good luck!!

 

[Tearjerky]

am sorry to what happened to you.....or maybe its just their way of showing that they changed oil on your t4r : (just kidding) worst is if they didnt!!! then ill be mad as hell too!!!!

 

[Derek]

***UPDATE***

I went there straight after work and guess what? The service manager had "just left to go home". A small crowd of techinicians and service reps gathered around to survey the damage. They were VERY persistant about wanting to clean it, and I kept telling them I was going to come back when the manager was there, and that didn't seem to sit too well with them. I also spoke to the sales manager and he gave me a bunch of b.s. about how I needed to leave it there to get cleaned, and how they were only going to clean the seat, and not replace the cover So... I will be there tomorrow at 7:30 a.m. sharp and I will speak to management and get something taken care of. Here are a few pics I took, there was oil all over the paint too, but because it is white, it is hard to see in pictures...


notice the oil on the window, this side of my 4Runner was covered in it

this is my drivers seat, notice the spots of oil

and they also managed to get oil in the engine compartment

 

[TranceKrayz]

holy shit......i'd raise hell! it looks like vandalism, not an accident! i can let my younger sister change the oil and she won't even make that much of a mess! what a bunch of dim-wits! just clean the seat? wouldn't the oil have soaked through there by now?! i'm sorry for what you are going through. whoever serviced your car should be fired, and maybe even the whole service department should be shut down.

 

[Iowa4Runner]

That's insane! They'd have to use a tazer gun to get me off of the service manager if that was my 4Runner!!!

If it's any consolation, the service monkeys at my local dealership didn't exactly impress me either. I brought my 4Runner in to have the keyless entry operation changed, get the alignment checked, and have them arrange to get an interior scratch fixed that I found before I took delivery. They figured out how to change the keyless entry, even though previously the salesman told me he "checked with his tech guys, his service manager, and the regional tech support crew" and it's not possible to change. God only knows what they did to my computer settings. The scratch repair people (3rd party) were not scheduled by the service dept so nothing happened. The alignment was screwed with but not corrected. The steering wheel points to the left a bit when driving down a straight road. To top it off the camber/caster adjusting nuts are now rounded off nicely, and the steering tie rods have indentations in them left by some dork using channel locks or vice grips on them. Not the kind of work I'd expect from competent, professional mechanics.

 

[TranceKrayz]

derek,

i thought about your position, and if it were me....i wouldn't trust the dealer to clean my car for fear of them messing something else up. unless they let me stand there and watch them do the work, i would get an estimate from a detailing place and make them pay for it. if you want the seat reupholstered.....i'd do the same thing and take it to a different place. if they don't cooperate....then it's off to small claims court!

 

[4route]

that is ridiculous ... it looks like someone took a bottle of oil and squirted it on your window on purpose ... or else they were drunk and throwing it around but look at that! it goes up and down your window like if someone took a bottle of ketchup to a hot dog bun! except that it's oil, and not ketchup, and your truck is no hotdog bun, and the idiots who did that should definitely be fired.

good luck ...

that is, to the say the least, the most unprofessional looking job i've ever seen. a person with half an arm and no eyes wouldn't even make that much of a mess trying to change the oil.

the spots on your seat are especially unacceptable because there is no reason they should have had any sort of oil container inside your vehicle. there is no excuse for that, nor for all the oil streaks on your window.

i hope that it still looks that way tomorrow so they can't pretend not to see it.

seriously, good luck, and don't let them get away with the damage they've done because it is totally unacceptable.

 

[4route]

p.s. i agree with TranceKrayz -- do NOT let that place clean your vehicle ... take it to another Toyota dealership and explain what happened and that you are now looking for a new dealership at which to get your truck serviced ... that way, they may treat you very well to get your return-business ... plus, Toyota dealerships sometimes hate other Toyota dealerships in the same area, and most will be more than happy to get the business of an unpleased customer coming from another dealership to theirs.

whatever you do, do not leave your truck with the dealership that did this to your vehicle ... if they can't keep engine oil out of the inside of your vehicle, then i don't trust them to keep water or other improper cleaning stuff out of it either -- much less to actually correctly clean the oil off the seat.

 

[Derek]

Thanks for the advice guys, I'm about to walk out the door and head straight there. I agree 100% about not trusting them to clean it, that is why I DEMANDED that they leave me alone and let me come back the next day to speak to management. But I'm not sure where else to take it. They were telling me they'd use some sort of 'oil remover' on the paint, like I'm supposed to trust that it won't harm the paint finish. Also, if they refuse to replace the seat cover, they will see me in court.

Wish me luck, I'll give another update as soon as I get back. I just wish I had more pictures to show you. The entire drivers side is COVERED in oil. You can pick any part of the paint at random, run your finger along it, and sure enough, you now have very oily fingers.

 

[gonzo]

look at the bright side, the mechanics do make a lot of money . . . wait a minute

i brought mine in to get a cracked rear wiper fixed. they put glue on it, temporarily, until they could get the part in. when they went to put the new part in i noticed that the crazy glue had dripped all down the backside of the vehicle. the vehicle is in the shop right now getting wet-sanded and getting a layer of clear coat. as you can imagine, i am hardly impressed.

and, to top it off, they make it sound as if they are doing me a favor by giving me a courtesy car. funny how quickly they forget that it was their fault.

oh well, what can you do?

 

[Derek]

Well, I just walked into work and just got finished dealing with the dealership. I got there shortly before 8:00 a.m. and went directly to the service manager and showed him exactly what had happened. He told me the same thing I was told yesterday, that he'd drive it around back, let them clean it up, and then give it back to me, all in about 20-30 minutes. Now I know you can NOT detail an entire vehicle in 30 minutes. I also told him I wanted a new seat cover, and he refused, stating that they had spot treatment to get oil out of seats. I was getting more and more angry as time went on...so I walked around to the front of the building and guess who happened to be walking in at the same time I was...the GM of Cobb County Toyota. He took me to his office, and assured me that he'd take care of it and get it done right. I told him that its not so much the fact that it did happen, its the fact that they tried to hide it and not say anything to me afterwards. He agreed, told me he'd replace the seat cover, and gave me a rental car to use for today while they worked on getting it cleaned. I expect it to be spotless when I get it back this afternoon, but we shall see. All I know is, I'm never going back to that dealership for anything, service or sales.

 

[Sac State]

dealer

Totally unacceptable.

Maybe the oily residue you are noticing is not really motor oil. I know when I visit the dealer for minor maintenance they sometimes spray an air freshner in the vehicle to give it a 'fresh' smell. This spray is very oil based and very frustrating. Trying to tell them not to spray that crap is trying to tell them not to adjust the air pressure in my tires(which they ALWAYS screw up).

Same with the Armor All based stuff they spray on the inside and tires to put a shine on the plastic as mentioned in an earlier post.

I have even seen Scotch Guard put on so thick that it looks like oil(your seats).

Maybe the bay they worked on your rig was next to the bay that sprays on the snake oil Toyo Guard crap.

Whatever the case, they owe you a new seat and oil free vehicle. That is ashame the way they sprayed oil all over the engine bay, that just shows you they were playing grab ass in the back and not paying attention that what they were doing.

Just read the post about the high pressure ceiling oil hose. That sounds like an exact description of what probably happened. Good detective work, and the dust (no insult) is the icing.

 

[greasefingers]

I bought my 4runner just over a year ago. The first thing I did was buy the VERY expensive factory service manuals. The $ 260 will pay for itself in time. I enjoy working on my vehicles. It gives me a sense of self pride. Something my wife does not understand. I have never brought it in for service and hope that I never need to. If I screw something up then I have only myself to blame. You will screw up now & then but it will only strengthen you. My daughter is 15 years old and I point to engine components to identify them to her. I don’t expect that she will work on vehicles, but I want her to be somewhat knowledgeable. When my son is old enough, he will be forced to understand my passion for saving a buck or two; performing minor tasks. Please do not get me wrong. I am not knocking you for bringing your vehicle into the dealer. I hope you are satisfied once everything is done. Good luck.

 

[Good Times]

Good thing you got a hold of the GM.

What I would have done was that I don't want the work to be done in house. Rather take it to another Toyota dealership so they can fix the damages (i.e. not clean but replace).

Then bill the dealership (the one that messed up) so they get the bill. That's what I would have done since the dealership that you chose to do the services would be willing to charge an arm and a leg for the service since you're not paying for it. Also if you tell them that, they'll work and do a great job for ya too (make sure they're not sister companies though). That's just more business to them since they know u trust them more than the other place. To them, it's free $$ for someones errors and they'll make sure you're treated nicely so you'll goto them next.

Hopefully your 4runner will be nice and clean. Sux to say the least that this happened. I just can't believe some service places still treating their customers like that (friggin a).

Btw, when you get your 4runner back and the cleaning is not up to par, i'd go straight back to the GM and make sure it's fixed. If he can't live up to his words, make him eat it by demanding that you'll take it to another dealership that can do the right job and have him eat the costs.

Good luck and keep us posted.