Should 4Runner Maintenance Remain Exclusive to a Toyota Dealership?

B

Bruno Suárez

New member
I have a 2001 Toyota 4Runner (Limited Trim model). I have done ALL and/or most of the repairs, maintenance, and general upkeep through the Toyota Dealership since the car was purchased in 2001 with zero miles.

I do realize that some and/or most people would either: 1) prefer to go else where for what-ever the reason, 2) remain exclusively and strictly only with an official and certified Toyota dealership due to the peace of mind that it might bring to the individual since any and/or all work, maintenance, repairs and parts installed through them will be officially honored and only original and/or official Toyota parts relevant to the exact year and model of their car will be used and 3) It does become expensive and most people would think that they are or will be overcharged since he or she will be having their car (2001 4Runner) only involved with a Toyota dealership.

I classify myself with option number two.

Luckily I have the appropriate financial resources available to do so. I have piece of mind that any and/or all work performed on my 2001 4Runner will and/or should be of one hundred percent professional, quality and honored work through Toyota - no questions asked.

My question would simply be this:

Is it completely worth it if one happens to be able to afford it?
 
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It's worth it if you think it is. It's your money and your truck, you gotta do what you think is best. I'd never pay a dealer to work on mine, it costs too much and I have no way of knowing it's done as well as I'd do it myself. But my truck is older and simple and easy to work on - if you're not comfortable working on yours, you gotta pay somebody...
 
I had an extended warranty (the good Toyota one).
It was always a hassle to use it at the dealer - they would dial the 800 number on the warranty card/papers just once and it if was busy they would give up. It was up to me to call the number and get both sides talking. Then they would get the VISA card number from the extended warranty folks that was used to charge the repair on. Took a whole day once, many tries to get authorization.

That and a getting my pedal cut without my permission keeps me going to an independent Toyota specialty shop rather than the dealer. My dealer is great as far as comparisons to others in the area. Just too big and too busy for personal service.
 
It really isn't about having the means of paying in my opinion. I could paint my house every year the same color just to know the paint is fresh and because I have the means. Does this mean it necessary? NO Basically, my opinion is that the dealer does unnecessary work and they do it VERY often too. Their intervals for SOME items replacement are insanely short and the cost is just as insanely high....so I taught myself how to complete ALL the maintenance items on all my vehicles.

I want to be empowered to do whatever is necessary to maintain my vehicles. I also want to be able to have a conversation with a tech if I have to have a dealer do work. It's helps to be intelligent enough about your vehicle to have a technical conversation. It also lessons the chance of hearing pure BS from the service writer or tech.

By empowering yourself with the basics you learn alot more and can at least comprehend what's being done to your vehicle and be able to decide whether it's really necessary or not.

I have a long standing statement in response to my wife when she asks... Why are taking the car/truck apart again? "I NEVER PAY A MAN TO DO WHAT I CAN DO"
 
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You can get good or bad service regardless if you take it to a dealer or an independent shop. find a place that takes good care of you and stick with that shop and/or person.
 
Atlanta_man said:
I had an extended warranty (the good Toyota one).
It was always a hassle to use it at the dealer - they would dial the 800 number on the warranty card/papers just once and it if was busy they would give up. It was up to me to call the number and get both sides talking. Then they would get the VISA card number from the extended warranty folks that was used to charge the repair on. Took a whole day once, many tries to get authorization.

That and a getting my pedal cut without my permission keeps me going to an independent Toyota specialty shop rather than the dealer. My dealer is great as far as comparisons to others in the area. Just too big and too busy for personal service.
Click to expand...

My perspective on the warranty changed when I used it at the end of its life for a couple of small things. Got a couple of small things fixed, but gained a couple of small problems caused by letting them have my truck.

I'm sure I'd feel differently about the warranty if something big had gone wrong, but, to me, its just not worth letting them have my truck for anything less than something big. I could try a dealer much farther away, but that detracts from the value of warranty also.
 
I say if you can afford to have your Toyota dealer serviced, and you are happy with their service and you don't feel they are gouging you, then keep going there.

I find it a lot of work to find a good professional in any field. I've lived in Chilliwack, BC for 7 years now and finally have a plumber, mechanic and so on that I trust 100%. But it was hard to get there!

We have 2 Toyotas and when we first moved here both went to the dealer for servicing as I figured it was a no brainer place to start. After about 2 years of going there I decided to take my business elsewhere. I felt like they were always trying to do work that did not need to be done. For example it would be in for a routine oil change, and they would usually try to talk me into something else it was not due for, like a coolant flush/fill or whatever.

I would usually have to argue back and forth and in most cases they did not do the extra work.

Now I go to an independent shop and like them WAY better. Only 3-4 techs and they are all fantastic. If they say something needs to be replaced/fixed I trust them where as with the stealership I always felt like they were trying to hose me. But this is just Valley Toyota where I live.

My parents take their Toyota to a diff dealer in the small northern town I am from and they have only 100% good things to say. Perhaps in a small town you need to be a bit more careful how you conduct business.

Anyway, if your dealer is good to you and you can afford the extra $ to pay for all their overhead I'd keep going there. Establishing a relationship with a new mechanic/shop is a real hassle!
 
I could do practically anything to a vehicle myself. However, my time is too valuable. I enjoy my weekends with my wife so we pay Toyota to do it. My service advisor is a good friend of mine which helps. He knows less than I do about our cars so he trusts me to just tell him and he applies his coupons lol.

Same story with my Infiniti, been with the same advisor for years. He's even tried to talk me out of services lol.
 
Most of the cars I have owned were used.
So, I don't have much experience with dealerships...
with the exception of the few that I bought my used cars from.
I have always had (and still have) a mechanic I can trust 100%.
Knowing someone personally means I never have to worry about unneeded repairs, or being gouged on price.
And since he's a one man operation, I always know exactly who is working on my car.
Plus, my family takes all FIVE of our vehicles to him, so he's not gonna take the chance of losing our business.
 
New is one thing but when I'm shopping a used as I am now, all dealer serviced vehicles with records make it to the top of the list.
 
Preventative Maintenance Prices

I recently received the following prices for service on my 2001 T4R (180k miles) from a local Toyota dealership in Rhode Island (recommendations for local Toyota mechanics appreciated).

Transmission Flush $189
Coolant Flush $89
Front, Rear and Transfer Case Differential Oil Change $179
Oil & Filter Change $32.95
Tire Rotation $19.95

From a quick review of the forum, the prices seem reasonable for a dealership. Toyota recommended oil and coolant...no synthetics. Any opinions on prices?
 
Yukon4Runner said:
I recently received the following prices for service on my 2001 T4R (180k miles) from a local Toyota dealership in Rhode Island (recommendations for local Toyota mechanics appreciated).

Transmission Flush $189
Coolant Flush $89
Front, Rear and Transfer Case Differential Oil Change $179
Oil & Filter Change $32.95
Tire Rotation $19.95

From a quick review of the forum, the prices seem reasonable for a dealership. Toyota recommended oil and coolant...no synthetics. Any opinions on prices?
Click to expand...


Those all seem like very reasonable prices to me.
 
Dealership Service Up to The End Of Warranty For Me

I preferred to use dealerships for all services covered under warranty for all of my new vehicle purchases. Beyond that point, I either handled light maintenance myself and private shops with a known reputation for expertise on the car I bring in for issues I couldn't repair. I've been pretty lucky in finding a few good shops on my corner of Houston that are knowledgeable about Hondas and Toyotas. I found them to be more trustworthy than the dealerships.
 
If I have an OEM warranty or maintenance plan then I always go to the dealer except for simple stuff like oil changes. Beyond those conditions, in my opinion, the answer is "no". There isn't that much maintenance to do and I can do most of it myself. But I like working on my vehicles more than I like paying someone else to and I know how to do the work. If it gets more complex or I don't want to mess with it I know reputable shops in my area that will do transmission work, cooling and AC, etc. When it comes to major repairs, it depends. Sometimes I will use the dealer or sometimes a specialty shop. I like to go where I trust people and the sign out front doesn't matter.
 
Lol at breaking the law working on your own vehicles. I only go to the dealership to pick parts up. No one turns wenches on my vehicles but me.
 
KidVermicious said:
It's worth it if you think it is. It's your money and your truck, you gotta do what you think is best. I'd never pay a dealer to work on mine, it costs too much and I have no way of knowing it's done as well as I'd do it myself. But my truck is older and simple and easy to work on - if you're not comfortable working on yours, you gotta pay somebody...
Click to expand...

I'm planning to buy a toyota car for the first time. How much do you normally pay for a dealer to work on?
 
Bruno Suárez said:
........My question would simply be this:

Is it completely worth it if one happens to be able to afford it?
Click to expand...

Wife drives a 2008 RAV4 Limited, v6 - I only use friends independent garage.
- just did rear brakes, for $275
- including premium rotors, ceramic pads, and caliper pin maintenance...probably a $1,000 job, at $tealership
Adult son drives a 2015 Lexus RX350 - under warranty.
- Dealership synthetic oil changes, so far / comes with free wash & vacuum
- when it needs brakes, Dad will use his trusted mechanic
I have a 2000 4Runner SR5 - use same friends independent garage.
- garage owner sold me my T4R last winter / come spring AC not working
- he personally ordered all Denso AC parts, at his garage/discounted price & cut labor costs in half
- one big job, probably saved $1,500 in total (avoiding Dealership)

^^ And I only use one highly skilled mechanic, at friends shop.
- a retired guy from military (former aircraft mechanic training)
- also spec. and order my own quality parts / big savings, from holding personal knowledge in auto repair

Our son co-owns his own IT business, now wants to learn how Dad can always save 50% (if not more), on all repairs.
- I treat the maintenance process, as an opportunity to save $500, for an hours work / a hobby with ROI
- there is inherent pride in not getting poor quality work & saving much $$...and always fixed right, the first time
Seriously, its a bit of a rush - I challenge myself, enjoying low cost & reliable vehicle ownership !!
 
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I have had Toyotas for over a decade. I burned through a couple of dealers when they kept the cars for too long, used up my gas, blew out the radio presets, returned a dirty car - just did enough bad things to make me try another dealer for maintenance. I finally found a dealer I really liked to do the work on my car. I almost always use that dealer, Toyota Boerne. They have by far the most comfortable lounge! Free snacks, WiFi, comfy chairs . . .
 
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