Do You Trust Toyota?

[Unklian]

Just wondering if anybody else checks to see if work that SHOULD be done at service time actually is?

I'm quite capable of servicing my own car but resale value seems to be based

on having a full, correct service history......

I'll try to keep this brief......

Bought Aygo new in 2007

2008. 1st service, simple one completed no problem.

2009. 2nd service, big one. Only oil & filter change done, brakes not bled.

Went back and explained I'd checked and work hadn't been done.

Mechanic does half-hearted job, doesn't use bleed pipe, just opens nipples and covers

rear of brakes & wheels in brake fluid. Pulled caps off with pliers ripping 3 of them in the process.

Cancel my service plan (£40.00 cancellation fee). Go to another dealer. (Part of same group though).

2010 3rd service, simple one completed no problem.

2011 4th service.(Yesterday) Receptionist thought I had a service plan. I explained why I had

cancelled it and how I would use their dealership while ever I was happy with them.

She replied, "I wish you'd come here in the first place, terrible they did that etc......"

She explained exactly what would be done this service including brake strip & bleed, new key fob Battery etc.

Collected car yesterday PM.

Checked key fob......still old Battery. Not a big deal, only pennies. Thought I'd check rest of car.

Oil & Filter done. Screenwash topped up. Air filter done. Took spark plugs out. They'd been changed.

Checked tyre pressures before I went......Perfect. Checked when I arrive home.....Various pressures

but all about 5psi low!

Brakes not bled AGAIN.

So the next brake fluid change is at 6 years.

If I wasn't so fussy going round checking things, the brake fluid would be 6 years

old when it finaly gets changed.

(If they bother ever doing it).

Going back to dealership today to ask for work doing properly.

(Wonder if it's their policy to not change brake fluid at all).

Anybody else experience anything similar?

Does anybody else check?

Losing my trust in Toyota very quickly.

Ian.

[jjj_aygo]

That's absolutely shocking! I will definitely check from now on!

[acetip]

a garage is as good as its worst mecanic.

you can have your car worked on by the best and consoiusness mechanic and be very pleased.

but if you get, the could not care less and near enough is good enough, mechanic then you wont be so pleased.

but the majority of owners would not know,if their car has been service properly or not.

those not mechanicly minded,and thats most owners,would not be aware of any short commings in work done on their cars.

its all down to trust.

but thats why the workshop foreman/supervisor,is responsable for checking work done by his/her staff.

its easier to tick off a job on a worksheet than do the actuel job itself.

human nature.

[Unklian]

PUBLIC APOLOGY......

I could delete bits of the posts but the brakes HAD been bled.

So I'm sorry but I was wrong about the brakes.

Close examination on the ramps with a torch and......you could just see spanner marks on the nipples.

Somebody had bled the brakes so carefully, they hadn't left one drip of fluid anywhere.

Changed Battery in keyfob.

Everybody in dealership was concerned / apologetic.

I was in the wrong. Shouldn't have ranted quite so quickly.

Ian.

[Bos]

I've just had my 3 year service carried out at my dealer in Paignton, Devon. No problems what so ever everything appears to have be done, including replacing the key fob Battery.

The dealer could not have been better. ( The only thing missing was the biscuit with the coffee !!! ).

[Uber_Luke]

I got my car MOTed at the Toyota garage in scarborough in august.

They were brilliant.

I told them I was going to wait on site and look around the new models while it was been tested, but really it was because I read a thread in here about cars been taken out for 'test rides' especially the t sport. So I was abit paranoid.

Whilst in the waiting room I had two hot chocolates and biscuits, the I was offered a test drive of any car in stock, even the 180 auris so I could compare it to the t sport.

So I went for a look what's on offer to find a crowd round my car, I was the first t sport they had seen, this made me more paranoid , so I stuck around.

They carried out the mot very professionally, even invited me to the viewing area to talk me through it.

They knocked a tenner off the mot price and gave it a full valet, including getting the Santa pod number off the back windscreen!!

Car passed first time

I was chuffed to bits with it coming back like a brand new car!

Spot on toyota

[Heidfirst]

I trust Toyota but some dealers are obviously better than others (true for any franchise).

I take my car to Edinburgh for servicing (there must be at least 7 Toyota dealers nearer) because I'm very happy with that dealership both in quality & pricing.

The moral of the story is find a good dealer & stick with them.

[daveyjp]

The moral is to find a good independent, use them and spend less - especially when it comes to the 4th service which is the most expensive.

After 5 years dealer histories make little difference to the value of a car.

[Unklian]

The moral is to find a good independent, use them and spend less - especially when it comes to the 4th service which is the most expensive.

After 5 years dealer histories make little difference to the value of a car.

The 4th service including a Price matched MOT (£35.00) was £225.00

So....£190.00

[AygoIronman]

I got my car back with older wheen trims than when I brought my car in. Some cheeky rogue mechanic changed my wheel trims, and my hazard light switch came back with a crack! Toyota, Cameron Toll in Edinburgh. You should be ashamed of yourself. I dont think I ll go back...EVER!

[Heidfirst]

go to Sighthill, my experiences with them have been great.

[Mord]

I don't service my Aygo at the dealers. They offered us some kind of service plan when we were buying our Aygo, but I bluntly told them to [i am so stupid to think that I can overide the swear filter] off.

My wife's car had only 1st service at local Sims Toyota Northampton and they were moaning when my wife brought our engine oil to be changed to (fully synthetic 5W-30).. I didn't want their bulk 10W-40 mineral. And in the end they didn't even change oil properly.

We had some warranty work done (faulty floor catching accelerator pedal) but that's it. At that visit they also said that front tyre was illegal and offered one to my wife for nearly 70 quid! So my wife rang me from the dealers and I told them myself over the phone that we want only warranty job done, and tyres would be sorted somewhere else. I got 2 front tyres balanced and fitted for 70 quid at local tyre shop.

The car is regullary checked and worked by me now. The parts are cheap and car is easy to work on. So far no major things just wear and tear. If you look after your car it will thank you for it.

But 99% of customers don't think, or cannot be bothered. They just go to the dealers and pay the price at the end. They don't know what was done to the car or whether it was done at all. The dealers focus their "services" around those oblivious and naive customers. Losing 1% of customers is not a high price to pay when you can rip off the majority.

[Mord]

I must add that my bad experiences are mainly with my local Toyota. There is no other Toyota dealer in my area, I had no problems with local Vauxhall dealers, except their prices are steep too. But I don't go to them when I don't have to. Recently I had a little gremlin to get rid off and they did it within 10 minutes for 15 quid (no parts, just labour) ;)

Servicing my cars by myself saves me A LOT OF MONEY!

[BlackRumple]

Unfortunately I wish I could say I did trust some of the Toyota dealerships near me but sadly I cannot.

Got my 2nd year/20000 mile service at a Mr T in Luton and it was apparent they did not carry out the checks they were supposed to. For one item in the checklist was to check was the cabin filter which should have been checked then replaced. Luckily before taking my car in, I took my newish one out, so expected a puzzled call saying it was missing it etc. But nothing. Instead I collected the car with no stamp in the book and guess what. No cabin filter! Least to say I checked other items too and made sure the service adivsor knew i was not happy. Got 10% off price, air filter which was changed, give FOC.

So in conclusion, by all means take it in to Mr T, but make sure you mark your parts and check they have been changed. Thankfully I did.

[AygoIronman]

go to Sighthill, my experiences with them have been great.

Thank you. I take it your from Edeinburgh? Sighthill? Yeah, I been up there, and I actually phoned them to find out if they were cheaper, but I went to Cameron Toll as it was closer. SIghthill is a bit of a trek, and no bus stops near there. I ve really been put off by Toyotas experience,and my wheel trims just shows how low they can go. I m not going back, and it a shame because the sales people at the reception were pretty good. Its the mechanic who let them down.

TOYOTA EDINBURGH CAMERON TOLL................DONT EVER GO THERE! THEY SWAP YOUR WHEEL TRIMS, AND HAZARD LIGHT SWITH. YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED!

[johnan]

PUBLIC APOLOGY......

I could delete bits of the posts but the brakes HAD been bled.

So I'm sorry but I was wrong about the brakes.

Close examination on the ramps with a torch and......you could just see spanner marks on the nipples.

Somebody had bled the brakes so carefully, they hadn't left one drip of fluid anywhere.

Changed battery in keyfob.

Everybody in dealership was concerned / apologetic.

I was in the wrong. Shouldn't have ranted quite so quickly.

Ian.

They could have just moved the bleed nipples slightly, and back again, with a spanner but not changed the fluid.

After my 2year service the fluid had not been changed nor the cabin filter (only do it if needed they said, but wasn't checked by the garage) but was all "done" under a service plan which in my garage's case means you dont get a checklist of what is actually done or not done.

They just say it is done in accordance with Toyota service requirements, but basically in my case it meant an oil and filter change only.

[FROSTYBALLS]

With a lot of service plans the invoice and checklist are sent to the company operating the service plan, and they pay the dealer. My dealer will supply a copy of the checklist and invoice if asked

[frizzy]

Had my Aygo`s first service nere in Llandudno, and was charged LESS than quoted! However, I realised there was no service book in the dealers pack, I hadn`t needed it before so neglected to check. I told reception and got a blank look, so I requested a stamped up book to keep the service history. Car returned as promised, but no service book. This arrived after a phone call when I got home. At this point I told them that the check list showed all tyre tread depths were the same. Odd that as one had just been replaced and had 3000 miles more tread! Pointed this out and the dealer said they would follow this up. I am still waiting, a minor point but what else did they not do! I now am somewhat distrustfull of this lot, my service was c.£96.00. and my mobile mechanic who is not VAT registered did the same service on our 107 for £40.00. Have to use a VAT registered mechanic to comply with the warranty, hence I used Toyota.

[ormi]

1 doubt if they would ever swap wheel trims we have around 12 in stock also a waste of the tecs time......also its mostly sales men that pull tricks like that putting better trims on cars they are selling....

also swapping a switch??thats an other part we keep in stock as they are prone to cracking and get replaced all the time..this is also an other waste of time for the tecs as the center of the dash req's stripped down...

word of advice tecs do nothing for free!!!

also they cant be cheaper the garages both work off the same price board......

also why would a tec want aygo wheel trims??

at camtoll the tecs cars consist of two lexus is200's,a civic,two corollas,a volvo and an avensis...

just contacted the manager and sent him this page if you pass me your reg i can find out what work was carried out and who the tec was...

[viper262]

I trust Toyota as a company, But i get my car serviced at JCT 600 Volkswagen £99 Service & MOT :)

[ormi]

toyota do the same deal mate^^^^^^^^

[PumpkinSteve]

I took mine in to get the rear washer jet fixed, the car came back with the top brake light smashed (the one at the top of the windscreen). They fixed it when I complained but they did not admit liability, all I got was "oh...well I guess we'll fix it then"

[mbellinger]

Virtually ALL main dealer garages skimp on servicing - not just Toyota.

There are complex reasons for this, and it is driven from the top, not at the technician level. Basically to cut a long story short, dealers make bugger all money now from the selling of cars, because they have to invariably give away all their margin (and often more). The way dealers are paid has changed massively over the last two decades, and now most end up receiving little more than a basic handling charge on each car sold, and this does not pay for the glitzy showrooms and big sites, never mind the staff within them.

No, they make their money from the servicing. And the more cars you can get through in a day, the more money you make from each technician. Once the technician's wages are paid, all of this money is pure profit. For this reason, all main dealers are focussed on spending the least possible time on a car.

Some years ago, I was peripherally involved in the gathering of hidden camera evidence of this for a well-known TV programme. Some of you may remember the programme, which caused a sensation. In one case, technicians deliberately broke items on a car, so that the customer would have to pay to have them replaced. The items were carefully chosen to extract maximum labour charges from the customer.

Please don't put your heads in the sand and say, "not at my garage - always been excellent to me, blah, blah, blah". This stuff goes on, and it goes on to a greater or lesser extent everywhere.

You have to protect yourself. I always mark service items on my cars with a cheap UV pen, of the type used for marking electrical equipment. I then have evidence to challenge the garage when bits are not changed. I also take photos of the position of nuts and bolts and clips etc, prior to putting my car in. When presented with the evidence they never refute it, as I always then threaten to go to the manufacturer and the media. If the work concerned is anything to do with brakes, you will see true panic in action when you confront them with evidence that it has not been done.

I have been charged for new brake pads on four different occasions, all with different manufacturers, and in each case I was able to demonstrate with photographic evidence that they had not changed the parts. Because it involved a safety related item (brakes) I took private legal actions in all four cases, and all four settled out of court, after the manufacturers intervened. One subsequently lost their franchise after it emerged that this was 'standard practice'.

There are of course, car dealers who are conscientious, thorough and honest. Unfortunately, they are very much in the minority, and even well-run good businesses can have bad eggs within their basket.

I always treat anything a garage says to me with the utmost caution; and basically start from the premise that it will be untrue. This practice has never done me wrong.

[acetip]

Virtually ALL main dealer garages skimp on servicing - not just Toyota.

There are complex reasons for this, and it is driven from the top, not at the technician level. Basically to cut a long story short, dealers make bugger all money now from the selling of cars, because they have to invariably give away all their margin (and often more). The way dealers are paid has changed massively over the last two decades, and now most end up receiving little more than a basic handling charge on each car sold, and this does not pay for the glitzy showrooms and big sites, never mind the staff within them.

No, they make their money from the servicing. And the more cars you can get through in a day, the more money you make from each technician. Once the technician's wages are paid, all of this money is pure profit. For this reason, all main dealers are focussed on spending the least possible time on a car.

Some years ago, I was peripherally involved in the gathering of hidden camera evidence of this for a well-known TV programme. Some of you may remember the programme, which caused a sensation. In one case, technicians deliberately broke items on a car, so that the customer would have to pay to have them replaced. The items were carefully chosen to extract maximum labour charges from the customer.

Please don't put your heads in the sand and say, "not at my garage - always been excellent to me, blah, blah, blah". This stuff goes on, and it goes on to a greater or lesser extent everywhere.

You have to protect yourself. I always mark service items on my cars with a cheap UV pen, of the type used for marking electrical equipment. I then have evidence to challenge the garage when bits are not changed. I also take photos of the position of nuts and bolts and clips etc, prior to putting my car in. When presented with the evidence they never refute it, as I always then threaten to go to the manufacturer and the media. If the work concerned is anything to do with brakes, you will see true panic in action when you confront them with evidence that it has not been done.

I have been charged for new brake pads on four different occasions, all with different manufacturers, and in each case I was able to demonstrate with photographic evidence that they had not changed the parts. Because it involved a safety related item (brakes) I took private legal actions in all four cases, and all four settled out of court, after the manufacturers intervened. One subsequently lost their franchise after it emerged that this was 'standard practice'.

There are of course, car dealers who are conscientious, thorough and honest. Unfortunately, they are very much in the minority, and even well-run good businesses can have bad eggs within their basket.

I always treat anything a garage says to me with the utmost caution; and basically start from the premise that it will be untrue. This practice has never done me wrong.

a garage is as good as the worst tec that wosks there.ive worked with mechancs/tecs whose motto is near enough is good enough when working on customers cars.you can mark parts to check if they have eplaced, yes.

but take brake fluide change,its a job to be sure if it has been carried out.

maybe the reservoir has signs that there is brake fluid on the outside of it that has been spilt or signs around the bleed nipples,but you will have a job proving the jobs not been carried out.

i once worked at BMC/FORD dealership that run a bonus system.the staff got a third of the labour charge as a bonus n each job.there where times allowed for each job,these times were provided by the manufacturer.

the second day i started work there,the manager did an inspection of the lubrication bay and found a cupboaed full of oil filters.the staff were changing the oil but not the filters.you wouldnt beleave the shot cuts that were going on to bolster the bonuses.but it made you work fast.i could change a mk 1 cortina clutch in half an hour.you were provided with an apprentice/trainee but you paid his wages out of your bonus,so you kicked his a** so he earnt his keep.when you finished at the end of the day you felt realey knackered.

[J888www]

NO

Accepted afree gratuitous Power Steering Fluid replacement and after 1 Week back on the road, I suddenly have a faulty ABS solenoid (15k miles Verso but out of the 3 Year Warranty) at the cost of £247 to replace.

To rub salt into the wound, the Power Steering Fluid is the same darkish brown colour, so the conclusion is........................

Should've have realized that nothing is for Free, if it's too good to be true then think twice and walk away.