Second Service - Additional Emissions Treatment £20

[MattIQ]

My second service has just been booked in for late May, but I'm on the pay monthly (~£13) service plan for the IQ, so won't have to worry about the cost.

However, they did offer some kind of Emissions Treatment/Service for £19.95 that apparently helps reduce emissions and improve mpg. Mentioned something about cleaning, valves and such like (I wasn't really listening - they called whilst I was at work).

Anyone know anything about this and whether it's actually worth it? Or what it entails? And why it isn't included in the service plan if it's a recommended thing?

Also, should I be paying the £10-£15 'insurance' fee for a courtesy car whilst mine is in for a service?

[mrpj]

They'll probably just chuck some £10/bottle fuel treatment into your tank and make a 100% profit instantly!

Yes, I think most Toyota dealers make the £10 insurance charge, I paid it recently when my car was in for some warranty work. Much cheaper than adding the courtesy car to your own insurance for a day!

[johnan]

They'll probably just chuck some £10/bottle fuel treatment into your tank and make a 100% profit instantly!

Yes, I think most Toyota dealers make the £10 insurance charge, I paid it recently when my car was in for some warranty work. Much cheaper than adding the courtesy car to your own insurance for a day!

That is probably correct.There are plenty of additives about that claim to do what they have quoted to you their treatment will do for much less cost. I thought fuels these days were supposed to be sophisticated enough to keep valves, injectors etc clean without the need for extra additives, not until quite a high mileage anyway.

I was scared off the courtesy car thing because someone said there is a £500 excess on the insurance which will be charged if the car comes back damaged in any way. (If this is not the case then I would be glad to be corrected.)

If you haven't checked it first when you take it out you could be liable for something you didn't do.

As ever it is down to the integrity of the dealership and in most cases would not be a problem, but I would check any courtesy car carefully for marks etc, before driving it away.

[Big_Dan]

I'm not sure about the emissions treatment, but the fee is dependent on dealer. I have 2 dealers, one close to work, one to home. One charges the fee, the other doesn't.

With the courtesy car, everytime you get one, you would have to sign a document to say you have checked the car with one of their staff, and are happy with its condition, and if you see any marks etc.

Sometimes I've not had to do this, so I always look at it, if someone didn't get me to sign the condition of the car when it left them, how are they to know any of the marks weren't there before I took it.

Mine is going in soon for some bodywork to be done, as some kind gentle woman hit me, then tried to drive off!! Enterprise are the courtesy car company, so lets see what their excess it like!!

[mr ben]

The emissions treatment is good but get it from Kwik Fit they have a good one but its £20

[s44gtw]

'If'

an injection/top end cleaner was required,

you can walk into a 'Motor factors' & buy a Wynns product from £4- £10 & put this in your self.

the factor buy wholesale, adds VAT & sells a product to you making a fair profit.

Those greedy dealers do the same as the Factor but they are greedy,

buy from a distributor wholesale in bulk, then rip off the vulnrable IMO.

Ask the 'Service Manager', why the modern & expensive oil as used in this day & age,

in a 'Euro 4' or 'Euro 5' emissions engine should require any additives?

Its a Con, thats even when it actually gets added.

As for the 'Dancing fit fitters,'

you need to see the behaviour of these guys when they think nobody can see them.

I went in before my son arrived to leave his car & sat as a customer waiting to get a tyre fixed,

so that i could watch them do a Winter Safety Check & service/oil change on my sons car.

The reason being,

The week before they had done one on my neices car for £99

When she told me & i checked it,

i knew that nothing got checked or done other than an oil change,

the filter wiped clean & no new washer on the sump plug.

The guy did the same on my sons,

10 mins max, sump plug out, drained, filter wiped clean not removed changed, filled with oil & no dipstick even checked.

No tyre check, no emmisions wand up the exhaust, suspension or brakes even looked at.

Car was off the ramp & parked.

I went out & phoned my son, he came around to get his car,asked the guy if everything was done.

Yes sir all done, how are you paying?

My son said get the manager i am not paying, its booked online you have my Reg no. & address.

The manager said to the guy phone the police.

I then said thats a good idea.

I started on how they didnt give a s41t about safety.

Then the penny dropped with them.

Took my wheel & left.

2 days to get through to HQ/customer services before getting a call back,they were not interested,

Trading standards not interested.

They were both quick to respond when i got a Fast & loose fitting company Email Address for the CEO & forwarded the Emails that i was sending out to

every Motoring Mag & Newspaper Editor i could find.

Offered a full service at another fitting service.

We settled for a £99 cheque for my son & my niece & then i sent the Emails anyway.

If staff are rubbish its because the mangement is rubbish.

george

[johnan]

What amazes me is that this sort of behaviour by some of these fast-fit places has been going on for 30 years or more, and they still get away with it, and nothing is done.

I am also very wary of the dealerships, of all kinds, for reasons I have mentioned in other posts.

Their profit margins are tight and we need them to be around if we want a good local choice of vehicles, but some things are just downright "taking the Mickey". Some years ago I bought my first new car, not Toyota, having previously always made kit cars for myself, and had to take it to a main dealer to get serviced for warranty purposes (in those days you had to do that).

On the invoice I was staggered to see an item "Brake cleaner spray" at a cost of about £7.00. This was in the 80s so that was dear.

Fair enough, a brake dust suppressant is required when working on brakes but you can be sure every owner would be charged for a new full aerosol of cleaner when in fact the one can would last in the workshop for many cars, especially as in my case only the front brakes were being checked. If indeed they were checked at all.

That is not much in itself, but that is just not honest, and it is taking the owner for a fool.

My experience of dealerships lately has not been much different, so I am afraid I will be taking my next car to an excellent non-franchised garage nearby, who MOTs my old MG, and does not leave me with an "I've been ripped off again" taste in my mouth after paying for a service.

[mrpj]

"but get it from Kwik Fit they have a good one but its £20" Which will be a quick 100% profit for them, at least.

Plus you'll be told the car is dangerous to drive further because you need new brake pads/linings, discs, front dampers and a couple of new tyres! Which is one reason never to use Kwak !Removed!!

[tonyishuk]

IQ3 Auto serviced today (First service) and no mention of a can of snake juice.

My initial thought on reading this thread would be to ask if this treatment is recommended / approved by Mr T and it has no detrimental effect on the catalyst. (Confirmed in writing of course)

Rgds

[miq]

I recently had the second service. No treatment was offered but I bought a bottle of Forte Gas Treatment and an Injector Cleaner, used them after the service on a long journey. If you plan to keep the car (long term) I think it's worth using these after every oil service.

You can buy Forte stuff at garages participating in the Good Garage Scheme: http://www.goodgaragescheme.co.uk/

I once bought Forte treatments on eBay but was sent a Forte bottle with something else in it. The original seal was missing, so would recommend buying from garages.

Forte Engine Flush is an other one I am planning to use next time.

[johnan]

Some interesting views, for and against engine flush, here:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&f=23&t=682950&mid=0&i=0&nmt=Engine+flush+%2D+how%2E%2E%3F&mid=0

[acetip]

what you have to remember is when you drain your sump you do not get all the oil out of the engine.

there can as much as a ltr of oil in some engines trapped in various parts that cant drain out.

so if youve used a flushing oil which is detergent not a lubricant,then the nice new oil youve put in is then contaminated with flushing oil.if you must usr flushing oil,which ive never used on any of my cars.then after draining flushing oil refill with new oil to min mark on dipstick and run car for short trip,then drain sump again and refill to max mark on the dipstick with your normal oil.

in effect your flushing out the flushing oil.

in some official workshop they state what is called the intial fill of engine oil when the engine is filled for the first time when new,the quantity is always greater than needed for an oil change as stated in things like owners handbooks.