Do you use the Toyota dealer for servicing? Mini rant

[valmiki]

My car is a 2010 Prius (Gen 3) on 120k, wife's car is a 2012 Auris hybrid on 65k.

Until now (last 8 years or so) we've been using our local Toyota dealer, FRF Toyota Swansea for all our servicing & MOT, except for tyres, wipers etc. which I can take care of myself.

To be honest I've been getting a little tired of the service I get there nowadays, in particular as it's now getting on the cack-handed way that they are charging. 

No more 5+ scheme, no more Essential service scheme either, which I had been using as the cars are getting on a bit now.

The Prius had a service and MOT in January, I knew the rear brakes were getting on a bit and did flag it to them but nothing serious had come up. A few days later when I had a look for myself I could see that the brakes weren't engaging, so I asked for a price for both brakes and pads. I was told that I couldn't have a quote until I booked in for a brake inspection at a charge of £55, and which then would be deducted from the cost of any work carried out. I rolled my eyes and said ok, let's do that then. Car booked in, had a phone call, yes, we've done the inspection and brakes and pads need changing at a cost of £270 which was the same as the fixed-price repair. Phone call 3 hours later, now that we've taken one side apart, we need to replace the calipers as they've jammed, an extra cost of £160. Woah, I said, I thought you'd inspected it (at a notional cost of £55) and it just needed new brakes and pads? You know what? Put it back together and I'll take it elsewhere. Sorry, they say, it's all been opened up. So I grit my teeth and just accept it.

Auris due for a service a couple of weeks ago, she rings and gets it booked in. No discount for MOT, and the minor service is £190. Looks like the 5+ is gone, and the "Essential Service" plan is gone too. Decided not to bother and have it booked in at a local garage.

So what do you guys do who are running older hybrids? Here in Swansea I feel that dealer has had it a little bit too easy. Unfortunately hybrid servicing isn't that common around here and we don't even have Uber which I would have thought would have created a demand for older hybrid servicing!

I also see on the Toyota website that the fixed-price repairs page has disappeared too, the one which covered things like brake pads, discs, shocks etc. Wonder what's going on?

Penny for your thoughts

valmiki

[delbois]

My local Toyota dealer in Aberdeen is part of a large national chain to be avoided at all costs imho. Unfortunately personal circumstances meant I once had to use them for a service. A few weeks later I found out they'd over-torqued all the wheel nuts and put copper grease on all the studs and on the face of the hub, in spite of there being a safety warning in the handbook not to do so. I called them so they could instruct the mechanic not to do it again but was told it was company policy so they would continue to do so. I complained to Toyota UK following which I received a call from the dealer saying I must have been mistaken as it's not the company policy and disputing that it had happened. I sent them a copy of their own video from the service showing clumps of copper grease on the wheel studs but heard nothing more. Not worth following up. 

Apart from that one occasion I've always used Struans in Dundee for sales and service and I have found them to be very good to deal with. It's a 150 mile round trip but well worth it and one of the reasons I decided to stick with Toyota as a brand. 

Interestingly when I called this week to book a service I also asked about catalytic convertor guards  and was told they only had experience of one customer having one stolen. So maybe not such a problem away from the bigger cities? 

[FROSTYBALLS]

The Essential Care scheme was replaced by the 5+ Club, which itself ended on 1st May 2021.

Toyota GB may be looking at some replacement for the 5+ Club - don't know.

[Roy124]

14 minutes ago, delbois said:

 I found out they'd over-torqued all the wheel nuts and put copper grease on all the studs and on the face of the hub, in spite of there being a safety warning in the handbook not to do so.

My two previous cars, Mercedes, were serviced by two engineers, father and son, and despite a similar warning, they used the same grease.  A question of trust really.  In your case it was possibly done for sound engineering reasons; what was reprehensible was then lying about it.

[valmiki]

12 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The Essential Care scheme was replaced by the 5+ Club, which itself ended on 1st May 2021.

Toyota GB may be looking at some replacement for the 5+ Club - don't know.

That's interesting, the dealer last year (or the year before, whenever the 5+ scheme was introduced) offered to do either, and then suggested that the Essential Care one was cheaper so to use that one 🤷‍♂️ 

[FROSTYBALLS]

Essential Care ended in 2019.

[valmiki]

4 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

Essential Care ended in 2019.

Do you know if the fixed-price repair scheme is finished too? Thanks

[FROSTYBALLS]

Don't know - it hasn't been on the Toyota GB website for some months.

[stevecrvn]

I was disappointed read ''annoyed '' to find that 5+ had ended with no replacement announced . I had to pay £300 plus a extra 10 pounds for the insurance on the loan car this week. I will add that I always do have very good service off FRF Bridgend so do not blame them in any way.

Apparently there is something coming out for owners on June the 1st but no one is able to confirm this. 

We  signed up both our Yaris and Auris to the 5+ scheme last year but never got to use the scheme, so unless the new scheme ''if there is one'' has a similar price model I will be paying at least a  extra £200+ a year on servicing. I do more than 10,000 a year . 

I will be considering  taking the Auris ( diesel ) to a good local Toyota independent garage for servicing next time as it is also now out of warranty, so where is Toyota business model  to keep older cars in the dealer network . 

[FROSTYBALLS]

See 

 

[stevecrvn]

21 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

See 

 

Mike Thanks .

I had seen the post and is in line with what the dealer told me the beginning  of the month when I was booking the car in for the service . I hope that Toyota do something for owners with cars over 5 years old for servicing .  Toyota already have a industry leading warranty for 5 years so would not expect them to be able increase  it further 

Steve

[FROSTYBALLS]

On 5/22/2021 at 8:39 AM, stevecrvn said:

I hope that Toyota do something for owners with cars over 5 years old for servicing .  Toyota already have a industry leading warranty for 5 years so would not expect them to be able increase  it further 

See: 

The official Toyota release is 1st June.

[stevecrvn]

14 hours ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

See: 

The official Toyota release is 1st June.

Thanks for this . I just wish I had held off then as mine was serviced 10 days ago 

[mcntosh]

On 5/21/2021 at 1:54 PM, delbois said:

 

Apart from that one occasion I've always used Struans in Dundee for sales and service and I have found them to be very good to deal with. It's a 150 mile round trip but well worth it and one of the reasons I decided to stick with Toyota as a brand. 

Interestingly when I called this week to book a service I also asked about catalytic convertor guards  and was told they only had experience of one customer having one stolen. So maybe not such a problem away from the bigger cities? 

I had a catloc fitted by Struans just a couple of weeks ago and heard the same story - just one customer (in Tayport, just over the river).

Apart from that, I've only heard other one report of a theft in Dundee - from a Honda Jazz. I don't think the risk in Dundee is high but I'm more concerned if we venture further afield, especially as holidays abroad are probably out this year. There's also the thought of being stuck without a car for possibly weeks, especially as we're coming into summer and lockdown is easing. 

I used to think it was just the big cities (mostly in England) but you read these reports of them being stolen in small villages and towns.

Probably being paranoid but on balance but I decided I'd rather not take the chance.