How Greedy Are Toyota Dealers?

[jerry phipps]

Hi everyone. Well i have being going on about lowering my Yaris T Sport for the pass 2/3 months. Well i have finally got around to doing it. My car is booked in to have the work carryed out in the next few week's :D

Back in december 2002 i contacted a toyota dealer called waters end in hemel hempstead by email. They quoted me £269.58 to have the car lowered. That was on the 4th december. Now this dealer is about 17 miles away from my home.

Ok I brought my Yaris T Sport from my local toyota garage in luton as my wife brought her car from there as well. Now i thought that i would ring them to get a quote on the TTE lowering springs from them. Now they told me that they would sell them to me at a discount as they where trying to get rid of them. Great!!!! The original price is £137.98. Now they said that they would sell them to me for £85+ vat so about £99

Now i thought that's a bargain as this has got to be cheaper than £270 Now i held the line while the guy worked out the fitting price. I was shocked to her the price he quoted me £318.41 I couldn't believe it what a rip off. The service manager said that it was a 3 hour job and that is why the price is so high. I wasn't pleased with that price. I spoke to the manager and he told me that i have already had a discount on the price of the springs.

So i went ahead and booked it. When it dawned on me i'll try the toyota garage in hemel hempstead. I rang through to the garage and they quoted me wait for it £283.68 Now they have gone up in price since december. But still it was cheaper than my local dealer. Also they said that it was a 2 hour job. So i have booked it with them. It makes me laugh that i have to travel 17 miles down the road and i can get it cheaper. Just think my local dealer gave me a discount as well. Just imagine the price if they hadn't have given me a discount??? That's the thanks that i get for buying 2 Yaris T Sports from them

I have kept the original email of the quote from hemel hempstead so i will be printing it off and i will be showing it to the garage. Perhaps they might give it to me for the original quoted price who knows? If they do a good job i will be taking my business to them all the time as my local dealer doesn't seem to remember customer relations.

What tickles me is that at the end of the day they are all still toyota dealers. And why does the price change from dealer to dealer??

I will keep you all informed with the matter.

jerry!!

[+Steve]

same goes for lexus dealers

soon I will be installing a review system..... so nxt time your in the garage tell them that every time you use them you will be doing a review.

[jerry phipps]

HI steve

I just might do that. But really steve they have got to stop charging through the roof with job's like this. It's a rip off. They are no better that the back street garage's.

jerry!!

[ep82]

You could just fit them yourself and save £250. ;)

[jerry phipps]

I wish i could mate I really do!!

jerry!

[Jamesb4uk]

everywheres like that, kwik-fit near me wanted £240 to replace a downpipe on my cynos. now get this, another kwik-fit about 30miles away wanted £120.... (thats just the downpipe nothing else)

then i looked under the car & noticed that they had pulled out the pipe & thats why it was even worse that when i went in..

J

[ep82]

Just take it to your local garage, not a Toyota garage but a normal one. I paid £80 to get some springs fitted to my Starlet and he done as good a job as any Toyota dealer would.

Its only going to take them about 10-15 minutes a wheel to fit them so there’s no way I’d give them nearly £300 for an hours work. :o

[Monster-Mat]

yep, just buy the springs for £90 and get them fitted at a none toyota dealewrship.

there stealing your cash mate

[dub_boy]

It is quite amazing how the labour rates differ from dealer to dealer, even when they are in the same area. Dealers are usually owned by either a PLC, small local group or family owned/private individual so the rates can be very different. When I was an Aftersales manager at a Toyota dealer a couple of years ago our labour rate was, wait for it.......£65 + vat an hour!

Unfortunatley I didnt really have any control over this as we were part of a very big PLC.

What was interesting was the bills for first services that we would receive from dealers all around the country. The cheapest rates were always from family/private dealers & the lowest were from dealers in Northern Ireland with rates as little as £19 an hour!

As for the dealers quoting different labour times for the same job! They all should be the same as they use the same standard times books from Toyota. These are the times they use when submitting warranty claims to Toyota & they dont get a minute more!

[jerry phipps]

Hi everyone You just wont believe this!!!!!!!!

I rang the toyota dealer in hemel hempstead to confirm on the price and date for when the car will be lowered. Everything was fine. I even told the guy i'll see you there on the 17th april.

Now I rang my dealer in luton to cancel the job with them. The service guy told me why have you canceled. I told him that I have found a cheaper place. And I left it like that.

Blow me 2 minutes latter I had a phone call. It was the toyota dealer in luton. He asked me what was the price that you got it for at hemel hempstead. I told him £283.68.

Now the guy turned around and said I can better that price. He told me that I can have the springs fitted for £226.50. I told him that you guys are out of order. I asked for a discount before and you told me that I have got one already. Now because I have found a cheaper garage you come back with a better price. Dropping it by £91.91. Why the hell didn't you do that in the first place?????

Now I have to cancel the garage in hemel hempstead. I told the service manager about this and he told me that he couldn't beat that price that is a very good offer and that I should take it.

Now where's the justice in that. How the hell can they quote you so many different price's and when you walk away the price's come tumbling down There has got to be something that we can do about this. If I wasn't so persistent I wouldn't have got this price.

I made the service guy put that in writing about the price. As I dont want them to tell me something else when I arrive there in 2 week's from now. So there you have it. Toyota are a bunch of highway men. They rob from the poor and keep it for themselves.

jerry!!

[yaristpot]

well done jerry, just goes to show what you can get for your money if you push.... but on the other hand you really shouldnt have to. maybe toyota may want to hear about this themselfs? anyway bet you cant wait to get your bus lowered now, dont surpose you asked for a discount if you got them both done????

dan

[+Steve]

we now have the review system

http://toyotaownersclub.com/reviews/

My suggestion is that if people want better service is to use this review section as much as possible. Trust me that you will be noticed.

http://toyotaownersclub.com/reviews/

The more reviews the more people power.

[jerry phipps]

Dont you worry steve i will be using this review all the time. When i take my car to the garage. And Dan I really can't wait to get my car lowered. I think the missus wants hers done as well <_< More bloody money.

jerry!!

[jerry phipps]

Hi everyone Just done a deal at toyota. I'm getting my car lowered on the 17th of this month. But also my wife is getting her car done the same time as well.

Saturday gone i went down to the garage to confirm the booking in day and price. I gave the letter to the service manager. And he booked my car in. Price was 226.50 as agreed. I then asked him what would you do my wife 's car for?

Now i remember what the boss said. I cant give you anymore discount as you have got one already. The guy then replied i can do it for the same. I said say that again. I couldn't believe what he was saying. The boss wanted me to pay £300 plus? And now i've just being quoted the same £226.50

So i just jumped at the price. So now i have got both Yaris T Sport's booked in for the 17th of the month. I asked can i have it in writing. The guy then said once i have put it on the job card that is the price that we have agreed with you.

I bet this guy is going to get a right ticking off as i have already got my discount already. Oh well let's see if he is still working there when i turn up there next week.

Little guy's 2 Big guy's 0

jerry!!

[Peter D]

Well Jerry,

I've got mine booked in for the16th April! I was quite pleased with the quote of £ 235 all in, but you've got it well beaten.

I'll try to get a comparison shot done at the dealer with a non lowered car.

Cheers , Peter

[jerry phipps]

Hi peter Glad to here that you are going to get your car done as well. By the way what car is it that you are getting lowered. You should try to get a bit more off. Perhaps tell them about the price that i was quoted. Also it might be worth checking out a toyota dealer further way from your home?

jerry!!