Annual Service

[Sussex_Paul]

Just trying to arrange for mine to be serviced whilst I'm away on holiday - as it will be less hassle than when we are at home when the car will be doing all of it's usual daily running around.

The dealers tell me that they do not usually collect / service and drop off cars, but I'm sure when I bought mine I was told that this WAS a service the dealers provided.

Anyone had Mr T do this for them in similar circumstances?

And don't even go there on the subject of courtesy cars - the ones at my dealers all appear to be Aygo's!!!!

[anchorman]

They usually offer a choice of

you drop off and pick up but will lend you the Aygo base model with one egg cup of fuel in it

wait (it only takes them about 45 mins to run up your £155 bill)

they will sometimes drop off your Aygo base at home and collect it when they drop off your RAV if insured with Toyota

they pick up and drop off

non of the above if they choose to demonstrate duff customer service

It's up to you

But do you really want anybody else driving your T180?

[moonstone mart]

All dealers are different. We offer collect/deliver service for people who cant make the trip due to busy/working etc.

We also have AYGO courtesy cars which i think are plenty adequate for people to use for a few hours when their car is in for service to drive to work and back etc.

If we had one of EVERY model to use for courtesy cars it would cost alot and the way some people treat these cars they dont even deserve to borrow a bicycle!!

Our service manager told us that we dont actually have to offer a courtesy car service to customers and they from a leese company who take them back and the dealership has to pay for the damage customers make!

ANCHORMAN...... why would a driver be a 'highly skilled valet driver (read that as trained chimp)'? Our drivers are both 40+ sensible guys with full clean driving license and have never been involved in an accident in a customers car for the 4 years i ahve been there!

If i were a driver and read your comments i would be pretty p@@sed off.

Mart

[chatman]

Had courtesy car from Toyota garage last time mine was in for some work once...Insurance excess was £1000 :eek:

Drove home like old granny and kept well clear off every one....It was a base model Yaris and had a thimble amount of fuel in it....why do people do that :censor: annoys me that I then have to find garage to put an egg cup full worth back in ;) ;)

Tend too call around and ask the questions, do you do courtesy cars, pick up and drop off....Most garages I have used have always done one or the other....One even gave me a lift to train station and picked me up afterwards, that was great service...... :yes: All off them have always valeted my cars inside and out.....

[BigBaz]

Grantham Toyota (Listers) where I am collecting mine from TOMORROW said that when servicing is due they will deliver a loan car to the house and collect mine and return on completion. 30 mile round trip that will save me.

[dave.m]

At my last service, the local dealer (Shields Toyota, Hamilton ) supplied free courtesy car. It was a Yaris but I had to

insure the car myself, insurance company charged me £10 for admin. I believe they also do collect/ delivery service

which I will probably use next time as will probably be at work anyway.

Dave.

[sywy]

When I had my service a few weeks ago (along with my flat tyre :( ) I got a free (inc insurance) courtesy car. It was a 2L diesel Auris. It was quite a reasonable car, which I felt was much smoother and quieter than my T180!! However, I did only get an egg cup full of fuel :censor:

That was Ron Brookes Toyota, in Ilkeston, Derbyshire.

[anchorman]

moonstone mart

You are right that my comment could be offensive so I have removed it.

I have a dry sence of humour and that sarcastic undertone was actually brought about from experience. I used to have a BMW company car that I was very careful with. We used to leave the cars at a valet parking lot near Manchester whilst away on business and they would drop you off in your own car and then store it during your leave. I was really P****d off myself when a lady (whom I think was an owner or partner) went around an island and completely ruined two alloy wheels because she couldn't judge where the wheels were.

Another time a colleague was terrorised by a youth returning my car who was in a big hurry to get past on a narrow road.

So accepting that there are some good and concientious drivers doing that job, you never really know and I personally prefer not to take the risk if I can avoid it.

The only other person fron RRG who has driven my car was the salesman whom I trusted.

Cheers.

[moonstone mart]

Anchorman,

Sorry about the rant but everyday i see people on forums referring to drivers/valeters/mechanics etc etc as chimps/spotty teenagers etc etc etc after having a bad experience.

The people i work with are a great bunch of people but you do get the odd idiot who never stays long ;)

Thanks

Martin

[Steve@Aberdeen]

I take mine into my dealer (35 miles away) and wait - the 10,000 service only took an hour; 20,000 to be done tomorrow. Haven't asked about a possible loan but they drove my wife into town for a few hour's shopping (and collected her later) when her Yaris was serviced.

With my previous Freelander, the dealer could collect from within the city but I tended to take mine into them - they always offered a loan car and they had a small fleet so you got one from the range you owned (so a Defender owner for a Defender, etc). That dealership also did Porsche and Subaru so I guess they were focusing on a tighter market group than Toyota.

[Sussex_Paul]

I have had a bit of a result.

The dealer principle lives around the corner from me and I bumped into him out dog walking last night.

I had a chat with him about my situation and he's going to take my spare set of keys before we go on hols and drive the car into the dealers for it's service and bring it home and put it back on the drive for me - all while we're away.

And I can settle up afterwards (have got the monthly service scheme so no real bill to pay anyway).

No need for courtesy cars etc (I disagree with you moonstone mart, when you say that Aygo's are adequate. Maybe for singles or couples etc, but not for my family, the dog and all the gubbins that goes out in the Rav every day unfortunately).

Now thats what I call service - Stand up and take a bow St. Leonards Motors!!

Amazing what a word in the right ear can do!!!

[Parts-King]

Oh I do enjoy a rant, and I do like to play devils advocate so here goes. We supply a basic Yaris for our customers, perfectly adequate to get you to dealership/work or home, in fact we have about 20 of them, oh and yes we lease them at xxx £'s per car per month x 20, you see where this is going? Yes it easy to rack up a £155 invoice, but at about 0.8 hours per small service, there isnt too much profit to pay for the aformentioned equation. Customer service, I'm all for it, 100%, we offer loan cars, collection and delivery, we have even stored cars while you go on holiday! We also employ sensible, mature drivers and not spotty oiks, who stangley enough, hold drivers licences and are insured. Our cars are fuelled every day at our expense. Why every day? because we limit the amout of fuel we put in because there are people out there that will abuse our cars. We also insure our cars, on your behalf, but we do have a very high excess, which is payable by you if you have a bump, features all good dealerships have, to a smaller or greater extent, just remember the next time you need a loan car, there is more to it than meets the eye! Kingo

[moonstone mart]

Well said Kingo!

Mart

[Sussex_Paul]

Oh I do enjoy a rant, and I do like to play devils advocate so here goes. We supply a basic Yaris for our customers, perfectly adequate to get you to dealership/work or home, in fact we have about 20 of them, oh and yes we lease them at xxx £'s per car per month x 20, you see where this is going? Yes it easy to rack up a £155 invoice, but at about 0.8 hours per small service, there isnt too much profit to pay for the aformentioned equation. Customer service, I'm all for it, 100%, we offer loan cars, collection and delivery, we have even stored cars while you go on holiday! We also employ sensible, mature drivers and not spotty oiks, who stangley enough, hold drivers licences and are insured. Our cars are fuelled every day at our expense. Why every day? because we limit the amout of fuel we put in because there are people out there that will abuse our cars. We also insure our cars, on your behalf, but we do have a very high excess, which is payable by you if you have a bump, features all good dealerships have, to a smaller or greater extent, just remember the next time you need a loan car, there is more to it than meets the eye! Kingo

No qualms with what you say there but I have 2 points on this one, if I may..............

1. At least at your dealers you can get a Yaris (something verging on car size unlike the rollerskate called an Aygo!!)

2. When I've been offered a courtesy car at my dealers I've been told to take the car details and reg no. and put it on my policy at my expense for the duration of use.

Clearly the facilities and arrangements vary from dealer to dealer within the Toyota Network.

However, I've got a new Audi TT on order and have been categorically told that I can have a like for like courtesy car when I drop that in for it's servicing...........

[Parts-King]

No qualms with what you say there but I have 2 points on this one, if I may..............

1. At least at your dealers you can get a Yaris (something verging on car size unlike the rollerskate called an Aygo!!)

2. When I've been offered a courtesy car at my dealers I've been told to take the car details and reg no. and put it on my policy at my expense for the duration of use.

Clearly the facilities and arrangements vary from dealer to dealer within the Toyota Network.

However, I've got a new Audi TT on order and have been categorically told that I can have a like for like courtesy car when I drop that in for it's servicing...........

I do take the point that if you have say, an Avensis, then a Yaris is not much good to you, but you are generally only in for one day a year (For service) and you should be able to manage for a day. We do have other cars, which we regulary loan out to customers who genuinly need a larger car for the day.

Secondly. A lot of motor dealers insurance companies have ridiculous excess charges. Ours is £xxx (hundreds) but I know of dealer groups where the excess is very nearly the price of the car, IE, £xxxx's of pounds. In that case, it is far easier to get the loan car onto the customers insurance. It all depends how many claims you have had on your policy. I know of dealers where they have had an avarage of one MAJOR accident per month in their company cars, damage, theft, accident etc, which in turn boosts your excess to oblivion! The situation is not driven by the dealer, it is generally driven by the insurance company. Kingo

[Steve@Aberdeen]

I asked my dealer this morning about courtesy cars; I was happy waiting whilst they serviced mine - a book and my laptop meant I didn't need to totally waste time. They said that if somebody had a particular type of car and needed the same type whilst on loan, they'd try to accommodate them e.g. somebody with a Landcruiser could get one if they needed the capacity for that day. It comes down to having reasonable demands. A dealer could keep a Rav4 ready for Rav4 owners but would need to recover the cost somehow (which probably means everyone is contributing via a slightly higher service cost).

For me, the dealer is just over 30 miles away so waiting is probably the best option - and it's only twice a year.

[anchorman]

Take cover guys, the dealers are ganging up!!! (ha ha before somebody gets upset)!

I have no doubt that there are some superb dealers out there that offer very good customer service - RRG of Macclesfield have been superb with me.

But, this all started because Paul could not get any such service from his dealer until he leaned on somebody he knew.

I have not had a loan car for a very long time but the last one I did have (at a Nissan dealer) was so low on fuel I was concerned that I might not get it around the corner to the fuel station. I think it is only reasonable that the customer should replace the fuel that he uses so that there is no loss on either side. The investment in cars is inevitable and as large numbers of dealer stock come from Toyotas own management purchase or company car scheme these only go to provide the same and for sure some dealers will register loan cars to make up their targets as well as bolster stock so not much sympathy there.

It is always nice when you can get your hands on some dependable (often semi-retired) drivers who will treat customers cars as their own but nobody wants to risk the "odd idiot who doesn't stay long" having a play in a car he is otherwise unlikely to own until he has matured somewhat.

Insurance companies pitch their premiums on risk. They always, always ask when you insure your car if it is going to be used for anything to do with the motor trade and the reason is simple, the risk is astonishingly high. Your company pays very high premiums and excesses because the chances of it getting damaged are so high. The risk doesn't necessarily come from the customer the car is loaned to it comes from the trade itself. Cars are damaged not only by delivery drivers but also while it is being shunted around ridiculously full dealerships by.... not the customer but the dealer staff (that should stir em up!!). Mechanics that are trying to road test for faults while looking under the dash or getting rear ended while brake testing are not unheard of (that should too!). OK these are hypothetical but nontheless probable reasons for your high insurance costs. I am not in the trade now but I was. If it were purely down to the customer wrecking the cars whilst on lone then their own insurance on their own cars would be equally compromised and to think otherwise is rather naive.

As for a fleet of cars (whatever the type) that are in the lease pool and are released as loan cars, I am not certain certain for one minute that if the choice comes between leasing it at £xxx per hour or loaning it to a customer then any business manager is going to err towards the latter. What would you do? What would rice pudding do?

So justifying the cost of a service on providing a dealers lease car fleet does not make me feel any better.

When it comes down to it as you say, a test of reasonableness applies and the first service on a RAV amounts to nothing more (apart from inspect and be honest with yourself) than an oil and filter change (£155), the second is the same plus transmission oils (£210) and anything else like brake fluid or timing belts and cabin filters are extra. I know there are a lot of overheads and I know for some there is a lot of comfort in having it done by the dealer but there is a lot of profit in a busy workshop and you will have some difficulty in convincing me otherwise.

That is my counter-rant! Don't take it personally.

Now where is my tin hat........... "INCOMING"!!!

[Parts-King]

vrooooooommmmm ..............Incoming barage......lol

Some good points and some way off the mark. Insurance is based on risk, but the risk is not one sided. We, like many others could tell you some fantastic stories about the "One careful owner customer"

Servicing is an expensive commodity, but so is insurance, heat, light, wages, loan cars, diagnostic equipment, licencing, fuel for loan cars, nearly forgot that one, add infinitum.........oh and profit, not as large a percentage as some would have you believe. Profit in this country is not illegal as yet, but making enough of it is a challenge. (just check how many bodyshops have gone bust in the last two years) We do our best to give 100% customer satisfaction, we need to give the boss a little bit too!

Kingo

[chatman]

.........oh and profit, not as large a percentage as some would have you believe.

Reading with glee this topic...just like to add one more item into the pot....

I get my RAV serviced at a Franchised dealer at HALF the Cost of a dealer...they use Toyota parts and Toyota trained mechanics to Toyota service guide lines (used to be a Toyota garage (actually where the last owner had it serviced) now a Seat garage but still have the Toyota Approved signage and carpark is always full of Toyota's awaiting there tyres kicking......

So no profit in main dealers........Hmmmm :lol: :lol:

[Sussex_Paul]

Adding my (Dave.M) 2 p's worth on profits if I may......

Just a few quotes (interesting bits highlighted!!) from a bit of financial literature (Reuters) I dug up for Toyota (Japan) end of year profits 2006 and forecast into 2007.

"Toyota the world's most profitable car maker, booked a 53 percent rise in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday on healthy sales, cost cuts and a weaker yen, and predicted more growth this year despite currency headwinds and a spike in capital outlays."

"Toyota, whose market capitalization of $217 billion (£108 billion) values it higher than the South African economy, has cranked up profits to record levels even as it faced soaring raw materials prices and cut-throat competition and spent more on facilities and vehicle development."

"Toyota, which last month outsold DaimlerChrysler in the United States, said it expects to drive up global sales by another 6.0 percent to 8.45 million vehicles this business year, counting trucks and cars built by units Hino Motors Ltd. and Daihatsu Motor Co."

"For 2006/07, Toyota forecast record revenues of 22.30 trillion yen (£93 billion), up 6.0 percent."

What were we saying about profits in the motor industry again???

[anchorman]

vrooooooommmmm ..............Incoming barage......lol

Some good points and some way off the mark. Insurance is based on risk, but the risk is not one sided. We, like many others could tell you some fantastic stories about the "One careful owner customer"

Servicing is an expensive commodity, but so is insurance, heat, light, wages, loan cars, diagnostic equipment, licencing, fuel for loan cars, nearly forgot that one, add infinitum.........oh and profit, not as large a percentage as some would have you believe. Profit in this country is not illegal as yet, but making enough of it is a challenge. (just check how many bodyshops have gone bust in the last two years) We do our best to give 100% customer satisfaction, we need to give the boss a little bit too!

Kingo

Man the guns and return fire!!!

The risk is proportional to the premium. If you want to insure a supertanker to navigate through a channel full of mines the risk is high and Mr Lloyd will want to ensure his losses are kept to a minimum by charging a premium that pretty well ensures him a profit. The same goes for the motor industry. The risk is high and your customers do not represent a comparable risk otherwise their own personal premiums would be just as high. Mr insurer is not that stupid - he knows the odds - you made the rules.

There is no doubt that most Toyota workshops are very well equiped (if only they could fix a puncture [direct hit]) and Toyotas own diagnostic equipment (that guarantees them exclusivity and the ability to charge high servicing costs [broadside]) but rest assured that Mr T and his team of crack bean counters do not have their toes poking out of their socks onto threadbare carpets as my learned RAV club colleagues have pointed out so well.

The product is mostly superb as you often hear us bleat, the dealers mostly get it right and are commendable (mine is first class) but all I am saying is that the servicing cost is a bit steep for an oil change and a visual inspection (I say again be honest with yourself).

We wont go near DMF flywheels while you have men in the water.

Pugwash

[chatman]

vrooooooommmmm ..............Incoming barage......lol

Some good points and some way off the mark. Insurance is based on risk, but the risk is not one sided. We, like many others could tell you some fantastic stories about the "One careful owner customer"

Servicing is an expensive commodity, but so is insurance, heat, light, wages, loan cars, diagnostic equipment, licencing, fuel for loan cars, nearly forgot that one, add infinitum.........oh and profit, not as large a percentage as some would have you believe. Profit in this country is not illegal as yet, but making enough of it is a challenge. (just check how many bodyshops have gone bust in the last two years) We do our best to give 100% customer satisfaction, we need to give the boss a little bit too!

Kingo

Man the guns and return fire!!!

The risk is proportional to the premium. If you want to insure a supertanker to navigate through a channel full of mines the risk is high and Mr Lloyd will want to ensure his losses are kept to a minimum by charging a premium that pretty well ensures him a profit. The same goes for the motor industry. The risk is high and your customers do not represent a comparable risk otherwise their own personal premiums would be just as high. Mr insurer is not that stupid - he knows the odds - you made the rules.

There is no doubt that most Toyota workshops are very well equiped (if only they could fix a puncture [direct hit]) and Toyotas own diagnostic equipment (that guarantees them exclusivity and the ability to charge high servicing costs [broadside]) but rest assured that Mr T and his team of crack bean counters do not have their toes poking out of their socks onto threadbare carpets as my learned RAV club colleagues have pointed out so well.

The product is mostly superb as you often hear us bleat, the dealers mostly get it right and are commendable (mine is first class) but all I am saying is that the servicing cost is a bit steep for an oil change and a visual inspection (I say again be honest with yourself).

We wont go near DMF flywheels while you have men in the water.

Pugwash

Ok sitting here in the Forum FOP (forward Observation Point) watching the trenches and the front line...We the Friendly Forces have a lot of power...We can decide with our feet...We either walk into a main dealer and pay there excessive prices (direct hit and took out there OP) observation point) or go elsewhere, still getting a good service at less cost, using the same parts as main dealers!!!!!....Gone are the days where YOU NEEDED to get your car serviced by a Main Stealer or highwaymen (see that used nice terms).....Most of us have a good dealer near by or know of one elsewhere. These Forums allow us to type in confidence and let our feelings known...some dealers read these forums and Toyota PR even contribute...(and they did not know about the fiasco...which it is, about the T180 run flat tyres :censor: :censor:) so now they do...

Where not flaming any body down just telling it "Like it is", some times it offends some times it's hysterical, but always truthful ( ;) ) and good old honest accountability and experiences by all.....

Hopefully now there is a lull in the trenches and before the BIG PUSH over the top........

Keep it real Keep it Toyota......Come on we could all be driving Freelanders :crybaby: then again, maybe not......(hey last parts a joke so don't shoot me in the back B) B) )

[Parts-King]

Adding my (Dave.M) 2 p's worth on profits if I may......

Just a few quotes (interesting bits highlighted!!) from a bit of financial literature (Reuters) I dug up for Toyota (Japan) end of year profits 2006 and forecast into 2007.

"Toyota the world's most profitable car maker, booked a 53 percent rise in quarterly operating profit on Wednesday on healthy sales, cost cuts and a weaker yen, and predicted more growth this year despite currency headwinds and a spike in capital outlays."

"Toyota, whose market capitalization of $217 billion (£108 billion) values it higher than the South African economy, has cranked up profits to record levels even as it faced soaring raw materials prices and cut-throat competition and spent more on facilities and vehicle development."

"Toyota, which last month outsold DaimlerChrysler in the United States, said it expects to drive up global sales by another 6.0 percent to 8.45 million vehicles this business year, counting trucks and cars built by units Hino Motors Ltd. and Daihatsu Motor Co."

"For 2006/07, Toyota forecast record revenues of 22.30 trillion yen (£93 billion), up 6.0 percent."

What were we saying about profits in the motor industry again???

Now I think you are getting carried away a bit, As the famous Michael Winner once said "calm down dear"Toyota are one of the most cash rich companies in the world and could buy out most wordwide car MAKERS, not SERVICERS, however, Toyota do NOT own the dealer network, you are comparing chalk and cheese, if we had that cash, this thread about "will the dealer collect my car" would not have even started, we would be offering buy one get one free cars for you to use at will.......pah! Kingo

PS. For a bit of fun, look at what Toyota do in the word here You need to scroll down the homepage till you see the link. With a bit of luck that will take you all the night to read, and I can take shelter in me bunker till morning!

[anchorman]

Hey now come out of that bunker I want to talk to you. It's time to play football in "no mans land"

Mr Lindop seems nice but I cant imagine he nor Robin Reginald Gibb (or whatever RRG stands for) are exactly on the breadline. The cheese is distinctly chalky.

I was looking for Private Kingo but can't find him anywhere on that nice website.

Now while we have got a genuine Toyota squaddie, can you set up a black market on parts and accessories at trade price or not? ;)

And what caused my alarm to cause me so much stress and anxiety the other night at 3am? I bet I hold the world record for reciting the maximum number of 4 letter words while trying to get my leg through through the neck of my tee shirt and my head through the leg of my jeans while running downstairs at the same time

[Parts-King]

Hey now come out of that bunker I want to talk to you. It's time to play football in "no mans land"

Mr Lindop seems nice but I cant imagine he nor Robin Reginald Gibb (or whatever RRG stands for) are exactly on the breadline. The cheese is distinctly chalky.

I was looking for Private Kingo but can't find him anywhere on that nice website.

Now while we have got a genuine Toyota squaddie, can you set up a black market on parts and accessories at trade price or not? ;)

And what caused my alarm to cause me so much stress and anxiety the other night at 3am? I bet I hold the world record for reciting the maximum number of 4 letter words while trying to get my leg through through the neck of my tee shirt and my head through the leg of my jeans while running downstairs at the same time

Kingo pops his head above the parapet

Private Kingo is on there, in fact he runs the ruddy website! Mr TOC is just waiting for our cheque to feather his nest, and we will then be able to do business, until then, ssshhhhhhhh, "Wat is your name.........Don't tell him Pike"

Kingo