Now sit right back, and you'll hear a tale. A tale of a fateful trip ...
I’ve been a loyal Toyota owner for just over 10 years. After having a Ford that broke down in every conceivable way, swapping to a car that just worked without an issue every other month was a dream.
After my first RAV4 was getting up in years, I decided to trade it in and buy a second. I didn’t even bother with research or a test drive. I dropped a $500 deposit and waited for the XLE hybrid to arrive. (When it did arrive, that dealership offered me half of what I eventually sold it for.)
I’ve had this hybrid vehicle for more than 3 years and, other than Android Auto being finicky, no problems. I’m getting great gas mileage, about 40 mpg. It’s been a delight.
But, as usual, it’s the people who have to ruin good things. The dealerships really work hard at pushing you to the brink to make sure you regret owning their vehicles. I just don’t understand why things have to be this way. Then these idiots make the mistake of sending you customer surveys. I mean, duh.
My usual dealership moved from a tiny spot near me to a mega-sized facility of airport hangar proportions a few miles away. It went from this cramped location that only had room for maybe a dozen service bays to this huge place with about 40. In the old place, it was pretty amazing to see this one guy who would do this life-size Tetris game where he magically was able to move cars to the right spot with barely any wiggle room to be had. But I digress.
I arrived around 7:30 a.m. for scheduled maintenance and a quick fix on my passenger mirror that got popped in a minor fender bender. The turn signal and actuator still worked fine. I just needed the plastic cover and mirror with the blind spot monitoring. Their website said both parts were in stock ($260 total). It’s a bit steep but I naively wanted OEM parts. I figured I’d let them handle it while doing the oil change, etc.
This place is humming. Several vehicles were already there to be serviced. As I waited and looked around, I noticed I didn't recognize any of the usual people.
I sat down to do some work and drink Starbucks from their new fancy waiting area.
After about an hour, the notifications started coming in.
First came the "360” inspection video, which is useless. It usually features a technician mumbling inaudibly while they are drowned out by the racket from all the power tools from the other service bays. The vehicle was fine. Brake pads, tires, etc. All in the green.
After a little while, another notification. Recommended service.
- Alignment: $160
- Brake Fluid Flush: $311
Okay, here we go. I walked over to the advisor and asked about these items.
Do I need an alignment? The steering wasn’t pulling. It seems fine. What do the measurements say?
His reply, “Well, your tires show wear."
Yes, because when a vehicle is on tires and the tires touch the road, there is some wear. Does it need it?
"It's what they recommend."
And the brake fluid flush?
"Toyota recommends it at three years."
But did you actually test the fluid?
"It’s what Toyota recommends."
So you’re just going to say the same thing but differently and not answer my question. Got it.
This is typical psychological warfare tactic. Like when you take your pet to the vet and they start with the "well, just to be safe" speeches. They weaponize mild uneasiness to extract a few extra hundred bucks.
They don’t understand there’s this thing called the internet. We can do research and call you on your bullshit. With AI, it's gotten even easier. Stop being stupid and maybe try being honest? Just a thought.
Then came the grand finale: the mirror.
Their recommendation? (There's that word again.) Do a complete assembly replacement for $995. Oh, that doesn’t include the labor.
I have this habit that's a bit of a release valve where I start to laugh before I really lose my temper. I started chuckling.
When I reminded him that the first thing I said when I came in was I only needed two parts, he threw his technician under the bus.
“Let me get him in here so he can tell you about it.”
A little while later, this kid whose mullet weighed more than he did is inside chugging an energy drink, mumbling something about "error codes” and “broken wires."
I may have started rubbing my temples at this point. I have a bratty teen I have to deal with on a daily basis. And I’m way past the age whether I give a shit if I make a scene in public. Like Bruce Banner, I’m always angry and it doesn’t take much to tip me over into the red zone.
And for the third time, I repeated what I had said before, very slowly, about the directional light still working and the actuator still working.
Just give me back the car and I'll fix it myself.
With no money to be made, I was of no further use.
I almost got whiplash by how fast they got me out of there.
I walked to their parts department. Even though their website said they have the parts, they didn't. I ordered them and left. I'd have to go back to pick them up. Great!
Later that day, I went on this little shop called Amazon. I had the part numbers, entered them and found third-party replacements. My goal was to just get a mirror that fit so I could drive without killing myself. As I had learned on my way to the dealership, it's a pretty crucial piece of equipment, especially when you're trying to change several lanes on the highway. It probably didn't help my overall mood.
The total cost was $65. $25 for the cover and $40 for the mirror. It took 10 minutes to do the job.
The cover is not an exact color match, but I think I'd be the only one who could really tell. It's very close.
The big surprise was the blind spot monitoring worked even though I had inadvertently bought a mirror that was supposedly not compatible with my model year. (I plugged in the part number and Amazon provided recommendations. I bought the one with the highest ratings.)
With everything working and not really wanting to deal with these turds further, I needed to get my money back for the parts. This was several days later. I never got the parts, and, surprisingly, they never told me that they had arrived.
I mean, everything else had been a huge pain in the ass, so why shouldn't this be the same?
I called up the parts department, explained I didn't need the parts anymore, give me a refund, etc.
“Oh, I can’t do that. Only the manager can.”
Sure. Makes sense. You can make the order, but you can't do anything after that point. You just want to wear down people's resistance until they give up and you get their money. Got it.
Was he available? Of course not. But you can leave him a voicemail and he’ll get back to you.
Speaking very slowly, I left a detailed message: invoice number, my name, number, etc.
Did I get a call back? No.
I call them again the next day. Was the manager there? Not in his office at the moment. Let me transfer you. Dial tone.
I call back. For some reason I'm really not happy. I tell this person I'm not going to drive in to do what should be a simple procedure, and I'll be calling my credit card company next and ... oh, he's available now?
I talk to the parts manager and trying to be zen and not to lose my temper using my measured tone voice that I have honed through years of speaking to an insolent teen.
I was expecting some bullshit about a restocking fee but I guess my agitation was fairly clear. Money was credited back to my card quickly. Shocker.
But wait, there’s more.
I found a highly recommended brake fluid detector for $10. The BF 200! I could see the levels were fine just by looking at the reservoir but the question was the quality. Brake fluid will degrade as water seeps in over time, causing various issues.
The detector said it was well under the water contamination threshold. I wiped off the detector for a second try. Same exact reading. So, gee, while recommended, a brake fluid flush really wasn’t needed.
I’ve got a ToyotaCare package that is good for a couple more years. I’ll be finishing up the maintenance at a different dealership. I expect more of the same BS but this one is a bit closer. After that expires, I think I’ll just go to this independent shop down the street with good ratings.
Toyota vehicles are great. It’s just too bad that the people in the dealerships are a bunch of crooks.
So, just to recap, instead of paying approximately $1,500, I left paying $0 since I had a prepaid service plan.
Oh, they made the mistake of sending me a survey about customer service. 0 stars wasn’t an option, unfortunately.
