[Guest]

My wife's 2006 Prius 5K inspection and oil change and was charged $160 by the dealership... That's pretty outrageous imo. What should the price be for the 5k interval regulars? According to the maintenece schedule it's just tire rotation, visual inspection, and oil change. That should cost $50 to $60 tops.

Btw: the offending dealership is San Francisco Toyota, Geary location.

Love the Prius, but hate the dealerships. The Toyota sales experience so far:

1st sales agent was good then quit before taking delivery. 2nd sales rep spoke poor English and used that as an excuse to misunderstand, forget, or otherwise go back on any prior agreement. He also had an obnoxious "pushy salesman" attitude. The sales manager was very helpful but that took several nagging phone calls.

Also the closing sales guy wouldn't give up trying to sell the extended warranty. Claimed the service dept didn't want him to sell it to us as it was such a steal. Also claimed that " by law" he had to "inform" us which he interpreted as an excuse to make a 15 minute pushy sales ptich where he was told NO about 5 times. Told him we were shopping nationally for the best Toyota warranty price and he made out as if Toyota San Francisco wasn't included in that. Basically, typical car salesman.

 

[C.Rickey Hirose]

5k 1st Oil and Filter change should not cost more than $39~$49 ...
If you paid $160 then you had the service guy do more than just a simple Oil Change ?

 

[Sanny]

Maybe they included a bridge in NY, or beachfront property in the Everglades...

 

[Guest]

Ok, here's everything they did:

The 5K schedule is just a visual inspection of the undercarriage without any disassembly. Tire rotation. ** EDIT: found out tire rotation wasn't done, despite what my wife was told at point of sale. Visual inspection of undercarriage and brakes. Change oil and filter.

For that 30 min (tops) of a jr mechanic, an oil filter, and 4 qt of oil: $160 !!!! Not even an air filter change or winshield blades to go with that total rip off. What a joke. It's a 300% markup. And they totally BS’ed my wife to justify that.

Again: San Francisco Toyota Maintenence, Geary location. <--- sleazy rip offs. STAY AWAY.

I’ll post the names of the managers after I talk to them and I’m going to dispute this with Toyota regional if they're still unhelpful. A company like Toyota, especially at corporate level, shouldn't want to see customers ripped off at the regional level and hurting the company image.

 

[richard schumacher]

Not Toyota's fault: it's that dealer's fault. In the US, auto makers do not sell cars to people, they sell them to independent businesses called "dealers".

Toyota may or may not do anything about your case. It's the buyer's responsibility to confirm what will be done and what the charges will be before the fact. You probably have little recourse other than to take your trade elsewhere.

 

[Guest]

"Not Toyota's fault: it's that dealer's fault."

Not entirely. Toyota corporate has to control price gouging at the local level as part of the brand identity. Local service, warranty, the dealerships, it's all part of the package. If a dealership isn't up to snuff then corportate can take corrective action, same as any franchise.

I'll try to handle it locally and then escalate if they won't take responsibility.

 

[Sanny]

Perhaps call the service manager and say there was a mistake. Say what was done, and that you were overcharged (by approx 100 bux). See what happens. Perhaps you were charged the 5000 mile inspection for a "mortal" car, instead of a Prius. You know - where they actually have to DO stuff.

 

[evander]

Perhaps call the service manager and say there was a mistake. Say what was done, and that you were overcharged (by approx 100 bux). See what happens. Perhaps you were charged the 5000 mile inspection for a "mortal" car, instead of a Prius. You know - where they actually have to DO stuff.

And add that you've been in touch with Prius owners nationwide, this particular transaction is very irregular, and if it isn't rectified to your satisfaction, your business will go elsewhere. (I assume your receipt shows only oil change and tire rotation.)

 

[JDavies]

"My wife just took a 2006 Prius to the dealership for it's 5K inspection and oil change and was charged $160... That's pretty outrageous imo. What should the price be for the 5k interval regulars? According to the maintenece schedule it's just tire rotation, visual inspection, and oil change."
*************
No more than $50 for a 5K Mi (interval) oil change/ tire rotatation. The tire rotate is optional and has no affect on the Toyota warranty. Some owners feel that 10K is often enough to rotate tires. (I pay $39.xx for oil/filter change and tire rotation but I furnish the synthetic oil.)
$160 is a rip off.

 

[Phish Phood]

Usually when the dealerships run deals.. yes its in the $39-$50 price range.. if you do the default "recommended" and its not in their "deal" time.. its hard to say how it goes. Yeah you can say you can get it cheap other places, but its one of those situation.. hey maybe this is a super busy place that gets lots of business so they don't really care.. so they charge "regular" price.. or maybe just went in on an off day when the deal wasn't offered. I paid an arm and a leg for my "prepaid" maintenance for the next few years.. yeah.. its way overpriced, but I think if I hadn't it would maybe be that $150~ price tag if I wanted everything done irregardless if I *just* needed an oil change. Or maybe I don't know what I'm talking about.. and don't really care so long as my car is taken care of

 

[janets98]

Can you threaten to contact the consumer advocate at one of your local TV stations? I'm sure the dealership would not be thrilled with the negative publicity that would bring down on their heads.

I only paid $39 for my 5K servicing and tire rotation. They inspected everything, topped off fluids, etc. without charging me an arm and a leg.

 

[DanMan32]

I'm not so sure it isn't Toyota's fault.

You see, dealers have posted different maintenance packages based if you want the full or the mini for any particular mileage interval. If you go to different Toyota dealerships, they have the same maintenance packages (you can probably look them up on the web).

If you ask for the 'usual 5K maintenance please', they are going to go by the 5K maxi package. It is listed at a fixed price, even if half or more of it doesn't apply to your (or even most) vehicles.

Next time, be VERY specific in what you want done. Often than not, it is more economical to go with the 5K mini, especially if you intend to get a tire rotation. As for the 30K in which air filters need changing, continue with the 5K mini, get the filters yourself and install them yourself. It only takes 5 minutes, no tools required, except maybe a rag to wipe your hands since the engine air cleaner cover can get dusty.

As for the maintenance that you already have had done, go over with the manager and have him check off what ACTUALLY was done that applies to the Prius. If only half (or less) of the listed work was actually completed, ask for a discount and get a refund in the difference.

For example, there's no differential to change fluids in. Even in a rear wheel drive vehicle, the differential is usually sealed.
Chassis in modern cars haven't needed a lube in years (though they may refer to the door hinges).
They may insist on charging for brake cleaning/adjustment/inspection. My dealer tried to get me to go for that, claiming that there's a break-in period for brakes on a new car. Since I was getting the tire rotation, it would have taken little more time to take the drum off and check the brakes.
When I stopped at a tent sale my dealer was having, one of the sales guys commented that brakes on a Prius don't typically need changing until 80K. For me, since I do a lot of long distance, moderate stop driving, probably won't need brakes until 160K.

 

[Seven7]

Perhaps call the service manager and say there was a mistake. Say what was done, and that you were overcharged (by approx 100 bux). See what happens. Perhaps you were charged the 5000 mile inspection for a "mortal" car, instead of a Prius. You know - where they actually have to DO stuff.

You may have something here. I went in to get filters changed and tires rotated and oil changed. I had 60,083 on the odometer and the guy who took my car in asked if I wanted the 60,000 mile service. I told him what I wanted. When I got the car back they said it was going to be around $650. I said those must have been some pretty high-tech tire rotating robots to make an oil and filter change cost that much..... Anyway, they were using a "regular" Toyota spec for the 60,000 mile service since they weren't a Toyota dealer (or so I was told). They didn't actually do any of the other services, just what I asked, but the bill was for the complete Toyota recommended maintenence.



Also, if you saw the bill and it was $160, was your wife a little suspicious at the time she paid the bill? Hopefully your situation will be resolved and the dealership owns up to their mistake. Although, I've come to know the term "Honest Mechanic" to be an oxy moron along the same lines as an "Honest Politician" or of course the lovely "Jumbo Shrimp" or an "Economical V8 Engine* as I overheard the Ford salesman say to a customer-to-be after he was asked about the emissiosn and mileage... as I was waiting to pickup my car after before said service.

 

[richard schumacher]

Although, I've come to know the term "Honest Mechanic" to be an oxy moron

Don't confuse "honest mechanic" with "honest service writer". If you were at a dealer I'll bet you did not talk to an actual mechanic.

 

[Hep]

Hopefully they "lubed" you first. :roll:

 

[melgish]

I would grab the maintenence guide for your prius, take it in to the service manager and demand to know how they could justify the price for the indicated service (ie oil change, and inspection). Be sure to use a loud voice that can be overheard by every customer on the sales floor.

 

[richard schumacher]

I'm not so sure it isn't Toyota's fault.

You see, dealers have posted different maintenance packages based if you want the full or the mini for any particular mileage interval. If you go to different Toyota dealerships, they have the same maintenance packages (you can probably look them up on the web).

Dan, I'm puzzled by your advice. In my experience any reference to pre-defined service packages only confuses things. I'd say an owner should take the list of what is to be done straight from the Prius maintenance guide, hand it to the service writer and get their price for that list. That should minimize nasty surprises and disagreements when the bill is presented.

 

[Guest]

Update

Thanks for the feedback! Good to hear others agree that $160 for the 5K is gouging and >300% of the standard price. It turns out the tires weren’t even rotated for that!! Amazing huh? Kind of ruins the logic for going to the dealership if they act even worse than the local chop shop to hassle/cheat the customer. I mean come on, they've got a fairly large markup on regular dealership prices without gouging or selling BS.

Basically, I think the service writer did a total up-sell snow-job and they didn't even have to perform the maintenance other than the oil change. Like for example, they "inspected the axel boot" on a brand new Prius. Are you kidding? I asked the representative sarcastically if that involved a lot of heavy machinery and disassembly, or if that could be more accurately described as glancing at it. I know it's just a very short look at it. What a joke. Also the rep had given my wife the impression the 5K was an important-ish scheduled maintenance, that luckily she wouldn’t have to do it at 10k, but would again at 15K. Hmmm... that's funny because according to the service schedule, the 5K and 10K are identical! What baloney.

 

[Guest]

Resolved

Resolved:

San Francisco Toyota Service is sending a service certificate good for the full $165 amount to not only correct the overcharge but also apologize for the hassle (after a little insisting) which should cover the next couple services at the correct price. So I’m satisfied, so long as this kind of BS never happens again. The hassle still isn't worth it.

I spoke to the San Francisco rep, Sarah Yu, who was very helpful. She agreed the price was excessive after checking with a service mngr. The actual service advisor who my wife spoke with then called me to apologize (apparently the blame rolled down to her) and resolved the issue. Does she really care about BS'ing customers or is she told to by a boss?

So whatever. Maybe better training or corporate policy is needed against up-selling/gouging, but of course dealerships will always try to get away with it. GM is a great example of the short sighted profit driven auto company. Hoping that’s not Toyota.

Prius is still a great car and great technology. Will post a follow-up on Toyota Service in another 5K miles. Overall Toyota is a good company but I hope they get dealerships sorted out. Why spend billions researching and marketing the Prius to have dealerships sour the experience? Looking forward to future American made Toyota hybrids.

 

[Sanny]

YAY!! :::cue the Mission Impossible theme:::