Taking it to the dealer is risky (with my bad luck) if you don't check everything before and after. I have a checklist of items to do before and after taking it in for the included oil changes. Removing skid plate, marking oil filter, etc. I've had them forget to put the skid plate back on my FJC, as well as stripping most of the skid plate bolts. On the new LC250 they forgot to latch the air filter box on two sides. I often wonder what type of oil and what oil viscosity they put in it. I've also marked tires, and discovered they never rotated them.
Are all Toyota dealerships terrible?
- Thread starter SadWheatFox
- Start date
Part of the reason a customer pays more for Lexus autos is the customer care that is provided. I have a friend who is a Lexus dealer in Raleigh, NC (David Johnson) who takes pride in the quality of his service staff. He hires good people and pays them accordingly.
- Sep 22, 2024
- 87
- 79
- Vehicles
- 2024 Toyota Land Cruiser; 2021 Jeep Gladiator Rubicon
For those in the central NC area, I have had a great experience with Modern Toyota in Winston-Salem. The service people are professional and friendly, and they appear to have reliable scheduling. They also have a great waiting area, which I’ve taken for granted until experiencing there’s. It large, has lots of comfortable seating, and has workstations for those who need to work while waiting.
Is there a reason, other than price and probably not getting a loaner that we couldn’t take our LCs to a Lexus dealer? My dad did the opposite when he lived in SW Virginia and wasn’t near a Lexus dealer. The dealer I bought from (and did the TSB with is fine but it is a 30-minute drive). I’m in DFW so I have my choice of dealers, but I haven’t been impressed with most, and Lexus is the closest to me.
I am sorry you had to deal with this supreme stupidity. I just had my 2024, 1958 serviced this week at 441 Southern Toyota in Wellington, FL and dare I say..was a very pleasant experience. Hope I don't jinx it.
- Thread starter
- #49
The whole experience is enraging, and like I said in my Toyota survey, this was my first Toyota and may very well be my last. My wife is in the market for a new vehicle and is likely to skip right over Toyotas entirely even though a RAV4 fits her needs almost perfectly. The dealership hasn't reached out at all after 2 bad surveys, so I'm not sure they even care to make things right.
Wow, I'm shocked. If I owned that dealership I'd fire the service manager. I've had a little bit of attitude from certain employees and exceptional professionalism from others at the dealership I go for servicing. I try to let them know from the onset what my expectations are by asking direct questions and to indirectly communicate that someone will be held accountable if they aren't met. It's kind of a hard ass attitude, but not unreasonable considering the investment we've made in these vehicles. I'm not suggesting you do the same, but I would have made and appointment to speak with the managers supervisor and make that person aware of the intentional breach of contract and how I was misled to believe the work was performed just to see how he responds. If not satisfied, I'd simply take my LC to a different dealership.
I'd urge you not to write off the brand because of poor treatment at a specific dealership. I walked out of the dealership when I was purchasing my LC because I found the salesman to be condescending. I had to drive thirty miles further and two dealerships later to find the kind of treatment I expected. Here's the kicker, I take my LC to the dealership that I first left because of the salesperson for servicing. You're making an investment in the brand/vehicle/Rav4 not the dealership.
- Thread starter
- #52
Both of us have busy lives, and honestly, the dealership I had problems with is relatively close to home. The next one is quite a bit longer a drive. She isn't willing to drive that far to get a new car serviced, so she is likely going to go with a Subaru since the Subaru dealership down the street from the Toyota dealership has a fantastic reputation. It's the whole package. You are not only buying a vehicle, but you are buying into the brand, and if the dealership isn't good, it's a reflection on the brand as a whole. Had Toyota or the dealership reached out after this, I'd be less annoyed at the whole thing. The ONLY saving thing about all of this is that the service manager did get the tires dealt with right at close of business for them. That said, I'm not convinced they even did the oil change I paid for. The oil was rather dark the next day. All in, it's been a terrible experience 2 of the 3 times I've brought it in for service. Next time, I will be not only marking a tire again, but the oil filter or the drain plug, whichever is easier to access.
The sad thing is that the Nissan dealership where I bought my last truck was great. They did what they said they would do, when I had an exhaust leak, they said they could do the work and would love to do the work, but that Midas would be cheaper. They never left me concerned that they didn't do the work, and never ever just waved and said that my truck was in one lot or the other like this dealership did the previous time I brought it in. The only reason I didn't go with another Nissan was that I had run the wheels off of my Xterra and Nissan didn't have what I was looking for. What's funny is that I really like the Land Cruiser, I just hate the dealership and it's soured me on Toyota as a whole.
That's too funny. Had a 2023 Subaru Outback. I was happy with it, but what I wanted something more capable offroad. So, I got a 2025 Bronco, but the roof was cracking and it leaked at the right front pillar. I looked at every used Bronco they had on the lot and each roof had cracks, and now I've settled on the LC. My wife is also looking at a new car and she's leaning toward the RAV4, but I told her a Subaru is also a good alternative. I received the best service from the Subaru dealership in Vancouver, WA that I've ever gotten at any dealership no matter the brand. I'm not all that excited about the dealer where I take my LC for servicing now, but until they give me a reason to go elsewhere, I'll stay there. Having them install some ditch lights as soon as they arrive, we'll see how that goes.
sorry man but you never trust anyone duet your yourself !
I made a road trip to Ed Martin Toyota to have an installation performed. My local dealership seems fine enough but Ed Martin is what any dealership should aspire to be. It was a friendly, knowledgeable, well-oiled machine with a really great facility and phenomenal service. I’d consider having all my vehicles be Toyotas if I lived in the vicinity of Ed Martin! Cant recommend this place and its people enough.
It's like the car industry adopted the 'razor' model of making money. Give them the razor for free, and they'll keep buying the blades for years. Before the interwebs, it seemed like dealers made money (or could make money) off of sales. Now, everyone knows the dealer cost/etc. and can haggle down to a few hundred over cost. Now, they make money off of service. Why the 'free' first couple of oil changes/etc. Get you habituated to going to them for service, build a relationship.
What I find mind boggling is this model is somewhat dependent on providing 'good' service. Most folks (at least in larger cities) have access to more than one dealership/service center. I guess the larger 'bad' providers have enough volume they don't care?
- Thread starter
- #57
Sigh, yeah. On my first visit there, the service writer told me that they have a quota of cars to get into the service department every day. If they are all easy jobs, they can get them done, if they have a couple of challenging ones, then other work doesn't get done. In my case, I was getting a dashcam installed. Dropped it off at 9:00 AM, it took until the middle of the next day to install the factory dashcam.
Point of corrections on a few things listed here
1. Not every service visit will generate a Toyota survey. There’s criteria on volume, your most recent date of service, etc.
2. A dealer’s survey scores do not determine warranty parts reimbursement rates or labor rate. At least nationally. Independent distributors GST and SET may be different.
Use Internet ratings as you would for restaurants or other companies you choose to do business with. There’s plenty of bad comments out there… Look for positive reviews.
3. Every dealer has bad surveys, and every worker has bad days. The key is their efforts to rectify. If you don’t get satisfaction with service advisor, go to service manager. I’m happy there, go to GMgr. Not satisfied then, call Toyota, or go to another dealer. Same as I would do with the restaurant.
4. I’d much rather service with a dealer on this expensive investment/asset then try an independent who’s never worked on one before. That doesn’t mean there aren’t awesome. Independent shops.
5. Be safe out there and have a great day!
1. Not every service visit will generate a Toyota survey. There’s criteria on volume, your most recent date of service, etc.
2. A dealer’s survey scores do not determine warranty parts reimbursement rates or labor rate. At least nationally. Independent distributors GST and SET may be different.
Use Internet ratings as you would for restaurants or other companies you choose to do business with. There’s plenty of bad comments out there… Look for positive reviews.
3. Every dealer has bad surveys, and every worker has bad days. The key is their efforts to rectify. If you don’t get satisfaction with service advisor, go to service manager. I’m happy there, go to GMgr. Not satisfied then, call Toyota, or go to another dealer. Same as I would do with the restaurant.
4. I’d much rather service with a dealer on this expensive investment/asset then try an independent who’s never worked on one before. That doesn’t mean there aren’t awesome. Independent shops.
5. Be safe out there and have a great day!
If I have to escalate to the GM then the dealer is a lost cause. And your expectation that dealers are inherently superior to independents is flawed, in my opinion.
I am a 3rd generation Floridian and Toyota dealers have been bad statewide for a very long time now, your positive experience at Southern 441 in "Swellington" might be the first that I have heard about any Toyota dealer in FL. in a long time.
Lexus, there are a few good dealers, the best being J.M. Lexus (both locations), but Toyota I cannot think of a single good experience I nor family nor friends have had statewide in a long time.
I am over in Orlando and all the dealers in Orlando are pretty much uniformly terrible, with the best for service being Central Florida Toyota and sales being Winter Park Toyota, but that is not saying much because both leave a lot to be desired.
My Uncle recently had a very negative experience with Ed Morse Delray Toyota sales and my Sister had a terrible service experience at Palm Beach Toyota, so it sounds like driving west might be the trick.
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