Dealership service extortion

Just took the beast in for 175K General service against all better judgement. Truck running great but figured diff and transfer case fluid change not a bad idea. Bill ended up at $2400 after a front brake job I’m sure was not immediately necessary. $1200 of labor in 6 hrs. After complaining they gave me a free battery so that’s something but.. I take the truck there because it’s convenient, why are they not cool to those who continually try to support Toyota. Not cool but that’s today’s big bad world. Beware of dealer service or does someone have a different view?

 

Welcome from NY.
That was expensive.
Post up some pictures of the beast.

 

Does anyone recommend an independent service provider for Tundras in the Ottawa Canada area?

 

That’s what I thought. I love the truck and Toyota so totally choked by this one. Will get some photos up soon. Cheers

 

$1200 labor? What all did they do? You can change rotors, pads, calipers and bleed in less than 1 hour per side. Did they do it without asking you first or did they call? Please post your bill from them on what all they did.

$895 USD for 6 hours is $149 per hour. Highest I’ve seen in the US was around $120 in DC.

 

Surely they gave you a total before they did the work?

 

No not really but I also was too trusting. They gave me a total on the front brake job when they called me and it was reasonable. The problem is that for every service there is a standard charge with labor but no body is looking to see if it’s reasonable. They also charged for rear brake service when I didn’t approve it, fluid change and rust bang off. As well despite doing a bunch of specific work they still included the $150 general maintenance charge. I basically can’t take the truck there any more and I was shooting for the 1 million miles!!

 

They just charge a flat $150 general maintenance charge? Yeah I wouldn’t go back there again.

 

I’m happy to post the bill - will get it up when Im back on Monday.

 

Total lesson learned, you can’t trust any more unless it’s a small shop you know. Nobody at the dealership is going to put the effort in to look for reasonableness.

 

Yeah not trying to say anything about you just getting the work done, but that dealership definitely gouges people. Double check that the work they say was actually done too.

 

That's pretty ridiculous... they need to make that right! If you want to get some of that money back that they tried to steal from you... post some comments on their facebook page and if they are worth a damn they should make it right. Or just go straight to the Dealer GM

 

They’re not all bad...

to put it into perspective. I had purchased the OEM tailgate lock kit from Sparks Toyota. Went to my local dealership to have the front directionals recall done and wanted to have the lock installed because I haven’t had the time to do it myself.

When I called, I was told they couldn’t quote me because they never did one before. I thought well, other have said it took 1-2 hrs so I was guessing a couple hundred.

it ended up costing me $15.00 American for them to do it. I thought they screwed up and misread the amount of time and was supposed to charge me 150.00. I was shocked, and also questioned it.

long story short, they’re not all jerks...

 

FYI - Dealership Labour rate in Canada at High River Toyota (Alberta) $144.95/hr CAD. That's considered on the lower side - some dealers are in the $160+ range.

The only way you could have $1200 of labour on one vehicle in one day is if two techs did two different jobs simultaneously. And that's only in theory - in practical terms it's highly unlikely you could run two jobs at the same time unless the parts are being worked on off the vehicle.

 

the things i would contest is the work you said they did that you did not approve: rear brake service, fluid change which i thought you said was ok on initial post? and rust bang off. i would question those....

 

Welcome from NW PA (Northwestern Pennsylvania)

I take my vehicles to the dealer about 90% of the time. The newer/better shape the more likely it will go to the dealer. I've had some pretty bad work done at independent shops plus some really good, fairly priced work done, but its hit or miss. Dealers are usually more convenient, have good hours, better access to parts, know how service bulletin etc. but usually seem over priced. I say go with who you like and are comfortable with.

 

Good independent 30% less or better on labor, I’ve seen these high bills
And extra additional labor cost over the years , working in dealership,
Some of the repair bills I’ve seen customers get they could buy a new ride for
What there shelling out every 12 to 18 months ,I better stop this might
Be my beginning of a dealership tip book ....

If you get a survey in mail from Toyota motor tell how you feel
These go way up the food chain

 

All of these posts are making me feel incredibly lucky I have found a trusted mechanic to shoot me straight and treat the truck like his own. He specializes in Japanese cars!

 

Yup

A dealer or mechanic can't do work unless you agree. If you signed off on an open invoice, that is what they are hoping for.

My mechanic sends me an electronic invoice with the work they want to do, shows what is recommended and what can wait. Until I give them the green light, they don't do any work or charge me anything.

You should have asked for your keys and told them you're not paying for work you didn't agree to.

 

They probably charged what the book said it took. Book might say 6 hours but it really takes half that. They charge the whole rate and can work on another car while technically still getting paid for the first one.

 

They did this to me on my '06 when replacing the evaporator. The book says the dash has to come out and they charged me all those hours. I left some "markers" around the dash so I would know if it had been removed and none of them had been touched, the dash had not come out. They had figured out over the years how to get it out using less labor but they never pass that savings on, in my experience.

Even better was when there was a recall, I think it was the ball joints. There is a shield behind the wheel that has to come off to change the part. They CUT my shields in half to get the part out, cutting the labor way down. Needless to say, when I looked under there the next day, I was right back at the dealer getting new shields installed.

 

im with you on that. i actually trust my toyota SA and take all of my cars to him. he's partnered with the same master tech that installed my supercharger 10yrs ago so i trust them both. never try to sell me more. i bring 4 cars to them. but i treat them well and to me it's all about relationships so if you can find a good tech, treat them right. i even hook them up with gift cards on the holidays...so we have a rapport. the master tech works on my truck and wipes down my engine bay treating it like his own supercharged mustang.

if the master tech goes to another SA then I'll follow him. as much as i like the SA, it's the MT that means the most to me

 

Read up on steering rack replacement. Book says to pull the engine which is obviously alot of labor, but it can be and is done without pulling it. That’s just one example.

 

I’m originally from Okotoks, wish I were home! Thanks this is a good comparison.

 

That’s pretty cool, my guys charged me $70 CAD to install a rear tail light.

 

I actually tried to find how to inform Toyota Canada but had trouble finding anything other than a contact for their finance arm. They are obviously in on the deal.

 

I questioned the total labor and those items I didn’t agree to. I have no issue paying for what I really agreed to. There is no doubt I got worked over on this. I think the posts I’m getting back are totally useful as I will be much more informed and careful in the future. Just disappointed that they still put one over on someone who is trying to be loyal.

 

Welcome from LA (Lower Alabama)!