Dealership Service Loyalty- Pros? Cons?

Hey everyone, thanks for the welcome messages from across the country!

I'm rapidly approaching 30k miles (already did a synthetic oil change at 20k don't worry) and I'm very conflicted on whether or not it's worth it in the long run to have the dealership maintain my vehicle while it's still under CPO warranty. I know the service guide in the owner's manual talks about greasing prop shaft, re-torqueing bolts, transmission maintenance, diff/transfer case oil changes- so on and so forth.

However, I keep reading three posts about shitty dealer service (or work not actually even done when billed out on the work order) to every one post about dealers covering the rare transmission problems that the earlier 2nd Gens suffer from when they see you don't neglect the maintenance schedule on paper.

Just like 80-90% of the rest of the forum, I'm highly particular about taking care of my truck PROPERLY. I have more than enough mechanical aptitude and tools to perform my own general maintenance like oil changes, tire rotations, grease, brakes and fluid changes.

I mainly want to keep my resale value at it's best and also avoid having to pay out-of-pocket for a fried transmission God forbidding that happens. What are your thoughts?

 

My dealership isn't trustworthy. I did a couple free things there (oil change and first service), but I'm down with them. They gave me too many shannanogans and trouble the two times I've been there.

I'm still under Toyota warranty, but will bring it to my local mom and pop mechanic for my next, and all future service. They advice me of recalls and warranty work, so I'll bring it back to Toyota when I have to for that stuff. We used them for 10+y with our Sienna.

Bring it somewhere YOU trust. Many dealerships are good and many suck. It all depends on how yours is.

 

Yeah, it's hard to say. Resale value is what it is, and while dealer service records don't hurt, I haven't found that to be a big selling point in any of the cars or trucks I've bought and sold over the years. Its nice to have, but not a deal breaker, especially if you have service records from some sort of reputable shop or stacks of receipts showing the vehicle has been maintained.

As mentioned above, some dealership service departments are horrible, and some are really good (so far I've had nothing but good experiences with my dealer). I guess you could do a search on your particular dealer and see what folks are saying about them. If they suck there will be plenty of people complaining about them somewhere.

Doing basic maintenance yourself is always the best bet to make sure its done right...

How long is your warranty?

 

Hey to know them before you make the decision to not let them service your vehicle

I have gotten to know the folks in the service felt I use well enough to trust thhem to do the right thing and so far they have

I have also gotten to know a couple of the mechanics there who I request if the need arises

I have bad experiences at other dealers, non Toyota, that made me second guess ever going there again


If I had no trust at this dealer I would be looking elswhere but for elswhere is a hour drive in any direction as well

 

There is really no way to know the answer to this until you know the dealers in your area,is there?

If you get a bad one it will be a disadvantage obviously and the opposite is also true but the problem is that until you know,well you just do not know.

The only way around that is to find and ask about other peoples experience in your area,it can be a crap shoot for sure.

On the resale end I imagine most buyers feel that dealer service records are an advantage blindly so it is even trickier to determine and decide what to do there?

I had to get screwed over pretty badly before looking around for dealer alternatives and I am glad now that I did.

 

If you're smart enough, have the time, and don't mind getting your hands dirty, do it yourself.

The auto service industry is constantly recycling the same low wage, dishonest, and/or irresponsible individuals that steal your service from you, or abuse and neglect your personal property like it was their own at one location, just to turn up next door the next time you need service done.

 

I am one of those people that fall into category of being loyal to the dealership. I am not a good money haggler therefore I look for loyalty and good service.

In my case I can literally call up the dealership and get a price on any used or new vehicle (on the lot or not) and get the total price, monthly payment to the penny, and my APR. Truth be told, between my family, friends, and me, we have purchased about 30 cars. I have a huge family...and about half of those cars get serviced there.

Of course their have been times when the cars were left dirty but nothing crazy like some stories I have heard. But it gets taken care of quickly. Additionally any warranty issues were taken care quickly and even when they were borderline they was never denied. The solution always worked out in my or my families benefit. And when I get my cars get serviced it usually only takes 45 minutes for the oil changes and basic services.

Truthfully I do prefer mom and pop shops but unfortunately in my area they seem terrible. Missing oil plug gaskets, oil on my driver’s seat, and not tightening lug nuts. Yes the same thing can and does happen at dealerships...

I trust the dealership I use and as someone said before trust is paramount.

Obviously my situation isn’t the norm but the other benefit of the dealership is that the check the whole vehicle over and document it. And this is where one should read the manual and know the maintenance schedule. Dealerships are always going to up sell (some MUCH MUCH worse than others) so having the the ability to say no because you are properly informed is priceless...

 

Thanks for all the feedback. I've read reviews about my local Toyota dealership and there's too many negative reviews. The rating is good, it's what people complain about that turns me off. I'll do most of my maintenance myself and just hoard receipts/documentation.

Just called them this morning, turns out I don't have one. The truck IS 14 years old this year so I get it, but I thought for sure I'd have some kind of limited powertrain warranty or "X year/Y mile" type deal... Should've known better when they scheduled my first oil change as a "courtesy" when I bought it that day, only to find out I had to pay for it. I cancelled it and did it myself LOL. I'm (probably) not a cheap-ass but c'mon, you'd think they would at least do the first one free after me shelling out thousands in cash and them making money on the sale of a truck that was already sold there once before.

Amen to that. What's the most common service? Oil changes and tire rotations. Who's usually doing those the most? The new kid that doesn't care about doing a proper job.

It's just the opposite up my way. Usually the small guys are the ones with master mechanics that you can trust will do things right. I'm sure my local Toyota service center has a handful of good techs, I just don't trust them all. My local third-party shop might not have The View and an on-site Dunkin', but I know the shop owner does things right and takes care of his customers.

 

Too many variables.

In general - the "premium" charged by a dealer for basic service CAN be worth it, but you have to watch the line with them.

Oil change - it varies greatly by store....to me its worth 50 bucks easily to have someone change my oil using synthetic...60 even (usually have good luck getting them to price match quick change place coupons on my vehicles).

Would I have them do other maintenance work - depends. Some work they are fair and even cheaper on at a dealer - some is just outrageous.

As to resale boost - good records are a boost, regardless of the price on the invoices. A local mechanic vs dealer makes 0 difference.

Warranty concerns and the "You handle all my service" argument...zero value. A good dealer will work with you and corporate to resolve legit warranty issues - and tell you when its maintenance.

Service has a very loose affiliation with sales...sales traditionally will promise the world of service - and most everyone in service has cursed out sales at some point in their life for their "promises" 2 different worlds operating in the same galaxy.

 

I have been dealing with the same Toyota dealership for about 20 years, they get it right about 99.8% of the time and whenever I point out where they messed up - they make it right. I really can't ask for a better dealership experience.

 

Your dealer and Toyota seem to have different ideas about Certified Pre-Owned vehicles, and what CPO implies. I believe I would contact Toyota for an explanation:

https://www.toyotacertified.com/?sr...3w2A4ypLZGTrxF9s2uoEWwCbDRHgLdF8aAob4EALw_wcB

 

I gave up on the dealer. I was only going for oil changes at the time, but the wait was way too long. They had big signs warning that an oil change could take up to two hours if you didn't have an appointment. I guess I wasn't reading it correctly and foolishly made an appointment. That seemed to guarantee a minimum wait of 2 hours. Once, I had to retrieve blankets from the truck because the waiting room was intolerably cold. After each oil change, there was a long list of things that were critical and should be done "Right now". I knew I was in trouble when the service writer was very concerned because my "rear struts" were leaking. I have since found a reputable and reliable place for oil changes and some repairs. I have a local mechanic for most repairs, but if he can't handle it I'll take it to the specialists. The next visit will be for the 90,000 mile checkup. There's no way I'd let the dealer loose with that one.

 

@JohnLakeman I'll have to call them and see what they tell me. I have to admit I'm a little deflated now knowing there's no warranty at all. P.S. I used CPO loosely to abbreviate Certified Pre-Owned so that misunderstanding may be on my end...

 

Same with ours. We've only bought 2 vehicles from them (Seeger Toyota in St. Robert, MO) but they did us both right on both vehicles (2012 Highlander for the wife; 2020 Tundra for me). The only time I've ever gotten 'upset' was with the only issue I've had w/my Tundra (*VERY* occasional HVAC issue) but that wasn't with the dealership....it was just my sh*t luck. LOL We'll buy our next vehicle from them as well.

 

Very interesting to read all the comments here. Before my body gave up on me, I was an ASE certified mechanic, that was always trying to be that not so mythical honest mechanic. Outside of maintenance (i.e. oil changes, etc.) pricing should be using the same formula no matter where you go. I.e. (Part * markup) + (Labor Rate * Book Hours). Book Hours is how long the "book" (now computer programs) such as Mitchell 1 or Alldata tells you the repair should take. Because the mechanic gets paid based on this instead of how long the actual repair takes, there shouldn't be any variance in book hours. Dealers commonly have much higher Labor Rates and higher part cost and markup (they only use factory parts like Ford only uses Motorcraft, Chevy uses AC/Delco, etc.) that's why Dealers almost always cost more. At the same time, most dealer mechanics go to factory specific schools, and those OE parts are generally better than duralast or whatever that a private shop uses. So that's pricing.

As for do they cheat you? That's the crux of the situation. Dealers will try to cheat you as much as a private shop will, so the best thing to do is just research, and watch, basically become informed. I would suggest that everyone do their own oil changes for 2 reasons. One is that no matter what a private shop says, chances are, they are using 1 or 2 types of bulk oil, and almost never the type of oil you say you want. My second gen Tundra gives me the choice of 5w-20 non-synthetic, or 0w-20 synthetic and few shops carry 0w-20 synthetic. So even though they say "sure we'll give you 0w-20" you're probably getting something else. (And beware, I've seen more shops using "Recycled" bulk oil, which is pure horse crap.) The second reason to do your own is quick oil change places hire people that know 0 about cars, and "teach" them how to do oil changes. Which is why you end up with oil drain plugs so tight you need a 1/2 inch breaker bar to get them loose (this is a very bad thing) and double gasketed filters (also a very bad thing).

If you are looking for a new shop, I would suggest you do a few things.

1. Research the shop. Read reviews, and talk to customers, both happy and unhappy.
2. Ask people you trust for recommendations.
3. Look for "ASE Certified Mechanics" signs. (ASE will not sell those to just rando Joe Shmoes) Then ask to see certificates. ASE issues new certificates whenever one of the tests is passed. These certificates will have the expiration of the test which is 5 years. (An abbreviated test can be taken to recertify that focuses on changes since the last test.) They will also say what the test was over (A1: Engine Repair, A2: Automatic Transmission, A3: Standard Transmission, A4: Steering and Suspension, etc.) If they say they are are Master Mechanics, make sure they have A1 - A8 and all are valid) Make sure they have A9 if your vehicle is a diesel. L1 is a plus. And do not believe them when they say the truck series tests are for light trucks and SUVs, they are really for Big Rigs, 18 wheelers.
5. Do they check TSBs, Recalls, and Factory Maintenance schedules when you bring your vehicle in?

What it all comes down to like everything is become informed. If you are informed about your decision it becomes difficult for anyone to cheat you. And it then becomes moot whether you go to the dealer or a private shop.

Just my 2 cents, and I hope it helps someone.

 

Really depends on the dealer. I have a local mechanic that does good work but something require the dealership. My dealership is pretty good. And they have a window that I can watch what they are doing. The service manager is a tundra guy so him and I chat often and so far has taken good care of the vehicle, even though we disagreed on the need for a transmission cooler.

 

Well the Service Manager for Seeger now in STL is the former one from Fusz in STL that ganked me hard on a 4Runner that I had and this is while I was supposedly in the Family of theirs too.

I Knew Tom Seeger and he was a straight shooter with me but I will not take any of my business to them here now for sure.

The deal is that you just can not know if they did it right until you try and then it is too late too.