[Norma]

I hate my service dept.. This is just to help me vent.. really..

So.. I got a call on friday saying that my dome light replacement was in. I already had an apt made for tomorrow (tues) but the service manager that I talk to said If I needed to change it, to just let them know. OK.. I told the guy on friday that I could drop my car off today and to please let the manager know since i would be needing a rental. (they give me a rental now because of all the crap they've put me through in the past few months). The says ok and I thought that was that.

Today.. its 10am and I'm at the desk dropping my car off. I tell the guy that my part came in and it needs to be installed.. i also let him know about the wind deflector issue and that the guy in parts said they had the film thing so that was also noted when making the apt.. the guy says 'what wind deflector issue.. is there a problem and we're replacing it?' i was like no.. no problem.. I just heard about the campaign and the parts guy told me my scion was one of the ones that needed the thing done. He said he knew nothing about it and just stood there.. finally he called parts to see if my order for a wind deflector came in. what a dumb ass.. i told him again that nothing was ordered and that they had it in.. finally he makes a note in the computer and asks if i had any other issues. I told him that I had a rattle near my steering wheel and my radio.. he wrote it down and said they'd call me. I'm standing there for a few minutes while he asks the next person to go over there.. I say excuse me and ask him where's my rental.. he says there's nothing there and if i'm sure I was getting one.. at this point i'm pissed cuz he is treating me like an idiot. He says theres nothing and goes to the back.. i see that he doesnt ask anyone and comes back to say there's nothing. He finally calls the manager and he tells the guy to give me a rental. dumb ass! So then he says they have no more rentals and stands there.. doesnt offer me any other options and i'm like.. okayyyy.. then he suggests that I wait a while for them to get me a rental from hertz.. this now means that i'll be waiting a while for that rental to either get there or for the other guy to get to the dealer to drive me over there.

At this point i'm so mad i could cry.. i tell him to forget it and to give me back my key.. he hands me the key and walks toward the printer. Ok.. my car is parked inside and there are 3 cars behind me. The only way out is to drive threw all the other cars getting worked on.. I tell him that i'm not driving my car threw the whole service area. The f&#[email protected] makes a big sigh and goes to drive my car around.

Now.. I am pissed, took time to go to the dealer and my car is still not fixed. ugh!

 

[zoltiz]

A good dealer takes a while to train. I think everybody in the service department and parts department knows me by now, they know that I like my car to be serviced quickly and that I know what I'm asking for. I also keep the relationship lubricated by occasional donations of bud light for the techs and crown royal for the service advisors. Never had a single problem with warranty claims or tiny little rattles - everything will be worked on regardless of the importance of the issue.

But it hasn't always been like that. When I had my matrix they managed to damage some aftermarket stuff like TRD oil cap and shifter and had to order me replacements. But after 2.5 years I got them to understand that I like my car and I don't like to wait or to have stuff messed up in my cars.

Funny thing is that I did not buy anything from them yet, and they still seem to love me.

 

[basilisk4]

That sucks. I try to avoid dealership visits.

 

[krdshrk]

Dome light replacement? You broke one of those lights? I coulda sent you one of mine no prob... i replaced them with LED's

 

[Norma]

Originally posted by krdshrk@Nov 7 2005, 01:51 PM
Dome light replacement? You broke one of those lights? I coulda sent you one of mine no prob... i replaced them with LED's

It's actually the whole thing. They messed it up when they were trying to fix my hatch rattle

thanks though

 

[TruthHurts]

Dealerships and service departments. I think I'd rather stick an open wound in hot peanut oil than have to visit the dealership for anything. Not all of 'em, I know, but most choose to be [email protected]$$e$ because they can be...especially if you have the kind of car that is so unique that a general joe-schmo mechanic can't do the job. They know they're the last hope, so why go the extra mile to be good...either way they'll get the business of customers too lazy to find another dealer or not smart enough.

If doctors behaved like that, there'd be pneumonia patients standing in the streets, hallucinating. Dante has a level for dealership employees too.

 

[MustangJolly]

i like my dealership.. they were quick to respond and i just go in without an appointment and they squeeze me in.. they love me!

 

[nrhanson]

I feel your pain Norma. I took my car in for the rattles and some sunroof work (it didn't sit flush with the rest of the car). They have it for two weeks!!!! I got no updates unless I called and everytime I told him - I am worried about the sunroof that could leak - they just kept talking about the rattles. Finally, after the end of two weeks I get a call that they have fixed most of the rattles but it turns out they have to replace part of the sunroof assembly and that will fix the rattles and the sunroof. I flipped out. They had my car for more than two weeks and didn't fix ish.

I came in the next day (because if I had gone in that day I would have been really pissed at the service manager) picked up my car and told them to call me when they got the part in. They finally got it in the next week and fixed it. If they would have listened to me in the first place and fixed what I saw as a priority I could have had my car back within a few days. It kinda makes me mad just thinking about it.

 

[sciontc_mich]

if these dealers keep acting like this.. toyota might be in trouble with the scion brand.. because who cares how nice the car is.. if they don't give you good service, most people WILL leave.. scion should wake up..

 

[Geneo]

The fact is that in surveys.....the dealers..Toyota and Scion generally get fairly poor marks for service. In most cases worst than the domestics. Locally the Toyota dealer pays mechanics less than the average. High turnover and less than the absolute best in techs...as a rule. Great cars and a black eye for service. Been like this for a while now here.

 

[basilisk4]

Originally posted by sciontc_mich@Nov 8 2005, 04:54 AM
who cares how nice the car is.. if they don't give you good service, most people WILL leave.. scion should wake up..

If that were true, McDonald's would've gone out of business long ago. The fact is that people will put up with a certain amount of hassle if the product is good enough or cheap enough. As long as Toyota continues to make a superior car, they will be able to get away with worse performance on the service end...

 

[TruthHurts]

Originally posted by basilisk4+Nov 8 2005, 06:54 AM-->QUOTE (basilisk4 @ Nov 8 2005, 06:54 AM)

<!--QuoteBegin-sciontc_mich

@Nov 8 2005, 04:54 AM
who cares how nice the car is.. if they don't give you good service, most people WILL leave..  scion should wake up..

If that were true, McDonald's would've gone out of business long ago. The fact is that people will put up with a certain amount of hassle if the product is good enough or cheap enough. As long as Toyota continues to make a superior car, they will be able to get away with worse performance on the service end... [/b]

Nah, I think people's screamin' @$$ kids keep them going to McDonalds. Which would you rather deal with - a rude, not-so-bright McDonalds worker, or somebody's unruly child? A no-brainer to me...give the kid the [email protected] fries to shut 'em up...especially since parents are too stupid to actually discipline their kids these days.

Hopefully as the Scions increase their presence on the roads, more non-dealership mechanics will learn their ins-and-outs, and save us from having to make the trip to Toyota/Scion and from testing our patience with idiots.

 

[zoltiz]

Originally posted by TruthHurts@Nov 8 2005, 09:27 AM
Hopefully as the Scions increase their presence on the roads, more non-dealership mechanics will learn their ins-and-outs, and save us from having to make the trip to Toyota/Scion and from testing our patience with idiots.

There is nothing special about the "ins-and-outs" of any Scion. Service manuals are freely available, Echo platform has been around for years, and tC's mix of Camry, Celica and Corolla is also nothing new. If it was some weird hybrid, then maybe, but's a plain jane Toyota, just like millions of others on the road.

Non-dealership mechanics can be a pain in the butt, too, btw.

 

[basilisk4]

Originally posted by TruthHurts@Nov 8 2005, 10:27 AM
Nah, I think people's screamin' @$$ kids keep them going to McDonalds. Which would you rather deal with - a rude, not-so-bright McDonalds worker, or somebody's unruly child? A no-brainer to me...give the kid the [email protected] fries to shut 'em up...especially since parents are too stupid to actually discipline their kids these days.

That just proves my point. As long as McDonald's provides consumers with something that they want, the consumers will put up with bad service...to a point. The same is true about Toyota.

Also, zoltiz is right that service techs/mechanics suck everywhere, in my experience.

 

[TruthHurts]

I can agree to that as well.

 

[krdshrk]

Gotta find a good mechanic that you can trust... and stick with them.

 

[basilisk4]

Originally posted by krdshrk@Nov 8 2005, 11:30 AM
Gotta find a good mechanic that you can trust... and stick with them.

Kind of like any service industry.

 

[Norma]

Well this is an update.. and I'm venting.. sorry..

I picked up my car last night. The manager told me that they drove around a few times and heard nothing. My dome light was replaced and everything was great. Ok.. I take their word for it. I haven't even driven 2 miles as I'm merging onto the freeway when I start hearing the rattle near my fog light button. I was so pissed off.. it was no faint sound either. How the hell can they tell me that they fixed the problem if i heard it just after minutes of driving??? Later that night, on my way home, the light where I put the car in gear doesnt turn on.. i am so pissed off that I dont know what you call it. F! I swear! Yeah the light is no issue.. my bf offered to check the bulb or we'll just replace it but wtf! that damn rattle! What? I bought the extended warranty about 2 months ago for nothing.. I think I remember seeing someone post a fix for that rattle and I'll do it myself.. so much for my warranty.

I'll go to another dealer next time! ugh

 

[krdshrk]

They could have knocked loose a switch or something behind that panel. It's not too hard to get to.

 

[iGod]

even i dont take my car to my service dept for anything that isnt warranty related, and i work there. there is one tech in the back that i trust with my ride, no one else. and it isnt that they cant do the work, because i am sure most of them can (we do have the 4th highest ranking service dept in the country), i just know that most techs dont approach your car as if it was their own. and thats a big deal to me. its no different than the car salesman up in front - for most people at a dealership, this is just a job. they arent really into cars the same way that we are.
no wonder i do all my own work.