Toyota Servicing - WTF

[DBR]

I have full Toyota history on my car an thought i might keep the toyota history going?, an then get phoenix to do all the big jobs for me (they are quality by the way). BUT just spoke to Toyota in colindale (North London), to get a quote for a 'B' service including changing spark pluggs.....THEY WANT £450!!!!!!

 

Is this a fuckn joke or what!, checked with Phoenix an they want less than half that for the 'B' service.

 

Dont make sense, how do the justify such ridicoulas pricing.

[Ian W]

use Phoenix for the lot mate....anyone who knows what they're looking for will appreciate a Phoenix service history more than a Toyota dealer's one.

[Digsy]

At the risk of soudning like a broken record, there is a massive risk of getting ripped of by simply saying "I want an "A" service", or "I want a "B" service". If you actually read the scope of work in the sevice handbook, it is different for pretty much every single service because there are so many things that get checked or changed at intervals other than 9000 miles. I've done a matrix of what gets changed and when. £450 doesn't sound too out of order for a full-whck "B" service with all the trimmings (fluids, valve clearance check, etc, etc) but lesser "B" services can roll in at as little as £250 IIRC.

 

How many miles has your car done? Its the only way to verify what they may or may not have been quoting you for.

 

On the other hand, when I decided that I couldn't justify paying Toyota prices anymore I went to great pains to find a local garage that specialises in classic and performance cars, and had a labour rate of about half Toyota's. The problem is that I didn't actually bother to check how long they took about things. I booked in for an "A" service (and I mean the bog standard "A" that is pretty much just an oil change) but I also printed out the scope of work from the handbook and listed everything they should be doing to be the same as the Toyota service. Guess what??? I didn't ask for a price beforehand. DONKEY. DONKEY. DONKEY.

 

In the end they did every last thing on my list with meticulous care, right down to greasing the door and bonnet hinges, and I ended up paying a handsome £80 above what Toyota would have charged me.

 

Not all services are created equal. Make sure you know what you are being quoted for,

[Ian W]

Sound advice, Digsy. Been caught out this way myself as well.

[geoffvalenti]

TBH, the way the prices are going these days, unless your car is immaculate condition and extremely low mileage, and could be considered a collectors piece FTSH is going to make no difference whatsoever.

 

You may as well take it to Phoenix where you know that the job is going to be done properly, rather than risk it with Toyotas apprentices (for it is they who do the routine servicing) at twice the cost.

[Pete]

Thankfully my solution is closer to hand and called Mr Wilson.

[Ian W]

Thankfully my solution is closer to hand and called Mr Wilson.

 

think i might ask if i can move in...........how long is the queue now Pete, any idea?

[Robert]

LOL toyota in colindale, good lord keep away from them for a service, prices are mad. Thats the toyota i used to get parts from.

[Digsy]

Actually, as I posted up the other day, my local Toyta dealer has started a "loyalty" discount whereby the older your car is, the less you pay for parts and labour. The maximum discount is for cars of ten years and above. 40% off labout and 15% off parts.

 

Funny thing is, when I mentioned it to the parts desk guy he didn't know anything about it (despite me having the membership pack with me at the time). He also pretty much implied that I wouldn't qualify as my car is an import. He'd just givem me a quote for nearly £1000 worth of parts and labour and I don't think he liked the idea of having to give so much of a discount

[DBR]

Digsy – cheers for the advise, she is just reaching 46,000 ……… im going to check the service book tonight for what exactly needs doing, I have just had (about 3mths ago) V160 put into the gear box so that is one less thing to be done.

 

 

Geoffvalenti – that is the reason I want to go to Toyota I have got a Uk manual TT, its absolutly immaculate, with a full Toyota service history and @ 46,000 miles. an before long it may well be a ‘collectors piece’……. I hope;) . I would prefer to take it to Phoenix because they are v.good an trustworthy….but I think the value is going to stay it its peak if I carry on with Toyota. So it’s the choice of taking it to a place I KNOW will take better care of it and definantly know more about the car or do I take it somewere to keep the value up but not necasarily the condition…hmmm choices, choices:rolleyes: .

 

Pete – Would luv to take the supe to Chris Wilson but he is miles away from me, im in London. Hmmm that an idea what do you think Chris will think on a door to door service

[Daston]

I love how Toyota dealers say "but yours is an import" Its a fecking Jap company what the the fek do they expect I mean it would be like ferrei turning round and saying "sorry your cars italian I will charge you £900 per hour"

[geoffvalenti]

Geoffvalenti – that is the reason I want to go to Toyota I have got a Uk manual TT, its absolutly immaculate, with a full Toyota service history and @ 46,000 miles. an before long it may well be a ‘collectors piece’……. I hope;)

 

TBH I'd still use Phoenix. Most people in the know, value the services of a good specialist equally or higher than a main dealer.

 

When the Supra first came out in the UK, a mechanic from each of the Lexus sales outlets, went on a course for Supras, they were the ones designated to work on them.

 

10 years on most of them have moved on/been promoted. Yours could well be the first Supra that the designated mechanic at the main dealer has seen.

 

Mark and co at Phoenix have seen lots of them, I know who I'd trust to work on my car (if I couldn't do it myself)

[Bobbeh]

Thats ridiculous, unless its the service including cambelt change?

[Digsy]

No service "includes" a cambelt change. A cambelt change will always be extra.

 

I've updated my service matrix and attached it here again. Beware the trick that some dealers pull that is charghing you twice for the additonal items. The system that produces the bill of materials and labour charge for routine servcing is automatic and driven from your vehicle mileage. For routine servicing they should not have to manualy add anything at all.

 

A good test woud be to wak in, give your vehicle details and ask for a quote on a, say, 54000 mile "B" service. after they tell you the price, check what's included and ten compare it to the list.

 

The prices are a guide but they are based on what I have paid at my local dealers over the years.

Supra servicing for BBS.xls

[Paul]

Mark and co at Phoenix have seen lots of them, I know who I'd trust to work on my car

 

Same here, Toyota service stamp ain't worth a w*nk imo.

For what it'll cost you in the long run with things they miss or do wrong it'll offset any depreciation you may think non toyota servicing will give.

To get a good price on these cars now you'd really have to sell to someone who's done their homework, not the local ads, and I do believe myself that Phoenix or similar paperwork is worth more than some spotty geek doing it at Toyota.

 

Paul

[toyotasuprauk]

Like others have said dealer history means nothing. I'd rather buy a car that had been serviced by say Chris Wilson than one that had full toyota history. About 3 years ago I asked my local toyota if they service many supras they said they have done one or two!

[DBR]

digsy - cheers for the info sheet m8, thats a big help;) , i take it the items listed in your schedule are just the main things to be done and all checks specified in the service book should still be carried out.

[black cat]

they wanted 750 quid to replace a stock clutch!!!!!!!!! 496 to fit:(

 

not going there

[Bobbeh]

How can you say it means nothing, if a car as been serviced to the specified requirements of Toyota, properly, there is nothing wrong with that especially if your car is standard.

 

All this slagging off the dealers seems to me like you're trying to justify your own lack of propper service history.

 

There are some bad apples but they're not all retarded.

[nismo_lp]

A decent tuning specialist will know what they are doing alot more then some Toyota dork ... bet 99% of Toyota engineer havent seen a JZA80 engine in their lifes ... i certainly woudnt trust them ... Il be using Thor next time!

[ellis]

Pete – Would luv to take the supe to Chris Wilson but he is miles away from me, im in London. Hmmm that an idea what do you think Chris will think on a door to door service

 

Dan - I travel from Lincoln across there!! It's the best 5 hour round trip you can take - if the car means that much to you it's worth having an expert who really cares looking after your car - wouldn't trust mine to anybody else - Chris is a total diamond.

[DBR]

Dan - I travel from Lincoln across there!! It's the best 5 hour round trip you can take - if the car means that much to you it's worth having an expert who really cares looking after your car - wouldn't trust mine to anybody else - Chris is a total diamond.

 

hmm youve got me thining now ellis?.... were is Chirs exactly?

[johnrxx99]

How true all your comments are, in particular, there are few Toyota mechanics who have even seen a Supra these days let alone know how to treat it right.

 

Had mine serviced by Toyota for years but one trip to Chris Wilson and it flies. Can wait for the rest of the work.

 

At the age of our cars it will make little impact on value and to my mind may enhance it by going to a specialist. Unlikely a potential purchaser will not be clued up.

[Digsy]

digsy - cheers for the info sheet m8, thats a big help;) , i take it the items listed in your schedule are just the main things to be done and all checks specified in the service book should still be carried out.

 

Yeah, the overriding workscopes are covered in the "A" and "B" service schedules that are in the owners' service book. In fact if your dealer knows their stuff that's all they shoould need.

 

I pulled out the items that are not serviced at 9000 mile intervals because (a) it makes it easier to see the data all in front of you that way, (b) it makes it simpler to see which services are truly the same, so as to know what to expect price-wise in the future and © because some dealers either forget the extra* bits or like to charge twice for them.

*I hesitate to call them "extras", because they shouldn't be treated as additional items in the service, rather inclusive items at non-regular intervals, if that makes any sense.

 

It's worth noting that this service schedule applies to ALL Toyota models of similar model year. The handbook even makes reference to changing the "transfer case oil", which only applies to 4WD vehicles. Therefore it shouldn't be rocket science for a Toyota dealer to know what is and isn't included in the price because they'll be pricing up services like this day in, day out, regardless of how many Supras come through their doors.

As for tuners versus dealers, you can forget about Toyota being interested in any mods you may have done to your car, special treatment you feel it deserves. Plenty of people have posted up in here that they have had issues with getting dealers to use anything other than standard fluids. And in all fairness, who could expect them to? Anyone who has read the workshop manual knows that every single job you could ever want to do to a Supra is spelled out step by step. As long as you can weild a spanner and have access to a pillar lift and the proper parts, a trained monkey could do most of the work. No matter how much it means to us, in the final analysis, a Supra is just another car and for routine service work pretty much anyone could follow the instructions and do the job. It's not in Toyota's interestes to know all the ins and out and foibles of thts mod or that oil. Their traning costs would be tremendous.

 

My biggest problem with Toyota, therefore, is that although they offer a "lowest common denominator" level of service, they charge top dollar for it, but that's just main dealers for you.

 

On the flip side, if you take your car to a specialist, hopefully they will understand more about the actual ins and out of that make and model if they deal with a lot of them. Also, because they are non-franchised they usually charge less. But I refer you back to my own rip-off tale above. When I asked a garage with a labour rate of half of Toyota's to actually do every last thing in the service work scope I got hit with a bill that was more than Toyota.

 

With Toyota, you're paying for the name. That's all there is to it.

[ellis]

hmm youve got me thining now ellis?.... were is Chirs exactly?

 

Lower Heath, Shropshire - it's a good run for the car too! In my opinion, a service history from Chris is worth 10 times one from Toyota.