Dealer Disappointment (mini-rant on maintenance) (1 Viewer)

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Dunno about the batteries, I haven't added water to any of mine in years and years. The way I figure it most of my batteries last 5+ years, which is when I should be replacing them anyways
Maybe it’s my climate but assuming the battery was full when I got it I wouldn’t come close to 5 years given the rate of loss.
 
Maybe it’s my climate but assuming the battery was full when I got it I wouldn’t come close to 5 years given the rate of loss.

Yeah, don't know. I usually get 5-7 years out of batteries in my car, sometimes longer.
 
Yeah, don't know. I usually get 5-7 years out of batteries in my car, sometimes longer.
I do also trickle charge mine. Starting to wonder if that maybe contributes to water loss.
 
I trickle charge the battery in my motorcycle as well as in my 911. Battery in the 911 is at least 5 years old, in the moto is 3 years old, both are fine.
 
I do also trickle charge mine. Starting to wonder if that maybe contributes to water loss.
Depends on the trickle charger. A good one will keep the battery charged by cycling through stage charging without causing water loss. A cheap one will just put out a constant rate of charge (overcharge really) and cause loss.

Also, unless you have fluid coming out the top of the fill holes, as can be the case of serious overcharging, the only thing that ever leaves the battery is H2O, so you don't ever need to add acid. And don't check SG right after adding water; it needs to be mixed for a bit with battery use.
 
Depends on the trickle charger. A good one will keep the battery charged by cycling through stage charging without causing water loss. A cheap one will just put out a constant rate of charge (overcharge really) and cause loss.

Also, unless you have fluid coming out the top of the fill holes, as can be the case of serious overcharging, the only thing that ever leaves the battery is H2O, so you don't ever need to add acid. And don't check SG right after adding water; it needs to be mixed for a bit with battery use.
Good info. I’ll get a SG tester today.

The charger is a Noco 2A hard mount. Seems like they have a reputation for quality..

I don’t know how full the battery was when I got it, so checking it at my next 5k oil change should tell me a lot.
 
Bit of a hilarious exchange today…….

Me, calling the ———— Toyota dealer service department: Hi, I’d like to get new shocks on a Land Cruiser

Service: I can help you, who makes the Land Cruiser?

Me: Toyota

Service: Oh, I don’t know anything about those, let me transfer you

2nd Service person: I understand you want new air shocks on a Land Cruiser

Me: The Land Cruiser doesn’t have air suspension, just regular shocks and steel springs.

2nd service person: Oh, let me check with a tech on that

Me: Waiting

2nd service person: The tech said it will be 5 hours labor plus about $600 in parts

Me: Thanks anyway.

:rofl:
 
Bit of a hilarious exchange today…….

Me, calling the ———— Toyota dealer service department: Hi, I’d like to get new shocks on a Land Cruiser

Service: I can help you, who makes the Land Cruiser?

Me: Toyota

Service: Oh, I don’t know anything about those, let me transfer you

2nd Service person: I understand you want new air shocks on a Land Cruiser

Me: The Land Cruiser doesn’t have air suspension, just regular shocks and steel springs.

2nd service person: Oh, let me check with a tech on that

Me: Waiting

2nd service person: The tech said it will be 5 hours labor plus about $600 in parts

Me: Thanks anyway.

:rofl:

LOL thats actually a great price! If only it wasnt a total bust.
 
Took me a bit longer than 6 hours to install my bilstein 6112/5160's. I'd imagine flat book rate is at least twice that....
 
So I’m under the impression now that all dealers in LA are worthless. I’ve left about 5 messages for service manager at Lakeside Toyota over a 2 week period. No return calls. Nice messages - not ahole ones. I then go out to see him. Talk to him then the head mechanic he sets me up with then the head service writer. She says they’ll get back to me. I wait 2 weeks - no call. Then leave her a message. Wait 3 days. No call back so I leave another message. So over 10 days I leave her 2 more messages and get no calls back.

I finally get her on the phone and the 1st thing she says - on, I was out for an emergency medical issue Thursday, the head mechanic was off 2 days last week , etc , blah blah blah.

Hummm, what about the 2 weeks before that?

They don’t care, don’t return calls and don’t investigate the problem they weee suppose to.

So far, no call back. WTF!
 
So I’m under the impression now that all dealers in LA are worthless. I’ve left about 5 messages for service manager at Lakeside Toyota over a 2 week period. No return calls. Nice messages - not ahole ones. I then go out to see him. Talk to him then the head mechanic he sets me up with then the head service writer. She says they’ll get back to me. I wait 2 weeks - no call. Then leave her a message. Wait 3 days. No call back so I leave another message. So over 10 days I leave her 2 more messages and get no calls back.

I finally get her on the phone and the 1st thing she says - on, I was out for an emergency medical issue Thursday, the head mechanic was off 2 days last week , etc , blah blah blah.

Hummm, what about the 2 weeks before that?

They don’t care, don’t return calls and don’t investigate the problem they weee suppose to.

So far, no call back. WTF!
Go up the food chain FWIW?
 
Go up the food chain FWIW?
How hard should someone try to have an incompetent service department work on their vehicle?

I guess it comes down to whether this is the result of trying to have them rectify a mistake, or just an inquiry for service.
 
I have dealt with terrible service across the board with dealerships. They are simply not familiar with the 200. They dont see enough of them to care, honestly. They see 100x more 4runners, Highlanders, Prius....... from a making money perspective, it likely isn't worth their time to call you back. It's such a niche market that they dont really need to pay attention to it to stay in business.

And now it's gone.... for good. No, the new LC250 isn't the same....
 
It worse than that. So they tell me they'll look into it and then dont bother. Not only that, but they won't even call you back. It's beyond unbelievable that they treat customers that way. And people keep going back. Yep - im guilty too because I did go back. Im screwed because the few indy's ive found have no clue either.
 
Not my LX, but my GX had a recall for the secondary air injection pump. I scheduled the appointment 3 weeks out with a Lexus dealer an hour away. Mind you, this is when gas was ~$5/gal here in UT and my GX was getting about 17 mpg on a good day.

So anyways, the day comes and I drive down to the dealer and they tell me they never ordered the parts and to come back tomorrow. So I drove home and drove back the next day. 2.5 hours of wasted time, 240 miles total driven, probably $70 in gas.

I dislike dealers in general.
 
and then there is me. I ONLY take it to the dealer ( or myself ) given their rep and the huge amount of LC/LX's they work on and dedicated LC techs. CBT / Camelback Toyota. Very fortunate to have such a resource in my backyard.
So glad to hear that there is some redeeming value at Camelback. My 20yr old daughter took her 5th gen 4Runner in for an oil change and got a list of "recommended" repairs for over $3000. Some of the items they recommended had already been completed in the last visit. Not sure if it was the person she was working with or that this is just how they treat a 20yr old girl with a nice car. After two experiences like this she will not be taking her 4Runner back to Camelback. Not sure if they would treat her 55yr old father with a Land Cruiser differently? Fortunately I have a great dealer in Denver, CO (Groove Toyota) that I can honestly trust and recommend.
 
So one the way home today, I stopped again at the dealer for a follow up on what they were suppose to find out for me and call me back on. I thought id save the girl a phone call. Well, she had never done what she said she would , but promised to check on it & call me back by day end.


Guess what?

NO PHONE CALL... F' em... Guess my lights will stay busted. And never never going back to them. At this rate , I'll be doing all the service on my own. Topic of another post.
 
So one the way home today, I stopped again at the dealer for a follow up on what they were suppose to find out for me and call me back on. I thought id save the girl a phone call. Well, she had never done what she said she would , but promised to check on it & call me back by day end.


Guess what?

NO PHONE CALL... F' em... Guess my lights will stay busted. And never never going back to them. At this rate , I'll be doing all the service on my own. Topic of another post.
Honestly... this is exactly what THEY wanted to happen. They'd rather keep doing the easy stuff, changing oil on Corollas and Camrys, selling tires and batteries, etc, then deal with a fussy customer with a niche vehicle that they are not familiar with. They waited you out and they won.
 
Honestly... this is exactly what THEY wanted to happen. They'd rather keep doing the easy stuff, changing oil on Corollas and Camrys, selling tires and batteries, etc, then deal with a fussy customer with a niche vehicle that they are not familiar with. They waited you out and they won.
Yep. They should advertise, “ if you have a real mechanical problem, don’t come here”.
 

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