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

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Joined
Feb 25, 2017
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Location
VA
My 2008 hit 130k so took it in for scheduled maintenance. tl;dr, dealer didn't seem to want to do it!
  • Closest dealer was previously proven incompetent - unable to diagnose a problem with parking brake grinding (shoe spring retainer "washer" broken) that iH8Mud diagnosed in 5 minutes.
  • Next closest dealer (with 4.5* rating?!) wasn't too far so made appointment.
Here's what happened:
  1. Spoke w/very pleasant service advisor to make appointment.
    1. Asked (politely) for tech familiar with LC's since they are a low-volume vehicle and previous dealer didn't seem to know what to do
    2. In addition to the oil/filter, asked very specifically for the 120k lubrication and inspections. Bought my truck at 125k miles. Complete dealer service records, but they typically just said "lubricate chassis and top off fluids", nothing specific about lube/re-torque prop shaft, lube drive shaft bushing, or the status of the "inspect" items like diff oils, coolant, ATF, etc. Maybe they did, maybe they didn't, so I wanted to be sure.
  2. When I brought it in, re-confirmed with service advisor (also very pleasant) what I wanted done.
    1. Waited three hours for the truck, enjoyed a free doughnut and coffee.
  3. Service tech/mechanic came out to talk to me, which was nice. He spent probably 15 minutes talking about suspension noise questions I had, and it sounded like he had spent a decent amount of time checking it out. But not exactly experienced with Land Cruisers.
    1. Asked him if he had lubed/retorqued prop shaft and lubed drive bushing. "No, I'd have to remove the skid plates." Okay....
    2. Asked how the oil in the diffs and transfer case looked. "I can't just check it, I'd have to unscrew the plugs." Okay...
    3. How are the shock mounts and ball joints. "Seemed fine, didn't feel any play" but didn't appear to go any further than that.
  4. At this point, I'd spent 3.5 hours there and had to get to work, or I would have sent them back to finish the job I asked for. But I was also so disappointed that if this was the 'good' tech then I wasn't sure I wanted them working on my truck.
FFS! If a dealer is not willing to do the "standard" maintenance inspections and service, especially when I called it out specifically, what hope is there for a "regular" owner who takes it in and trusts the dealers to do what Toyota specifies?

I have one more dealer option about 45-60 minutes away. I'm too busy (and not mechanically proficient enough) to tackle my own maintenance. I fixed my own parking brake issue, but it took me probably 4x longer than it should have taken, and that's time I don't have to take away from family commitments.

/end rant
 
Wow...That is ridiculous.
 
Did they break your recirculate door too?
 
Unfortunately with only ~3k a year sold in the US and likely a good chunk of them clustered around the mountain region, there are many dealerships that are quite clueless when working on the Land Cruiser, of any vintage for that matter. I would try an independent shop familiar with Toyota 4x4s at least, and you'll likely have much better luck. In Denver, we have lots of "good" shops to pick from, but I am still nervous when I take into the dealer even though they know me and my vehicles and always schedule me with their lead tech. The ultimate peace of mind for me is just taking to Slee of course, but that's of course not an option where you are. Try to find a similar shop and build a rapport with them, and you'll have a much better time.
 
I had a very similar experiences at my local dealer here in NJ. When I was in for a standard service asking them to grease the driveline and torque the prop shaft, they could not find all of the grease zerks and said it wasn't necessary to torque the prop shaft. Additionally when I needed them to change all the fluids right before a wheeling trip, they were unwilling to do a transmission flush and only did a drain and fill. They also could not remove my stripped front diff plug and my indy mechanic pulled it out in a few minutes after using a chisel.

After a few experiences like that, I will be moving on from the dealership service. Through a combination of DIY, a local Japanese indy, and a Land Cruiser specialist in VA (OTRAM) all of my needs are now met. For standard maintenance, I have been watching lots of videos, buying more tools and my skills have been developing. I also bring lots of beer into the garage and ask my girlfriend for a hand so she can learn while we spend some time together. I can now do a full 5k service (oil and filter change, tire rotation, grease and torque driveline, inspection) in less time than it takes to go back and forth to the dealer. Its pretty unfortunate that the local dealer cannot get the job done, especially so when you look at the IG profiles for the dealerships out west. They have crazy built Tacos, Tundras, 4Runners, and Cruisers coming through their service departments. My dealer told me they will not touch anything related to my suspension after I installed BP-51's...

The dealer is dead to me
 
Much of the inspection and fluids checks in the manual is marketinng and lip service. Comes from back in the day when there was dip sticks in trannies. No one cracks open fluid fill ports to check fluids. It's an anecdotal check in that if there's no symptoms (noise/leaks), there's no problem. And that's probably for the better as opening ports and such introduces other potential issues of contamination, etc.

A good (bored) tech may still take a wrench to things to check for torque. Modern designs don't often see loose fasteners unless you're running the Baja. They most definitely should grease driveline zerks as that's common to all of Toyota 4x4s. But I've seen that it's the exception rather than the rule.

I think you have an LC? You could always bring her to a Lexus dealer where they likely see far more 200-series. Potential to get better (perceived) service, yet at a more premium price. They have better cappuccino and snacks too which is what really counts.
 
But does the LX dealer have any Grey Poupon? Or perchance scones? :) Good suggestion for realz.

JZ, I may just have to bite the bullet and make the trek to OTRAMM myself. I thought he mostly worked on older models but he does get stellar marks from the FJ40 crowd. I may give the Tyson's dealer a shot on the standard oil/filters, and OTRAMM for the 30k intervals. And to paraphrase Spicoli, "have an excellent set of tools." Already working on that part!
 
Unfortunately with only ~3k a year sold in the US and likely a good chunk of them clustered around the mountain region, there are many dealerships that are quite clueless when working on the Land Cruiser, of any vintage for that matter. I would try an independent shop familiar with Toyota 4x4s at least, and you'll likely have much better luck. In Denver, we have lots of "good" shops to pick from, but I am still nervous when I take into the dealer even though they know me and my vehicles and always schedule me with their lead tech. The ultimate peace of mind for me is just taking to Slee of course, but that's of course not an option where you are. Try to find a similar shop and build a rapport with them, and you'll have a much better time.

I think Matt hit it here.
They probably aren’t stupid or disinterested. More like uncertain and maybe even a bit intimidated due to so little experience with Cruisers in general.

How many total Toyota dealers are there compared to how many sold annually? I’d wager the ratio of LC:Dealer is almost laughable compared to everything else they sell and service.

But... Nothing excuses the ridiculous unwillingness to make any real effort. That tech should be canned and replaced by someone who is at least willing to lift a finger!
 
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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.

Just had my LC there this past week, hands down best experience I've had with any dealership.
 
Personally, one of the reasons I love about LC/LX is how I don't need to waste money on retarded $tealership and can have a smart indy do all the work. Other than oil changes every 5k miles and 1 major service every 100-150k miles my car drives better than brand new (racing coilovers make suspension feel new even after putting 40k miles on them). I can drive to alaska and back without a hiccup. Thats the number 1 reason I consider land cruisers to be better than mercedes, bmw, audi.
 
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.

Here's Dealer Camelback Toyota. Could've just as easily been any combination of LC's. It's always a treat to see so many cruisers of different vintage hanging around and folks dropping them off with complete trust! A true Gem. PHX is very fortunate.

Happy to leave my LCs with them.

All shots below are found from this thread, gotta love it! Not 200s, but folks in the know trusting a DEALER, (i'm not affiliated)
spy shots of classic Toyotas


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another:
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In Anchorage we have a ton on Crusers driving around. Not Uncommon to see around 30 (40,60, 80, 100, 200) just driving around town. Anyway we have one Toyota dealer and one Lexus dealer and no Indy places that specialize in crusers, so the dealer has to see a bunch of them.

I had the service done there when it was still under warranty. Both are terrable when it comes to working on my ‘13 LX. When I went to do the 60k mile service this past fall found the front diff drain plug was stripped out and when I finally got it removed the fluid looked way worse than center or rear making me think it wasn’t changed by the dealer at 30k. Dealer was the only person to ever touch the diffs prior. Lost my front skid plate after an oil change, they couldn’t adjust my parking break said it wasn’t possible..., never lubed the u joints from what I could tell. Wanted $3k to do the 60k mile service, told me it took 10 hours of labor and 2 days, I did it all by myself in 5 hours at the auto hobby shop (diffs, AHC, breaks, tranny, oil, grease, and winter tire swap). There are some good ones but most dealers are terrible. The good thing is the 200 is relatively easy to work on and there are a ton of resources on this forum.
 
Here's Dealer Camelback Toyota. Could've just as easily been any combination of LC's. It's always a treat to see so many cruisers of different vintage hanging around and folks dropping them off with complete trust! A true Gem. PHX is very fortunate.

All shots below are found from this thread, gotta love it! Not 200s, but folks in the know trusting a DEALER, (i'm not affiliated)
spy shots of classic Toyotas

Those pictures look like they were taken in 1977!
 
Sigh... I'm sure if I pulled into any dealer around here with an FJ40, they would say "the Jeep dealer is down the road, we don't work on those".

If anything, it's also really nice to see a service area that cares about keeping it clean. The last couple of dealerships I've been in, I felt like I needed to take a shower after I left. Disgusting.
 
There is a decent Toyota dealer in Coeur d'Alene (Parker Toyota) that works on old and new cruisers. Unfortunately the two dealers closet to me in Spokane are not great, and one is truly abysmal. Put major gouges in my steering wheel and shifter last (and only) time I took my 4Runner in for service with them (airbag recall). And when I picked it up after being told it was ready, I had to wait over an hour for them to drive it up from the service area.
 
As I read this makes me think a database for spreadsheet of good dealers by location might be something to make a permanent post. I road trip a lot and knowing where the good, knowledgeable dealerships are would be a help. I travel throughout the West and there are plenty around. I suspect they are more sparse in the flatlands.
 
unfortunately my local dealership is equally as bad. They will straight up lie to you. I actually called Toyota Corp. to inform them of how horrible the local dealer was and the reputation they place on the Toyota brand. They acted like they cared but I doubt it.
 

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