Will dealers work on modified vehicles?

[tech_dog]

Now that my 94 has been altered from its pristine factory state, will I have any problems taking it to a dealer for service? Has anyone been turned away because of their mods?

Does anyone know if there is an official Toyota policy, or is it up to each dealer?

T.

 

[extremetoy1]

you betcha

enough money and you will get them to do anything, now as far as warranty issues go they will avoid those at all cost but will service and work on it- as long as you arent asking them to modify it from stock.

 

[Capocaccia]

I would say it ultimately depends on the service.

 

[Bluetribal]

As far as I understand you only void the waranty on things that are affected by your mods. If you still have a waranty!

 

[firetruck41]

I wouldn't see any reason they wouldn't work on it, your not under warranty anyway so that won't matter to them. They might not be comfortable/competent to deal with some mods, but should be fine otherwise.

 

[MoJ]

lift, bull bar, and 35's - no problemo

 

[landtank]

Now that my 94 has been altered from its pristine factory state, will I have any problems taking it to a dealer for service?

Why in the world would you let those morons work on your truck?

I had a local dealer do a front end alignment. This is basically setting toe, and they fxxxed it up. They had the tie rod clamp out of postion and it was hitting the leading arm when I turned right.

 

[cruiserman]

Your rig is 12 years old. They probably won't even know what it is.

 

[tech_dog]

I've always gotten very good quality work from my local dealership. They're thieves and will rip you off if you let them, but they've always done great work.

 

[fuelgeddes]

I had them screw up my truck and then they blamed it on the mods. (lift)
Talk about A$$ Hats.

 

[TiredIronGRB]

Why in the world would you let those morons work on your truck?

X2, do it yourself.

 

[tech_dog]

Why in the world would you let those morons work on your truck?

Time....

 

[2badfjs]

Q:Why in the world would you let those morons work on your truck?

sorry i feel you comment is retarted!

if you think all dealers are morons, try working at one!

when was the last time you were at one?
what was your experience?

most dealers spend ALOT of $$ to train their techs,
some have apprentices that work under master techs.

one bad experience can wreck a rep for a dealer.
but if they jack it up, make them fix it....we fix and pay for mistakes made..
nobodys perfect, you never make a mistake at your job?

do you know how many cars rool thru a dealership service department in a week? prolly not!

sorry to high jack the thread

we do modify and work on modified cars, even under warranty, as long as we installed the performance package.

i would imagine SLEE OFF ROAD would do the same if they install perfomance and modified parts.....CHRISTO?

 

[rgsiii]

I am very impressed by my local Toyota dealership. They do very good work and are completely honest. They work on modified vehicles.

 

[Kalawang]

Dealers in my part of the world use any modifications as an excuse to void both your warranty and your right to service from them. No big loss from my point of view as I find them slow and nemonic. They know what they're doing as far as stock is concerned, most times, but have the habit of always dealing from the safest position, i.e., according to manual, and taking a whole lot of time to do it while charging the most possible.

If you are an office worker with very limited time they too often become a necessity. However if you have some degree of knowledge in mechanical do dads, you can save a lot of money doing your own analysis and repairs or maintenance.


Kalawang

 

[NorCalDoug]

I've never had a problem with any dealership working on my rig with the mods I currently have -- OME 2.5 lift, ARB bull bar, slee sliders and rear bumper, 35" tires...

never an issue.



as for dealerships...some are good, some are bad. some have great techs...some can't do much more than the basics...

it's pretty much like...uhhhhh...people...

 

[NorCalDoug]

on the topic of DIY vs. hire a mechanic.

time is a big issue...I don't have much of it, usually.
but I like to do my own work because I know that I'll do it per FSM specs and I because I usually get to learn something new at the same time.

I just spent the entire day replacing my radiator today. Sure I could've limped over to the dealership and had them do it...but it would've cost a hell of a lot more in the end than what I paid for parts.

I replaced the hoses, thermostat, fan clutch and belts. I now know how everything is connected and what's needed to replace any of the related parts in the future.

you never know when/if you're going to need to make a fix on the side of the road...I'd rather go into it prepared with some first-hand knowledge rather than try to figure it all out then.

just my 2 cents...

 

[landtank]

when was the last time you were at one?
what was your experience?

I posted my experience in that post. They only see my truck when it's beyond my ability to service it. Last time they were asked to balance my tires as they were the only ones to have the adapter plate for my rims. I lost a hub cap on the way home and found a broken security nut 2 days later.

The hub cap was do to a design flaw and after searching for half an hour they reluctantly replaced the security nut with a standard lug nut.

most dealers spend ALOT of $$ to train their techs,
some have apprentices that work under master techs.

I'd be very surprised if that's happening here.

one bad experience can wreck a rep for a dealer.
but if they jack it up, make them fix it....we fix and pay for mistakes made..
nobodys perfect, you never make a mistake at your job?

Of course I make mistakes, but I review my work and correct them on the spot or inform the customer what happened and explain how I'll make it right. Not just pass the equipment on and hope they don't notice.

do you know how many cars rool thru a dealership service department in a week? prolly not!

How does this justify shoddy work?


It's not just me either. Other LC owners around here have had big problems at the dealers. One poor guy took his truck back several times because the truck was worse after the axle job than when he took it in. The third trip with a Toyota REP in house finally got it straightened out.

In my experience they haven't been able to competently complete the simplest of tasks. There is no way I'd let them near a real problem on one of my vehicles.

If you work at a competent dealer then I'm sure you guys are some busy bees because I can't help but feel you are one of the few out there.