did the same crap to me.. I am at a base away from home currently and had to take her in for an oil change and the guy walks up and is like.. ya.. your filter is dirty (I literally pulled it out a day or two earlier to look at it and it was fine) and we can replace it for $50.. it was hard to not laugh in his face but I said I think I can handle that one no thanks

 

Maybe he wanted the filter for his own truck? That's shame that some people resort to this sort of things.

 

I would call the service manager if I were you. You know damn well that he wouldn't pull that crap if it were you taking it in, but he figured he could pull one over on your wife. I know the stealerships try to make their money on things like this, but that is inexcusable in my mind..

 

I would call the service manager if I were you. You know damn well that he wouldn't pull that crap if it were you taking it in, but he figured he could pull one over on your wife. I know the stealerships try to make their money on things like this, but that is inexcusable in my mind..

Exactly my thinking here. I dont think I can trust this dealership anymore. I will call, but my wife is still there waiting. She asked me to wait til she was done and gone.

 

Ridiculous. But you know what, they have to make a decent amount of money off uneducated people to take the risk of offending the educated consumers. I bought my truck from a company that has 4 Toyota dealers (and several other dealerships of differing manufacturers) all within 2 hours of me. The local Toyota place is 10 minutes from my house, but I drive an hour and 15 minutes to a specific dealer because I know and trust them. When my air filter was getting dirty, they made mention of it on the paperwork. The service manager told me that it should be changed by the next oil change and also told me how much they would charge for it. I appreciate that approach, rather than trying to screw with me. An air filter is NOT something that is a "safety issue" that they need to strong arm me or my wife into purchasing at their inflated cost.

To the OP, I might start shopping around for a different dealer if it were me. Once I lose faith in a mechanic, its hard to gain it back.

 

"Mrs, your airfilter is dirty and needs to he replaced, we have one available for $50"

Let's see... we should add this to the list of BS:

• Would you like us to change your tires' winter air?
• Would you like us to install new headlight fluid?

Never mind that another thread had a dealership claiming that the guys stereo problems are caused by "fragrance" issues... That one takes the cake IMHO.

Good thing your wife was smart enough to catch this. My wife and I work as a team on just about everything; it keeps people on their toes and two heads are often better than one even if neither of you know about the subject at hand... they're much less likely to try to trick both of you (though I don't put that past them). She/I will text the other whenever we're presented with some "unexpected" information...

 

My wifes father is an ASE(is that right) certified mechanic. She knows more than the average 25 yo female. My father-in-law cringes knowing that I have the dealership change the oil, he even knows it's free.

 

And... don't forget this one!
Blinker Fluid [BF-01] - $8.99 : KaleCoAuto, Hard to find automotive items!

 

My wifes father is an ASE(is that right) certified mechanic. She knows more than the average 25 yo female. My father-in-law cringes knowing that I have the dealership change the oil, he even knows it's free.

ASE= "ASK SOMEONE ELSE".......


You can biatch and moan all you'd like, but at the end of the day the service manager will pat the guy on the back and say. "Nice try."


I once watched a service writer sell a $75 gas cap to a young guy to fix his CEL.

I respect/trust Vic more than any dealer I've ever been involved with.....but I consider us lucky to have him.

 

Great example of why I always have my wife call me before she authorizes anything. That's a terrible way to run a business!

 

An air filter is NOT something that is a "safety issue"

True story: I purchased a 2008 Honda Pilot last November, which I traded in today on a 2007 DC Tundra. Last time I had the Pilot in for an oil change at the tech school where my fiancee works, she called me to ask about the air filter they wanted to put in. Apparently, when they went to check it, they found that there was, in fact, NO air filter on the vehicle (stupid me never checked, figured the dealership would include an air filter with a vehicle purchase...whoops!). Anyway, drove it for 8 months and about 10,000 miles without an air filter.

 

Auto repair is the world's fourth oldest profession. Today morals and dignity are AWOL, and dealers are no exception. In Canada we have a news show called W5 which is similar to 60 Minutes. A few years back they did an undercover investigation with bait cars at auto repair places to gauge the honesty of these shops. More than half the repairs (55%) were unnecessary or erroneous. Those are not good odds. The best defense is knowledge, and doing some of the simpler maintenance tasks on your own is a great way to learn the basics of mechanics. :tu:

BTW inside my truck I also have fragrance issues

but the stereo works just fine.

.

 

Auto repair is the world's fourth oldest profession. Today morals and dignity are AWOL, and dealers are no exception. In Canada we have a news show called W5 which is similar to 60 Minutes. A few years back they did an undercover investigation with bait cars at auto repair places to gauge the honesty of these shops. More than half the repairs (55%) were unnecessary or erroneous. Those are not good odds. The best defense is knowledge, and doing some of the simpler maintenance tasks on your own is a great way to learn the basics of mechanics. :tu:

BTW inside my truck I also have fragrance issues

but the stereo works just fine.

.

did something similar stateside I saw a while back where they would mark an oil filter and see if they changed it with the oil change when they paid for it.. more than not they did not.. on simple things like that it makes you wonder where else they cut corners etc..

 

It oughta be criminal for auto shops to treat women the way so many do. When a woman drives up to the service bay ... whether at a dealership, a repair shop, a quickie oil change place, or whatever ... they are instant targets for dishonorable treatment by the guys in charge. Really chaps my ass. Women shouldn't have to suffer that kinda crap.

 

It oughta be criminal for auto shops to treat women the way so many do. When a woman drives up to the service bay ... whether at a dealership, a repair shop, a quickie oil change place, or whatever ... they are instant targets for dishonorable treatment by the guys in charge. Really chaps my ass. Women shouldn't have to suffer that kinda crap.

I agree. In many cases it would be cheaper for a gal to hire a savy guy to take her vehicle in for service!

 

$50 air filter!?!?! Shoot, you can walk over to the parts counter and buy one for $25. And, it is easier to install than wipers or batteries... Which AutoZone installs for free!

If someone cons my wife out of an AFE filter or similar... I'd have em strung up by their toe nails.


Sent from my Autoguide iPhone app

 

If you think about it, if the dealership can get even a few people to bite this is well worth it, as stuff like this is pretty much free money falling from the sky for them. Charge the full hourly labor charge for whatever Toyota's book rate is for replacing the part. For something like this Toyota may well alot a half hour or so to do the work even though realistically an air filter can be swapped out in about 5 minutes. So you charge 30 bucks for a 5 minute job, to replace a 10 dollar part that you marked up by 50-100 percent. Easy, easy money. To make it less obvious that you're doing this you bundle it with another service that takes an hour or two to complete.

Kind of like replacing the cabin air filter. 15 dollar part, and if you take more than 2 minutes to take it out and clean it or pop in a new one it means you probably took a break to chug a beer. It's so simple you don't even need a shop manual, as the standard owner's manual devotes about half a page to the step by step instructions. But I hear most dealerships charge some silly amount of money for that too. If you quote the price 10 times a day 8 out of 10 people might laugh in your face and tell you they'll go pick one up at Autozone and do it themselves in the parking lot. But it's still worth it if the other two willingly pony up because they have no idea what a tiny amount of labor they're paying all that money for. That's the price you pay... the 'stupid tax' for being unwilling to research and do it yourself.

 

I wish service writers and managers came to realize that making a quick buck by taking advantage of their customers really hurts not only their dealer's reputation, but Toyota's brand name as well... These little things probably cost Toyota millions.

 

That's the price you pay... the 'stupid tax' for being unwilling to research and do it yourself.

I love it!!!

 

I have been using the dealer for service mainly do to time. We are busy and it is just as much to have them service it as me.

Last service, they try to tell me I need the cabin filter replaced. Okay, it has never been done, but no, I think I can buy a $15 filter and take 5 minutes to open the glove box and change this. I have a buddy that works in parts at this dealer, he won't tell me the mark up, but when I need parts it sure is a lot cheaper than when someone else goes in. My Drive Moniter Switch (thanks PoPo) was $82 shipped. Same as Sparks or anybody else, except maybe ebay.

As for the wife, she will call or have them call me. I know what her car needs and it isn't no expensive POS part from some quick lube. If my mechanic cannot get her in she uses one other shop that I trust.