60K Service by Dealer or Independent Mechanic? [Archive] - Toyota Yaris Forums

tomato

07-09-2009, 04:57 PM

My cute little Yaris LB is getting close to needing her 60 K miles service (still works like clockwork, as far as I can tell! :smile:)

Since I bought the Yaris at a Toyota dealership about 50 miles from my home, I decided to look into the Toyota dealerships closer to my home instead, for service.

But when looking at the reviews for the various Toyota dealerships on Yelp.com , I saw that people complained quite a bit about the service they at the various Toyota dealerships (including the one I bought the car from) and frankly, it's a bit scary.

I know you can't take everything people say at face value, but on the other hand, there is no smoke without fire either, and all these people cannot be entirely wrong.

So, I was thinking. There is a small shop not too far from me who has a really good reputation dealing with foreign cars, and perhaps he could do the 60K service for me instead of going to Toyota?

What do you guys think?

Pros and cons of taking the car for service at the Toyota dealership, anyone?

(At 60K, I'm obviously out of the intial manufacturer warranty but I still have powertrain warranty for a little while, if that matters).

Thank you for all the input.

rningonfumes

07-09-2009, 05:31 PM

Tell us what is in the 60k service. And tell us how much is either charging.

*looking at a flier for local dealors of their 30k service, also a 60k service.
The main stuff is an oil and filter change, tranny fluid change, coolant change, spark plug change, and timing adjustment. All the other stuff I call fluff (expensive fluff) is "inspection" items.

Our spark plugs are due at 100k and I think our coolant doesn't need change until 100k. So will they prorate for that? I don't think so. Two dealors here charge 270 and 250.

They won't be able to weasel out of anything, you have a service record from the outside shop.

tomato

07-09-2009, 05:36 PM

Tell us what is in the 60k service. And tell us how much is either charging.

I will look into it as soon as I get home and I'll post what it says to do on the book that came with the car.

I think I also got coupons in the mail from 2 different Toyota dealers for various services, so I guess I have to sit down and do the math.

I just don't like reading stories about people getting stiffed, getting poor service, etc. :frown: doesn't make me feel too confident.

rningonfumes

07-09-2009, 05:52 PM

Also think of it this way:

You're about to run out of warranty anyway or near it. Take this opportunity to "shop" for a decent mechanic you can trust. Instead of taking your car out to a Jiffy lube for that oil change, take it to a particular shop.... let them do the small things and rate their work. Keep going to the same shop if you happen to like their service and quality of work, this helps you to build rapport. When the time comes for a big job, you will want someone whom you trust.

While big shops may treat you like a number, the small shops who knows you will give you that much better service and for less.

I know one large truth, a good, honest mechanic is hard to find.

GeneW

07-09-2009, 10:09 PM

My only complaint about Dealerships is that when they change the oil they added PRECISELY the recommended amount of oil, no more or less. You end up never getting all of the oil out of the crankcase, which means you get over filled.

Aside that I've never had a cause from complaint from the Dealership.

Gene

tomato

07-10-2009, 02:45 PM

SpaceShot

07-10-2009, 04:55 PM

If you are really concerned about the remaining warranty go to the dealer. But as I have posted on some of the threads about extended warranty, my local mechanic is a friend of more than a dozen years and his children goto school with my son.
I feel better paying someone I know the few times that I need to, than spending more with any large corporation.

I would second the opinion to use the opportunity to find yourself a good mechanic. Get a referral or two, or look up a few places up on CarTalk.com
Take it in for state inspection or basic fluid/filter changes and see if you like the way you are treated.

In my mind `factory certified' is not necessarily better than work from an `ASE Certified' mechanic. Take some time and try to find someone you really like, and then you will have that backstop when you get to 4 X 60K and beyond. :smile:

fearturtle44

07-10-2009, 05:10 PM

It really does not matter as long as you have faith/reliability in the service mechanic doing the work. For my Yaris, I have used the Toyota dealership 100%. But I have used them for the past 20 years and have liked the results and bill $$$.

Kevin

toyo

07-10-2009, 05:50 PM

miles for tranny fluid change?

GeneW

07-10-2009, 09:18 PM

miles for tranny fluid change?

The Yaris owner's manual has no scheduled AT fluid changes.

For the Camry and other cars that use a Toyota AT it's 60K miles, using Toyota WTS fluid.

I plan on changing mine every 30K miles since I do "pulse 'n glide" and sometimes hammer the poor thing. I consider this "Hard Use".

Gene

tomato

07-10-2009, 11:13 PM

Tell us what is in the 60k service. And tell us how much is either charging.

.

Ok, this was an interesting experience.

1) Independent Guy around the corner, for the 60K service, as descrived above: $100 even. Told me the chances of him finding anything wrong with the car during the inspection are next to nul.

2) Dealership No. 1 (where I bought the car, under their Certified program): first quote was ........... :eyebulge: $540 :bs: :mad:!!! (same service, but they top all the fluids and look at the battery as well). I argued that this kind of service was already done not long ago when I bought the car under their "Certified" program and I've only driven the car 2000 miles since then, if that, and they eventually dropped the price to $135.

3) Dealership No. 2 (closer to where I live but with bad reviews on Yelp): $129 because they're having a special right now.

4) Dealership No. 3 (a little further, also bad reviews): put me on hold for a long time ... then I hung up.

5) Oh, and just for the sport of it, I went to another independent mechanic, about 10 miles from where I live, pretty highly recommended on Yelp:

Their price (they were thorough and gave me a computer print-out of what Toyota requires them to do for a Yaris that age, at that mileage (which is the same as what I typed above) $200.

Hmmmmm....

By the way, I have a Manual Transmission if that makes a difference.

rningonfumes

07-11-2009, 03:29 AM

Here is what you're supposed to do at 60,000 miles or 72 months :

Replace engine oil and oil filter
Rotate Tires
Replace engine air filter

Inspect the following:

- ball joints and dust covers
- brake lines and hoses
- brake linings, drums and brake pads/discs
drive belts
- drive shaft boots
- engine coolant
- engine valve clearance
- exhaust pipes and mountings
- front differential oil
- fuel lines and connections
- fuel tank band and fuel tank vapor vent system hoses
- fuel tank cap gasket
- radiator core and condenser
- steering gear box
- steering linkage and boots
- transmission fluid or oil

Ok, this was an interesting experience.

1) Independent Guy around the corner, for the 60K service, as descrived above: $100 even. Told me the chances of him finding anything wrong with the car during the inspection are next to nul.

2) Dealership No. 1 (where I bought the car, under their Certified program): first quote was ........... :eyebulge: $540 :bs: :mad:!!! (same service, but they top all the fluids and look at the battery as well). I argued that this kind of service was already done not long ago when I bought the car under their "Certified" program and I've only driven the car 2000 miles since then, if that, and they eventually dropped the price to $135.

3) Dealership No. 2 (closer to where I live but with bad reviews on Yelp): $129 because they're having a special right now.

4) Dealership No. 3 (a little further, also bad reviews): put me on hold for a long time ... then I hung up.

5) Oh, and just for the sport of it, I went to another independent mechanic, about 10 miles from where I live, pretty highly recommended on Yelp:

Their price (they were thorough and gave me a computer print-out of what Toyota requires them to do for a Yaris that age, at that mileage (which is the same as what I typed above) $200.

Hmmmmm....

By the way, I have a Manual Transmission if that makes a difference.

See if you take out any thoughts about tranny maintenance..ie fluid change, it's an oil change with lots of fluff.

Dealor one only lowered after you complained, the other had a special price. The Indie Mechanics average from 100-200 at the top end and those are regular prices.

The poll is still too small a sample and many did not post why in either case. If you are still unsure, take advantage of the lower dealor prices and keep this list to use for an oil change, try those two Indie mechanics for your next oil change after the 60k service.

The dealors have higher bills to pay than the local machanic but Dealor one shows that they still have room to work with.

tomato

07-13-2009, 02:56 AM

See if you take out any thoughts about tranny maintenance..ie fluid change, it's an oil change with lots of fluff.

Dealor one only lowered after you complained, the other had a special price. The Indie Mechanics average from 100-200 at the top end and those are regular prices.

The poll is still too small a sample and many did not post why in either case. If you are still unsure, take advantage of the lower dealor prices and keep this list to use for an oil change, try those two Indie mechanics for your next oil change after the 60k service.

The dealors have higher bills to pay than the local machanic but Dealor one shows that they still have room to work with.

Dealer one lowered the price but also some of the service as well.

I know what you mean, I wish people had said "go to the dealer because" or go to the indie guy because"

I guess I'm not really worried about who's going to do the oil change but I'm already thinking ahead about who's going to take care of my car. I don't really know a good mechanic around here. I used to go to a Honda guy for years (that's why we kept buying Hondas and bringing them to him) but eventually he retired. I've tried various places but never could find that person you really trust, you know. :iono:

rningonfumes

07-13-2009, 03:10 AM

Yep. I finally found one here because he was the friend of a friend whom she worked for. So she knows how my mechanic works. I went the first couple of times and he was honest about things, his prices were low enough and he still allowed haggling on the prices.

Good luck man.

hmmm... let me see if another friend who lives up in San Fran knows any good shops.

rningonfumes

07-13-2009, 04:03 AM

I've had good experience with The Garage on 10th St and Folsom in San Francisco (do not confuse with 10th Ave). I took a Honda Accord there for some 100k maintenance but I don't remember what it cost but they did a good job.

I used DC Auto Service on El Camino and Hermosa in Millbrae once for an alternator and the price was reasonable also.

I haven't had to take my car into a shop for anything really since I can do most maintenance myself.

Those are his suggestions. He now has a 2006/2007 Camry, hence doesn't need to much major maintenance yet.

talnlnky

07-13-2009, 03:46 PM

other than checking to make sure stuff isn't wearing out (brakes, etc.) there shouldn't be anything special about the 60k oil change.

Trans fluid & radiator fluid are supposed to last 100k or longer I believe, so there really isn't much to be checked...

bronsin

07-14-2009, 10:12 AM

It takes about half an hour to do the 60k service BTW. As far as dealers go my daughter just had a problem with her 99 Camry and took it to the dealer. $3200 they said. My brother in law fixed it (broken exhaust manifold) for $800. Dealers are total rip off artists. Going to them for anything is like putting a naked new born baby in front of a wolf.

Yaris Hilton

07-14-2009, 10:50 AM

I generally agree with Bronsin. Dealers' shops are best avoided.

Keith Tinari

07-14-2009, 11:37 AM

I work for a chain service station called STS (big on the eastcoast) and we use Mitchell on demand. Just out of curiosity I checked what the services are and our cars get nothing but oil changes and rotations until 100k when plugs are then due as well as a coolant flush.

Brakes are not mentioned probably because with the rotations the tech should be checking your stopping status. It seems everything on this car is on an as needed basis. Coming from a subaru these cars are pretty simple and have a whole lot of nothing going on. So unless something is worn out, already broken, or you just want to replace it. you should probably just stick to regular maint. As far as warranty goes, as long as you have a receipt for work done at a shop. You are protected by the magnuson-moss act and the dealer cannot deny warranty work, unless work done is directly linked to a failure. I hope that helps any. Being a tech already, I would never take my car to a dealer when work can be done just as well at a cheaper price now. I feel for the dealerships but if they need to over charge to keep their overhead then they dont need to be in business anyways.

MUSKOKA800

07-14-2009, 12:14 PM

For the price of one dealer visit you can buy all the tools necessary to do-it-yourself maintain your Yaris.
I've not had much recent experience with Toyota shops but after bad and expensive experiences at Chrysler and Ford stealerships I learned my lesson. I don't have the spare time or money to deal with them. Having to return to get it done right (the second time) by so-called professional mechanics is inexcusible. Perhaps it's due to the fact that we must interface with "service advisers" who seem to know nothing more that keyboard skills, or perhaps are just trained to play dumb. Too frustrating!
Rant over.

Note: all the TRD and aftermarket upgrades listed below were install in my driveway with handtools and have worked flawlessly since (~35,000 kl).

highwaypass

07-14-2009, 04:18 PM

i'd prefer go to the dealer,they know exactly what to do(despite the service advisor) :thumbup:

supmet

07-14-2009, 04:42 PM

tomato

07-15-2009, 01:59 PM

DIY is the only answer. There are threads all over the forum about people who have gone in for routine maintenance, and the dealership told them their car required hundreds and hundreds of dollars in maintenance. The economy sucks right now, and people will go to great lengths to make whatever money they can.

Change your air filter, change your oil, rotate your tires, check all your fluids, check the entire car for rust, cracks - if you want to go crazy torque your suspension and brake bolts. I'm at 72k and didn't even pop the hood at 60...

I year ya. I'm not a gear head, though and it'll be a while before I'm confident enough to pop my own hood and play with all the stuff under there :iono:

It's hard to believe but I still haven't decided where to take the car yet. :iono: Maybe I should toss a coin up in the air.

bronsin

07-15-2009, 03:45 PM

You dont have to be a gear head. Its so easy a caveman could do it.

tomato

07-20-2009, 08:49 PM

Yeah, but I'm nothing like a caveman. :wink:

Just so you know, I ended up taking the Yaris at the dealership closest to where I live. They could take the car right away - while I wait - and that ended up being the deciding factor, believe it or not.

They did the 60 K service, and it looked like the actually checked under the hood because they reported to me that the Yaris looked like it just had service (that's true, it did, not long ago, when I bought the car). They found a "dirty air filter" which they changed at no additional charge. They said they liked my tires, and my brakes are still pretty good. They actually looked everywhere they were supposed to and gave me a written evaluation of the car, so I was impressed with that.

Still, it took some negotiating in the beginning becaused they "forgot" the price they quoted me last week and tried to stick me with the $500 service anyway. But once I got over hurdle with the service guys at the counter, then it was smooth sailing. The Yaris showed up ready about an hour later, with a clean bill of health :wub:

Anyway, I was in a hurry to get that service done to stay within manufacturer's guidelines but now that it's done, and I have more time ahead of me, I've decided to listen to the poster who suggested I start looking for a mechanic NOW before the Yaris needs any real work, just to build a rapport. I think that's really smart advice, so thanks for that. That's just what I'm going to do, with the indie guy around the corner.

I know, it would be even smarter for me to start learning how to do simple maintenance on my car but I'm not yet there. Maybe some day :)

Thanks for all your feedback.

Zaphod

07-21-2009, 12:49 PM

Then how about it's simple enough that a mechanically inept programmer can do it? You just have to get over the fear factor.

This looks like a good walk through, but there are many others:
http://autorepair.about.com/od/regularmaintenance/ss/oil_change.htm

Just remember, not to over tighten anything. Incredible Hulk didn't change your oil last time, so just respect the amount of torque your ratchet provides when putting the oil plug back in. If you have trouble loosening the oil filter by hand, they make oil filter wrench's to help there, just only tighten it by hand when you're putting the new filter on.

The first time always takes longer, don't worry about it. After a few iterations you'll it'll be as easy as swapping a motherboard. The air filter is even easier, usually a clip on each side of the air box, that releases the cover, then you just drop in your replacement if it needs it (compare old to new if you have to they're cheap enough).

From what I understand there are no zerk fittings on these cars so you don't have to worry about a grease gun. Then just check your fluids, radiator, brake and windshield wiper fluids, auto tranmission fluid if you have an auto. If you have a manual, you would just replace the gear oil it at the specified interval, it's all in the manual. Then just look around for any gunk accumulating on any hoses.

You'll know when to change your windshield wipers, and most parts stores will install the new ones for free as I've noticed them do for people. The manual gives you all kinds of information regarding intervals for spark plugs, radiator flushes, etc ...

Then you just keep your receipts and you don't have to worry about arguing with a stealership over a $500 maintenance fee (holy smokes).

bronsin

07-21-2009, 01:01 PM

rningonfumes

07-21-2009, 07:46 PM

Good luck with everything.

I hope someday you do venture out enough to try some diy jobs.

tomato

07-21-2009, 10:03 PM

watersoilair

07-26-2009, 01:40 PM

5) Oh, and just for the sport of it, I went to another independent mechanic, about 10 miles from where I live, pretty highly recommended on Yelp:

Their price (they were thorough and gave me a computer print-out of what Toyota requires them to do for a Yaris that age, at that mileage (which is the same as what I typed above) $200.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

I would definitely go with these guys. While like the guy before said that it's unlikely they'll find something wrong (which is probably true), what happens if he does?? How much is he going to charge you to fix that newfound problem?

Also, these people were upfront and honest...doing it by the book. (obviously they're charging more than the poorly rated Toyota dealer - but you'd be giving the small guy some money)

eric81

07-26-2009, 10:47 PM

Ok. I am not just saying this because I work for Toyota, because I don't see a penny if you get your vehicle serviced, but if you do your maintenance at the dealer, several very important things happen.

First- Your car gets serviced and checked by a CERTIFIED Toyota mechanic, who knows the most about your car. Anyone can check to see if there is fluid in the tranny, but a dealership checks the consistancy of the fluid to make sure it is still good, and nothing is grinding or anything like that.

Second- The dealer HAS to report all services to CARFAX, helping ensure your cars higher resale value. If you do trade it in and have had it serviced by Toyota on a regular basis, if it is still good on miles and years, you can get extra trade in value for having a certified used toyota.

Third- Toyota is part of the better business bearue. Is the guy down the block part of the BBB? Do yourself a favor and check the place and it's records with the BBB, you might be suprised.

Kazimodo

01-15-2010, 02:35 PM

I guess it's the same everywhere .......
here on south shore Montreal the dealer told me not
to worry about the alternator light when it came on ,
it was just "flickering" ,not big bright light in dashboard,
so they told me the first 2007 Yaris had a bad regulator
in the alternator , that sends a wrong message to the
computer, and the computer interprets this as a bad
alternator and turns on the alternator light in your
dashboard , turn out to be true , 40,000 kms later I
still get that flickering alternator light sometimes , but the
bad part is that the moment the warranty ran out the
guy at the counter changed his story , same guy , all
of a sudden this was very bad , I had to change the part
for 250.00 plus labor , BASTARD, I asked around , and found
a guy who works for a B.B.Q. chicken store and they have
over 20 Yaris cars on the delivery at that restaurant and
some of their Yaris have gone for over 150,000 kms with
that flickering alternator light , so the hell with that dealer
he is not getting one cent of my money , EVER, if I really want
to get a genuine Toyota part i go the extra mile and go to another
dealer .
Writing about this to Toyota Canada did not help at all ,
they gave me the bogus excuse that ;I made my own oil changes ,
so that way ,the dealer could not do a follow up on the
alternator light "event".... bull s?%#t , the dealer would have said
same as before .
So I do everything myself , get a piece of
""carton "", slide under the car and just look around , a busted
"BOOT" will grease up the parts around it , the leaks you can
notice , the green spot on the battery is obvious, the brake fluid
goes to the galipers ,and rear brake cilinders , when you know
your brakes are almost finished, overfilling your master cilinder
will not give you more brake pads , it is all easy stuff , we paid
the big price for a car that is proven reliable , why waste more
for nothing , the more you do yourself , the more you will like
your car , for the fact that it is not putting in the poor house.
why pay 200.00 for some guy tojust look at parts of your car
when you have eyes,

SilverGlow

01-19-2010, 07:40 PM

Really about 90% of the "maintenance" consists of rotating the tires (putting the fronts on the rear and the rears on the fronts) and an oil change. After 30k miles you can change the air filter. After 60k the coolant.

No, the coolant does not need to be changed until 100,000 miles (or was it 110,00?)....

Also, independent mechanics are no less crooked then stealerships....if a guy works on a car for a living, chances are very great he is crooked.

SilverGlow

01-19-2010, 07:42 PM

Really about 90% of the "maintenance" consists of rotating the tires (putting the fronts on the rear and the rears on the fronts) and an oil change. After 30k miles you can change the air filter. After 60k the coolant.

Ok. I am not just saying this because I work for Toyota, because I don't see a penny if you get your vehicle serviced, but if you do your maintenance at the dealer, several very important things happen.

First- Your car gets serviced and checked by a CERTIFIED Toyota mechanic, who knows the most about your car. Anyone can check to see if there is fluid in the tranny, but a dealership checks the consistancy of the fluid to make sure it is still good, and nothing is grinding or anything like that.

Second- The dealer HAS to report all services to CARFAX, helping ensure your cars higher resale value. If you do trade it in and have had it serviced by Toyota on a regular basis, if it is still good on miles and years, you can get extra trade in value for having a certified used toyota.

Third- Toyota is part of the better business bearue. Is the guy down the block part of the BBB? Do yourself a favor and check the place and it's records with the BBB, you might be suprised.

You have provide very lame reasons to use a Dealership.

Very lame.

One does not have to be a "certified" Toyota machanic to change the oil and rotate the tires...because for the first 100,000 miles that is mostly all our cars need.

Why would I want to use them and for the purposes you wrote, and OVER PAY 25% to 300% for the service?

No, dealerships are mostly Stealerships and they are big liars to the public.

The ONLY reason to use a Stealership is for getting warranty work done, and only idiots use Stealerships for everything else.