Funny Business at the Toyota Service Centre

[*MAD DOG*]

Warning:- A little long winded, but don't speed read or you'll miss my point.

My Yaris has done just less than 14,000km in its first year, but it's nearly been 6 months since I had it serviced last, so it was due for a service, its 20,000km service.

Today I took it to my dealership (as I always do) for servicing. They tried to offer me things I didn't need like "your cars done 10,000km and you should have your tires rotated". I'd already done that somewhere else.

Then when I didn't go for it he says "Your cars done 20,000km you should get a fuel injector clean". I told him that the car had only done 14,000km and I would consider a fuel injector clean at 20,000km. I run on premium fuel most of the time anyway.

The suggested add on items to the service got me thinking and I asked him, "How much would synthetic oil be instead of normal oil"?. He said that he didn't know and would get back to me.

I have a 10% discount card on Service and Parts. Anyway I get the call and was told that the synthetic oil would cost me $60 and did I want to go for it? I asked him how much more than normal oil and he said it was $30 more. I decided to go for it.

Anyway I go back to pick up the car and have a bit of a surprise. The service person told me that on a normal service, I don't receive the 10% off the price of the normal oil they use, but because I went with the synthetic oil, it is listed as a part and I do get the 10% off.

He showed me an invoice with dino oil and it was $280something dollars, then he showed me the invoice with the synthetic and it was $271. So I’ve ended up having a service with Genuine Toyota 5W-40 SL/CF Full Synthetic oil $10 or more dollars cheaper than if I’d used dino oil!

Weird. Before I get canned for paying $270 to service my car at the dealer I always have and always will as I’m not going to service my own car, checking the tires and water for the windscreen wipes is about as far as I go.

I just find it amazing that I can get my car serviced with synthetic oil cheaper than dino oil!