The "Svc Required" light has finally come on in my 08 TCH, and the odometer is right on 5000 miles. I called the dealer I bought it from (Toyota of Santa Monica), and they're quoting $105 for the first service, including an oil change, topping off all fluids, tire pressure check, tire rotation if needed. Seems pretty high to me. I could probably shop around various dealerships in the area (Miller in Culver City, Marina in the Marina), but how do people feel about the 3rd party shops like Jiffy Lube?
topping off of the fluids is the biggest crock of **** in the service industry.
checking the various reservoirs and adding the few drops of liquid, if needed, takes under two minutes and costs them well under $2.
the term "topping off of fluids" sounds good, doesn't it?
call around...or come to NJ and use Toyotaland ($25)...gas is cheaper here, too, and it's full service!
I could get it done at work (we have a service that comes and does oil changes in the parking lot for about $30), but I'd prefer to have it done at the dealer to avoid any hassles. Also, I want to see if they can reprogram it so that ALL doors open when I touch the driver's side, rather than just the driver's door.
I'm right at 4,500, so I figure in two weeks it will be time. I called the dealer, advised them I'd like to set up my 5,000 mile service and got the same spiel...oil, top off fluids, tire rotation and safety check, all for only $68. Yeehah.
After that, I called the salesman I bought the car from and said "Hey, it's about time for service, got any coupons?" He advised me to just come on in and ask for the $39.95 "service special" (oil change, tire rotation, etc). So I saved $28.05 with a simple phone call. Never hurts to ask for a discount, you might be surprised. Could I shop around more and pay less? Probably, but the dealership is on my way to work, and they'll give me a ride to the office after I drop off the car, so I'm satisfied with the deal.
topping off of the fluids is the biggest crock of **** in the service industry.
checking the various reservoirs and adding the few drops of liquid, if needed, takes under two minutes and costs them well under $2.
the term "topping off of fluids" sounds good, doesn't it?
call around...or come to NJ and use Toyotaland ($25)...gas is cheaper here, too, and it's full service!
Hi haroldo...are you referring to ToyotaLand on Rt 22? Is that where you purchased your car or just get it serviced there?
I've been thinking about purchasing a TCH...not sure where to really go in Central NJ.
I asked the service dept. where I bought my TCH about programming all the doors to unlock at one time and they claim it can't be done. Said its a safety issue. For some reason I don't believe them.
You can program all doors to unlock (instead of just driver door) yourself. See pages 40-41 in the owners manual. Just did it myself tonight and worked fine. Dealer is liable to charge an arm and leg to do this.
AND it is hogwash that it can't be done due to safety issues. I would consider going to another dealer myself if I were you. What else aren't they telling you or are uninformed about?
I did my own oil and filter change at 5000 miles. Cost with 0W synthetic was a little over $30. I took the new TCH to Walmart to get the $39 lifetime rotate and balance done. I checked the liquids at home and all looked fine.
I rather not take my car to a dealer if I can help it. Years ago I had a Chevy dealer doing a recall fix on my Impala. I had to leave it for a few hours. I called to see if it was ready. He said my car was up on a lift and the brakes were so bad that he would not drive the car out of the shop. I hit the ceiling, a car with about 20,000 miles and already wore out brakes. I told him the brakes were fine when I brought the car in. The guy quoted me something like $179 for a brake job. I thought to myself, my brake jobs I do myself for about $40. I hurried to pick my car up. Sorry, I just don't trust most car dealers. Here where I live in this small town, we have a good toyota certified tech and he is truthful on my past toyota's.
1st service/5000 miles
