I’ve been a Toyota technician since 1988 I’m a shop foreman at a large dealer in California. You did a great job with this video I see this all too often in my job. It really does make a bad name for the industry. Your attention to detail is excellent. Keep up the good work.
The owner loves his Toyota and it showed how clean and well they keep it. I too am really pissed of at Dealership and repair shop not doing the right thing and not repairing the car correctly...
Yup. And even the good ones sometimes fail. I took a '10 GTI to my mechanic of 10+ years for an oil pressure issue and they couldn't fix it. It sat in my garage for months while I researched the issue that turned out to be a missing oil filter inner tube that costs $16. My mechanic was suggesting swapping the engine for over $3k, lol
I do most the work myself but I don’t know everything and I still use a shop for some work. When I go to the shop I straight up tell them what I’d like done that way they know I’m not someone they can push over. Most the time I know the issues just don’t know how to fix it. I’m still learning I don’t own a garage or a driveway so doing work outside on the street is not always the best thing.
I'm convinced dealerships overlook issues they would need to replace under warranty. Once the warranty expires they will charge you twice as much to replace something that should have been noticed during previous service intervals.
I heard from a friend who worked at a dealer is that they when they do warranty work they get paid the full amount by Toyota so I’m not sure why they wouldn’t want to do it. Sometimes they have to get the warranty work approved first.
Don't know about Toyota but they are usually paid on a lower scale and, since the manufacturer supplies the parts, they don't get their usual mark-up on the inflated price to the consumer.
@wholeNwon That is not true. Dealers are paid their normal "labor rate" + parts mark-up on their parts. Call a Toyota dealership near you and ask them what their hourly labor rate is. It is probably ~$100+. That is why once your car is out of warranty, you should seek an independent Toyota repair facility. One that worked for a dealership and is factory trained.
Awesome. I have always said that having an honest and knowledgeable auto technician is one of the most valuable assets you can have -- particularly for those of us who keep their cars for 10-20 years and 200k+ miles. You would not believe how much your viewers would like to have access to you to service their vehicles. Between your brand-specific knowledge, your integrity, and your attitude of saving your customers money by only recommending work that is necessary and being willing to "keep an eye on" minor non-safety issues, you are a gold mine for your customers. Watching your videos over the last year, your honesty and integrity come through so strongly (along with your Toyota-specific knowledge and experience). I am convinced that this is why your channel is so popular and successful. Keep up the great work and continue to set a high bar for other technicians to emulate!
I have yet to find a through and honest mechanic and it's beyond frustrating. I'm pretty much convinced that I am not meant to bother with having a car over 100000 miles. I hope I find one some day 🤞
I know about cars a little and I herd this noise every time I’d turn the wheels lock to lock. So I thought maybe it was bad tire rods. So I went to this shop that had good reviews they looked it over gave me a call and said they found no play in any of the steering and the tires were rock solid no play. I asked if they could test drive the car and listen because the noise is there. They got back to me and said they herd it and said it’s probably the strut mounts but everything was fine the struts were not leaking and they didn’t recommend any repairs. They could have easily said yea we herd the noise you need this this and that. They said as long as your okay with a little noise there’s nothing wrong with the car it’s rock solid. I went back to the shop expecting to pay a diagnostic fee and the guy told me don’t worry about paying for that. I was kinda shocked I was willing to pay the guy for his time. I was just taken back by the honesty of this shop I will definitely return.
@@scout7060 I am so frustrated with the whole older car ordeal. I think the middle of the road way to go about it is to buy new or close to new and keep it for maybe 8 years. Hopefully it will still have some resale value and then use the money to help get another new one. Once cars start to get older it's such a gamble. I wouldn't want to not own a car though.
There are just two options really. You either learn and fix everything yourself (and that includes not just cars, but everything). Or you earn enough money so that any repair cost or just getting a new car every 3 years does not matter to you. Being without money and having no skills is the worst.
Bought a new Mazda CX9 in 2017, I have been the only person to lay a wrench on it. Funny enough, not ONE mechanical failure after 230,000KM's. Its a good car but I cant help but thinking what would have failed if I trusted the stealership for all the maintenance. My goal will be to get this over 500,000 KM's, just hope the rust (Canada) doesn't get it first.
@@TheStealthbob totally doable. A car in caring knowledgable hands will run for a really long time. Try some rustproofing. People show good results just by washing undercarriage and applying Fluid Film. Needs to be done at least once a year.
That's what I had to do. Learn to fix it myself. I just didn't have the money to have it done. Mistakes were made along the way, but knowledge and wisdom were learned. And most importantly, I'm still learning.
I went to a local Lexus dealer for an oil leak and they came back with a long list of items that they told me needed to be replaced. Not only did they misdiagnose the oil leak but they told me I need new spark plugs and a new serpentine belt which were both replaced about a month before my visit to this dealership. When I told my service advisor, he had this weird look on his face and then came back and showed me a picture of my “worn serpentine belt”. I’m convinced that he took a picture of a belt from another vehicle. $193 diagnostic fee down the toilet. I knew better than to go to the dealer. I left a horrible Google review and when they tried to call me I ignored all their calls. Stay away from Ourisman Lexus of Rockville. There I said it. Screw them
AMD, you are the man. I have had 4 Toyota truck's since 1984, and I for one, appreciate your videos. You are a plethora of information for anything Toyota, and I have learned so much watching your channel. Recently, I purchased a new 2022 Tacoma, and thanks to you, I know the good and the not so good without having to experience it first hand. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, and that is what you empower us Toyota owners with - knowledge.
What happened to the 4 Toyota you had since 84? Accident, pass it down to kids or family, accident. Stolen, crazy chick set it on fire, what the story?
I'm so glad there are people like you in the world. I'm a huge diy guy but for special knowledge items I tend to take my car to a shop. If you were in my area I would never take my car anywhere else! Please keep up the good work!
At my former shop we made TH-cam videos showing the condition and why we recommended work before and then after work was completed. This effectively took the trust issue off the table since people could see specifically why their vehicle needed work. On issues where testing was required they were shown the tests before and after. Many times customers trusted us and didn't bother looking at the materials we sent but often it made die-hard believers out of our customers and a few times it saved us from customers that would claim something "wasn't doing that before", it was always nice to pull up their video and give them a specific time stamp showing yes indeed it was faulty before and here's the video evidence.
That is a great way to do business. Especially as easy as it is now. My tech takes before and after photos and then keeps them for future repair needs. Huge fan of doing that.
If I had $1,000 for every time i had a repair done on a tractor or vehicle, and it came back with (multiple) problems that it didn't have before. I would owe $0. Plus money in the bank..... All my stuff is so old, i have to diagnose it for them. Source the parts. And tell them what they need to install them. 🤦♂️
Completely appreciate the way you presented this information. Very important for vehicle owners to understand that we have to use due care when looking for service providers for our "rolling homes". Thanks!
MAX. You got that correct. You should read my post what happened to myself. If I saw that building on fire I wouldn't stop to pee on it. Dealerships are the very ones giving Toyota a very bad name. I hope day be coming very soon. They be no middleman Dealerships. Only direct from the Auto Companies itself & only there own owned professionally controlled service garages. Cut out these greedy crooked middle men.
@@Houndini Tesla tried that. Did you know that in some states, it is illegal for the manufacturers to sell directly? Just more rent seeking from special interest businesses at the state government level.
I've had dealership problems with every brand I've owned. When I've contacted a manufacturer, I've been told, literally (after a series of unproductive calls), "He (ie., the dealer) is an independent businessman. I'll talk to him, but we can't tell him what to do." The harsh reality is, the dealer is considered the manufacturer's customer - not the car buyer.
Toyota as a company is every bit as corrupt as any particular dealer. You want to know what dictates if Toyota renues a contract to allow a dealer to sell cars? Sales! Business is not about honesty or integrity, it's all about profit
Excellent video! Finding an honest and reliable automotive repair shop is incredibly hard. I was taking my vehicles to a small shop run by father and son. They were great! Unfortunately, the small shop went out of business due to property lease issues. I have worked on cars all my life and I know when I'm being scammed or the work is poor quality. My local Toyota dealership sucks. I'm having a difficult time even finding a competent shop for a simple oil change! The search is on. It's maddening.
It really is! Aw sucks when small businesses go down.. I usually find those mom pop shop and support them. Their fair and are honest (for the most part) I live in Houston and my mechanic lives in New caney, Texas.. it’s far!
I understand. I used to go to a local mechanic that I knew and trusted. He is a Honda specialist and ran his independant shop himself. He took good care of my CTV and Fit, but retired last year and moved out of town. It is difficult to replace a trusted mechanic and I don't want to be ripped off at a dealership.
What's even more maddening is that the reason these shops and dealers remain incompetent is because the incentive to simply BE in a business is greater than to be GREAT in the business. The bar is set so low because the general population doesn't care about honesty as much as they do about saving, and they don't realize this ends up costing them more as a result of this feedback loop where people no longer care about their chosen craft. It's about the money, not improving the world we live in. I'm no expert in cars but I do love mine and i pay attention to people. The honest ones will show you through their actions. The dishonest ones are obvious because they will give customers obscure answers to avoid saying anything and will keep the money coming. Sadly, lying and incompetence seems to get more business from the general public. Honest shops typically attract more honest people who can spot a bad mechanic and they are limited compared to the number of wannabe business owners everywhere.
If you worked on cars your while life do it yourself oil changes are simple and working on modern cars isn't that difficult to do. I also understand you might be up there in age so you may not be able to
Before two years, after technician in dealership left mess in my car together with dirty plastic seat cover, I asked to talk with Management. Salesman convinced me to go have a coffee and come back in one hour. When I came back, I got my car cleaned with out need to pay for service. After that incident I have never had a problem with same dealership. Thank you Mrs TCCN and AMD.
I have been through tremendous grief thanks to Prince George Toyota Service Dept, in BC Canada. I took my 2009 Rav4, with the 2ARFE, in for a VVT gear replacement. They have it apart, and it was supposed to be ready today, three days after it was dropped off. After ignoring me all day in the service center, they finally, at closing time, told me they can not figure out the timing. And dont know why, so they have no idea when it will be ready. So I had to rent a car, again, to return to my home two hours north of here. That job is routine, and I could add more, but to keep it short, suffice to say that my vehicle is in the hands of people who don't have a clue. And they have it in pieces. It was real nice, just a slight rattle on cold start, and I was just trying to take good care of it, and it is likely dead. How can I trust it after this? Will I even get it back ??? I guess oil changes and tire inflating is their service capability limit.i will NEVER speak bad about Toyota, but NOT their Canadian dealer in Prince George BC. Was planning on upgrading, but I have a terrible taste in my mouth, and when you cant trust the dealer, well, likely the Honda people here will get a sale.
I bet the dealership that reported the life threatening oil leak wouldn't have actually done anything but charge for the repair. Lots of fraud in the auto repair business and dealerships lead the way. They can't even fix a burnt headlight connector? What a joke.
I’ve had similar results with my local Toyota dealer. In my case, they botched a four wheel alignment - THREE (3) separate times! On the first, when you took your hands off the wheel, the car swerved right where before the procedure, it went straight. They spent literally fifteen minutes trying to tell me why I was wrong and it was just due to the crown in the road! Of course, the fact that the steering wheel was also now canted 15 degrees in the opposite direction when traveling in a straight line didn’t influence their opinion that the job was done correctly. Needless to say, on the second service visit, they straightened the wheel, but the car still pulled to the right,. After the third visit and no resultant change, I gave up and went to a local independent shop (recommended by my neighbor) who fixed the problems on the first try. Needless to say, the Toyota dealership wouldn’t refund their charges for bad work, nor would they admit anything was wrong. I wish all Toyota dealerships would have somebody like AMD but sadly, they don’t.
The problem with dealers is their techs come and go. There are good techs and bad techs. You never get the same tech twice. Find a small shop where the is an owner and one or two additional techs. That way you get to know them and they know you. Dealers charge so much more to. They have to pay for fancy waiting rooms and espresso stations.
If you have all the paperwork, I would take the dealer to small claims court. Most of the time the dealer won’t even show up and you’ll win by default.
Thanks AMD, quality honest advice right here. Stealerships give dealerships a bad rep. In fact anyone associated with the motor industry can get tarnished by just one owner’s bad experience. Customers tell other owners, they tell others, and so it goes on. Keep up the great work!
Thank you for being so thorough in every video you make. It's a real tragedy that most repair shops, especially dealerships, and their mechanics are often worthless or just plain 'care-less' about their jobs and their customers.
In most places it is hard to get decent techs and normally the techs only care about how many flag hours they can squeeze in. Unfortunately, doing a good job and what is right means making less money. Taking time and correctly looking at the vehicle and then taking the time explaining that to the customer or the service advisor that then talks to the customer doesn't pay well for the short term.
Went into a Hyundai dealership for a recall, the "service writer" said they checked out the whole car and said they found $3500 worth of repairs that needed to be done. One of the itemized issues was a left front noise for $650 ( there was no noise). I looked at the service writer and said "How do you say this with a straight face"? They also said I needed front brake pads and I said I just put new ones on last month.
As a 2013 Toyota Avalon owner I find your videos invaluable. You have helped me out more than once, like my blind spot monitor issue. Keep em coming AMD! Thanks
Our car recently had a 48,000 mile aftermarket warranty expire. Before it expired we took it to our local Toyota dealership. The transmission had acted up a few times during the three years we had it. They found nothing wrong with it. They said the intermediate steering shaft was making a clunking sound but wasn't a safety issue. Not happy with their findings we took it to the dealer we bought it from which was over an hour from home. They replaced the transmission under warranty. I informed them after getting it back that I could still hear the clunking in the steering. Then they replaced that also under warranty. Now all is good.
The local Toyota dealer near me just quoted me $700 for 4 new tpms sensors installed and programed. Discount Tire quotes $240. I avoid dealerships at all costs. They want gold for work that doesn't even need done. I had to go to a Ford dealer ONE time to activate a cruise control feature I installed in an older F150 XL. They charged me $100 to plug in an obd2 cable, go into the program and check a box to activate it. A hundred bucks to point and click. They aren't known as stealerships for nothing.
When I bought our 2012 Tacoma it came with a free oil and filter change for life perk. At each service, I got a detailed check list of the inspections performed. At about 60 thousand miles at every 5000 mile servicing reports of front brake pad wear, after a number of these reports I was told the pads were about to go metal to metal on the rotors and new ones should be installed immediately. Since the pads are a normal wear item, it would of course be on my nickel, and the price they quoted, as is ALWAYS the case, was very high compared to quotes from local chain repair shops and my own mechanic that I have been using for over 20 years. I had my indie replace the pads and it turned out that the original ones were only a little over half worn. At that point I stopped using the dealership for any service and walked away from the free oil and filter changes.
I watch a TH-cam channel from Canada. The guy lives in his van. The guy left the van for several days for multiple problems at a Ford dealer. The technician texted this van owner, with photos, over every issue. Why not, it is 2022 and we all have phones? FYI i HATE my Toyota dealer in Roanoke, VA. We are driving our second and third cars purchased new from this dealer. They have phone numbers and emails on us but we are nearly always told they cannot find our appointment. Once my husband waited 2.5 hours for the 25000 mile check. I mistakenly said I was there for warranty work once and the girl jumped down my throat because she said there was no such thing. She knew EXACTLY what I meant. The last visit I asked them to check my tailgate as it does not always work. The guy said so, does it work or not? They would not check the tailgate without a prepayment of $200. I even spoke with the ser, mgr. who said it was like a deductible on medical care. I told her I had a current ext. watt. purchased from them. She stood her ground. When I got home I checked the manual. I was doing it wrong. But, since then it does randomly malfunction. Did I say I HATE this desler? I will buy in another state 100 miles away the next time.
Very hard when you expect the dealer to tell you the truth but they just want to increase their profits by doing unnecessary work or fraudulent billing. Thanks for the good video
Thanks for an Honest Inspection of a customer's vehicle. All those shops and they FAILED to provide the owner a list of issues and what needs to be done right away or for a future date. Good thing he got you to look at it. Keep up the Honest work.
As a tech, parts and service director for 11 stores for 27 years, I agree with you 100% and love the diagnosis element. We were number 1 in CSI for 10 years straight until the dealerships were sold to Penske. We had a variety of makes Honda, Acura, Mercedes, 1 GM store. We never "oversold" if we found things we would advise the customer, even put on a rack and showed them if it was underneath. Every custome got their old parts back in a tightly sealed plastic bag. We had great techs, all went to factory schools on a regular basis. Someone mentioned putting off warranty work so dealers could make more. That never happened in our stores. Lost in that comment is the fact for years warranty has paid the same labor rate as retail and the markup on parts is the same. What happens at shops or dealerships is what their training, care of the customer, intent to repurchase rests on management decisions. And? Some of it is pretty bad. But- not all. Keep up the good work and the vids coming.
Wow. Just from pulling the headlight connector out, you can instantly tell what the problem was. Never understood why the dealership couldn't diagnose that or the owner himself, lol.
The piont is, they could diagnose, but, they are greedy and this is not worth their time, so they leave the customer in the wilderness. No wonder people do not trust dealerships.. Oh, its about time you bought a new one Sir… soon change their attitude 💰 greed and profit….Thats all it is
Love your straightforward style. Impeccable professionalism. I watch Scotty, TFL, and many other TH-cam channels. I enjoy your straightforward, non biased style. Everyone has their perceived favorites. You always give us true mechanical performance reviews based on experience with vehicles. Thank you for what you bring to the world of enthusiasts and regular car people who are looking for an honest opinion.
I get what you are saying, but trying to find a trustworthy mechanic that knows how to work on a modern vehicle is not an easy task. If you don't have factory training, you're going to have a very difficult time learning the things you need to know. Not all dealerships are bad. Some are honest, some are not. If you can find a dealer with a halfway decent reputation, there's things you can do as a customer to make things work in your favor. You'll always be dealing with a service advisor, but you don't want to stop there. Find some type of excuse to meet the service manager or shop foreman, and even the tech that's working on your car, if you can. You want to be the customer that everyone wants to deal with. If you are the type that's always complaining and hard to deal with, you'll get the minimum. For example, looking at the situation in this video can be done from more than one point of view. By the way the information was presented in the video, it looks like the customer was neglected. And its most likely true. However, that's not always how things work out. If this customer is a typical pain in the ass, they just want to get them out the door with as little interaction as possible. You don't want to be that person. You want to build a relationship where people are happy to see you. Also, always try to give a perfect survey. Those things count for a lot. Those after service surveys that the manufacturer gives you are extremely important to the type of relationship the dealer has with the main company. Even 1 bad survey can be a big deal. I know I'm not very good at explaining things, so I'll try and sum things up as best I can. You want someone like the guy in this video working on your cars. I don't know his background, but he's a dealership tech. Maybe not anymore, but he was at some point. That means you could go to a dealership and he could be doing the work. I think most people would be surprised to find out that most dealers have at least 1 or 2 techs that are similar to the guy in the video. Some guys just won't take advantage and do everything by the book. So what I'm recommending is to build a relationship with your dealer. Then you can find the best tech they have and keep requesting him or her to work on your car. Just a side comment. As the years go by and cars become more difficult and expensive to repair, I see every day extended warranties bailing customers out on expensive repairs they would not be able to afford otherwise. Its just something to consider.
This is why this is my favorite channel. Great information, knowledge and tips on your toyota. I am so glad I found this channel. I've done so much work on my 13 highlander since I found the channel. I do all preventive maintenance myself because unfortunately I don't trust others, which includes the dealer. Thank you so much for all the great work you do. 👍
Over the years I have developed an excellent working relationship with the service side of my local Toyota dealership, I work mostly with one service writer and he knows not play games or try and up sell me. He also knows to walk me back into the service area and have the tech point out and explain any issues they discover with my trucks, this avoids any confusion and heads off problems.
Though I drive a 2004 Honda Element. I love your channel and your tips. I take my car to the dealer where I bought it since new and though I have been generally satisfied until their recent expansion. Not too long ago I took it for a valve adjustment and a week later I noticed they had broken 2 of the valve cover bolts. I took it back later and they fixed it at no cost except my time. The good thing is that I have a good relationship with the service manager. Some other time they left off sone of the plastic screws from the splash shield. Lately I have taken my car back 3 times for a wheel alignment. Last time they had to center the steering wheel. Now the car pulls to the left 😡. One thing I do like is that they give you a picture of what needs to be replaced. They perform a free multi point inspection. Thanks to my dad I learned to verify the work and ask for the replaced parts back.
How to get dealerships to admit something is wrong: Go to a dealership and pretend you want to buy a car telling them you want to trade in your car. You really don't. They will inspect your car for free. Have them print out what they find is wrong with your car. If the dealerships name is on the printout, the better. Then go to another dealership where you want them to fix it under warranty. If they deny your claim and say nothing is wrong, you bring out the printout from the other dealership.
@@dareisnogod5711 They can talk their way out sure. But you can also contact the manufacturer. If that fails you can sue them. Since one of their authorized dealer acknowledged the problem, a judge might be more inclined in your favor.
I will never go to a Toyota dealership after the experience and the issues I had during and after picking up my car this year, and won't go to other dealership after their ego of trying to sell them over MSRP. Not even going in for my free maintenance, just can't trust them.
The tone is usually set by management. While I've worked in a different field, I've found that the business chain location would either praise me or berate me for my honesty with customers, depending on the general manager (/tyrant) of that location.
Excellent, excellent video with commentary and analysis. The kind of shenanigans -- greed, indifference, incompetence and outright claims intended to facilitate fraud - are all too common. Almost all of us have some experience with these elements, particularly (though not exclusively) with dealership service centers and national service chains. (That has been my consistent experience in Chicago, Texas and Massachusetts over several decades). When we've had enough, we move on, leaving, these days, civil but incisive and blunt commentaries on Yelp and Google Reviews. Apart from finding a competent shop, the best defense is knowledge and the powers of observation. You demonstrated that, immediately, by simply looking at the connector/socket for the offending headlight, and identifying it as the problem. And, of course, as you've mentioned in prior videos, transparency in this business, matters. Here, it takes the form of requesting to view (and perhaps to take possession of) the old parts (such as would have been the case with the supposedly changed belt tensioner). I'm up in Chicago for family business, yearly, in the Spring. In 2019, I stopped by for a simple oil change at a Toyota dealer on Touhy and Cicero. They produced a laundry list of unnecessary services (failed to look up prior available history, as well) and misdiagnosed a evap core leak as a mere need for a $150 A/C service. (Declined, as were more than $1100 of bogus service recommendations). I left a comprehensive review of the many failings of this dealership service department on Google Reviews, so it's no secret how greedy and incompetent this service center was, in my case. My vehicle had two issues (while visiting Chicago from Central Texas) in 2019 and 2021. Both times (an evap core replacement, which I know is very labor intensive in 2019 and a rusted out resonator/flex pipe in 2021), a small independent shop (and I've left good reviews for them, on Yelp and Google Reviews), G&G, did competent and timely work, aware of the fact that I was staying in hotels (family member is in assisted living). (I have no financial or personal affiliation with G&G). And, I have a good shop here, east of increasingly expensive Austin, Texas, as well, for specific work I cannot easily do. (Over the last year, I've done a lot of my own work: I've recently replaced a number of items, such as a leaking valve cover gasket, installing new spark plugs, new inner fender liners and engine splash shield, a rebuilt trunk latch, a new serpentine belt, drained and replaced of power steering, transmission and coolant fluids, cleaning the MAF and throttle body, plus a few routine oil changes). And I've been inspecting under the car, the best I could, with the use of ramps. I can only reiterate what you've said, many times. Learn and do what you can, and the quality of the work will be often better, because we care the most about our vehicles. And thanks for clear-eyed appraisal, and the disposition behind that appraisal. __ Parenthetically, I'm soliciting advice. I have a 2008 Camry LE, 155K, original Denso starter and alternator. The alternator still tests out as functional, on my Topdon battery/alternator tester. The starter is original, no grinding or inconsistent power, yet. I'm driving to Chicago in May. And I'm considering replacing (or at least putting in my trunk) DENSO remanufactured alternator and/or starter. Is this a good risk reduction strategy, at this point, given parts shortages, the desire to avoid Chinesium replacements, and the necessity of a properly working vehicle, while in metro Chicago? Thanks.
I am willing to bet money the "MAF sensor kit" is literally a "kit" of 2 very small spray bottles made by CRC & sold in the WMart auto section for about $7. One can is MAF cleaner and I think the other is throttle body cleaner.
Love your channel, enjoy seeing an honest mechanic breaking everything down without nonsense. A Toyota dealership here does shoddy work. My wife had to have her power door lock on a low mileage 2017 4 runner replaced and they left the key lock jammed up and inoperable when they were done. I took my Lexus in for an oil change and they left oil and grease all over the front of my car and a hand print on the hood. The mechanic had the nerve to try and say it came in that way. I wish you were here, our cars would only see your shop.
You're a credit to your profession. I had this same vehicle in white purchased new, dealer maintained. Early '08s were a mess, mine had all the TSBs, oil blowout, VVTI rattle (major $$, not fixed) trans shifting issues, steering column, other rattles, cheap plastic. I'll never buy another new Toyota. Warranty issues were mishandled by 3 unrelated dealerships. This was poor corporate policy. I dumped that hot mess for a ridiculously high $ to another dealer just before the warranty ran out. Our S. Korean vehicle has had a few fully covered but minor warranty issues too but nothing that wasn't fixed without lying to me. THAT'S how you earn loyalty.
Nice car for its age. AMD, the advice you provide is spot on. Your attention to detail is what makes you a good technician. I liked the small rant on the body plugs - something so small and so simple, yet are crucial to the vehicle in the long run. The body plug serves a purpose, yet so many vehicle owners are not aware of them, nor under the car to observe they are missing. That is where a good technician comes in. On the mass airflow sensor kit - some shops put together a "cleaning kit" which includes induction service cleaning solution and small bottle of throttle body cleaner in a spray can. Not sure if that was what was done in this particular instance, but have seen parts departments charge out items like this in a "kit". Always enjoy your content.
I’m picking up my new 2022 Corolla SE next week and it’s not going near the dealer for service !!!! I can care less if they give me free oil changes for two years !!!! First oil change is going to be at 1k miles after that every 5K !!!! Toyota says every 10K !!!! BS TO THAT !!!! The only dealer I would go to is the one you work at !!!! Every dealer I been to has young kids working there !!!! Thank God I have a great mechanic !!!!
Absolutely true. I would rather find a great independent honest mechanic than at least checks instead of ‘suggesting’ unnecessary work, that won’t address actual problems and safety issues. Videos like your can go a long way in giving customers insight into what is really needed in terms of repair work. After a lot of reading and research I feel I am able to make much better decisions on what is actually important work that needs to be done.
I wish I had a shop like yours nearby to maintain my 2022 RAV4 XSE Prime! I have a similar shop that I trust to maintain my tire needs. My second car is a 2011 Nissan Maxima SV with 170k miles. At about 160k, the Nissan dealer informed me that I needed to replace my rear struts due to them leaking. I took my car back to Hansens Tire, in Merced, California and they informed me that there were no leaks and that my struts were fine. Hansens Tire of Merced is one of the last owner maintained businesses that has been in business for at least 30+ years that I am aware of. Thank you for the all of great videos and being a reputable auto repair shop!
@@aldrichemrys Aldrich, if that's your real name why is that trolling? It's a valid question. He said god bless you. I'm asking which one. You know people worship more than one god. Are you a Putin Christian?
In addition, @life, not his or her real name, alluded that only Christians are honest and professional. Now who's the troll? I'm just looking for honest respectful discourse
I just bought a second Toyota. It was a certified preowned 26k miles Toyota RAV4 hybrid XLE. first problem was when I tried to fill up the tank for the first time. It was broken. It was a known problem with a lawsuit against Toyota. Went to a touch-less carwash and my A pillar by the windshield airbags started leaking water. Also very well known problem. I don’t know how they can certify a car with those kind of problems. I also had side mirrors shaking badly with a TSB fix. Toyota Dealer who sold me the car refused to work on my car and Toyota HQ says they can’t do anything if dealer says everything is ok. I ended up selling the car within 3 weeks of owning it. That’ll probably be my last Toyota. That car also costs me 40k out the door and was sold a certified lemon. Also the finance office wouldn’t let me cancel my extended warranty because he was trying to get his cut on it and tried to not give me a full refund. Has to fight my way to the finance director to cancel it.
From Sexbierum, the Netherlands: Honesty is you’re best seller, sometimes not what they want to hear but in the end it surely pays off! Keep up the good work!
I appreciate your honesty and dedication to the owners of these vehicles ( Toyota brands). As an owner of many Toyota and Lexus vehicles over the years starting in 1994. I have found that some dealerships scam their clients by telling them these need to be repaired or replaced when in fact these items don’t need to be addressed at this point in time. Safety items like brakes, steering and drive train issues that will lead to loss of control of the vehicle need to be addressed immediately. Some of the items that required replacement over the years included timing belts, water pumps, brake pads etc. Most of my vehicles reach 10 + years and mileage over 200K without major problems. Only exception was my 2001 Lexus RX 300 required a transmission replacement @ 187k (front wheel drive vehicle). it was still running great after 264k but replacement of the brake pads, rotors, brake lines and associated parts exceeded the vehicles value. So it was traded ($1500). Got the 2008 RX 350 AWD.
It happened to my friend who owned a 2011 4runner, he went for a oil change, but smart for him marked the oil filter, fresto the oil filter never changed so he called the local newspaper, the dealership apologized, offered him lifetime oil change but declined.
I'm not a mechanic and have done a lot of diy learning basics from my journeyman mechanic father back in the 50's and 60's. I have made mistakes over the years not major. My dad was retired in the late 80's so missed the birth of the electronic era. I was self teaching myself on the computer era most of my experience being done with my Fiero's. At 75 and now homeless I probably won't be able to incorporate your knowledge but I really appreciate your honesty and trouble shooting. My dad would be as impressed as I am. I wish you well.
AMD, I have quickly become a fan of your channel. To contribute to your thoughts on the repair industry and the poor misconceptions, it is all very true, however the way the flat rate technician industry is designed, it has created these misconceptions itself. It does not cater to technicians learning or taking their time because if you do you will starve. Instead it encourages incomplete diagnostics and parts shotgunning, as well as motivation to sell unnecessary services. I am a ASE Advanced Master tech and hold the basic Toyota certification. I love the product and the work, but the industry has me driven down a different path as of last summer. If I had worked at a dealership with an MDT such as yourself, who is interested in helping others and doing the right thing, I am certain I would still be there. Unfortunately, our mdt was the most arrogant self center person, I have ever met in my life and referred to himself as “one of the best there is” even though all his diag was experience based vs skill and he was spoon fed day in and day out while the rest of us got the warranty diags and less desirable tickets. Anyway, to wrap this up, I agree with you 100% and wish the industry would adapt to the times, to eliminate some of these stigmas.
AMD you are simply amazing. I learn so much from you and you make it really interesting!!! I say this being a woman in my 60s who started watching as I’m looking for a car. I’ve had absolutely no interest in car mechanics but your videos… you are a teacher !
VM I just wanted to say your comment resonates with me. I too am a 60s non-DIYer woman who LOVES AMDs videos!! The maintenance information he has provided is extremely helpful--just wish I knew this years ago. I even enjoy watching some of the repair vids knowing I would never attempt the work myself. I have pages of notes to refer to and have a lot more confidence when I have my car serviced. I too am looking to replace my 2006 RAV4 for a new RAV4 hybrid at some point in the future when the inventory and prices improve. FYI - for car buying I have found YAA (Your Advocate Alliance) and "Kevin Hunter the Homework Guy" TH-cam channels very good if you're interested. AMD has done a couple of videos with the guys on YAA. Good luck
Hi AMD, Yes. I have a 2010 Kluger/Highlander in Australia with 160000 kms. The Intermediate Steering shaft clunk happened to mine since new. Toyota replaced it for me under warranty but most likely with the same part. It was good for about a year then it started making that clunk noise again and you could feel it every time when weight of the car changed from left to right example steering through a roundabout... About 8 years later Another dealer asked Toyota if they could replace it for me once again but Toyota refused.... I had to write a letter to Toyota to complain as it was so annoying and they came good and approved the free replacement of the intermediate steering shaft as the dealer told me there was a revised design.... I haven't had any more clunking noise since that time... Other than that...a very reliable car....
I have the popping when I turn my steering wheel on my 2010 RX too. But it didn’t start to happen until about a year and a half ago and I’ve had the car for almost 12 years. My mechanic is aware of it, but he said it’s not a safety issue either, and it is expensive to repair
Sadly, most so-called mechanics are not as honest and knowledgeable as you. Over the years, I have encountered "mechanics" who didn't know which way to loosen a bolt, to many misdiagnoses, to overfilling oil changes, to outright crooks who lured you in with cheap oil changes and finding make-believe problems. Thank goodness there are great honest mechanics such as yourself. You are much appreciated.
I just bought a 2006 4Runner. It came with only a valet key + no remote fobs, and I wanted a master key as a spare and to program a couple aftermarket fobs I bought. Dealership cut me a new chip key ($48 !) but said I had to have it programmed in the service department. They gave the whole song & dance how it requires a deep re-seeding of the car's ECU (a 2 hour soak); only one advanced technician knew how to do that; he was booked til late April & I needed to make an appointment now and leave the car with them for an entire day. The price for the programming was $179. And I really should take this opportunity for a full check-over of the new-to-me vehicle, $200 and I'll be glad I did it. I paid for the new key and said thanks, lemme think it over. ("Sorry your Chief Wizard is so busy. You telling me a 20-yr old WyoTech graduate can't do this? And why do we program cars to match chip keys, instead of the reverse?") From their parking lot, I called a local indie locksmith. He said sure, I do Toyota keys all the time. I'm mobile and can come to you. I said nah, I'll drop by on my way home. Parked in front of his house. He plugged in his code reader, futzed around with a couple menus, then said "Right! All keys lost." Punched thru a few more screens, and twelve minutes after I pulled in, I pulled out with two chipped master keys and two working remote fobs. Total cost: $69. *That* is why no one trusts dealerships.😒
We own a 2009 Highlander with 97 thousands miles here in Houston and the intermediate shaft noise was there since new. Oil cooler line needs to be replace with a new design. Other than that, our car is being without any major issues other than basic maintenance. Thank you for your grate videos.
I'm thankful you're willing to take a customers car home and provide this information for us. We own a 2008 Sienna and a 2011 Corolla. These items - at least a few - cross over to our cars and will help me to do a cursory inspection of many things. I'm hoping our 2011 Corolla sunroof drains have the drainpipe all the way to the outside! I've been a DIY'er since 1966 but have come to a point where I have to trust others to do much of our inspection and repair. We have a good shop here in town that I trust (so far) but wish the drive to your shop wasn't so far! Blessings to you brother. Thank you for your dedication, thoroughness and integrity!
Thank You for your honest opinion on the car repairs and inspection. There are too many Deceitful "Professionals" who are't even that knowledgeable or experienced in car repair and charge an arm and a leg to do the simplest of tasks. I would like to see how to repair the wiper assembly on the glass though as there are many other makes of cars with the same problem.
I stopped going to the dealership because repairs were alot more expensive, I had to replace a rack and pinon because dealer didn't screw on some power steering bolts tight enough/fluid leaked out, and dealer seized oil pan bolt by overtightening it. I then tried a couple independent shops, one shop told me the brakes needed to be replaced when they had at least 50% left and the other shop didn't tell me when the brakes were low and I destroyed 2 rotors. Years ago I was able to take my car to a good mechanic so I know there is such a thing but I've learned most shops rip you off and I'm now learning how to maintain the car myself. The sunroof thing is huge my Co-workers car flooded because the funnel was blocked and the dealership is quoting her 6k to fix all of the damage. She can't afford a 6k repair and she can't get rid of the car because she still owes 4k. She is going to fix what she can and live with a moldy finicky car for alittle while.
Great Video, AMD! I can’t thank you enough. I have a 2012 Highlander Base w/Towing Pkg. and I tow some heavy stuff with it. I’m the original owner with 170,000 miles and going strong. I wouldn’t part with this vehicle for the World.
Thank you for a few great tips especially the roof drains. I own the same year Highlander Limited with 214,000 miles. I personally change the oil every 5k miles with Synthetic Oil and always use OEM parts and lights. My original headlights lasted 8 years then the after market lights would last less than a year until I went with OEM. Great SUV. Change the transmission fluid every 50k with OEM fluid, the same with the coolant.
I live in Canada and follow your TH-cam channel. Very informative. Thank you. I have to say that I have had very bad experiences with Toyota Dealerships in my city and the only saving grace is the actual value of the Toyota Brand. Toyota dealerships, at least in my city, sucks big time. I have a 2013 RAV4 AWD, LE that I bought new at this particular dealership and had it serviced there regularly. About 5 yrs into the ownership of this vehicle, I decided to change the transmission fluid and brought it to that dealership. The car had around 57K kms on the clock. I knew that there is a particular way to replace transmission fluid to ensure that it is filled with the correct volume of fluid and I voiced this concern to the service representative as I gave them the car for service. When I got the car back, it drove ok for around 200km without any problem. However one night the temperature dipped to -10degC and I was coming out of work. I started the car and proceeded to slowly drive out of a parking slot. In about 30 feet, the car stopped and even as I revved it up it would not move. Long story short, the amount of fluid the Toyota Dealership placed in the transmission was not sufficient that when the temperature became cold, there was not enough to move the car. I brought the car back to Toyota and they then determined the problem and replaced the transmission fluid. They did not offer any explanation, what happened. Together with the transmission fluid, I had asked them to change the coolant and the brake fluid at the same time and I thought if they could mess a transmission fluid refill, what happened to other fluids I asked them to replace. What about the state of my transmission after being starved of fluid? They did not even acknowledge their mistake. There are several incidents like that I have experienced with Toyota Dealerships in my city that are definitely not inspiring and confidence building but my comment is already too long. I stay away from dealerships as much as I can.
I'm lucky to have a great Toyota dealership. I bought 4 cars from them so far and they do good work. An honest mechanic is a keeper. May they all follow your example AMD!
You and Scotty on you tube are honest car meccanics. Dealerships they have extremely high cost expenses, from the receptionist girl, right up to the toilette cleaner. So for the smallest job they will tell you completely something else. And if the job was done really honestly aprouved by the customer you will still end up with a very expensive bill to pay because a technician told me when a jobb is done in example 5 or 10 min. they will charge you 1 hr full labour. If the job was done in one hour they will charge you 3 times the time spent because this is how it works. I never go to the dealers to have my car checked or fix unless there is a recall.
AMD, thank you for such great video!!! Absolutely brilliant! Unfortunately, this is very common problem with dealerships... they are doing lazy jobs or maybe they don't have sufficient qualification or motivation to do a quality job. It's very sad but this is a reality. The dealeship will charge the customer for the time and diagnostics and tell "we couldn't find any problems" leaving the cars with their problems unless there is something obvious. I have a problem with my 2010 SAI which I took to 3 Toyota dealerships (New Zealand) over the last 6 mnths with no result aka "everything is normal". But I am sure there is a problem: after driving the car (so the engine is hot) if it is stopped for 20 - 30 minutes (e.g. small shoping; assuming the engine is partially cooled down), then after I start driving it againg when the ICE kicks-in it makes some noise as if one of the heat shields was ratteling or if an engine mount was broken. But it only makes that noise at low load and speed 30-40kph while going slightly uphill and only for a minute or two, then disappears. If I accelerate - the noise disappears. Seams to me - related to the engine (exhaust pipe?) temperature, but I am concerned it might be related to the hibrid powertrain (P311). The dealership said all engine mounts are in perfect condition and all heat shields are secure... I guess, I will have to tolerate that until it breaks...
Hi! We don’t have that model in my area but wonder if it shares the same drivetrain as the 3rd gen Prius. That noise could be a start misfire related to the EGR system clogging up.
Once again watching this a year later and reminding myself that your Honesty and Great Heart are Top Shelf OEM Goodness! TCCN is my First Recommend to Toyota Owners looking to go DIY so they learn immediately that this is no game. Your years of expertise are invaluable. Thanks AMD & Bless You & Yours 😊
Im no licensed mechanic nore a toyota technician but id be able to find these things easily. It gets complex if you cant see something is wrong but this is right in your face. I once helped an older couple on the phone with an issue their park neutral safety switch broke. No one knew what was wrong with it
Glad they finally brought the car to you. I know you'll get them fixed right... Funny thing about what they went thru, the independent shop that worked on hot rods, knew more than the others with the steering shaft... that's wild...
Huge fan of this channel! Im a factory trained Toyota and Lexus technician and the stuff that he covers in this channel is so spot on!!! I got out of the industry a few years back and love watching his videos on the new model vehicles! Gotta stay up to date somehow without having access to my tis account anymore!!!
AMD, good video. Very true. Our local Toyota dealership is hit/miss. I have four Toyotas to take care of, so I occasionally go there for parts. The parts department is very good. The service department...not so much. I have a 2019 Toyota Camry hybrid, and I took it there for the last free oil change. No problems, but after it was done, the service manager came over and was telling me I needed to bring my car back to them because 0w16 oil was "incredibly hard to find." Little did he know that I already knew (I did my homework) that you can get 0w16 oil at the local Wal-Mart or Meijer. Sad.
Unfortunately at the dealership level you're paying for 1st and 2nd year apprentice to work on your car. Usually the mundane work gets relegated to the new tech. Example 》Explain to Tech that you would like the wheel torque set to 83' ft-lbs. Tech argues and says no it's 135 ft-lbs But agrees to set it to 83 ft-lbs but when you check it with your torque🔧 you soon find out it is indeed 135 ft-lbs. 🤔
Had my oil changed at the local Toyota dealership. They reinstalled the large gravel shield incorrectly. It came off on a road trip 500 miles from home. It was hanging under the car and scraping on the roadway. I nursed it to a local garage. The mechanic told me that whoever did the last oil change did NOT install the gravel shield correctly. This is NOT a complicated job! I went back to the dealership, with the destroyed parts, and proved to them what had occurred was their fault. New parts, including mounting brackets, had to be replaced. Parts and labor was NOT cheap. They ate it after some argument.
Yeah. I used to fight with the local Toyota dealership to do a five tire rotation on my Highlander Hybrid. I told them that the full size spare would age out with no miles on it otherwise. A total waste. I also pointed out that Toyota called for that in the maintenance manual.
I had a similar experience. A performance issue. Up a hill the engine would start to stumble, lose power, falter. When the top of the hill was traveled, the problem stopped. could figure it out. Replaced the plugs, points, rotor, distributer cap, wires, a new air cleaner. Checked all vacuum hoses. Replaced a few questionable ones. The local dealer had it all day long said they couldn't find the problem. Upon getting the car back, I accidently found it. The flex pipe for the air intake had a split in it. The split would only open during uphill driving and the engine would tilt a little during applying more torque. I ordered a new air intake tube and the car ran perfectly. Three weeks later, a driver qoing the opposite way in a cloud burst lost control, hit my car directly and totaled it. Oh, well.
I’ve been a Toyota technician since 1988 I’m a shop foreman at a large dealer in California. You did a great job with this video I see this all too often in my job. It really does make a bad name for the industry. Your attention to detail is excellent. Keep up the good work.
Thank you Bruce!
Bruce - taking my car to you!! Seems like you can help oversee a proper inspection and deal fairly with the customer:)
The owner loves his Toyota and it showed how clean and well they keep it. I too am really pissed of at Dealership and repair shop not doing the right thing and not repairing the car correctly...
Trust is a beautiful thing, once it is earned. I imagine you have that, Bruce.
Bruce what city are you in? so I can take my car to you
This is why I do my own work. Hard to find not only an honest mechanic but a competent one.
Amen
Yup. And even the good ones sometimes fail. I took a '10 GTI to my mechanic of 10+ years for an oil pressure issue and they couldn't fix it. It sat in my garage for months while I researched the issue that turned out to be a missing oil filter inner tube that costs $16. My mechanic was suggesting swapping the engine for over $3k, lol
I do most the work myself but I don’t know everything and I still use a shop for some work. When I go to the shop I straight up tell them what I’d like done that way they know I’m not someone they can push over. Most the time I know the issues just don’t know how to fix it. I’m still learning I don’t own a garage or a driveway so doing work outside on the street is not always the best thing.
I like to do my own work too... only problem is my own incompetence! :D
I am in the same boat. I wish I lived closer to AMD.
I'm convinced dealerships overlook issues they would need to replace under warranty. Once the warranty expires they will charge you twice as much to replace something that should have been noticed during previous service intervals.
No kidding!
I heard from a friend who worked at a dealer is that they when they do warranty work they get paid the full amount by Toyota so I’m not sure why they wouldn’t want to do it. Sometimes they have to get the warranty work approved first.
Don't know about Toyota but they are usually paid on a lower scale and, since the manufacturer supplies the parts, they don't get their usual mark-up on the inflated price to the consumer.
@@Odat warranty time is not worth doing most of the time. The pay is really low for warranty jobs.
@wholeNwon That is not true. Dealers are paid their normal "labor rate" + parts mark-up on their parts. Call a Toyota dealership near you and ask them what their hourly labor rate is. It is probably ~$100+. That is why once your car is out of warranty, you should seek an independent Toyota repair facility. One that worked for a dealership and is factory trained.
Awesome. I have always said that having an honest and knowledgeable auto technician is one of the most valuable assets you can have -- particularly for those of us who keep their cars for 10-20 years and 200k+ miles. You would not believe how much your viewers would like to have access to you to service their vehicles. Between your brand-specific knowledge, your integrity, and your attitude of saving your customers money by only recommending work that is necessary and being willing to "keep an eye on" minor non-safety issues, you are a gold mine for your customers. Watching your videos over the last year, your honesty and integrity come through so strongly (along with your Toyota-specific knowledge and experience). I am convinced that this is why your channel is so popular and successful. Keep up the great work and continue to set a high bar for other technicians to emulate!
I have yet to find a through and honest mechanic and it's beyond frustrating. I'm pretty much convinced that I am not meant to bother with having a car over 100000 miles. I hope I find one some day 🤞
I know about cars a little and I herd this noise every time I’d turn the wheels lock to lock. So I thought maybe it was bad tire rods. So I went to this shop that had good reviews they looked it over gave me a call and said they found no play in any of the steering and the tires were rock solid no play. I asked if they could test drive the car and listen because the noise is there. They got back to me and said they herd it and said it’s probably the strut mounts but everything was fine the struts were not leaking and they didn’t recommend any repairs. They could have easily said yea we herd the noise you need this this and that. They said as long as your okay with a little noise there’s nothing wrong with the car it’s rock solid. I went back to the shop expecting to pay a diagnostic fee and the guy told me don’t worry about paying for that. I was kinda shocked I was willing to pay the guy for his time. I was just taken back by the honesty of this shop I will definitely return.
Perfectly said. AMD is a gem and a good honest man!
@@scout7060 I am so frustrated with the whole older car ordeal. I think the middle of the road way to go about it is to buy new or close to new and keep it for maybe 8 years. Hopefully it will still have some resale value and then use the money to help get another new one. Once cars start to get older it's such a gamble. I wouldn't want to not own a car though.
There are just two options really. You either learn and fix everything yourself (and that includes not just cars, but everything). Or you earn enough money so that any repair cost or just getting a new car every 3 years does not matter to you.
Being without money and having no skills is the worst.
Bought a new Mazda CX9 in 2017, I have been the only person to lay a wrench on it. Funny enough, not ONE mechanical failure after 230,000KM's. Its a good car but I cant help but thinking what would have failed if I trusted the stealership for all the maintenance. My goal will be to get this over 500,000 KM's, just hope the rust (Canada) doesn't get it first.
@@TheStealthbob totally doable. A car in caring knowledgable hands will run for a really long time. Try some rustproofing. People show good results just by washing undercarriage and applying Fluid Film. Needs to be done at least once a year.
A very honest and simple consideration for all to digest. You're a straight shooter. Like myself, you call it the way you see it!
Oh man, the more I think about your statement, the better I feel about being earnest
That's what I had to do. Learn to fix it myself. I just didn't have the money to have it done. Mistakes were made along the way, but knowledge and wisdom were learned. And most importantly, I'm still learning.
I went to a local Lexus dealer for an oil leak and they came back with a long list of items that they told me needed to be replaced. Not only did they misdiagnose the oil leak but they told me I need new spark plugs and a new serpentine belt which were both replaced about a month before my visit to this dealership. When I told my service advisor, he had this weird look on his face and then came back and showed me a picture of my “worn serpentine belt”. I’m convinced that he took a picture of a belt from another vehicle. $193 diagnostic fee down the toilet. I knew better than to go to the dealer. I left a horrible Google review and when they tried to call me I ignored all their calls. Stay away from Ourisman Lexus of Rockville. There I said it. Screw them
AMD, you are the man. I have had 4 Toyota truck's since 1984, and I for one, appreciate your videos. You are a plethora of information for anything Toyota, and I have learned so much watching your channel. Recently, I purchased a new 2022 Tacoma, and thanks to you, I know the good and the not so good without having to experience it first hand. Knowledge is a wonderful thing, and that is what you empower us Toyota owners with - knowledge.
What happened to the 4 Toyota you had since 84? Accident, pass it down to kids or family, accident. Stolen, crazy chick set it on fire, what the story?
Very well said. 👍
Aren't Tacoma's now assembled and built in Mexico ? Don't want anything built there that cost over a dollar
I'm so glad there are people like you in the world. I'm a huge diy guy but for special knowledge items I tend to take my car to a shop. If you were in my area I would never take my car anywhere else! Please keep up the good work!
At my former shop we made TH-cam videos showing the condition and why we recommended work before and then after work was completed. This effectively took the trust issue off the table since people could see specifically why their vehicle needed work. On issues where testing was required they were shown the tests before and after. Many times customers trusted us and didn't bother looking at the materials we sent but often it made die-hard believers out of our customers and a few times it saved us from customers that would claim something "wasn't doing that before", it was always nice to pull up their video and give them a specific time stamp showing yes indeed it was faulty before and here's the video evidence.
That is a great way to do business. Especially as easy as it is now. My tech takes before and after photos and then keeps them for future repair needs. Huge fan of doing that.
that's amazing for both.
If I had $1,000 for every time i had a repair done on a tractor or vehicle, and it came back with (multiple) problems that it didn't have before. I would owe $0. Plus money in the bank..... All my stuff is so old, i have to diagnose it for them. Source the parts. And tell them what they need to install them. 🤦♂️
My Toyota dealership does this and I appreciate it.
@@nunyabeezwacks1408 my customers loved it because they didn't have to trust me they could see for themselves
Completely appreciate the way you presented this information. Very important for vehicle owners to understand that we have to use due care when looking for service providers for our "rolling homes". Thanks!
I'm not surprised. I've had issues of my own. Toyota needs to look into what its dealers are doing. 🤔
same with Lexus I had a similar problem with a Lexus dealership that I service my car for 15 years they're awful but I didn't know where else to go
MAX.
You got that correct. You should read my post what happened to myself. If I saw that building on fire I wouldn't stop to pee on it. Dealerships are the very ones giving Toyota a very bad name. I hope day be coming very soon. They be no middleman Dealerships. Only direct from the Auto Companies itself & only there own owned professionally controlled service garages. Cut out these greedy crooked middle men.
@@Houndini
Tesla tried that. Did you know that in some states, it is illegal for the manufacturers to sell directly? Just more rent seeking from special interest businesses at the state government level.
I've had dealership problems with every brand I've owned. When I've contacted a manufacturer, I've been told, literally (after a series of unproductive calls), "He (ie., the dealer) is an independent businessman. I'll talk to him, but we can't tell him what to do." The harsh reality is, the dealer is considered the manufacturer's customer - not the car buyer.
Toyota as a company is every bit as corrupt as any particular dealer. You want to know what dictates if Toyota renues a contract to allow a dealer to sell cars? Sales! Business is not about honesty or integrity, it's all about profit
Excellent video! Finding an honest and reliable automotive repair shop is incredibly hard. I was taking my vehicles to a small shop run by father and son. They were great! Unfortunately, the small shop went out of business due to property lease issues. I have worked on cars all my life and I know when I'm being scammed or the work is poor quality. My local Toyota dealership sucks. I'm having a difficult time even finding a competent shop for a simple oil change! The search is on. It's maddening.
Well it depends where you live.You just haven't done any research on it or you may have to go a long way.Insane isn't it?
It really is! Aw sucks when small businesses go down.. I usually find those mom pop shop and support them. Their fair and are honest (for the most part)
I live in Houston and my mechanic lives in New caney, Texas.. it’s far!
I understand. I used to go to a local mechanic that I knew and trusted. He is a Honda specialist and ran his independant shop himself. He took good care of my CTV and Fit, but retired last year and moved out of town. It is difficult to replace a trusted mechanic and I don't want to be ripped off at a dealership.
What's even more maddening is that the reason these shops and dealers remain incompetent is because the incentive to simply BE in a business is greater than to be GREAT in the business. The bar is set so low because the general population doesn't care about honesty as much as they do about saving, and they don't realize this ends up costing them more as a result of this feedback loop where people no longer care about their chosen craft. It's about the money, not improving the world we live in.
I'm no expert in cars but I do love mine and i pay attention to people. The honest ones will show you through their actions. The dishonest ones are obvious because they will give customers obscure answers to avoid saying anything and will keep the money coming. Sadly, lying and incompetence seems to get more business from the general public. Honest shops typically attract more honest people who can spot a bad mechanic and they are limited compared to the number of wannabe business owners everywhere.
If you worked on cars your while life do it yourself oil changes are simple and working on modern cars isn't that difficult to do. I also understand you might be up there in age so you may not be able to
Before two years, after technician in dealership left mess in my car together with dirty plastic seat cover, I asked to talk with Management. Salesman convinced me to go have a coffee and come back in one hour. When I came back, I got my car cleaned with out need to pay for service. After that incident I have never had a problem with same dealership. Thank you Mrs TCCN and AMD.
I have been through tremendous grief thanks to Prince George Toyota Service Dept, in BC Canada. I took my 2009 Rav4, with the 2ARFE, in for a VVT gear replacement. They have it apart, and it was supposed to be ready today, three days after it was dropped off. After ignoring me all day in the service center, they finally, at closing time, told me they can not figure out the timing. And dont know why, so they have no idea when it will be ready. So I had to rent a car, again, to return to my home two hours north of here. That job is routine, and I could add more, but to keep it short, suffice to say that my vehicle is in the hands of people who don't have a clue. And they have it in pieces. It was real nice, just a slight rattle on cold start, and I was just trying to take good care of it, and it is likely dead. How can I trust it after this? Will I even get it back ??? I guess oil changes and tire inflating is their service capability limit.i will NEVER speak bad about Toyota, but NOT their Canadian dealer in Prince George BC. Was planning on upgrading, but I have a terrible taste in my mouth, and when you cant trust the dealer, well, likely the Honda people here will get a sale.
I bet the dealership that reported the life threatening oil leak wouldn't have actually done anything but charge for the repair. Lots of fraud in the auto repair business and dealerships lead the way. They can't even fix a burnt headlight connector? What a joke.
Just a bad tech and a hungry service writer from a none good Toyota dealer.
The technician likely didn't even inspect the connector.
I’ve had similar results with my local Toyota dealer. In my case, they botched a four wheel alignment - THREE (3) separate times! On the first, when you took your hands off the wheel, the car swerved right where before the procedure, it went straight. They spent literally fifteen minutes trying to tell me why I was wrong and it was just due to the crown in the road! Of course, the fact that the steering wheel was also now canted 15 degrees in the opposite direction when traveling in a straight line didn’t influence their opinion that the job was done correctly. Needless to say, on the second service visit, they straightened the wheel, but the car still pulled to the right,. After the third visit and no resultant change, I gave up and went to a local independent shop (recommended by my neighbor) who fixed the problems on the first try. Needless to say, the Toyota dealership wouldn’t refund their charges for bad work, nor would they admit anything was wrong. I wish all Toyota dealerships would have somebody like AMD but sadly, they don’t.
The problem with dealers is their techs come and go. There are good techs and bad techs. You never get the same tech twice. Find a small shop where the is an owner and one or two additional techs. That way you get to know them and they know you. Dealers charge so much more to. They have to pay for fancy waiting rooms and espresso stations.
If you have all the paperwork, I would take the dealer to small claims court. Most of the time the dealer won’t even show up and you’ll win by default.
Thanks AMD, quality honest advice right here. Stealerships give dealerships a bad rep. In fact anyone associated with the motor industry can get tarnished by just one owner’s bad experience. Customers tell other owners, they tell others, and so it goes on.
Keep up the great work!
Thank you for being so thorough in every video you make. It's a real tragedy that most repair shops, especially dealerships, and their mechanics are often worthless or just plain 'care-less' about their jobs and their customers.
In most places it is hard to get decent techs and normally the techs only care about how many flag hours they can squeeze in. Unfortunately, doing a good job and what is right means making less money. Taking time and correctly looking at the vehicle and then taking the time explaining that to the customer or the service advisor that then talks to the customer doesn't pay well for the short term.
Went into a Hyundai dealership for a recall, the "service writer" said they checked out the whole car and said they found $3500 worth of repairs that needed to be done. One of the itemized issues was a left front noise for $650 ( there was no noise). I looked at the service writer and said "How do you say this with a straight face"? They also said I needed front brake pads and I said I just put new ones on last month.
I suspect the individual would probably be fired if he did not produce 'estimates' like that.
Years of Practice !
@@rightlanehog3151 shady dealership. I’d write Hyundai and report it. Thankful my Hyundai dealership has always been honest.
Honesty is always the best route and customer service should always come first.
As I retired from the dealership, I had to wish the customer a lot of luck. The 70's 80's gen techs are history. Today, it is what it is.
They were still shitty back then
As a 2013 Toyota Avalon owner I find your videos invaluable. You have helped me out more than once, like my blind spot monitor issue. Keep em coming AMD! Thanks
whag t was th eissue or solution
Our car recently had a 48,000 mile aftermarket warranty expire. Before it expired we took it to our local Toyota dealership. The transmission had acted up a few times during the three years we had it. They found nothing wrong with it. They said the intermediate steering shaft was making a clunking sound but wasn't a safety issue. Not happy with their findings we took it to the dealer we bought it from which was over an hour from home. They replaced the transmission under warranty. I informed them after getting it back that I could still hear the clunking in the steering. Then they replaced that also under warranty. Now all is good.
Smart
The local Toyota dealer near me just quoted me $700 for 4 new tpms sensors installed and programed.
Discount Tire quotes $240.
I avoid dealerships at all costs. They want gold for work that doesn't even need done.
I had to go to a Ford dealer ONE time to activate a cruise control feature I installed in an older F150 XL. They charged me $100 to plug in an obd2 cable, go into the program and check a box to activate it.
A hundred bucks to point and click.
They aren't known as stealerships for nothing.
AMD 2 great things you have taught me: 1) not to be afraid to put a little muscle into it 2) how to take things apart w/o breaking them. Thank-you.
Sing it AMD. The intro was sooo true!
When I bought our 2012 Tacoma it came with a free oil and filter change for life perk. At each service, I got a detailed check list of the inspections performed. At about 60 thousand miles at every 5000 mile servicing reports of front brake pad wear, after a number of these reports I was told
the pads were about to go metal to metal on the rotors and new ones should be installed immediately. Since the pads are a normal wear item, it would of course be on my nickel, and the price they quoted, as is ALWAYS the case, was very high compared to quotes from local chain repair shops and my own mechanic that I have been using for over 20 years. I had my indie replace the pads and it turned out that the original ones were only a little over half worn. At that point I stopped using the dealership for any service and walked away from
the free oil and filter changes.
I watch a TH-cam channel from Canada. The guy lives in his van. The guy left the van for several days for multiple problems at a Ford dealer. The technician texted this van owner, with photos, over every issue. Why not, it is 2022 and we all have phones?
FYI i HATE my Toyota dealer in Roanoke, VA. We are driving our second and third cars purchased new from this dealer. They have phone numbers and emails on us but we are nearly always told they cannot find our appointment. Once my husband waited 2.5 hours for the 25000 mile check. I mistakenly said I was there for warranty work once and the girl jumped down my throat because she said there was no such thing. She knew EXACTLY what I meant. The last visit I asked them to check my tailgate as it does not always work. The guy said so, does it work or not? They would not check the tailgate without a prepayment of $200. I even spoke with the ser, mgr. who said it was like a deductible on medical care. I told her I had a current ext. watt. purchased from them. She stood her ground. When I got home I checked the manual. I was doing it wrong. But, since then it does randomly malfunction. Did I say I HATE this desler? I will buy in another state 100 miles away the next time.
Very hard when you expect the dealer to tell you the truth but they just want to increase their profits by doing unnecessary work or fraudulent billing. Thanks for the good video
Thanks for an Honest Inspection of a customer's vehicle. All those shops and they FAILED to provide the owner a list of issues and what needs to be done right away or for a future date. Good thing he got you to look at it. Keep up the Honest work.
I am a Honda man but I love your knowledge, honesty and find your videos very informative. Keep the videos coming!
Me too like to find a Honda Tech like this on You Tube, Wish he also worked on Honda's 🤓👍.
Toyota quality> Honda quality
I need to find a Mazda mechanic on TH-cam like this. Haha
As a tech, parts and service director for 11 stores for 27 years, I agree with you 100% and love the diagnosis element. We were number 1 in CSI for 10 years straight until the dealerships were sold to Penske. We had a variety of makes Honda, Acura, Mercedes, 1 GM store. We never "oversold" if we found things we would advise the customer, even put on a rack and showed them if it was underneath. Every custome got their old parts back in a tightly sealed plastic bag. We had great techs, all went to factory schools on a regular basis. Someone mentioned putting off warranty work so dealers could make more. That never happened in our stores. Lost in that comment is the fact for years warranty has paid the same labor rate as retail and the markup on parts is the same. What happens at shops or dealerships is what their training, care of the customer, intent to repurchase rests on management decisions. And? Some of it is pretty bad. But- not all. Keep up the good work and the vids coming.
I just love how very supportive Mrs. Car Care Nut is.
She is the FORCE behind it all.
@@bwest-yq3uc "The FORCE is strong with this one." (the first of the Star Wars films, in describing Luke Skywalker). 🥰🤙
We got to see the Mrs. today in the reflection on the rear window! :)
Wow. Just from pulling the headlight connector out, you can instantly tell what the problem was. Never understood why the dealership couldn't diagnose that or the owner himself, lol.
I think anyone could have noticed the problem with the light if they looked at the connector, but that's just me.
The piont is, they could diagnose, but, they are greedy and this is not worth their time, so they leave the customer in the wilderness. No wonder people do not trust dealerships.. Oh, its about time you bought a new one Sir… soon change their attitude 💰 greed and profit….Thats all it is
Love your straightforward style. Impeccable professionalism. I watch Scotty, TFL, and many other TH-cam channels. I enjoy your straightforward, non biased style. Everyone has their perceived favorites. You always give us true mechanical performance reviews based on experience with vehicles. Thank you for what you bring to the world of enthusiasts and regular car people who are looking for an honest opinion.
Never bring your car to the dealer unless you are still under warranty,find a trustworthy mechanic is the only way to go
I get what you are saying, but trying to find a trustworthy mechanic that knows how to work on a modern vehicle is not an easy task. If you don't have factory training, you're going to have a very difficult time learning the things you need to know. Not all dealerships are bad. Some are honest, some are not. If you can find a dealer with a halfway decent reputation, there's things you can do as a customer to make things work in your favor.
You'll always be dealing with a service advisor, but you don't want to stop there. Find some type of excuse to meet the service manager or shop foreman, and even the tech that's working on your car, if you can. You want to be the customer that everyone wants to deal with. If you are the type that's always complaining and hard to deal with, you'll get the minimum. For example, looking at the situation in this video can be done from more than one point of view. By the way the information was presented in the video, it looks like the customer was neglected. And its most likely true. However, that's not always how things work out. If this customer is a typical pain in the ass, they just want to get them out the door with as little interaction as possible. You don't want to be that person. You want to build a relationship where people are happy to see you. Also, always try to give a perfect survey. Those things count for a lot. Those after service surveys that the manufacturer gives you are extremely important to the type of relationship the dealer has with the main company. Even 1 bad survey can be a big deal.
I know I'm not very good at explaining things, so I'll try and sum things up as best I can. You want someone like the guy in this video working on your cars. I don't know his background, but he's a dealership tech. Maybe not anymore, but he was at some point. That means you could go to a dealership and he could be doing the work. I think most people would be surprised to find out that most dealers have at least 1 or 2 techs that are similar to the guy in the video. Some guys just won't take advantage and do everything by the book. So what I'm recommending is to build a relationship with your dealer. Then you can find the best tech they have and keep requesting him or her to work on your car.
Just a side comment. As the years go by and cars become more difficult and expensive to repair, I see every day extended warranties bailing customers out on expensive repairs they would not be able to afford otherwise. Its just something to consider.
This is why this is my favorite channel. Great information, knowledge and tips on your toyota. I am so glad I found this channel. I've done so much work on my 13 highlander since I found the channel. I do all preventive maintenance myself because unfortunately I don't trust others, which includes the dealer. Thank you so much for all the great work you do. 👍
Excellent video, you are becoming one of the top guys on TH-cam for this stuff. Huge market for the Toyota repair videos.
Over the years I have developed an excellent working relationship with the service side of my local Toyota dealership, I work mostly with one service writer and he knows not play games or try and up sell me. He also knows to walk me back into the service area and have the tech point out and explain any issues they discover with my trucks, this avoids any confusion and heads off problems.
AMD, The longer the RANT the better!! Videos like this are the reason I am ready and willing to pay your channel's sky high Subscription fees😂😁😂😁
Though I drive a 2004 Honda Element. I love your channel and your tips. I take my car to the dealer where I bought it since new and though I have been generally satisfied until their recent expansion. Not too long ago I took it for a valve adjustment and a week later I noticed they had broken 2 of the valve cover bolts. I took it back later and they fixed it at no cost except my time. The good thing is that I have a good relationship with the service manager. Some other time they left off sone of the plastic screws from the splash shield. Lately I have taken my car back 3 times for a wheel alignment. Last time they had to center the steering wheel. Now the car pulls to the left 😡. One thing I do like is that they give you a picture of what needs to be replaced. They perform a free multi point inspection. Thanks to my dad I learned to verify the work and ask for the replaced parts back.
I have heard of some people people going to a shop for so work like a oil change and later on finding the splash shield under the vehicle missing.
How to get dealerships to admit something is wrong:
Go to a dealership and pretend you want to buy a car telling them you want to trade in your car. You really don't. They will inspect your car for free. Have them print out what they find is wrong with your car. If the dealerships name is on the printout, the better.
Then go to another dealership where you want them to fix it under warranty. If they deny your claim and say nothing is wrong, you bring out the printout from the other dealership.
Sounds like a big hassle that will get you nowhere & that D#2 will talk himself out of.
11:12 11:19 11:19 11:20 11:22
@@dareisnogod5711 They can talk their way out sure. But you can also contact the manufacturer. If that fails you can sue them. Since one of their authorized dealer acknowledged the problem, a judge might be more inclined in your favor.
I will never go to a Toyota dealership after the experience and the issues I had during and after picking up my car this year, and won't go to other dealership after their ego of trying to sell them over MSRP. Not even going in for my free maintenance, just can't trust them.
I would freak out if I ever see that much rust underneath my cars!
I appreciate your videos. I trained and worked in Toyota Germany and do work for friends. I have dealt with shop mess ups that make your skin crawl.
I love this guy’s honesty.only if all mechanics are this honest.
The tone is usually set by management. While I've worked in a different field, I've found that the business chain location would either praise me or berate me for my honesty with customers, depending on the general manager (/tyrant) of that location.
Excellent, excellent video with commentary and analysis. The kind of shenanigans -- greed, indifference, incompetence and outright claims intended to facilitate fraud - are all too common. Almost all of us have some experience with these elements, particularly (though not exclusively) with dealership service centers and national service chains. (That has been my consistent experience in Chicago, Texas and Massachusetts over several decades). When we've had enough, we move on, leaving, these days, civil but incisive and blunt commentaries on Yelp and Google Reviews.
Apart from finding a competent shop, the best defense is knowledge and the powers of observation. You demonstrated that, immediately, by simply looking at the connector/socket for the offending headlight, and identifying it as the problem. And, of course, as you've mentioned in prior videos, transparency in this business, matters. Here, it takes the form of requesting to view (and perhaps to take possession of) the old parts (such as would have been the case with the supposedly changed belt tensioner).
I'm up in Chicago for family business, yearly, in the Spring. In 2019, I stopped by for a simple oil change at a Toyota dealer on Touhy and Cicero. They produced a laundry list of unnecessary services (failed to look up prior available history, as well) and misdiagnosed a evap core leak as a mere need for a $150 A/C service. (Declined, as were more than $1100 of bogus service recommendations). I left a comprehensive review of the many failings of this dealership service department on Google Reviews, so it's no secret how greedy and incompetent this service center was, in my case.
My vehicle had two issues (while visiting Chicago from Central Texas) in 2019 and 2021. Both times (an evap core replacement, which I know is very labor intensive in 2019 and a rusted out resonator/flex pipe in 2021), a small independent shop (and I've left good reviews for them, on Yelp and Google Reviews), G&G, did competent and timely work, aware of the fact that I was staying in hotels (family member is in assisted living). (I have no financial or personal affiliation with G&G).
And, I have a good shop here, east of increasingly expensive Austin, Texas, as well, for specific work I cannot easily do. (Over the last year, I've done a lot of my own work: I've recently replaced a number of items, such as a leaking valve cover gasket, installing new spark plugs, new inner fender liners and engine splash shield, a rebuilt trunk latch, a new serpentine belt, drained and replaced of power steering, transmission and coolant fluids, cleaning the MAF and throttle body, plus a few routine oil changes). And I've been inspecting under the car, the best I could, with the use of ramps.
I can only reiterate what you've said, many times. Learn and do what you can, and the quality of the work will be often better, because we care the most about our vehicles. And thanks for clear-eyed appraisal, and the disposition behind that appraisal.
__
Parenthetically, I'm soliciting advice. I have a 2008 Camry LE, 155K, original Denso starter and alternator. The alternator still tests out as functional, on my Topdon battery/alternator tester. The starter is original, no grinding or inconsistent power, yet. I'm driving to Chicago in May. And I'm considering replacing (or at least putting in my trunk) DENSO remanufactured alternator and/or starter. Is this a good risk reduction strategy, at this point, given parts shortages, the desire to avoid Chinesium replacements, and the necessity of a properly working vehicle, while in metro Chicago? Thanks.
Hi! It wouldn’t be a bad idea to have parts at hand especially if you’re diy and can replace them yourself which is simple on your car
@@TheCarCareNut Thanks for responding, particularly at this hour. Much appreciated.
Watch the battery close. If the starter is shorting there will be heavy current draw on the battery. I keep mine charged up every couple of weeks
I am willing to bet money the "MAF sensor kit" is literally a "kit" of 2 very small spray bottles made by CRC & sold in the WMart auto section for about $7. One can is MAF cleaner and I think the other is throttle body cleaner.
Love your channel, enjoy seeing an honest mechanic breaking everything down without nonsense. A Toyota dealership here does shoddy work. My wife had to have her power door lock on a low mileage 2017 4 runner replaced and they left the key lock jammed up and inoperable when they were done. I took my Lexus in for an oil change and they left oil and grease all over the front of my car and a hand print on the hood. The mechanic had the nerve to try and say it came in that way. I wish you were here, our cars would only see your shop.
LOVED the lonnng intro. Helped me feel the frustration of the vehicle owner. 😤
You're a credit to your profession. I had this same vehicle in white purchased new, dealer maintained. Early '08s were a mess, mine had all the TSBs, oil blowout, VVTI rattle (major $$, not fixed) trans shifting issues, steering column, other rattles, cheap plastic. I'll never buy another new Toyota. Warranty issues were mishandled by 3 unrelated dealerships. This was poor corporate policy. I dumped that hot mess for a ridiculously high $ to another dealer just before the warranty ran out. Our S. Korean vehicle has had a few fully covered but minor warranty issues too but nothing that wasn't fixed without lying to me. THAT'S how you earn loyalty.
Nice car for its age. AMD, the advice you provide is spot on. Your attention to detail is what makes you a good technician. I liked the small rant on the body plugs - something so small and so simple, yet are crucial to the vehicle in the long run. The body plug serves a purpose, yet so many vehicle owners are not aware of them, nor under the car to observe they are missing. That is where a good technician comes in.
On the mass airflow sensor kit - some shops put together a "cleaning kit" which includes induction service cleaning solution and small bottle of throttle body cleaner in a spray can. Not sure if that was what was done in this particular instance, but have seen parts departments charge out items like this in a "kit".
Always enjoy your content.
I’m picking up my new 2022 Corolla SE next week and it’s not going near the dealer for service !!!! I can care less if they give me free oil changes for two years !!!! First oil change is going to be at 1k miles after that every 5K !!!! Toyota says every 10K !!!! BS TO THAT !!!! The only dealer I would go to is the one you work at !!!! Every dealer I been to has young kids working there !!!! Thank God I have a great mechanic !!!!
Absolutely true. I would rather find a great independent honest mechanic than at least checks instead of ‘suggesting’ unnecessary work, that won’t address actual problems and safety issues. Videos like your can go a long way in giving customers insight into what is really needed in terms of repair work. After a lot of reading and research I feel I am able to make much better decisions on what is actually important work that needs to be done.
It’s probably a good idea to film your work it forces you to not mess up or lie because you filmed yourself
I wish I had a shop like yours nearby to maintain my 2022 RAV4 XSE Prime! I have a similar shop that I trust to maintain my tire needs. My second car is a 2011 Nissan Maxima SV with 170k miles. At about 160k, the Nissan dealer informed me that I needed to replace my rear struts due to them leaking. I took my car back to Hansens Tire, in Merced, California and they informed me that there were no leaks and that my struts were fine. Hansens Tire of Merced is one of the last owner maintained businesses that has been in business for at least 30+ years that I am aware of. Thank you for the all of great videos and being a reputable auto repair shop!
We need more mechanics like youself and Car wizard in every community. Keep up the great content Brada!
& south main auto. They are my top 3 i view to actually learn something.
@@Txcowboy80 Rainman Ray's Repairs too
"Car Wizard" should really be called "Car. Jester".
Finding a HONEST mechanic is like finding Hen's teeth. Do your own maintenance when ever possible. Excellent video.
If only every shop could be a Christian professional such as you sir! God bless you! BTW my wife drives a 2012 Toyota Highlander Limited.
How do you know he's Christian? And why should that matter? What if he's a Putin Christian?
Ignore @@edmckay8001, he's a troll.
@@aldrichemrys Aldrich, if that's your real name why is that trolling? It's a valid question. He said god bless you. I'm asking which one. You know people worship more than one god. Are you a Putin Christian?
In addition, @life, not his or her real name, alluded that only Christians are honest and professional. Now who's the troll? I'm just looking for honest respectful discourse
@@edmckay8001 Have you been born again?
I just bought a second Toyota. It was a certified preowned 26k miles Toyota RAV4 hybrid XLE. first problem was when I tried to fill up the tank for the first time. It was broken. It was a known problem with a lawsuit against Toyota. Went to a touch-less carwash and my A pillar by the windshield airbags started leaking water. Also very well known problem. I don’t know how they can certify a car with those kind of problems. I also had side mirrors shaking badly with a TSB fix. Toyota Dealer who sold me the car refused to work on my car and Toyota HQ says they can’t do anything if dealer says everything is ok. I ended up selling the car within 3 weeks of owning it. That’ll probably be my last Toyota. That car also costs me 40k out the door and was sold a certified lemon. Also the finance office wouldn’t let me cancel my extended warranty because he was trying to get his cut on it and tried to not give me a full refund. Has to fight my way to the finance director to cancel it.
It’s hard to find a mechanic that you trust, wish AMD would move here
From Sexbierum, the Netherlands: Honesty is you’re best seller, sometimes not what they want to hear but in the end it surely pays off!
Keep up the good work!
One of the main problems is that the customer's are not allowed to see the work being performe so they never know if the job was ever done.
I appreciate your honesty and dedication to the owners of these vehicles ( Toyota brands). As an owner of many Toyota and Lexus vehicles over the years starting in 1994. I have found that some dealerships scam their clients by telling them these need to be repaired or replaced when in fact these items don’t need to be addressed at this point in time. Safety items like brakes, steering and drive train issues that will lead to loss of control of the vehicle need to be addressed immediately. Some of the items that required replacement over the years included timing belts, water pumps, brake pads etc. Most of my vehicles reach 10 + years and mileage over 200K without major problems. Only exception was my 2001 Lexus RX 300 required a transmission replacement @ 187k (front wheel drive vehicle). it was still running great after 264k but replacement of the brake pads, rotors, brake lines and associated parts exceeded the vehicles value. So it was traded ($1500). Got the 2008 RX 350 AWD.
It happened to my friend who owned a 2011 4runner, he went for a oil change, but smart for him marked the oil filter, fresto the oil filter never changed so he called the local newspaper, the dealership apologized, offered him lifetime oil change but declined.
This is a great and simple solution. Mark your oil filter with vertical lines.
Lifetime oil changes using the same filter 😂 I would have declined as well. I enjoy doing a oil change on my vehicle.
I'm not a mechanic and have done a lot of diy learning basics from my journeyman mechanic father back in the 50's and 60's.
I have made mistakes over the years not major. My dad was retired in the late 80's so missed the birth of the electronic era. I was self teaching myself on the computer era most of my experience being done with my Fiero's.
At 75 and now homeless I probably won't be able to incorporate your knowledge but I really appreciate your honesty and trouble shooting. My dad would be as impressed as I am.
I wish you well.
I've been through this situation, sad to say.
I appreciate your videos.
AMD, I have quickly become a fan of your channel. To contribute to your thoughts on the repair industry and the poor misconceptions, it is all very true, however the way the flat rate technician industry is designed, it has created these misconceptions itself. It does not cater to technicians learning or taking their time because if you do you will starve. Instead it encourages incomplete diagnostics and parts shotgunning, as well as motivation to sell unnecessary services. I am a ASE Advanced Master tech and hold the basic Toyota certification. I love the product and the work, but the industry has me driven down a different path as of last summer. If I had worked at a dealership with an MDT such as yourself, who is interested in helping others and doing the right thing, I am certain I would still be there. Unfortunately, our mdt was the most arrogant self center person, I have ever met in my life and referred to himself as “one of the best there is” even though all his diag was experience based vs skill and he was spoon fed day in and day out while the rest of us got the warranty diags and less desirable tickets. Anyway, to wrap this up, I agree with you 100% and wish the industry would adapt to the times, to eliminate some of these stigmas.
AMD you are simply amazing. I learn so much from you and you make it really interesting!!! I say this being a woman in my 60s who started watching as I’m looking for a car. I’ve had absolutely no interest in car mechanics but your videos… you are a teacher !
VM I just wanted to say your comment resonates with me. I too am a 60s non-DIYer woman who LOVES AMDs videos!! The maintenance information he has provided is extremely helpful--just wish I knew this years ago. I even enjoy watching some of the repair vids knowing I would never attempt the work myself. I have pages of notes to refer to and have a lot more confidence when I have my car serviced. I too am looking to replace my 2006 RAV4 for a new RAV4 hybrid at some point in the future when the inventory and prices improve. FYI - for car buying I have found YAA (Your Advocate Alliance) and "Kevin Hunter the Homework Guy" TH-cam channels very good if you're interested. AMD has done a couple of videos with the guys on YAA. Good luck
Thanks for being an honest and detail mechanic AMD. God bless you and your family 🙌🙌
Hi AMD,
Yes. I have a 2010 Kluger/Highlander in Australia with 160000 kms. The Intermediate Steering shaft clunk happened to mine since new.
Toyota replaced it for me under warranty but most likely with the same part. It was good for about a year then it started making that clunk noise again and you could feel it every time when weight of the car changed from left to right example steering through a roundabout...
About 8 years later
Another dealer asked Toyota if they could replace it for me once again but Toyota refused....
I had to write a letter to Toyota to complain as it was so annoying and they came good and approved the free replacement of the intermediate steering shaft as the dealer told me there was a revised design....
I haven't had any more clunking noise since that time...
Other than that...a very reliable car....
I have the popping when I turn my steering wheel on my 2010 RX too. But it didn’t start to happen until about a year and a half ago and I’ve had the car for almost 12 years. My mechanic is aware of it, but he said it’s not a safety issue either, and it is expensive to repair
Sadly, most so-called mechanics are not as honest and knowledgeable as you. Over the years, I have encountered "mechanics" who didn't know which way to loosen a bolt, to many misdiagnoses, to overfilling oil changes, to outright crooks who lured you in with cheap oil changes and finding make-believe problems. Thank goodness there are great honest mechanics such as yourself. You are much appreciated.
I just bought a 2006 4Runner. It came with only a valet key + no remote fobs, and I wanted a master key as a spare and to program a couple aftermarket fobs I bought. Dealership cut me a new chip key ($48 !) but said I had to have it programmed in the service department. They gave the whole song & dance how it requires a deep re-seeding of the car's ECU (a 2 hour soak); only one advanced technician knew how to do that; he was booked til late April & I needed to make an appointment now and leave the car with them for an entire day. The price for the programming was $179. And I really should take this opportunity for a full check-over of the new-to-me vehicle, $200 and I'll be glad I did it. I paid for the new key and said thanks, lemme think it over. ("Sorry your Chief Wizard is so busy. You telling me a 20-yr old WyoTech graduate can't do this? And why do we program cars to match chip keys, instead of the reverse?")
From their parking lot, I called a local indie locksmith. He said sure, I do Toyota keys all the time. I'm mobile and can come to you. I said nah, I'll drop by on my way home. Parked in front of his house. He plugged in his code reader, futzed around with a couple menus, then said "Right! All keys lost." Punched thru a few more screens, and twelve minutes after I pulled in, I pulled out with two chipped master keys and two working remote fobs. Total cost: $69.
*That* is why no one trusts dealerships.😒
We own a 2009 Highlander with 97 thousands miles here in Houston and the intermediate shaft noise was there since new. Oil cooler line needs to be replace with a new design. Other than that, our car is being without any major issues other than basic maintenance. Thank you for your grate videos.
I'm thankful you're willing to take a customers car home and provide this information for us. We own a 2008 Sienna and a 2011 Corolla. These items - at least a few - cross over to our cars and will help me to do a cursory inspection of many things. I'm hoping our 2011 Corolla sunroof drains have the drainpipe all the way to the outside! I've been a DIY'er since 1966 but have come to a point where I have to trust others to do much of our inspection and repair. We have a good shop here in town that I trust (so far) but wish the drive to your shop wasn't so far! Blessings to you brother. Thank you for your dedication, thoroughness and integrity!
Thank You for your honest opinion on the car repairs and inspection. There are too many Deceitful "Professionals" who are't even that knowledgeable or experienced in car repair and charge an arm and a leg to do the simplest of tasks. I would like to see how to repair the wiper assembly on the glass though as there are many other makes of cars with the same problem.
Why can’t I ever find mechanics like him who are both honest and qualified.
You can throw a bottle of ATP 205 into your oil and that will slightly swell those seals and "re-condition" them and they will stop seeping.
I stopped going to the dealership because repairs were alot more expensive, I had to replace a rack and pinon because dealer didn't screw on some power steering bolts tight enough/fluid leaked out, and dealer seized oil pan bolt by overtightening it. I then tried a couple independent shops, one shop told me the brakes needed to be replaced when they had at least 50% left and the other shop didn't tell me when the brakes were low and I destroyed 2 rotors. Years ago I was able to take my car to a good mechanic so I know there is such a thing but I've learned most shops rip you off and I'm now learning how to maintain the car myself. The sunroof thing is huge my Co-workers car flooded because the funnel was blocked and the dealership is quoting her 6k to fix all of the damage. She can't afford a 6k repair and she can't get rid of the car because she still owes 4k. She is going to fix what she can and live with a moldy finicky car for alittle while.
I've only been a toyota tech for 2 years and even I know about the steering shaft pop
Great Video, AMD! I can’t thank you enough. I have a 2012 Highlander Base w/Towing Pkg. and I tow some heavy stuff with it. I’m the original owner with 170,000 miles and going strong. I wouldn’t part with this vehicle for the World.
Great video. Very refreshing to see such an honest mechanic that knows what he's doing.
What to say! Honest to the bone! I am so glad that we the Toyota owners have You. God bless!
Thank you for a few great tips especially the roof drains. I own the same year Highlander Limited with 214,000 miles. I personally change the oil every 5k miles with Synthetic Oil and always use OEM parts and lights. My original headlights lasted 8 years then the after market lights would last less than a year until I went with OEM. Great SUV. Change the transmission fluid every 50k with OEM fluid, the same with the coolant.
I live in Canada and follow your TH-cam channel. Very informative. Thank you. I have to say that I have had very bad experiences with Toyota Dealerships in my city and the only saving grace is the actual value of the Toyota Brand. Toyota dealerships, at least in my city, sucks big time. I have a 2013 RAV4 AWD, LE that I bought new at this particular dealership and had it serviced there regularly. About 5 yrs into the ownership of this vehicle, I decided to change the transmission fluid and brought it to that dealership. The car had around 57K kms on the clock. I knew that there is a particular way to replace transmission fluid to ensure that it is filled with the correct volume of fluid and I voiced this concern to the service representative as I gave them the car for service. When I got the car back, it drove ok for around 200km without any problem. However one night the temperature dipped to -10degC and I was coming out of work. I started the car and proceeded to slowly drive out of a parking slot. In about 30 feet, the car stopped and even as I revved it up it would not move. Long story short, the amount of fluid the Toyota Dealership placed in the transmission was not sufficient that when the temperature became cold, there was not enough to move the car. I brought the car back to Toyota and they then determined the problem and replaced the transmission fluid. They did not offer any explanation, what happened. Together with the transmission fluid, I had asked them to change the coolant and the brake fluid at the same time and I thought if they could mess a transmission fluid refill, what happened to other fluids I asked them to replace. What about the state of my transmission after being starved of fluid? They did not even acknowledge their mistake. There are several incidents like that I have experienced with Toyota Dealerships in my city that are definitely not inspiring and confidence building but my comment is already too long. I stay away from dealerships as much as I can.
I'm lucky to have a great Toyota dealership. I bought 4 cars from them so far and they do good work. An honest mechanic is a keeper. May they all follow your example AMD!
Same here, so glad I’ve not had one of these horror stories.
I'm sorry the guy had to go through this rip off. Thanks for being there for him. I guess we have no choice but to learn our cars.
Good honest man. Keep up the good work brother.
You and Scotty on you tube are honest car meccanics. Dealerships they have extremely high cost expenses, from the receptionist girl, right up to the toilette cleaner. So for the smallest job they will tell you completely something else. And if the job was done really honestly aprouved by the customer you will still end up with a very expensive bill to pay because a technician told me when a jobb is done in example 5 or 10 min. they will charge you 1 hr full labour. If the job was done in one hour they will charge you 3 times the time spent because this is how it works. I never go to the dealers to have my car checked or fix unless there is a recall.
AMD, thank you for such great video!!! Absolutely brilliant!
Unfortunately, this is very common problem with dealerships... they are doing lazy jobs or maybe they don't have sufficient qualification or motivation to do a quality job. It's very sad but this is a reality. The dealeship will charge the customer for the time and diagnostics and tell "we couldn't find any problems" leaving the cars with their problems unless there is something obvious.
I have a problem with my 2010 SAI which I took to 3 Toyota dealerships (New Zealand) over the last 6 mnths with no result aka "everything is normal".
But I am sure there is a problem: after driving the car (so the engine is hot) if it is stopped for 20 - 30 minutes (e.g. small shoping; assuming the engine is partially cooled down), then after I start driving it againg when the ICE kicks-in it makes some noise as if one of the heat shields was ratteling or if an engine mount was broken. But it only makes that noise at low load and speed 30-40kph while going slightly uphill and only for a minute or two, then disappears. If I accelerate - the noise disappears. Seams to me - related to the engine (exhaust pipe?) temperature, but I am concerned it might be related to the hibrid powertrain (P311).
The dealership said all engine mounts are in perfect condition and all heat shields are secure...
I guess, I will have to tolerate that until it breaks...
Auckland!
Mairangi Bay, New Zealand 0630
@@MaximumDIYGarage it's close to my place.
@@axentic The guy is a genious of car repair! Tell Dmitry Max sent you for a special discount!
Hi! We don’t have that model in my area but wonder if it shares the same drivetrain as the 3rd gen Prius. That noise could be a start misfire related to the EGR system clogging up.
Once again watching this a year later and reminding myself that your Honesty and Great Heart are Top Shelf OEM Goodness!
TCCN is my First Recommend to Toyota Owners looking to go DIY so they learn immediately that this is no game.
Your years of expertise are invaluable.
Thanks AMD & Bless You & Yours 😊
Way to get them sorted, AMD! 👍🙏
❤❤
Im no licensed mechanic nore a toyota technician but id be able to find these things easily. It gets complex if you cant see something is wrong but this is right in your face. I once helped an older couple on the phone with an issue their park neutral safety switch broke. No one knew what was wrong with it
Glad they finally brought the car to you. I know you'll get them fixed right... Funny thing about what they went thru, the independent shop that worked on hot rods, knew more than the others with the steering shaft... that's wild...
It's probably because the Classic Shop had some old Gearheads that knew how to research stuff. Rather than just throw parts at the car.
You can look it up on the computer in the repair the other independent was to lazy to do it
@@davidwood7170
They probably drive Toyotas during the week, or have them for their families.
Huge fan of this channel! Im a factory trained Toyota and Lexus technician and the stuff that he covers in this channel is so spot on!!! I got out of the industry a few years back and love watching his videos on the new model vehicles! Gotta stay up to date somehow without having access to my tis account anymore!!!
This is a great TH-cam channel, I have learned lots of useful service tips here. Keep the great content coming!
AMD, good video. Very true. Our local Toyota dealership is hit/miss. I have four Toyotas to take care of, so I occasionally go there for parts. The parts department is very good. The service department...not so much. I have a 2019 Toyota Camry hybrid, and I took it there for the last free oil change. No problems, but after it was done, the service manager came over and was telling me I needed to bring my car back to them because 0w16 oil was "incredibly hard to find." Little did he know that I already knew (I did my homework) that you can get 0w16 oil at the local Wal-Mart or Meijer. Sad.
Unfortunately at the dealership level you're paying for 1st and 2nd year apprentice to work on your car. Usually the mundane work gets relegated to the new tech. Example 》Explain to Tech that you would like the wheel torque set to 83' ft-lbs. Tech argues and says no it's 135 ft-lbs But agrees to set it to 83 ft-lbs but when you check it with your torque🔧 you soon find out it is indeed 135 ft-lbs. 🤔
Had my oil changed at the local Toyota dealership. They reinstalled the large gravel shield incorrectly. It came off on a road trip 500 miles from home. It was hanging under the car and scraping on the roadway. I nursed it to a local garage. The mechanic told me that whoever did the last oil change did NOT install the gravel shield correctly. This is NOT a complicated job! I went back to the dealership, with the destroyed parts, and proved to them what had occurred
was their fault. New parts, including mounting brackets, had to be replaced. Parts and labor was NOT cheap. They ate it after some argument.
Yeah. I used to fight with the local Toyota dealership to do a five tire rotation on my Highlander Hybrid. I told them that the full size spare would age out with no miles on it otherwise. A total waste. I also pointed out that Toyota called for that in the maintenance manual.
I had a similar experience. A performance issue. Up a hill the engine would start to stumble, lose power, falter. When the top of the hill was traveled, the problem stopped. could figure it out. Replaced the plugs, points, rotor, distributer cap, wires, a new air cleaner. Checked all vacuum hoses. Replaced a few questionable ones. The local dealer had it all day long said they couldn't find the problem. Upon getting the car back, I accidently found it. The flex pipe for the air intake had a split in it. The split would only open during uphill driving and the engine would tilt a little during applying more torque. I ordered a new air intake tube and the car ran perfectly. Three weeks later, a driver qoing the opposite way in a cloud burst lost control, hit my car directly and totaled it. Oh, well.
I had the same issue with the wiper. I just sprayed it with penetrating oil and it freed it up. And mine was way stiffer than that lol.
I'm so glad AMD you brought this up! Because why would you have a car on the lot and the thing won't start? Greedy that's why.