Toyota Dealer Complaint

Customer Comments...

Name: Mark Miller

Complaint: Rene Isip Toyota of Lewisville TX performs poor maintenance on vehicles and charges for work not performed. I have had three Toyota, a camry, tacoma, and a 4 runner. The main reason I am upset is that I took my 4runner to the Rene Isip Toyota for a brake change at 72K miles. I specifically asked to have the brakes changes. We were charged over $300 for the task. At about 85K miles, I took the 4runner back to get a transmission service, radiator flush, change spark plugs, injector cleaning, and differential fluid change. My wife was complaining that the brakes were making a noise. So, I asked the dealer to take a look at the brakes. Later that day, the dealership called and reported that all of the requested work was complete. However, there was a problem with the brakes. They said that the brakes needed to be replaced. I told that could not be right since they were changed about 15K miles earlier. The dealership's immediate answer was that my wife must be driving in stop-and-go traffic and that we would have to pay for another brake change. Now, I am no expert but the original brakes lasted for 72K miles and now they only lasted 15K miles. That makes no sense. Since we have had the 4runner, we have lived at the same location with the same jobs and drive the same way. It is very insulting when the dealership immediately places blame on the customer and shows very little class. So, the service writer said she would look into this further. Unable to settle the problem the same day, the dealership kept the 4runner overnight. The next morning, I received a phone call that they had discovered a hand-written note from the original brake job. It said that the mechanic did not change the brakes since the pads were at 60%. But, they still charged me for the entire brake job. First, I did not ask for the mechanic's opinion. I asked for and was charged for a brake change...not an opinion. The dealership graciously decided to replaced the brake pads at no charge. However, that is all they did. I expected the entire brake job to be re-accomplished. That would include turning the rotors, new pads, and inspecting the rear drum brakes. I asked the service manager since they failed to change my brakes the first time but had no problem charging me for it, how can I be sure that the $600+ worth of maintenance this time was done right or even done at all? He assured me that he made sure it was all done. Forgive me for not believing a word he said. Of course, they had no problem charging me for all of the requested work. I told the service manager that I would not bring any of my vehicles back. His reply was, "I would not bring mine here either." I would have felt better if they had refunded the charge for the brake change because I do not feel that I had a full brake change performed. I also expected not to pay the full price of all of the service performed over the two day period. The worst part of the whole ordeal was that my wife was driving around in a vehicle that could have had a serious safety issue. I mean, most problems don't occur with your car sitting in the garage. It will happen on the road. My wife could have been injured and would have definately resulted in a law suit. But, they don't care about that. I recieved the usual four phone calls asking how my service was. All four were given the same comments and the lowest rating possible. I did not receive one phone call from a manager to follow up on the surveys. This was not the only incident with this dealership. We took the 4runner in for one of its regular oil changes. On the way home, I noticed a strong burnt oil smell. I figured that it was the usual incompetence of spilling oil on the engine and not cleaning it up. The next day, when my wife backed the 4runner out of the garage, I noticed some black oil drips on the floor. Since the oil was changed the day before, I expected to see clean oil, not black oil (not that oil on the floor was OK). So I had her pull the 4runner back in. I popped the hood and was shocked at what I found. The 4runner has an oil filter on the top of the engine. When the filter is removed, the oil drains into a small scupper drain that is about 1" long. To catch the oil, the dealership will jam an empty oil can between the engine block and the serpentine belt which will wedge the can under the drain and hold it in place. It appeared that they forgot to remove the oil can because it was still there. However, the serpentine belt had cut through the can and allowed all of the dirty oil from the old filter to drain out of the can and, of course, all over the engine compartment. On another occasion, I took my Tacoma in for an oil change and tire rotation. Please keep in mind that I bought the truck from the dealership with oversize rims and tires already installed. During this visit, I noticed that it was taking quite some time to have these simple tasks performed. Furthermore, I observed a growing group of employees around the left front wheel of my truck. About 30 minutes later, the manager came over to me an said they had managed to get a socket stuck in my rim and they can't get it out. How in the hell does that happen? Apparently, the individual started out using a thick walled impact socket. When he could not figure out why it was such a tight fit, he continued using a pneumatic impact wrench and wedged the socket in the hole. Unbelievable!! My most recent experience involved another oil change on my Tacoma. Remember that my tires are over-size. After the service was performed, I noticed that the tires seemed a little low. I looked at the work order and, as usual, they had not annotated the PSI. I asked what the PSI was. I was told that they lowered it to 28 PSI. I immediately asked why they did that. They said the sticker inside the driver's door shows 28 PSI. I took them outside to look at the truck and asked them if those tires looked normal. They agreed that they looked low. This truck has a lift kit to accomodate these tires so it is pretty obvious that they are larger than normal. Once again....unbelieveable!!! Rene Isip Toyota has the worst service I have ever experienced from any dealer. They are the Blue-Ribbon Loser. Please, learn from my experience and do not buy from or have your car serviced at Rene Isip Toyota of Lewisville.