Toyota Dealers Could Charge For TSB's?

I was taking my 23 Platinum in for its' first service and asked if they could perform 2 TSB's. The hesitation I'm getting upon accelerating and raising the rear airbag setting so my truck doesn't bottom out on speedbumps. To my surprise, the dealer told me they first have to drive the truck and confirm it has those problems and if they determine it doesn't, I have to pay them $275 for EACH TSB for their time.

Well, you know dealers service department favorite words, "unable to duplicate problem" "customer's concern is normal for this vehicle" blah blah blah...

That would mean, I'd be out $550 because some lazy technician doesn't want to deal with it, or the dealer wants to make a quick $550 and call my concerns "normal". What a bunch of BS.

I'm in the Bay Area and I called 3 other dealers. All are the same. This BS pushed me over the edge with dealers and will start taking my truck to a trusted garage for service from now on.

 

Yeah, unfortunately, working for free does suck lol.

When I lived in the bay area, most dealership service centers did disclose that I would be charged for diagnosis if the warranty issue wasn't present. I know the price is beyond budget for some, but I understand that techs need to get paid. They're already reamed with flat rate for a lot of difficult jobs, and warranty work pays less. Also, these aren't Toyota owned shops and the owners still need to profit. I'm not supportive of the high shop rates, but I'm just looking at it from a business perspective.

It's great you're going to a local shop instead. You'll be charged a better price for other things outside of warranty.

 

Are you actually having the issues the TSB covers?

If you are report the problem to the dealer not the solution. They have to look at it under warranty.

I throw the BS switch dealer flag.

 

The new recall will update the transmission for the hesitation TSB as its a newer calibration, you will get further just asking for the Recall to be done.

 

This must be Toyota wide. I had the same reaction in Tennessee. Sickening. What happened to Toyota........

 

We bought these trucks expecting them to perform. They don't. Is that our fault?

 

what’s the latest? Are we still good? I haven’t had mine done yet been busy and I’m not exactly worried about the neutral roll away lol

 

sounds like a bullshit dealer to me, mine never does shit like this

 

I look at it from this prospective.
If I go to the Dr and say I don't feel well, and the Dr says I'm going to do blood work and send you for testing. The blood work and tests came back and everything looks normal, I still pay the Dr and the insurance company. Most plummer's in my area charge 150.00 just to walk in the door, and we are happy to pay it. Technicians are the same, they spend years in training, invest in thousands of dollars in tools and need to get paid for their time. Unfortunately, the problem doesn't always present itself, you can always ask to drive with the technician to see if you can reproduce the concern. I have had Toyota's for over 25 years, and a ton of other makes and every repair shop and dealer have changed me to look at a concern, even if they can't duplicate it, sometimes it's the driver.

 

If you make a product, sell it to a consumer, and said product has an issue while "under warranty", the manufacturer aka Toyota should pay for the resolution of the issue, not the dealer, tech, or consumer...I call BS also. If I go to the doctor I'm no longer under warranty, the pipes in my house, my furnace, dishwasher etc...same so I expect to pay.

 

Recalls are completed ALL the time, regardless of whether the issue exist or not.
TSB's are are only completed IF the issue exist. Dealer must first diagnose the problem and if the TSB is applicable, they will implement the resolution/fix at no cost to you if still under warranty.

Even if you are certain that your truck has an issue that is confirmed to be fixed by a TSB, it's better to play dumb in these scenarios - just report the issue and let them come to conclusion. I can't see them charging you any money if you handle it like this, assuming the vehicle is under warranty.

Dealers don't like it when vehicle owners self-diagnose and ask, or worse yet - demand, they they blindly implement a TSB. I speak from experience. This applies to ALL manufacturers - not just Toyota.

 

I get that they don't like self-diagnosis because many customers aren't helpful, however I would guess that most people on this forum, who are serious about their trucks, have a better understanding of what is going on than most. I've had similar experience with an alarm installer. I had never installed an alarm system before, but with my IT background and common sense I knew more about the system after an hour of watching him than he did. It was sad. I actually finished installing the remaining sensors. So not every interested/passionate customer is clueless.

 

Lmao that's one of the worst analogies I ever heard. First of all, there is no TSB for a condition your body might have. Second of all, you are under no warranty whatsoever. Cmon bro.

 

100% agree. The knowledgeable just have to "play the game" and act dumb when it comes to warranty and TSB repairs. But be prepared to speak up and respectfully challenge the dealer if they are off course or dismissive. It's a slippery slope though because they are "experts" so you have to be tactful and respectable. I suggest speaking to the service manager and develop a relationship with him/her, even if it's via email. To ensure the best success, request a senior/master tech to do the diagnosis and repair. If all goes well, give them a tip. They will appreciate it and likely start to trust you.

 

It's not your fault, and I agree that Toyota should be taking care of issues with the truck under warranty. Many times that is the case. But TSB's don't always fall under warranty, hence the dealerships mentioning a charge to diagnose. I'm not saying I agree with it, I'm just saying processes when it comes to covered repairs vary from shop to shop. It all depends on how much a service department wants to risk not getting paid before Toyota determines warranty and approves a repair.

 

You're not paying for the TSB. That is covered under warranty. What you are paying for is the diagnostic time/fee in the off chance that you wasted their time.

 

What about when they waste our time? Twice I've been told they can't do a service because they don't have a part in stock and I would have to come back tomorrow. Yes, I even had an appt for the service. No one called me and told me not to come and no one offered me any compensation. Or, is our time not valuable, like theirs.

Another time, they misdiagnosed my 4-runner that was misfiring. I paid them for the diagnose. They said I needed a $1900 valve job. Took it to another hole-in-the-wall shop that changed a fuel injector for $35 and it ran perfect. Toyota dealer wouldn't even re-imburse me the bad diagnostic fee. I had to file a small claims court hearing to get my money back, which I did. I only did it for the principle. The diagnostic fee wasn't going to break me.

People who think like you is why dealerships and most any other businesses always try to take advantage of us. Because they usually get away with it.

 

Awesome post! and I concur

 

What is their hourly rate. The throttle lag tsb is a half hour job. Tell them you just want the ecu programmed per the tsb. No diagnostic needed and just pay for the half hour program.

 

Twice I have left a bad review at 2 dealerships and never once got a call nor apology. I have to say, the bad reviews were totally justified including the dealership not wanting to give me a Visa receipt that my insurance company needed. Their reason: "they are going paperless". Took me 2 weeks of unanswered calls, emails and run-arounds, to finally getting a receipt when I showed up in person. Took the clerk 2 minutes to print me a receipt, but couldn't do it at the time I paid? Absolute BS. The other bad review was a dealership telling me I needed a new air cleaner filter because mine was "really dirty". It absolutely wasn't dirty. I had changed it myself a week prior. I don't go to dealerships anymore. They all seem to be pos.

 

SF Bay Area? It's notorious for bad service - especially at the dealerships. When I used to live there, I tried multiple brands and multiple locations - they all sucked. From horrible diagnosis skills, trying to add unnecessary services to work orders, and charging ridiculous rates for simple oil changes.

The SF Bay Area has an 8M population. With so many people, dealer service departments don't need to attract every possible customer. There are so many people that new customers will just keep coming and coming no matter what. Actually, it's better (easier for them) to get customers who don't ask questions and pay for all the extra services they recommend than someone who is informed about their car/truck and what services they should expect from the dealership.

Unfortunately, the Bay Area is expensive to live in - and that includes being ripped off on simple services.

 

I had to sign a diagnostic fee waiver form when I got my freebee oil changes

 

Looks like Toyota figured out a way for us to pay for warranty repairs and service bulletin compliance. They're gonna need the extra cash to pay for the 3rd Gen Tundra failures.I am guessing Toyota abandoned Kanban for the US model of building junk to get consumers to replace the junk for new junk.

 

They normally won't perform the TSBs for free unless they can duplicate/verify the problem. And you have to still be under warranty if you want it done free. That being said you can't walk in the door and hand them TSB documents and ask them to do the fixes preemptively. And a lot of people bring TSBs that aren't applicable to their specific build number, model year, etc.

 

The Dr.'s did not sell you your body. If the plumbers just did a replumb and I had issues I would expect it be taken care of for free.

 

I feel so much better about my service department every time I read about others. I've never paid for a TSB even though that's probably only a few done over the decades. They are always willing to hear my self-diagnosis as a starting point, and I don't recall ever being charged for a diagnosis whether a real problem existed or not. I don't recall ever having to bring it back another day because they didn't have parts they should've had for a scheduled job. Never pushy to replace the easy things like air filters. I know some had to give extra proof or an extra appointment for a 2nd key or temp fuel line remedy, but I just send an email and I'm good.

 

You don't know how I think.