Keeping Dealership Honest - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Corsa999 · 06-25-2009, 10:02 AM

I'm going in for an oil change at the dealership this Saturday and am switching to full synthetic at 13,000 miles. I have an '09 I4 SE and I'm going with 5w-20 Mobil1....(anyone have any suggestions/comments on that decision?)

My real question here is does anyone have a good idea how I can be completely sure they're actually putting the bottles of Mobil1 I'm bringing with me into my engine? This may be overly suspicious / cynical but I never trust a dealership or people who work there. Truth is my friend has been a finance manager at several dealerships so I'm heard all about the range of deception and outright lying/stealing that goes on at the majority of dealerships.

Thanks for any suggestions you might have aside from going back into the service area and watching them put it in...which they most likely wouldn't allow. And...I'm not going to change the oil myself although I can appreciate that suggestion and realize how "easy" it is. I just don't have the time or desire at this point in time....or the ramps.

Thanks

MEGADETHFAN · 06-25-2009, 10:05 AM

I don't know about your dealership but when I requested to monitor the service at my local Toyota dealership they let me go back and watch as long as I was not in the way.

Corsa999 · 06-25-2009, 10:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEGADETHFAN

I don't know about your dealership but when I requested to monitor the service at my local Toyota dealership they let me go back and watch as long as I was not in the way.

Thanks for the suggestion. Truth be told my finance manager friend actually works at this dealership currently and he has assured me that the service people are very straightforward and there isn't any questionable activity going on. I STILL just can't trust dealerships though and I own the car, not a lease so I really want to be sure. I'll see if I can't get back there and keep an eye on them as they're putting in the oil.

Am I getting way too worked up over a damn oil change? ha.

MEGADETHFAN · 06-25-2009, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corsa999

Thanks for the suggestion. Truth be told my finance manager friend actually works at this dealership currently and he has assured me that the service people are very straightforward and there isn't any questionable activity going on. I STILL just can't trust dealerships though and I own the car, not a lease so I really want to be sure. I'll see if I can't get back there and keep an eye on them as they're putting in the oil.

Am I getting way too worked up over a damn oil change? ha.

I couldn't trust them to do a proper balancing, how sad they couldn't do it right.

And no, you are not getting too worked up if you are paying for a service you damn well should get it.

gdanaher · 06-25-2009, 01:15 PM

The only way to know for certain that something is done is to do it yourself. I get that you don't trust people. Sometimes it is justified. Sometimes it isn't justified. Since you don't trust this dealer, find one that you do trust, or find an independent shop that you trust. In any regard, if you are going to stand around the shop and watch the guy pour oil into your car, just to know that he didn't screw you, then perhaps you first should just do it yourself, and then drive around seeking some professional assistance to get over this trust issue.

I'm not a huge fan of Mobil One anyway. When it first came out in around 1970, the product was advertised to last for 25k miles. Since then, not so much. I had a 99 Camry that used Mobile One until sludge clogged it at 35k miles. Cleaned out and used dyno oil after that without a problem. No more Mobile One for this guy......no, thank you.

***Punks_Not_Dead5*** · 06-25-2009, 02:24 PM

Don't go to the dealership then? do it yourself? find a trusted mechanic?

Corsa999 · 06-29-2009, 06:42 PM

Had the change done at the dealership this weekend. Saw the guy pour it in, felt good. ha.

The only reason I have such a mistrust of dealerships and their service departments is because I used to work at a dealership and my friend has been in the business for about 10 years. He's worked at Nissan, Toyota, Chevy, Ford...and few others but no high-end dealerships. The things that happen at these dealerships that I've seen and he's told me about are unbelievable. One can never be too cautious. The only way to know for sure is do it yourself, but I don't always have the time which creates the conundrum at hand.

Thanks for the suggestions.

MEGADETHFAN · 06-29-2009, 07:12 PM

No problem Corsa

meekoss · 08-05-2009, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Corsa999

Had the change done at the dealership this weekend. Saw the guy pour it in, felt good. ha.

The only reason I have such a mistrust of dealerships and their service departments is because I used to work at a dealership and my friend has been in the business for about 10 years. He's worked at Nissan, Toyota, Chevy, Ford...and few others but no high-end dealerships. The things that happen at these dealerships that I've seen and he's told me about are unbelievable. One can never be too cautious. The only way to know for sure is do it yourself, but I don't always have the time which creates the conundrum at hand.

Thanks for the suggestions.

So how about you tell us some stories about what you have seen?