20,000 mile service nightmare

[Dave]

I took my Prius in for the 20,000 mile oil change and tire rotation today. I took with me 3.5 quarts 5w-30 dino oil. (Castrol.)
After about 40 minutes of waiting, I walked outside to see my car being pulled into a service bay. My first thought was, "that can't be my car. It has a huge dent in the right corner of the rear bumper."
Well, it was my car. I'm compulsive about parking my car way far away from other cars so I won't get scratches on the door. And now I have a big dent in the bumper...big enough to cause the bumper to pop away from the body at the forward wrap-around.
I yanked the service guy out of his office and let him know how I felt. (I really felt like crying, but I held it together.)
I will return the car when a new bumper is delivered. I will also have them put MY oil in, which they neglected to do.
I have never had a problem with this dealership, and the service advisor feels crappy about it, too. (I'm sure the bumper isn't cheap, and the dent has actually popped back almost to normal, but I'm insisting that it's replaced, and they're not arguing.
Sorry for the long rant, but I had to cry on someone's shoulder, and who better than my PriusChat family?

[toolbox]

man :cry: i feel for ya but hate to say it but your the one in a thousand person that this happens to. The prius has a large blind spot in the rear and the tech/quick lube guy most likely hit something backing up. i would demand a bumper too. I am sure your dealer will make it right. i have seen cars fall off lifts, get wrecked moving around and so much more. Letting your service writer have it prob wont help. he didnt wreck your car but he is the one person who will help make it right. a tech wrecked my dads 1500 4x4 doing a seat belt recall. my mom sat 3 hours before they told her and the guy pushed the bumper under the car (hard to do on a full size truck) . they made it right they do have insurance and it takes time. if your dont think they will make due call the cops and report an accident.

[Dave]

Thanks for the insight. (no pun intended.) I didn't really yank him out of the office, and thankfully, he's the most senior and the best guy there. I once saw him deal with an elderly lady who didn't have a clue. He listened to her for 30 minutes and made whatever was wrong, right. He's a class act, and I hope that I am able to write a letter of appreciation when this is all taken care of.

[jamarimutt]

If another client bumped into your car and drove away, why should the people changing the oil be held reponsible for this accident?

[IsrAmeriPrius]

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jamarimutt\";p=\"44265)</div>

If another client bumped into your car and drove away, why should the people changing the oil be held reponsible for this accident?
[/b]

Because the car is under their control and their responsibility.

Until the service is done and the car is returned to its owner, the service department has the responsibility to park it where it cannot be damaged.

I have yet to take my Prius in for service, but with just about every car I have owned over the years, once the service order was written, a dealership employee drove it to where it was parked pending the work being done. After the service or repair was complete, I paid the invoice and then the car was delivered back to me. The first four or five years that I own a car, I do a walk around before I drive it off, just to make sure.

[toolbox]

guess i misunderstood ...i thought it was wrecked after it was tagged . a tech cant pull you car in for service at most dealers until a repair order has been generated. a service writer will inspect your car and put a tag on the window for service (a number on your review mirror thats matches your repair order number). before they tag it they are supposed to check the outside for dents and will record this to protect themselfs. if the dent is there before its tagged they will tell you to fly i kite as they have record damaged on arrival and will make you report it to your insurance company. if they tagged it and didnt record the dent ...its on them.
i am not sure if being on there property makes them responible or not but you have to prove it happened there and most likely would end up in your auto insurance but a dealer can process it under theres its whether or not they wanna fight you.
best one i prob seen was a family with a full size gm van fully loaded for vacation came in for an oil change. the van fell off the rack and got lodged between the lift post. We ended up calling tow truck to dragged the van out on its side. Our dealer gave the cust a rental van for there trip and when they got back replaced there van with a new one. BTW it wasnt me or my lift. i never laughed so hard but thank god no one was hurt

[DaveinOlyWA]

the dealer is insured so he isnt paying for it anyway...

[Dave]

This happened after the car was tagged, and most likely the damage was done by an employee, as the public does not drive past the service entrance.

[eak354]

good thing you noticed it right away! :guns:

[Lectricar]

I beginning to believe that Toyota Dealers don't care about Prius owners...."What, you gonna go to Mr. Goodwrench to fix that battery powered thing?"...they got us....and apparently they don't care what they do....