Local Prius service in Houston

[ssq1199d]

I have had my 2005 Prius serviced at Don McGill and have not been very happy with their service. I've had few problems so it has not been an issue. However I now have the P1121 code related to "Coolant Flow Control Valve Position Sensor Stuck".

Are there any dealer or independent auto service providers that you would recommend here in Houston.

Thanks

[ggood]

I've had nothing but good experiences with Fred Haas Toyota's repair services. When I've shopped for quotes, for scheduled maintenance service or otherwise, they've always been cheaper. They have a great waiting room, you can make appointments, and so far, have been pretty honest (they are not totally immune to pushing minor items like cabin filters etc.). Their service reps always seem very straight forward and knowledgable, and the actual mechanics very sharp. Their Prius tech figured out in 5 minutes a problem on my Prius that totally stumped another dealer.

[Wavelene]

I would recommend trying the Fred Haas location off the 45 rather than their 249 location though. I had my first oil change done at the 249 location in November and was surprised at the lack of space they had to park the cars waiting for service. They did an odd rotation. When a new customer would drop their car off, an employee would put the car in line for service. The car would be moved up in line as the car ahead was taken back for service. Oddly, though, my car was moved from the front of the line around to the back of the line 3 times before they finally pulled it in for the oil change. Whatever the reason, I didn't like having my car moved around so much--the less it's moved around, the less change of getting a ding. I'll try their location on 45 next time and see if they have a better system.

[ggood]

I've only gone to the I45 location. They have plenty of room there and and seem to easily handle a large volume of cars.

[TreffEdwards]

Ok, so I am a new Pruis owner. I bought a super cheap 05 Prius from Momentum and had EXCELLENT service! They treated me like gold even tho I was buying a used car. My car is a 1 owner and has all the paperwork from all services that have been done. All had been done at Sterling McCall here in Houston.. I was just wanting to know if anyone had "dirt" on them? I lived in Iowa before moving to Tx and had a VERY loyal dealership there with my 09 Matrix that I also own and am trying to find another one for my Prius and Matrix. Anyone suggest anything?

[ggood]

Originally Posted by TreffEdwards

Ok, so I am a new Pruis owner. I bought a super cheap 05 Prius from Momentum and had EXCELLENT service! They treated me like gold even tho I was buying a used car. My car is a 1 owner and has all the paperwork from all services that have been done. All had been done at Sterling McCall here in Houston.. I was just wanting to know if anyone had "dirt" on them? I lived in Iowa before moving to Tx and had a VERY loyal dealership there with my 09 Matrix that I also own and am trying to find another one for my Prius and Matrix. Anyone suggest anything?

Hi, I'm originally from Omaha, so welcome to the happy world of transplanted midwesterners. I've heard some negative scuttlebutt about SM from a few different sources over the years. I think this had mainly to do with sales practices. I've taken test drives there, gotten quotes, and had oil changes there without incident. Never actually bought anything from them or had any major service there. In pricing services, they've never been on the low end. Based on my limited experience, I would not go out of my way to go to SM for service, but can't really say from personal experience.

As indicated in my post above, I'm very happy with Fred Haas for service, even though I live near in, and have to drive out of my way to get there. I've never bought anything from them cuz they've never offered competitive deals when I've been looking. Even they have their bad moments, like forgetting to call and tell me my car was ready when I took it in for recall work a week ago. They are usually much better communicators.

One other possibility to consider is what used to be called Honda Car Shop and is now called HCH (not a dealer). They have a couple of locations. I had very good experiences there with service for my 97 CRV. They've now branched out to Toyotas, but I don't know if they have hybrid certified techs. They should be fine for general servicing and non-hybrid specific stuff though. However, whenever I've checked, Fred Haas has always quoted lower for scheduled maintenance. FH and particularly HCH seem honest and forthcoming.

Hope this helps.

[TreffEdwards]

Sweet. I am going to try Fred Haas cuz my Matrix needs its 10k service and I want my Prius to get a good check up since its last service at Sterling McCall was a 108k and it just turned 118k. Glad to hear that there are more mid-westerners that have made the move! My spouse works at Rice and I am finishing my Masters, LOVE it here! Are u part of the Houston Prius club I hear so much about?

[ggood]

Originally Posted by TreffEdwards

Are u part of the Houston Prius club I hear so much about?

Never got involved with that...maybe I need to be more sociable!

[Nitescan]

I've always had mind serviced at Fred Haas off I45 and have never had any problems. They're usually pretty quick, can handle a large volume and customer service seems to be pretty good.

[adllewellyn]

Hoping for someone else to chime in here - I live in Clear Lake and just bought a new Prius out of state - want to find a good local place to service it. Fred Haas on 45 is a little far for me, but I will do it if needed. Closest place is Star Toyota... anyone have any more input on good dealers on the SOUTH side??

Thanks!