Saratoga Springs Toyota Dealer -- Please provide feedback

nyprius · 12-07-2007, 09:25 AM

I've just moved to Saratoga Springs, NY. I was planning on getting my Prius serviced at New Country Toyota on route 50 in Saratoga Springs, NY. I've had my car serviced for two years at Westboro, MA Toyota. They did a great job. I want to find another dealer that I can trust to do a good job at a fair price. Does anyone on PC have experience with New Country? If so, please let me know how they are.

Apparently New Country's regular Prius oil change service costs $80, versus about $30 at most other places. I asked why it was so expensive. They said they check out the hybrid system and other things. That sent up a red flag. The owners manual doesn't call for the hybrid system to be checked every 5,000 miles. I've got 53,000 miles on my Prius. As far as I know, Westboro only checked the hybrid system when they did a major 30,000 mile service. And my car runs perfectly.

The sad thing is that I know the hybrid system doesn't need to be checked every 5,000 miles. But I suspect many other drivers don't. They would trust the dealer when the dealers sells them services they don't need.

If New Country is trying to sell Prius owners services they don't need (and I sincerely hope they are not), it's a very bad business strategy. They might make money off people once or twice. But many wouldn't go back. The smarter approach is to just charge a fair price for work actually needed. This way they keep the customer for years and wind up making a lot more money.

I hope I'm misunderstanding something about New Country's regular oil service policy. They're conveniently located. And I would like to go there, as long as I can trust they'll treat me fairly.

Sufferin' Prius Envy · 12-08-2007, 11:24 PM

And just how does this qualify for the Main Prius Forum????
[man, there has been a rash of these things since the PriusChat software upgrade.]

nyprius · 12-09-2007, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sufferin' Prius Envy

And just how does this qualify for the Main Prius Forum????
[man, there has been a rash of these things since the PriusChat software upgrade.]

Why did you bother to respond if you're going be an idiot.

Maybe someone living elsewhere once lived near Saratoga Springs and is familiar with this dealer.
Maybe someone on PC has a relative or friend near SS that knows this dealer.
Maybe someone knows a way of getting feedback about dealers that I'm not aware of.
Maybe I wanted to maximize my chances of getting feedback on this question.

sl7vk · 12-09-2007, 01:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyprius

Why did you bother to respond if you're going be an idiot.

Maybe someone living elsewhere once lived near Saratoga Springs and is familiar with this dealer.
Maybe someone on PC has a relative near SS that knows of this dealer.
Maybe someone knows a way of getting feedback about dealers that I'm not familiar with.
Maybe I wanted to maximize my chances of getting feedback on this question.

I think he's got some kind of software glitch on his posts. I wouldn't take it personal.

80 bucks is highway robbery for an oil change.

I'm sure someone will help you out with a good dealership in that area.

nyprius · 12-09-2007, 01:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sl7vk

I think he's got some kind of software glitch on his posts. I wouldn't take it personal.

80 bucks is highway robbery for an oil change.

I'm sure someone will help you out with a good dealership in that area.

Thanks sl7vk!!

Sufferin' Prius Envy · 12-09-2007, 06:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nyprius

Why did you bother to respond if you're going be an idiot.

Maybe someone living elsewhere once lived near Saratoga Springs and is familiar with this dealer.
Maybe someone on PC has a relative or friend near SS that knows this dealer.
Maybe someone knows a way of getting feedback about dealers that I'm not aware of.
Maybe I wanted to maximize my chances of getting feedback on this question.

And just maybe 99.999% of the people on the Main Prius Forum don't, or never did, live in or near Saratoga Springs, or don't have a relative or friend near SS who knows about the dealer.

The fact that you "wanted to maximize [your] chances of getting feedback on this question" is not a proper reason for posting it on the Main Prius Forum. Your post is not a "General posts specific to the Prius that can't be categorized in the Forums below."
Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting or Dealers & Pricing would have been more logical fits.

Ooh, and as for the name calling . . . not a good idea outside of Fred's House of Pancakes .

nyprius · 12-09-2007, 11:50 PM

[quote=Sufferin' Prius Envy;529354]And just maybe 99.999% of the people on the Main Prius Forum don't, or never did, live in or near Saratoga Springs, or don't have a relative or friend near SS who knows about the dealer.

The fact that you "wanted to maximize [your] chances of getting feedback on this question" is not a proper reason for posting it on the Main Prius Forum. Your post is not a "General posts specific to the Prius that can't be categorized in the Forums below."

Thanks for your opinion. I assume I'm allowed to have an opinion as well. I wasn't interested in the 99.999% who didn't know anything about the SS Toyota dealer. But to have a good chance of finding the .001% who did, I had to ask the 100%.

You're acting as if my post was a great inconvenience to you. Are you an incredibly slow reader? Did it take you a very long time to read the title of my post and ascertain that it wasn't relevant to you?

There are many posts on PC that may or may not be relevant to the general audience. That's the nature of this forum. That's why we have lists to scan through and focus on the ones each of us find interesting.

sl7vk · 12-10-2007, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sufferin' Prius Envy

And just maybe 99.999% of the people on the Main Prius Forum don't, or never did, live in or near Saratoga Springs, or don't have a relative or friend near SS who knows about the dealer.

The fact that you "wanted to maximize [your] chances of getting feedback on this question" is not a proper reason for posting it on the Main Prius Forum. Your post is not a "General posts specific to the Prius that can't be categorized in the Forums below."
Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting or Dealers & Pricing would have been more logical fits.

Ooh, and as for the name calling . . . not a good idea outside of Fred's House of Pancakes .

Well, unless you're a mod, you really have no business with that type of feedback. And if you are a mod, you could nicely move the thread to the proper (as you deem it.....

) forum.

I'll just run on the assumption that you have way too much time on your hands, aren't a mod, and maybe are going through a bitter divorce..... or something to that effect.

SureValla · 12-10-2007, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sufferin' Prius Envy

And just maybe 99.999% of the people on the Main Prius Forum don't, or never did, live in or near Saratoga Springs, or don't have a relative or friend near SS who knows about the dealer.

The fact that you "wanted to maximize [your] chances of getting feedback on this question" is not a proper reason for posting it on the Main Prius Forum. Your post is not a "General posts specific to the Prius that can't be categorized in the Forums below."
Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting or Dealers & Pricing would have been more logical fits.

Ooh, and as for the name calling . . . not a good idea outside of Fred's House of Pancakes .

hey calm it down man if your pissed about the thread dont read it. I hate when people play the you shouldn't have posted this card. HATE IT

I live in Albany, NY, very close to toga. (currently serving a "tour of duty" so to say in Boston)

I would not have seen this thread had it not been for his post in the main forum. And I know a few people that have dealt with Toyota dealerships in the area

Now for a real response to the original question:

I bought my prius from Toyota of Clifton Park (also a New Country Dealership) and got it first serviced at 5000 miles at Lia Toyota in Colonie. They charged me 75 bucks for the 5000 milage thing and commented they put in an additive to the oil that allows the toyota engine to run better on 10% ethonol gas.

From reading this forum and looking in the manual this is BS because Toyota cars can already take ethonol fuel.

When 10,000 mi came around I did my own oil change which is what I suggest you do too

Good luck

nyprius · 12-10-2007, 11:33 PM

[QUOTE

From reading this forum and looking in the manual this is BS because Toyota cars can already take ethonol fuel.

When 10,000 mi came around I did my own oil change which is what I suggest you do too

Good luck[/quote]

Thanks SureValla! And sl7vk!

Sounds like New Country likes to overcharge. I think that's a dumb business strategy. If they treat people well, they'll eventually do the repairs, just not as soon. By overcharging, they'll lose most of the repairs since many will go to a more honest dealer.

I'll give them a shot on the oil change and see what kind of vibe I get. I also need new front brakes. I'll probably do that there too. Their prices aren't too much more than Monroe muffler. With the VSC, ABS and traction control, I'd rather have OEM parts.

Thanks again!
Frank

12-07-2007, 09:25 AM	#1
nyprius Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Saratoga Springs, NY Posts: 340 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 2 Times in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	Saratoga Springs Toyota Dealer -- Please provide feedback I've just moved to Saratoga Springs, NY. I was planning on getting my Prius serviced at New Country Toyota on route 50 in Saratoga Springs, NY. I've had my car serviced for two years at Westboro, MA Toyota. They did a great job. I want to find another dealer that I can trust to do a good job at a fair price. Does anyone on PC have experience with New Country? If so, please let me know how they are. Apparently New Country's regular Prius oil change service costs $80, versus about $30 at most other places. I asked why it was so expensive. They said they check out the hybrid system and other things. That sent up a red flag. The owners manual doesn't call for the hybrid system to be checked every 5,000 miles. I've got 53,000 miles on my Prius. As far as I know, Westboro only checked the hybrid system when they did a major 30,000 mile service. And my car runs perfectly. The sad thing is that I know the hybrid system doesn't need to be checked every 5,000 miles. But I suspect many other drivers don't. They would trust the dealer when the dealers sells them services they don't need. If New Country is trying to sell Prius owners services they don't need (and I sincerely hope they are not), it's a very bad business strategy. They might make money off people once or twice. But many wouldn't go back. The smarter approach is to just charge a fair price for work actually needed. This way they keep the customer for years and wind up making a lot more money. I hope I'm misunderstanding something about New Country's regular oil service policy. They're conveniently located. And I would like to go there, as long as I can trust they'll treat me fairly.

12-08-2007, 11:24 PM	#2
Sufferin' Prius Envy Platinum Member Join Date: Jul 2004 Location: USA Posts: 4,012 My Car: Other Non-Hybrid Package: N/A Nominated 15 Times in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 1 Friends: 0	And just how does this qualify for the Main Prius Forum???? [man, there has been a rash of these things since the PriusChat software upgrade.]

12-09-2007, 11:50 PM	#7
nyprius Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Saratoga Springs, NY Posts: 340 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 2 Times in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	[quote=Sufferin' Prius Envy;529354]And just maybe 99.999% of the people on the Main Prius Forum don't, or never did, live in or near Saratoga Springs, or don't have a relative or friend near SS who knows about the dealer. The fact that you "wanted to maximize [your] chances of getting feedback on this question" is not a proper reason for posting it on the Main Prius Forum. Your post is not a "General posts specific to the Prius that can't be categorized in the Forums below." Thanks for your opinion. I assume I'm allowed to have an opinion as well. I wasn't interested in the 99.999% who didn't know anything about the SS Toyota dealer. But to have a good chance of finding the .001% who did, I had to ask the 100%. You're acting as if my post was a great inconvenience to you. Are you an incredibly slow reader? Did it take you a very long time to read the title of my post and ascertain that it wasn't relevant to you? There are many posts on PC that may or may not be relevant to the general audience. That's the nature of this forum. That's why we have lists to scan through and focus on the ones each of us find interesting.

12-10-2007, 11:33 PM	#10
nyprius Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Saratoga Springs, NY Posts: 340 My Car: 2005 Prius Package: #6 Nominated 2 Times in 1 Post TOTM Awards: 0 Friends: 0	[QUOTE From reading this forum and looking in the manual this is BS because Toyota cars can already take ethonol fuel. When 10,000 mi came around I did my own oil change which is what I suggest you do too Good luck[/quote] Thanks SureValla! And sl7vk! Sounds like New Country likes to overcharge. I think that's a dumb business strategy. If they treat people well, they'll eventually do the repairs, just not as soon. By overcharging, they'll lose most of the repairs since many will go to a more honest dealer. I'll give them a shot on the oil change and see what kind of vibe I get. I also need new front brakes. I'll probably do that there too. Their prices aren't too much more than Monroe muffler. With the VSC, ABS and traction control, I'd rather have OEM parts. Thanks again! Frank