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Dealer performed oil chage at 5K

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Ledge, Dec 22, 2009.

  1. Ledge

    Ledge Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Pueblo West, Colorado, USA
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Two Eco
    Dealer performed oil change at 5K

    I had my 5,000 mile oil change performed yesterday.
    I would like to share my experience.

    The dealership is Lakeland Auto in Sheboygan Wisconsin.
    The Prius II was purchased from them in August, and included 3 free oil changes.
    All autos purchased from Lakeland Auto include free tire rotations too.

    I spoke with the service shop when I brought the Prius in, and gave them a sheet of paper.
    On it I had a typed list that read:

    Do not wash car.
    Rotate tires - Front = 42psi Rear = 40psi.
    Change oil & filter - Use 4.4 quarts of Mobil 1 0W20 Synthetic. ( 5 quarts provided )
    Please return unused .6 quart.

    And I verbally mentioned to please leave the lower radiator blocking in place.

    I provided the oil.
    I figured I had covered all bases. :)

    The bill came to $0 which was proper.
    It was done in a timely manner.
    We drove the 50 miles home without any problems.
    When I got home, I noted the remaining quart container of oil was less then half full. :rolleyes:

    Today I did the 'owners follow-up'.

    First I checked the oil level ... the Prius had now been undisturbed for many hours.
    As suspected, the level showed slightly over full.
    About .2 of a quart I would guess.
    That all fits perfectly with the less then half full quart container they returned to me.

    So, now it's time to check the tires ....
    I told them 42 front and 40 rear.
    I got 36 on all four.
    Using a second gauge, I got the same results.

    While doing this I notice that my guage will not fit properly on the stem on one of the tires.
    It fit OK on all the others. :confused:
    Then I notice the wheel cover is not pushed down far enough right by the valve stem.
    I give it a rap with my hand, and it seat properly, and the air chuck now fits well too.
    A check of the other wheel covers shows no other problems.
    I pumped them up to 42 and 40.

    Other then that, all is well.
    I survived my first dealer oil change.

    One other VERY important point that I would like to make, and I don't think it has been mentioned on this forum.
    I confirmed that the dealership had put the CORRECT odometer mileage on the service forms they returned to me.
    Many people assume they put the correct mileage on the form and stuff it away.
    This is bad ..... ALWAYS confirm the number is correct.
    Here is why:

    I own a 1995 Chevy 3/4 ton truck.
    Nice truck, clean, and very low miles.
    I use it very little .... snow plowing, a quick trip to town for lumber, etc.
    As a V8 with automatic, it does NOT get good gas mileage.
    Today it has less then 43,500 real miles on it. ( I am second owner )
    A few years ago I got a recall on the windshield wiper control for the truck.
    I took it to the local Chevy dealer, and they performed the work, no charge.
    I took the paperwork and shoved into the glove box.
    A few years later I was playing with a free access to CarFax.
    I was considering selling the truck and thought I would see what the report said about my low mileage clean truck.
    CarFax records many events with vehicles, like accidents, repairs, service work, and RECALLS performed.
    The small list for my truck was accurate, EXCEPT:
    They showed the mileage wrong for that recall, and showed my truck as having over 45,000 miles on it.
    I found the paperwork in my glove box, and yep, it was written down there as 45,000+ miles.
    At that time the odometer shoed around 42,000 to 43,000 miles.
    The service department made the error.
    NOW, if I try to sell the truck, and the potential buyer looks it up on CarFax, it will look as though I set the odometer back.
    I tried to correct it, but the dealership has moved, and won't do anything.
    CarFax says they just record what is given to them, and can't change it.

    Now this is not too important because I decided to keep the truck and plow snow with it at home.
    I have a 1300 foot driveway.
    In a few years, it will pass the 45,000+ mark, and it won't matter as much.
    I guess I can tell the buyer that I just didn't drive it much after the recall work.

    The point is, check your numbers now, cause it CAN matter later.
     
  2. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Vehicle:
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  3. risingsun

    risingsun seeker of the way

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2009
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    Location:
    Prescott, AZ
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Re: Dealer performed oil change at 5K

    I had some warranty work done on our car by the dealer when it had less than 200 miles on it, less than 1 week after we bought it. Didn't notice that the car dealer service tech had written 520 miles in the mileage box on the service form when I picked it up.

    After registering on Toyota Owners Online | Official Toyota Owners Website I looked at the records on my new car, and there it was: 520 miles for the work that was done under warranty. By this point, I think my actual mileage was around 240 or so. So I pulled out the service form to look and there it was, 520 miles listed as being on the car. Unreal.

    So, instead of complain to the dealer (which I figured was useless, seeing similar problems experienced by others here at PriusChat), I added an owner comment at Toyota Owners Online to reflect the correct mileage at the time, which should come up as a separate record immediately following the dealer's if anyone ever questions it. It is really not a major deal for this small of a difference in miles, but it left me with a really bad feeling about the dealer and their service dept. Such an easy thing to do right, and yet they couldn't get that proper.

    Do yourself a favor and register at http://www.toyotaownersonline.com/ and monitor your own car's records as they appear, or add your own if you DIY oil changes, air filters, wipers, etc.
     
  4. 32kcolors

    32kcolors Senior Member

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    Location:
    Redondo Beach, CA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Re: Dealer performed oil change at 5K

    I'm surprised CarFax isn't subjected to the same Fair Credit Reporting Act that applies to credit reports, in which you can dispute and the creditor has to provide proof or they're required by law to remove the item.
     
  5. Tarhead

    Tarhead Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    North Carolina
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    V
    This brings to mind a old management adage "You should only expect what you inspect." I guess you got what you paid for as far as the oil change. If you are supplying the oil why not just do it yourself? Get the dealer to supply you with the remaining 2 free filters and drain plug washers. It will be done to your satisfaction and your blood pressure will be much lower. Heck, just go to your local auto parts store and get a good filter and save the hassle and cost of driving 100 miles round trip unless you really need to go to Sheboygan:confused:. (My wife has family from Sheboygan and we don't go there in the winter unless there's a funeral and we really liked the person who died:D)

    The tire pressure discrepancy may be related to temperature as your tires were active (and warm) prior to the repair bay. I wonder what your tire pressure would be if you drove it around for a while at highway speeds and let it sit inside for as long as it sat at the dealer? I imagine the temperature (and your tire pressure) after sitting all night is lower.

    Thanks for the reference to the Toyota Owners site. I need to update a few vehicles.
     
  6. web1b

    web1b Active Member

    Joined:
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    Re: Dealer performed oil change at 5K

    In my current car, the key fob has the mileage in it. The dealer just drops the key fob remote in a dock while sitting at his desk and it automatically gets the mileage, VIN, owner info and probably service codes without the service advisor having to walk out to the car and read the odometer. No typos this way.
    I'm surprised the high tech Prius doesn't have anything similar.