Dealer Wants $75 to........

Sounds to me like the dealer is just behaving like most dealers all do! You might look around here on PriusChat for the method, and save yourself $75. There are a number of threads dealing with that question, and many comments about the wisdom of tweaking what is actually a safety feature! (…dons asbestos britches! )

 

I got them to agree to shut it off before I bought the car. I'd say it took the guy about 5 minutes. So yeah, it's robbery.

 

What a great excuse to purchase a $10 Bluetooth ODB-II adapter and the $5 Torque phone-app.

Then after doing the disable yourself, you have a nice aftermarket gauge.

 

Most dealers post their labour rates in their service areas. When I was a kid, growing up in the UK, I pumped gas as a part-time job, and I'd also help out in the workshop, and I remember there being a sign which clearly stated to the customers: "Our labour rates are £5/hour;£10/hour if you watch; £15/hour if you help!" (…hey, this was back in the 1960s)

"search" is your friend here on PriusChat!

 

That adaptor currently selling for $9.18 from AutomotiveShop is the nice small blue newest one, what I use. Be careful if order from someone other vendor, since you may get sent a larger older model even though they advertise the smaller newer model (TopLine Tools did that to me, grrr).

The phone-app (android) is available from the Play Store, search for "Torque Pro". It's $4.99

 

my local dealer did it for free a few days ago when I took it in for an oil change

 

Why not contact another dealer (or two) to see if one of them will do it for free? I'd imagine there should be many others to choose from around the Richmond area.

Finding a dealer that isn't trying to get their hand in your wallet every time you need something might not be a bad thing either.

Good luck.

 

+1. That's exactly what I did when we bought our v about 3 months ago. And now I have a scan tool that travels with me.

 

If you're not going to get (and use) the ODB-II adapter and the app, then I would write a few letters to the dealer complaining bitterly about the fee.

There's nothing wrong with mechanics earning a living wage, but there is also nothing wrong with a customer that is willing to demand superior customer service for continued brand loyalty.

 

Cost me nothing when they were doing the included in purchase price service since they have to connect to the port to do the service, it is just a few screens/keypresses. I had the service done at the selling dealer.

 

My dealer did it free as part of an oil change. As long as they already have it in the back, it takes them only a moment to disable it. But I can see them charging you if they make a special trip just for that.

Note that it still beeps one time (which is fine by me), but you at least don't lose your sanity while you try to backup.

 

Yeah.

Tell them to get another Service Manager.
He or She (it was probably a "he") lied.

I know in these modern times getting a truthful answer (such as "I don't know....") from a service writer is a pipe dream, but I can use the process of elimination to make sure that a particular dealer doesn't do it more than once.

That means:
No way they touch my car again.....EVER.

That means:
Unless I get a satisfactory answer from the SM's boss
No way they sell me a car again......EVER.

I've used one mechanic and one dealership (neither are Toyota) for the last 10 years because I've caught them 'truthing' to me when it would have been very VERY easy to lie.

I would think long and very hard about letting a dealership like the one that you've described service my car, and I would familiarize myself with all of the work that's required by the service schedule for your car before the work and see if there is an honest indy mechanic that is looking for a long term customer.

I'd be interested in seeing the bill afterwards.....

GOOD LUCK.

 

seatbelt?