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Alternative to dealer maintenance

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by wileec, May 26, 2009.

  1. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    Now that my Prius has almost 60k on her I am fed up with my local dealer maintenance team. I have been lied to and have felt ripped off.

    Lied to when I saw the cost (not paid because it was covered under warranty) of changing a halogen headlight $148 when I asked the service manager said it was because they had to take the front end of the car apart to get to it. I just replace both of them in about 20 minutes and I have never even looked at the connections before I started.

    Ripped off my wife had the car in for 5k oil change normal but she was advised that the air and cabin filter both needed to be changed, OK there but then she was charged for the labor more than $10 each. This bothers me because as part of the maintenance the mechanic had each of them in his had already and needed to reinstall either the same old one or the new one no extra labor.

    Am I being to picky?

    Is there anyone here in the north Denver - Longmont Colorado area that can suggest a shop for Prius work?
     
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    If they do good work keep using them for warranty repairs. $10 for filter labor is cheap, for a dealer. Save more by changing the filters yourself.
     
  3. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    Warranty is gone. Only the power system left. I agree the labor is cheap if I took it in and asked to change the filters. But they remove and examine them as part of the oil change service. Labor has already been done.
     
  4. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    But then they have to open those darn packages :_> You might as well ask but don't be very surprised if they won't do it for less.
     
  5. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    Yes, you are being picky. It doesn't matter how long it takes a mechanic to change a part or if he has the old one in his hand already. Labor rates are charged based on standardized book rates from Toyota. If the book (or computer) says labor to change an air filter is $10, it will be $10 regardless of whether it took the technician 1 minute or 1 hour.

    At my dealerships labor rate you were charged for 8 minutes of labor to change each filter. That isn't bad to go get the new part, change the part, dispose of the old part, and fill out the paperwork. That said the air and cabin filters are only scheduled to be replace every 30K miles. Those filters should have be changed at 30K miles and 60K miles unless you live in a very dusty area.

    However, there is no reason to pay dealer rates for Prius maintenance. The routine maintenance as called out owner's manual is no different that what is required for other vehicles. Any independent shop or DIY home mechanic can change oil, filters, and light bulbs.
     
  6. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    I will except the filters then. What is the consonance on the headlight replacement. I just went back and looked he told me "they had to loosen the bumper to get the lights out." that is why there was $63 labor to replace one. The bulb from the dealer also cost $47. Again I feel like I am getting handed a load of crap. I know most of this I can and do complete myself. But they were warranty repairs. I find I do not TRUST what the service managers tell me on simple things, how am I to trust them on major repairs that I have to pay for.
     
  7. Sandy

    Sandy Hippi Chick

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    I think you got a deal :)
     
  8. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    I'm not surprised that the dealer charges $47 for a bulb. The dealer is almost always the most expensive place to buy parts just like they have the highest rates for labor.

    I don't know what the proper procedure is to change a halogen light bulb in a Prius as I have HID's. Again, labor hours are charged by book fees set by Toyota. $63 for labor sounds low to me because most dealerships I've been to charge a minimum of 1 hour labor regardless of what they do.

    If you don't like the service manager find another dealer or shop to do your maintenance.
     
  9. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    That is the point of this thread. Looking for Colorado folks to assist in that choice.

    Did not know HIDs were available in 05
     
  10. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    You also asked if you are being picky, which I believe you are.
     
  11. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    Do you not feel being told that the bumper needs to be partially removed to change headlight bulbs, is a bit much. I just asked a question of the service manager and was straight up lied to, he also said that the reason the bulbs were $47 each was that they are special. What else are they telling me stories about? Or do you just blindly accept what they tell you?
     
  12. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    You might also try the Mechanic's Files section of Car Talk for repair shop advice.
     
  13. JSH

    JSH Senior Member

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    That depends on whether the bumper actually needs to be loosened or not per the procedure in Toyota's manual. Again, it doesn't matter what the service manager said, he is just a middle man. What matters is what the book rate for the job is.

    Toyota paid your dealer $47 for a bulb. A genuine OEM bulb costs $33.34 at Toyota Parts Cheap - Genuine OEM with a MSRP listed as $41. So it sounds to me like $47 is about right for what a dealer would charge. Again, the dealer is the most expensive place to buy parts.

    I don't just blindly accept what a dealership tells me something will cost. I get an estimate AHEAD of time that is itemized with labor and parts cost. Then I decide if I want the dealer to do the work or not. I have only had a dealership work on my car once. That was to change the timing belt at 100K miles on my VW. They charged $150 more for a water pump than what I could get an OEM water pump online but I needed the work done quickly so I paid the inflated dealer rate.


    Again, I think you are blowing things way out of proportion and simply don't realize how expensive it is to have a dealer work on your car. Notice that no one has posted that the prices you paid were way out of line. In fact, some have said you got a good price. That should tell you something.
     
  14. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    The prices quoted by the OP are about middle-of-the-road.

    Clearly, items like engine air filter and cabin air filter are huge profit margin makers for the dealership. These filters are *extremely* easy for the average driver, with average skills, to inspect and change
     
  15. kammssss

    kammssss Member

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    Which side light bulb did you have to change? I know you can do one side without removing the bumper, which is still kind of hard because of limited space. But one of the side is impossible without removing the bumper, unless you have very small hands. Let me know your secret in replacing both light bulbs without removing the bumper.
     
  16. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    A little front-nose disassembly *does* make access to the back
    of the headlight assemblies much easier, no doubt about that.
    I just reverse-engineered how to do that on my '04, but I haven't
    had time to do a page about it. If you have small hands then
    the lamps are accessible without doing that, but it *is* easier
    to see what you're doing if the third bolt on the headlight
    housing is removed and the whole thing turned upward. So those
    who are big and ham-handed [yes, deliberate phrasing] would
    likely opt for the nose-disassembly route rather than surgical
    precision.
    .
    _H*
     
  17. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    I did both and no I do not have overly small hands.
    instructions found here
    How to Replace Headlight Bulb on 2005 Prius - wikiHow
     
  18. wileec

    wileec Junior Member

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    OK I give in I am paranoid about the dealer screwing me. Just have trust issues with mechanics.
     
  19. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Hey! I resemble that remark
     
  20. jayman

    jayman Senior Member

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    Now that times are getting very lean, an obvious place to pad profits is with the service bays. No doubt there are dealerships out there who are outright ripoff artists

    There are well known places for ripoffs and poor quality service. To avoid a costly legal suit, I'll refer to them with a phrase that rhymes with "iffy boob"