first oil change/service question, should it cost $100?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alleyooptroop @ Jun 2 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]453907[/snapback]</div>

Ahhhhhhhhh......... THAT could be it.......... (Synthetic Motor Oil)..... when I was a Service Manager (in a Connecticut Chrysler Dealership) they used to buy MOBIL1 for less than $4.00 a QUART, yet they would CHARGE the Customer $10.00 per quart. Since your Prius takes 3.9 Quarts, they probably charged (look under fluids, oil, etc.) YOU around $40, maybe more, just for the OIL !! The shop that I worked at would also take CUSTOMER SUPPLIED OIL (MOBIL1 or whatever) and use that upon the customer's request. I was the guy that HAD to make a "note" on the Service Order that "Customer supplied own oil - left on passenger's floor".......... the mechanics hated this as they rarely read the "note" I made in BOLD and underlined type in plain view........... and once the vehicle was on the lift, with the oil drained, filter changed and drain plug back in, THEN they had to open the passenger's door and get out the customer supplied oil. What was a big rip-off (to the customer) was the vehicles that took like 4.4 qts., the mechanics would keep that "extra .6 qt." and quickly, VERY quickly accumulate a good supply of MOBIL1. By the end of the month they must have had over 10 full quarts, maybe more !!

As far as the "brake cleaning" I have never taken off (yet) rear drums on a Prius, but when the vehicle is up on the lift, tires off for rotation, it is USUALLY very, very easy and not time consuming to pull off the rear drums (remember I said REAR), put on a face mask, and using compressed air, blow away the little brake dust that have accumulated. To get really fussy, you could also spray some "Brakeleen" on the linings (and let it wash off "debris") as well as spraying the drums and blowing everything once more with compressed air. Again the "rip-off" place I worked charged the customer $4.50 (and this was several years ago) for an entire can of "Brakleen" (again, listed under fluids) and in reality would use LESS than 1/4 of a can !!

To "inspect" FRONT (disc) brakes is a piece of cake with tires off........... should NEVER be a "charge" ($$) for this........
But once again....... the "rip-off" Dealer I worked for would have a charge for "Brake Inspection" and ANOTHER charge for "Tire Rotation"...... if you got BOTH done, I would just charge ONE item, the tire rotation....... man would this p*ss him off !!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alleyooptroop @ Jun 2 2007, 11:29 AM) [snapback]453907[/snapback]</div>

Run -- don't walk -- away from the place that gave you that quote. That is highway robbery -- even with synthetic oil. My Mercedes dealership doesn't even charge $100 for an oil change and that for my ML 320, an SUV that require 8.5 quarts of Mobil 1. That is over 2X the amount of oil in the Prius.

Quite simply, you are getting robbed.

You shouldn't pay over $50 for an all syntheic oil change in your Prius.

 

alleyooptroop (original topic starter)...... I am very, very curious how they "itemized" your bill, that is what was the labor cost, fluids cost, disposal fees (not that there should be any in this service), etc.

Believe it or not, the Toyota Dealer in Tampa, FL where we bought out '07 Prius gives a COMPLETELY FREE 5K and 10K Oil/filter change and tire rotation. Being the "stubborn old goat" that I AM.............. I fully insist on changing oil/filter and tire rotation MYSELF !!

After initial "break-in" at around 3,500 miles, (we currently have around 500 miles) I will change our Prius oil filter and drain plug washer as well as switching to MOBIL1 5W-30 motor oil. Down here in this part of Florida, MOBIL1 goes on sale quite a bit for around $4.88 a quart, maybe a little less !!

ANXIOUS to "see" your "bill breakdown"............ not that it will ease your "pain"..............

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alleyooptroop @ Jun 2 2007, 10:52 AM) [snapback]453962[/snapback]</div>

If my memory serves me correctly, Keyes Toyota in Van Nuys charged me approximately $65 for a minor service including Mobil 1 and rotating the tires. Without the synthetic oil it would have been around $40.

 

If you go to the toyota site ( dealer site) you can pick what service you want done.
here for the 5k service it is 42.95 and does everything you mentioned.
here is a link of our dealerships service and prices

http://www.joemachenstoyota.com/ScheduleService.aspx
just put in the info of your car and you can check prices the link did not show prices you have to add your vehicle

 

brake cleaning? for what?

change the oil and rotate the tires, that is all you need.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(galaxee @ Jun 2 2007, 07:40 PM) [snapback]454105[/snapback]</div>

REAR brakes, which only do about 25 to 30% of total braking last a long time, maybe two or three times what front brakes do, even if they are drum brakes (rear) and disk (front). A "drum brake cleaning" is ridiculous at anything less than 15,000 miles !! Now to pull the drums and quickly check them is okay, and really, how long does it take to blow away any "brake dust" using compressed air, besides this helps one "inspect" more precisely, but even that is done at 10K or 15K, certainly not 5K........ just simply ridiculous !!

 

yeah i know. hubby's a toyota tech

really, those things should be barely touched at 5k miles.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alleyooptroop @ Jun 2 2007, 10:29 AM) [snapback]453907[/snapback]</div>

My dealer charges $20 to rotate tires. I'm not sure what their regular price for an oil change is, probably high. Firestone will change oil & rotate tires for about $21 if it is put on their credit card. Once again, here is Galaxee's service schedule.

 

I got my first oil change and tire rotation for $26.

I supplied the oil so total cost was ~$50.


They are definitely trying to rip you off.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(alleyooptroop @ Jun 4 2007, 11:32 PM) [snapback]455534[/snapback]</div>

Looks like they gouged you for the Mobile-1. It's $35 for 6qt from Costco and they only put in 4 and it should be 3.5qt. You should check for overfill.

They also charged you for Express Lube, and for brake cleaner. Why is is brake cleaning necessary, or even optional, for sealed drum brakes esp in a new car and esp for a Prius? Make sure they stick exactly to all service as described in your Prius Maintenance Passport.

 

Also looking at your bill, they INSTALLED 10 W 30 should be 5 W 30 weight oil
take it back have them redo the oil change include a new filter too.

I would take it back if I were you.

 

priussoris,

Nice call on the incorrect viscosity.

Overall though, I would say that the labor is where they really padded the bill. Total time in-and-out for an oil change in a Prius is 15 minutes. So, the labor charge should have been $14.50. Basically, they ended up paying $42.75 in labor charges for the tech to do nothing. This ends up being almost half the total bill.

$7.95 for a quart of Mobil 1 is high, but not obscenely high. In fact, it is going for $6.99 a quart right now at my local Auto Zone.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 5 2007, 06:01 AM) [snapback]455562[/snapback]</div>

Ahhhhhhhhh, that one got by me, thought it was maybe just a typo........ too early <yawn> in the mornin' yet for me........ coffee hasn't kicked-in yet <yawn> :lol:
I wrote this before (in another thread) but that Chrysler Dealership (rip-off) I worked at ONLY had 10W-30 motor oil......... except for the MOBIL1 (had various viscosities)........ but when a Honda, Acura or Ford vehicle came in that SPECIFIED 5W-20 motor oil, they ended up getting the 10W-30 put into it............ that's the way it was.......... and they kept comin' back for more <ouch!!>

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 5 2007, 06:01 AM) [snapback]455562[/snapback]</div>

It should have been broken down to hours per "task", that is .5 hour oil, .5 hour brakes, .5 hour tire rotation and the customer could "see" how they got charged (still "ripped-off") but as I said, MOST Dealers charge the MINIMUM ONE HOUR LABOR, no matter how long it actually took !!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 5 2007, 06:01 AM) [snapback]455562[/snapback]</div>

$7.95 for a DEALER (Auto Service) is an average "inflated" price.......
I missed a sale last week here in Florida at ADVANCED Auto for MOBIL1 at $5.88 quart, but 5W-30 is a popular viscosity and I am sure I can get it for a good price at Costco.

 

The other interesting thing is that they charged $7.41 for the oil filter, but they charged $1.95 for washer fluid. :blink:

To me, both of those are more out of line than the charge for the Mobil 1.

alleyooptroop,

Did they return the Mobil 1 to you that they didn't use? After all, the Prius does not take 4 quarts of oil.

Call me a cynic, but I wouldn't be surprised if a UOA proved that Mobil 1 never went in the engine.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 5 2007, 06:37 AM) [snapback]455570[/snapback]</div>

When I went back to the Toyota Dealer we purchased our Prius from to pick up our free rubber floor mats (they were out and on back order when we picked up the vehicle) I went to their PARTS Dept. and purchased a genuine oil filter (90915-YZZF2) and they charged me exactly $5.41 for the filter and $1.00 for the drain plug gasket (washer) which totalled $6.41 plus 7% Florida tax = $6.86
Sounds like (on the repair invoice you showed) they just added $1.00 to the "list prices" of these two items..............
Anyway, from now on I will be buying the genuine Toyota oil filters and washers from the internet for a drastically reduced savings..... I just quickly wanted a "filter-in-hand" a couple of weeks ago, as I was in search of a good fitting cap-type oil filter wrench and wanted to "check the fit" before I bought it (KD tool from NAPA).

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Swanny1172 @ Jun 5 2007, 06:37 AM) [snapback]455570[/snapback]</div>

The place I worked at (many years ago) had so MANY vehicles that took "odd" capacities in the sump, like 4.4 qts., 4.6 qts., etc. and when the customer specified MOBIL1, this "extra" amount NEVER went back to the customer and always accumulated in a place under the mechanic's bench......... we did soooo many Oil/Filter changes that by the end of the month, there must have been well over 10 full quarts of MOBIL1 that the mechanics would take home or use in HIS vehicle (or friends) !!