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service department - taken for a ride?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Birdums, Oct 7, 2008.

  1. Birdums

    Birdums You, me, and da Pri

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    I have a question for you guys. I took DuPree in for his 15k service, and to have them check my backup camera (I sometimes get a black screen). Because DH could not take the car in, I went to the dealership before work to drop off the car, and the dealership took me to work and picked me up after work (a very short trip). So, they had the car all day.

    When I picked the car up, although it had been a cool day, overcast with periods of drizzle, I was surprised when I got into the car and the A/C was on full blast. The A/C was not on when I dropped off the car. I also noticed that the car had 5 more miles on it than when I had dropped it off.

    I regularly check my tank average mpg. The tank average (I was at about 1/2 tank) had dropped a full 2 mpg. I'm on the way home, so I call the guy to ask about these things. His excuse is that they go for a short drive in the car to make sure everything is working ok.

    So, the next morning, I get into the car to go to work. I need the defroster, to clear up some condensation on the windshield. I touch the button, and the defroster roars to life... and stays on... and on... and was getting cold. Wth? So I go to the A/C menu on the MFD, to find that my temp setting had been changed from 78 to 65 degrees.

    Everyone at work thinks that someone at the dealership took my car out for lunch or something. What is your opinion?

    By the way, they didn't find the problem with the camera. They said they found no 'codes'. Is that ALL they do to find a problem? Do they not check for loose wires or anything?
     
    #1 Birdums, Oct 7, 2008
  2. richlaz

    richlaz New Member

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    While we're talking about service departments, I've got another question. I took my 2007 in Saturday for an oil change. The car has 21K miles. The service manager told me that it was due for a tune-up! I don't think I've had a car in the last 20 years that has needed a tune up at 20K miles. Is there something I don't know about the Prius that makes a tune-up nec3essary so early??

    PS - I told him no thanks.
     
    #2 richlaz, Oct 7, 2008
  3. paprius4030

    paprius4030 My first Prius

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    Tell him to treat you like a valued customer that you want return businees from instead of trying to rip me off or I'll find another dealer that values my business
     
    #3 paprius4030, Oct 7, 2008
  4. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    No, there is no "tune-up" at 20K. You need to change the plugs at 100K. Perhaps that is what he was thinking of. :rolleyes:

    Tom
     
    #4 qbee42, Oct 7, 2008
  5. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Not sure why it was necessary to drive your car five miles regarding the camera since it only works when the car is in R. I wouldn't be surprised if your car was used for an errand, be glad you don't find a ketchup stain on the upholstery, or a loose French fry under the seat.

    Regarding the camera problem, if it is intermittent and there's no failure at the time the tech looks at the car, it probably is too much to expect for that individual to pull off the lower hatch trim to wiggle the cable leading to the camera. Apparently they can't bill Toyota for warranty service time unless they can find the failed part.
     
    #5 Patrick Wong, Oct 7, 2008
  6. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    If they disconnected the 12v battery, I believe you will lose the temperature setting you had. Were the radio presets also different from what you had?
     
    #6 firepa63, Oct 7, 2008
  7. Celtic Blue

    Celtic Blue New Member

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    It wouldn't surprise me if they drove it on a short errand and/or to lunch while trying to recreate conditions that would show an intermittent problem. I would grant them some slack for that. (The tech should have reset the temp to your settings when he was done though.)
     
    #7 Celtic Blue, Oct 7, 2008
  8. sdtundra

    sdtundra Senior Member

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    Just be glad they're not revving it while its up on the lift wasting gas.

     
    #8 sdtundra, Oct 7, 2008
  9. galaxee

    galaxee mostly benevolent

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    meh, if they're trying to replicate something and take it for a short drive to be sure everything is ok during a max service you can expect a few miles. after all, they're probably checking to make sure the alignment and suspension are ok and such.

    pretty typical for the guy who drives it from the lot to the service bay to crank the a/c if it's a hot day.

    unfortunately, intermittent problems are hard to diagnose. and if the problem isn't occurring, you can't tell if anything you did actually fixed it. you have to confirm the problem before attempting repair.
     
    #9 galaxee, Oct 7, 2008
  10. hobbit

    hobbit Senior Member

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    The other excuse for blasting the A/C might be trying to get the
    engine to stay running, not that they needed to do that in this
    case. There's a better way to do that, but the popular mythology
    among auto techs where hybrids are concerned seems to be "A/C
    on full to make the engine idle". Inelegant and silly, even if
    it usually works.
    .
    _H*
     
    #10 hobbit, Oct 7, 2008
  11. ibmindless

    ibmindless Member

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    I was experiencing a problem with my car and at one point, the dealer suggested I take one of their Prii for a comparison drive. They brought me a customer's car that had just been serviced - the tech & I went for a 4-mile test drive. I was extra cautious and considerate with the car, but... that was just wrong. I kept thinking, what if we got in an accident?
     
    #11 ibmindless, Oct 8, 2008
  12. chriscard25

    chriscard25 New Member

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    BINGO--exactly what I thought--my guess is they let someone test drive your car, since there aren't many left on lots to drive these days.....
     
    #12 chriscard25, Oct 8, 2008
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