Servicing New Prado

[cbp Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cbp]

First visit to local Toyota dealer today to discuss first service on a Prado. I was not impressed with the customer service and will probably have the first service and that will be it!
How hard is it to get off the computer to talk to a customer?

[GeeWhizz Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close GeeWhizz]

Yes, the bedside manner of some service reps leaves a lot to be desired. I've encountered all sorts, including some careless mechanics (dealer employees). There seems to be a different rep each time you visit and you can never get to speak to the actual mechanic who does/did the work.

I have found a nearby SAE-registered mechanic whom I trust to do most of my servicing. He is a one-man-band (used to be two of them but the older one retired) and is available to discuss issues or concerns with. He doesn't do unneccessary work, follows the log book and, at times, tells me to take my Prado to Toyota when he thinks they could do a more effective job.

[cbp Junior Member Find all posts View Profile Close cbp]

Thanks for that support, GeeWizz.

[gunda Member Find all posts View Profile Close gunda]

I'm coming to a Prado from a European marque, and my experience has been similar to that of GeeWizz. I switched to a smaller, independent, brand-specific workshop and got much better feedback than from the OEM service department, and pragmatic solutions for dealing with issues. Cheaper too.

My concern with taking this approach with the Prado is the extended warranty that Toyota offers on the engine and transmission, IIRC. Doesn't this depend on the vehicle being serviced by Toyota? I know they can't exclude standard warranty claims for third-party service, but it's not clear to me that that applies to the conditional extended warranty.