Toyota dealer is full of BS

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2022 CX-5 Turbo
So I took my wife's Prius for an oil change with my wife to a nearby Toyota dealer.
We waited there. An hour later, the advisor came to us and said,
"The oil change is done. However, we found two issues:
1) the belt is "cracky". The cost is only $200 to replace it
2) the throttle body is dirty. We can clean it up for $100.
It's your call. We can do them today."

I asked (not believing one word he said! Our 2005 Prius only had less than 40K miles!)
"Wow, I think I made a mistake buying a Toyota!
It costs $300 for these two jobs. Will it take long to fix them?
Can I wait here?"

He said, "Sure, it will take less than 1/2 hour!"
(I was laughing inside and trying hard not to show it....
It takes 1/2 hour, and you are going to charge me $300!
Accessory belt costs about $15 at most! Detergent is almost free to them.)

Anyway, I said to him nicely.
"Well, I really can't wait. I am sure my Prius is fine. You don't
need to worry about it. We are done today. I will keep them in mind.
Thanks, anyway."

I got home, and looked at the belt. Normal.
I opened the air box, and look at the throttle body. I saw a thin layer
of black color. Don't know what it is. Can't reach it. Unlike my CX9 which uses K&N filters,
I used exclusively "Toyota OE filers" on the Prius. Can't blame others than Toyota itself!
It seems fine to me.

Anyway, if I had not gone with my wife, we would be $300 short now.
Some dealers are desparate to get you into their dealerships and find
"issues" for you....

I would like Toyota to answer me:
1) how can the belt be "cracky" with only less than 40K miles driven?
(Our Prius never spent one night outside in the cold. Always garaged. And we live in CA.)
2) how can some "dirts" got into the throttle body when Toyota OE filters have
been used exclusively (keep in mind that it is $20 each!)?

The last time someone told me "the belt was cracky" was probably my "beloved" BMW dealer.
I kept driving it for another 40K miles until I sold it. No problem. Gee. Some people are
so ready to scam others shamelessly.
 
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That reminds me of the Mazda dealer wanting almost 100 bucks to change the cabin air filter that takes 20 seconds to replace.

We have 2 Toyota dealers pretty close to each other, one is new and honest, the other is big name in town, and very dishonest. I caught the latter in a lie and we determined they actually over-tightened a customer's head bolts, stripped the threads in the block, and then denied the customer's warranty claim for a new engine after the head gasket started leaking like a yugo.
 
That is why the night before i take it to service i replace the cabin air filter and the regular air filter. If they tell me that it needs replacing then i will them that i replaced it before i went to sleep and that the car hasn't been driven till i took it to the dealer. I would like to see what there response is then. I will also let them know that i can do these simple tasks myself so that next time they won't bother me with this nonsense. If they think you don't know they will try to take advantage of you.
 
Buy these and stick one on your window. BS solved!
DecalKit.jpg
 
My local Mazda dealer is FULL of BS! I can't even start to explain to torment they have put me through. I'm another 100 bucks short of blowing up their establishment. Too much wasted money, broken cars, and runarrounds for one sane person
 
I guess i am lucky. My dad (retired) was a ASE certified and a Mazda master certified technician. He helps me with anything I would need. He has saved me thousands and thousands of dollars.
 
To clarify, my post wasn't meant to say all Mazda dealers are good and Toyota dealers are full of it.
More or less they are similar, some are better than others.
We just have to choose carefully and be smart/informed owners.

When I needed to change the 12V battery of our Prius (more expensive than others'),
one Toyota dealer wanted $250, the other, $350!!! Difference of $100.
The deep-cycle 12V battery is hidden behind the dash (not in engine bay), I opted out DIY.

BTW, the cost to "change cabin air filter" is coming down.
It is around $60-70 at dealers around me... Still nonsense, nonetheless.
 
A few years ago I had a Mazda dealership tell me that my engine air filter needed to be changed because it was dirty. I looked at him like he was crazy and then asked "Did the technician even look at it?" He says yes, and it needs to be replaced. That was the last time I went to that dealership, but not after explaining to the service manager that K&N filters do get replaced, they get washed and re-oiled. Needless to say he was embarassed.
 
Sad. Mercedes dealers will charge $175 to log into the car's system and change the configuration of the audio accessories in adding or deleting factory features. The procedure takes five minutes, max. For many dealers, it's all about sticking it to the customers or the factory. Whomever they can screw.
 
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