Beaver Toyota St. Augustine - Service Center

Had to take car into dealer for RECALL. Although I had called ahead, it took about an hour. Without my asking, the Service Manager said they had run a prognostic check and determined that my coolant pump called ahead, it took about an hour. Without my asking, the Service Manager said they had run a prognostic check and determined that my coolant pump was leaking and that I needed to replace my timing belt. This car has under 25,000 miles, but he said it must be replaced because it is over 6 years old. Their price to do the work was $800. Suspicious, I passed. I made several calls. All the other mechanics I spoke with had lower prices. There was a split on whether the timing belt had to be changed due to miles vs. years. My trusted mechanic in California, by phone only, said NO! Also said they all have seepage, so fill it, check it. See if it's even leaking. I took it to the most reliable-sounding mechanic, whose price was also the lowest. They performed a pressure check on the entire cooling system - spent 90 minutes on this - FOUND NOTHING WRONG!!!!! They also checked with Toyota Maintenance, the actual source, not this dealership, and the Toyota Maintenance for my timing belt indicates: 90,000 or 108 months (9 years). This is really not just bad service, folks. This is CRIMINAL FRAUD! More

On July 30, 2011 I traded my 2007 Avalon for a 2011 Avalon Ltd. The compass in the mirror did NOT work correctly necessitating returning for repair FOUR TIMES. On the first such visit, the Service Ma Avalon Ltd. The compass in the mirror did NOT work correctly necessitating returning for repair FOUR TIMES. On the first such visit, the Service Manager disrespected me by stating, "All my technician had to do was take it out back and drive in a circle while pushing the recalibration button." I informed him that I 1) had read the owner's manual and 2) had calibrated the compass every day in that method since purchase. Three more visits later, the mirror was replaced. On January 6, 2011 St. Augustine Toyota Service Department performed the required 5,000 mile service, which included oil change and tire rotation. The tires were NOT touched again until April 21, 2011 (6,826 miles on odometer) when I experienced a low tire pressure warning. The right rear had picked up a screw. I attempted to change the tire using the wrench provided by Toyota, and was unable to budge 3 of the lug nuts. Using my wife's care, I drove to Auto Zone and purchased ($21) a four way lug wrench to allow me to generate more leverage/torque in removing the tire. I was still unable to move the lug nuts and filled the tire with air from a portable pump and drove to Tire Kingdom. Tire Kingdom applied their pneumatic wrench and was also unable to budge the three lug nuts. They did ask me, "Who applied these lug nuts, King Kong?" I next drove to Daytona Toyota, where the lug nuts were cut off the wheel, the tire changed and new lug nuts place on the right rear at a cost of $65.52 Toyota Motors will continue to suffer a declining reputation as long as poor workmanship from dealerships is allow to continue. My best advice is personnel interested in purchasing a Toyota is avoid St. Augustine--Drive a few miles and save dollars. More

Have bought 4 new vehicles from this dealership in the past 9 years. Took them up on the "Tires For Life' gimmick on the last purchase. I had the Tundra serviced there for almost four years. That's 5 whee past 9 years. Took them up on the "Tires For Life' gimmick on the last purchase. I had the Tundra serviced there for almost four years. That's 5 wheel alignments, 15 oil changes, 15 tire rotations, and 4 tire balances. The tires lasted 80,000 miles. When I asked them to replace the tires June 3rd, 2011 I was informed the dealership was under new ownership and does not honor Tires For Life anymore. I asked the Service Advisor (Fred) if he was joking. He said no that it was true. I asked to talk to the Service Manager Bill Southard but he wasn't there. I was able to talk to him the next morning at 7:30 am and asked if he could make an exception in my case because I have a great sales history with the dealership and that I had all my service done there. He said he would pull my file and call me back in about an hour. When he called me 10 hrs later he informed me that I did not purchase an air intake filter and cabin air filter at the 30k and 60K services so he could not honor my request. I have all of the receipts for the services and none of them recommend either filter nor did they inform me verbally that I needed them. Although I did replace them on my own. I am sure my request never left his desk because if the sales dept had any idea what they had pulled I would have gotten the tires. So, if the General Manager ever gets to read this complaint you might want to inform your people that even though they might have saved 4 or 5 hundred dollars in tires you lost a longtime St. Augustine Toyota customer for good. I have owned nothing but Toyota products for a long time and when, NOT IF, I buy my next one it won't be at this dealership. I will also tell everyone I know of the experience I had at your dealership. As far as I'm concerned you have stolen money from me. More

Told one price in person and verbally okayed this price. When the job was done I was told another price, they said the service they used raised the price. This is totally unprofessional. DO NOT okay any p When the job was done I was told another price, they said the service they used raised the price. This is totally unprofessional. DO NOT okay any prices from these people unless it is in writing. Get the price in writing before you leave. You will be duped. Be very careful,even had the price given to me by Bill Reynolds the "Service Manager." When you call Corporate HQS, it is stated their is nothing they can do because this is an independant dealer. Be very careful. After being a Toyota customer for over 40 years, time for a change. More

had recall done got ten miles from dealer and the brakes froze up No fluid in the brakes. went back nothing was wrong hub spoke with gen mgn and was treated to an attitude will never go back this was th froze up No fluid in the brakes. went back nothing was wrong hub spoke with gen mgn and was treated to an attitude will never go back this was the second time we had problems. ugh the dealer ship was close and with the price of gas we thought that the dealership changed hands that we would try it. never again. More

This place used to be so nice back in '07 when they were Lighthouse Toyota NOT St. Augustine Toyota. They had the friendliest staff out of all the dealerships along that section of US1 South. The new owners Lighthouse Toyota NOT St. Augustine Toyota. They had the friendliest staff out of all the dealerships along that section of US1 South. The new owners have really let it go down hill with both service and sales. I made an appointment for an oil change at 5:00pm only to go in an have the woman in the garage rudely tell me the men in the service department had gone for the day. Why would you schedule a customer but not have someone on staff to do a simple oil change? The woman offered to do it herself but couldn't "guarentee" how long it would take because she didn't really know what she was doing. UMMM NO! Their new service disgusts me. I love Toyota but this dealership is a joke. More

I have been a Toyota owner since 1986. I have never experienced such terrible service and poor customer service. We went there for our 30k mile service and asked them to look at the blemishes on our p experienced such terrible service and poor customer service. We went there for our 30k mile service and asked them to look at the blemishes on our paint and for an estimate to buff out. Melanie took it upon herself to try and sandout the blemishes. When we went to pick the truck up told us it would be $150 just to fix the hood not including the roof. When we stated that we wouldn't pay for it, she said that she would fix it. At that point they had the truck for two days. They ruined the hood so bad that they had to send it out to be repainted. When we went to pick the truck up we noticed that they had not fixed the roof. When we questioned why they didn't fix the roof, Melanie Snelling lied and said that they never worked on the roof. Two days before she walked around the truck with us showing the damage they did to the paint. At that point, the service manager, Mark Dewey, not only lied stating that it came into the shop that way, but insulted us by saying that we need to take better care of our vehicle. Not even the general manager was man enough to help us take care of this issue. I will never go back to Lighthouse Toyota and I will probably never purchase another Toyota again due to this experience. More

Everything with this dealership is a pain. Even though I had an appointment the oil change took almost 3 hours. When I asked what was the point of the appointment, they told me that they "didn't know I was had an appointment the oil change took almost 3 hours. When I asked what was the point of the appointment, they told me that they "didn't know I was waiting". Another lady overheard this and said "well, you know I have been waiting and it has been 2 hours for my oil change". She then told me that I should have been here earlier as the police were called because a customer was so irate over their service. I then went back several months later for another oil change. Again, made an appointment and went in with a coupon that basically said the oil change should be done in 30 minutes or less. The xxx't svc. manager told me that they "haven't done express lube jobs for months". So, I left and when I got home, called to ask for the svc. mgr and left a message. He didn't call but instead had another xxx't manager call for him. I was told to bring the car in which I did the next day. They did the oil change at no charge. It took 45 minutes and I drove home parked the car in the garage. The next day, I had a huge puddle of oil and spent the weekend adding oil to the car. Went in first thing on Monday and was told the "oil filter was bad" and they replaced it. Give me a break -- this is an oil change -- I have 110,000 miles on the car and have never had such problems with an oil change. I am now at where the car needs a tune up as it is over the 100K mile mark. I will be taking the car to either Jacksonville or Daytona dealer rather than have these clowns touch the car again. And for the record, Nobody will be calling you to see what you thought of their service -- They could care less. Just look at all the frowns in the waiting room! More

My husband brought his car in on 3 different occasions to Lighthouse/St. Augustine Toyota and every time they forgot to fill up the washer fluid. The last time we brought the car in on 3-24-10, we told the s Lighthouse/St. Augustine Toyota and every time they forgot to fill up the washer fluid. The last time we brought the car in on 3-24-10, we told the service guy when we dropped the car off that every time we have brought it in they have forgotten to fill the washer fluid after dropping around $100.00 each time. So when we got the car back after service we noticed that every time we ran the washer fluid - it smelled like sewer water. Those jerks must have put sewer water/toilet water in the washer fluid container because it seriously smelled horrid. More

Brought my daughters car in for service, stood in the service area for about 15 minutes before anyone would even make eye contact with me. Had an appoint with Gary, he wasn't in that day. Talked to a com service area for about 15 minutes before anyone would even make eye contact with me. Had an appoint with Gary, he wasn't in that day. Talked to a complete moron named Mark, the head service guy, that fat xxxxxxx was disorganized, sloppy and out right rude. Appologized for the lack of service, his excuse, "I can't get people to show up for work" and "the management doesn't give a xxxx", his words not mine ! Finally got my car in to be looked at and sat in the customer waiting area. I watch 2 female service advisors running their xxxxx off while 2 other service guys, sit in their offices, one reading the paper, the other playing solitaire on his computer. All the while this Mark is walking around aimlessly trying to look as important as he could. I'm no expert on how to run a service dept., but, WOW !! What a cast of total misfits. I'm not the only one who noticed this either, an elderly woman sitting in the waiting area mentioned to me that she hadn't seen either of the two male employees get up off of their xxxxx too and that the fat guy, seemed more worried about something to do with who did or didn't get his email that he just sent out ! Once the car was in for its oil change, it only took about a half hour to complete but actually getting it In for the oil change took 45 minutes ! The next time, i'll drive the few miles to Jacksonville or Palm Coast for service ! More