Reason for Visit: Service
I recommend this dealer: No
My Review of Toyota of Bowie:
Short on time and one to keep a tight oil change schedule, I decided to take my 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser to Toyota of Bowie to have my oil changed. I normally change my own oil to make sure that it is done right, but I figured that I couldn't go wrong by taking my vehicle to a Toyota dealership. I couldn't have been further from wrong.
First, a little background. The FJ Cruiser is perhaps the easiest vehicle on the planet to change the oil. The high clearance on the underside makes it easy to crawl underneath to access the drain plug, and the oil filter is literally juxtaposed on top of the engine. As soon as you open the hood, there it is. One doesn't even have to bend to get to it. Since time is money, and money is time, I sought to make the process even easier by installing a quick-drain oil plug (QDP). Nothing revolutionary about the piece; a normal drain plug with a brass articulator valve. A simple Google search shows that a plethora of automotive forums tout quick-drain oil plugs as a worthy purchase. I've had the plug on my FJ for about 2 years now.
After dropping off my vehicle, I take a hike over to a nearby shopping center to get a bite to eat and to kill time while the oil was being changed. After about an hour and a half, I trot back over to Toyota of Bowie to pay my bill retrieve the FJ. That's when i'm sent to three different desks before someone finally tells me that they've been looking for me because they couldn't do the oil change. Obviously confused, my first question is "why not?"
The service person at the desk tells me that the tech can't remove the old oil because he doesn't have the piece that is needed to connect to the QDP. My first question was "surely he's smarter than that?" As I said earlier, the QDP is a normal drain plug with an added ability to insert a hose into the articulator valve instead of actually removing the plug from the oil pan. If you'd rather not use the quick-drain function, you can remove the QDP with a socket and a wrench just as you would a "normal" drain plug. This is why I am confused that the tech didn't just use a socket.
After waiting for a couple of minutes for the tech to come out to explain why he coudln't do it, a rather acute agitation set in at the ludicrosity of the situation. Afterall, this is the Service Department at a Toyota Dealership. Changing oil and using a socket wrench should be commonplace. I decided the stupidity of it all was more than I was willing to accept, so I asked that my vehicle be brought around, that i'd be taking my business elsewhere.
While waiting for that to happen, I asked to speak to the manager to explain my frustration. That's when Tom arrives to tell me that its "his policy" not to change the oil if the vehicle is not equipped with the factory drain plug. This is beyond stupid. First of all, there is nothing technologically advanced about an oil plug. If you've seen a big screw, you've seen an oil drain plug. Not to mention that in the United States consumers are protected by the big corporate interests of car dealerships who seek to limit the use of perfectly capable aftermarket parts.
After a brief back and forth, the tech finally arrives with my FJ and i'm about to leave when the matter is further complicated. Instead of there being a problem with my QDP, he tells Tom, the service manager, and I that the problem is with the oil filter drain! With out the need to go into details, i'll just say that Tom was also stunned by this revelation. Why? Because the oil filter drain is simply a hole in a shroud that is plugged by a nipple. Oil drips from the oil filter when being removed, and the shroud catches that oil. You remove the nipple to drain the oil from the shroud, replace the nipple, and voila, that's it! The oil filter drain plug is now the reason i'm being told that my oil wasn't changed. I believe it is at this point that Tom realizes that his technicians are dumbasses.
The bottom-line is that I went to Toyota of Bowie for a routine oil change, and was confronted with the most absurd showing of stupidity in a long time. Instead of an oil change, I was subjected to the whims of a service manager whose "policy" is outdated at best, and just plain stupid at worst. Further, his technicians can't even articulate the reason behind their inability to perform my oil change. Tom and his crew of techs thought they were talking to someone who hasn't a clue about auto mechanics, which is probably the majority of the people they deal with. Not this time though.
Needless to say, I will not be going back to Toyota of Bowie, which is sucks for them considering I am a new resident to Maryland, was seeking to establish a relationship with a local dealership, and am need of a comprehensive 60K mileage interval service. Not only will I not go back, I intend to tell the story of my experience whenever the opportunity presents itself.
Share on Facebook
Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No