Alexandria Toyota - Service Center

It was easy to give a "5" rating on the first four criteria to Alexandria Toyota's service department: its customer service ethic is outstanding, and Toyota's reputation for consistency in manuf four criteria to Alexandria Toyota's service department: its customer service ethic is outstanding, and Toyota's reputation for consistency in manufacturing quality and in-service training is widely recognized. I also rated "Price" at 5, which requires an explanation. Few dealership service departments offer "bargain prices" on parts or service. The term should be called "Value". I just had a 60K service and needed (right on time) four new tires and (unexpectedly) a new water pump for my 2007 RAV-4. These were the first really major services I've needed and I could have gotten some items elsewhere at lower prices. But overall, I thinK I got the best service for the money at my dealership's service department. After making two totally trouble-free trips, 5000 miles and 8000 miles in succession this past winter, I am so convinced I have the best service advisor in the area -- Alexandria Toyota's Paul Sonnhalter -- that I don't take my business anywhere else (although I do check the competition's prices so I can credibly discuss my options.) My service advisor has been good to my Toyota and, as a result, my Toyota has been good to me. Sign Me: Recently Retired in DC More

Paul at Alexandria Toyota is great. He made the whole process painless and took great care of me. I wish all my customer service experiences could be this good. process painless and took great care of me. I wish all my customer service experiences could be this good. More

We've had at least one Toyota in the driveway for 34 years. For about 30 of those years, our Toyotas have been serviced with "Jack Taylor Alexandria Toyota." Now, in any relationship that spans that m years. For about 30 of those years, our Toyotas have been serviced with "Jack Taylor Alexandria Toyota." Now, in any relationship that spans that much time, there'll be ups and downs. (In the bad moments, sometimes it's their fault, sometimes--one's own.) But I can report that, overall, we've experienced a consistently high level of performance from this dealership. Enough to solidly retain our business, through decades. This is a big organization, with many personnel--and once in a while, an individual may not come through for you, or treat you right. But in those (rare) cases, I've always found the management to be very responsive. In 2002, I shopped all over the DC area for a new first-generation Prius, found the best price, and then carried it to Jack Taylor's (since they were closest). They matched it--then gave me my choice of 2003's. . . . going one better! A few years later, we sold our Volvo and added a Camry hybrid. All with this dealer. Recently, I was heading out of town in the Camry, for a road trip--luggage in the trunk, and Dog as my co-pilot--when a warning light suddenly flicked on. Alarmed, I doubled back to the dealership, and they took the car in almost right away--letting me, with dog, hang out among the donuts/coffee in a corner of the waiting room. Half-hour later, we were back on the road, with free-of-charge peace of mind. (It had been only a low-tire-pressure warning.) At this point, we're intrigued by a new car--that's not a Toyota. And we're realizing that we're reluctant to trust a different dealer to service it. (Which is how I came to this website: To research other dealers.) We may end up with a new Toyota, instead . . . . thinking ahead to the service. More

I have and have had numerous Toyotas and I bring all of them to Paul at Alex Toyota for service. I have been well pleased with the sincereity, honesty, timeliness, and willingness to work out any problems them to Paul at Alex Toyota for service. I have been well pleased with the sincereity, honesty, timeliness, and willingness to work out any problems that have arisen. Thanks Again! Looking forward to going back. More

Excellent customer service - especially from the Service Rep Jerry Gerdes. He called to let me know what the primarily findings were for my car, suggested services that should be done and gave me estimates Rep Jerry Gerdes. He called to let me know what the primarily findings were for my car, suggested services that should be done and gave me estimates for the needed work. There was no pressure but honest caring recommendations about the problems. I have always be happy with the work they did on my car and Mr Gerdes is one of the reasons I keep going back to Alexandria Toyota. The quality of work is outstanding as well as the customer first an added bonus. Do yourself a favor and take your car to Alexandria Toyota for service or make this dealership your next new car experience. More

I am writing this review because I am very disappointed with the level of service I received today, March 3rd, 2012, over the phone from Mr. Paul Sonnhalter, as well as with the service that I received in- with the level of service I received today, March 3rd, 2012, over the phone from Mr. Paul Sonnhalter, as well as with the service that I received in-house from another customer service representative on one past occasion. In both instances--over the phone and at the dealership--I felt as though my needs as a loyal Toyota customer were neither listened to, nor respected. For clarity, here is some background information leading up to today’s service call: I purchased a new 2010 Prius in December of 2010. Since that time, after accumulating 11,700 miles, this vehicle has averaged around 36/37 mpg, with respect to primarily city driving. As many are aware, this Prius model is rated at around 50 mpg for city driving, though many Prius drivers consistently report better (or at least comparable results) in a broad array of online forums. As I understand it, many Prii (yep, Prii is Toyota’s official plural for the term) do not perform quite as well under winter conditions, but still manage to average in the mid-to-high-40 mpg range during wintertime. In the interest of full-disclosure, I had contacted the dealer from whom I purchased this vehicle (not “Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota”) in mid-2011 to inquire about similar performance issues. At that time, my vehicle had logged 5,000 miles, and the dealer told me that I should wait until passing the 10,000-mile mark before expecting the vehicle to manifest peak performance. And, so, I waited… As I waited, I continued to survey recent Gen III 2010 Prii performance reports online, while tracking my own vehicle’s mpg for several months beyond accumulating 10,000 miles. Today, I finally decided it was time to give my local service department, “Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota,” a call, given that the vehicle has been underperforming EPA fuel economy standards by at least 10 mpg, if not more, on average for the life of the vehicle. I did not make this decision to call JTAT lightly, as I understood that the EPA's 51 mpg rating of my Gen III 2010 Prius (city driving) doesn't necessarily apply to each person’s driving style and geographic conditions; however, underperforming by a full 14 mpg during what has been a very mild winter seemed cause for concern. That said, when I called the dealership and explained this discrepancy to Mr. Sonnhalter, describing concisely and with concern that my hybrid had been consistently at 36/37 mpg, when performance documentation elsewhere suggests that the Gen III 2010 Prius generally falls within the 50 MPG range, he said, and I quote, "Are you trying to make a point here?" and proceeded to demonstrate very little concern with respect to this incongruity. I believe that the point that I was trying to make was clear--I am a Prius owner whose vehicle does not appear to be performing (even close to or) within the range that was suggested on the sales sticker when I purchased the vehicle. As a responsible steward of both the environment and my personal property, I would like my vehicle to be evaluated. If necessary, I would like it to be repaired. Alternatively, if this is found to be the result of user error, I would like to be educated with respect to appropriate use in terms of increasing performance. Instead of offering a service appointment applicable to the vehicle’s circumstances, Mr. Sonnhalter chose, initially, to make a snide comment and, in turn, suggested that there was no reason for concern, when he stated, “36 mpg for a Prius sounds reasonable this time of year.” This is troublesome for several reasons. First, he made no attempt to provide service, which was why I was contacting the service department to begin with. Second, I was not speaking exclusively of performance during “this time of year,” but of performance over the life of the vehicle, a detail that he had taken neither the time nor the energy to internalize. Third, it was not until I was *in tears* that Mr. Sonnhalter offered to have their “Prius specialist” look at my vehicle. I am a new customer, not a “Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota” insider. What this means is that, when I call, I have not yet amassed a repertoire of appropriate questions to ask or requests to make with respect to my particular concern. The best I can do is simply describe my vehicle’s circumstances and wait for the customer service representative to respond with his or her best options in terms of service. Had Mr. Sonnhalter’s first response been something to the effect of, “Well, let’s make an appointment to have our in-house Prius specialist look at the vehicle,” right off the bat, this uncomfortable situation could have been defused. In turn, this one simple statement would have, 1) Suggested that my concerns were founded and that the Service & Parts Department at “Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota” is driven to provide thorough customer service and, 2) Suggested that there is, indeed a solution, or at least an explanation to the vehicle’s performance beyond the wintertime blues. In closing, I want to say that I have never met Mr. Sonnhalter in person, and—as per other reviews on this board—it appears highly likely that he is normally a kind, concerned customer service representative. On this one day, in this one phone call, I was highly disappointed in the manner with which he responded to my cautious inquiry. Given that this is only my second experience with “Jack Taylor’s Alexandria Toyota,” and that my first experience was also lackluster, I cannot with good conscience recommend this Service & Parts Department to other Toyota customers in the Northern Virginia area. More

The staff was very friendly and the price and quality of work was excellent. I would definitely recommend this dealership and Paul Sonnhalter to my friends that need to have a Toyota or Scion repaired. work was excellent. I would definitely recommend this dealership and Paul Sonnhalter to my friends that need to have a Toyota or Scion repaired. More

I rate Alexandria Toyota to be the best including, Mr. Paul Sonnhalter who deserves a perfect 10 for being so helpful and great with customer service. Paul Sonnhalter who deserves a perfect 10 for being so helpful and great with customer service. More

I have been going to Paul for service issues for around seven years, and he is wonderful to work with on every level. He's friendly, responsive to my calls, and explains things well to me. I have an olde seven years, and he is wonderful to work with on every level. He's friendly, responsive to my calls, and explains things well to me. I have an older car and I feel like I can relax more and worry less while I'm driving, because I know Paul is watching out for me. One particular thing that he does that I appreciate is that when I have a lot of work to get done on my car - several jobs - he breaks down the list for me into order of urgency. He lets me know what jobs need to be done right away (and why), which ones should be done soon (and when) and which ones are not as urgent. I usually go ahead and just get all the work done, but it puts my mind at ease knowing that I don't have to do them all right away. I know that in the future if I don't have the money to cover lots of jobs at once like that, Paul will help me make those decisions. I couldn't recommend him enough! More