Took my new Toyota Corolla in to Legacy Toyota yesterday for the mandatory 5000 mile service. Got there & stood around the service bay for a while, until some smaller minion finally asked me what I wanted. I responded that I had a 5000 mile service scheduled. Asked my name, I replied OLary. He then wanted to know my first name. I asked how many OLarys did he HAVE in that box? (I HATE auto-pilot responses!). After determin ing I was the ONLy O in the entire box, and his question was indeed auto-pilot we moved on. A nice little lady in dark dark sunglasses and mechanics garb greeted me after 5 more minutes of standing by my car. she introduced herself as my service assistant and checked to see what I needed done. I quickly replied I wanted to get my service done, as I was heaqded out of town soon, and needed that oil changed, as recommende3d in the owners manual for 5000 miles, and was referred to in the reminder they sent to me. she quickly corrected me that they no longer change the oil at 5000 but now do it at 10000 because we use synthetic, and it doesnt need changing so often. I was only in store for a tire rotation. Hmm... I had to sign three places on a paper form, and was then ushered to the V.I.P. lounge, which was a cloistered room on the 2nd floor (surprisingly small) witrh a big screen TV showing a flood scene with a cop on the roof of a double wide trailer trying to get some poor fella out of his flooded trailer. 2 other people in the room were immersed in using their cell phones on the 1 bar Wi-Fi toyota provides to their VIPs. I noticed a kitchenette with water, orange juice, and a coffee machine sitting in the corner. I got a bottle of water. after 20 minutes of stultifying boredom watching the big screen TC news with the trailer in the flood, my little belt pager they fastened to by waist when I arrived, went OFF. I took that to mean my tires had bene rotated, and I left the VIP lounge to seek the return of my car. After finding my sun glassesed assistant (who now told me she had cataract surgery recently & was supposed to wear the glasses for 3 more days) I was placed in a line at the check out counter to sign more papers to get my car back, and as I got the the front of the line, the cashier grabbed a walkie-talkie and called for VALET! This signaled for them to drive my car back up front so I caould have it back. I totalled up the signatures I had to give to get 4 tires rotated, and it equalled out to one signature PER-TIRE. For a tire rotation. The viluminous paperwork I was handed at the check out line mentioned my 5000 mile lubrication maintenance service had bene performed. (Which i had to sign), and I was shown to my car. I asked the fellow who escorted me to my car to look at the paperwork I was handed, and to please point out to me a SINGLE INSTANCE where the word rotate, or tire was mentioned. He incredulously admitted that it wasnt on there ANYWHERE... and hed mention that to his service manager. *sigh* the lesson I learned from all this is simple: Dealer maintenance on your car is a LOT like politics. Its very structured, regemented, and policies are stricly adhered to, despite the lack of need to do so. The need for it is clouded in mystery, and is most often a subterfuge to get something ELSE, and the end result seldom resembles the primary stated purpose. I left Legacy Toyota thinking to myself. Why did I just go do ALL that signing, waiting, paper shuffling, and watching the big screen TV, JUST for a tire rotation? Because they TOLD me to do it. Thats why.... *sigh*
Posted on: Wed, 20 Aug 2014 11:45:31 +0000
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