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BHPian amalji recently shared this with other enthusiasts.
Context,
I have been a customer of Toyota in India from 2011 till date (2022). While my first ownership experience with Toyota - Toyota Etios Diesel has been excellent in terms of customer support both from the dealership as well from Toyota, my 2nd Toyota Ownership - Innova Crysta Touring Sport 2.8L Diesel Automatic has been a case of hit or miss. In addition to the unprofessional attitude of the dealership, the experience is worsened by the deteriorating quality of Toyota's own email support.
In my past experiences, whenever the dealership plays tricks, Toyota generally comes to the rescue of its customers. Unfortunately, the email support from Toyota doesn't seem to work as efficiently as it used to in the olden times. The people who handle the email feel more like robots than humans and don't have a clue about what I am talking about. They seem to have zero empathy (which was never the case earlier) and are interested in just doing the procedures for the sake of it.
I'll try to mention the high-level bucketing of my bad experiences and then try to explain it. Later on, I'll try and quote similar experiences in team-bhp from the same dealership as well.
This has been a regular happening in Nandi Toyota, Kudlu gate. If I don't explicitly say that I do not want them to add anything other than what Toyota recommends for the x kms service, they will add a bunch of useless items to the quote boosting up the bill by 30%! Some incidents I can remember.
After the first 2 experiences, I make it a point to be explicit in letting the dealership know that I do not want them to add anything other than what Toyota recommends for the service.
For the 70,000 km service, I was not explicit since I opted for vehicle pick up and drop and hence did not meet the service advisor. And the dealer went to the old habit - Scamming the customer.
My Concerns about this incident
The benchmark that I compare against
Never ever in the 1,25,000 km ( 6 years - 2011 to 2017 ) of Ownership of my Toyota Etios Diesel have I ever been pushed into such scams. Etios Diesel was primarily serviced in Nippon Toyota and Amana Toyota in Trivandrum, Ernakulam and Wayanad. I do not know whether they have stooped to this level as well because it's been a long since I did a regular service from Nippon / Amana Toyota.
During the 60,000 km service, the initial quote did not have brake fluid replacement listed. The brake fluid replacement interval in Toyota Innova Crysta Diesel is 40,000 km / 2 years. So, even though 40,000 km have not passed it had been more than 2 years since the last replacement ( thanks to the low running during Covid times ). They missed it completely. The worst thing was that when I pointed it out to the service advisor, he mentioned that if it has to be replaced, it will come automatically in the software without even taking the effort to check the service manual or consulting with someone else. I insisted on replacing it and he replaced it.
They missed replacing the AC filter in the 60,000 km service. AC filter on the Crysta has a replacement interval of 20,000 km. I noticed only after a few weeks and then did not follow up since it was not a critical part.
The benchmark that I compare against:
Never ever has such a miss happened in the 1,25,000 km (6 years - 2011 to 2017) of Ownership of my Toyota Etios Diesel.
From the very first few days of ownership of the Innova Crysta, I started noticing a "Gidu Gidu Gidu" subtle sound when going over certain kinds of potholes. It was not irritating or loud but it was loud enough to grab the driver's attention and you could figure out that something is not working well.
During my 5k service at Nandi Toyota, Kudlu gate I reported this sound. They did a test drive along with me and kind of put insulation tapes on the seat locking mechanisms and told me that mechanically everything is fine. The steering has a slight play but I can ignore that since it's part of every Innova Crysta. I trusted them ( like I normally do with a Toyota dealer ) even though the sound was still there.
They added the above comment on the service invoice. I did not contest it since there was a mild rattle from the seats as well in addition to the "Gidu Gidu" subtle sound.
For the 65k service ( post the standard 3 years warranty ), they mentioned that there is a play in the steering rack end and that they will recommend replacement. The events that unfolded after that played a huge part in my losing trust in the ethics of this dealership - Nandi Toyota, Kudlu gate.
After a few hours:
The next day, I sent out an email to Nandi Toyota dealership asking for an explanation as to why the warranty was rejected.
I get an initial response apologizing for the inconvenience and then all of a sudden the warranty gets approved. The reason why I sent out that email was because I was 100% sure that there was no insurance claim made for a frontal impact ever on my Innova Crysta! The bumper clip replacement was just a 500 INR bill and I paid it from my pocket.
Now, the best part of the incident is about to come. The "Gidu Gidu" sound which was present on the vehicle from the first few days of ownership is gone for good now! Basically, this means that the steering play was the root cause of the sound. The dealership for some reason did not have the incentive to repair it under the warranty the first time it was reported. But once the warranty expired, the dealership became proactive in pointing out issues with my vehicle which has been existing forever!
My Concerns about this incident
PS: This is not the only incident where I got this kind of experience from Toyota. But those incidents are bigger and should be told in a different context. So, I'll add it to the other part of this thread.
The benchmark that I compare against
Both the above incidents helped me build trust in the brand - Toyota that even if they mess up on something, they will own the problem and fix it proactively for the customer. Unfortunately, that has not been the case with the Innova Crysta Ownership. Instead what I see now is denial like in the case of the low-profile tyres of the Crysta and the associated problems or the famous brake judder problem.
For the 60k Service at Nandi Toyota, Kudlu Gate, I made 2 additional requests in addition to the regular service.
The SA promised me that the address will be changed within a day and asked me to WhatsApp him the new address which I did on the same day.
I was promised over the phone that the rattle will be fixed by a different company and they will come home and repair it. I thought maybe since it's an accessory, Toyota might have just rebranded another device and the original company might do the repair. Post the service I asked him when should I expect the vendor to do the repair and there was no response. After waiting for 10 days with no response or action, I escalated it further. I was told that there is no option of someone coming home and repairing it and that I will have to take the vehicle again to the service centre. They did not even offer me a free pick-up and drop as compensation for the lie their service advisor told me. The address change was made minutes after my escalation. So, the 24 hours waiting time that the service advisor told me was a bluff as well.
My Concerns about this incident
Continue reading BHPian amalji's experience for more insights and information.