I have mentioned that I am with a Toyota Dealer so this is near and dear to my heart. In my opinion there is no reason not to go to a Toyota dealer for all of your maintenance needs whether it for an oil change or engine repair.

You may not have noticed but in the last 6 years there has been a tremendous growth in Quick type service facilities throughout your area. They all advertise the same items, oil change, brakes, exhaust, tires and so on. These are actually aimed at the person who want service now and they may serve a purpose in an emergency, meaning you broke down in front of one and there was no dealer around.

The Toyota dealers are priced as competitive as these Quick type service types and in most cases even less and dealers use the correct parts for your vehicle not something that "fits fine". At our dealership we change the oil and filter, give your vehicle a quick over (top off and fill all fluids as needed) for $19.95, the Quick lube averages $68.00 when they get through with the "other things found", sound familiar.

Dealers, if they are any good do not make a profit on doing just an oil change, nobody can make a profit using quality parts and trained people, but we do so much else, and do it well, that our business is built on customer locality.

Customers have more protection when dealing with a Toyota dealer. We have Toyota's warranty for any parts failure, many of our parts have a lifetime warranty. We're trained on your specific vehicle and we are also a local business. Its very important to us how you feel about our service and how you were treated. Remember we want you to stay with Toyota and purchase your next vehicle from us.

In summary, unless your Toyota dealer is out in left field then stay with them and establish yourself, become friends and you will be surprised how well you will be treated.

Q: I noticed you have a negative opinion of quick lube shops. I there a common problem with having oil changed there. In Manhattan, we have 24 hour shops which makes it quite convenient. I just inherited an 88 Camry LE V6. Paul

A: I do have a negative opinion of Quick Lube places for these reasons. They tend to use lower quality products in their services, that is why they recommend 3,000 mile changes (now we have to offer the same mileage service because they have advertised it to death). The oil changes need only to be done at 5-7,500 miles but since they use poor quality oil and filter no real damage is done in such a short mileage. They tend to over sell services. You may go in for a 20.00 oil change and walk out with a 80.00 bill for items that may not be needed. They can not make a profit doing just oil changes so it important to up sell the customers for more services. The technicians are not the problem but management is trained to sell. They offer a convince that may suit your schedule and if you watch what is being done visits then you should be not hurt. For your information most dealers offer the same service but they are not open 24 hours.