Unless it’s under warranty and free, don’t go back to the dealership for service. Seriously, there might be a few decent ones here and there but if you were you throw a dart at a map of dealerships, you’ll likely get ripped off!

Dealerships charge so much because their shops have a built in branding. They have Toyota on their sign and they know they will get way more leads than Tony’s Car Repair because it’s Toyota’s Car Repair.

They can overcharge and lose some people on price because they will still keep getting leads walking in the door since they are the “official Toyota shop”.

I seriously think that if they didn’t rob people in basic stuff like air filters, they might build some good will with customers and when a major fix needs to be done, people will go to them for that because there will already be a relationship.

Discount Tire in my city has a great reputation. They do free air checks and patching of tires. I always tip the workers for this but this builds good will. They patched my tire which I didn’t buy from them for free! Guess where I went to get my tires when they needed replacing?

They are independently owned so they will vary in quality as much as independent shops. Had a friend get an incorrect diagnosis at a dealership for some crazy expensive repairs. Went to an independent shop for a second opinion and they said it was something way smaller and more simple. He got it done and it fixed the problem.

The dealership charged $120 for the diagnosis that would go towards the work being done. He contacted corporate with paperwork from the dealership and the independent shop showing that the dealership provided an incorrect and inflated diagnosis and demanded his money back with a threat to pursue it further if not resolved. Either a chargeback or legal action.

He got his refund from corporate, an apology, and a promise to work with the dealership to prevent this in the future.