Need recomm for great toyota service department in LA

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Prius4Me, Apr 28, 2005.

  1. Prius4Me

    Prius4Me New Member

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    Can anyone recommend a service department in the LA area that they really like? How about warnings for any I should avoid?

    Anyone like Hollywood, Glendale or North Hollywood?

    I just crossed over the 5000 mile mark and need to take my Prius in for service. I'm not as car saavy as some of the folks on this board, checking tire pressure, knowing the ins and outs of oil levels!

    Also, my husband just drove the Prius back from Vegas and said that the mileage dropped from 48 avg to 38 avg. Any thoughts?

    Thanks in advance!

    Robyn
     
    #1 Prius4Me, Apr 28, 2005
  2. triceratops

    triceratops New Member

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    I had my first checkup at North Hollywood a month ago and I was pleased with the service. I casually asked the service entry person how much oil the Prius takes in a sneaky way to check his knowledge. I was happy that he told me it is important to not overfill the oil. I had read about the oil issue on this very forum and thought it would be a good way to test the local service.
     
    #2 triceratops, Apr 28, 2005
  3. Prius4Me

    Prius4Me New Member

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    Great. Thanks! I haven't heard from anyone else yet, but I made an appointment with No. Hollywood for tomorrow. I'll post again after my check up for others who might be interested!

    :)
     
    #3 Prius4Me, Apr 28, 2005
  4. madler

    madler Member

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    So how'd that go? I'm getting my new Prius this week (woo hoo!), and I'd also like to know other folks service experience with their Prii in the LA area, especially around Pasadena, Glendale and the surrounding areas.

    What would be really useful would be for priuschat.com to set up a dealer database into which folk could enter information about both their buying and service experiences, and rate the dealers in both areas. I would certainly contribute my experiences to that database.
     
    #4 madler, May 1, 2005
  5. Prius4Me

    Prius4Me New Member

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    It went fine over at North Hollywood, but there were a couple of little things that bugged me.

    I told them about the problem that I was having with my MPG (showing about 35-36 MPG on the way back from Vegas, when it's been about 47-48 avg for months, including lots of long distance trips). I wasn't too thrilled about the response. No matter what I said, they kept attributing it to driver error or additional weight being carried in the car (no different driver, or added load, I told them). They said that they checked it out, but couldn't find anything wrong.

    My husband now suspects that maybe he got a bad tank of gas, because since we refilled the the tank, the MPG seems to be climbing back up towards normal. We're keeping an eye on it for now, but I do wish that these guys would have acknowledged that 35 was LOW and unusual for this car.

    OKAY, so all of that said, I think they're fine for service, pleasant, and accomodating enough, etc.

    I also want to note that when I got the bill, it showed that they were charging for 5 liters of oil. I asked the cashier why they put 5 in, when the resevoir requires only 3.9? Turns out that they automatically charge for 5 in a Prius, even though they only put in under 4! I had been charged a flat rate anyway, but I didn't argue when she offered to remove it from my bill. I had them check the oil before I left to be sure that it wasn't overfilled.

    Hope that helps!

    Please post here if you go somewhere else... let us know how it goes!

    Robyn
     
    #5 Prius4Me, May 1, 2005
  6. IsrAmeriPrius

    IsrAmeriPrius Progressive Member

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    I have used Keyes Toyota, in Van Nuys. Service adviser Elias Pilichos is extremely knowledgeable about the Prius. Everything was done correctly while I was waiting in the lounge surfing PriusChat. There was no need for any corrective measures.
     
    #6 IsrAmeriPrius, May 1, 2005
  7. Flujo

    Flujo New Member

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    I have 23,000 on my 04 Prius, and Toyota of Long Beach has been great. But then, my car has been great so nothing but scheduled maintenance thus far.
     
    #7 Flujo, May 4, 2005
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