A new Rav4 owner discovers the risks of Toyota Free Maintenance checks with an unusual service recommendation.
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Are women targeted more than men with bogus car repairs and services at dealership service centers, commercial garages, or other automotive service centers?
Probably. And women know this through personal and anecdotal evidence from other female car owners they know or have heard about in the news.
What Studies and Social Media Show
But let's take an academic look at a similar question posed in a study titled "Repairing the Damage: The Effect of Price Knowledge and Gender on Auto-Repair Price Quotes," which investigated whether sellers treat consumers differently based on how well-informed consumers appear to be.
The study's conclusion revealed that "…sellers alter their initial price quotes depending on whether consumers appear to be correctly informed, uninformed, or misinformed about market prices."
However, when it comes to gender, there were some interesting, if not telling, differences:
- When callers signal that they are uninformed about market prices, women are quoted higher than men.
- Gender differences disappear when callers mention a benchmark price for the repair.
- Repair shops are more likely to offer a price concession if asked to do so by a woman than a man.
In short, there is some scientific basis for a female car owner to inherently question whether she has been charged fairly or not for a legitimate car repair or service. Therefore, it is not a long stretch of the imagination that this also extends to unnecessary services and repairs.
This is a good reason why the 2023 Toyota Rav4 owner may have felt compelled to inquire on the Reddit Rav4 interest group whether she had been lied to during her car's 20,000-mile checkup at a Toyota service center.
From the post, we can surmise how the Rav4 owner's car developed problems shortly after leaving the service center. It appears to be attributed to the technician's failure to properly replace the air filter cover, which led to a vacuum leak problem that set off a check engine light warning.
However, with a check engine light warning and smoke observed from under the hood, it was enough to convince the owner―rightly so―to go no further and call a tow truck and have her car inspected at the dealership garage.
Okay, so she got bad service, which could have been accidental, and, according to a follow-up post, it was taken care of at no charge. The Toyota dealership even took care of the tow truck charge. So it's not a big deal…it happens.
However, the problem that raised the Rav4 owner's suspicion (and the comments in the thread) following this experience was whether she had been lied to regarding the air conditioning and fuel injector services she was charged with during her initial 20,000-mile maintenance check.
Related article: I Tested The Mechanic Who Ripped Off My Subscriber" ―You Can Too With This Advice!
According to the Toyota dot com website regarding their ToyotaCare Maintenance and Warranty for a new car purchase (at 25K miles/2 years) following the purchase, a Toyota customer/owner can expect:
"Toyota-trained technicians will help keep your Toyota a Toyota by completing factory-recommended maintenance—at no additional cost. With ToyotaCare, you'll even receive timely reminders before your scheduled maintenance and have a complete history of your service visits on file.
- Engine oil & filter change
- Inspect & adjust fluid levels
- Rotate tires
- Toyota Genuine Parts
- Multi-point inspection
- Toyota-trained technicians
Consulting a 2024 Rav4 "Warranty and Maintenance Guide," the recommended services the Rav4 owner received with her 20,000-mile/24-month check are all listed…with the exception of A/C line cleaning and fuel injector cleaning.
Looking deeper into the "Warranty and Maintenance Guide," under the section "Explanation of Maintenance Terms," I found no mention of A/C line or fuel injector inspection and cleaning.
While "fuel injector cleaning" is a real thing, in this case it should be treated as a red flag for the customer because the Rav4 is only one year old and has only 20,0000 miles with no owner complaints.
The same applies in most cases with "A/C line cleaning" as well.
Yes, A/C line cleaning is a real service, but only if the car owner notices:
- Taking longer for the air to cool.
- A/C is not as cold as it used to be.
- A foul odor (like mildew) is coming from the A/C.
- Odd rattling sounds from within the A/C or unusual puddles of water on the floorboard beneath the dash.
Some may argue that perhaps the tech or garage considers the recommended services to be part of their idea of preventive maintenance. It is possible; however, one of the best pieces of advice when it comes to car repairs is this: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."
To Be Fair, However…
To be fair to the dealership and the garage, however, we were not there, and it was not our car. Misunderstandings do happen between garages and customers. And social media posts are no different.
As pointed out by one comment on the reddit thread, "I wonder if they meant the drain hose from the evaporator? That can get clogged and need cleaning from time to time."
It is also possible―albeit improbable―that the garage noticed signs and symptoms of a clogged fuel injector, and therefore, made a recommendation to have the fuel injectors serviced.
Related article: Was This Mechanic Wronged by a Customer?
The Value of This Rav4 Owner's Post (and other comments in the thread)
The value of this post is that it points to at least three underlying problems:
- Gender inequality extends into EVERYTHING in life for women.
- Some dealerships and commercial garages do intentionally cheat customers.
- Lying is the new norm in our society, and it is distressing to many of us.
The best advice came from a post in the thread that recommended following common sense and a little proactive encouragement for any car owner. This, by the way, collaborates with what the study, subtitled "The Effect of Price Knowledge and Gender on Auto-Repair Price Quotes," alluded to: “Show you know something to avoid being taken advantage of.”
Mechanic Undercover - Women are Target for Car Repair Scams
For an interesting and informative video about how garages treat men and women differently in some automotive repair shops, here is one with literally a sting to it.
For additional related articles about car maintenance and repair scams, here are three you can learn from:
- Top Car Mechanic Scams to Avoid in 2024
- Two Service Center Mechanic Scams That Are Easy to Spot If You Know Where to Look Under the Hood
- Avoid This Common Car Repair Scam with a Simple Touch Test
Timothy Boyer is an automotive reporter based in Cincinnati who currently researches and works on restoring older vehicles with engine modifications for improved performance. He also reports on modern cars (including EVs) with a focus on DIY mechanics, buying and using tools, and other related topical automotive repair news. Follow Tim on Twitter at @TimBoyerWrites as well as on Facebook and his automotive blog "Zen and the Art of DIY Car Repair" for useful daily news and topics related to new and used cars and trucks.
Image Source: Deposit Photos
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