Panama City Toyota - Service Center

Poor Service Experience I was visiting from Out of Town and my service engine light came on. I also had problems with my ABS light coming on randomly and brakes were making I was visiting from Out of Town and my service engine light came on. I also had problems with my ABS light coming on randomly and brakes were making a noise when I used them and also was hearing a "scraping" sound on the driver side under the seat area randomly as if something was loose. I took my vehicle in and advised I needed these issues checked out as I was driving back home in a few days and it was a 850 mile trip and especially the ABS light as when the ABS light came on you could not put the car in cruise control mode. I left the vehicle for two days. When I picked it up I was told my tires needed rotating, they cleaned some debris off the ABS sensor, I had told them it had to be replaced previously as it was not functioning correctly, could not hear any "scraping" sound when driven and they did not check my brakes. As the dealership was over an hour away and I had to leave that weekend I was not able to leave it longer. On my trip home I was not able to put the car in cruise several times due to the ABS light randomly coming on and also listened to the "scraping" noise all the way home. Thankfully my brakes worked ok on the trip. Not only did they waste my time and money but put my safety at risk. I took my vehicle to my Toyota Dealership in Rockwall TX when I got home and all of my brake pads needed replacing and the ABS sensor was not functioning. I found the service rep I worked with to be not friendly or helpful and felt he just brushed my concerns aside. I have always received excellent and courteous service from my home dealership and this was very disappointing. More

My family and I have been doing business with Panama City Toyota for 15+ years and spent an estimated $140K+ on new and used vehicles during that time frame. We have watched them grow from their old dealers Toyota for 15+ years and spent an estimated $140K+ on new and used vehicles during that time frame. We have watched them grow from their old dealership facility to their new facility and were always impressed with the level of service received. I brought my 2007 Toyota Corolla in on 25 Jan 13 for an oil change and tire rotation. The next day when cleaning the car I noticed the left rear (driver’s side) hubcap partially installed. Continued driving would have resulted in the hubcap falling off. This is an unsatisfactory condition not to mention dangerous also. Parts/pieces falling off vehicles could result in accidents or damage to other vehicles/property. Not to mention someone would have to pay for another hubcap! Upon further inspection of the other three wheels I noticed that although they were installed on the rim of the wheel they were installed incorrectly. The valve stems were not aligned with the valve stem cutout for the hubcap. Although not dangerous like the other issue I find it unacceptable that I am paying money for professionals to work on my car with the work performed not up to par! My wife and daughter occasionally drive this car also so my trust in the dealership to perform safe/quality work has diminished. In addition, on 27 Jun 13 while preparing to leave the house for a weekend trip, I noticed my daughter’s car (2005 Toyota Camry) had a flat rear tire (driver’s side). I changed the tire using the spare in the trunk and while removing the hubcap I noticed one of the retaining clips had been broken off. I personally had inspected the hubcaps before the car had gone in for an oil change and tire rotation and all the hubcap retaining clips were intact. To make matters worse the spare tire that I had just put on looked almost flat so I checked the air pressure and found it had only 5 PSI! The tire did not have a leak so it obviously hadn’t been checked in a while? I assumed the dealership checked air pressure on all tires when they performed the tire rotation. Apparently not! These recent incidents reek of incompetence by the Service Department. All I can surmise is one of two things; 1. The mechanics are incompetent? 2. The mechanics are not trained on the simple task of tire rotations? They must have missed Hubcap Training on Hubcap Training Day? Certified Mechanic? I don’t think so… When I questioned a service advisor I was referred to Mr. Chris Watson (Service Manager) for resolution. He offered me two free oil changes/tire rotations but refused to pay for the broken hubcap because it was not OEM. I find this unacceptable. Why would I take my car back to a place that performs inferior work? And OEM hubcap or not, it was broken by a Panama City Toyota mechanic and should be replaced. I will now take my car to Marianna Toyota for acceptable work to be performed. More

While traveling back to Michigan, pulling our camper, our 2006 Toyota Tundra developed excessive road noise. Panama City Toyota was the nearest dealership so we stopped to see "if we had a problem". Guess 2006 Toyota Tundra developed excessive road noise. Panama City Toyota was the nearest dealership so we stopped to see "if we had a problem". Guess what, a $5200.00 estimate of repairs had us in a really hard place to be. We were 1,000 miles from home, in a strange city, strange dealership with major repairs recommended. Since the rear end of this truck had been totally replaced ONLY 28,000 miles before at a Toyota dealership in Michigan it did not seem that we would be well served to repair it again at 108,000 miles. And, being assured that this was not "usual" did not help. Ke!vin Wiese was totally helpful. A very pleasant young man. He gets a 10!!! He introduced us to John Nicholson, a very experienced and congenial salesman. John was very helpful trying to find us another vehicle which had to be a truck capable of pulling our camper. Our wish was for a truck the same blue, with the disappearing rear window, and 4 doors. The nearest was in Jacksonville, FL, at least a day away. We settled for a "spruce metallic" green double cab. It was in stock and we could leave the dealership with it that day. It was not the same color, it did not have the disappearing rear window and it was the smaller back seat area (that was a tradeoff to keep the bed size). From that point everything was put in fast motion. Although we said we needed a payment amount before we finally deceided we didn't get that figure until just before we signed the papers. This is the only part of the deal that I look back at unhappily. I guess it's my own fault as I allowed us to be "handled" through the process. John did call the next day to find out how we were doing. Anyone who pays sticker price deserves what they got!!! John rates a 9!! Finance man Robert Hernandez was efficient and knew his job but could use a little more "patience" with his customers!!! I would have given him a 8.5 before this morning when I called to find out where our paperwork was. I had spoken to John earlier and he assured me all I had to do was go to our local Secretary of State office to plate our vehicle. When they had no paper work (and we had traveled 40 miles one way!!) I called for John but he wasn't in, I than asked for Robert. To say he was short, abrupt and acted like I was wasting HIS time would be an understatement. If it weren't for a young lady by the name of Alex I would be giving really low marks right now!!! Robert you now get a 7 -- don't ever forget the "aftercare"!!!! It's what brings the customers back as much as anything else!!! I am going to finish with "thumbs up " to the dealership and all other personnel we encountered while there. I have never seen such a welcoming dealership in my life. Where else can you get free doughnuts in the morning, subs for lunch, a great lounge area and so many clean, happy employees!!!! The whole place was spotless and that says a lot about the care your vehicle is going to receive!!! Still wish the truck was blue though!!!! Maybe next time!! More

Toyota had a call back about the driver door window parts not working well. A few days before we took it in the window broke into pieces while my mom (70 years old) was driving and putting it up the window. not working well. A few days before we took it in the window broke into pieces while my mom (70 years old) was driving and putting it up the window. Matt helped me the first time and it was fixed. However, a week or two went by and the window broke again while my mom was driving again. This time Chad was that one who helped me. Chad has pretty poor customer services skills in my opinion. I had to wait for an hour for them to check out the door to tell me he was going to call me back with the part comes in. A month went by and I finally called the service department to ask them about the part and why it was taking to long to get a call. Well the part come in but didn't get an answer me why it took them so long to call me. I’m have to take another lunch hour to take my mom's car in and hope it gets fix correctly this time. I don’t believe the dealership is putting enough attention to this and this could have easily put my mom in the hospital or God could have taken her to heaven. I have tried to stress my concerns to the dealership but I don’t think they care and are not doing much to show. I have also coordinated my concerns with Chris Watson the Service and Parts Director and he has not been helpful. More

I brought my 2002 Toyota Sienna in today for oil change, when my daughter went back to pick it up for me, I noted the hood was up on the car...my daughter advised the service rep and was advised there was d when my daughter went back to pick it up for me, I noted the hood was up on the car...my daughter advised the service rep and was advised there was damage to the hood when it was brought in....which is not true and was not noted on the service report. After further examination ...the rep determined it was operator error and the service employee had left something up that did not allow the hood to close correctly. Sorry, this Toyota was purchased from this dealer new and it is concerning that a service person cannot close the hood properly, in addition, it really concerns me that a problem with the hood was reported that was not there, which is not the truth! Just because I am a female, this type of treatment does not sit very well....Honesty is a very big part of customer service and car care! More

Kevin Wiese, Assistant Service Manager at Panama City Toyota, was wonderful to me and my husband. We came into the dealership very worried because we had run over something in the road on our trip from Toyota, was wonderful to me and my husband. We came into the dealership very worried because we had run over something in the road on our trip from Birmingham to Panama City, and we knew that we had done some damage to our Highlander. He took our car into the service bay and looked at it for us and told us that we would be okay to drive our car back to Birmingham when our trip was over, and we would not have to spend the whole day having our car serviced. Our gravel shield needed replacing but he said we could wait until we returned to Birmingham. His honesty and integrity is something we will remember and will certainly recommend the dealership and Kevin to anyone we come in contact with. We will be spending lots of time at the beach and I am sure our paths will cross again. He is an asset to the company and surely should be regarded as an extremely valuable employee. He was a pleasure to meet and to communicate with. More

While on vacation, my wife and I were hit by a drunk driver. Matt was able to work me in on Saturday and committed to have us back on the road by the end of the following week. Johnathon took care of driver. Matt was able to work me in on Saturday and committed to have us back on the road by the end of the following week. Johnathon took care of us on the rental car and back to the condo we went. The parts were ordered early the next week, arrived on time, and Matt and Kevin kept us informed every step of the way. Although we love the Panama City/Destin area, my wife and I could not have been happier to get on the road and back home to Tennessee. We wouldn't have been able to do it without Panama City Toyota. Thanks for the help guys! John More

Fantastic service. My truck required brake work (a factory defect)that would take a few days for parts. Walter let me know and immediatly set up a rental car for me to use at no charge. There was no w factory defect)that would take a few days for parts. Walter let me know and immediatly set up a rental car for me to use at no charge. There was no waiting and minimal paperwork involved. My truck was completed on time and the return of the rental was as hassle free as the pick up was. Kudo's to all the toyota team at Panama City Toyota that made this happen smoothly. More

Very friendly and efficient on a very busy day. Well Very friendly and efficient on a very busy day. Well done, and I'll be back. Everyone was courteous, from the person who greeted me, to the sales peo Very friendly and efficient on a very busy day. Well done, and I'll be back. Everyone was courteous, from the person who greeted me, to the sales people, and especially the cashiers. Thank you all. More