Toyota Escondido

I am a do it yourselfer mechanic, but like to use toyota parts. I have been burned several times using aftermarket parts on my vehicle,2005 Tacoma by going to the dealership, I know I am getting parts that parts. I have been burned several times using aftermarket parts on my vehicle,2005 Tacoma by going to the dealership, I know I am getting parts that are correct the first time and know they will last. If something is beyond my skill level I come to Toyota for help or service. More

I went into the dealership to have my oil changed the day before Christmas Eve. On New Years Day morning, nine days later, I noticed my heater was not blowing hot air, which I did not know at the time indica before Christmas Eve. On New Years Day morning, nine days later, I noticed my heater was not blowing hot air, which I did not know at the time indicated my coolant could be low. Later the same day, I was on my way home from work and my check engine light came on. My car started running badly and my engine started making knocking noises. I pulled over and noticed there was no coolant in my vehicle. When I pulled the oil dip stick out smoke was emitting from the engine. Needless to say my car was out of commission and I was stuck on the side of the road. I later checked the code causing the check engine light and it stated it was a cooling system failure. The next day I called the service department at Toyota of Escondido and spoke with the service manager. I told him what had happened and explained I was just in for an oil change a week earlier. All the fluids in my car were supposedly checked and filled. They also checked for leaks in my cooling system. I know my car did not have any leaks because I am pretty aware of things like that. The service manager told me to bring the car in so they could do a diagnostic, free of charge. After the service technician looked at my car the service manager called me and told me they were not going to take any responsibility for the problem and told me the problem came from my head gasket blowing and xxxxxxx up all the coolant causing the engine to overheat. How can that happen if my coolant was already low, which was indicated by the heater not blowing hot air earlier in the morning? When I asked the service manager questions he could not answer he said he would speak with a technician and get back to me. He later informed me my engine head was separated from my block and the coolant was possibly leaking out the back. Again...I would know if there was a leak from my vehicle but apparently I'm not a technician so my opinion does not matter. I was later told by a friend that a blown head gasket could be the cause the separation. The million dollar question was where all my coolant went if it was just filled and I had no leaks. Plus, I had no coolant before my head gasket blew. The dealership said they could take apart the engine to find out what exactly happened but I would be charged anywhere from $500-$1000 to do so. They could not say they did not cause the problem but they wanted to charge me to figure it out. How does that work? As far as I was concerned they should still be investigating the cause of the problem and determine why there was no coolant in my vehicle. Needless to say they could not prove their innocence and I could not prove they were at fault but I’m stuck with the $4500 bill to fix my car. Hmm...leaves me to wonder if my coolant actually got filled in the first place. My thoughts...probably not. What great service...Thank you Toyota of Escondido you can guarantee you will not receive any further business from me or anyone I know. Happy New Year!! More

I am extremely disappointed with the service I received yesterday. Upon arrival, I asked if they would take a $19.95 oil change coupon from another Toyota dealer in town upon which the fine print was poin yesterday. Upon arrival, I asked if they would take a $19.95 oil change coupon from another Toyota dealer in town upon which the fine print was pointed to which states that the coupon was to be used with a punch card for discounts. I did not have one, however, I'm pretty sure the punch card is something that would be handed to a first time user customer. (upon paying for my oil change, the punch cards were stacked for the taking next to the cashier's register). I was then told that they could do my oil change for $24.99. When I started the ignition so he could register the mileage, the serviceman (finally) noticed I had a Lexus and tried to charge me $35.99 for the oil change. Oil is oil so I balked and I was given the $24.99 price. That day, I was scheduled to trade my car in for a 2012 Lexus. At the Lexus dealership, the service manager inspected my car to verify its trade-in value. The service manager came to me and informed me that there was a fresh rat's nest on top of my battery and to be aware that rats can potentially cause thousands if not tens of thousands of dollars of damage to the electrical system and hoses, etc. under the hood. My question is...wouldn't you think that the Toyota mechanic that serviced my car would have at least alerted me of the nest and potential for extensive damage, let alone, remove the nest when he opened the hood to refill my fluid levels and check the oil dipstick? As I drove away upon completion of service I noticed that my "oil maintenance" indicator light was not even turned off. Honestly, I am wondering if Toyota of Escondido really performed the oil change, or if they just charged me the money and did not service my car at all. BUYER BEWARE. More

I knew going in that a passenger side visor, even though a simple "cheap" part, would run me close to 100.00. But, seriously, Jennifer first quotes me at over 160.00 - after I question this she sa a simple "cheap" part, would run me close to 100.00. But, seriously, Jennifer first quotes me at over 160.00 - after I question this she says, oh, that includes installation but they can knock off 10% of the price to help me out. Help me out? Installation? It's 2 screws and a screwdriver. I can just imagine the service people laughing their heads off at the expense of a customer as they screw in two screws to install a visor for over 60.00. Of course I told her I could probably handle the "installation" myself - and, no, I don't need an oil change on top of that. As I go to purchase the 100.00 piece of plastic (a visor that shouldn't have stopped staying in the up position on a 3-year-old truck and apparently just went out of warranty.. riiight..) the parts cashier doesn't give me a 10% discount so I have to remind him. It still totals over 100.00 for this simple plastic part but at least I didn't let them get me for the 60.00 to "install" it.. I mean, really, how is a customer supposed to walk away feeling good about a transaction where a service manager so obviously tries to rip them off - you can’t tell me she didn’t know the job entailed a screwdriver and two screws and that she couldn’t suggest I “install” this simple part myself. More

Our 2007 Camery driver's side sun visor sagged into our view about 2 years ago. We had to remove it for safety reasons. We called Torota after we found that there were over 1400 similar complaints filed wi view about 2 years ago. We had to remove it for safety reasons. We called Torota after we found that there were over 1400 similar complaints filed with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Escondido Toyota would not replace the visor unless we paid the $150.00. We'd be more impressed if the sub-standard quailty if your driver's side sun visor was rectified on our 2007 Camry. I used to think the terms Toyota and quality were interchangable. More

My wife and I have been VERY pleased with the sales process and service trips over the past year. The Sienna Van we bought had many advanced features compared to other makes and has performed like a c process and service trips over the past year. The Sienna Van we bought had many advanced features compared to other makes and has performed like a champ. More

High pressure sales department is not fair in their negotiations and their customer service is terrible. Went to purchase a used prius and left after experiencing the worst customer service I have eve negotiations and their customer service is terrible. Went to purchase a used prius and left after experiencing the worst customer service I have ever received anywhere. The salesman had the nerve to call me a few days later to ask if I had reconsidered their offer. The salesman doesn't know how to negotiate and uses the typical sales tactics. They want to talk about payments instead of the actual price of the car and price of the trade-in. I specifically asked to negotiate price and not payment three times before he finally got it. We were about $3k in difference in what i was willing to pay and the salesman wasted 2 hours of my time going back and forth to his manager. Each time he came back, total of 4 back and forth, he offered $100-200 more on trade-in and $200 less on an overpriced prius. Once I got up to leave someone came out of the sales office to try to persuade me. He was nice but at that point it was too late. More

Despite the previous negative reviews for this dealership on this site AND a family member who had a bad experience with this dealership, I initiated contact on 8/27/11 with this dealer. I contacted them thr on this site AND a family member who had a bad experience with this dealership, I initiated contact on 8/27/11 with this dealer. I contacted them through the Costco auto buying program for used vehicles because their website listed several certified used vehicles of the make/model I was searching for. I received a call within 10 minutes from Barry, and we discussed the specific make/model I was interested in. Barry told me that the Costco program would provide me a discount off the lowest published price. We discussed specifically that this discount would be taken off the "Internet Special" prices as listed on the website that day. When I arrived, Barry welcomed me to the dealer and introduced me as a Costco buyer to Antonio Sanchez to handle my questions and possible purchase. After inspecting the vehicle and taking a test drive, we sat down to discuss the price. I raised a couple concerns about the condition of the vehicle, specifically that there were missing accessories (floor mats, cargo mat and tonneau cover), one of which was specifically listed on the website as being installed on the vehicle, and that the tires seemed excessively worn for a vehicle with only 15,000 miles on it. Antonio went to "speak with his manager" about the price and returned with a write up for the car at the Internet special price, and told me it was a firm price because "they were only making $100" at that price. I immediately pointed out that his price did not include the Costco discount I had been told about. I was then told that the Costco discount would not apply to the Internet Price, it would only apply to the original and much higher price. At that point, we together reviewed the dealer website where I pointed out the tonneau cover that was on the listing for this specific vehicle was missing. I was told that it was merely an option, despite it being listed under "Installed Options and Accessories." We also reviewed the CarFax report which showed that the dealer had mounted and installed tires, and I asked him to explain why the current tires were so worn for a vehicle with such low mileage. The response I got was that the price was still firm, and that the dealer was unwilling to negotiate at all, or even honor the previously quoted Costco discount. Despite this, I made a counteroffer on the vehicle. Antonio not only refused to consider this offer, but refused to bring it the attention of his manager, so I decided to leave. As I was driving away, Antonio chased me down in the parking lot, suddenly able to offer the Costco discount but unwilling to consider any other negotiations. I declined to pursue further discussions about any vehicle. Essentially, I felt I couldn't trust the dealership anymore when it took me actually driving out of the lot for them to honor the offer they had made to me on the phone. The dealer seemed to think that giving me the Costco discount was a big concession and doing me a favor, instead of that being the staring point of negotiations because it was the pricing they had already committed to. Guess it's still "business as usual" at Toyota of Escondido, and they've lost another potential customer. More

HI I recently went to Toyota Of Escondido for a used car, I felt has everything was going good until a mager came out to appraise my car. At this time i heard his salesmen make a remark about my wifes chest, I felt has everything was going good until a mager came out to appraise my car. At this time i heard his salesmen make a remark about my wifes chest, and instead of reprimanding him he laughed wih him and then stared at my wifes boobs in a derogatory way. This was very displeasing to me and very untasteful. This was just the beginning of my bad experience at Toyota Of Escondido. The mager John then drove my car around the lot, and offered me a riducolus price for my trade in. I went to Toyota Of Carlsbad and they offered me $2500 more for my trade in then he did. Not only was his offer ridiculous, I found his behavior with his salesmen towards my wife very rude, and un-professional. You can rest assure I will make sure I will let all my friends know to not buy a car from Toyota Of Escondido, and theres not a more rude dealership out there. What happen to proffesionalism, and being curteous to people that bring you buisness. Well don't count on that from Toyota of Escondido, and espically they're manger John. More

As Murphy's law has it, my extended Warranty expired April 2011 on my 2005 Tacoma, in which was paid off at the same time. I purchased my Truck from Toyota of Escondido, and have had all services perfor April 2011 on my 2005 Tacoma, in which was paid off at the same time. I purchased my Truck from Toyota of Escondido, and have had all services performed there. So with that said, it was a surprise that the little man in a seat with a big red ball appeared on the dash. Unknowing to me, that is the AIR BAG Man, he appears when there is something wrong. I immediately called Toyota of Escondido, and asked for assistance, and I cannot say THANK YOU enough for the outstanding service Toyota of Escondido provided me! Not only do I always have great customer service, I was also blessed with assistance on the part to be replaced. I would like to acknowledge whom I feel went out of their way for me, my trusty Service Manager Jennifer Baray. Jennifer has been my regular Service Manager for some years now, and I wouldn’t want it any other way. I hope that others within Toyota of Escondido can look to her as a model of great excellence for her Customer Service skills, she is AWESOME!!! I would also like to acknowledge Michelle Lynch, what a pleasant person to deal with, she was assuring, thanked me for being a customer, and assured me that Toyota of Escondido would see what they could do to assist me with my repair, and she followed through! My Truck was repaired, and I had my normal full service done. Now don't get me wrong, the little man in a seat with a big red ball was cute, but I am sure glad he is not showing anymore. Thank you Toyota for making this happen, and making sure I am always treated with respect, and I am assured that my vehicle & I will continue the great relationship we have developed, it’s a family now!! People who care about us are always doing little random acts of kindness for our benefit, and Toyota showed that to me! More