Toyota of Bowie

I say Erik Thompson is an absolute liar. He had stepped out, came back and gave five excuses to bring the price up. Lou as he claims him to be the general manager is very unprofessional and rude. He lacks out, came back and gave five excuses to bring the price up. Lou as he claims him to be the general manager is very unprofessional and rude. He lacks the manner of a general manager. PLS. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR AND DO NOT ATTEMPT TO DEAL WITH THIS DEALERSHIP AT ALL! More

Our purchase was based off the USAA generated price. My wife and I had done our research and determined that the price was a great price for the vehicle ($950 under invoice). Our sales person, Lavonne Byrd wife and I had done our research and determined that the price was a great price for the vehicle ($950 under invoice). Our sales person, Lavonne Byrd, was very kind, professional and did not try to intimidate us into purchasing a vehicle. The main gripe we had was when it came to the options of the vehicle. The USAA website (as well as Toyotas website) allows a person to build their vehicle to their liking, and I selected the tech package and cold weather package only. We were told once we arrived at the dealership that every Highlander has the towing package and cross bars already included, thus they could not take these things off. I found that to be disingenuous, since Toyotas are build to be option based more than any other of their competitors. After much haggling, I ended up paying for part of the invoice price of the packages. Not happy with that aspect of the purchasing, and I will be writing a letter to Toyota about this issue. But my sales person was pleasant, I still got a good price, and every other person outside of the sales manager were great to work with. I would recommend them as a place to purchase a vehicle, but I would caution over the "options" freedom you are supposed to have that Toyota (corporate or Bowie, I do not know who is responsible) does not actually give you. More

I have taken my car into Toyota of Bowie more than 6 times in the last couple of months for warranty work. The back windshield had to be replaced due a faulty rear defroster. They have also replaced TWO times in the last couple of months for warranty work. The back windshield had to be replaced due a faulty rear defroster. They have also replaced TWO (2) GPS unit/radio/A/C units. Due to.....They were not sure why two units went out. I took it in both times because of a burning odor, GPS screen going out, and interference with the radio. They could not explain why or what happened....I mentioned maybe an electricial short. Oh no, was the response and still no answer what had caused this. I have also had two retractor motors replaced in the driver side door(which controls the window power window). Alas, I was blown off. Tom, the Service Manager, could not explain it either. When I asked him several times, he became very defensive and rude. He eluded that I must have done something to cause these issues. Yea right, I love spending my time sitting multiple days and many hours in the dealership. Give me a break! I would not recommend Toyota of Bowie or their sister store Capital Toyota in Landover Md either. And the recall issues to deal with since it has been reported their fix did not fix the sudden accelleration problem either. My car is an 2008 Toyota Camry Hybrid with less than 26,000 miles on it. You think Toyota would buy this crap car back or take responsibility for their problems. More

From the moment I stepped into the dealership we never felt welcomed nor valued. Our salesperson was cold and transactional, ala stepford style. We test drove a 4Runner and Highlander and was quite plea felt welcomed nor valued. Our salesperson was cold and transactional, ala stepford style. We test drove a 4Runner and Highlander and was quite pleased with both products. However, when it came down to negotiating a price, here is where the rubber met the road (pun intended). While the salesperson 'told' me on the phone they would work with me, things changed (surprise) when we came in. Okay, I understand the game. But not only was the price we were negotiating reasonable, but was most definitely doable! I received a TrueCar price from AAA for that dealership. They didn't know that, I wanted to see how honest they would be without me flexing the AAA certificate. The difference was $2,700. Additionally, other area dealers had a low ADVERTISED price. Fitzgerald Auto Mall Gaithersburg, MD and Chalmsburg, PA (highly recommended on dealerrater). We went to TOB because it's less than 5 miles from our home- Fitzgerald is 20+ miles away. They said the price was firm; so we kindly thanked them and left. Later that day and two days later, we got a call from the Manager and salesperson asking us what are we going to do! I asked them, "what are you going to do?" They reiterated that the price was firm- I thought, okay, then have a nice life, why are you bugging me. A few days later we went to Honda of Bowie where the experience could not have been more dissimlar. Not only did they work with us on our pricing, but the salespeople worked like a family, all were a part of the experience- we worked with 3 individuals. They were not pushy; very friendly and always deferred us to the right person. The deal we got was indescribable- I presented the offer to 3 area Honda dealers and none could meet nor beat the price. We are now proud ownders of a Honda Pilot EX-L! More

some staff were just giving me a look when i first walked in. i had to stand idly for a few seconds before somebody entertained me. overall, buying from that dealership was not a happy one because i did not in. i had to stand idly for a few seconds before somebody entertained me. overall, buying from that dealership was not a happy one because i did not get the same THOROUGH service - in terms of explanations on everything - that my other friends went through when they went to other dealerships and bought their first cars. they were treated very well, like royalty, even if they didn't buy the car right away. they were only very nice after i bought the car. More

I have purchased a 2007 Camey SE from Toyota of Bowie back in 2007 and my experience with them was somewhat ok. When I went back to the dealership in Nov 09 to inquire about the 2010 Camry 2010, the s back in 2007 and my experience with them was somewhat ok. When I went back to the dealership in Nov 09 to inquire about the 2010 Camry 2010, the sales person was very eager at getting me in a car that day. I called before I showed up to the dealership to let them know that I'm just looking and that I'm not ready to do any deals yet until I have done my research on all vehicles I was interested in. The sales person said that's fine and that he wasn't pressuring me. I was sadly mistaken when I got there. When I met up with the sales person, he had a Camry waiting for me to test drive and he stated that he was going to have my 2007 Camry appraised for trade-in value. We took the car on the road and he didn't even go over the features of the car with me. Did a cat grab your tongue?? I thought was a little rude. When we got back to the dealership, I pretty much made up my mind that I wasn't going to purchase the car. He asked if I could come back to his office with him, which I did. He started to go over what he had in stock and prices. I nicely told him that I was not doing any deals, as I told him on the phone!!! Then he gets up and gets his manager. His manager tried to bully me into going into a deal and I told him NO!! I'm just doin my research. Then his manager, with a blank look on his face, walk away. Wow, that's Customer Service for you!! And they didn't give me the trade-in value on my 2007 Camry. They don't have to worry about me coming back up there anymore!!! More

Short on time and one to keep a tight oil change schedule, I decided to take my 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser to Toyota of Bowie to have my oil changed. I normally change my own oil to make sure that it is schedule, I decided to take my 2007 Toyota FJ Cruiser to Toyota of Bowie to have my oil changed. I normally change my own oil to make sure that it is done right, but I figured that I couldn't go wrong by taking my vehicle to a Toyota dealership. I couldn't have been further from wrong. First, a little background. The FJ Cruiser is perhaps the easiest vehicle on the planet to change the oil. The high clearance on the underside makes it easy to crawl underneath to access the drain plug, and the oil filter is literally juxtaposed on top of the engine. As soon as you open the hood, there it is. One doesn't even have to bend to get to it. Since time is money, and money is time, I sought to make the process even easier by installing a quick-drain oil plug (QDP). Nothing revolutionary about the piece; a normal drain plug with a brass articulator valve. A simple Google search shows that a plethora of automotive forums tout quick-drain oil plugs as a worthy purchase. I've had the plug on my FJ for about 2 years now. After dropping off my vehicle, I take a hike over to a nearby shopping center to get a bite to eat and to kill time while the oil was being changed. After about an hour and a half, I trot back over to Toyota of Bowie to pay my bill retrieve the FJ. That's when i'm sent to three different desks before someone finally tells me that they've been looking for me because they couldn't do the oil change. Obviously confused, my first question is "why not?" The service person at the desk tells me that the tech can't remove the old oil because he doesn't have the piece that is needed to connect to the QDP. My first question was "surely he's smarter than that?" As I said earlier, the QDP is a normal drain plug with an added ability to insert a hose into the articulator valve instead of actually removing the plug from the oil pan. If you'd rather not use the quick-drain function, you can remove the QDP with a socket and a wrench just as you would a "normal" drain plug. This is why I am confused that the tech didn't just use a socket. After waiting for a couple of minutes for the tech to come out to explain why he coudln't do it, a rather acute agitation set in at the ludicrosity of the situation. Afterall, this is the Service Department at a Toyota Dealership. Changing oil and using a socket wrench should be commonplace. I decided the stupidity of it all was more than I was willing to accept, so I asked that my vehicle be brought around, that i'd be taking my business elsewhere. While waiting for that to happen, I asked to speak to the manager to explain my frustration. That's when Tom arrives to tell me that its "his policy" not to change the oil if the vehicle is not equipped with the factory drain plug. This is beyond stupid. First of all, there is nothing technologically advanced about an oil plug. If you've seen a big screw, you've seen an oil drain plug. Not to mention that in the United States consumers are protected by the big corporate interests of car dealerships who seek to limit the use of perfectly capable aftermarket parts. After a brief back and forth, the tech finally arrives with my FJ and i'm about to leave when the matter is further complicated. Instead of there being a problem with my QDP, he tells Tom, the service manager, and I that the problem is with the oil filter drain! With out the need to go into details, i'll just say that Tom was also stunned by this revelation. Why? Because the oil filter drain is simply a hole in a shroud that is plugged by a nipple. Oil drips from the oil filter when being removed, and the shroud catches that oil. You remove the nipple to drain the oil from the shroud, replace the nipple, and voila, that's it! The oil filter drain plug is now the reason i'm being told that my oil wasn't changed. I believe it is at this point that Tom realizes that his technicians are dumbasses. The bottom-line is that I went to Toyota of Bowie for a routine oil change, and was confronted with the most absurd showing of stupidity in a long time. Instead of an oil change, I was subjected to the whims of a service manager whose "policy" is outdated at best, and just plain stupid at worst. Further, his technicians can't even articulate the reason behind their inability to perform my oil change. Tom and his crew of techs thought they were talking to someone who hasn't a clue about auto mechanics, which is probably the majority of the people they deal with. Not this time though. Needless to say, I will not be going back to Toyota of Bowie, which is sucks for them considering I am a new resident to Maryland, was seeking to establish a relationship with a local dealership, and am need of a comprehensive 60K mileage interval service. Not only will I not go back, I intend to tell the story of my experience whenever the opportunity presents itself. More

My wife and I wanted to purchase a Scion Xd. We got a loan from Bank of America (direct loan), was sent to Toyota of Bowie (BOA's "preferred" dealer), so we'd have a better rate on the loan and picked ou loan from Bank of America (direct loan), was sent to Toyota of Bowie (BOA's "preferred" dealer), so we'd have a better rate on the loan and picked out a car. The car we wanted was ready in a couple weeks, so we headed back to Bowie Toyota to pay for the car. Nightmare. Even with a direct loan already from Bank of America, and a letter from Bank of America that said expressly for the dealership NOT to run our credit again as the loan was already made, they underhandedly did so. I can't make it clear enough to you that we continually said we did not want any further credit checks, and we were never presented with anything that said "credit application," as the dealership would later claim. The Financial Manager in charge of the transaction was Leo Akiyode, who although telling us he'd been doing his job for 5 years, didn't even know how to process the Bank of America Loan. We hold this man absolutely responsible for Toyota of Bowie's poor performance. Now, we have more credit hits for absolutely no reason. Thanks, Leo, you're a champ. A champ in a never ending line of crooked car dealers. Beyond that, I'd only say that the salesman was fine, but that's not really important because Scions are haggle free, so there wasn't much he was going to do or could do to sell us more than we'd wanted. We'd done our homework. We'd already "built" the car online. HOWEVER, Toyota of Bowie, in all their game playing, did try to get us into yet another tiny, unwindowed office to sell "undercoating." No thank you; we built the car online. We'd done it all. I would recommend NOT going to Toyota of Bowie. They are just an inherently dishonest dealership. Even after working with the Customer Service Manager (whose "welcome" letters are given out with her own name misspelled), nothing has been resolved. They erroneously got a credit inquiry placed on the credit reports in an attempt to steal the loan and they'll do nothing about it. I can't help but to call to mind the word...crooked. Good luck if you head there. Keep your eyes open and be ready for everything. And last of all...read everything...slowly! Because you'll sure find it a huge task to get Mr. Akiyode to explain anything or move slowly at all. If you're going to spend 18 grand on a car, you deserve to do it right for yourself. More

My overall experience with purchasing a Toyota Camry from Toyota of Bowie was wonderful. I never felt rushed or pushed into making a decision. My sales rep was very professional and very thorough in explai Toyota of Bowie was wonderful. I never felt rushed or pushed into making a decision. My sales rep was very professional and very thorough in explaining the car and everything else that goes along with a new car purchase. I have to say that Customer Service is obviously very important to Toyota because everyone at this dealership was friendly and always offered assistance. Even when the dealership was overrun with people purchasing cars under the CARS Program the folks at Toyota kept smiles on their faces and tried to accommodate all the customers. I had to return to have an alarm and protectant coating put on the car. Toyota provided me with another car to drive while mine was being taken car of. Chrysler never did that for me! All I've got left to say is that in the future, if the automotive department measures up to the sales and customer service departments, then I would not have a reason to ever go to another dealer for my next car purchase! A+++ for Toyota of Bowie.... More

My girlfriend had a bad experience here a few years ago, but maybe their staff/management has improved. I went with my mom to buy her a new car a few months ago. The salesman wasn't too pushy and very fri but maybe their staff/management has improved. I went with my mom to buy her a new car a few months ago. The salesman wasn't too pushy and very friendly. Didn't know a whole lot about the cars (I knew alot more than he did), but he may have been relatively new. Gave us a very fair price with little trouble. Very pleasant car buying experience. Though the "accessories sales" lady was very pushy and pretty rude to me when I told my mom not to bother with the extra "rust proofing" and other crap. I went back recently when I was in the market. Although I didn't buy a car there, my salesman (Nnamdi) was helpful and very upfront with me. Turns out they didn't have the car I wanted, and he told me straight up that they couldn't get me the model I wanted for the price I wanted. No fuss, no slimy trickery (see my antwerpen review), once again very satisfied with my experience there. More