Toyota of Bowie

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

I had been to this service department in the past. I found the service reps to be very sneaky, meaning they tell you that your car needs immediate services when in fact the services are not required (pr found the service reps to be very sneaky, meaning they tell you that your car needs immediate services when in fact the services are not required (problem #1). I finally found one service rep I thought to be fairly honest. However, problem #2 - Once I brought my car home from a service, drove on the highway, and the steering wheel began to shake very hard and very quickly. I took it back and they fixed the problem, which shouldn't have happened in the first place! Problem #3 - Another time, my shuttle service pickup was over an hour late. Apparently he got lost. Why would you hire someone for shuttle service who doesn't know where he's going? Problem #4 - After finally getting to the dealership to collect my car (w/o the shuttle), we asked for an agreed upon discount. The Manager (Tim) gave us a discount, but significantly less than the agreed upon amount. Not only do they have poor customer service and unethical service reps, but the quality of their work is mediocre. More

Pressure from salesperson to "Buy Now" Low How did you Pressure from salesperson to "Buy Now" Low How did you first contact the dealership? Internet Did you purchase from the dealership? Yes Would yo Pressure from salesperson to "Buy Now" Low How did you first contact the dealership? Internet Did you purchase from the dealership? Yes Would you recommend this dealership? Yes Name of Your Salesperson? Anthony Cason Review Ratings Score Pricing 4 Greeting 5 Honesty 5 Time 5 Questions 5 Promises 5 Financing 5 Treated 5 Overall Score 4.75 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My internet salesperson was Anthony Cason (AC). His Manager is Tim Smith. This was by far, the best car buying experience I have had dealing with these two individuals, but especially with AC. Why? Because it was a "no pressure, educational, your time is my time, we will go above and beyond to make you happy" type of experience. They say that car dealerships take advantage of women. I am an older lady who does her research and asked many questions to determine the accuracy of his knowledge. AC not only knows the Toyota cars. He has no problem working with his customers to insure their full understanding of every aspect that the two of you are involved in prior to even talking "purchase"...I loved that. This young man was respectful, patient and followed up on everything that he stated he would in a timley fashion. Actually, he was the reason I purchased the car in the end. I would recommend him to anyone and found the people at Toyota to be very diligent about servicing their customers. My experience was an excellent one. And not to overlook Ken Patterson, he worked with me the first day I visited the dealership and he too was a very positive reflection of Toyota of Bowie. Great place to buy a car because they are in the business of working to keep you as a returning customer. Nuff said! Mrs. RJ More

I bought a new 2009 Toyota Camry in February of this year. While I got a good deal, as many times as I have had to return to the dealer for repairs, I'm not so sure now it was a good deal. They gave m year. While I got a good deal, as many times as I have had to return to the dealer for repairs, I'm not so sure now it was a good deal. They gave me a "loaner" while my new car was being repaired (sun roof)and yet they charged me for it. I've left voice mails for a week with Customer Relations Manager and have never received a call back - how rude. Obviously, customer satisfaction is not their top priorty. If you want to buy a Toyota, don't go there! More

I got a price my insurace company USAA and was given AC's name as a contact. The price quoted by my USAA was well below invoice and the going market price according to Edmund's. I shopped around and got it f name as a contact. The price quoted by my USAA was well below invoice and the going market price according to Edmund's. I shopped around and got it for $250 less. They matched the price and the process went really smoothly, even with our two kids trying to run wild in the dealership. AC has continued to follow up with us, even two weeks after the deal was completed to make sure that we were happy. More