An exceptional value for excellent service!
I took advantage of a great fluids/filters bundle deal, with all OEM Toyota and Denso materials, at a price which was significantly lower than any quickie service station or local garage (which would have used generic, aftermarket everything), let alone the price from a corporate Toyota service center using OEM parts.
Scheduling an appointment by phone was simple, but seems to be just as easy if done through the website? I generally like to do things by phone, but in the future I will likely use the site; it is very user-friendly and straightforward.
I received a text appointment reminder the day before my appointment, with a link to Toyos service site. The site showed an easy to understand breakdown of the services and prices, and signing to authorize the work was quick and simple. I opted to drop my vehicle off the night before my service was scheduled.
The day of my appointment, when service was complete, I got another text to let me know it was complete - and advising that I would receive a followup shortly. The link led to a very straight forward and easy to understand breakdown of all of the mechanics findings - with multiple high definition pictures of each component, written commentary, and a color ranking on condition and wear ranging from green to red.
Usually I ignore shop and dealership paper copy evaluations; more often than not they are pen-whipped, full of exaggerations and lies, and just meant to drum up business with unneeded services... Not so with John at Toyo. He documented the good, the bad, and the ugly, all in photos with written evaluations, and the few items in the "red" included high quality video demonstrations of the issue with audio explanations of the problem and potential risks!
About a half hour later - which was a perfect amount of time to look over the details of the inspection - got a followup text with another link. This brought me to the same website, now with a summary of the findings from the inspection, estimates of the cost of services to address each individual issue, and simple written descriptions of each!
Adding services was as easy as checking the box of the ones I wanted, then signing to authorize the work, which provided a total cost including my original scheduled maintenance. Within minutes I had a text (sans link) from John telling me the ETA of parts and completion. Extremely simple, even for the less tech savvy - I was with a friend who can barely send a text and he was impressed.
When the work was complete, John texted me to inquire about my pickup plans. My "ride" had a family emergency - John was totally accommodating; pick it up the next day, or do after-hours pickup. I opted for the latter, and it could not have been more simple! Pay for the work via a text link, through the same simple web interface, and retrieve my keys from one of several lockboxes using the code provided.
I arrived to find my vehicle just as described and expected, with a printed copy of the service summary on the front seat, the keys in the robust and very secure lockbox, ready to go.
My vehicle is older, and has lived a long life on salty New Hampshire roads. It has a bit of rust, as they all do, and a few quirks here and there. John at Toyo did not make mountains out of mole hills, or try to sell me on unneeded or not-yet-needed repairs. Everything he recommended was backed and justified by photos and videos, and was quoted at a rate that was much lower than a Toyota dealer, and extremely competitive with local shops (especially given the use of OEM parts!).
John is a master of his craft; meticulous, detail oriented, fair, and reasonable. My understanding is he only works on Toyotas, from model years 2005 forward, only using OEM Toyota/Denso parts and fluids.
Taken in tandem with being an experienced Toyota Master mechanic, that means you get every benefit of having your vehicle serviced by a corporate Toyota shop, plus the knowledge that not only are you getting singular, personal attention to your vehicle, but also complete ownership of and pride in his work because it is his own shop!
You could not ask for a person better situated and qualified to service your Toyota vehicle; experienced, qualified, and singularly focused on the exact make and model years of your vehicle, rather than a jack of all trades who deals with different makes and models from day to day or hour to hour.
From scheduling and appointment reminders, to evaluations, estimates, and payment/pickup, working with John at Toyo Workshop was the most easy, pleasant, honest and straight forward experience I have had with a shop I have ever had. That the work was completed on schedule, perfectly - and reasonably priced - is icing on the cake.
I will not be taking ANY of my Toyota vehicles anywhere else, save for the one which is "aged out" of being serviced by Toyo - and John has kindly offered to recommend good shop for that one! read more
