now that my warranty is up "IF" I have engine probs .. Pontiac or Toyota ?

[vibebob]

now that my warranty is up and "IF" I have mechanical/engine problems should I take it back to the Pontiac dealer or take it to a Toyota dealer ?I'm leaning toward Toyota cuz they seem to have more experience dealing with the Matrix and Corolla, especially if it come to the enigne.what do y'all think ?

[Ol' Timer]

I think the "Techs" here at GenVibe have more experience than some Toyota and Pontiac Dealerships combined!!! So, if I had a problem/question I would ask it here first. That said, I would not have a problem taking my out of warranty Vibe into a Pontiac Stealership should the moment arise.

[ragingfish]

Despite the mechanicals, you may be hard pressed to find a toyota dealership that will even touch your vibe.

[breezd]

In most situations, even though the engine is a Toyota engine, since it is a Pontiac, a Toyota dealer probably won't even touch the car. Take it to a Pontiac dealer. Over everything, I'd recommend a small repair shop, they're usually more affordable and can do just a good of a job.

[kunkstyle]

Quote, originally posted by breezd »In most situations, even though the engine is a Toyota engine, since it is a Pontiac, a Toyota dealer probably won't even touch the car.Why is that pray tell? There's a lot of dealerships here that will work on cars that are not brand specific to their dealer.

[micbarric]

The website of our local Toyota dealer lets you schedule service online. I noticed on the bottom of the drop down list of vehicle models is the option of "Non Toyota".http://davidmaustoyota.com/Service-Schedule.aspxYou would think any dealer would be glad to get anyone's business. A satisfied repair customer could become a new car customer.

[ColonelPanic]

Quote, originally posted by kunkstyle »Why is that pray tell? There's a lot of dealerships here that will work on cars that are not brand specific to their dealer.Because there are a lot of arrogant SOB's working for Toyota who are too stuck on their beloved product to acknowledge that their better-than-everyone-else's hardware somehow made it into a scum of the earth GM product. The one by my house was like that when I went in to ask them a question about the Vibe when I owned it, they wouldn't listen.

[kunkstyle]

Wow. That is ignorant. I can't believe they would turn down business. I've taken all my vehicles to the dealership down the street (it's a GM mind you) and they've never refused them. I think you've got a bum dealership there.@ vibebob : your other option would be to find a good indy mechanic that is familiar with the matrix/vibe/corolla. Harder to find, but usually cheaper.

[DavidPIL]

Quote, originally posted by ragingfish »Despite the mechanicals, you may be hard pressed to find a toyota dealership that will even touch your vibe.I must be very lucky then. I ONLY take my Vibe into the local Toyota place (Toyota of Danville) and they treat me very kindly. They even spent 2 hours trying to find a way to replace an HVAC bulb without having to order the whole HVAC control unit then didn't charge me full price for the time because they couldn't. Also while in Myrtle Beach 3 years ago I decided to get my Coolant changed with the good Toyota stuff. Scheduled an appointment with Sparks Toyota there, they did the work and gave me a 10% discount, for some odd reason. They treated me well also.I've said this before on here but I used to get treated like a second class citizen at the Buick - Pontiac place where I purchased my Vibe. a couple people in the Service Dept were rude, charged me to just look at my brakes when I was having an issue but a local Brake Shop did an inspection and fixed a minor problem for free. Toyota has earned my business and will more than likely sell me my next vehicle.Not all that's GM is bad though, also while in Myrtle Beach I had to have Hubcentric rings installed on my Vibe when Tires Plus forgot to install them and the place where I ordered them couldn't get me in in time. Hadwin-White Pontiac installed them for free even though they were going to charge me a Rotation fee. Dave

[lovemyraffe]

Quote, originally posted by breezd »Over everything, I'd recommend a small repair shop, they're usually more affordable and can do just a good of a job.+1 to that. Most of the smaller shops are a little less expensive and since they work on everything they really know their stuff. A lot of $tealerships train the mechanics to work on the new vehicles they sell. Even though they will be able to work on any car, they are best on their own brand. The biggest trick is finding a mechanic that is honest and will stand behind their work. My car only goes to one place if there is a problem. ALWAYS GET A SECOND OPINION IF YOU DON'T FEEL RIGHT ABOUT THE FIRST.

[vibebob]

thanks guys, I'll do some snooping around and see what the Toyota place is like and if there are any quality indies. The local Pontiac dealer is ok, no problems when I took the Vibe in for warranty work.