Hillside Toyota Service & Parts — Attraction in New York

I contacted Hillside Toyota on February 4, 2025, regarding open recalls on my vehicle. A polite receptionist took my information and scheduled an appointment for servicing my vehicle. She later explained that it could not be serviced today because the necessary parts needed to be sourced. She assured me that it would be ready by my next appointment date. It was understandable, and I appreciated the clarification.

I arrived early on February 7, 2025, and was greeted by Marvin. He walked me to his cubicle and asked what was the reason for my visit today. I explained that I had an appointment to address the recalls. He found no records of the appointment, but did possessed private information that was only provided when scheduling the appointment. Now I'm confused. Was there really no record of my appointment?

Marvin asked for the number I called to make the arrangement. He said I contacted the dealership instead of the service center, which I find frustrating, total BS, and a poor excuse. Also, that was the number provided by my auto insurance to have my vehicle serviced due to the open recalls. I was unaware that the dealership and service center were separate entities. That said, it still does not excuse one entity for scheduling the appointment while the other had no plans to follow up, ultimately wasting my time.

As a result of this blunder, no parts were ordered, and future arrangements needed to be made once parts were sourced. Marvin assured me he would be in contact once parts become available. That never happened.

Nearly a week later, having received no updates, I contacted the service center on February 13, 2025, to check the status. They attempted to connect me with Marvin, but he was unavailable. I left a message and was told he would return my call later. That, of course, never happened!

February 27, 2025, having received no returned calls, I contacted the service center again and asked to speak with Marvin. Surprise, surprise, he could not be reached, and once again, I left a message and was assured he would return my call later.

March 7, 2025, still no return call!

I should also mention that despite my disappointing first appointment, I received a text the following day saying, "Sorry to see you couldn't make your 09:30 AM appointment on 02/07/2025..." The two entities really do not communicate with either!

If you have to chase them this hard for the services they promised, you should reconsider continuing to do business with them. As I've mentioned earlier about the separate entities, the dealership has great reviews, while the service center, not so much! The Marvins employed there are likely to blame.

The facility might be nice and clean and offer a spacious waiting area with complementary coffee, but all that is easily overshadowed when you have to deal with this level of unprofessionalism! If you have the option, take your...

This would be a 1 star review if not for the diligent recovery efforts made by managers Grace and Robbie. My vehicle was dropped off for a broken component near the steering wheel, which ultimately required a warranty replacement of the steering column. I was advised a 2 month wait time for a backorder from Japan and provided a loaner. A week later I was advised the part had come early and repairs were completed. During a test drive after the repairs I immediately noticed static ABS and traction control lights on the dash and a non functioning track mode switch. When brought back to the dealership I was advised that not only was there no road test performed after the repair, there was also a replacement of the steering angle sensor which was installed incorrectly causing the issues. The vehicle was also parked a block and a half away from the service center and left unmonitored and outside of camera range. With all issues brought up, I was informed they would be corrected and called back. On my second pickup attempt the vehicle was now parked a block away on the other side of the service center, however had damage on the rear bumper from what appeared to be a parking incident as well as loose wires dangling from the steering column directly in front of the gas pedal. The service center advised me this would be corrected as well and apologized again for their incompetence. On the third pickup attempt the wires and rear bumper damage was addressed, however there was now a unremovable white residue on the textured lower portion of the rear bumper and significant dirt/dust left on the interior of the vehicle. After bringing up these issues to the manager, more apologies were made and I was advised that they would make every effort to finally get the repairs right. On the fourth pickup attempt the vehicle was finally clean and in a condition that was to be expected of a dealership warranty repair. I did have to make another return to the service center for a steering alignment since the steering wheel was significantly out of position. This time the staff and management was very gracious, performing two alignments to ensure all measurements were within tolerance and even allowing me to inspect the second alignment process. While the entirety if the service experience was substandard and extremely frustrating, I believe one extra star was deserved for the efforts made to correct the issues caused. The management team also took responsibility for the poor service and made the efforts to improve the performance of their staff/ensure the repairs...

This is the second time I have received service at Hillside Toyota, after moving to this new location, but it left a very bad impression on me. Clearly, the new location is larger, and the advisor will try to persuade customers to spend more money on unnecessary maintenance work. The tires are a bit bold (but they haven't affected normal use); there is a tiny crack on the windshield caused by a stone (in fact, many videos on YouTube show people using repair kits to fix their own cars); the passenger-side headlight glass has a small hole (in fact, I'm certain that they caused this when I came to have the oil-change in mid-June. When they finished, it's already over their working hours and I couldn't return to confront them face to face); today's advisor said that I need to pay $2500 to replace 4 tires, repair the small damage to the passenger-side headlight, and fix the tiny crack on the windshield. Otherwise, the inspection in New York State will not be passed. Ironically, I passed the inspection at a roadside repair shop for $35. It's obvious that the advisor needs customers' money to fill their own pockets, and customers' spending is linked to their performance. I suggest that all customers coming for repair here should have video or photo evidence of their beloved cars before handing over the car to them. This will prevent them from denying the damage to the vehicle as not their fault when they hand over the car. Today, I asked them to show the video of the repair work in the workshop when changing the engine oil on June 18th. Today's female manager said that there were too many customers and they couldn't retrieve it. Then she added that the video from a month ago no longer exists. Who believes that??? I clearly know that they don't want to take this responsibility.

In short, the consultant I met today, a so-called manager, no longer prioritizes the customer experience when dealing with customers. Leveraging their large storefront, their poor customer service has become apparent. I once had my car serviced at the old Hillside Toyota location, the front desk staff were excellent, not pushing customers to spend unnecessary money. I always tipped the front desk staff every time I picked up my car. However, after moving to the new location, I no longer receive the cost-effective service. These two experiences have made me lose confidence in Toyota, and I will seriously consider choosing Toyota again. The price of Toyota vehicles and the subsequent maintenance costs now exceed their actual value, making Toyota no longer a...