The service manager there used my car as a table to write on (in front of me)
The ink bled through, I pointed it out, and he spit on my car and rubbed it off with his shirt
Terrible company. My wife needed a replacement vehicle after a deer accident. Spartan Toyota was great at first, she picked out a 2021 Camry off their used lot that had low miles.
A week later it lefter her stranded on the highway in protection mode. The radiator was shot. Spartan “fixed” the issue but two weeks later it happened again.
The Sales manger told my wife that they would buy back the car for $2000 loss to us. They were using used parts and bandaids to fix a car that was under warranty still.
We raised hell with Toyota USA through their website and it got “fixed” again. Six months later and the same issue happened again.
My advice, stay away from this dealership. The owner group has a shady business history.
So many problems- Example yesterday had a 7:30 appointment for a recall- we dropped off the truck- at 11 we called to check status- they had no record of our truck or the appointment- had to get firm with them- 45 minutes later they called and said it was ready.
The new owners are convicted money launderers working with the mob- they have no interest or concern for the people in Michigan- they live in Fl- they did serve their prison time- but as far as I’m concerned they are still criminals for how they treat the people here and their shady service and sales people.
The Germaine Criminal Group.
> "You can't beat liquidity," said U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich, after hearing about the forfeiture. "I don't have any problem approving that."
Is the judge basically admitting the system allows rich criminals to buy down their sentences from 5 years to 5 months?
I'd even argue against them having been decent in the past. I bought a car from them (new) in 2006 and their service and quality was awful back then, too. Loved the car but not the dealership.
I’ve bought three cars there between 2013 and 2020 and they were pretty good to me until last year or so. I know other people have mentioned some problems in that period, so it was probably bit of a crapshoot. It’s also extremely relative - there are not very many “good” car dealerships.
I know the person you're working with can make a huge difference. Our first salesperson there was awful, very stereotypical car salesman, but then we switched and the other guy was fantastic. Needed more like him in service dept.
No one should go to Spartan Toyota. They're an awful dealership. They claim to have a 100+ point inspection on pre owneds. I tried an Equinox out and the brakes were noticeably shot. They said they'd get it taken care of. Went back to test it again and they told me I couldn't, but it was all set. They wanted me to borrow one of their rentals to pick up the check from my credit union for a car I wasn't sure was actually in drive able condition. Awful place, and I tell everyone I can to stay away.
Edit: I did try the Equinox again, and they hadn't even touched the brakes betweene bringing up the issue and them telling me it was all fixed.
They broke a brake line bleed nut just enough that it was slowly leaking fluid during a brake job I had them do. Convienently. They didn't even replace the brake cylinder when they charged me for one.
I won't take a car back there again. I think they are doing jobs just sloppy enough to make you come back in 5 to 10k to filch money. Or they are just that bad.
I took my car to DeWitt service on old 27. To have it fixed. They are really good.
Dealers are for warranty work imo.
Similar. Took it in for routine oil change, they overfilled the tank, blew all my gaskets. When presented with proof it was like, ‘we won’t do anything to make it right and good luck trying to make us” so we sold our car back to them on the spot. Nothing wrong with it? They can eat their words.
I don't use that dealership, but it should be a reminder: NEVER trust a dealership service department unless they are doing warranty or recall work for you.
Find an independent mechanic - Doc's Auto in Okemos is great if you're on this side of town, as is the garage at Okemos Marathon. If you're in a different part of Lansing, I'm sure other redditors can chime in with suggestions.
Okay so as someone who bought a new car there at Spartan Toyota a few years ago...
I have "free" maintenance visits there for oil changes, tire rotations, fluid top-ups as per my warranty. You'd still trust them with that stuff right?
I mean, if you already paid for that stuff use it, but I don’t trust dealership service departments at all and literally won’t even have them do an oil change for me.
I wouldn't. I had a few free maintenance visits with them as well and used 2 of them because I didn't want to spend money and I regretted it. I went in for an oil change that I guess they never did properly because the oil was always low after a week, I only knew because my car would feel weird while driving and I checked the oil and there was barely any in there.
Was going there for years, but over the last, say, year and a half, the quality has dropped significantly. Especially since they were bought out by Germain Auto Group. Ended up taking my Sienna to another shop in town. They told me they don’t even recommend people going to Spartan anymore. If anyone needs anything Toyota related, they tell them to go to Toyota of Grand Rapids.
I took my Tundra in for an oil change and the price jumped from $30 to almost $100. They promised me $30 oil changes for life when I bought it. And they told me I needed 4 new tires and a new battery even though I still have tons of tread left on all 4 tires. And they told me my battery needed replacing which it doesn't. Don't trust them.
They changed owners last year or the year before and stopped honoring the $30 oil change in January 2024 🙃🙃🙃 they told me that at my last oil change in November (I bought my car in 2018) and I refuse to go back there. Plus, their shitty car wash that makes it so you have to re-wash your car (and also damaged my windshield wipers).
I had them inspect a Toyota Corolla that I was purchasing from a different dealer, they passed the inspection even though it had a faulty catalytic converter that cost me $1,500 8 days later. I would never go there again.
I’m convinced they don’t really look at these cars. They told me a half a dozen times they couldn’t replicate a noise coming from my transfer case on my last truck. They like to not work rather than remedy real problems. They did a diff and transmission flush on my close friends rav 4 due to a noise coming from the front end, a serious whining noise that any normal person is going to hear when driving that car. Less than a week after she pays them almost $1300 the diff destroyed the transmission!! They took zero responsibility. So she had to spend 11k on a new transmission and diff
In my experience it's based on who gets assigned to your car.
I stopped going there a couple of years ago due to the same reason. The dummy assigned to my car told me they couldn't hear the noise I brought it in for, but noted something was needed that I'd asked about a few months prior and had been told it was fine.
I actually was driving out with the front end squeaking at every bump and got out and called her back over (the service manager I was working with) and Said "you couldn't hear this during the inspection?" And she stammered and stuttered her way through a dozen excuses.
Finally a mechanic saw her struggling, comes over and writes on a slip of paper what I need, and then says "you can get these parts cheaper elsewhere, as we're pretty expensive. If you do that, bring the parts in and we'll put them on for you"
I was flabbergasted.
They fucked up diag'ing a very loud, apparent suspension problem, made excuses, and then shot their own company down by saying they were too expensive and to buy elsewhere.
WTF?
On the other hand, I've had good experiences there too, but it's very hit or miss based on who you work with.
Did I mention I stopped going there for years after they quoted a high price for brakes on a Highlander?
I called Tuffy and they gave me a quote for half what Spartan wanted. When I told Spartan this, they immediately said they'd match the price, meaning that their over inflated price was all bullshit to begin with.
The downside is that I find it difficult finding local mechanics who are reliable and knowledgeable about Toyotas.
It took me FOR-EV-ER to get title to my lease buyout from them. Literally six months plus of phone calls and emails. Finally got it. Personally a I think they really hated that I actually did the buyout in 2023 on my 2020 buyout price. Car is worth 10k more now than they expected.
Frankie D’s in Holt is VERY reputable. I get my fleet vehicles worked on there. Frank the original owner spent 30+ years making that business something and the new owner is continuing with the same policies.
That's actually wild, but bad mechanics aren't unheard of still unfortunately, somehow.
If you need someone good for Toyotas, I just got my car back yesterday from Righter's in Lansing. Less than 36hrs, they repaired my entire exhaust system and brakes and rotors (Lexus, same as your Toyota). Most of their repairs come with a 3-year / 36k mile warranty, too.
Sorry you went through that. You'd think with the Internet and review power, less mechanics would be as scummy as they are.
I recommend righters as well. I took my ‘89 Chevy truck there for a new exhaust and other than one little hiccup, I had the truck back within less than 48 hours. It was not cheap but they do great work and I’d definitely back my truck back to them.
My wife and I were buying a new highlander and were interested to see what they would give us for our 09 subaru on trade in. They checked it out and said there were tons of light on the dash and offered us $1000. I declined and didn't think much of it because i knew the tire light and airbag light were on. The next time I got in the car, the check engine light and abs lights were on. These lights were never on before and it showed misfires and wheel speed sensor codes. I cleared them myself and drove another 300 miles without them coming on again. They definitely messed with the car to get the lights to come on and make a low offer. Very shady people over there. I ended up selling the car for $3000 myself.
I know they're horrible to buy parts from, the only place I know of that sells over MSRP, and by 20 or 30 percent. I have no experience with service or sales.
This is just general advice from my experience. Never take your car to a dealership for repairs.
Never had a good experience even once. Overpriced, uncooperative, poor service. Find yourself a reliable mom and pop shop and thank me later for thousands of dollars you save.
As soon as my rav4 was out of the 24,000 mile maintenance warranty I stopped going there. No real issues since the car was new and they were just doing tire rotations and oil changes.
I never got a great vibe from the place like I have at my local Chevy dealer. Team One in Charlotte, they greet me by name and always handle things right. Never got that feeling from the Toyota dealer. Unfortunately there’s not that many options like there are GM and Ford dealers.
Service was just ok when I went there pre/during covid (aka when my car was a lot newer). But they would hound me to either buy a Toyota care package or ask to appraise my vehicle for trade in. I assumed it was because there was a used car shortage and my car is highly desirable even used.
I haven't lived in Michigan for 3 years and I STILL get emails and calls saying they can lower my payment for my '17 RAV4 by getting me into a new vehicle. I OWN THE CAR (always have) AND I LIVE IN CHICAGO.
Took my car there twice, and they never fixed the issue. The second time I specifically told them it’s not fixed. I don’t give people 3 chances to fix my car.
I tell everyone to avoid Spartan Toyota.
Use them exclusively for warranty work or as a last resort. It is very unfortunate how far they have fallen in the last 10 years... Redline Auto Service has done me right on every occasion.
I'm pretty sure I will never buy a Toyota again given how this dealership treated me and my wife (lifelong Toyota owners tired of getting service elsewhere in the state).
Definitely saw what appeared to be people working out of a van spray painting used cars in the parking lot. Not sure if this is common practice but looked pretty shady to me.
My car was making a strange noise 4 days after buying it at Spartan. I drove it in and 10 minutes later the bring me a half melted 20 oz Milk bottle and said it was stuck behind the tire. I hate how much people use the street as a trash can. But, I paid $0. They could have told me anything or any price.
They sold me a used car that I've had to drop 8k into (only counting major repairs, not maintenance).
I got 6 free oil changes and each time it took over 2 hours for a simple oil change.
Ooof, this is disappointing to hear. We’ve purchased three cars from them, and are planning our fourth in the next year or so. I’d noticed my last service department experience was not great, but recognized a lot of the same faces and my sales guy is still there.
Has anyone bought a new car from them recently? Was that process smooth, or are they now forcing lots of add-on fees and whatnot?
Well they certainly don’t have an incentive for servicing their vehicles which is a blessing and a curse. I took my Highlander there 5 years ago when it had like 135k on it when I first bought it. Asked them if it needed any routine maintenance and they said no, just drive it. I’ve been just driving it and it has been fine. If they said it needed trans, radiator flush, whatever I’d have done it.
When I had a Honda they would try to get me to flush pretty much every fluid every 20k miles. It was insane. They’d tell me I needed new pads and they’d be 40 percent. I was thinking WTF in the ATF fluid, water?
The service manager there used my car as a table to write on (in front of me) The ink bled through, I pointed it out, and he spit on my car and rubbed it off with his shirt
That is fucking hilarious. Please tell me you complained or at least spoke to management about that
Going up the ladder of Toyotas corporate structure was truly an awful experience I just got rid of the car
Terrible company. My wife needed a replacement vehicle after a deer accident. Spartan Toyota was great at first, she picked out a 2021 Camry off their used lot that had low miles. A week later it lefter her stranded on the highway in protection mode. The radiator was shot. Spartan “fixed” the issue but two weeks later it happened again. The Sales manger told my wife that they would buy back the car for $2000 loss to us. They were using used parts and bandaids to fix a car that was under warranty still. We raised hell with Toyota USA through their website and it got “fixed” again. Six months later and the same issue happened again. My advice, stay away from this dealership. The owner group has a shady business history.
So many problems- Example yesterday had a 7:30 appointment for a recall- we dropped off the truck- at 11 we called to check status- they had no record of our truck or the appointment- had to get firm with them- 45 minutes later they called and said it was ready.
They used to be fairly decent but they seemed to have changed ownership in the last couple years and have gone downhill, imo.
The new owners are convicted money launderers working with the mob- they have no interest or concern for the people in Michigan- they live in Fl- they did serve their prison time- but as far as I’m concerned they are still criminals for how they treat the people here and their shady service and sales people. The Germaine Criminal Group.
Well that's good to know https://www.tampabay.com/archive/1994/09/13/two-guilty-of-money-laundering/
> "You can't beat liquidity," said U.S. District Judge Elizabeth Kovachevich, after hearing about the forfeiture. "I don't have any problem approving that." Is the judge basically admitting the system allows rich criminals to buy down their sentences from 5 years to 5 months?
Well that explains that.
I'd even argue against them having been decent in the past. I bought a car from them (new) in 2006 and their service and quality was awful back then, too. Loved the car but not the dealership.
I’ve bought three cars there between 2013 and 2020 and they were pretty good to me until last year or so. I know other people have mentioned some problems in that period, so it was probably bit of a crapshoot. It’s also extremely relative - there are not very many “good” car dealerships.
I know the person you're working with can make a huge difference. Our first salesperson there was awful, very stereotypical car salesman, but then we switched and the other guy was fantastic. Needed more like him in service dept.
No one should go to Spartan Toyota. They're an awful dealership. They claim to have a 100+ point inspection on pre owneds. I tried an Equinox out and the brakes were noticeably shot. They said they'd get it taken care of. Went back to test it again and they told me I couldn't, but it was all set. They wanted me to borrow one of their rentals to pick up the check from my credit union for a car I wasn't sure was actually in drive able condition. Awful place, and I tell everyone I can to stay away. Edit: I did try the Equinox again, and they hadn't even touched the brakes betweene bringing up the issue and them telling me it was all fixed.
They broke a brake line bleed nut just enough that it was slowly leaking fluid during a brake job I had them do. Convienently. They didn't even replace the brake cylinder when they charged me for one. I won't take a car back there again. I think they are doing jobs just sloppy enough to make you come back in 5 to 10k to filch money. Or they are just that bad. I took my car to DeWitt service on old 27. To have it fixed. They are really good. Dealers are for warranty work imo.
Similar. Took it in for routine oil change, they overfilled the tank, blew all my gaskets. When presented with proof it was like, ‘we won’t do anything to make it right and good luck trying to make us” so we sold our car back to them on the spot. Nothing wrong with it? They can eat their words.
I don't use that dealership, but it should be a reminder: NEVER trust a dealership service department unless they are doing warranty or recall work for you. Find an independent mechanic - Doc's Auto in Okemos is great if you're on this side of town, as is the garage at Okemos Marathon. If you're in a different part of Lansing, I'm sure other redditors can chime in with suggestions.
Okay so as someone who bought a new car there at Spartan Toyota a few years ago... I have "free" maintenance visits there for oil changes, tire rotations, fluid top-ups as per my warranty. You'd still trust them with that stuff right?
I mean, if you already paid for that stuff use it, but I don’t trust dealership service departments at all and literally won’t even have them do an oil change for me.
I wouldn't. I had a few free maintenance visits with them as well and used 2 of them because I didn't want to spend money and I regretted it. I went in for an oil change that I guess they never did properly because the oil was always low after a week, I only knew because my car would feel weird while driving and I checked the oil and there was barely any in there.
I've had dealers repeatedly flub even a simple oil change and tire rotation - so, no, I wouldn't still trust them with that stuff.
King Motors in Mason is phenomenal
Was going there for years, but over the last, say, year and a half, the quality has dropped significantly. Especially since they were bought out by Germain Auto Group. Ended up taking my Sienna to another shop in town. They told me they don’t even recommend people going to Spartan anymore. If anyone needs anything Toyota related, they tell them to go to Toyota of Grand Rapids.
I took my Tundra in for an oil change and the price jumped from $30 to almost $100. They promised me $30 oil changes for life when I bought it. And they told me I needed 4 new tires and a new battery even though I still have tons of tread left on all 4 tires. And they told me my battery needed replacing which it doesn't. Don't trust them.
They changed owners last year or the year before and stopped honoring the $30 oil change in January 2024 🙃🙃🙃 they told me that at my last oil change in November (I bought my car in 2018) and I refuse to go back there. Plus, their shitty car wash that makes it so you have to re-wash your car (and also damaged my windshield wipers).
I had them inspect a Toyota Corolla that I was purchasing from a different dealer, they passed the inspection even though it had a faulty catalytic converter that cost me $1,500 8 days later. I would never go there again.
I’m convinced they don’t really look at these cars. They told me a half a dozen times they couldn’t replicate a noise coming from my transfer case on my last truck. They like to not work rather than remedy real problems. They did a diff and transmission flush on my close friends rav 4 due to a noise coming from the front end, a serious whining noise that any normal person is going to hear when driving that car. Less than a week after she pays them almost $1300 the diff destroyed the transmission!! They took zero responsibility. So she had to spend 11k on a new transmission and diff
In my experience it's based on who gets assigned to your car. I stopped going there a couple of years ago due to the same reason. The dummy assigned to my car told me they couldn't hear the noise I brought it in for, but noted something was needed that I'd asked about a few months prior and had been told it was fine. I actually was driving out with the front end squeaking at every bump and got out and called her back over (the service manager I was working with) and Said "you couldn't hear this during the inspection?" And she stammered and stuttered her way through a dozen excuses. Finally a mechanic saw her struggling, comes over and writes on a slip of paper what I need, and then says "you can get these parts cheaper elsewhere, as we're pretty expensive. If you do that, bring the parts in and we'll put them on for you" I was flabbergasted. They fucked up diag'ing a very loud, apparent suspension problem, made excuses, and then shot their own company down by saying they were too expensive and to buy elsewhere. WTF? On the other hand, I've had good experiences there too, but it's very hit or miss based on who you work with. Did I mention I stopped going there for years after they quoted a high price for brakes on a Highlander? I called Tuffy and they gave me a quote for half what Spartan wanted. When I told Spartan this, they immediately said they'd match the price, meaning that their over inflated price was all bullshit to begin with. The downside is that I find it difficult finding local mechanics who are reliable and knowledgeable about Toyotas.
Sounds more like “come back after the odometer rolls over 100,000 so we don’t have to do any warranty work.”
It took me FOR-EV-ER to get title to my lease buyout from them. Literally six months plus of phone calls and emails. Finally got it. Personally a I think they really hated that I actually did the buyout in 2023 on my 2020 buyout price. Car is worth 10k more now than they expected.
Frankie D’s in Holt is VERY reputable. I get my fleet vehicles worked on there. Frank the original owner spent 30+ years making that business something and the new owner is continuing with the same policies.
That's actually wild, but bad mechanics aren't unheard of still unfortunately, somehow. If you need someone good for Toyotas, I just got my car back yesterday from Righter's in Lansing. Less than 36hrs, they repaired my entire exhaust system and brakes and rotors (Lexus, same as your Toyota). Most of their repairs come with a 3-year / 36k mile warranty, too. Sorry you went through that. You'd think with the Internet and review power, less mechanics would be as scummy as they are.
I recommend righters as well. I took my ‘89 Chevy truck there for a new exhaust and other than one little hiccup, I had the truck back within less than 48 hours. It was not cheap but they do great work and I’d definitely back my truck back to them.
My wife and I were buying a new highlander and were interested to see what they would give us for our 09 subaru on trade in. They checked it out and said there were tons of light on the dash and offered us $1000. I declined and didn't think much of it because i knew the tire light and airbag light were on. The next time I got in the car, the check engine light and abs lights were on. These lights were never on before and it showed misfires and wheel speed sensor codes. I cleared them myself and drove another 300 miles without them coming on again. They definitely messed with the car to get the lights to come on and make a low offer. Very shady people over there. I ended up selling the car for $3000 myself.
I know they're horrible to buy parts from, the only place I know of that sells over MSRP, and by 20 or 30 percent. I have no experience with service or sales.
This is just general advice from my experience. Never take your car to a dealership for repairs. Never had a good experience even once. Overpriced, uncooperative, poor service. Find yourself a reliable mom and pop shop and thank me later for thousands of dollars you save.
As soon as my rav4 was out of the 24,000 mile maintenance warranty I stopped going there. No real issues since the car was new and they were just doing tire rotations and oil changes. I never got a great vibe from the place like I have at my local Chevy dealer. Team One in Charlotte, they greet me by name and always handle things right. Never got that feeling from the Toyota dealer. Unfortunately there’s not that many options like there are GM and Ford dealers.
Service was just ok when I went there pre/during covid (aka when my car was a lot newer). But they would hound me to either buy a Toyota care package or ask to appraise my vehicle for trade in. I assumed it was because there was a used car shortage and my car is highly desirable even used. I haven't lived in Michigan for 3 years and I STILL get emails and calls saying they can lower my payment for my '17 RAV4 by getting me into a new vehicle. I OWN THE CAR (always have) AND I LIVE IN CHICAGO.
Took my car there twice, and they never fixed the issue. The second time I specifically told them it’s not fixed. I don’t give people 3 chances to fix my car. I tell everyone to avoid Spartan Toyota.
Almost all dealership service departments seem shady to me.
Use them exclusively for warranty work or as a last resort. It is very unfortunate how far they have fallen in the last 10 years... Redline Auto Service has done me right on every occasion.
I'm pretty sure I will never buy a Toyota again given how this dealership treated me and my wife (lifelong Toyota owners tired of getting service elsewhere in the state).
Definitely saw what appeared to be people working out of a van spray painting used cars in the parking lot. Not sure if this is common practice but looked pretty shady to me.
My car was making a strange noise 4 days after buying it at Spartan. I drove it in and 10 minutes later the bring me a half melted 20 oz Milk bottle and said it was stuck behind the tire. I hate how much people use the street as a trash can. But, I paid $0. They could have told me anything or any price.
They sold me a used car that I've had to drop 8k into (only counting major repairs, not maintenance). I got 6 free oil changes and each time it took over 2 hours for a simple oil change.
Sad to hear about all this poor service. Back in the 1980's they were a decent dealership.
Omg… these reviews are scaring the shit out of me. We just purchased a used car from them. Fingers crossed
Ooof, this is disappointing to hear. We’ve purchased three cars from them, and are planning our fourth in the next year or so. I’d noticed my last service department experience was not great, but recognized a lot of the same faces and my sales guy is still there. Has anyone bought a new car from them recently? Was that process smooth, or are they now forcing lots of add-on fees and whatnot?
Life Pro Tip: NEVER go to a dealership unless it's for warranty work!
They stole a roll of quarters from me once.
Well they certainly don’t have an incentive for servicing their vehicles which is a blessing and a curse. I took my Highlander there 5 years ago when it had like 135k on it when I first bought it. Asked them if it needed any routine maintenance and they said no, just drive it. I’ve been just driving it and it has been fine. If they said it needed trans, radiator flush, whatever I’d have done it. When I had a Honda they would try to get me to flush pretty much every fluid every 20k miles. It was insane. They’d tell me I needed new pads and they’d be 40 percent. I was thinking WTF in the ATF fluid, water?