Novato Toyota Service & Parts - Novato, California

Blair B.

I want to express my huge gratitude and appreciation to the team at the Novato Toyota Service department for going above and beyond to get us back on the road. Especially Bob Carpenter and Bing.

My partner and I were stranded Saturday evening in Mill Valley when our 2001 Toyota Sequoia wouldn’t start. We live n the foothills, and work weekends on the Bay, so we had to camp out until Monday morning. We assumed it was the starter, and because it is located under the intake manifold in the 2UZFE V8, I knew it would be a big job. I wanted a genuine Toyota starter so that I could go another 23 years before needing to replace it, rather than every 2 years of I went to another shop. The plan was to tow it to Marin Toyota, as it was the closest. I was nervous if they would have space in their schedule when I showed up first thing Monday morning.

I spoke to a friend in Novato and she insisted I go the extra distance to Novato Toyota, as her sister had a great experience with their service department. I relented, as it would cost me an extra $160 in towing fees. After reading some reviews, I made the decision, which was confirmed by our tow truck driver who said people he tows have had much better experience at Novato versus Marin. As we drove past Marin I could see that it was already a Zoo, at 7 am, and I imagined my we would have been waiting hours before even speaking to anyone.

As soon as we pulled in to Novato Toyota, Bob came out to greet us, like a ray of sunshine, assuring me they would take good care of us and get us back on the road as soon as possible. I felt hopeful.

They were quickly able to do the initial diagnosis, confirming that it would need a new starter, as I expected, and they found one in San Ramone. He assured me that they would get to work as soon as it arrived later that afternoon. They gave us a complimentary ride to our friends house in Novato. The quote was $1600 for labor, which I expected, because it is a big job for this particular engine.

Later that day I got a call from Bing, and he informed me that upon further electrical testing they discovered that the relay wasn’t getting juice. This meant that the starter wasn’t actually the issue! He did some detective work and found some strange wires hanging from the drivers footwell. He discovered some kind of alarm system that had been kicked, disconnecting the wires that fed the starter relay. He even sent me pictures of what he discovered. He said they would figure it out and put it back together, and have it ready for me to pick up first thing in the morning. They were working after hours at this point. The best part is that the new total went from around $1800 to less than $500! I picked it up Tuesday morning, and we were back on the road.

I generally have a mistrust of dealership service departments, but I will not hesitate to take my beloved Sequoia to Novato Toyota for any future needs.

Rose B.

This is the most unorganized service center I have ever taken a vehicle to. I had a warranty on my tires and ended up needing 6 appointments for this place to get the right information, approval and tires ordered. Once the tires were ordered, I made an appointment for 8am the next week. I dropped off my truck off for appointment at 8am and I was called at 2pm and told they couldn’t get my tires off of the truck and I needed to make another appointment to come back. This is after I had told them I needed to pick my truck up no later than 2:30pm. I finally took the tires myself and paid another shop to put them on. If you live in the Marin area, do NOT take your vehicle to this place for service, take it to Toyota in Marin

Chuck

Spoke with parts. They said they would order a part and it would be there in 2 days. I arrived at the dealer in 2 days later to pick up said part. Part was not there and there was no record the part was ever ordered. Had to order the part again and wait 3 more days. Don't waste your time with these guys. They don't care about their customers.

12/28/21 - update. I reached out to Todd (the owner who replied to my review) weeks ago at his request so he could "make things right" but never heard back. I believe his response to my original message was just an attempt to save face for those reading reviews. We purchased our third car from this dealer a couple years back but have decided to no longer support them moving forward. We have been using Toyota Marin in San rafael for service, parts and our latest vehicle purchase. They treat us well and don't play games. Highly recommended them.

Kyle S.

They don’t have time for you. This place is just a poor customer service experience, and there’s no need for it to be that way. Seems like a pattern based on other reviews.

Francie

I always have a great experience each time I service my vehicle. I was a tad frazzled today..fire engines coming from both outside lanes..traffic at a crawl..and raining..overturned vehicle in the 2nd lane of 101NB..called in and Pablo answered.. I said I might be late and he was very concerned. I made it in and Robin took good care of me. Very professional staff and always helpful. As I was getting into my vehicle, a staff guy came up to me and said he had to show me a pix of his cat (who adopted HIM) He resembled my cat..Robin had shown him my cat key chain. I guess it was unusual. I showed him my cat key chain was in fact a protection advice.. You place your two fingers into the eyes, form a knuckle and the ears are sharp enough to gouge a person's eyes out. 😸 Very friendly staff. Mahalo for taking care of my car. I always feel safe driving it after a checkup.

Paula K.

They have proven their integrity to me when I called them for advice a few months ago and when I brought my Toyota to them for a service milestone. They did a wonderful job at the service.

M B.

This is my favorite Toyota dealer. They are very fast! And Pablo, it's very knowledgeable about his job. Good job, guys 👏👏👏👏

Terri D.

Very much excellent service,
My experience was very good, especially with the shuttle service.
Good Job to Novato Toyota.