First time for service

I'm happy to report that the quality assurance on my Toyota Highlander Hybrid was so well done that I have not had to take it back to the dealers since we bought it over 4 months ago. Although it has its little quirks (such as not cutting out the speed control immediately when I tap the brake), I have not been able to find anything wrong with it.

I was a little worried a week or 10 days ago when a warning light came on and the message "Maintenance Required Soon" appeared on the little display screen. A quick search through the owner's manual explained that that message was to let me know I had reached 90% of the mileage when an oil change is recommended. The message was fleeting, turning off within 10 seconds so I made a mental note to schedule an oil change when I had the time. At 5,000 miles the warning message changed to "Maintenance Required" and it didn't go off.

Yesterday, I managed to get back to the dealer for the oil change (which we had prepaid). I must admit that the service writers were efficient and friendly but the man in charge of driving the cars to the service bays was perplexed. He turned the key in my car but "nothing happened". I guess he had never driven a hybrid before and expected the engine to roar to life.

He wasn't the only person surprised by my car. After the oil change and the other maintenance due at 5,000 miles, my car was promptly returned to me. I turned the key and saw the clear message "Maintenance Required" staring back at me. Mine is likely the first hybrid of that model that mechanic has worked on and he either didn't know how or didn't know it was necessary to reset the warning. Let's hope that was all he missed.