He Missed His Toyota Tundra Service Grace Period By One Day, But He Made The Appointment a Week Prior

Car dealerships still don't have a sterling reputation. Doesn't matter if we're talking about the showroom floor or the service bay. One Toyota Tundra owner has some serious beef with an unnamed dealer.

May 22, 2026 - 4:46PM EDT
By: Tim Healey

This owner dropped his Toyota Tundra truck off for service and was told he had to pay for his oil change out of pocket. We assume he or she referring to a maintenance package offered by Toyota.

The truck owner says he has a two-year or 25,000-mile service package on a Toyota Tundra, and that the dealer is refusing to honor it because there had been a one-month grace period on the package's end, and the customer missed it by a day.

Gray writes in the 2023-2027 Toyota Tundra Owners on Facebook:

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"I dropped my car off at the dealership this AM for service. I have 18k miles. I bought the truck April 12, 2024. Advisor informs me that I needed to pay for the oil change since it’s been 2 yrs or 25k miles. He said they only have a grace period of 1 month after the 2 years so I missed it by a day. I have only had the oil changed 1x before today. Also, I get a text later saying they have a 3% surcharge for all cc. They didn’t tell me this when I was there this AM.

Whole experience is just rubbing me the wrong way. Thoughts?"

2024 Toyota Tundra

Here's The Torque News Truth About Expiring Maintenance Packages

Based on this author's experience as a service writer many years ago, most dealerships would've not hassled a customer over being just one day past the end of the grace period. Dealerships want to keep customers over the long term, and if the person is just a few days past the grace period or a few miles over the limit, most shops will be willing to absorb the cost -- or to get reimbursement from the OEM.

Yes, it's true that there was a one-month grace period at play here, and some might argue that if the grace period is over, it's the customers' fault. After all, at some point, the coverage has to end. But one day seems pretty petty. A week or more would be different.

For those who are unaware, maintenance packages are either sold with a new car or offered for "free" by the manufacturer. In the former case, the customer pays up front and that cost should cover the charges for basic maintenance like oil changes and tire rotations, at least until a certain date and mileage limit.

In the latter case, the OEM doesn't charge the customer up front -- it's part of the new-car purchase. Though we put "free" in quotes because the cost will be added into the sticker price. There is still a prescribed date and time limit.

2024 Toyota Tundra

Torque News Says To Read The Fine Print

This particular dealer seems to have been overly harsh, but the customer probably should've been more familiar with the grace period. On the other hand, our lives get busy, and it can be hard to get to the dealership.

There's also some question over whether the customer set up an appointment, and if so, when, or if he/she was a walk-in. That might make a difference.

Still, as one Facebook-post commenter pointed out, this store might simply be too shortsighted to retain customers.

"Most places would still take care of you and then inform you when you come in to pick it up, I also would recommend 5k oil change intervals. Just a mechanic perspective on that. Following this experience I wouldn’t return to that place myself."

But also see why the Toyota Tundra pickup truck is a good investment in 5 different ways.

About The Author

Tim Healey is an experienced automotive writer and editor from Chicago. He has covered automotive news at Consumer Guide Automotive, Web2Carz, AutoGuide, and was the managing editor at The Truth About Cars. Tim is a member of the Midwest Automotive Media Association. You can find him on Facebook, X/Twitter, and on LinkedIn.