BRZ Service under warranty. DYI or Dealership?
 

I'm at 5440 miles. The service manual says oil change and tire rotation at 6k miles. I know how to service my own vehicles, have access to my family professional shop with a lift/tools, and can easily do it myself.

I mean I have the knowledge, tools, and access to do everything.
However, this is my first brand new car with a warranty. During the purchasing I was so busy haggling to get the price I wanted that I forgot to get them to include a free service or anything of that nature. My question is should BRZs be serviced strictly at the dealership under the warranty period?

Why would you pay them to do something so simple as an oil change and tire rotation? If you do it yourself, just start a log book of everything you do and what mileage you do it at. While you're in there, put better fluid in the trans and diff.

That is what I do for every vehicle. However, it is a question that I had in my mind considering the warranty/new car thing.

I always have the same thoughts - as long as my cars are under warranty, I take them to the dealership for service. Not just so they have a history of the car's maintenance, but it helps you develop a rapport with the service manager(s) and I think results in better chances of getting things fixed under warranty.

Case in point - basically everybody told me I was SOL for getting some defects in the car's paint fixed, but I was able to convince them to have Subaru warranty the work. Ended up getting the hood, roof and rear deck repainted.

That said, if you keep track of any servicing you do, with corresponding receipts, they shouldn't be able to deny your claim based on that. However, you'll just be a guy coming in that they don't know at that point, so I think the relationship developed can be very helpful. Just my $.02.

Honestly?

The fact that you label the dealership as a "stealership" already says you should do your own work.

If you can't recognize what value a dealer provides for you on a new car, you don't need to build a (business) relationship with them. But don't get offended if you end up arguing with them over warranty matters.

-alex

If I remember correctly, all Subarus get their first 2 years/24,000 miles of scheduled maintenance for free, which ends up being about 4 services. Possibly look into that. I'm not sure if that's a regional thing, but I know the last three Subies I've owned and one my little sister recently picked up have all received this service plan with the car.

Very great points here. That is basically why I created the thread. The dealer I bought my car from is 220 miles away from me. I have two dealerships within a hour of my place of residence that don't have great reps.

The dealership in Wilmington NC has a pretty good rep. But, it is about a hour and 45 minutes away.

I say that as a jest. I promise you I can see the benefit from developing a relationship with a reputable dealer. But, as in the earlier quote the trustworthy dealer I bought my car from is 220 miles away.

It wasn't something negotiated. I totally neglected it. I have heard that may be something. I will need to look into it and see if it is regional. Any ideas where to start?

I've done most of my routine maintenance and a lot of the repairs of my vehicles for years, and am blessed with two great friends who are full-time professional mechanics who bail me out when I get in over my head, so I haven't had to go to a dealership or other full-time shop in a long time. Having said that, I've been taking my new-to-me-since-October 2013 FR-S to a local dealership with a good rep for oil changes. The dealership I bought the car from (about 5 hours away) included a "free" oil change with the sale, which I had done at my local dealership, but the "free" only covered 5 quarts of oil, so it wasn't free. The local guys also took care of a TSB on the windows without any hassle, and fixed the cam coverplate leak w/out a hassle, too. Since they were so good about that stuff, I've taken it back for two more oil changes on my dime. They charge about $80 or so. Considering I'd have to by 6 quarts of synthetic (figure $50) a filter and a crush washer (another $10, give or take), I'd only be saving about $20 by spending some quality greasy time lying on my back in my filthy garage. Ain't worth it to me, plus I agree with the points above about building a relationship with the dealership should you ever need it. Once my warranty runs out, of course, I'll be back to the usual DIY approach.

Barry

But that hits the point I'm trying to make... if you are ever worried about a new car warranty, you'd want a local dealer to be on your side.

Even if you went in every 12000 miles and paid for an inspection, it is a log of what you have done and you can maintain records of issues. Also, it really helps your case (should you need it) if they know your car's history (as opposed to a random customer coming in with some minor mods and no service history of any kind).

Given Subaru's past history of warranty abuse from STi owners, the last thing you want is a (local) dealer that doesn't give two shits about your car.

-alex

Search your dealership's website for "Subaru Complimentary Maintenance Program" or something similar. I can't find anything on the main Subaru site but every dealership site mentions it.

I checked with 3 dealerships. This is not true for NC.

Great case. I will look into my local dealers abit more.

I called three of the most local Subaru dealerships and they all said that stopped in 2012.

Weird. I bought mine Sept. 2014 and it was included without me asking. I only had them do two changes, though, before I started doing my own.

I just checked my sticker from when I bought the car and that plan is not listed. So it looks like I will need to pay for it lol.