Dealer left live wire exposed on our new tS. What next?
 

We are so worried we are not sure what to do next.

We purchased our 2020 tS that the dealer had installed an aftermarket alarm into. We did not activate it during time of purchase but they left it in there. We contacted Subaru of America customer service and were told this voids the factory warranty in this area of the car unless we have it removed. We returned to the dealer and had it removed. We thought aftermarket alarms were plug and play, and this car is a brand new so what's the worry about it's condition, but we have now found out that isn't the case.

I reviewed the car and found the following

-Leftover wiretaps on the driver and passenger side
-Leftover ground wires for the alarm module that were cut during removal (I've since removed this)
-Cut, leftover wire that was part of the alarm wiring harness that was left loose on the driver side footwell. I traced it to the passenger side and found it connected to a relay that is hooked into the wiring harness on that side of the car. If you ground out this wire to the frame of the car, it unlocks it!

We want the remaining parts removed and repaired. Should we go to an independent mechanic we trust or another Subaru dealership? We are worried that if we go to another Subaru dealership, they will bad mouth the other dealership, and say the only fix is a new wiring harness for several thousand dollars. And at this point my partner does not trust dealerships even more now.

We are not sure how to proceed and looking for advice.

Thank you

That is bad and they should feel bad. I would take it back, ask to speak with the service manager, and calmly point it all out. I would try not to get heated about it until you get to see how they try to address it. I would also take pictures.

Yeah, at this point we have lost trust in the dealership so we struggle with that decision. I have lots of pictures of the before and after state. I've also taken a video of the wire unlocking the car when I ground it out. But they are at our mercy because we have not filled out the Subaru survey yet.

The only person you screw over with that survey is the salesman. One bad survey could screw up his brand bonus for 90 days plus on shit they have no control over.

Sucks, but that's the common reality for car sales.

Should have just left it in, warranty issue was low risk. Too late now but hopefully it works out.

i would take it to another shop, get their opinion on what to do, and then talk with the shop manager at the original dealer to have those things done at their cost.

^^This.