Quote:
Originally Posted by DarkSunrise
Thanks! I do think people need to step up and take responsibility for their actions. If you go to the track and stuff breaks as a result, that's on you.
But it goes both ways. If you're a huge corporation like Toyota or Subaru and you know that owners' engines have oil starved due to poor sealant application from your recall campaign (which you knew would be mandated in one state that's one of your largest markets), you should step up and fully cover the affected owners.
1. It was Subaru's supplier issues that caused the valve springs to fail. They chose and vetted that supplier. Subaru likely received a huge monetary settlement or judgment against that supplier as well, which is being used to cover this recall campaign.
2. As large global corporations, Subaru/Toyota are in a better position to replace an engine (even with a used one) than any individual owner.
3. From a marketing perspective, the 86/BRZ was supposed to be Toyota/Subaru's passion project. The first adopters are the ones who took the risk to buy the car early on (and it was a commercial success that first year). Would be bad form IMO to leave those same owners out to dry.
4. This car may be majority Subaru built, but Toyota has a reputation for quality/longevity and put their name on the car. They should take (or have taken) the necessary steps to make sure the car met their quality standards.
For those reasons I think in any case where an engine fails within a year or two (or 10-20k miles) after getting the recall done, Toyota/Subaru should at the very least give the owner the benefit of the doubt and either partially cover the repair or offer a used engine replacement. I've already seen a few instances on this forum where the dealership and Toyota corporate have told the owner to pound sand which leaves a bad taste in my mouth about buying another Toyota product, to say the least.
I agree with the above, but will add that Toyota/Subaru shouldn't be leaving any individual owners out to dry. You never know if that's going to be you next.
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I agree with pretty much everything you said. The FR-S/86 and BRZ were a project created out of a passion to make a balanced and fun car to drive. Something that doesn’t really exist any more, aside from the Miata. So it would have left a very bad taste in my mouth if I supported that project and had my engine fail. I wouldn’t be as upset if it was a faulty part that would have been difficult to QC properly. But failure because the tech performing the work didn’t know, or care, how to do it properly?! That is unacceptable. And I totally agree that Toyota, and Subaru to some extent, could have used their deep pockets to make those customers feel like they mattered. Unfortunately large corporations lose sight of the little people that buy their products. You’re just a small pebble in the river of customers.
That being said, I value very much the Japanese philosophy of making quality products. I will continue to support companies that make an attempt to create quality products. All of my Toyota’s have been excellent vehicles, nearly perfect. And Subaru is like my automotive soulmate, my WRX will always be my favorite car. [emoji1]
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