Catalytic converter warranty denial by Subaru. 100% Stock engine!

[DoomsdayJesus]

Originally Posted by Ozzman

There is no wondering necessary, You can damn near guarantee it. That cat got way too hot.

All I could picture when I read this was a cat running around until it burst into flames.

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

Specifically, unless the cat has approved by CARB, it is not legal.

California™

One of thousands of reasons I'm never moving back. They excel at banning the fun, taxing the fun, and telling you how to have your fun.

[CounterSpace Garage]

Originally Posted by DoomsdayJesus

All I could picture when I read this was a cat running around until it burst into flames.

One of thousands of reasons I'm never moving back. They excel at banning the fun, taxing the fun, and telling you how to have your fun.

Not sure why Subaru decided to provide warranties on their cars especially if they hire guys off the street to say "No" to everything. They (actually same senior representative) have even denied safety warranty claims on faulty airbag systems claiming the car was not in a severe enough accident to allow the airbags to deploy. Apparently that vehicle was in a nasty accident.

[DoomsdayJesus]

Originally Posted by CounterSpace Garage

Not sure why Subaru decided to provide warranties on their cars especially if they hire guys off the street to say "No" to everything. They (actually same senior representative) have even denied safety warranty claims on faulty airbag systems claiming the car was not in a severe enough accident to allow the airbags to deploy. Apparently that vehicle was in a nasty accident.

Over 100 people and you can get a class action lawsuit going. Then you get the good lawyers crawling out of their holes and chasing the money, signing up everyone they can.

I just received a check for .17 cents because apparently a supermarket I worked at back in the 90s wasn't giving proper breaks. I laughed and laughed.

Edit: You may also want to get your state AG on board. http://naag.org/

[Weeber]

Originally Posted by Onealpha

CSG Mike, that sucks in so many different ways. If I had known that Subaru were such asshats and would regularly deny warranty with only the presumption of guilt by association, I never would have bothered to buy this car. It is really just not worth it. You are not the only one with a story of warranty denial on this forum.

Now I have a car that I feel like I have to baby. I have never babied a car in my entire life. I have worked for Euro car dealers like BMW and Porsche for years and I have never seen any of these dealers deny warranty for anything other than proof of abuse. They have shown absolutely no proof that you did anything wrong. Hell, I dont know if you did or didnt, but don't they have to prove that you did? I know we are only hearing your side of the story, and I would love to hear anything from Subaru in regard to this or the DI issue, but we have nothing but silence. They won't even acknowledge the issue exists, but I think it is obvious that some people are having a problem and existing customers are very concerned that there may be a ticking time bomb in their engine bay. If they dont get out in front of this it could place a stigma on this vehicle that will destroy the momentumn that this platform has enjoyed so far.

When I bought this car it was my first Subaru and I was very jazzed at the idea. I owned Mazda, Honda, Porsche, BMW and honestly thought that the Subaru was a car company that I had not paid enough attention to. I drove their forrester as a loaner for a week and my wife loved it. We saw a WRX wagon drive by the other day and she said that she might like getting one of those. Which really sucks because I want to love my Subaru, but I am starting to think that this company views its customers as a problem rather than an asset. So Subaru, if your reading this, get your shit together. I am not going to tell you who I am, but I know the car business at the management level and your not doing a very good job. I can tell you that if shine on this marble is starting to wear off.

CSG Mike, Thanks for keeping us updated on your progress and I wish you the best of luck.

I understand your concern but OP's problems shouldn't determine how you drive your vehicle.

From what I see this problem is, as many have said, blown way out of proportion, seeing the majority of us are "yet" to see any issues arise.

I'm also going to play devil's advocate here when I say CSG Mike now has a legal obligation to keep quiet. We don't know the whole story and assuming you aren't a close family member or a friend you wouldn't either.

Just don't give Subaru a reason to deny your warranty, i.e don't track it.

[suaveflooder]

I've said it in other threads, but I want to make SURE THAT SUBARU SEE'S THIS!! It is cases like this that are the reason why I will NEVER purchase a Subaru, new or used, until stuff like this is taken care of. The wife and I were on the lookout for a clean STI to get her into. We will find another car and you will not receive our business. I have also made sure that everyone around me knows about this. My buddy was looking to trade in his Camry for a new WRX. I told him about threads like this, and he has now decided to just hold on to his Camry. You're welcome. TAKE CARE OF YOUR FREAKIN' CUSTOMERS!

/rant

[xjohnx]

tips@jalopnik.com

[sosick]

how would they know ur tracking the car? they cant deny the replacement of a cat within the first like 6 years if I remember right, if ur car is stock that is.

[Rampage]

Originally Posted by sosick

how would they know ur tracking the car? they cant deny the replacement of a cat within the first like 6 years if I remember right, if ur car is stock that is.

They read this forum.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by sosick

how would they know ur tracking the car? they cant deny the replacement of a cat within the first like 6 years if I remember right, if ur car is stock that is.

They just googled.

Although, to be fair, the vast majority of my seat time at the track in FRS/BRZ is actually NOT the CSG BRZ, and all of my (personal) competition times are actually in a borrowed FRS or my S2k...

[ft_sjo]

The complete exhaust system is considered part of the 'powertrain'. It doesn't sound as if this is the reason they're refusing to warranty the cat, though, which is surprising because i've seen failures in parts of exhaust systems caused by changes elsewhere in it before. Not a cat failure though; usually it's the other way round - removing a cat causes a muffler to fail.

All this is turning into a circus though. I don't think you're approaching all this in the right way. If you genuinely felt you had a case, you'd be speaking to a lawyer. You do live in the land of laywers and i'm sure there's one out there that'll take your case forward on a no-win-no-fee basis.

Kicking up a shit-storm on a forum and pleading poverty is not going to change Subaru's stance, however many goons join the bandwagon.

Why don't you find a qualified engineer to offer a professional opinion and both of you go have a meeting at Subaru to discuss it like gentlemen?

[OrbitalEllipses]

Originally Posted by ft_sjo

Why don't you find a qualified engineer to offer a qualified opinion and both of you go have a meeting at Subaru to discuss it like gentlemen?

Wonder who has the block now and where the pieces are...

[Mikem53]

Originally Posted by CSG Mike

They've changed their stance from "racing" to "abuse". Hmmm.

I'm not sure how you abuse catalytic converters, short of lighting em with a blowtorch.

We've asked for a copy of the denial in writing with every intention using it as a legal record. I'm sure they're watching my threads. They certainly did their due diligence on us on the internet.

You can destroy cats with a lean condition because of high EGT. I would say since your engine was miss firing under load at high rpms.. You caused the cats to fail from the excessive heat under those conditions..
I'm not saying that's what exactly happened.. But it seems logical after seeing the damage done..
Doesn't sound like they want to give in one bit for your cause.

[CSG Mike]

Originally Posted by ft_sjo

The complete exhaust system is considered part of the 'powertrain'. It doesn't sound as if this is the reason they're refusing to warranty the cat, though, which is surprising because i've seen failures in parts of exhaust systems caused by changes elsewhere in it before. Not a cat failure though; usually it's the other way round - removing a cat causes a muffler to fail.

All this is turning into a circus though. I don't think you're approaching all this in the right way. If you genuinely felt you had a case, you'd be speaking to a lawyer. You do live in the land of laywers and i'm sure there's one out there that'll take your case forward on a no-win-no-fee basis.

Kicking up a shit-storm on a forum and pleading poverty is not going to change Subaru's stance, however many goons join the bandwagon.

Why don't you find a qualified engineer to offer a professional opinion and both of you go have a meeting at Subaru to discuss it like gentlemen?

Discovery is not free. If this were class action status, firms would be jumping at the opportunity.

It's not quite that size, yet.

Either way, I'm curious to see how Subaru's stance will change after an official response from CARB and EPA.

[ft_sjo]

Dreamer.