First Drive - CEL - Cam Sprocket Fix

[TeamSweet86]

Originally Posted by Hammer

So it looks like they were able to fix Primo's and my car. They just had to reset his computer. Not sure if he picked it up yet but so far my car is running fine. On a side note, I got a flat tire on the way home and it broke the tire pressure sensor but they were able to put a patch on the tire. Sensor is $111 at the dealer. OUCH! Ordered it on the web for $93 shipped but that still seems like a lot of money for something like that. What do I know

Hammer, did our dealer tell you that my car was fixed? I have two issues with this and I know you will not take offense because we've been walking through this nightmare together. 1) That my car is 100% NOT fixed and they want to replace the computer next, with no promise that my car troubles will then be solved (did they actually lie to you?) 2) That they reveal information about other owners' cars without permission, and they told you about the status of my car before me! (actually I don't know if that last part is true because they called me at 2:20pm PST to tell me about my car, feel free to correct me)

Facts (abridged):
-I signed the sales agreement 8/17
-with no more than 30 miles on my car it threw a cel
-car taken back to my dealer on 8/18, was told it had an ignition timing problem, reset and released, told nothing could be done until the cel came back
-cel came back 8/19
-car taken to dealer again 8/21 where it has remained
-was told cam sprocket needed to be replaced
-cam shaft/sprocket replacement completed 8/29. no issues resolved, cel, idle rpm fluctuation, engine shake
-technician informed me that Subaru/corporate/wizard of oz wants to replace my computer next (please excuse my lack of car knowledge, I have no idea what a car computer is, but that is how it was described to me)
-no car computers currently exist on the planet earth, at least not until mid-September

I apologize for this entire thread. I hate complainers, but this car issue is now causing anxiety in my personal life, and very distracting to my work life. I joined this forum with the intention of being a valuable, contributing member to enhance others' enjoyment of this special car. now I fear I soon may not even be the owner of one. congrats to all the owners with no problems, can I get a ride and see what the car is really like?

[alrashwa]

Hey man, I know what you mean. Same deal here, some mystery manager has the playbook and the service techs just do his bidding and then drive the car up and down the freeway to test it until the next CEL comes on. Been there. I also joined to enjoy the car and see how others would enjoy theirs. Never joined a car forum before. People here are friendly and the excitement surrounding the car was tangible.

[alrashwa]

I went to the dealership today to see my car and get some things I left in the trunk. It was kinda sad to see it in that state, but they are keeping the work area clean and covered from dust. I took a crappy cell phone photo of the exposed timing chains and cam gear.



I must say, the repair doesn't look as severe as I thought it would. I asked the service manager there, who is an old friend from years back, how this repair would show on a history report. He said it would only show up as "service done by the manufacturer or dealership," or something to that tune.

The other interesting tidbit is, had they waited for Scion to order the gaskets for my engine, it would have been a Sept 29th ETA. So the service manager called the Subaru dealership down the street and got authorization from Toyota to simply walk down and pick up the same gaskets from them. Kinda funny how it all went down. I think I'm gonna see what they can do and if they can repair the issue. I've got 30 months to invoke lemon laws, so I'll play ball for now. May have the car back tomorrow and I will update.

[thejevans]

Well, I got my car back today after they told me that switching the intake back to stock solved the problem. I told them the issue came up before I put the new intake in, but I didn't have proof, so they said I could bring it back if the problem comes back with the stock intake on. All it seems they did was switch the intake and reset the ECU. Now the engine is idling high at around 1k RPMs. I assume the problem will come back as soon as the ECU relearns. Moral of the story: even though it doesn't void the warranty, switch all mods back to stock, or the mechanic at the dealer cannot do any warranty work.

[soconfoozed]

Originally Posted by TeamSweet86

Hammer, did our dealer tell you that my car was fixed? I have two issues with this and I know you will not take offense because we've been walking through this nightmare together. 1) That my car is 100% NOT fixed and they want to replace the computer next, with no promise that my car troubles will then be solved (did they actually lie to you?) 2) That they reveal information about other owners' cars without permission, and they told you about the status of my car before me! (actually I don't know if that last part is true because they called me at 2:20pm PST to tell me about my car, feel free to correct me)

Facts (abridged):
-I signed the sales agreement 8/17
-with no more than 30 miles on my car it threw a cel
-car taken back to my dealer on 8/18, was told it had an ignition timing problem, reset and released, told nothing could be done until the cel came back
-cel came back 8/19
-car taken to dealer again 8/21 where it has remained
-was told cam sprocket needed to be replaced
-cam shaft/sprocket replacement completed 8/29. no issues resolved, cel, idle rpm fluctuation, engine shake
-technician informed me that Subaru/corporate/wizard of oz wants to replace my computer next (please excuse my lack of car knowledge, I have no idea what a car computer is, but that is how it was described to me)
-no car computers currently exist on the planet earth, at least not until mid-September

I apologize for this entire thread. I hate complainers, but this car issue is now causing anxiety in my personal life, and very distracting to my work life. I joined this forum with the intention of being a valuable, contributing member to enhance others' enjoyment of this special car. now I fear I soon may not even be the owner of one. congrats to all the owners with no problems, can I get a ride and see what the car is really like?

I am almost 1:1 with you with respect to what's happening with my car, also waiting until September for an ECU, also having had my car visited by a Subaru engineer, also having replaced a number of items that did not resolve the condition, and also feeling this is now a major distraction that I need to micromanage daily or nothing will happen.

PM me if you like.

[egraphic]

Originally Posted by egraphic

For me, also 9 days as of today (Scion, not Suburu) after I dropped off the car, the cam sprocket fix didn't work - they think the one they received was defective. They've ordered another one (also called a camshaft controller - that manages timing) - and they have no ETA. Have replaced the ECU, both TTvi's, 4 o rings and an oil solenoid in bank 2.

Well, my dealer has really come through for me. We are on day 10 with the car and their attempts to fix, and the dealer offered me three options - stay the course with the current FR-S, unwind the deal and get me my money back, or get me a new car from another dealer.

I opted to pursue the first, but then got a very candid call from my service manager that there is a paint chip on the side of the car - asking if perhaps I had brought it in that way. I told him that I had only had the car for four days since 8/15, and they said it probably happened as they were doing work. He also indicated that the fender would probably need to be repainted to properly repair the issue, even though there had been no effect on the metal - in fact, it went only as far as the primer.

I spoke to the GM of the store, and told him that I'd like to go with the new car - this is undoubtedly a sign that this car isn't meant for me. They have a new car coming in from another dealership (they traded one of their FR-S's for it) that they will put me into this evening.

I know there's a chance that it will have the same issue, but perhaps by the time I bring this one back, Toyota will have a silent or full recall in place, and it will be a three day job. I'm told (not by the dealer) that they ARE in fact slowing down or stopping production of new cars to bring parts into the US. They may even stop production completely for a brief period.

[alrashwa]

Just called the service tech working on my car. They installed the new parts, but the CEL came back reporting the same fault on the other side of the engine. I'm not sure why they didn't replace all related parts the first time, as it's been a month they've had the car.

Still waiting on the corporate response to this mess. I have been fighting for a buyback or replacement for weeks, but you guys must be talking to more reasonable reps than I am.

[rice_classic]

Originally Posted by alrashwa

I have been fighting for a buyback or replacement for weeks, but you guys must be talking to more reasonable reps than I am.

Just in case you need it:

http://www.atg.wa.gov/LemonLaw/default.aspx

[TanMan]

Originally Posted by rice_classic

Just in case you need it:

http://www.atg.wa.gov/LemonLaw/default.aspx

Holy timing belts Batman! Someone above mentioned he is in the camp of holding out till Subaru resolves this issue before deciding to purchase.

Well....I am in the camp of I-already-made-a-deposit-and-eagerly-waiting-on-my-December-delivery-date-but-after-reading-this-thread-I'm-F**king-concerned".

Seriously considering canceling my deposit...but man I've been following and waiting for this car since its development!!

C'mon SubaYota, get your freaking ducks in a row

[TeamSweet86]

Originally Posted by egraphic

Well, my dealer has really come through for me. We are on day 10 with the car and their attempts to fix, and the dealer offered me three options - stay the course with the current FR-S, unwind the deal and get me my money back, or get me a new car from another dealer.

I opted to pursue the first, but then got a very candid call from my service manager that there is a paint chip on the side of the car - asking if perhaps I had brought it in that way. I told him that I had only had the car for four days since 8/15, and they said it probably happened as they were doing work. He also indicated that the fender would probably need to be repainted to properly repair the issue, even though there had been no effect on the metal - in fact, it went only as far as the primer.

I spoke to the GM of the store, and told him that I'd like to go with the new car - this is undoubtedly a sign that this car isn't meant for me. They have a new car coming in from another dealership (they traded one of their FR-S's for it) that they will put me into this evening.

I know there's a chance that it will have the same issue, but perhaps by the time I bring this one back, Toyota will have a silent or full recall in place, and it will be a three day job. I'm told (not by the dealer) that they ARE in fact slowing down or stopping production of new cars to bring parts into the US. They may even stop production completely for a brief period.

Despite the trouble this experience caused you, it sounds like your dealer did right by you and you came out with the best resolution possible. Congrats.

[Lonewolf]

Originally Posted by TanMan

Holy timing belts Batman! Someone above mentioned he is in the camp of holding out till Subaru resolves this issue before deciding to purchase.

Well....I am in the camp of I-already-made-a-deposit-and-eagerly-waiting-on-my-December-delivery-date-but-after-reading-this-thread-I'm-F**king-concerned".

Seriously considering canceling my deposit...but man I've been following and waiting for this car since its development!!

C'mon SubaYota, get your freaking ducks in a row

I was going to break my rule of "never own a first year model", but after this issue exploded last month (along with the lack of factory and aftermarket options [center console, fogs, new taillights] I want, I'm waiting for 2014...any word on when the 2014's arrive?

[xwd]

Probably late spring or early summer next year.

[TanMan]

Originally Posted by Lonewolf

I was going to break my rule of "never own a first year model", but after this issue exploded last month (along with the lack of factory and aftermarket options [center console, fogs, new taillights] I want, I'm waiting for 2014...any word on when the 2014's arrive?

Seeing as this car just came out couple months ago, perhaps June 2014?

I'm just hoping that Subaru will have resolved these issues at the factory by the time my car is delivered.

[ahausheer]

Do we know what the actual problem is? We know what parts are being replaced and what the CEL indicates, but what is causing the root of the issue? Is it a clogged VVTi actuator (whatever that is)?