Stay away from Carlsen Subaru of Redwood City, CA - Page 2 - Toyota GR86, 86, FR-S and Subaru BRZ Forum & Owners Community

BlaineWasHere · 01-04-2013, 11:06 PM

Not all dealers are equal, that's for sure.

Clipdat · 01-04-2013, 11:40 PM

Maybe this is a trend... Whoever installed the front license plate bracket at One Toyota in Oakland on my FR-S also fucked up, because they screwed one of the bolts holding the temp plate in too far and made a nice half circle scratch on my brand new front bumper.

I called to complain and suggested they provide me with some touch up paint for their error. I was told to bring the car in and they would detail it and "take care of me", I politely declined because the last thing I want is for them to touch it again after what they've already done. I'll just be taking it to my own detail shop, thanks.

On a positive note, at least they listened when I told them not to wash the car after taking the plastic off!

JDMenrique · 01-04-2013, 11:58 PM

I don't think a "luxury brand" is gonna change anything. You had a bad experience, it could've happened anywhere...

PMok · 01-05-2013, 12:06 AM

For what it's worth I remember going to Carlsen Subaru when I first started to look at buying a BRZ and they were marking up by $1000 over MSRP. I thought they were scumbags for doing that and the sales guy was so matter-of-fact, take-it-or-leave-it. I got turned off by that and left. But come to find out that in the Bay Area, they were actually one of the lower markups - most of the other Subaru dealers were marking up by $3-5K. btw I ended up buying my car from out of state.

So I've got mixed feelings about these guys, I know other people have had bad experiences with their sales guys too. Their service and parts guys seem ok but because of that experience I am reluctant to take my car there for service. That sucks too because there really aren't that many Subaru dealers near me, the other closest one for me is Livermore Subaru so I took my car there for warranty issues. So far they have done right by me so I will probably continue to use them. But for what it's worth, the last time I was there they also had a BRZ sitting in the showroom, with a $3200 markup. :/

WillBRZ · 01-05-2013, 01:29 AM

Carlsen wanted 3k over msrp i told him I won't even come unless it's at msrp or close once you get in and tell them you will write a check right now they will drop that BS

microcarmag · 01-05-2013, 02:27 AM

bought my frs from SF Toyota / Scion... great experience and worked to hunt down my scion! even gave me more for my trade in...

dntsan · 01-05-2013, 02:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by WillBRZ

Carlsen wanted 3k over msrp i told him I won't even come unless it's at msrp or close once you get in and tell them you will write a check right now they will drop that BS

Wow, I went to check out the black limited brz and they gave me the "deal" of 1k over msrp just last month! I was so tempted to get the car but backed out because I wanted a dark grey more. Glad i didnt take their offer. Grats with your purchase, i actually checked out the galaxy blue too. It's unfortunate with how they treat you but in the end you get to enjoy the car!

Jason0513 · 01-05-2013, 03:01 AM

I am sorry for ur experience but Carlsen is one of the lower markups here in the Bay Area and Larry fung offered me a $1000 mark up only...which is great but I was able to find a Brz out at auburn... Yeah almost a 2 hr drive lol...and they gave me no markups. It was a cancelled order. Just my luck.
I had my first 3000 mi checkup at Carlsen becoz they where nice to me at the beggining and indeed the service is also nice. They even called me and left a message on my cell phone just to check if the car is doing ok after the service.
I guess it's just a being at the wrong time with the wrong person.

WillBRZ · 01-05-2013, 03:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jason0513

I am sorry for ur experience but Carlsen is one of the lower markups here in the Bay Area and Larry fung offered me a $1000 mark up only...which is great but I was able to find a Brz out at auburn... Yeah almost a 2 hr drive lol...and they gave me no markups. It was a cancelled order. Just my luck.
I had my first 3000 mi checkup at Carlsen becoz they where nice to me at the beggining and indeed the service is also nice. They even called me and left a message on my cell phone just to check if the car is doing ok after the service.
I guess it's just a being at the wrong time with the wrong person.

In the end it turns out the dealership was lying to me and didn't contact subaru of america to help me. SOA solved the issue in a few hours while the dealership was taking weeks. I did not blow them on the whole survey I was honest. I only said that they are terrible at getting back to me nd terrible at taking care of me after I left the lot. I was hung up on numerous times without raising my voice or saying anything. They acted very unprofessionally and they should know. I'm not going to let them bribe me into a good survey.

Here are some pics of the damage. As you can see they started to drill in the wrong spots causing drill bit marks.

With my OCD this is killing me.

JackSmiley · 01-05-2013, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clipdat

Maybe this is a trend... Whoever installed the front license plate bracket at One Toyota in Oakland on my FR-S also fucked up, because they screwed one of the bolts holding the temp plate in too far and made a nice half circle scratch on my brand new front bumper.

That is why dealers should screw everything by hand, no power tool coz those things can go berserk in a lazy tech's hands.

#87 · 01-05-2013, 02:39 PM

With the damage in that spot like that I doubt you can get it fixed without replacing the bumper or doing some kind of vinyl overlay. If your state requires front plate I'd just mount it with the OEM bracket and cover up the damage.

WillBRZ · 01-05-2013, 04:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by #87

With the damage in that spot like that I doubt you can get it fixed without replacing the bumper or doing some kind of vinyl overlay. If your state requires front plate I'd just mount it with the OEM bracket and cover up the damage.

SOA has authorized the replacement of the bumper? Why should I be forced to live with the damage on my brand new car if it wasn't my fault?

dntsan · 01-05-2013, 06:09 PM

Lol hes just giving advice. But of course if its not your fault, you shouldnt have to find alternatives

mike18 · 01-06-2013, 01:10 AM

its nice to see SOA taking care of their customers and thanks for sharing ur story. i'll keep this in mind when looking for a brz later on.

01-04-2013, 11:06 PM	#15
BlaineWasHere Grip>Drift Join Date: Jun 2012 Drives: FRS Location: NorCal Posts: 3,472 Thanks: 782 Thanked 1,749 Times in 918 Posts Mentioned: 53 Post(s)	Not all dealers are equal, that's for sure. __________________ My FR-S Build Thread!

01-05-2013, 12:06 AM	#18
PMok Codename: Stitch Join Date: Apr 2012 Drives: 91 MR2; 06 IS350; 16 BRZ; 18 CX-5 Location: Hayward/NorCal Posts: 5,248 Thanks: 4,021 Thanked 5,436 Times in 2,307 Posts Mentioned: 462 Post(s)	For what it's worth I remember going to Carlsen Subaru when I first started to look at buying a BRZ and they were marking up by $1000 over MSRP. I thought they were scumbags for doing that and the sales guy was so matter-of-fact, take-it-or-leave-it. I got turned off by that and left. But come to find out that in the Bay Area, they were actually one of the lower markups - most of the other Subaru dealers were marking up by $3-5K. btw I ended up buying my car from out of state. So I've got mixed feelings about these guys, I know other people have had bad experiences with their sales guys too. Their service and parts guys seem ok but because of that experience I am reluctant to take my car there for service. That sucks too because there really aren't that many Subaru dealers near me, the other closest one for me is Livermore Subaru so I took my car there for warranty issues. So far they have done right by me so I will probably continue to use them. But for what it's worth, the last time I was there they also had a BRZ sitting in the showroom, with a $3200 markup. :/ __________________ 86DRIVE Events Calendar

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01-04-2013, 11:40 PM	#16
Clipdat Proud of BOXER Join Date: Dec 2012 Drives: Subaru Boxer Location: Bay Area Posts: 8,152 Thanks: 7,087 Thanked 6,874 Times in 3,680 Posts Mentioned: 201 Post(s)	Maybe this is a trend... Whoever installed the front license plate bracket at One Toyota in Oakland on my FR-S also fucked up, because they screwed one of the bolts holding the temp plate in too far and made a nice half circle scratch on my brand new front bumper. I called to complain and suggested they provide me with some touch up paint for their error. I was told to bring the car in and they would detail it and "take care of me", I politely declined because the last thing I want is for them to touch it again after what they've already done. I'll just be taking it to my own detail shop, thanks. On a positive note, at least they listened when I told them not to wash the car after taking the plastic off!

01-05-2013, 02:39 PM	#25
#87 I usually post drunk Join Date: Oct 2009 Drives: BRZ Location: NY Posts: 1,487 Thanks: 15 Thanked 490 Times in 231 Posts Mentioned: 1 Post(s)	With the damage in that spot like that I doubt you can get it fixed without replacing the bumper or doing some kind of vinyl overlay. If your state requires front plate I'd just mount it with the OEM bracket and cover up the damage.

01-05-2013, 06:09 PM	#27
dntsan Member Join Date: Dec 2012 Drives: Searching for Brz Location: California Posts: 17 Thanks: 0 Thanked 1 Time in 1 Post Mentioned: 0 Post(s)	Lol hes just giving advice. But of course if its not your fault, you shouldnt have to find alternatives

01-06-2013, 01:10 AM	#28
mike18 Member Join Date: Dec 2011 Drives: prelude Location: usa Posts: 29 Thanks: 8 Thanked 3 Times in 3 Posts Mentioned: 0 Post(s)	its nice to see SOA taking care of their customers and thanks for sharing ur story. i'll keep this in mind when looking for a brz later on.

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