I'd like to share with you my story about Subaru customer service.

[Pat]

I recently had trouble with my transmission. I kept detailed notes of the situation and my service experience. Here they are, copied/pasted from the Word document. I know this is a massive wall of text, but if you want to read it, I don't think you'll be let down. Enjoy.

I spoke with Vince at Go Subaru 5/20 at 4:40
His number is 720.895.0802
He said I can bring the car in Friday at 1:00 to have them look at it
I met with Vince 5/22. I explained to him very clearly the problem was shifting from third to fourth gear at redline. He asked for the key so he could, “bring the car around.” When he was gone for more than a few minutes I started wondering where he went. It turns out he took it out for a test drive, which I did not authorize.
When he came back he said he didn’t hear anything. I explained to him again that it happens only when shifting from third to fourth at redline. Then he asked me to take him for a drive to demonstrate the problem.
We drove the car and he heard the issue. He said he’s talking with Toyota to see how they want to handle the repair (replace synchros or whole new tranny). He said he’d call me no later than 5/23.
Vince left me voicemail 5/26 stating the whole transmission will be replaced. He said they should have the part by Friday, and that he will call me when it comes in.
I spoke with Vince 5/28 to schedule the work. He said I could bring the car in around noon on June 9th, and that I would have a Crosstrek to drive for a couple days while the work is being done. He said the clutch fluid will be bled and they will swap the MTEC shifter spring from the old tranny to the new one.
I went to the dealership at noon on June 9th. A service advisor paged Vince three times before he came to the desk. In the meantime another service advisor printed up the ticket. He read the note on it that Vince had typed from the last time we talked. Due to a typo, he couldn’t understand what it said. I asked him if there was a note on it and he said, “Yes.” I asked him what it meant and he said he couldn’t tell me.
Vince came out and said they don’t have a loaner car for me, as the dealer tag had expired. He called Enterprise, but they didn’t have any cars available. Vince then told me I could either:
a. Come back another day
b. Wait until 3:00 for a loaner car to show up
I explained to him neither are an option. I proposed:
a. Getting a rental from another rental company
b. Getting creative (they’re in the car business and have tons around. Think of something)
He said he couldn’t do either. I asked to talk with someone that could. I was directed to a nearby office to speak with a manager. He basically gave me the same options. I told him because of their actions, my best option was to miss my meeting. After some uncomfortable silence, he left to go talk with someone else.
A few minutes later he came back and said he had a car for me to use. He printed up paperwork (rental car agreement?) and asked me to sign it. My name was misspelled and I told him how to correct it. The agreement required me to have the car back within 24 hours. However, the work on my car would likely take three days. I told him it needs to be corrected before I would sign it. He told me not to worry about it, and that they would not enforce that part of the agreement. This was disturbing, as it clearly states if I don’t return the car within a specified time I would be charged with a felony. Based on the lack of accountability and responsibility previously demonstrated, I did not believe him and insisted it be corrected before signing it. He printed out a new one with a corrected date, but did not correct the spelling of my last name. It seemed apparent to me he had no intention of correcting my name.
I am concerned they will drive my car more than authorized to. That happened the first time I was there, and now I have very little trust in them. I asked the manager if they would be driving my car. He said they have to in order to ensure the repair was properly done. I asked how far they would have to drive it to check this. He said five miles. I left the car with them when the last three digits on the odometer read 711.
Vince said the mechanic isn’t there today (6/9/15), but will be in tomorrow. Vince assured me twice the mechanic would call me before doing any work. I want to ensure the shifter spring is transferred from the old tranny to the new tranny. I also want to ensure they will bleed the clutch.
At 2:50 on 6/10/15 I got voicemail from Vince. He said he is going on vacation until Tuesday. He said Fidel will be in charge of the ticket, and that his technician will be in tomorrow. He said my car will probably be done by late Friday. This is a problem, as I only have the loaner car until midday Friday.
I called back Vince at 2:55, but got his voicemail. As he said was leaving soon, I figured he was gone already. I called AutoNation and chose option two to speak with the service department. It rang for 90 seconds and no one picked up.
Needless to say, I’m getting very worried about this whole process. Vince promised the tech would be in today and begin work on my car. It’s now 3:00 and I have yet to hear from the tech, even though I was assured multiple times the tech would call me before starting the work.
I called and asked to speak with the GM. Karen told me he isn’t in, and I asked to speak to whomever is next in line. She put me on hold and then told me Fidel is the guy to speak with. As I spoke with him yesterday and don’t see him as very helpful based on yesterday’s interaction, I elected not to speak with him. Karen said my best bet is to call back tomorrow morning and speak with the GM, Matt Smith. (303) 578-6119
Left Matt Smith voicemail at 8:45 6/11/15 asking him to call me.
Vince called at 2:15 on 6/11/15. He asked me to text him the information on the shifter spring, which I did, to 720.519.6663. He said he would have the technician call me after viewing the video.
Vince texted me at 2:40 saying, “Just checked with the service manager the tech will not be allowed to replace will void the warranty ! But the car will be ready Friday night thank you have a good day Fidel will contact you when completed.”
I replied right away, “I am familiar with the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act. It will not void the warranty. Please have the tech call me before doing the work.” This is maybe the fourth time I have told people there that the tech should call me before doing the work. I have yet to hear from him, or the GM that I left a voicemail for this morning. I am getting nervous, as I am supposed to have the rental car back by midday tomorrow.
It is now 8:50 on 6/12. I was told earlier my car will likely be done by the end of the day. I have yet to hear from the GM, Matt Smith. Also, I have yet to hear from the technician doing the work. My rental car has to be back to the dealer by midday, yet my car won’t be ready by then.
I called Fidel at 9:00 on 6/12. I expressed to him my concern about the rental car needing to be returned before my car was done. He told me the rental car agreement stating the time due in is just an estimate, and that it’s not really due in by then. I told him nowhere on there does it say it is an estimate, and that it is precise down to the minute. He insisted I don’t need to worry about getting it back in time per the agreement. Clearly this is a breach of the contract, and I asked again for a revised agreement be sent to me. He finally agreed to it, and told me I would have it emailed to me within five minutes, which he did.
Matt Smith called me at noon on 6/12/15. I was eating, and told him I would call him back at 12:30, which I did at 720.895.0822. He said I could email him these notes at smithm@autonation.com, and he would call me back after reading them.
Matt called me back at 1:45 and immediately brought up the issue about the shifter spring. We discussed that for a couple minutes and I let it go, as that was not my primary concern. After we concluded that topic of discussion, he asked, “OK what else?” as if to have not even read any of what I had written. I was shocked with his response, and immediately thought, “Well, I guess the top-down leadership here explains the attitude of the rest of the employees towards customer service.” I asked him if he had read it all and he confirmed that he had. But it seemed to me like none of that really mattered to him based on his question, “What else?” I was as if all of the other things that had happened didn’t even warrant a discussion.
Eventually we addressed everything and he agreed with me on all points. There wasn’t really anything left to discuss, other than my experience had sucked to this point. He told me at the end of the discussion that I have an excellent mechanic working on my car and that I can count on picking it up no later than 5:00 today.
Fidel called me at 2:25 to tell me the car was done. I asked what else was done other than the transmission replacement. He said nothing. I told him I asked for the clutch fluid to be bled a few times and was told it would be done each time. He said it was not done, but he would check with the mechanic to verify. This is another reason I had asked for the mechanic to call me before doing any work, yet he did not.
Fidel called back at 2:30. He said there is no need to bleed the brakes for this procedure. I told him I was not asking about brakes, but the clutch fluid, which can have a direct impact on the proper operation of the transmission engagement. He said Subaru does not call for that to be done, so it was not.
It’s now 4:15 on 6/12/15. I just got back from the dealership and feel like I need a drink. After Matt assured me I had a great mechanic working on my car, and the car would be in great working order when I picked it up, it was not. The car had been driven five miles to verify it was running properly. Yet before I even got the car out of the parking lot, I could tell something was wrong. The car was making a noise I had never heard it make before. I took the car around the block in an effort to replicate the noise. Every time I accelerated from a stop I heard the noise at low RPMs. I don’t know how the person that test drove my car did not hear it, but either they didn’t hear it or failed to report it and just hoped I wouldn’t notice.
I pulled the car into the service area, went in and spoke with Fidel about the issue. I told him I didn’t have time to wait for them to fix it, and that I just wanted to leave and come back when it was right. He asked if he could have the technician look at it immediately to see if there was a simple, quick fix. I obliged, but reminded him they could only have a few minutes with it before I had to leave.
Immediately I went to find Matt and tell him that his “excellent” technician didn’t do good work, and that the car was being looked at again.
15 minutes later, I still hadn’t heard from anyone. I went to find Matt and tell him that they had gone way beyond the time I told him I could wait.
After Matt spoke with the technician, he said the noise was a problem with the driveshaft, and that I would need a new one. This was very surprising to me, as I had never heard this noise before, and the car only has 27,000 miles on it. I am skeptical replacing the driveshaft will solve the issue.
Matt then asked me if I drift the car. I told him I did not. He asked if I race the car. I told him I did not. I told him I am a driving instructor with the National Auto Sport Association, but never drift or race. Around this point in the conversation, Matt seemed to develop a strong affinity for interrupting people. I pointed it out a couple times, and he confirmed it was rude behavior. Then he accused me of drifting the car, which I again told him NEVER happens.
He said the driveshaft would be replaced by the end of Tuesday. He told me after that work is done, he did not want to see me at his dealership again.
I took the rental car home and essentially wasted the majority of my afternoon due to their incompetence, even after I told Matt earlier today I was very concerned about this exact kind of thing happening and being assured it would not.
I dread going back there to pick up my car next time, and anticipate some other kind of problem.
Today is 6/17/15. I got a call from Vince about 1:30 saying my car is ready. I drove there immediately to pick it up. As I drove the car through the parking lot I heard the same noise as I did the last time I was there. Clearly they did not resolve the issue. I drove around the block once to confirm the noise is still there and repeatable, which it is. I asked Vince to go for a ride with me, which he did. He confirmed very quickly he hear the noise and the car still isn’t right. He said he would make a note in my file that other dealerships would be able to see.
I then drove the car straight to Groove Subaru and spoke with Ron Baca about the issue. Ron has been very helpful in the past, so I am optimistic this will get resolved once and for all. Ron and I agreed I would bring the car back tomorrow around 1:00 or 2:00 for one of their senior mechanics to look at it. He made reservations for me to have a loaner car.
I expressed to him my concern for the well-being of the car, and that I was exceptionally frustrated and offended with how I was treated at AutoNation. He smiled and said he has heard many stories just like mine.
At 10:00 a.m. on 6/18/15 I got a call from AutoNation Subaru telling me my special order parts have arrived. I have no idea what this is for. It was an automated call.
I dropped off my BRZ at Groove Subaru on 6/18/15 at 1:30. I told Ron the vibration and noise only happens when RPMs are below 2,000 and the engine is under load. He didn’t write that down for the techs originally, which I noticed. I was concerned they would not be able to replicate the noise, so I asked to speak with the technical that would be doing the work, but Ron said I could not. I told him again about it only happening under 2,000 RPMs, and he wrote a note on the ticket for the technician to see. He sent me off promptly with a rental car. He said I would hear from him no later than 10:00 a.m. the following day with a status update.
Ron called me at 11:00 a.m. on 6/19/15. He left voicemail saying there is nothing wrong with the car. He said he had three master techs look at it and they couldn’t find anything wrong. I called Ron back at 303.761.4330 at 11:25 and left voicemail. He called me at 12:15 and we agreed I’d come by in a couple hours.
I stopped by that afternoon. I spoke with Doug, the mechanic that examined the car. He rode with me while I drove the car and demonstrated the noise. He said he heard the noise, but that it was a “normal” noise. He said there is nothing to fix. Frustrated, I asked Ron to ride with me, which he did. He said he heard the noise before coming out of the parking lot. We continued on the street and he confirmed he heard it again easily.
Doug told Ron there is nothing to fix. He said I shouldn’t be lugging the engine, and that was the cause of the noise. This cannot be the case, however, as it does not vibrate at RPMs below the indicated range of vibration.
I asked Doug how many other BRZs he’s driven, and he indicated not many. I have driven many, and know this is not normal. My car never did this before replacing the transmission, and I have never felt this in any other BRZ or FRS.
At this point I was frustrated, as both Doug and Ron acknowledged the noise, but weren’t willing to do anything to fix it. Ron asked me to drive it for a few days and, “hope the noise goes away.” This seemed a bit ridiculous to me, but I decided to do what Ron told me anyway. I expressed my concern to Ron that I don’t want this to turn into something that I have to come back four or five time for, as I have already experienced something similar for the same issue at AutoNation Subaru.
On 6/23/15 I got the fourth automated phone message from AutoNation Subaru that I have parts waiting to be picked up. I never ordered parts.
I called Groove Subaru at 9:00 on 6/24/15 to talk with Ron, my service advisor. Scott answered and said Ron was with another customer, but took my name and number and said he’d have Ron give me a call.
It is now 3:30 on 6/24/15 and I have not heard back from Ron. I have contacted a mechanic somewhere other than a Subaru dealer to diagnose and repair the problem. It really angers me to have to pay someone to fix a problem that was created by a Subaru dealer. What makes it worse is the problem was created while they were doing work covered under warranty, and my car is STILL covered under warranty and they refuse to fix it. Remember, all of this is happening AFTER two services advisors at two separate dealerships acknowledge hearing the noise and stating it is not right.
It is now 11:30 on 6/25. Ron has still not returned my call. I called Groove and spoke with Scott again. I reminded him of our discussion yesterday and that I have not heard from Ron. He said Ron was with a customer again, and that he would put a sticky note on Ron’s monitor reminding him to call me again.
I got a call from Ron about 1:45 on 6/25/15. He gave me all kinds of internal reasons for not being able to fix my car. I told him I need to hear from him right now they will take my car and fix it correctly, and if he couldn’t do that, I would have it fixed elsewhere and deal with Subaru through other means. He said he would talk with his service manager immediately and call me back within 20 minutes.
Our phone call ended 20 minutes ago and Ron has still not called me back.
Ron called me back at 2:45. He gave me many excuses and just kept talking. Finally I interrupted him and told him he needs to tell me whether or not they are going to fix my car. He said the will not. I told him goodbye and hung up. I guess now I’m on my own, and the warranty is not being honored.
I got a call at 10:00 a.m. on 7/2/15 from the service manager at AutoNation Subaru letting me know my special order parts have arrived. It is ridiculous this is still happening.
John Mergen called me at 11:05 on 7/7/15. We discussed the issue and he will arrange for a regional rep and/or field engineer to meet me at Groove Subaru in the near future. John said he would contact me Thursday to figure out a time to talk on Friday and set an appointment. He called me from 856.356.1190.
It is now Friday, July 10th at 9:15 a.m. I did not hear from John yesterday as he told me I would.
It is now 2:00 on Monday, July 13th and I still have not heard from John. I am sending John Mergen an email now. I expressed to him my significant concern for anyone actually doing what they tell me they are going to do. He assured me I was now in good hands. But again, he dropped the ball.
I got an email from Bob Black, a senior customer service representative on Monday, July 13th. He said he is trying to set up an appointment for me to meet with the field service engineer. He said the engineer isn’t available this week, and that he hopes to have more info early next week at which point we can schedule time together.
I got an email from Bob on Tuesday the 21st at 7:20 a.m. telling me the engineer can meet with me Thursday the 23rd or Friday the 24th. I have a full day (5:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.) already scheduled out of town on Friday, and meetings scheduled Thursday afternoon. I told him Thursday morning is the only time I can meet. I responded to his email at 8:40 a.m. the same day, telling him of my availability.
It is now 8:00 a.m. on Thursday the 23rd, and I have yet to hear from anyone about when and where to meet the engineer. I am now guaranteed not to meet with the engineer while he is here because, once again, Subaru didn’t do what they told me they would do. Way to go, senior customer service representative, Bob Black.
At this point I am done. I have given up trying to be reasonable, respectful and courteous. I have worked with at least seven people at Subaru dealerships and Subaru U.S.A. in an effort to get this resolved. It is clear they have no interest in honoring their warranty, acting responsibly, practicing accountability or simply returning a phone call.
At this point I believe I am left with two choices:
1. Pursue legal action
2. Share my story with the world
As sharing my story is the easier option at this point, it is what I have elected to do. Hopefully Subaru will recognize the situation for what it is and make things right. But I will say, with all of the time, effort and stress I have experienced due to their behavior, “making it right” will involve more than just fixing my car.
I regret purchasing this car from Subaru. I love many things about the car, but now wish I had purchased an FRS instead of a BRZ so I could deal with Toyota service departments instead of Subaru service departments.
In closing, FUCK Subaru.

[Tcoat]

Hate to break it to you but some FRS owners will tell almost the exact same story. It all comes down to the individual dealerships with some being good and some being bad. The big issue is we only ever see the bad stories so it always looks like they are all bad.

[Pat]

I don't know if you read all of it (major time suck, I know), but a lot of it was related to Subaru corporate. Sure, a couple dealerships were also horrible, but Subaru was just as bad. So in my case, it didn't "...all come(s) down to the individual dealerships."

[BlueSky]

I did read the whole thing, but im at work so I may have missed it
Are you going to an independent garage now?


Stuff like this worries me, the BRZ is my first new car and warranty
I have nightmares of something like this happening LOL

[Pat]

I am considering going to my normal mechanic. But he only does Porsche, Audi, BMW and Mercedes normally. I have a very good relationship with the guy, and he has offered to look at it.
This is also my first new car. A major factor in the purchase decision was the warranty. But clearly it isn't worth much, so I guess I made a bad decision paying a new car price for used car support.

[Agent 86]

Originally Posted by BlueSky

I did read the whole thing, but im at work so I may have missed it
Are you going to an independent garage now?

Stuff like this worries me, the BRZ is my first new car and warranty
I have nightmares of something like this happening LOL

To the original poster, sorry to hear about your ordeal. These situations can leave you feeling helpless and angry!

I Understand the first new car thing, and all I can suggest is that you try not to worry about it to much.

My experience has been mostly good with car dealerships and manufacturers.

The BRZ is our 4th Subaru (Forester, Forester, and Outback), and they have all been trouble free. I did call Subaru USA once (can't even recall the issue) and they resolved the problem quickly by contacting the dealer.

For the most part, having purchased 19 cars over the years, I have found the dealership to be the weakest link when it come to customer satisfaction. I refuse to take our 2013 Subaru Outback to the dealer we bought it from simply because I don't have a good feeling about their service dept.

[krayzie]

Originally Posted by Pat

I don't know if you read all of it (major time suck, I know), but a lot of it was related to Subaru corporate. Sure, a couple dealerships were also horrible, but Subaru was just as bad. So in my case, it didn't "...all come(s) down to the individual dealerships."

I haven't got time to read your entire post yet, but I can tell you Subaru Canada is the same shit. My car didn't come with manuals and the GPS card was very dated. Neither the dealer nor corporate could give me a new set of user's manuals so I bought a set myself a new set of US manuals from eBay for $94USD (around $102CAD then). Sent Subaru Canada the bill, and guess what they gave me back? $94CAD! Those cheap bastards.

They wouldn't update my GPS card either I had to shall out $200 bucks myself to update it so I can get around the newer hoods around the suburbs.

I wrote a complaint to FHI Subaru in Japan but have never heard back (very different from other Japanese companies large and small I've dealt with where they would reply promptly and politely in very good English).

BTW the stock Toyota tranny oil that came with the BRZ is no good. Should drain it and replace it with Subaru Extra-S instead. I've switched to that and 10,000km later no issues and much much smoother operation with no weird noises or synchro anamolies like when my car was new.

[HeadBanger]

I have that same 4th gear "grind"/clunk.
I hope when I finally go I don't have much issue.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Pat

I don't know if you read all of it (major time suck, I know), but a lot of it was related to Subaru corporate. Sure, a couple dealerships were also horrible, but Subaru was just as bad. So in my case, it didn't "...all come(s) down to the individual dealerships."

I did read it all and still maintain that there are exact same stories with Scion and Corporate Toyota.
If you are perusing legal action you have greatly comprised your case by posting here. They now have the perfect opportunity to counter every single statement since you have given a very concise description of your side of the story.
I fully understand your wish to share and the very basic human need to seek support but there are times when you should just keep quiet until you have investigated all your options. This same story told after you have sought legal consul would be great communication but not before you have done such.

[stugray]

I have a few things to say (I did read it all):

1 - MY subaru dealer is the opposite of yours.
They have fixed every tiny thing I have asked them to without ANY questions.

2 - Based on the way you took excrutiatingly detailed notes, I am guessing that you are very anal about everything (not necessarily a bad thing). Perhaps you came across as kind of an ass and that resulted in the treatment you received?

3 - arrange for a dealer to listen to the noise that has another BRZ on the lot.
When they say "that is a normal noise" ask them to demonstrate the noise on the other car. If they cannot, then you can call them on their lie.

[Poodles]

Why are you ignoring that you have special order parts at the other dealership? Find out what the parts are as it could be something the numbskulls forgot to install.


Also, you should have never said anything about NASA as most people would think that is racing.

[wheelhaus]

I've heard the noise in Pat's car, and (to me) it sounds like engine lugging amplified to 100 through the chassis. It goes away above engine lugging rpm and drives normally, otherwise.

Just as a side note- Pat is one of the most punctual and itinerary-oriented people I know. I can understand how his level of particularity could be off-putting to some people.
You simply hold a business to their own rules, and one person decides you're an asshole and you're stuck at the bottom of their fucks given list. I've seen it first hand where mechanics or other techs will go quite far out of their way to do something nice simply because the customer "is a cool guy" or they do the bare minimum because "he's a d!ck". Unfortunately for Pat, he's also one of the nicest guys I know, and doesn't deserve this. He just follows the rules and expects businesses to as well.

I can only imagine the frustration being treated by EVERYONE up the chain like you're a non-priority. The simple fact that most of the time people wouldn't even call you back is ridiculous and unforgivable. I have heard of so many positive and negative stories that it's tough to decide where you stand.

It may have all been due to that first dealer leaving some derogatory things in the notes (that they couldn't show you) that discouraged anyone else from wanting to actually help.

[Pat]

Originally Posted by stugray

I have a few things to say (I did read it all):

1 - MY subaru dealer is the opposite of yours.
They have fixed every tiny thing I have asked them to without ANY questions.

2 - Based on the way you took excrutiatingly detailed notes, I am guessing that you are very anal about everything (not necessarily a bad thing). Perhaps you came across as kind of an ass and that resulted in the treatment you received?

3 - arrange for a dealer to listen to the noise that has another BRZ on the lot.
When they say "that is a normal noise" ask them to demonstrate the noise on the other car. If they cannot, then you can call them on their lie.

1. Good. Glad to hear it.
2. I am detail oriented. But that is less of a factor in this situation than my hesitancy to work with dealerships. I had no idea this was going to turn into what it did when I started taking notes, and I expect if you read carefully that will be apparent.
3. They did have another car in their showroom. They refused to take it out for comparison sake. I expect they didn't want to get it dirty or something. There was no indication it was a sold car, and it had been sitting there for a while.

[Pat]

Originally Posted by Poodles

Why are you ignoring that you have special order parts at the other dealership? Find out what the parts are as it could be something the numbskulls forgot to install.


Also, you should have never said anything about NASA as most people would think that is racing.

I am confident it is just one more mistake that dealership made. They don't exactly run a tight ship.
I refuse to be anything other than open, honest and transparent when I work with people. If you think that is bad, you can consider it a personal flaw. Regardless of what they choose to think about what I do, I know the facts. I don't race and I don't drift, period. I bought the car. It is my car. If I choose to drive it on a race track that is my right. That does not change the terms of the warranty based on how I use it.