follow-up on wife's 15,000 mile service

All she got was an oil change but thought group might be interested in dealer recommendations:

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Her Forester is only two years old but they were pushing for 30,000 mile/30 month service. Me, I've got and '03, and I do service on miles with consideration on making sure oil is changed twice a year (DYI) and rubber items like hoses and belts could age faster.

I thought I got stung by 30,000 mile service as I just gave it to them and told them to do it without specifications. Cost $585.

Any comments?

Reply to
Frank
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Yes. Dealers make up a "standard" service package that generally includes a lot of actions that aren't called for in the service manual. On my Infiniti, they rotated the tires even though the owner's manual specifically says not to rotate the tires on this car. A Honda dealer used to top up the windshield washer fluid and charge a dollar an ounce. A local service station, when replacing the timing belt of a Volvo, also replaced the serpentine belt even though it was not on the list I gave them and they themselves had replaced the serpentine belt just 10,000 miles earlier. Tell them to do what's listed in the manual and nothing more. If they do extra without permission, refuse to pay for it.

Reply to
John Varela

You only have ONE protection. A signed work order. Insist on it. You tell the service writer exactly what you want done and they tell you how much - on the work order.. You sign it. You get a copy. If it needs anything else they call you. You authorize it or not. It gets written on your work order with "authorized (or authourized up here in Canada) by phone". You pay for what you authourized.

Reply to
clare

I read the dealers rec's and he does things we don't do at our dealership. That being said, Subaru sells a "Subaru Added Security" (SAS) program with new Subarus. Kind of a "we will do these services at this price for you" One of our standard 30k will have, All fluids change, plugs, both a/f; A SAS will have oil, coolant brake fluid and a few other items. By doing a SAS, you are maintaining the warrenty standard for your car even tho it is 50% less done than the standard 30K. So be informed, and take the owners manual in and say, "This is what I want done" as per the owners manual. they cant argue with you.

Reply to
StephenH

Thanks, I'm printing responses out for wife. She's now pretty well convinced to ditch dealer recommendations and go strictly by the manual but this will help further.

Reply to
Frank

FWIW I prefer to have a local, reliable, independent technician. Armed with receipts it assures warranty repairs when necessary. In the meantime you save because your local tech will only do the work specified as he desires to retain your confidence for future work.

Reply to
Jim

Provided the formerly reliable independent tech doesn't manage to f*ck up a subaru timing belt change that takes months to debug with subtle engine performance issues as one flattened tooth of the new belt allows it to pop in and out of place just beyond the ECU's ability to compensate (and perhaps legitimately blame it on a faulty new subaru tensioner he'd installed at the same time), then go through a nasty divorce, get behind on his finances, take your money for some major engine work he didn't actually perform, then flee the country owing snap on tools $10k and leaving you holding the bag for a head gasket and cat job you paid for but turns out... he didn't actually do. But boy he steam cleaned the engine well.

And you get a nasty surprise of a pool of oil on your garage floor 2 years later, and get to pay for a head gasket job again and your P0420 codes keep coming because your supposedly "new" cat mysteriuosly has a hole in it, this time you may choose to do it at a dealer with factory trained Subaru techs that you could actually find a sue if they didn't do it right or do what they said they would.

I share this hoping that no one have to repeat my experience in trying to find a local, reliable, and competent (with these weird ass engines) tech for their Subaru.

And, on a separate note, if your last name is Trznadel, and you're a master mechanic, and had a shop in the suburbs of Chicago, and if any of this resonates with you...wherever you are, FUCK YOU!

Reply to
J

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