Finally Had It with My Subaru Dealer

:))))

You are right, but I suspect the original poster did not intend it to be that way, he made an appointment (or thought he made an appointment) and believed it will be over in an hour, or so. It turned out otherwise.

MN

You sure know how to miss a point. The point of the discussion is that the dealer treated the customer (me) like an inconvenience to his planned workday, and called me a liar to boot. The appointment just happened to be for an oil change. And, BTW, why I had to take a day off to get this done is none of your friggin' business, so please STFU about it.

The 30 minute chain stores are convenient and reasonably priced, but they are also infamous for screwing up (it happened to me). Wrong filters, missing washers, wrong amount of oil.... the net has many horror stories to tell. Keep going if it makes you happy to have you car serviced by a bunch of kids, or by a guy who doesn't know enough to be a "real" mechanic. Might as well DIY. I don't mind paying a few extra $$ to know it was done properly. I do mind being called a liar by the dealer, and the only thing I am lacking is patience for you.

Alan, as I read the previous poster's snotty post I was reminded that Usenet can be a really ugly place. My dealer is a LONG way from my house and there is no dealer closer. I either have to find a time on a rare day off to take it in or take a day off to get my oil changed. Yes....I too take it to the dealer for that. When I bought my Subie, there was a deal that if I paid $99 I could have a lifetime oil change every 3000 miles. So I have more than gotten my money's worth. Up until now I haven't HAD to take a day off because I do it on days when I do have a day off, but if I had to in order to keep my car running well, I would. And you are so right -- it is no one's business. That wasn't the point of your post at all.

I think there are too many dealers -- all makes of cars -- whose managers/owners or whomever have their heads up their asses and will be sobbing when they are out of work because the lousy dealership has closed.

And I would never take my car to a 10 minute (or 15 minute or whatever minute) oil change hole. My husband's car had the rivets stripped on the part of the car that the oil plug screws into (sorry don't know the name of that part). That was a pricey fix -- and it happened at one of those places. Sometimes I think that the people who work in those shops are those that couldn't find a job anywhere else.

If the dealer is that far away - why not change the oil yourself? Subarus are among the easiest to change the oil yourself on. You'll get better quality lubricants and ppay less.

If the dealer is that far away - why not change the oil yourself? Subarus are among the easiest to change the oil yourself on. You'll get better quality lubricants and ppay less.

If the dealer is that far away - why not change the oil yourself? Subarus are among the easiest to change the oil yourself on. You'll get better quality lubricants and ppay less.

Because I don't want to.

I was nearly positive that you wouldn't have posted here just for moral support, but I guess I was wrong. That being the case, I guess I did miss your point.

Alan scribbled:

My dealership was shared with BMW. I was amazed to always see more people lining up at the BMW service counter than at Subaru's, for about the same number of cars sold for each make...

This was my first time there, but I was the ONLY Subaru. Now, they are a new Subaru dealer, so I'm sure part of it is that most people don't know about it yet, but still... Also, their arrangement is that you drive your car into an enclosed carport. Nice set up.

Alas, it's against the rules of our apartment complex. I'm not too impressed with our local Subaru dealers, at least in comparison to other dealers I've visited, but at least I've found one who doesn't make me wait for hours for an oil change and doesn't treat me rudely. (Oh, and they call to confirm service appointments.) I've had bad experiences with places like Jiffy Lube - so far, apart from the dealer, Valvoline's the only oil change place left who haven't screwed up something on a car of mine in the years I've lived in this city. Despite having my car serviced at the dealer, I still haven't seen the service records come up at mysubaru.com - maybe you're meant to enter them all yourself?!

I've wondered why I don't see more garages out for hire - it could have the pit underneath the car, a decent hoist for lifting the engine out, an air compressor, whatever. I guess the liability would be too large and the equipment too expensive to let random members of the public borrow the facility, even with a hefty deposit. (Of course, I'm talking about grander things than oil changes here, but living in an apartment complex does rather compromise your ability to do your own car maintenance!)

-- Mark

(snip)

Mmmmm, I bought my Subaru from an Infiniti dealer, and they were pretty nice to deal with. Do BMW's come with free car washes and other such stuff? I wonder if there was more stuff like that for their service counter, so that's why it was busier? It was interesting to watch the Infiniti dealer at work, though: for instance, they'd bring the car keys in and call out someone's name so they could drive off after having their car washed, and I did wonder what would happen if someone was off in the rest-room and I claimed their car instead.

Mmmm, the above Infiniti dealership, and my current Subaru dealer (who also do Hyundai, etc.) are also like that. There's usually a door closed over the entrance, and you honk your horn to have them raise it. It's all quite seamless and efficient.

-- Mark

Mark Carroll scribbled:

Don't know but my Soobie gets washed for free every time I take it.

Not all dealers participate. It is apparently voluntary.

That's a very interesting idea. I wouldn't use such a facility, as I am mechanically challenged, but even in my housing development, it is agianst the rules to do any car maintenance on-site. I know there are neighbors who would love such a facility.

They're sometimes called 'hobby garages' and I think they were common at some military bases. I suspect for the general public there would be too many theft/insurance issues. Sometimes you can see where some local guys are having 'garage days' or the like being organized in the regional forums over at

. Usually more for mods or tuning than repair, but you may still find someone willing to meet with you and assist for a few beers. I dunno - just a thought.

Carl

1 Lucky Texan

One nice thing about having an older car off guarantee is no concern about going to locations such as Speedy for an oil change.

I call ahead, they fit me right in and I'm out complete in 20 to 30 minutes. Also I can see my car while I drink coffee and read the paper. If they need to discuss anything we walk to the car and look it over, my car doesn't disappear into some back service room.

Old can be much more convenient.

You can take a new car anywhere you want, too. I just don't trust the "Speedy" type places.

With due respect, most people here don't give a shit about you and your story.

Please desist, thank you.

Alan wrote: