30,000 Mile Service Disaster

I hate my local dealership (only one in town) and the fact that Subaru has no concept of quality control.

 

I took my car in today for a 30,000 mile service. I asked for:

-Oil/filter change (Mobil 1)

-Replace cabin air filter

-Replace brake fluid

-Flush cooling system

-Mount/balance 4 new tires (ContiExtreme FTW)

-A couple of other warranty issues

 

My car was at the dealership all day. I picked it up at 5:45 p.m. (on a Friday evening) and they assured me I was all set. 3 miles into my drive home, I see smoke behind my car. A few seconds later, black smoke starts pouring out of the hood. I figure it was just something burning off so I drove another 100 yards before calling the dealership. They told me to drive back and if it stopped, call them, but otherwise they would wait for me to get back.

 

When I first picked up the car, it drove nicely. On the way back, I was losing power, it was rough, and as soon as I touched the accelerator black smoke blew from the sides of the hood, front wheel wells, and under the car. The engine temperature was closed to the red line, and as I accelerated. For the record, this was smoke, not steam. My eyes and nasal epithelium still burn.

 

As soon as I got there the mechanic that worked on it came out to greet me. He said, "give me 2 minutes." Of course I was skeptical so I watched him pull the car into the garage and kept watching him while he "fixed" the problem.

 

The repair:

1) He poured a minimum of 2 full bottles of windshield washer fluid all over the engine bay.

2) He popped a funnel into the coolant reservoir and poured around half of a gallon into it. At first, the coolant didn't drain. As soon as he turned the engine, it drained. He added another half gallon and it bubbled up, indicating air in the lines. After it bubbled, he added another full gallon.

3) It was still smoking so he doused the car with more washer fluid before the service manager stopped him. Then he switched to water. Dumped it all over everything.

4) First, another service tech told me that there was just grease on the radiator and the washer fluid was a solvent to take it off. After I recruited the service manager to look into the problem, he admitted that there was air in the coolant lines. I said that it looked he never even filled it up. He said that it "may have been a little bit low."

 

After the repair, the mechanic took my car for a spirited drive (I saw the return--it was like he was on a rally course) and then ran it through the car wash. The service manager was skeptical so the two of us went for a drive. The burning smell was gone, the engine temperature was at the halfway mark, and the smoke was gone. Acceleration was much smoother, as well.

 

End of story? Not quite.

 

I came home and decided that the idiot mechanic probably missed something else. Sure enough, two of the directional tires are facing the wrong way. They say, ">>>>>>>ROTATION>>>>>>>>" so it isn't exactly difficult to figure out which way they should turn. The front two are facing the right direction. The rear tires are both like this: "<<<<<<<<<< ROTATION<<<<<<<<".

 

I checked the coolant level again. It is below the "LOW" level. Washer fluid level is also low, so they weren't dumping the washer fluid into that reservoir.

 

The major problems:

1) Coolant was not replaced properly.

2) Tires are in the wrong direction.

 

Minor concerns:

1) Can they not get anything right on the first try? They never even replaced my cabin air filter (I have to go back) and I have to go back for the warranty work, as well.

2) Mechanic was a little bit too happy about his "test drive".

 

Could this have permanently damaged my car?

 

Should I ask for anything in return from the dealership? SoA?

 

Is this common?

 

Thanks!

 

UPDATE:

9:00 PM central time, ~2 hours after getting home.

-No coolant in reservoir.

-Power steering fluid is below "Cold Min" (I specifically asked for it to be inspected)

-Tires are still backwards.

 

UPDATE 2:

Next morning

-No coolant at all.

-Power steering fluid is still below the cold min.

-Tires are still backwards.

PHOTOS ON PAGE 2.

 

UPDATE 3:

-I called another Subaru dealership today. The mechanic suggested that I might have a warped head or other engine problem. He suggested I call Subaru of America and file a report.

 

Update 04/06/08:

-After the original disaster(s), the coolant was filled properly by the shop foreman.

-They performed a dye test to check for any head gasket problems - no problem was found.

-Service manager took the problem seriously, had me meet with general manager. Both of them agreed to the seriousness of the issue and said they will make the situation right.

-After two more service visits, the original 30k service was complete.

-I demanded a refund for the original service, and after some arguing, they issued a check.

-I said that I won't accept the check until the vehicle is either a) replaced or b) inspected and warranted.

-Service technician was fired

-Service manager was fired (not sure why--he was incredibly helpful)

 

Fast forward 4 months:

-Filed a dispute with my credit card company for the original charge - they refunded me. (I didn't accept the dealership money)

-I met with a lawer, he said that no legal action can be taken until the vehicle is obviously damaged (i.e., destroyed).

-I called a legal service, said that they can't do anything because the car is under warranty.

-Filed a complaint with Illinois Attorney General - Pending

-General manager called me and said he will send a check for a refund if I consider the matter resolved. I declined.

-Filed a complaint with Better Business Bureau - Pending

 

Current issues:

-Nothing major -- 2,000 miles have been placed on the vehicle.

-I smell something burning every now and then.

-Coolant level has dropped a little bit, could be due to air pockets.

 

My desired resolution:

1)I would like the vehicle independently inspected for damage to the power train, including the cylinder heads of the engine.

2)I would like all necessary repairs performed at no cost to me and warranted for the life of the vehicle.

3)While the vehicle is inspected/repaired, I would like a loaner vehicle.

4)If the vehicle cannot be repaired, I would like it to be replaced or purchased for the original purchase price.

5)After the aforementioned resolutions, I will accept a full refund for the original cost of the service.

 

Does that sound fair? I've mentioned this three times in my Better Business Bureau complaint but none of those points have been addressed.

 

Subaru of America has offered $1,500 towards a new vehicle, but that is the extent of their involvement. I have a case number with them but they said they can't exert any pressure on dealerships.

I would type up EXACTLY what you just posted and send a letter to SOA AND call them and tell them what happened. I don't know what kind of damage could have been done, I'd be wondering the same thing.

 

You didn't pay to have a car thats not working properly, so take it to another dealership after talking to SOA.

 

I avoid dealerships like the plague. I had a #4 misfire that literally took 12 times for them to fix. first few times they kept resetting the system claiming they couldn't find anything. By the end, their resolution to the matter was to switch the spark plugs to see if that fixed the problem. FINALLY they replaced it.

 

I do all oil changes myself and any major service I take to someone else.

wow

I would give a complaint to the dealer for sure! Make sure to talk to one of the higher ups about your experience, im sure they wont be to happy. You have a right to be upset.

Someone deserves a swift kick to the nuts at the very least.

Wowza

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75776

 

Not cool.. Subaru has some serious service issues in my area, and I've been to three dealerships..

The engine got overheated and was run with huge air pocket. If it's not toast already, it might be blow up because of this down the road.

 

You should demand new engine, not kidding.

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=75776

 

Not cool.. Subaru has some serious service issues in my area, and I've been to three dealerships..

 

Not cool at all. Only one dealership in my town. Next closest is about an hour away.

 

I'm not going to spend any time/money figuring this out on my own. This is Subaru's problem and I fully expect them to fix it, reimburse me for my time/damage to the vehicle, and replace any necessary parts--including the engine.

 

However, I can't really make any complaints until I know the extent of the damage. I've realized that the mechanics try to lie about everything and the service manager is only marginally upfront. How can anyone diagnose damage?

 

By the way, will the tires be affected from driving ~20 miles against the proper rotation?

i drive a hour to go to a good dealer

Running the engine without coolant (what it sounds like) would be bad. Pouring anything over your engine (that is much cooler than your engine) will put A LOT of thermal stress on your engine block. I would try and get a new engine. That sucks man.

If it makes you feel any better, my Prelude has been running for about two years without coolant... no engine problems yet.

wow. sorry to hear. You guys on the East Coast must have idiots for service depts. Sounds like our GM service depts up here. They are a bunch of morons... and why I don't own a GM any more. I know, if that were to happen at our dealership, there would be much carnage. I'm glad I don't have to deal with that crap. and I've run my car before with NO coolant, when I had a leak. i was able to get the car back to the service dept before it completely over heated so it was fine. I'm sure your service advisor probably wasn't too thrilled with the tech either since he gets paid off the work they do. Service Advisors do not like unhappy customers, especially if it's caused by a dumbass tech!

Well I would take it back, have them get you a loaner and have EVERYTHING in the car tested before you take it back. Sad thing is, if the same techs who worked on it work on it again, you might be up shit creek without a paddle.

 

There any other guys in your area (non-dealership and I'm takling LGT.com members) that could possibly take a look at your car?

At the very least, the dealership should be willing to offer you a free 100k powertrain warranty with no deductable. They should also change your oil and filter again (M1), as the overheat may have broken down the oil. Even syn has it's limits.

 

However, ask for something bigger first (engine and turbo replacement, swap into comparable used GT, or 150k warranty extension) and, if necessary, negotiate slowly backwards. You never know what they'll give you unless you ask.

Well I would take it back, have them get you a loaner and have EVERYTHING in the car tested before you take it back. Sad thing is, if the same techs who worked on it work on it again, you might be up shit creek without a paddle.

 

There any other guys in your area (non-dealership and I'm takling LGT.com members) that could possibly take a look at your car?

is there an independent shop that can also look at the car? just as a precautionary?

Overheating an all Alumium engine is extremely bad for it.

While a car with iron heads can actually withstand an overheat when dealt with quickly, with AL its a different story.

Dam that sucks man!!

now u going to questioning should I bring my car to the dealership for oil changes and tune ups

Definitely send SOA a written letter to 'cya' in case of future out-of-warranty issues. This will give you a file copy on record against your VIN should any future issues arise where you might need their involvement.

I think you are on borrowed time. Write a letter and consider lawyering up.

Thanks for the advice. I will put together a letter today, although my past experiences with Subaru of America have been less than decent. For the record, I'm in "East Central" Illinois, and as anyone from Illinois can tell you, that means Champaign. How does this sound:

 

1) I photograph/videotape all of the evidence (i.e., low coolant, low powersteering fluid ,backwards tires, spots of dried washer fluid).

 

2) I call Subaru of America on Monday and get a case number. I mail the letter with the same case number detailing the problems.

 

3) I drive back to the original delearship on Monday and have them fix everything while I watch. If necessary, I will ask to videotape any additional coolant baths.

 

4) After the car is in reasonable working condition, I will drive an hour to the next nearest Subaru dealership for full inspection and assessment of damage.

 

5) On Subaru of America's dime, I will take it to an independent shop for full inspection.

 

6) If any damages are found, I will ask for a replacement vehicle or the replacement of any damaged parts, including engine, radiator, etc.

The engine got overheated and was run with huge air pocket. If it's not toast already, it might be blow up because of this down the road.

 

You should demand new engine, not kidding.

 

+1

 

The engine overheated. That's bad. Very bad.

+1

 

The engine overheated. That's bad. Very bad.

 

Any published documentation of this? If I can find something that describes the signs and symptoms then it supports my case a lot more.

 

I'm taking an 800 mile road trip in a week. Subaru better not f*ck me over.

In a word - wow.

Any published documentation of this? If I can find something that describes the signs and symptoms then it supports my case a lot more.

 

I'm taking an 800 mile road trip in a week. Subaru better not f*ck me over.

I wish i could, but its simply the nature of aluminium. While steel can take a lot of heat and retain its shape and properties and be ok, AL warps and/or cracks.