GraysonSubaru Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Just wanted to see what true Subaru owners have to say about the new JD POWER findings/rating in their survey Ratings | J.D. Power overall quality - 3 out of 5 overall mechanical - 2 out of 5 powertrain quality, mechanical - 3 out of 5 body and interior quality, mechanical - 2 out of 5 features and accessories quality, mechanical - 3 out of 5 I have an online customer that will not even consider a Subaru because of this. I wanted to see how others look at it, how owners feel about this release, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westy66 Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 i always find these interesting. between myself, friends and family i have been around many Subarus. all of which have been reliable, robust and mostly trouble-free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dergara Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 A bunch of bull. More than half the issues are caused by bad service and by mechanics, and lets not forget bad drivers. (cars are not made to scuff curbs every day but that what the seniors think). I DO NOT take JD into consideration when buying a car because most that comes from people that drive Buicks. Go figure. I guess if I was in the market for a Buick or Cadillac I would look into what JD has to say. Another thing, if a GM car gets a great rating for reliability it is because it is 5 years old and has 1000 miles on it from going back and fourth to the library. Sorry for the vent, but from an old guy perspective I am embarrassed at my aging friends driving habits. “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here” -Dante Alighieri http://youtu.be/lLFunBPgPOo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtmenace Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 ... Ratings | J.D. Power overall quality - 4 out of 5 this is my 2nd "new" subaru. my 06 & my previous 02, both cars are/were well built. my last car had very few rattles after 4 yrs & some 75k miles, especially when compared to other cars that cost more or = to. overall mechanical - 4 out of 5 though the seals (head gasket) did fail in my 02, i was anticipating it. there are easy ways to avoid it on the older (& new cars), i wasn't as diligent as i should have been. but overall, the mechanicals of the car worked well, without issue. powertrain quality, mechanical - 3(.5) out of 5 (see above) never an odd shift in my previous auto & 50k on my 5sp & not a hiccup (in what is essentially my first 5sp car). body and interior quality, mechanical - 3 out of 5 interior quality, though dated & somewhat lacking in comfort, is well put together (this applies to both cars, but is one of the reasons a subaru costs less than an audi/vdub/volvo). the paint sucks balls (i knew this going in the 2nd time) features and accessories quality, mechanical - 4 out of 5 the physical quality of the "features & accessories" available are reliable & typically w/out issue. yeah, most of the stuff you'll find is quirky & dated, but not poorly made. .... & it saddens me that people will unfortunately make purchase decisions based on this crap. sorry gs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miles Posted August 13, 2008 Share Posted August 13, 2008 Ratings | J.D. Power overall quality - 4 out of 5 this is my 2nd "new" subaru. my 06 & my previous 02, both cars are/were well built. my last car had very few rattles after 4 yrs & some 75k miles, especially when compared to other cars that cost more or = to. overall mechanical - 4 out of 5 though the seals (head gasket) did fail in my 02, i was anticipating it. there are easy ways to avoid it on the older (& new cars), i wasn't as diligent as i should have been. but overall, the mechanicals of the car worked well, without issue. powertrain quality, mechanical - 3(.5) out of 5 (see above) never an odd shift in my previous auto & 50k on my 5sp & not a hiccup (in what is essentially my first 5sp car). body and interior quality, mechanical - 3 out of 5 interior quality, though dated & somewhat lacking in comfort, is well put together (this applies to both cars, but is one of the reasons a subaru costs less than an audi/vdub/volvo). the paint sucks balls (i knew this going in the 2nd time) features and accessories quality, mechanical - 4 out of 5 the physical quality of the "features & accessories" available are reliable & typically w/out issue. yeah, most of the stuff you'll find is quirky & dated, but not poorly made. .... Those are not Subaru ratings. They didn't score above 3 out of 5. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTGT Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 ^Right he changed them to what he thought was correct based on his personal experiences. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westy66 Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 My responses in bold: 4 features and accessories quality, mechanical - 3 out of 5 Weak air conditioning system, poor drivers window switch, slow windows. No other accessories have broken or malfunctioned. i think the A/C is quite good... but thats because im coming from a WRX. do they have A/C? and dont even get me started on that G OD DA MN window switch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VtspecB Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Grayson ... highlight the recent 2 year in a row 5 star safety rating achieved by Subaru for the Legacy. BTW - I'm in Maryville/Alcoa area a handful of times per year. I'll stop in next time I'm in the area. Who should I ask for? my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraysonSubaru Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 Grayson ... highlight the recent 2 year in a row 5 star safety rating achieved by Subaru for the Legacy. BTW - I'm in Maryville/Alcoa area a handful of times per year. I'll stop in next time I'm in the area. Who should I ask for? I did all of the redirects I could find, safety ratings, consumer reports, edumnds, USA Today, Forbes, kelley blue book, etc. He is set on thinking that JD POWER is the only reliable unbiased institution that rates vehicles or writes anything about them. I was nice and told that that I was sorry he may purchase his next vehicle based on biased/incorrect information, but hoped that he had an enjoyable buying experience and enjoyed whichever vehicle he did purchase. (he has been looking since May). You can stop in and ask for Seth. I roam between Subaru and the Jeep/Pontiac store next door. They will eventually track me down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GraysonSubaru Posted August 14, 2008 Author Share Posted August 14, 2008 Weak air conditioning system, poor drivers window switch, slow windows. No other accessories have broken or malfunctioned. my 03's AC sucked, buy the AC in my 08 rocks. I actually have had to turn it down because it would freeze me out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gianspi Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I hate to agree, but I completely agree with poor mechanical quality. Please be aware that the initial quality is superb, but faulty maintenance by untrained dealers skyrockets this number down. In example, the dealer overtorqued my drain plug resulting in a slow but noticeable transmission fluid leak. A simple hand tighten and torque wrench would of been sufficient, but by using the air tools to torque 44lb/fts of course stripped the pan's threads. enough zip ties and duct tape will fix anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VtspecB Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Unfortunately dealer service is by far one of the biggest down sides to Subarus. I have had poor experience after poor experience on ever one of my cars ... an 01, 03 and 06 and now vow never to take the 06 back again. my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dergara Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I am started in that direction myself. I think the way dealers are structured they hurry through everything, and blame you first. I have started looking for good clean shops in my area even though my dealer has taken good care of me the screw ups on my car are tipping the balance. “Abandon hope, all ye who enter here” -Dante Alighieri http://youtu.be/lLFunBPgPOo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtmenace Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I hate to agree, but I completely agree with poor mechanical quality. Please be aware that the initial quality is superb, but faulty maintenance by untrained dealers skyrockets this number down..... "poor mechanical quality" & "poor quality mechanics" are two separate issues. you can't blame the car or manufacturer for problems created by service techs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtmenace Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 & i do all of my "simple" services myself, this keeps the blame localized to myself or the manufacturer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VtspecB Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 you can't blame the car or manufacturer for problems created by service techs... I guess my comment was a bit off topic. You're right, you can't blame the car or manufacturer for problems created by service techs but it doesn't help the overall impression the brand leaves with its consumers when poor after the sale service is experienced. my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtmenace Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 ... but it doesn't help the overall impression the brand leaves with its consumers when poor after the sale service is experienced. this should be in the "it's what makes a subaru a subaru" thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fishbone Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Oh, OK, so Nissan scores 3 points in interior build quality and Subaru is on par with Saturn, coming in at 2 stars. That's probably because people that have jumped into Nissan came from riding bycicles and some that drive Subarus are comparing them to their other car in the garage: Benz, BMW, Audi? I used to give a lot of cred to JD Power and as far as reliability studies I still do, but this report which in my honest opinion does not reflect what Subaru is about in any way, shape or form, has me seriously reconsidering it as a reliable source. Subaru, at least my Legacy's interior, comes the closest to the "snotty" eurobrands like Audi and VW imho, and this is coming from someone that grew up across the pond. I've sat and driven my fair share of euromobiles. SOA has to seriously invest into their dealer representation, it's the one area where they cut it short imho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
speedy_beedee Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I only look at consumer reports and iihs articles. Consumer reports rated the na legacy very high, so thats what I bought. But it doesn't really mater what car you buy or reliability rating you follow all car manufactures have problems. I have owned many Hondas and I've had a few that caused nothing but headaches. In the 97 civic cx hatchback I had many things fail before 100,000 miles including transmission, clutch master cylinder, window come off track twice, warped rotors (over torqued wheels), srs module, two o2 sensors, exhaust manifold, and ecu. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amoxi Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 If you think about any of these surveys the only people that respond are people that have something to get off their chest. Satisfied customers typically don't answer those things. On a side note, SIA makes the best Camry overall according to JD Powers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 I guess my comment was a bit off topic. You're right, you can't blame the car or manufacturer for problems created by service techs but it doesn't help the overall impression the brand leaves with its consumers when poor after the sale service is experienced. i have owned several cars and several manufacturers. i can say wholeheartedly that after sales service is lacking in just about ANY manuf. I happen to have top notch service from my dealer, but perhaps my view points are a bit jaded due to my relationship with the service dept here. even still, prior to that, i had much better service from the local dealer than i ever did at Toyota, Ford, GM, or Mercury. Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitual Line Stepper Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 Atleast i'm not the only one that thinks my car sucks, thanks JD Power and Associates! "I for one do not doubt you, dude. Your car is fast and an internet legend." -Gire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AKLGT Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 LOL. oh shut up you! Wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle wiggle yeah!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habitual Line Stepper Posted August 14, 2008 Share Posted August 14, 2008 LOL. oh shut up you! But the guys name is JD Power and he has associates. He might as well be Jesus and his disciples. How can you not trust him?! "I for one do not doubt you, dude. Your car is fast and an internet legend." -Gire Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TobyR Posted August 16, 2008 Share Posted August 16, 2008 I don't get the whole JDP thing… It is totally anecdotal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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