English Version of
PreludeAWSi's post.
Last update: January 27th 2015
(Translated by QuickSiR)
The car is a 2012 Subaru Impreza (VIN: JF1GPAA6XCG201764) with a manual transmission and is still under warranty. I bought the car in March of 2012 at Option Subaru in Québec. It was a brand new car. The first problems showed up shortly after.
I would like to tell you the daily horror story that I live with my car . I don’t know what to do anymore. This is car is a nightmare. This story will be very long. I spent several hours writing everything down to make sure I include as much details as possible.
This non-stop fiasco has been going on for 2 years. Recently, 4 engines blew up in the last 5,000km (3,106 miles). One of them blew up in the dealer’s parking lot while picking the car up after the engine was just replaced. As of now, the dealer refuses to do any more work on the car. I called the dealer’s owner personally to know the reason why they refuse to honor the warranty on a car that has a well-documented problem. His only reply was that if I made the story public. He would sue me.
I’ve heard and seen enough about Subaru reliability and the poor service they provide after the purchase. I can’t just sit around and do nothing. Considering that I’m still making payments on a car that’s collecting dust in my driveway.
Oil changes and services are schedule every 10,000km (6,200 miles).
10,000km (6200miles) – Service work at Lévis Subaru Québec:
- 3 liter of oil burned during the first 10,000km and the airbags are not functional.
- There is a recall for the airbags and the dealer does the work to repair the problem.
- Dealer says the oil consumption is normal and offers to do an oil consumption survey.
- After 5,000km (3,100miles), I’m told by the dealer the oil consumption survey is invalid because no service paper work was ever done for it. Big waste of time.
20,000km (12,400miles) - Service work at Desjardins Subaru Québec:
- Another 3 liters of oil burned during the last 10,000km (6,200miles). The dealer notices an oil leak on the engine head. They fix the problem and tell be the oil consumption problem should be gone now. It makes sense since there was a burning oil smell. The oil was leaking on hot engine parts in the engine bay. Since they think they fixed the problem. The dealer refuses to do an oil consumption survey.
25,000km (15,500miles) – Appointment at Desjardins Subaru Québec:
- Front wheel bearing is broken and has to be replaced.
- The clutch doesn’t work properly. It’s slipping and the friction point is not right.
- The dealer replaced the wheel bearing but said the clutch is fine.
30,000km (18,600miles) – Service work at Desjardins Subaru Québec:
- 3-4 liters of oil burned in the last 10,000km (6,200 miles). It’s getting worst.
- Clutch is getting worst every day but the dealer says it’s fine.
- The oil leak on the engine head is back.
- The dealer fixed the oil leak again and refused to start an oil consumption survey… again.
At this point it wasn't so bad. I still liked the car even with all the problems. I moved to Saguenay which is approximately two and half hours away from where I originally bought and serviced my car. That’s when I found out the local dealer, that I can’t name or he is going to sue me, refuses to repair a car that they did not sell.
32,000km (19,900miles) – At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- Pressure plate in the transmission is broken. The old clutch problem that I reported several times wasn't “fine” after all. There are strange noises when I press the clutch and the car can barely move. This is a $2,000 job. I want to emphasize the fact that I am in no way responsible for this problem. The problem is a defective pressure plate and not an abnormally worn clutch disk.
- The dealer does not want to cover the problem under warranty even after a long discussing during which he did not provide a single argument as to why this isn't covered under warranty.
- I gave up and drove over two hours to my old dealer (Desjardins Subaru in Quebec) to have the pressure plate replaced. The dealer asked me to pay for the clutch disk ($100) since they were so nice to do the repair.
- Curiously, the two dealers have the same regional manager who approves the warranty work for Subaru. How come the problem can be replaced under warranty in Quebec City but not in Saguenay?
- This looks like an incompetent dealer that’s just wasting my time and money.
36,000km (22,370miles) – At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- Sudden substantial rise in fuel consumption (+30%) overnight. Same driving style, same car, same driver, service done on the car, tire pressure normal. I mentioned it to the dealer. His reply was to try higher octane gas because the gas isn't very good right now. (Say what?)
- I did my own investigation with an OBD2 reader to find out there is misfire detected by the O2 sensors. Most likely an ignition problem in cylinder #2.
- I will find out a year later that I was right and their decision to do nothing will cost them a huge amount of money.
37,000 (23,000miles) - At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- Wheel bearing has to be replaced again.
- Driver seat has to be replaced. The springs inside pierced the seat and are hurting my back.
- I was able to get a meeting about the absurd fuel consumption. I brought all the date from my tests.
- The dealer connected the car to their machine and told me everything is fine. There is no “check engine” code. No smell or strange noises. If I want other tests to be performed I will have to pay out of my pocket. I refused to pay obviously. You will find out later that I was right and they didn't even bother to investigate further.
40,000km (24,850miles) – Service work at the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- Burned another 4 liter of oil. Dealer says this kind of oil consumption is acceptable and refuses to do a survey or repair anything.
- Fuel consumption is currently at 12-13L/100km (~18.5mpg) compare to the 8-9L/100km (26mpg) that I used to get.
- Dealer refuses to look into the issue.
- There is a burning smell like when I had the oil leak on the engine head. Dealer says the smell probably comes from the clutch and that is normal when the engine is struggling to get the car up to speed. (Say what?)
41,000km (25,500miles) – At a friend’s house:
- The burning smell is still present so I decided to bring the car to a friend’s garage. Right away when I looked under the car I noticed there is oil everywhere. I can’t believe the dealer didn't see that when they did the oil change less then 1,000km (620mile) ago. It is OBVIOUS! I made an appointment at the dealer to have the leak fixed (for the third time).
42,000km (26,100miles) - At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- Oil pressure light is on (red light). The dealer claims it must be the oil level light (yellow light) and says it’s normal. I just need to add oil. I had enough of this bullshit. I had to get the owner manual to show him I was right because he didn't even want to lock it up himself. Finally, they changed the oil pressure sensor which was defective.
- I mentioned the abnormal oil consumption again. The dealer refuses to fix anything and again said burning 4L of oil in 10,000km (6,200miles) is acceptable.
44,000km (27,340miles) - At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- There is oil everywhere. From the engine bay to the rear fenders. Yep you guessed it. There is a leak… again.
- Since they just re-re-re-refixed the leak. I asked for an oil consumption survey. They refused and said the reason is a survey has to be started right after an oil change and not later. They added that burning 5L of oil between oil changes is within acceptable specifications. Five freaking liters of oil!!!!!
- The winter is now starting (2013-2014) and the fuel consumption is worst then ever at around 15L/100km (15.7mpg).
- I contacted Subaru Canada to explain the problems that I have with the car. I wrote several emails over a period of two months but was ignored. I wrote them again and asked if they intended to ignore the issue until my car is out of warranty.
Here is the answer that I received:
“I understand that all the tests done showed no sign of mechanical problem which could cause your high fuel consumption. We recommend that you continue to work with the “the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me” if you think there is cause for concern. If the dealer can prove there is a mechanical or manufacturing defect which could cause your high fuel consumption. The necessary repairs will be cover by the warranty according to the terms and conditions of Subaru Canada’s warranty.”
- The dealer never did any tests. They are liars. The dealer still says that without a check engine, a smell or a strange noise, all costs for tests will be coming out of my own pocket.
So it appears I am in a dead end!
February 2014 – 45,000km (28,000 miles) - At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- Very loud growling noise during cold starts. There seems to be a problem in the transmission. The noise stops when I press the clutch pedal. Dealer doesn't want to repair it under warranty. According to the dealer, the transmission is not cover by the warranty because they think I broke it.
- That’s it, nothing to add.
- At this point I was starting to get pretty angry. I argued with them and they finally agreed to change the transmission oil.
- Next morning (-25C), not only is the problem still present but the transmission is also frozen. Impossible to put it in gear for at least 10 minutes (had to wait for the transmission to get warm). I went back to the dealer. They realized they didn't put the right oil in the transmission. They have to redo the oil change.
- I mentioned the initial problem is still present. After arguing, the dealer admits they haven’t been able to speak with the regional manager for warranty claims all week. They also said there is no point in going to another dealer since it’s the same regional manager and they won’t be able to talk to him either. So I called Desjardins Subaru in Quebec, they put me on hold for 2 minutes while they talk to the “unreachable” regional manager. They then told me all I have to do is bring them my car and they will fix it under warranty. When I asked the “dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me” why it’s covered under warranty at the other dealer but not here. He straight up told me “
If you’re not happy. Go to the other dealer”.
- I’ve rarely been this pissed. I walked out before doing something stupid.
- When I got home I called Subaru Canada. Explained everything to a lady. An hour later, the “dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me” called back acting all nice and offered to repair the transmission.
- But since nothing is ever 100% right, I had to pay $20/day for a rental car while they worked on the car.
- The dealer changed the clutch bearing and the pilot bearing in the transmission. The next morning, I go pick up my car at the dealer. It is very cold and as soon as I see the noise is still present. They did nothing or they changed the wrong parts.
- Whatever, I was so pissed I did not walk back inside to tell them. I already knew what they were going to say.
51,000km (31,600miles) - At the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me:
- The engine burned a whole lot of oil once again. It is out of this world. I have to put oil in every week. Not to mention the ridiculous fuel consumption that averages around 15L/100km (15.6mpg).
- For the first time, after arguing, they offer an oil consumption survey. It only took 2 years and 51,000km of jerking around. Oil change done. Now, I most wait for the oil level light to turn on and then show up at the dealership to have the oil level checked up.
- The first time the oil light turned on was after 700km (430miles). I showed up at the dealership. They added oil. Then 700km later, the light went on again. This time it’s a different guy and he can’t find the paper work. He ends up saying my oil consumption survey is void.
- I was PISSED. After explaining the whole story to the new guy. He set up an appointment to fix the car the following week.
- When the regular guy came back to work and saw I had an engine replacement scheduled. He called to tell me there would be no engine replacement because I don’t have the maintenance bills from when I lived in Quebec. I was at the dealer 30 minutes later with the bills in hand to shut him up.
- Again, I have to pay $20/day for a car while they work on mine.
- The engine burned 3L of oil in 1600km (995miles). That’s what it took for them to finally take me seriously. But all that burned oil caused a lot of damage. Keep reading…
Finally! I have a brand new engine! But that honeymoon didn’t last for long. After only 700km, the new engine already burned a liter of oil. The engine started to lack power and stall for no reason. Fuel consumption was at the usual 15L/100km. I also started to hear what appears to be a knocking crank shaft.
The engine died after only 1,950km (1,200miles) and after burning 2L of oil.
Engine Part 3:
- Brand new engine installed on Monday-Tuesday November 10-11. I went to the dealer to pick up my car on Wednesday November 12th.
- I swear to you! This is not a joke! The engine blew up 5 seconds after I turned the key in the dealer’s parking!!! Sounded something like *Starter**Vrouuuuum**TOC TOC TOC TOC TOC**car shakes like a madman*.
- Got out of the car and decided to make a video to show my friends. First it shows a video of the night I picked up the car. Then the next morning with the dealer’s mechanic. Take note that the engine won’t go past 2,000rpm even with the gas pedal floored.
- The mechanic was able to start the engine (barely) and there was a loud noise coming from the transmission when he would release the clutch pedal.
- The dealer finally acknowledged there is a bearing noise in the tranny. I almost cried.
- I couldn’t go home with my car that night (what a surprise).
[video=youtube;P72aa97OyZI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P72aa97OyZI[/video]
That is when I decided to make my story public on montrealracing.com. I didn’t know it would make so much noise. I saw it on facebook! After a week there were 20,000 views. I read many stories of people who also had problems with their Subarus and the poor customer service.
A few days later, I received a call from the owner of the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me. He read my story online and wasn't very happy about the publicity that it brought to his business. In the 10 minutes the discussion lasted, he blamed me several times for not buying my car at his dealership and that he could sue me for all the things I wrote about his dealer. (All I wrote is 100% true!!!) I accepted to remove the story from montrealracing.com and he promised to fix the issue as soon as possible. To finish I asked him to replace the transmission bearing while they have the car appart.
My car spent 3 weeks at the dealer. They found out that two catalytic converters were plug up and another was smashed in. After 25 liters of burned oil in 2 years it seems pretty obvious to me. They even admitted it was most likely the cause of the high fuel consumption and the misfire problems. I've been living with this problem for a year. I even found the misfire problems and told them about it but they did nothing. During this period, I spend $1,500 more in gas then I would of if the car had worked properly.
Here is a picture of once of the catalytic converters:
During the 3 weeks my car spent at the garage. They tried all sort of things. They installed and removed engines that died after the first start up. They changed two catalytic converters. They changed a starter. They also changed wires that were not grounded properly. (Most likely due to their first engine swap)
Saguenay is a small town. While they were working on my car, I heard stories of a car that was giving headaches to Subaru Canada and the dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me.
When I picked up my car 3 weeks later, the owner of the dealer wanted to see me. He began by saying he did me a favor because Subaru Canada didn't want to cover half of the work they did on my car. I wanted to know what wasn't covered by the warranty since the car obviously had some serious problem from the beginning. He didn't want to answer the question. All he said was my car cost him a lot of money.
Was I supposed to feel bad for him?
What I think is Subaru Canada didn't want to pay for the dealer’s mistakes and their inability to find the problems early on. It would have saved them three engines replacements. ($5,000 each)
What kind of idiot sets up a meeting with a client to tell him he is a good guy because he fixed a car that is still covered by the maker’s warranty?
At that point, the car had 57,800km (36,000miles). But the dealer wrote 59,266km on the work bill. Are they trying to make it look like the car is about to be out of warranty?
So I picked up my and noticed the next morning the transmission noise is still present.
[video=youtube;uGR-UrRhKaQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uGR-UrRhKaQ[/video]
I want to remind you the mechanic and dealer acknowledged this problem several times. Everyone in the garage heard it. The car just spent 3 weeks in the garage with a mechanic working on it full time and they didn't bother to fix the transmission problem. There is nothing to be done. They simply do not want to fix it under warranty. It’s been going on for over a year and it gets worse as time goes by.
To make things worse, the 4th engine started knocking after only 1,000km. The break in period wasn't over yet.
At this point I had enough and decided to make a complaint to the PAVAC (Canadian arbitrary program for automobiles).
So everything is clear, here is a list of the current problems:
1st: Knocking engine, it’s unanimous and undisputable, crank bearing is done. The engine is done… again.
2nd: Transmission problems still present during cold starts. It’s getting worse every day. They know about it. They acknowledge the problem over a year ago. They just don’t want to fix it.
3rd: Fuel consumption still abnormally high. But the situation is better since they replaced the catalytic converters.
4th: The PAVAC is now aware of the problem. Subaru Canada is aware as well. I was contacted by Subaru and they offered to repair everything. What I would like is for them to buy the car back. They want to avoid that at all cost. (More details soon)
5th: Since the PAVAC is aware, Subaru Canada is aware and now the “dealer that I can’t name or he will sue me” is also aware. They called me to fix the problems. I’m trying to make the PAVAC understand the engine problems are not repairable (4 engines in 5,000km) which would make my car eligible for a buy back from Subaru Canada. I have an appointment with the dealer this week and all I want is a paper that says that my engine as to be replaced for the fifth time.
6th: Dropped the car at the dealer in the afternoon. A few hours later I got a call from the arrogant dealer.
It went like this:
- There is nothing wrong with your car.
- We inspected the car from A to Z.
- Scanned it on the computer.
- Your engine works perfectly.
- There is nothing wrong with your transmission.
- We did a 1 hour test drive with the car and did a fuel consumption of 7L/100km.
- We’re sending the paper work to Subaru Canada.
- Come pick up your car.
- Bye.
It doesn't look good. I had a bad feeling about this. The fuel consumption is not my #1 priority but I didn't believe a word he said.
So I picked up my car lemon on Wednesday night.
As soon as I started the engine I heard the knocking noise. The transmission did its usual growling noise as soon as I release the clutch pedal. I looked at the trip computer. It shows 9L/100km. Impressive (guess he drove at 80kmh on the highway in top gear) but still a long way from the 7L/100km he claimed on the phone. By the time I drove the car home. The trip computer showed 10.2L/100km.
You’re telling me someone did a 1 hour test drive and never heard the engine knocking or the transmission bearing noises? Someone somewhere is lying through its teeth.
I think no inspection was done on the car. When I dropped the car off, the car was covered in snow and ice. That snow and ice would have melted in the garage while they did the inspection. It didn't.
In other words, they are liars. They sent false data of a fake inspection to Subaru Canada and the PAVAC.
I spoke with the owner of the dealership over the phone. Even though I was pissed I remind calm and tried to work out a solution. But he just doesn't give a F***. He reminded me that I did not buy my car at his dealership and that my car already cost him enough money. He also told me again that if I put the story back online. He will sue me.
I am discouraged and I don’t know what to do at this point. I cannot sell the car with the $30,000 of repair on file. Nobody would buy it. The engine and transmission are defective and they won’t fix it. It is not safe to drive on the road and I lost confidence in the car, the dealer and Subaru.
It is possible to get a buy back through the PAVAC but the car most not exceed 60,000km. The car is currently, 2 years and 10 months and has 59,000km on the clock. All they are doing is buying up time until my car runs out of warranty.
This Subaru has over $30,000 of bills from the dealer, 23 appointments for service work and repairs, 25 liters of oil burned by the engine, weeks without my car during which I had to pay out of my pocket for rental cars. A resale value that is nonexistent. Not to mention the time and money I've spend trying to work out this nightmare.
Please share this story with as many people as possible. They need to realize that in 2015. You can’t simply ignore a problem and hope it will go away.
Thanks!
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