Subaru warranty ownership!

[Vlad]

Hi.
I am looking for a comment from anyone who have bought a new Subaru in
the past/present.
Having a small factory presence here in OZ (only 10% of Subaru is
actually owned by Subary, while 90% is by English Company IGS from
memory)I am worried how reliable the Subaru warranty is?
Has anyone had a hard time trying to get warranty repairs done to
their vehicles?
Does Subaru honours their warrantees in full without prejudice?
Any interesting stories?

I have a friend who has purchased 2nd hand WRX MY03 from an auction
with 5k on the clock (paid about 35k).In a few days, heard a audible
knocking sound emanating from the bottom end of the engine. Well long
story short, he needs 8.5k worth of engine work and Subaru refuses to
comply since the car was purchased at an auction and apparently "the
warranty is void". (he has just over 2 years of fact. warranty left
plus extended warranty)
Well my friend did a car history check and found out that the car was
originally used by Subaru Docklands as demo and than on their private
training/race course as an everyday training vehicle.(read: abused to
death by everyone)It was than promptly sold to an elderly buyer who
few weeks after traded it for a new car. The dealer (obviously aware
of the problem) auctioned it off.
Currently, he employed an independent mech eng to do a full report on
the engine and waiting for subaru to respond. However I don't like his
chances, esp since the saga has been going on for 3 month now!
The moral is: NEVER BUY 2ND HAND WRX.

I am about to get a huge loan for a new outback and worried that if I
would ever require warranty repairs Subaru will "wash their hands off
me".
Any good or bad stories out there?

Cheers
Vlad

 

[Intact Kneeslider]

I have a friend who has purchased 2nd hand WRX MY03 from
an auction with 5k on the clock (paid about 35k).In a few days,
heard a audible knocking sound emanating from the bottom end
of the engine.
...he needs 8.5k worth of engine work and Subaru refuses to
comply since the car was purchased at an auction and apparently "the
warranty is void".

Well my friend did a car history check and found out that the car was
originally used by Subaru Docklands as demo and than on their private
training/race course as an everyday training vehicle.(read: abused to
death by everyone)It was than promptly sold to an elderly buyer who
few weeks after traded it for a new car. The dealer (obviously aware
of the problem) auctioned it off.

With a pained expression on my face, I have to type:

Why didn't your mate do the history check this_before_he bought the car?

With all the dropkicks out there banging their WRX's off the limiter every
green light and roundabout exit, Subaru, of all manufacturers, would
probably be the one most sick to the back teeth of shelling out for
replacement clutches, gear clusters and diffs, so you could understand them
being more reluctant than most to honour warranty without question.

That said, if there is documented proof that Subaru themselves thrashed the
car, there could be a hope with fair trading. Auctions' code of selling cars
"as is" is only supposed to absolve the auction house of any blame if the
car turns out to be a bag of spanners. I'm not sure I see that extended back
to the manufacturer, though.

 

[365GTB4®]

\

The moral is: NEVER BUY 2ND HAND WRX.

The moral is NEVER BUY A SUBARU....

Alex my friend who owns Mentone Motors had like many here in Vic. the Subaru
dealership taking off them so the greedy pricks could sell direct, control
the prices and make a extra margin

He said Subaru where a pain in warranty payment thats after spending 10's
thousand$ on special tools and manuals BUT they had very few problems with
the vehicles if that makes you feel better, the best for warranty attitude
is the American companies they are pretty lax

If you buy new any brand and have it serviced and dont abuse the vehicle i
doubt they would reneg a geniune warranty issue

Good luck with your new car

CDIHL

 

[atec77]

Take legal advice as the warranty is transferable under consumer laws ,
the wrx has a warranty and the method of sale does not effect the
warranty , although they will try to bluff it into nonexistence it is
covered.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Hi.
I am looking for a comment from anyone who have bought a new Subaru in
the past/present.
Having a small factory presence here in OZ (only 10% of Subaru is
actually owned by Subary, while 90% is by English Company IGS from
memory)I am worried how reliable the Subaru warranty is?
Has anyone had a hard time trying to get warranty repairs done to
their vehicles?
Does Subaru honours their warrantees in full without prejudice?
Any interesting stories?

I have a friend who has purchased 2nd hand WRX MY03 from an auction
with 5k on the clock (paid about 35k).In a few days, heard a audible
knocking sound emanating from the bottom end of the engine. Well long
story short, he needs 8.5k worth of engine work and Subaru refuses to
comply since the car was purchased at an auction and apparently "the
warranty is void". (he has just over 2 years of fact. warranty left
plus extended warranty)
Well my friend did a car history check and found out that the car was
originally used by Subaru Docklands as demo and than on their private
training/race course as an everyday training vehicle.(read: abused to
death by everyone)It was than promptly sold to an elderly buyer who
few weeks after traded it for a new car. The dealer (obviously aware
of the problem) auctioned it off.
Currently, he employed an independent mech eng to do a full report on
the engine and waiting for subaru to respond. However I don't like his
chances, esp since the saga has been going on for 3 month now!
The moral is: NEVER BUY 2ND HAND WRX.

Hell, I'd be afraid to buy a WRX that had been
out on test drives.

 

[365GTB4®]

If you buy new any brand and have it serviced and dont abuse the vehicle i
doubt they would reneg a geniune warranty issue

Good luck with your new car

CDIHL

Further to your post,Subaru can void the warranty based on the simple fact
that the service maintance are incomplete.This is stated in the terms and
conditions of the said book

The warranty is based on the terms that the car is serviced at the said
intervals with genuine parts used and by a *a-grade* qualified mechanic

If he does not have the correct documentation he is screwed,based that it is
a ex-Docklands vehicle and they knew the car was faulty bet the books are
incomplete or missing,Subaru have found a nice way to void it

A *honest* car company would have refurbished the vehicle offered full
warranty , just goes to show the ethics (our lack of) from the Subaru
people,not surprised at all from them

CDIHL

 

[Dave_H]

I am about to get a huge loan for a new outback and worried that if I

would ever require warranty repairs Subaru will "wash their hands off
me".
Any good or bad stories out there?

Cheers
Vlad

I bought a 2nd hand impreza Lx from a dealer (Penrith Subaru) and had
it serviced and a warranty fix at (Tynan subaru). After the factory
warranty ran out, I had a year of "subaru assured" extended warranty.

1 - Tynan Subaru were a disaster, they replaced the hatch hinges and
to this day it is still misaligned. They put a huge dent in the front
fender, scratched the hatch and for some reason, took out the
instrument cluster and remounted it at such a bad angle that an
indicator arrow was hidden by the plastic surrounding the instruments.
When I took it back to get their repairs repaired, they (the mechanic,
not the slimy compaints manager) basically said that they were too
busy (multiple marques and high throughput) to get it right the first
time.

2 - Penrith subaru honoured the warranty and fixed most of tynans
mistakes. They then fixed something else under the extended warranty
with no complaints at all.

3 - I think if you buy from a subaru dealer 2nd hand, there should be
no problem with warrantys.

 

[James Whitehead]

Take a look at the original Subaru warranty contract. If it states nothing
about second hand vehicles then contacting the office of fair trading should
sort them out.

 

[James Whitehead]

They would need to establish that this is the cause of the problem. They can
write anything into their contract however they would need to prove in court
that this is the cause of the problem.

 

[Justin Thyme]

Friends of mine bought a WRX new, and had it for about 6 months. Paintwork
started buggering up in that short time and subaru refused to do anything
about it under warranty. Spots on the bonnet, roof and bootlid had started
blistering, and the paint had worn through to the undercoat near the door
handles and on the door frames - the sort of stuff you'd expect in a 10-20yo
car, not <6mo car. They also had frequent engine problems, which they
didn't manage to get fixed properly - they were taking it in every couple of
weeks, and were charged every time for it. - "erm, we think we fixed it, try
it now". In the end they got sick of the hassles with it, and traded it on
a commodore.

 

[Matt Richards]

I bought a 2nd hand impreza Lx from a dealer (Penrith Subaru) and had
it serviced and a warranty fix at (Tynan subaru). After the factory
warranty ran out, I had a year of "subaru assured" extended warranty.

1 - Tynan Subaru were a disaster, they replaced the hatch hinges and
to this day it is still misaligned. They put a huge dent in the front
fender, scratched the hatch and for some reason, took out the
instrument cluster and remounted it at such a bad angle that an
indicator arrow was hidden by the plastic surrounding the instruments.
When I took it back to get their repairs repaired, they (the mechanic,
not the slimy compaints manager) basically said that they were too
busy (multiple marques and high throughput) to get it right the first
time.

2 - Penrith subaru honoured the warranty and fixed most of tynans
mistakes. They then fixed something else under the extended warranty
with no complaints at all.

3 - I think if you buy from a subaru dealer 2nd hand, there should be
no problem with warrantys.

I bought my 01 GX Impreza from Tynan, never had a problem with them. I've
had 2 things fixed under warranty that they found during service. Its coming
up on 3 years old now, the factory warranty is about to expire - I got
suckered into the extended warranty thinking it was factory warranty, but
its from a mob called "All states warranty network" or something, no idea
how good it will be.

I've always gotten my car serviced on Saturdays, not sure if that makes any
difference.

Dont get me started on a certain Mitsubishi dealer in the Wollongong area...
they reversed dad's 91 Magna into a pole while it was being serviced, and
they let the battery go flat on his new 02 magna - they had to jump start it
when he picked it up, the guy detailing it had left the stereo on.

Matt.

 

[bugs]

)

Well my friend did a car history check and found out that the car was
originally used by Subaru Docklands as demo and than on their private
training/race course as an everyday training vehicle.(read: abused to
death by everyone)It was than promptly sold to an elderly buyer who
few weeks after traded it for a new car. The dealer (obviously aware
of the problem) auctioned it off.

All new car warrantys are void if the vehicle is used for racing read the
fine print. Bad luck, thats the problem with auctions, most don't disclose
all the info they have. Should have been stated at the start of auction,
may have a case against auctioneers.

 

[Charlie]

one thing worth trying might be http://www.notgoodenough.org
though maybe don't tell them about the history

Charlie

 

[Forg]

I am looking for a comment from anyone
who have bought a new Subaru in the past/
present. ....
I am worried how reliable the Subaru warranty is?

....

It's pretty good. My Liberty had a build-defect which
caused a ticking sound in the engine, and they fixed it for
free even though it was 9 months out of warranty. The only
stories of "not honouring warranty" that I've heard which
I'd put any stock in is when a car's been punished (ie. used
outside of warranty conditions), or when a dealer has made a
dodgy call on a consumable that's worn before it should have
(eg. clutches ... and probably because the car's been
punished, again).


-Forg

 

[Forg]

A *honest* car company would have
refurbished the vehicle offered full warranty,
just goes to show the ethics (our lack of) from
the Subaru people,not surprised at all from them

....

That's a load of bullshit; once a car's auctioned off it's
gone; no demonstration vehicle is fully "refurbished", I
don't think you'd have seen any of the Holden Precision
Driving Team cars being "refurbished" and sold with full
warranty when they were finished with them ...

Jeeze you pile on the crap thick & fast sometimes!


-Forg

 

[Forg]

I bought my 01 GX Impreza from Tynan,
never had a problem with them.

....

Yeah, the year and a half or so I had my car serviced at
Tynan's I didn't have any problems; except it was pretty
expensive.

....

Dont get me started on a certain Mitsubishi dealer

....

Oh, that's all Mitsubishi dealers; I don't understand how
they stay in business with their stinking attitude, it's
downright shocking.


-Forg

 

[Clockmeister]

Hi.
I am looking for a comment from anyone who have bought a new Subaru in
the past/present.
Having a small factory presence here in OZ (only 10% of Subaru is
actually owned by Subary, while 90% is by English Company IGS from
memory)

Subaru is owned by GM.

I am worried how reliable the Subaru warranty is?

Has anyone had a hard time trying to get warranty repairs done to
their vehicles?
Does Subaru honours their warrantees in full without prejudice?
Any interesting stories?

We used to be a Subaru dealer not so long ago (long story, don't ask) and
had no problems with regards to warranty claims *providing* the vehicle was
not abused.

I have a friend who has purchased 2nd hand WRX MY03 from an auction
with 5k on the clock (paid about 35k).In a few days, heard a audible
knocking sound emanating from the bottom end of the engine. Well long
story short, he needs 8.5k worth of engine work and Subaru refuses to
comply since the car was purchased at an auction and apparently "the
warranty is void". (he has just over 2 years of fact. warranty left
plus extended warranty)
Well my friend did a car history check and found out that the car was
originally used by Subaru Docklands as demo and than on their private
training/race course as an everyday training vehicle.(read: abused to
death by everyone)It was than promptly sold to an elderly buyer who
few weeks after traded it for a new car. The dealer (obviously aware
of the problem) auctioned it off.
Currently, he employed an independent mech eng to do a full report on
the engine and waiting for subaru to respond. However I don't like his
chances, esp since the saga has been going on for 3 month now!
The moral is: NEVER BUY 2ND HAND WRX.

Your friend should have done a check *before* purchasing the vehicle. Yes,
vehicles used on the racetrack have no warranty, I wouldn't expect any
manufacturer to warrant a vehicle subject to abuse.

I am about to get a huge loan for a new outback and worried that if I
would ever require warranty repairs Subaru will "wash their hands off
me".
Any good or bad stories out there?

Their warranty policy is no different to any other manufacturer's, but they
do not tolerate vehicle abuse so unless you are going to track or thrash the
bollocks of your new Outback you shouldn't have any warranty coverage
concerns.

Subaru's are on the whole very reliable anyway.

Regards,

Clockmeister.

 

[D Walford]

Further to your post,Subaru can void the warranty based on the simple fact
that the service maintance are incomplete.This is stated in the terms and
conditions of the said book

The warranty is based on the terms that the car is serviced at the said
intervals with genuine parts used and by a *a-grade* qualified mechanic

If he does not have the correct documentation he is screwed

Subaru or any other car company cannot break the law just because it
suits them. I know from my experience working in warranty at Ford for 6
yrs that voiding warranty on the grounds you mention is not legal.
Car companies only get away with this crap because their customers are
bullied into believing what the thieving bastards tell them.





Daryl

 

[Mr Pyro]

Subaru is owned by GM.

No it isn't.

GM only owns a 20% stake in Subaru - via 20% equity in the Japanese
parent Fuji Heavy Industries.

pyro

 

[Dave_H]

I bought my 01 GX Impreza from Tynan, never had a problem with them. I've
had 2 things fixed under warranty that they found during service. Its coming
up on 3 years old now, the factory warranty is about to expire - I got
suckered into the extended warranty thinking it was factory warranty, but
its from a mob called "All states warranty network" or something, no idea
how good it will be.

I've always gotten my car serviced on Saturdays, not sure if that makes any
difference.

Dont get me started on a certain Mitsubishi dealer in the Wollongong area...
they reversed dad's 91 Magna into a pole while it was being serviced, and
they let the battery go flat on his new 02 magna - they had to jump start it
when he picked it up, the guy detailing it had left the stereo on.

Matt.

Maybe I should have tried a weekend. The weekdays certainly had a lot
of cars go through there. I felt sorry for the mechanic he certainly
sounded stessed and haggled. Unfortunatley all the shiny floors,
coffee and smiling staff dont matter when they damage your car
repeatedly. Even after you go back a second time and they do it again.
Penrith is a bloody long way to go but my car always comes back in one
piece.

The extended warranty I got actually came from Subaru. I remember them
advertising it in newpapers as a 'factory assured' warranty available
only on 2nd hand cars under 3 years old sold from subaru dealerships.
Maybe they don't do that anymore Pity, it was great piece of mind.