Warranty on Impreza WRX void because of clutch?????

[Eguene]

Hi guys,
I really hope that there will be some WRX experts out there, because I need
help.
I bot MY03 WRX which done 11,000km. First 5,000 it was demonstration car at
Subaru Dealership and then 6,000km previous owner had it.. When I bot the
car it had rattling sound in the engine, so I took the car to Subaru
Dealership for Warranty Job (it was something bearings problem).
After almost 3 weeks of looking at my car Dealership told me that the car
was very heavy driven and they won't cover repair under Warranty, which came
to around $8,500AUS.
When I've asked them how did they know it was driven hard, they said: " the
clutch is at the level that they see around 30,000km to 40,000km. That means
the car was very hard driven and from that any Warranty is voided."

Interesting enough when yesterday I've spoken to Subaru Australia the girl
had to speak to the person who pulled my car a part and he told her that the
car wasn't run properly so it's not covered under Warranty. I'm sure that
Docklands will deny it.
I also spoke to the previous car owner. 50 Year old man who is driving
Mercedes. When I've asked him why he sold it, he said it just didn't suite
his life style and he made a mistake by rushing in to WRx (or sales person
was too persistent to sell Demonstration car). He said he pushed accelerator
every now and again, but not to a stupid level (plus there is a RPM cut of
limiter) . I've asked him if he knew about the problem, he said he had no
idea.
Well I didn't either, before I checked the car. The car was driving fine and
I couldn't hear any sound at all. And it only when I took it to Glen Waverly
I realized how bad the situation was.

My question is. Is it possible to tell by looking at my clutch that the car
Warranty is void, because it was driven very hard.

Please. Any help will be appreciated.

 

[LeBernadin]

I was going to ask if the prior owner made any mods to it within those
6K and then de-moded prior to resell to the dealer. But you answered
that i'm assuming by the guy's age right? I know if you mod over here in
the US, in most instances, you can kiss the warranty goodbye.

In the US, when you purchase a used vehicle, unless it has some warranty
left, you buy "as is" and better bring it to a trusted mechanic of your
choice to make sure the vehicle isn't a "lemon" prior to signing any
papers. If a dealer is reluctant to do so, go elsewhere.

In this case, i'm not privy to Aussie laws, but in general terms, it
doesn't look good. I'd recommend always getting in some good test
driving. It should have shown up during this and steered you away from
pursuing this exact WRX.

I hope your laws allow you to shave off some of the brunt of that repair
price.

Happy Holidays!

 

[David Betts]

My question is. Is it possible to tell by looking at my clutch that the car
Warranty is void, because it was driven very hard.

No. Just that it has been driven badly. Seriously, 'hard driving' can
not void your warranty. Unauthorised modifications can. So can failing
to have the car serviced at the correct intervals. Much more likely
that your warranty has been voided by the latter.

David Betts
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Verbs Under My Gel]

Hi guys,
I really hope that there will be some WRX experts out there, because I need
help.
I bot MY03 WRX which done 11,000km. First 5,000 it was demonstration car at
Subaru Dealership and then 6,000km previous owner had it.. When I bot the
car it had rattling sound in the engine, so I took the car to Subaru
Dealership for Warranty Job (it was something bearings problem).
After almost 3 weeks of looking at my car Dealership told me that the car
was very heavy driven and they won't cover repair under Warranty, which came
to around $8,500AUS.
When I've asked them how did they know it was driven hard, they said: " the
clutch is at the level that they see around 30,000km to 40,000km. That means
the car was very hard driven and from that any Warranty is voided."

Interesting enough when yesterday I've spoken to Subaru Australia the girl
had to speak to the person who pulled my car a part and he told her that the
car wasn't run properly so it's not covered under Warranty. I'm sure that
Docklands will deny it.
I also spoke to the previous car owner. 50 Year old man who is driving
Mercedes. When I've asked him why he sold it, he said it just didn't suite
his life style and he made a mistake by rushing in to WRx (or sales person
was too persistent to sell Demonstration car). He said he pushed accelerator
every now and again, but not to a stupid level (plus there is a RPM cut of
limiter) . I've asked him if he knew about the problem, he said he had no
idea.
Well I didn't either, before I checked the car. The car was driving fine and
I couldn't hear any sound at all. And it only when I took it to Glen Waverly
I realized how bad the situation was.

My question is. Is it possible to tell by looking at my clutch that the car
Warranty is void, because it was driven very hard.

Please. Any help will be appreciated.

Isn't likely the clutch wear took place during the car's "demo" days?

 

[CW]

Isn't likely the clutch wear took place during the car's "demo" days?

That is a great point. You can easily argue that the countless of
test drivers abused the snot out of the car. Premature clutch wear
often happens as a factory defect too.

That said, Subaru (at least hear in the US) is notoriously bad when it
comes to denial of warrantee whenever the transmission is involved...
at least for the WRX.

CW

 

[Cam Penner]

That is a great point. You can easily argue that the countless of
test drivers abused the snot out of the car. Premature clutch wear
often happens as a factory defect too.

That said, Subaru (at least hear in the US) is notoriously bad when it
comes to denial of warrantee whenever the transmission is involved...
at least for the WRX.

The clutch (if I recall correctly) is a "wear item" and may
not be covered by the warranty to the same degree as the
engine. Having said that, escalate the issue to the Subaru
rep in your area.

 

[CW]

The clutch is indeed a wear item, however, his dealer is using the
condition of the clutch and the miles of the car, as evidence of
abuse--his problem is with the transmission (apparently) and not the
clutch.

CW

 

[Eguene]

Hi people.
Thank you for replies. If clutch is on the level between 30,000km to 40,000
it still has quite a bit left in it, plus if needed to be replaced I
understand that it's not a warranty job and would happily paid for it. What
really is really bothers me is that they are using it as excuse to void the
warranty on faulty engine and turbo.
I also got contacted by ex Subaru Australia in regards to my problem. He
asked me not to mention his name anywhere, but he told me that Subaru
demonstration cars are getting very very very hard time during their time at
Subaru and not just by buyers, but also by Subaru employees, who take them
on weekends and thrash them hard (not their cars). By the way, all Subaru
dealerships in Australia owned by Subaru Australia (one company), so it
shouldn't matter who I pressure.
It is very obvious to me Subaru just doesn't want to cover their Warranty
and want me to pay for their fault.