[Whynot?]

Purchased: 11/07
Model: 2008 Impreza 2.5i Sport
Colour: Charcoal
Location: Sunderland, Ontario
Mileage - when discovered: 6000km
Mileage - current: 45000km
Type of driving: Country paved roads and gravel sideroads, first 40k almost all highway
Actions taken:
-Purchased factory mud flaps and rock guard when I bought the car.
-Dealer advised me to do nothing else so the "real" issue could be seen and dealt with properly.

I've been told I'm one of the few base body designs with the issue as bad as it is. Mine looks like Dees421 - just awful. I don't have pics, they're at the dealer on file.

Here's a brief history:
-Reported at first oil change.
Was told Subaru rep would call me to bring it in upon next visit. Received no call.

-Reported again next oil change.
Was told Subaru rep would call me to bring it in upon next visit. Received no call. Dealer informs me they can't contact rep, they have to wait for the rep to "just come by". I'm getting suspicious.

-Reported on next oil change. Dealership says they're also concerned, they have not heard from a rep in months. My patience is almost gone.

-Reported on next oil change. Find out local rep had been let go/quit, so the vacancy is why there had been no contact (someone's job stops until a new hire is in place? that's not how 99% of large companies work, getting more suspicious).

-A few weeks later I get a call to bring in the car to the rep. This is now July 08. I am away on business, my wife takes in the car with our two month old daughter. She waits 2 hrs in the waiting area, the Subaru rep will not come out to speak with my wife directly, talks through the service adviser. Advice is that they are looking at and will get back to us with news.

-I go in the next day to complain about the disrespectful service provided to my wife. Dealer expresses empathy, refuses to give me reps name so I can contact them directly - against policy. Now I really feel like I'm getting a run around.

-I call in August - no news from rep.

-I call in Sept - no news from rep, but "something is coming".

-I call in Oct for service appt, informed there is a fix available. Subaru has not admitted fault with paint, claim it is a design problem. There is no recall, it is basic warranty work only. I didn't buy extended, they claim they won't provide a car for the four days car is in shop. Dealer agreed that was ludicrous given their treatment of our situation, gives me rental on warranty.

-Got the car back yesterday, the fix is absolutely insufficient.

-They painted 90% of affected areas, did not fix chips on the edge of the door skin!

-The 3M strip is about 1 1/4" to 1 1/2" wide, and runs up the quarter along the door line about 8 -9".

-On the drive home I get at least two more rock chips in the fresh paint. There is a 1/4' gap between the 3M tape and the door line, here is where the paint came off again. I am taking the car back today to be seen, and I'm sure this process will start all over again. I will never again buy Subaru, my experience to date has been the exact opposite of every reference I was given when car shopping. Maybe my bad luck, but this has been awful.

This is a paint issue, even the Dealer acknowledges this, but SOC/SOA will not (I know the thread is not about other rock chips, but we all know this paint flakes off, primer too, so any road wear rock chips rust right away - I have rock chips on other vehicles 5 yrs old that have not rusted because the primer stuck, as it should). The paint issue is compounded by the design of the car. I understand if they admit a paint defect they are on the hook for any paint related issue, so by calling it a design issue fixed under warranty they only need to address the most affected area (quarter/door) and only for those customers who complain. This is shoddy customer service, this is profit protection, not service. I have been given the song and dance over and over that they are forced to use water-based paints now and they don't stick as well. NOT MY PROBLEM. At least give us a real fix. Some Toyota vehicles have a hard plastic sheath over the same area, that would work much better. I've offered to buy the spoiler kit at cost in hopes it would change the airflow and help, or at least cover a portion of the area where paint is coming off, and Subaru claims I can't install it (not an available option for my model).

I am going to the dealer today to address this issue and will advise of their reply.

[Ireg2post1]

WOW. I am not alone!

Purchased: 12/1/07
Colour: Dark Gray Metallic
Location: Mansfield, PA
Mileage - when discovered: first noticed at 5000 miles. brought it in to dealer at 9000 miles.
Mileage - current: 22,000
Type of driving: Highway daily driver
Actions taken: Dealer service rep took pictures. Was told a fix was being issued by Subaru. Was fixed 5 months later only after calling them back to remind them.

The short version of this post is that the paint is still chipping even after the so-called 'fix' was applied.

I don't have any pictures but ours looked exactly like Djrossco, BlueF and Dees421 pictures. I mean exactly. The service rep put us on the back burner for almost 6 months until I called them to remind them. They re-painted the back doors and put a different protective 'sticker' on the bottom rocker part.

Well, THE PAINT IS STILL CHIPPING. In fact, this time it's gone all the way to bare steel showing. So I'm calling the dealer back on Monday to start this whole thing over again.

Another observation I'd like to point out is that within 3 or 4 thousand miles I noticed the paint was chipping on the hood. Not your typical random stone chip. These were more like flaking. I mentioned this to the service rep and was brushed off. I'm starting to get a little angry now that I see the depth of this problem. The service rep guy even tried to imply that my wife was tailgating as the reason. My wife has been driving the same route to work for 16 years. She's gone through 4 different vehicles in that time span with absolutely no paint chipping problems on the other vehicles. Except this one of course.

It's funny. I saw that Subaru commercial about the 300,000 mileage one being finally replaced with a new one. Excuse me, but at this rate this '08 Impreza of ours will be a pile of scrap by 100,000 miles. It angers me to no end that this car looks like it's been through hell and it's only got 22,000 miles on it. My wife spent her hard earned money on this and deserves better!

Jay B

[butcherboy78]

ok so i now am the new owner of new huge RUSTY paint chip. This thing is all the way down to the bare metal which is absurd! I have 9000 miles on my car and it is literally a rust bucket I am going to the dealership on Thursday and having an oil change and the service manager look at the chip. Might have em respray the hood or maybe i can get them to put that money towards a new CF hoof We'll see how it goes. Heres a few very poor pics from my cell phone...it was snowing/raining out.

[Whynot?]

Update:
- I installed some generic black flaps in the front, running them about 1 1/2" off the ground (the scrape cornering hard). Actualy look better than I expected considering they stick out from the body almost an inch.

- Dealer volunteered to repaint where they had repainted and applied the less-than-optimal solution provided by Subaru. So they repainted around the doors, rocker and quarter, also had to spray all along the underside of the rocker - 100% paint was gone in two weeks from the first repsray - and when I was underneath I noticed that a lot fo the factory frame/floor coating was also worn off. The Dealer took care of all of it and took it upon himself to apply the 3M clear coat protectant on the entire lower rear quarter, the lower left third of the door and the rocker where it does not have rockguard. He's going after Subaru to cover their costs since he agrees that their solution is not adequate for the problem.
- I continue to try to contact Subaru Canada through their normal channels. I received a standard email reply when my complaint was first submitted indicating that the issue would be forwarded to the appropriate people at SOC. I replied explaining that given my situation I would like to speak with a manufacturer rep directly. No reply. I send the same request one week later. No reply. My issue was forwarded to the Dealer to address, SOC has still not contacted me directly, seems they only want to talk through Dealers... I think I'll send another note for contact from SOC once I submit this post. I'm being polite but firm in my communciation, depsite my deepest desires to rip someone a new arsehole over this absolute gong show.

It's been two weeks since everything was sprayed for the second time and it is noticeably better than before.

If anyone is having this issue you really need to put on some serious flaps. They won't solve the problem but they make a dramatic difference in how much material hits the affected area. And push hard for a good size piece of 3M protectant to be applied - this issue is paint, not body style, so if the piece sent out for application to the sti should be put on all affected cars.

[viggen14]

Purchased: 12/10/08
Colour: Aspen White
Location: Fords, NJ
Mileage - when discovered: 790
Mileage - current: 810
Type of driving: Highway daily driver
Actions taken: Scheduled for a visit this Friday for an inspection by the dealer. Photos are going to be taken and sent to SOA.

I only have had the car a couple of weeks, and its already got the chips by the doglegs, the hood and on the doors. The worst part, some of the areas are rusting already I've got the RA mudflaps, but haven't put em on the car yet. I'm worried that the dealer will say it's the mudflaps which are causing the chipping.

Could someone pm me the TSB?

[fisheye]

I am now in the same boat.

Purchased: 11/29/08
miles: 1800

I have washed my car this weekend and noticed a rust spot on the roof right near the windshield. I cannot believe how thin this paint is.. It looks like a sheet of fine paper. What a P.O.S. paint job.. I guess I will see what the dealer can do about it.. I would like a copy of the TSB as well!!

[Duph]

Is it possible to get a copy of TSB. I am having similar problems and would like to start at dealer level with any info I can. The link(as described later) did not work. thanks.

[K9 STI]

Purchased: Dec 1 08
Colour: silver
Location: Rockland County NY
Mileage - when discovered: 3,000
Mileage - current: 3,100
Type of driving: normal
Actions taken: will contact dealer


Photos:
snowing, wont show well with silver

[HighWayDrifter]

This isnt exactly paint chipping, its more of a paint defect from the factory as it appears that they clear coated over this... (goes to show how horrible of a job they are doing with paint)


Purchased: Dec 30 08
Colour: Dark Grey Metallic
Location: Northern VA
Mileage - when discovered: next day after pickup (night pickup)
Mileage - current: 200
Type of driving: normal
Actions taken: Contacted dealer (Annapolis Subaru), they sent the paperwork to SOA and we are waiting for a reply. Annapolis has been awesome so far, based on the way things are i doubt SOA will have any damn room to do anything but replace the door or repaint the door. (That **** better match 100% or angry isnt going to begin to describe how i will be acting)

[wyattroa1]

pleas post TSb for this issue, or sticky the tsb
robert