Unclaimed warranty after new owner

OMGWTFpancakes · 05-12-2008, 08:41 PM

background info: I'm the second owner of my 05 STi. First owner was my brother in law.

Took my car into my local Subaru dealership to get repaired for an A/C compressor mishap. I was informed that the warranty wasn't in my name. And that it is voided for not being transferred into my name within 30 days of the car being registered in my name. I assumed the warranty was under my name because when I bought the car from my brother he had told me that the warranty was in my name, everything was set.

The technician showed me on the computer that if it was in my name it would have showed up on the screen, but instead my brother's was still in its place. So I called my brother, very upset at him for not having transferred the warranty into my name after I bugged him about not forgetting to do it, and he told me that he went to the dealership he bought the car from and he did in fact fill out a form. Giving them all the information necessary to transfer the extended warranty into my name. Apparently they told him they would "take care of it." Obviously they didn't take care of it.

But as it turns out, SOA has never caught notice that the car was ever sold. So the warranty is still alive under my brother's name. And that my local dealership will do the work, all covered by the warranty.

But now I have a choice, do I try and find out why it was never switched into my name? Or leave it be, and have it only worked on at this dealership. The warranty is good for 5 more years, or 50,000 more miles. When I get done with college, who knows where I might move to. And if I go somewhere kinda far, if something goes wrong, I'll have to bring it all the way back here to get worked on.

If I try to correct the problem and switch it into my name, I run the risk of alerting SOA and having my warranty voided for it not being switched into my name within 30 days of the car being registered in my name.

So the only plan I'm thinking about to correct the problem would be to transfer the car title back to my brother's name. Then once again back to mine. With that paper work of it being transfered into my name, with a current date. Go to the original dealership and have the warranty officially transferred into my name. If SOA never found out about the first transfer, I might be able to do it a few more times without raising any suspicion.

I'm upset because someone told my brother that everything regarding the warranty will be taken care of when he tried to transfer the warranty to me. That person gave my brother his word it will be done. His mistake, forgetfulness, laziness, oversight, absentmindedness, apathy, caused all this trouble. But he has no idea how much distress this causes me. And probably will never find out.

Bishop · 05-12-2008, 10:50 PM

I would persue getting the name and warranty changed.... if he filled out a form, its not his fault then..... he can go back and try to track down what happened, or tell SOA what happened, at what dealer, and they should investigate it.... it sucks to hear a dealership falling down on the ball

boondocksaint · 05-13-2008, 04:35 AM

This sounds suspiciously like dealership BS to me. The car's manufacturer's warranty follows it EVERYWHERE regardless of who owns it.

An extended warranty must be transferred, yes, but I would actually call SOA and ask them why the warranty has not been transferred. Give them your brother's name and the name of the dealership he filed the transfer form with and tell them you're very unhappy that your dealership threatened to void your warranty - since only SOA can void your warranty.

That's just my read. I could be wrong.

06STImulus · 05-13-2008, 07:02 AM

yeah... if its an extended warranty then you will probably need to have it transferred to your name... but if its the basic warranty then i dont think you have to...

i bought my 06 sti a month ago and i dont think the seller transfered the warranty to me at all but ive gotten free service from dealerships... try another dealership??

Blackfang · 05-13-2008, 05:02 PM

Ok It sounds like you are out of your Basic New car warranty aka 3/36k. Your brother possibly had an SAS extended contract and transferred that to you. So it appears that SOA doesn't have record that the SAS contract was transferred.

So by what you have typed and sounds like the factory 3/36k warranty has expired....

It is not dealer BS. I would say the same thing they did. The extended warranty is not in your name and you are not the rightful owner of it until the original owner relinquishes it to you. If he has, then you still need to get it resolved because on paper(legal document and the contract) says it is not yours.

Going to another dealer will do nothing. We all pull vehicle inquiries and they see what warranty coverage expires and who owns the SAS coverage. Best bet is for you and your brother contact SOA and have them resolve this so you can have that contract in your name and can have warranty work done at any dealership in the US.

M155L3R · 05-14-2008, 08:49 AM

^^^^ Right on the money...I work as a service writer for Subaru. What you need to do is go to the dealership and get a SAS contract transfer form the dealer's finance department. Fill out the contract, you sign it, your brother signs it and you pay a $25.00 transfer fee. Then your done!! Its that easy! Did you get the A/C work done yet...if not don't get it done yet wait the couple days for it to transfer and then just pay the deductible. SAS contract deductibles are $0 $50 $100 max depending on the contract that he got. Subaru does not get info when somebody sells there car..its up to the new current owner to send in the card that is in your owners manual to send in to them. But as far as the SAS contract its up to the seller and the buyer...I deal with this every day, the SAS contract is linked to the VIN number of the vehicle.

OMGWTFpancakes · 05-14-2008, 09:17 AM

Yeah, I think the warranty in question is an SAS gold contract. I had to pay a $100 deductible. I'm assuming the contract transfer form is the one my brother had filled out. The one they told him they'd take care of the rest, the one they never turned into SOA.

Would it be as easy as just contacting SOA and letting them know the problem. The service manager I had talked to said SOA would void the warranty if they found out the car was sold, and the warranty was never transferred over within 30 days.

I've had the car for almost a year now...

one more question, do I have to pay that $100 deductible every time I take in in to get worked on?

M155L3R · 05-14-2008, 09:21 AM

Yes you do have to pay the $100 ded. every time you go in, my SAS covered my rear struts and tophats which paid for the cost of my warranty so I would gladly pay the $100 when there is a problem, I would contact SOA I had a friend that did not transfer it for a year and he had no problems. There is no way that SOA knows when your brother sold the car to you. Or go to a different dealership to change it over.

OMGWTFpancakes · 05-15-2008, 04:16 PM

OK so I get my car back two days ago. replaced A/C compressor.

I drove it on Tuesday night, A/C worked great. yesterday I only drove it down the street and back. noticed a hissing noise while the car was on. Drove it to class today, no hissing noise, but NO cold air. All the freon leaked out! So I took it back to the dealership today and they told me the compressor they installed was bad. it was leaking like a siv. hahaa. so they are going to order a new one, and replace it.

Just sucks that it had to happen now, of all times of the year, we are having a heat wave on the central coast of California!

05-12-2008, 08:41 PM	#1
OMGWTFpancakes Amateur STI Driver Car: OBP 05 WRX STi Fav Mod: Coming Soon Location: Arroyo Grande, Ca Posts: 18 Join Date: Oct 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Unclaimed warranty after new owner background info: I'm the second owner of my 05 STi. First owner was my brother in law. Took my car into my local Subaru dealership to get repaired for an A/C compressor mishap. I was informed that the warranty wasn't in my name. And that it is voided for not being transferred into my name within 30 days of the car being registered in my name. I assumed the warranty was under my name because when I bought the car from my brother he had told me that the warranty was in my name, everything was set. The technician showed me on the computer that if it was in my name it would have showed up on the screen, but instead my brother's was still in its place. So I called my brother, very upset at him for not having transferred the warranty into my name after I bugged him about not forgetting to do it, and he told me that he went to the dealership he bought the car from and he did in fact fill out a form. Giving them all the information necessary to transfer the extended warranty into my name. Apparently they told him they would "take care of it." Obviously they didn't take care of it. But as it turns out, SOA has never caught notice that the car was ever sold. So the warranty is still alive under my brother's name. And that my local dealership will do the work, all covered by the warranty. But now I have a choice, do I try and find out why it was never switched into my name? Or leave it be, and have it only worked on at this dealership. The warranty is good for 5 more years, or 50,000 more miles. When I get done with college, who knows where I might move to. And if I go somewhere kinda far, if something goes wrong, I'll have to bring it all the way back here to get worked on. If I try to correct the problem and switch it into my name, I run the risk of alerting SOA and having my warranty voided for it not being switched into my name within 30 days of the car being registered in my name. So the only plan I'm thinking about to correct the problem would be to transfer the car title back to my brother's name. Then once again back to mine. With that paper work of it being transfered into my name, with a current date. Go to the original dealership and have the warranty officially transferred into my name. If SOA never found out about the first transfer, I might be able to do it a few more times without raising any suspicion. I'm upset because someone told my brother that everything regarding the warranty will be taken care of when he tried to transfer the warranty to me. That person gave my brother his word it will be done. His mistake, forgetfulness, laziness, oversight, absentmindedness, apathy, caused all this trouble. But he has no idea how much distress this causes me. And probably will never find out. This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad. Last edited by OMGWTFpancakes : 05-12-2008 at 08:49 PM.

05-12-2008, 10:50 PM	#2
Bishop HowTo Contributor Car: 07 OBP STi Fav Mod: Cobb Stg 2 - Wrapped DP Location: Chief Left Hand, CO Posts: 1,617 Join Date: Oct 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner I would persue getting the name and warranty changed.... if he filled out a form, its not his fault then..... he can go back and try to track down what happened, or tell SOA what happened, at what dealer, and they should investigate it.... it sucks to hear a dealership falling down on the ball

05-13-2008, 04:35 AM	#3
boondocksaint is, in fact, a lolcat. Car: Boony's Motown STi Fav Mod: track time Location: with the Stanley Cup Posts: 21,643 Join Date: Jun 2006 Trader Rating: (5)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner This sounds suspiciously like dealership BS to me. The car's manufacturer's warranty follows it EVERYWHERE regardless of who owns it. An extended warranty must be transferred, yes, but I would actually call SOA and ask them why the warranty has not been transferred. Give them your brother's name and the name of the dealership he filed the transfer form with and tell them you're very unhappy that your dealership threatened to void your warranty - since only SOA can void your warranty. That's just my read. I could be wrong.

05-13-2008, 07:02 AM	#4
06STImulus Amateur STI Driver Car: 06 WRX STI SGM Fav Mod: Coming Soon Location: North Orange County Posts: 44 Join Date: Apr 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner yeah... if its an extended warranty then you will probably need to have it transferred to your name... but if its the basic warranty then i dont think you have to... i bought my 06 sti a month ago and i dont think the seller transfered the warranty to me at all but ive gotten free service from dealerships... try another dealership??

05-13-2008, 05:02 PM	#5
Blackfang STI Driver Car: Silver 07 Legacy Location: Somewhere in the universe Posts: 268 Join Date: Mar 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner Ok It sounds like you are out of your Basic New car warranty aka 3/36k. Your brother possibly had an SAS extended contract and transferred that to you. So it appears that SOA doesn't have record that the SAS contract was transferred. So by what you have typed and sounds like the factory 3/36k warranty has expired.... It is not dealer BS. I would say the same thing they did. The extended warranty is not in your name and you are not the rightful owner of it until the original owner relinquishes it to you. If he has, then you still need to get it resolved because on paper(legal document and the contract) says it is not yours. Going to another dealer will do nothing. We all pull vehicle inquiries and they see what warranty coverage expires and who owns the SAS coverage. Best bet is for you and your brother contact SOA and have them resolve this so you can have that contract in your name and can have warranty work done at any dealership in the US.

05-14-2008, 08:49 AM	#6
M155L3R Amateur STI Driver Car: Silver 04 STi Fav Mod: Apexi GT spec Location: Minnesota Posts: 16 Join Date: May 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner ^^^^ Right on the money...I work as a service writer for Subaru. What you need to do is go to the dealership and get a SAS contract transfer form the dealer's finance department. Fill out the contract, you sign it, your brother signs it and you pay a $25.00 transfer fee. Then your done!! Its that easy! Did you get the A/C work done yet...if not don't get it done yet wait the couple days for it to transfer and then just pay the deductible. SAS contract deductibles are $0 $50 $100 max depending on the contract that he got. Subaru does not get info when somebody sells there car..its up to the new current owner to send in the card that is in your owners manual to send in to them. But as far as the SAS contract its up to the seller and the buyer...I deal with this every day, the SAS contract is linked to the VIN number of the vehicle. Last edited by M155L3R : 05-14-2008 at 08:54 AM.

05-14-2008, 09:17 AM	#7
OMGWTFpancakes Amateur STI Driver Car: OBP 05 WRX STi Fav Mod: Coming Soon Location: Arroyo Grande, Ca Posts: 18 Join Date: Oct 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner Yeah, I think the warranty in question is an SAS gold contract. I had to pay a $100 deductible. I'm assuming the contract transfer form is the one my brother had filled out. The one they told him they'd take care of the rest, the one they never turned into SOA. Would it be as easy as just contacting SOA and letting them know the problem. The service manager I had talked to said SOA would void the warranty if they found out the car was sold, and the warranty was never transferred over within 30 days. I've had the car for almost a year now... one more question, do I have to pay that $100 deductible every time I take in in to get worked on?

05-14-2008, 09:21 AM	#8
M155L3R Amateur STI Driver Car: Silver 04 STi Fav Mod: Apexi GT spec Location: Minnesota Posts: 16 Join Date: May 2008 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner Yes you do have to pay the $100 ded. every time you go in, my SAS covered my rear struts and tophats which paid for the cost of my warranty so I would gladly pay the $100 when there is a problem, I would contact SOA I had a friend that did not transfer it for a year and he had no problems. There is no way that SOA knows when your brother sold the car to you. Or go to a different dealership to change it over.

05-15-2008, 04:16 PM	#9
OMGWTFpancakes Amateur STI Driver Car: OBP 05 WRX STi Fav Mod: Coming Soon Location: Arroyo Grande, Ca Posts: 18 Join Date: Oct 2007 Trader Rating: (0)	Re: Unclaimed warranty after new owner OK so I get my car back two days ago. replaced A/C compressor. I drove it on Tuesday night, A/C worked great. yesterday I only drove it down the street and back. noticed a hissing noise while the car was on. Drove it to class today, no hissing noise, but NO cold air. All the freon leaked out! So I took it back to the dealership today and they told me the compressor they installed was bad. it was leaking like a siv. hahaa. so they are going to order a new one, and replace it. Just sucks that it had to happen now, of all times of the year, we are having a heat wave on the central coast of California! This ad is not endorsed by this member. Please register or login to hide this ad.