Have they given you a loaner vehicle to use while it's in the shop? They owe you at least that. I don't know if there's much legal action you can take if they are trying to work on your problem, but 4 months is quite a long time.

 

Two words. Lemon Law.

 

Two words. Lemon Law.

Im trying to check out the options regarding that law, but i bought the car used. It was working fine until they started working on it. then the problems never end. Im not too sure what subaru canada is going to do about it, but after 4 months...im getting tired of waiting.

Have they given you a loaner vehicle to use while it's in the shop? They owe you at least that. I don't know if there's much legal action you can take if they are trying to work on your problem, but 4 months is quite a long time.

Yeah they gave me a loaner last week, and ive had one for another week, but throughout most of my wait. i had no car. I also had to rent one to be able to get to a business trip i had.

 

I'm a Subaru enthusiast, make no mistake about it. But that does not mean that Subaru can mistreat people and not raise my ire.

You've been badly mistreated, primarily by the dealer from the sounds of your post. It's well past time to get Subaru Canada involved. But give them the chance to make good before you decide that all of Subaru is worthless.

If SC is anything like SoA you may have to give them a pretty good shove to get them moving, after which they should do the right thing. That's been my experience at any rate.

If SC fails to step up to the plate AND SOON, then it's time for legal action. In the meantime you may want to discuss the situation with an attorney just so you know what your options are.

Good luck, and keep us informed.

 

I'm a Subaru enthusiast, make no mistake about it. But that does not mean that Subaru can mistreat people and not raise my ire.

You've been badly mistreated, primarily by the dealer from the sounds of your post. It's well past time to get Subaru Canada involved. But give them the chance to make good before you decide that all of Subaru is worthless.

If SC is anything like SoA you may have to give them a pretty good shove to get them moving, after which they should do the right thing. That's been my experience at any rate.

If SC fails to step up to the plate AND SOON, then it's time for legal action. In the meantime you may want to discuss the situation with an attorney just so you know what your options are.

Good luck, and keep us informed.

Thanks for the support. Trust me I really dont want this thing to get dirty. Ive waited a long time to be able to afford my STi. I even couldnt afford it new. But i found a great used one, with full warrenty on it....i thought why not. I have already contacted a friend of mine who is a lawyer. He was proposing sending a letter...nothing amazingly threatning, just basically telling them that I am loosing patience..and that I have been in contact with a lawyer. is this what u meant by "a pretty good shove"? Ive called them up already after sending my letter and expressed my frustration over the phone. I couldnt speak to the person that I addressed the letter to because he was "in a meeting" but the woman i spoke to heard my thoughts and said that she will convey the message....whether that happens or not remains to be seen.

It has now been almost two weeks, and i havent heard from my dealership. The least they can do no matter how busy they are is give me an update on whats been going on...dont u agree?

 

Seems that they should just replace trans and DCCD. If it was under warranty and they are not claiming abuse or the usual nonsense.

 

Seems that they should just replace trans and DCCD. If it was under warranty and they are not claiming abuse or the usual nonsense.

4 months waiting is utter garbage. If they are so clueless as to what the problem, like someone suggested, just put in a new tranny etc etc and be done with it. I'm impressed you have waited as long as you have!

Good luck man

 

4 months waiting is utter garbage. If they are so clueless as to what the problem, like someone suggested, just put in a new tranny etc etc and be done with it. I'm impressed you have waited as long as you have!

Good luck man

you want me to make this more interesting? They replaced the tranny twice, and the dccd once...and the problem is still there. After that they told me they started talking to subaru canada, to figure out the problem. That was about a month ago, so either the dealership are lying and they never spoke to subaru canada or subaru canada are not doing their job. Either way i spoke to SC myself last week after i had sent a letter of complaint and they told me that they got the letter...and that they will be looking into it. Again this last part was 2 weeks ago. So at this point i think the only thing that will shake them is a letter from a lawyer or something of the sort. I hate resorting to this, especially with a company i had so much respect for...but this is getting ridiculous. Any other thoughts guys? honestly some of your thoughts are very encouraging. thanks a million

 

Have Subaru buy the car back from you and get a new one..

 

4 months is way to long to be patient. They either need to replace your car now (since they obvioulsy can't fix it) or you should see an attorney.

 

Maybe it's time to ask a bit more fundamental question: exactly what is this problem you keep having that caused them to replace two gearboxes and one DCCD unit?

 

Did you buy the car from the Subaru dealer? Read your local lemon laws about used cars, they are definitely a lot more complicated than the "new" car lemon laws. I would ask for compensation, e.g. monthly payments and a loaner car.

 

You bought it used ... Did the bill of sale state that you're buying the car "as is" ... if so ... well .. SOL I guess?

You can't sue Subaru or teh dealership or the owner if the party selling you the car implies that it was sold without warranty...

 

Thunder, he does state that the car is under warranty. I spoke to my lawyer for a problem we were having with my dad's S500 he said that if the car off the road for more than 30 days within 18 months of purchase/lease then the lemon law can be applied. But then again I'm here in CA, the laws in Canada are probably different.

Good luck man

 

Doesn't matter where or from who he bought the car from. If it's under 60,000 miles then the Manufaturers warranty still applies. If they have your car for more than 30 days it qualifies for Lemon Law.

 

Thanks for the help guys. keep em comin

Yes the warrenty still applies. Besides after all this work i would have thought the dealership would take the easy way out by finding a loop hole in my car to deny my claim. Like i said, they changed my GB twice, I dont think they would do that if they werent 100% sure my warrenty is still good.

Maybe it's time to ask a bit more fundamental question: exactly what is this problem you keep having that caused them to replace two gearboxes and one DCCD unit?

I started feeling the grind between 4th and 5th, so i dropped it at my dealership. The head mech ordered the parts, synchros for the 4th and 5th gear and the complete 4th gear (he said he might as well since it was under warrenty). The parts came in but the tool needed to service the gearbox wasnt available, so he ordered it...after two weeks, the mech told me that it was taking too long so he ordered me a completely new tranny. Which arrived the week after. I picked up the car and noticed a very strange clank when i changed gears...right after i shift and i accelerate (no need to speed...regular driving causes the sound to come out). The sound also got worst as the car warmed up more. after 30 min i can hear it while cruising at an rpm of 2500 rpm. It also gets really bad when i change dccd settings. the car gets undriveable under certain settings. Along with that it was spending alot more fuel then usual. So i dropped it again, and he once again changed the GB. The car came out with exactly the same thing. So after that they said they got in touch with some mechs at subaru canada, and where performing "tests". I waited a little while and decided to send the letters i mentioned to subaru canada. That was about 2 weeks ago...no news from either of them.

Any more ideas guys?

btw the car has just hit 43 000 km, i guess that makes it 26 703 miles

 

contact a lawyer get subaru anyway you can 4months is way to long. subaru dosent care about you they just want their money.

 

Yes after visiting Suby in New Jersey (the distro plan folks), they told us that it is Suby policy to simply replace tranny's now vise rebuild them at the dealership. They then send the broken tranny's to a vendor to have them rebuilt.

 

Have your lawyer send the dealership and Subaru of Canada a $100 letter stating you are planning legal action if this doesn't get resolved. Put them on notice that you are not willing to acept this any longer. If I understand the problem, it sounds to me like they have done something/not done something to cause a larger problem while trying to fix the original problem.

 

Have your lawyer send the dealership and Subaru of Canada a $100 letter stating you are planning legal action if this doesn't get resolved. Put them on notice that you are not willing to acept this any longer. If I understand the problem, it sounds to me like they have done something/not done something to cause a larger problem while trying to fix the original problem.

Im about to send such a letter this week. I also got the same vibe as you regarding breaking something while trying to fix the problem. But i would think that after changing the tranny twice, and still getting no where, subaru canada would interefer and decide that this specific dealership isnt qualified to fix the car. But so far subaru has stuck with it....and wasted 4 months of my time. So at this point i blame subaru canada.

Yes after visiting Suby in New Jersey (the distro plan folks), they told us that it is Suby policy to simply replace tranny's now vise rebuild them at the dealership. They then send the broken tranny's to a vendor to have them rebuilt.

THats exactly what my dealership said. Which is kind of weird because the latest ive heard from my dealership (which was two weeks ago when my brother went in to pick something up from my car) they mentioned to my brother that as a last resort they are going to reinstall my old gearbox and do the original repairs that had to be done to it....Im not too comfortable with this idea, what do u guys think ??

 

In the United States, there is no difference really between the Lemon Law for a new or used vehicle.

I wonder if or what the Lemon Law is in Canada...

If this happened in the USA, It would have "Buy Back" written all over it!

 

im pretty sure there are similar lemon laws in canada. Im not very familiar with them because i never considered that i might have to use one. But I am in contact with a lawyer and this kind of thing is his speciality. So im sure he will invoke it if its the right way to go. I wonder if at some point subaru canada themselves call it a day or do i have to get a little aggressive with them.

A little update on the whole thing itself. I finally recieved a letter from Reid Thorburn at subaru canada. The letter is very short and it only says "sorry you re going through this...bla bla bla...." and "please be patient while we investigate the matter"

The last part annoyed me a little....after 4 months they have the nerve to say be patient???

again thanks alot for your comments, i check the thread every 30 mins...any advice or tip here is worth a lot to me.

 

I agree with what has been said. I would be very wary about putting the original GB back in and fixing the "Original" problem as planned. You are a better man than I. Four months for me would never hold over, I would have blown a cork and lived at my attorneys practice, until the matter was resoved. To be honest, so much **** has went in and out of our car, I would not settle for anything less than a new car. If SoA ever treated me like that than I would no longer be a subaru customer. God bless for having such patience, and good luck. Keep us informed.
~Tim

 

Thank you honestly for the kind words everyone. As sad as this sounds i will most probably sell my STi when it comes out of the garage unless subaru canada really amazes me by settling this once and for all. But so far it doesnt seem they understand the aggravation im going through. Im in the complete unknown and that stresses me more. I should have at least heard back from the dealership by now. And i dont want to call them because i know i wont keep my cool, besides at this point the lawyer will do all the talking. Its just so annoying to see a perfectly fine STi reach this level. Not that it wont be fine once again, but ive lost complete trust in subaru as a brand and i dont think i will ever buy or recommend it to anyone. This coming from a big subaru fan.

I think i will sell my STi and get an M3...j/k

anymore tips out there?

 

update....advice?

Ok a little update on my situation. A friend of mine who bought his STi at the dealership servicing my car passed by last friday, for a visit regarding his car. He saw my car and played dumb. The service guy told him that they had sent my original gb to japan, got it serviced and brought it back, they are also installing a new clutch. Bearing in mind what hes telling me is true and they did do that ,and assuming this does fix the problem somehow. I was thinking of asking them to install my defi's and calling it a day pretty much.

What do u guys think? Any of u not buy the whole sending the GB to japan to get it serviced? what about adding the clutch? Would you consider this enough action on their part? or would u go further by demanding more?