Top this story from HELL!!! Very long
 

Ok here it goes. About a month ago, I walk out to my car at about 12:00 pm to drive to class. The first thing I notice looking through my driver's side window approaching the car is wires trailing from the dash board to driver's seat where they lay at rest. I open the door and say, "Oh S^!t. My stereo has been stolen." I then proceed to phone the local police department and file a police report.
Later that day, an officer comes to my house and I have him search for prints. Nothing of course.
After filing the report, I phone my insurance company and file a claim. I have a $500 detuctable which I couldn't afford to pay at the time, so I figured I'd have an estimator from the insurance company come out, estimate the damage, and write me a check for the amount past my deductable, assuming the damage was more than $500.
About four days later, the estimator comes and estimates the total damage, including the $300 stereo and install parts, at a grand total of $426. I'm thinking, "Yeah F***ing right"
Anyway, I go to a local Quality Auto Sound to see If I can get a new stereo put in. Sorry, they tell me, "You'l need to order some parts from Subaru, otherwise we have no way of mounting it." I then proceed to the dealership down the street (Flatirons Subaru in Boulder CO) to have them take a look at it. The guy behind the service counter was so cocky, unhelpful and rude, I wanted to jump behind the counter and knock him out! "The SVX is a limited car" he tells me "and we have no way of knowing what you'll need" I then drove home in a sour mood.
A few days went by of nothing being accomplished, untill one day, I hear from a friend that the insurance company is obligated to go by a dealership estimate. I think, great. I've found a way to bypass the insurance estimator's bogus estimate.
After making an appointment with Burt Subaru in North Glen Colorado, seen as how Flatirons sucked so bad, I began to make the 45 minute trip down to get an estimate. The damage was estimated at around $1400. I think, "my God, I'll have to pay the deductible." I immediately phone my insurance company and they tell me it will be possible to directly bill the dealership. Finally something positive. Before departing the dealership, I talk to the serviec rep about making an appointment to have the damage to the dash repaired so I can get a stereo put in. He tells me that they will have to wait for parts to come in.
After weeks of waiting for parts to come in, Burt Subaru finally phones me and we set up a day to get everything repaired, except getting a new stereo put in.
On the day of the appointment, I make the 45 minute trip down again. After about 5 hours of waiting in the waiting room, the service advisor comes and tells me that there's no way they can have the car ready in that day, as they said they could.
Next, the same service advisor asks me for the insurance estimate and some other documents. I tell him, I looked for them before I left and couldn't find them. He gets really pissed off. After yelling at each other for about ten minutes, I go to my car where the mechanic is working on it and find a piece of paper with the claim number written on it. Promblem solved.
I was then provided with a rental car to get me back home.
The next day, I drove back to pick up my car. Upon leaving the dealership and getting about 5 minutes away, I look at my dash right below the tacometer and notice that something has been put back on wrong. I turn back. Oh no I think. Now I'll really be late for work. Upon returning, they fixed the problem promptly and yes, I was late.
A day had passed and I got in my car to go to school. I then noticed that my center console wasn't fastened down. I procrastinated, as every trip to this far away dealership meant missing class.
At this point, the insuranc company still owed me for the amount of the stereo and installation, but I needed to have Burt Subaru fax a copy of the invoise stating that I had paid my deductible. Of course, they took an eternity to do this.
After the invoise was faxed, I phone the Insurance company and attempt to explain the situation to this idiot moron on the phone. It took about six rounds of me repeating my self and she finally got it and issued the rest of the payment by mail
A couple weeks after this, I recieved the check and then went to the same Quality Auto Sound and was able to get a new stereo put in. Upon leaving the place, I notice that the swinging stereo cover door wasn't closing properly. When I get home, I phone them about this. The punk, wannabee homey G installer kid gets on the phone and tells me that there were some broken backets that the dealership didn't replace and that the weight of the stereo was pulling the entire assembly down. I was lied to.
A few days after this, I went back to Burt Subaru. They fastend down the center console and tell me that Quality Auto Sound broke the brakets upon installing the stereo and that the very expensive new dash piece that they had put in was now amaged ust like the old one. So now, Quality Auto Sound doesn't want to take responsibility for the broken dash piece.
At this point, I'm so tired and pissed off with dealing with this crap that i'm debating on whether or not to leave it be. I dont' use the door cover anyway. What do you guys think?

Dave.

Dont you just wish things would work out the way they're suppost to the first time? UGH! I've been there. Hang in there buddy. :)

-Mike

Dave,

What is the actual part that broke and what is the part that was not tied down by the dealer. I know the dash area of the SVX pretty well and I can't picture it at all from what you just said. I know you are not happy about this at all. Chances are you can deal with a lot of parts broken in the dash area and leave them as is anyways.

Lwin

Hello Lwin. The part that was broken by the stereo place was the piece of dash that covers the guages, curves down the middle part of the dash past the cllimate control and stereo, and stops at the gear shifter. On this piece are brackets that hold in the metal cage that the stereo mounts on to. The dealership did everything perfectly, apart from not securing the center console down (No big deal). When the new stereo was installed by the stereo place, those brackets on this piece of dash were broken again, as they were when the other stereo was stolen. It's faily obvious to me it's the fault of the stereo installation place, not the dealer, as I didn't notice any broken brackets after having the dashboard damge repaired. It really isn't that big of a deal. It's just that the stereo cover is poped out slightly on the top right side when it's in the closed position. To open it again, I have to open the cigarette ash tray lid becuse the edges of the lid and cover collide. With finals comming up and the fact that I'm moving to Cali in 10 days, I'm debating on whether to say the hell with it.
Thanks,
Dave.

OK. I see what is broken now. The piece that you refer to (let's call it the cover) is the part in question. The dealer probably did not break it since putting it in/out is a no brainer job. I'd talk to the guys in stereo shop. The probably forced the damn thing back in.

Lwin

Yeah, I'll probably do that. But since those brackets they broke were attached to that large piece of dash board, it will be very expensive to replace and they're not too eager to pay up. Not sure if it's worth fighting for. Oh well, thanks for your help.

Dave

Ok, so basically you're saying that they broke the screw mounts that the radio cage screws into? There aren't any "brackets" that I can think of, just 4 screw holes that the cage screws into. If you can't get them to pay for the repairs, you might want to try a little repair of your own with some epoxy.

KuoH

that really sucks!!!!!

Keep your head up....everything will be okay

*gives Dave a hug*

Kelli

You should get a statement from the Subaru dealer as to what they replaced and show it to the stereo shop. Talk to the manager of the shop not the installer.

Thanks for the sympathy. I had the service rep from the dealer talk to the manager of the stereo shop. The manager wanted me to stop by and talk to the head installer. When I do, if they don't reconcile the problem, no big deal. After sleeping on it for a few days and being distracted with finals, I've decided that I'm happy enough just having a stereo again and I'm not too concerned about it anymore.

Dave