Going to the dealer for service
 

Just maid an appointment to take my car in to the dealer to have a leak checked out and first thing he tells me is they might not be able to repair it because its over ten years old and the mileage(156,000)and how well it was maintained. Has anyone had problems getting their svx fixed at a dealer because of age?

Age is merely an excuse. Competence is the issue. Some of the most experienced mechanics are at a loss when visiting the SVX. That's not really saying anything 'bad' about them. It's just flat difficult to find people who know the car and can work on it in a competent manner. I hope all turns out well. Tell them if they think 156K is bad, I'll bring my (knock on wood) perfectly running (with a lot of money spent) 92 with 216K up there and let 'em take a look at it. :D

EDIT: By the way, John Hoffman (svxcess) used to live in the area. He could probably direct you to someone competent enough to work on the car, if this dealership refuses, or, just flat admits that they can't work on it. Try PM'ing him.

Something to remember about dealers is that they're in business to sell you a new car.

As I've mentioned here many times, the guys who service my car rarely see Subarus and had never even heard of an SVX until mine came along, and I couldn't be happier with their work. Keep looking until you find a competent, conscientious mechanic.

dcb

A Thought?
 

I think I would make me a nice big sign that says "Beware of buying from this dealer as they will not work on a car over 10 years old" and park in front of the dealership. Or at least some sign questioning how they stand behind their products. They might change their minds. :D

Lee

I would be very wary of any dealer saying something like that. I can almost guarantee the people there wouldnt know the first thing about working on the svx unless they have some senior mechanics there that have worked on theh svx when it was new. I don't even want to get started how incompetent the people at fitzgeralds are....

Servtce
 

Hi Jerm, The dealer probably did you a favor. He could have told you to bring it on in and messed your SVX up. If you check with some of the local SVX owners they should be able to help you find a competent place to get your car worked on. Take care and happy hunting, BOBB

Dealer service and sales are two entirely different and unrelated departments. Believe me, the service guys are there to make money also. The problem is too many dealer techs whine about warranty work on one hand and cry about working on 'old junk' on the other. The sweet spot at a dealer is between a year after warranty expiration and seven to eight years old, less if you're in the salt belt.

Look at it this way: if they aren't interested in working on it what kind of quality will you expect?

<<Just maid an appointment to take my car in to the dealer to have a leak checked out and first thing he tells me is they might not be able to repair it because its over ten years old and the mileage(156,000)and how well it was maintained.>>

What do you need done? I have a Subaru only shop in south jersey. reply here or mail me at:

subarueast@yahoo.com

Run away. Run far away. Also please tell us what dealer this is so we can all avoid their service department.

:rolleyes: :)

Jermaine I send you a PM with some good info.

Steve

Additional Thought
 

You may want to call the General Manager of the dealership and the Zone Rep/SOA to let them know of your experience so far. I'm sure they'll get a kick out that. ;) :)

Try Heritage Subaru on Reisterstown Rd. I got front cam seals, timing belt, & other stuff done there 36K ago that added up to about $1,800. Nothing has fallen off the car yet.

Ron.

Absolutely.

That said: I know I'm awfully cynical about such things, but it's a stretch to believe that no dealership would encourage a service writer to to send someone bemoaning a hefty (and/or needlessly inflated) service estimate on an older car 'round front to check out the new WRXs that just rolled off the truck. Those "unrelated departments" put all the cash into the same pocket.

dcb

I agree. There is only one tech at my shop that will touch my SVX. Although everyone here is competent they simply aren't interested in working on a car that they have little or no experience with. I don't blame them.......if they don't want to work on it, I don't want them to. So when an SVX comes in, unless it needs something simple like brakes it goes to the "SVX guy".


Dave