Subaru Crew: Official SOA Presence (aka Patti)

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Comments

  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Hi Scott-
    Glad you made it here. :)

    First - RUN... GET YOUR CAR OUT AND AWAY FROM LYNNES. Told you that when we spoke. Go to Flemington Subaru.

    Any authorized Subaru dealer cannot turn away any Subaru owners for service. I'm sure SoA would want to know who turned you away.

    Patti-
    I've seen Scott's wagon and it looks very well taken care of, but woooo the smell of the baking engine and clutch.

    -Dave
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Who handled your repairs?

    When my WRX wagon was recovered, everything was handled by the body shop. When it came to the transmission, I noticed a clicking sound that the body shop missed (found it within one day).

    The body shop told me that I had to sort it out between the ins. adjustor and dealer. Insurance adjustor said it would be covered as long as it wasn't just a warranty item.

    Took my car to the dealer (Flemington) and everything was taken care of within 3 days (new reverse gear installed)! These guys have seen a few recovered Rexes.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I was terrible, Patti had to put me in "time out" a few times. ;-)

    Tatiana actually snuck up into the Legacy sedan on the turn table. It was hilarious. She's a natural - it was the XT model!

    Dealer are independent and surely some are better than others. So why not go to the better dealer, since you have references here? Why make yourself the guinea pig to help improve the lesser dealership?

    Go there, *and* call 800-SUBARU3 to open up a case file. Tell them the whole story and try to get a fresh start at this reputable dealer.

    Good luck.

    -juice
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Is Tatiana going to post her pics??? :)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Good point, I gotta post that one pic of her hanging out the wagon's moonroof.

    It's at home, if I remember to I'll upload it tonight.

    -juice
  • pattipcpattipc Member Posts: 53
    to whether the noise goes away during warm up. Some dealers are really on top of TSB's and they handle things proactively. We are doing our best to try to recognize those folks.

    We do try to do things when we see issues related to a dealership. We send reports to the regions and have "teams" that visit and try to get them through some process improvements.

    When someone calls us to report a poor dealer experience, we take it very seriously. While it might not do much to change what happened in the past, it does go far to help things improve in the future. I can't comment on dealers where we have visited to try to implement changes, but in the foreseeable future, I think there will be serious implications.

    So - if you have a good experience - it's always good to send an e-mail to us at Subaru.com. We will give the dealer kudos. If you've had a bad experience, contact us too. It matters!

    Patti
  • pattipcpattipc Member Posts: 53
    to get him into the vehicle that was roped off, but we decided to behave. No time-outs necessary.

    Tati was the ideal car model. I hope Juice does post the photo - it was adorable! It was funny watching from the outside as Dave (Hypov) looked up to notice her climbing up and out the sunroof. I think he looked just a little surprised!

    Patti
  • jay_24jay_24 Member Posts: 536
    I've been overall happy with the dealer. In fact today they called and did a little servey on their service. I gave them a 4.5 out of 5 (5 highest). So I'm a happy camper....

    Can you tell me anything about that piston part number(12006ac920)? redesigned or same design?

    In Tony's case (baja owner) I would guess we have the same District Rep., (we are 100 miles apart) His dealer must not be trying hard enough for him.

    --jay
  • johnnyxtjohnnyxt Member Posts: 15
    Sorry for the dramatics. My 2004 XT has been at the dealer since Sunday. I have had the car for only two weeks. I’m experiencing transmission problems (slippage, disengaging). The dealer is almost at the point of replacing the transmission which is unacceptable. Can you please help?
  • stuhallstuhall Member Posts: 59
    I had the same problem with my XT. I think Subaru may have a nasty issue on their hands.

    Does this make it three owners on Edmunds with new XT's that had bad transmissions? What's the MTBF on that? (mean time between failure)
  • dodgenut1dodgenut1 Member Posts: 7
    If you have had the time to read my post of 2/9, I neglected to ad my case #562011. Thanks for any insight you might be able to give me. Jack dodgenut1@aol.com
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    Are you still filtering your emails?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Why would you not want a new tranny? Just curious.

    They'd replace all the seals and such. Heck, I bet they torque things to spec better than the factory.

    -juice
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I sent you an e-mail (in case you are filtering them).

    Steve
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    same here :)

    -Dave
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    Patti-

    Sorry for the delay, but I wanted to say "Thank you" for trying to get the tickets for Elm and myself for last Sunday. That'll teach me to check this board only when at work:-)

    Mark
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Would you people please stop emailing Patti! She has a lot of work to do!!

    Patti, I sent you an email. ;-)

    -Dennis
  • rthompson10rthompson10 Member Posts: 75
    Well I had my car into Flemington in NJ and they tell me my piston slap noise fell under the normal category- whatever that is

    I opened a case with SOA #588267,

    Tom at SOA told me I could have a rep make an appointment with me to take it for a test drive.

    Robert
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    the filters are still on. I'm getting most of them (I think) but a little delayed from the "recept" time/date and the date/time I actually get to read it. Plus - I'm swamped (I know whah, whah, poor me - I'll shut up about that).

    I think I have caught up with all of you. If not, can you remind me here? Sorry.

    Patti
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    I'll look at any cases we have for y'all and respond soon.

    Piston's - I'll see what we have on the difference with the parts. I know it has something to do with the "skirting"?

    Will post soon - and the hydrolic information. Promise.

    Patti
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    I know that it's frustrating. What we are being advised (and what I've been shown with some torn down engines) - if the noise goes away after a few minutes (when the engine warms up) it is considered the "characteristic" noise that is non-destructive. Because I'm cynical, I asked a few months ago for our engineers to show me a higher mileage engine that had the noise and how it did not have any long term damage. Well, they did! So, I bought what I've been told.

    If the noise does not quiet down after the car has been operating for about 15 minutes or so, it may be something more serious that calls for a repair. But, even if a repair is done, you may still have noise in the new engine because the design is the same.

    The "Phase II" engines had noise that was a lot louder. While it wasn't "destructive" it was obnoxious. The pistons were changed with a longer skirting that helped make the noise more acceptable. It hasn't been done for the Phase I engines because the feeling is that these are not as loud. I don't know if they are looking into a piston update for those, but I'll find out if anything is on the radar. I'll also try to find out more about the updated pistons.

    Sorry if this isn't technical enough. I understand things better in non-technical terms (since I'm in no way a technician). I'll try to do better for you all.

    Patti
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    The 99 OB is a Phase I, correct?

    I was considering making a recording of the tap on our car. It sounds like a diesel, but does go away after about 15 minutes. Before my wife drives, she warms it up unless it's at least about 70F outside.

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yes, Leg/OB went to Phase II SOHC only in 2000. Impreza and Forester went Phase II in 1999.

    Quick way to tell - look at your redline. Phase I DOHC redline at 6500 rpm, Phase II SOHC at 6250 rpm.

    -juice
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Oh yeah, I'm pretty sure it's a DOHiCk engine. :-)

    Got the new OBXT brochure last night. Trying to hold off on another new car for at least a year, but it'll be tough. She was just saying she loves her car and wants to hang on to it for a while. 250/250 might change her mind. ;-)

    -Dennis
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yet another person that got the brochure before me....

    -juice
  • damish003damish003 Member Posts: 303
    You want a little cheese with that whine? <g>

    -Dan-
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
  • jay_24jay_24 Member Posts: 536
    Mine is a SOHC and it took at least 15 minutes to quiet down even while driving. But that was on cool days. (-20F to -5F) Maybe I got mine fixed because I have the unfair advantage of cooler weather and much longer warm up times?

    Also of note I got better MPG on the first tank after the piston fix. I'll need to watch the next few to know for sure, but I haven't gotten 25mpg in the winter that I can remember. Infact just before it was fixed I just bairly got 21mpg.

    -jay (Very happy with SOA and dealer)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Careful, I'm gonna drive to someone's house and steal it! :P

    -juice
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Patti - My wife said thanks and great info as usual.

    swampy - I read that in Sport Compact Car. A guy out in the sticks was looking in one of their cars and asked, "What's a Do-hick?". :-)

    -Dennis
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I have been experiencing a rod knock like sound on very cold starts. The general cause, as described by Patti and others, appears to be piston slap.

    With Patti's help & concurrence, I dropped my car off Sunday at a dealership I trust more (Colonial in Danbury, CT) for a nice cold soak overnight and returned there last night. Unfortunately, they could not get to it first thing in the morning when the temps were still in single digits, but it was still plenty cold around noon. The report (and I did speak at length to Art, the Service Mgr.), was indeed piston slap. But as it dies down within the prescribed 8 minutes or so (a few minutes after the temp gauge indicates full temp), it is considered to be non-destructive noise.

    While the noise does make me feel a bit uneasy, I am going to turn up the radio a few notches and live with it. As Art said, (paraphrased) "the sound is well understood - characteristic of the breed. It is on record, and should it get worse, you are covered...." They also listened for timing belt tensioner noise, but that was OK as well.

    To be honest with you, in a way I am relieved. The thought of tearing down a perfectly good engine doesn't thrill me either - way too much that can go wrong. So Patti, thanks again for your wise counsel and information. What an outstanding resource!

    Steve
  • mrk610mrk610 Member Posts: 378
    Sorry it took me so long to get back to you . I have been down at daytona beach for speed weeks . I am taking my car in when i get back . I was able to get my car repaired because it would knock every time i started the car . Regardless of the temp . It would also take anywere to 15-25 minutes to quiet down. I'll let you all know how it turns out when I get the car back .
    Thanks again to Patti,Barbera and my DSR MIke .

    Mike k
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    how did you like Colonial? They have always been fair with me and I've never had to bring the car back after a service. I guess I'm happy.

    Greg
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    The Ford side treated Beth & I like royalty when we leased the Windstar. The only problem was the distance & Danbury evening traffic. An hour each way can get old, especially as the Ford rang up the shop time clock. So when it came Subi time, I opted for the local dealer. My bad.... real bad... as I had to get Toyota involved once on a case of outright fraud (claimed to have done a valve adj on my Camry V6 & charged me for it).

    I cannot really give a full report on the Subi side, as they really didn't do anything. But they listened, were respectful, recorded the complaint & their opinion, no diagnostic fee or other nonsense.

    Steve
  • sube555lgtsube555lgt Member Posts: 78
    Patti, might want to check that voice mail or PMs.
  • jon_in_ctjon_in_ct Member Posts: 137
    Although it appears you weren't invited, can you relay any information about the big meeting last month described in this memo?
    http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/prepos/files/Artemis/Public/Pursuits- /2003/EA/INOT-EA03024-17046P.pdf

    Were any decisions or agreements reached?
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    I had the leaking headgasket replaced on my 2001 Forester yesterday at Kolb Subaru in Orangetown, NY. The repair was covered 100% by Subaru, even though my car has 82K miles, and is well beyond the warranty period. Thank you SOA, Barry and especially Patti. I remain a very happy Subaru owner.

    Len
  • jon_in_ctjon_in_ct Member Posts: 137
    leo2633, I imagine you'll be receiving a letter soon, as will most other 1999-2002 Subaru owners with 2.5L engines, about SOA's fix for head gasket leaks. If you'd visited nabisco (aka NASIOC), then you'd already be aware of Subaru's most recent "Service Campaign."
    WWP-99 Service Campaign
    Cooling System Conditioner

    Subaru has determined that certain 1999 through 2002 model year 2.5L equipped Subaru vehicles may experience an external coolant leak from the cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal relative thermal expansion and contraction variations of engine parts. As a precautionary measure, SOA is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system to prevent leaks from occurring or to correct existing leaks.

    Only early Phase II 2.5 liter engines are affected by this campaign. Phase I 2.5 liter engines (some 1999 model year and prior years) are not affected. Countermeasures applied to the manufacturing process for those 2002 and later VINS not affected by this campaign have eliminated the need for this campaign to be performed on those vehicles.

    In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to the SUBARU vehicle cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The updated recommended service procedure as well as intervals for coolant replacement will be added to all applicable service manuals. As a reminder, we will include an update page in the owner notification letters that should be added to the Owner&#146;s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services are not covered under warranty.

    If the vehicle owner has this Service Program repair performed promptly, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on the vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, the vehicle owner must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to the vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading &#147;Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services&#148;.

    Dealers will automatically be sent an initial quantity of Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner. Dealer bulletins and affected VIN lists will be mailed to dealers in early February 2004. Owner notification letters are scheduled for mailing in stages.
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
  • jon_in_ctjon_in_ct Member Posts: 137
    bluesubie wrote:
    Yes, it's been posted here jon :-)
    As far as I can tell, this campaign has never been mentioned before in this discussion. The closest I could find is this post mrk610 Jan 12, 2004 5:16pm. Patti's response to that question was that she couldn't talk about yet. Perhaps you're thinking of a discussion elsewhere at Edmunds.

    BTW, I must say that I'm impressed that SOA would bump the warranty covering head gasket coolant leaks on the affected cars to 8yr/100,000mi just for using the new coolant conditioner. SOA must have a lot of confidence in that stuff.
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    or they want their customers to have confidence in it, and them. :)

    <-- replaced headgaskets thrice on his '99RS
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    "Perhaps you're thinking of a discussion elsewhere at Edmunds."
    Yes, I think it has been posted in Subaru Care & Maint. and Subaru Problems. You probably could've found it if Edmunds had a decent search function. ;-)

    -Dennis
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    Searched for WWP-99 Service Campaign. Results 1 - 4 of 4. Search took 2.4 seconds.
      Discussion Title Last Post Total New
       Subaru Crew: Official SOA Presence (aka Patti) 2/20/04 929
     Message #925 by jon_in_ct Feb 19, 2004 (11:06 pm)
    leo2633, I imagine you'll be receiving a letter soon, as will most other 1999-2002 Subaru owners ... If you'd visited nabisco (aka NASIOC), then you'd already be aware of Subaru's most recent "Service Campaign." WWP-99 Service Campaign Cooling System Conditioner Subaru has determined that certain 1999 through ...
     
       Subaru Crew: Problems & Solutions 2/19/04 2895
     Message #2610 Head Gaskets - More Info by K9Leader Jan 23, 2004 (1:26 pm)
    Info from another board: WWP-99 Service Campaign - Cooling System Conditioner Subaru has determined that certain 1999 through 2002 ...
     
       Subaru Crew Cafe 2/20/04 6579
     Message #6247 Subaru Service Campaign # WWP-99 by rsholland Jan 21, 2004 (8:15 pm)
    Apparently this is regarding 2.5 cylinder head gaskets. More info over at nabisco. Bob
     
       Subaru Crew: Care & Maintenance 2/20/04 8599
     Message #8412 WWP-99 Service Campaign by kens Jan 21, 2004 (12:48 pm)
    I just read about it over at Nabisco. Subaru has just posted a service campaign for the 99-02 Phase II engines and coolant leaks. They are recommending a special ...
     
    DaveM
  • pattipcpattipc Member Posts: 53
    comment any further yet on the NHTSA meeting. Once I can talk about it, I will. I can say we are still looking at the situation and taking it seriously. It's still a "challenge" to duplicate the concern. None of us has been able to, even with customers who really tried. I appreciate the efforts of everyone we contacted with those attempts.

    Patti
  • pattipcpattipc Member Posts: 53
    get in. I can with this sign-on now. Thanks to Karen and Sylvia for helping me with the "other". I know y'all prefer the Subaru_Team identifier and I'll be back on with that as soon as we figure out what's wrong.

    Patti
  • pattipcpattipc Member Posts: 53
    If you have any questions on this program, I can try to answer them now. It's pretty self explanatory. If you are having a problem, please contact your dealer first. We can't really do anything if the dealer hasn't looked at it.

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • pattipcpattipc Member Posts: 53
    I did find out that our Canadian friends will be/are participating in this program too! If your dealer isn't aware of it, you can ask them to call SOC. If they do not have enough information, please ask them to call me directly. I can try, through chanels up your way, get the info. to them. I'm not sure if they are doing mailings or counting on word of mouth, etc. They have different rules with service programs than we do.

    I hope this makes you happy! I think it's a great thing.

    Patti
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Thanks for the info, BTW have the mailings started to go out yet to SOA owners, if not I will not bug my dealer until the mailings start in The States.

     Cheers Pat.
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