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Which car company honors their own warranties better, Subaru or Kia?
Clarebear328
Member Posts: 2
Hi All.
First post. I'm debating between a Subaru Outback 3.6 or the Kia Sorrento. I'm torn, since I've owned 2 Subarus and I love them. The issue where I live is that the local dealerships don't have good reviews. I'm looking to buy a used vehicle, 3-4 years old. I'm also curious about Certified Pre-Owned cars. Are they worth it?
I'm also finding differing opinions on reliability on both the Subaru and Sorrento. A lot of complaints on forums for both cars reflect that items under warranty are being denied, and again, the local dealerships are not fixing what comes up broken even under warranty. I want to buy used, so I can go to my mechanic here locally, and not worry about any surprises the first year of ownership.at the dealership. I will be buying in the next few weeks.
If I find a vehicle I like at a dealership 50 miles away that has better customer service, am I required to take my car to that specific dealer to have the warranty work done?
Any input would be great. Thank you for reading!
First post. I'm debating between a Subaru Outback 3.6 or the Kia Sorrento. I'm torn, since I've owned 2 Subarus and I love them. The issue where I live is that the local dealerships don't have good reviews. I'm looking to buy a used vehicle, 3-4 years old. I'm also curious about Certified Pre-Owned cars. Are they worth it?
I'm also finding differing opinions on reliability on both the Subaru and Sorrento. A lot of complaints on forums for both cars reflect that items under warranty are being denied, and again, the local dealerships are not fixing what comes up broken even under warranty. I want to buy used, so I can go to my mechanic here locally, and not worry about any surprises the first year of ownership.at the dealership. I will be buying in the next few weeks.
If I find a vehicle I like at a dealership 50 miles away that has better customer service, am I required to take my car to that specific dealer to have the warranty work done?
Any input would be great. Thank you for reading!
0
Answers
That said, there is a huge difference between what someone writes about a dealership on the internet and what your experience is likely to be. I would not discount a dealership’s service dept based on what others have written about them on the internet.
Certified pre owned cars at least have gone through a cursory inspection and given a “clean bill of health”. What their warranties cover are fairly specific. You should read the coverage of the “certified” warranty to get more specifics. Are they worth it? I don’t know. I think for an expensive to maintain and repair brand, the answer is probably “yes”. Understand, the reason the manufacturer/dealership sells “certified pre-owned” cars with the accompanying warranty is that they make money on them. They’re betting you won’t need to have a covered repair done in the warranty period.
Good idea to have your own mechanic give the car you’re thinking of buying the “once over”. I say it will be money well spent, even if he doesn’t find anything wrong.
You are not required to take your car to any specific dealer for service, even the dealership you purchased from (unless the dealership is offering their own warranty and not one offered through the manufacturer). For warranty work on warranties backed by the manufacturer, all you’re required to do is take it to a store who is an authorized dealer/servicer of the brand of car you bought.