Hey MN Subaru About 29 days ago I purchased a used 2013 STi Hatch from a nice fellow on Craigslist with approximately 26k miles in excellent shape, clean interior, and entirely stock. Did a Prepurchase inspection (All green but TPMS in winter rims), a spirited test drive, and gave it a once over. Everything was great! Even has the original 3 year 36k warranty! (I did later find a single french fry in the car, and quite a bit of long girl hair, but super clean otherwise) Isn't it pretty? Tonight, I am very sad. I've read people's warnings: "Don't go WOT at low RPMs", and "Don't go on boost till at operating temp"; "You'll spin a bearing, it happens to tons of engines!" they warned. Not wanting to anger the EJ257 gods, I followed these rules closely. But the EJ257 is an angry god. Tonight on the ride home from work I experienced a hellacious noise, a drop in power, followed by a loud knocking above 2.8k rpm. Sounds like those Rod Knock videos on YouTube. Dang. DANG. Subaru roadside setup a flatbed to a dealer. I specifically chose a dealer suggested on these forums. When the service adviser saw me write my car model on the info slip, he asked what tune I was running, to which I replied "STOCK" (as this is the truth). He then explained how they were going to catch me in my lie (ECU ignition cycles!), and that I better be sure to have all my service history paper work ready ASAP. Apparently when you have "STi" in your model, the dealer needs to prep you for a warranty denial without even looking at your car. A terrible way to start a customer relationship, but I don't have an option of going somewhere else. It did not make me feel that the dealer or Subaru of America has owner's interests in mind, but the bottom line. Bobby and Steve's tow, unlike the dealer, left me with a hugely positive experience. The guy driving the flatbed really took pride in his work. With that sour taste form the dealer in my mouth, I sadly drove my boring econobox daily driver home. While my econobox makes 3 times more miles per gallon, it makes infinitely fewer smiles per gallon. I hope my Subaru journey is not done after only 670 miles.
Perfect excuse to get a built motor now But seriously, hope it all works out ok. I'll keep the Subaru heritage strong in the parking lot at work in the mean time.
This happened to me, all I can tell you is to be patient. SOA will cover it if it has not been tuned. If it has get ready to send a nice letter to SOA. If money allows to build a hybrid go for it. Pm me if you need more detail.
Very sad story...very nice looking hatch! I lol'd at the SPG comment. Subaru should pay you to use it in a future commercial! Wishing you warm welcomes from MnSubaru and many more smiles per gallon! -Josh
Hmmmm this sounds familiar. Except I don't have an STi (non turbo forester) and the service writer claimed to have proof that my car was tuned (lol @ the idea of tuning the engine on a non turbo Subaru) since the check sum read all zeros (which, on my model, is completely normal, but abnormal on I believe every other Subaru). Wonder if it was the same service writer... Anyway, I challenged him on the fact that it was tuned and they called the SOA tech line, which didn't know the answer, so they called the field engineer from Japan to get an answer. Engineer ended up telling them that the car wasn't tuned. Go figure. So while the service writer did a horrible job, the tech there and Subaru Of America/Japan did a great job.
In spite of my levity, I wish the OP nothing but the best of luck with this. Keep a positive attitude, be nice and polite but firm. Unless there is something going on that the previous owner lied about, there should be no reason why this claim would be denied. Was your pre-purchase inspection done by a Subaru dealer? Remember, they (meaning the dealer and Subaru) have something you want, a fixed car, and you attract more flies with honey than you do with vinegar. I remember Shancaldazar's thread and it was so different than any dealer interaction I have ever had that it was almost hard to believe (not calling him a liar). Kinda makes me want to buy an STI and see what happens when I go into the service department with it. I haven't seen it mentioned on this forum (maybe I just missed it), but I saw an article in the Star Tribune a few months ago that Morrie's Auto Group was sold. I don't know if new ownership has resulted in a difference customer service experience than what car enthusiasts have received there in the past or not. Anyone care to chime in on this? http://www.startribune.com/morrie-s-automotive-group-being-sold/333111461/
Bummer about the engine but a fresh one should be in the works! Out of curiosity where did you have the car towed? who helped? I understand why they might speculate that it was previously tuned but you shouldn't be given an attitude about it. Mike
Morries is in the process of being sold and the new owners should be taking over in the next month or so. To plan ahead we have a new GM, new service manager, and in general a lot of new staff. All of our bad apples have moved on or were let go. The good guys are still here including a lot of long time forum members. Overall we hope to change and improve the atmosphere and customer experience. I know it sounds cliché but we're already seeing some amazing changes. Now we have to wrap up construction and get the facility up to date! Mike
Oh man that sucks. Just pray the PO didn't tune it and then put back to stock to sell it... The service advisor sounds like a turd. Yeah sure pretty much every BDI tunes their turbo subaru and quite a few try to pass their expensive mistake onto the dealer but no need for him to preemptively be a dick. At least wait and check the ECU's flash counter first.
hope you find resolution to this whole debacle. if previous owner lied to you by saying its stock then I would go give him a force inducted kick to his fruitbowl.
Even if it was previously tuned, isn't it up to them to prove that the flash caused the damage? I've heard of so many dealers trying to use "tuning" as a copout to deny warranty claims, hoping that the customer won't be aggressive enough to take "sorry about your luck, pal" as a response. One of COBB's responses on NASIOC... Originally Posted by Cobb Tuning There is no flash counter on the Subaru ECU. The dealer does not have the ability to use some form of scan tool to discover that your ECU has been reflashed once the AccessPORT has been uninstalled. I hope that this can help dispell any misunderstandings about how the ECU and AccessPORT work. We understand that many users want to have fun, but would rather not have fun at the cost of a voided warranty due to some form of "black box" or flash counter. However, the Subaru ECU is not able to track such information. Once you uninstall your AccessPORT your ECU is 100%, OEM, Stock. You can install your AccessPORT with confidence! Travis COBB Tuning ...Who knows what magic SOA uses now though.
Regardless of ECU counters or not, it is the manufacturer's responsibility to provide proof that modifications caused the failure, not the other way around. That said, Subaru tunes are **** from the factory, as are the engines. They produce rod knock and ring land failure without modification anyway, so the dealer is probably tired of doing warranty engine replacements.
Thanks for the well wishes everyone. Shancaldazar you had a pretty interesting experience, thanks for pointing this out. Spoke with the dealer, and I've been diagnosed a spun bearing. Didn't specifically say which cylinder, so I wonder if they just pulled the pan and saw metal bits? It really doesn't matter though, "new engine" is my remedy. The car is stock. I didn't see any mods, the PPI (done at same dealer, different location) didn't note any mods, nor did I hear anything from the dealer today about mods. Stock and the warranty is what attracted me to this car. Not really my thing to call someone out. Just a person trying to make a living. I will say it wasn't my current service adviser! My initial experience seems pretty small potatoes to the current situation... Without going into detail, I've had to contact Subaru of America. Really thinking I shouldn't have cancelled my Focus RS order for a used STi! Good lord. ps here is another picture of my car. Sitting at a light, looking fully SICK. I've been told this is the natural habitat of a Subaru .
Wait wut? Does this mean they are currently trying to deny your warranty engine repair? If so that is some BS. Do you have any records from the PO about how many oil changes it has had so far to show it was well maintained? Best of luck dude.
Morrie sold the business to the CEO and some investment group. Not much should change as it will still be the same head honcho. Minnetonka location has always been a delight to deal with but that changed with my last experience. My car has never seen a car wash beside the touch free BP by my house since I took delivery, my last oil change I specifically said no wash like always and guy was like "oh, don't worry it's too cold we are not even offering to wash, only if a customer demands it" were his exact words. Guess what, it went through the slap and scratch and now that I washed it again since I see the swirly demons. Sent email about it and mentioned it when they called me for the survey. Now we will see what happens. Good luck to the OP with this...
Aside from 3rik in parts, Morries mtka has been TERRIBLE to me all across the board for a solid couple years now. I won't even go into my purchasing experience... well, attempted purchase a couple years ago. But needless to say I won't ever be returning or recommending them (except for parts dept). OP, sorry to hear about your poor experience(s). If it's any consolation, SOA is typically reasonable. That said, STI winter beater and Focus RS daily driver sounds like a good combo to me.
Sounds like Morrie's has been on a steady ride down the ****ter as far as customer service. Parts dept is still solid, and the tech who did my valve cover gaskets was alright (though the car still smells strongly of burning oil because subaru), but I'm only reading horror stories these days.
I'd have demanded to speak to the douche's manager immediately. I'm ****ing lying? **** you, you ****ing ****.
Man that sucks, being assumed guilty and having to try to prove innocence is ridiculously backwards. I'm so glad you're always around to share your wisdom. We are all enriched by your opinions and reasonable advice.
Thanks. I just made the assumption that a few of them might possibly be good girls with no lasting issues. What was I thinking?
I always try to wash my car BEFORE it goes in for service so the grit doesn't get ground into the paint because it is hard to work on a car and not get up against the body work and I hope the tech sees that I try and take care of my car and treats it with a little more respect than the average Outback that looks like it hosts a kindergarden class on a daily basis. I always ask to NOT have it washed just in case the lot monkey can't tell that IT IS ALREADY CLEAN! Some days I wish I could treat our cars like the appliances they are to the other 99% of the motoring world.
Every. Single. Dealer. has good and bad. Just like restaurants. Check Yelp, Google Reviews, Facebook, etc. for Morries, Walser, Luther, St. Cloud, not every review is going to be glowing. We try. We try hard. Sometimes expectations are too high, sometimes.
Take another look at what I said there, Mr. Defensive. I said my experiences were good, but what I have been reading lately has not. So before you go crying about how the standard is too high, make sure you comprehend what is being said...especially when I specifically call out my good experience.
Oh I was not trying to be defensive. You just said all you were hearing were horror stories so I read it as you don't hear anything good anymore. Misunderstood is all!
Morrie's was the second place for me to buy a Subaru there. I know there's good and bad reviews, but is Morrie's really that bad?
Depends who you get. Any dealership there will be hit or miss depending on who your sales person is. I have had good experiences at certain dealerships that have lots of bad reviews and vice versa. If you are serious about buying a car go talk to someone and if you don't like them you don't have to buy from them!
I'm going to be purposely vague here, my road-to-rebuild is still not fully mapped out . Thanks for the well wishes! Once I have some sort of final resolution I will provide actual detail on what happened. I will say that, despite the initial contact, this dealer has been professional through this process. My buddy just bought a WRX from them and had a great experience. Definitely form your own opinions. Unfortunately I don't have any more pictures! Boring post.
My nightmare is over! I have my repaired STi back. A rod bearing failed due to a lack of lubrication/oil starvation. The failure was not covered under warranty, but mostly covered under goodwill. This is obviously not the best outcome, but it is still a pretty OK one. The short of it (as I understand it) is that I was denied warranty work by Subaru of America because the service history documentation I have could not prove it was maintained properly, therefore this failure cannot be considered a manufacturing defect. The specific problem was that the previous owner kept a log book of the dates, mileage, oil type/brand and filter brand that he performed the oil changes at. What he did NOT have was receipts from around those dates documenting the purchase a filter and oil. Having read the warranty documentation, it is still not obvious to me that this is mandatory for honoring a warranty. But here we are! SoA eventually offered to goodwill a large majority of the repair. It wasn't fully covered, but it took the price from an eyewatering amount (~10k) to something I am grumpy to have to pay but can afford. What did I learn from this? (And what you, the reader, should learn): When buying a used car and want the warranty honored, walk away if the service history doesn't have a time-stamped receipt for every service performed on it. Maybe this is common knowledge, but I was foolish enough to make this mistake. Having an inspection done prior to purchase isn't really worth much. It didn't catch the fact that the engine was ~650 miles away from catastrophic failure due to preexisting damage. Did catch that door ding though! The dealership service experience was fine, which is probably the best it can be in this situation. I have no ill-will towards the dealership. I'll probably be going there for an oil change if they send me coupons like Honda dealers do I have the repaired car back. I'm trying to baby it for the first 1,000 miles or so as I've read that the oil filter bypasses at high pressures. Just in case a little grain of engine sadness was left behind. After that hopefully I can begin to enjoy this daffy car. The engine failed before I even had a chance to register the vehicle (waiting on lein release from P/O's bank). With situations like this you either laugh or cry.... so I went with the custom license plate that honors this Subaru tradition I have taken part in.
The plates are hilarious and also so true(that's what makes it hilarious). Glad that things went smooth-ish for you! Now you need to get it to LaCrosse with us this summer! https://mnsubaru.com/threads/2016-laxcruise.50897/ When do you take delivery on the RS?
Probably not entirely. You do still own a Subaru, right? On paper by Subaru, sure. The reality is much different. Yeah, they do that because this really should have a recall or some kind of TSB, but they've been doing this "goodwill" program to keep owners from complete upheaval and all out retaliation. Because there wasn't damage to catch. The turbo 2.5s blow without any kind of detectable warning, it seems. This is awesome, though. I like your style.
Thank you for sharing your experience in an objective, yet tactful way. I'm sorry to hear this happened to your STI despite the pre-purchase inspection. Also, thank you for your noting the issue about the receipts - I now have 2 cars under factory warranty and want to make sure I'm covered, in case anything happens. Fortunately, I have been keeping all of my receipts! Enjoy your STI, keep up on your maintenance, and hope for the best!
