Warranty Issue Letter to Subaru (Leather Seats Wear)

Ladies and Gentlemen,

What do you think about this letter I am sending to Subaru? (I will format it correctly when I send it

 

To Whom it May Concern,

I am trying to pursue a warranty item with the driver's seat.

 

While it only gets about 25% more use than the passenger seat, the driver's seat in my 2005 Legacy GT Limited Wagon started showing noticeable unusual wear patterns at the 10,000 mile point. Hoping that my monthly leather care and conditioning would make it go away, I had waited to bring it to the dealer. It has gotten worse, and now at 33,000 miles, there is no sign of wear on the passenger's seat which has been treated exactly the same. The car is currently at Heuberger Motors, Inc, but they say the most they will do is to replace the seat cover. They have not decided to do that for sure yet either.

 

I have a few issues with this. If it is normal wear, as they say, the passenger seat would show the same wear. Also, as they admitted, and I know, the replacement cover could look worse than the original due to issues doing install. I agree, and want the whole seat replaced w/ a factory seat. I know of at least 5 cases of the exact same issue, and the resolution with a new factory seat, across the U.S.

 

My wife was also treated poorly by one of the service personnel and a few of the service personnel seemed to disregard the exterior care of the car. They constantly leaned on the car without regard for what was on their clothing, even though it was obviously freshly detailed.

 

This is my first Subaru, but my father has had 2, and we had planned a new Tribeca in the next few months. I am one of the 10 Moderators on the http://www.legacygt.com site with over 22,000 members currently, and was one of the first 300 to join before the 2005 Legacy GT even made it to the U.S. I am also very active on the local Colorado Subaru forum. I have always been a very big fan of Subaru, so it makes me very sad that my first, and only, warranty issue is being handled this poorly, especially at the #1 volume Subaru dealer in the country.

 

Please feel free to contact me on my cell phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx as necessary.

Respectfully,

 

Thoughts?

Nice letter. Although I am sure they will frown about the forum's you belong to, from what I gather they generally hate us They should be embracing us....

for a small fee i will beat there ass and get you a seat ted. Also i will find the link but there is a guy on here trying a feeler on a salvaged Gt with leather seats. I will keep my ears and eyes open. ( matter of fact i think you replied in it )

Thanks folks...

 

Well, honestly, I would not try to have them fix anything I have modified, which pretty much only leaves the seats

 

And now they won't do that

Your seat wear is probably cause by something you wear or keep in your pants pocket. Chances are that if you sat in the passenger seat all the time instead of the driver seat, then the passenger seat would be the one with the wear. It's not at all clear that this wear is a result of a manufacturing defect, which is what your warranty is supposed to cover.

 

And your penultimate paragraph was a dumb idea if you're trying to get SOA to cut you some slack on this issue. It changes your letter from one which simply requests assistance on a warranty issue into a threatening letter.

Have you thought about how the steering wheel makes getting in and out of the car different for the driver vs passenger?

Your seat wear is probably cause by something you wear or keep in your pants pocket. Chances are that if you sat in the passenger seat all the time instead of the driver seat, then the passenger seat would be the one with the wear. It's not at all clear that this wear is a result of a manufacturing defect, which is what your warranty is supposed to cover.

 

And your penultimate paragraph was a dumb idea if you're trying to get SOA to cut you some slack on this issue. It changes your letter from one which simply requests assistance on a warranty issue into a threatening letter.

I am not threatening in any way.

The wear is on the left bolstering, shoulder and but, not the right.

I only put things in my right pocket.

I also sit in the passenger seat when my wife drives. No wear there.

The wear is not uniform, like it would be if it was just from getting in and out, there are about 4 wear lines on each bolter, and on the outside of the bolster.

Also, all along the front of the seat is worn oddly.

 

Again, I have had leather seats before. When conditioned correctly, they will age, but not have odd wear marks. That is what this is showing.

 

Jon, you continue to amaze me.

 

Have you thought about how the steering wheel makes getting in and out of the car different for the driver vs passenger?

Yes, I have...

I would suggest getting the name of someone fairly high up in the organization so you can address the letter to them directly. Your chances are better that way.

 

FWIW, my cloth seats are wearing oddly too.... just the left bolster. I'm pretty sure it is from me getting in and out but would have expected better durability. I'm a pretty light guy and I've never seen bolster wear on any of my previous cars. Oh well, I didn't buy the car because of the interior quality.

I am having the same wear issue with the left a$$ cheek bolster on my driver's cloth seat (16,500 miles). It is looking so shabby (in comparison to the passenger seat) that I am thinking about buying new driver's seat upholstery for future use while it is still available. Since cloth was only used in '05, I worry about it becoming a discontinued part soon. BTW I only have a wallet in my right reat pocket (without a trucker chain), no rivets on my pants and weigh only 160 pounds. Cheap seat.

First off, I would call Subaru and start a case before writing any letters.

 

Second, stick to the complaint on hand, the seat wear. That is the only thing SOA can help you with...and even then if it is a (materials or manufacturing) defect, their only obligation is to correct the defect by installing a new seat cover. If the dealer is already doing that then they are fulfilling their obligations under the warranty.

 

As for the concerns with the dealership personel I would write a letter to the dealership General Manager and CC the Service Manager.

 

...and last...since the letter is posted here...SOA has already read it....

I am not threatening in any way.

Bull Sh..! Your description of your forum involvement was a not-very-well-disguised threat that you'd drag Subaru's name in and out of the mud on the forums where you're a moderator and a participant if the outcome didn't meet your expectations.

 

Oh gee, I guess it's already begun.

;1500886']Bull Sh..! Your description of your forum involvement was a not-very-well-disguised threat that you'd drag Subaru's name in and out of the mud on the forums where you're a moderator and a participant if the outcome didn't meet your expectations.

 

Oh gee, I guess it's already begun.

Actually, that was to hit home that I really love Subarus and would hate for something like this to sour my feelings about them, but again, thanks for playing

 

I posted this up to actually figure out if it was a well-written, concise letter for its purpose.

 

I am very unhappy with the treatment my wife and I have received from a few of the service personnel at the dealership, but that is not specifically a "Warranty" issue.

 

Anyway, the seat cover is on order, so we'll see

Try this I think you may get better results to your problem (change as you see fit). The red is where you may want to insert a better description. Just my thoughts of what a good letter might be. If anything, just be happy the dealership replaced it with a new seat cover. You could always try to sell the new cover and your seat if you find a cheap replacement. Also if you do end up sending this to SOA send it with pics if you can get some of both the old cover and the new one if it looks bad.

To whom it may concern,

I am in the process of pursuing a warranty issue with the driver's seat. The problem is that the driver's seat in my 2005 Legacy GT Limited Wagon started showing noticeable, but unusual wear patterns at the 10,000 mile point. It is just the left bolstering/shoulder that has an unusual wear but not the right bolstering. The wear is not uniform, like it would be if it was just from getting in and out, there are about four wear lines on each bolter, and on the outside of the bolster. It seems to me that the front of the seat has always worn oddly. While it only gets about 25% more use than the passenger seat. Hoping that my monthly leather care and conditioning would make it go away or minimize it, I had waited to bring it to the dealer. It has gotten worse, and now at 33,000 miles, there is no sign of wear on the passenger's seat, which has been, I treated exactly the same way. The car is currently at a dealership, where they are looking into this issue. They are currently replacing the seat cover.

My feelings are that if it is normal wear, as I have been told by the dealership, the passenger seat would have started to show similar wear. The replacement cover looks worse than the original due to poor installation. (Edit as you see fit) I would like to have the whole seat replaced with a new factory replacement seat. I know of five similar cases dealing with same or similar issues, and the resolution was replacing the original with a new factory seat. So it is my hope that this will be the end resolve for my problem.

This is the third Subaru that my family has owned, and plan on buying a new Tribeca in the next few months. I am loyal customer to the brand and a member of many different Subaru based forums, because I am such an enthusiast. I would much appreciate any response to this issue. Please feel free to contact me on my cell phone at xxx-xxx-xxxx as necessary.

Thankfully and respectfully yours,

Here is the e-mail I received back yesterday...

 

Dear Mr. xxxxxxx:

 

Thank you for taking the time to contact Subaru of America, Inc. I am

sorry for the circumstances that prompted you to contact us. I am in

the process of researching your concerns with Heuberger Subaru and will

be contacting as soon as I receive an update. Please feel free to

contact me at 1-800-782-2783 if you have any questions in the mean time.

We appreciate you being an enthusiastic Subaru owner and for bringing

your concerns to our attention.

 

Sincerely,

 

David Boyer

Subaru of America, Inc.

Customer/Dealer Services Department

When we bought our subaru the back seat had some real deep marks in the leather , almost like there was something sharp closed in between the seat,

the dealer looked at it and said they would take care of it , I asked if they would mind if I did it myself ,they said ok ! , (I do quite a bit of interior work installing heated seats ), had the hog rings and hog ring pliers , not hard to do, and you can't tell it not original , Craig.

Mine's wearing REALLY bad at 16k miles.

It also squeaks like a son of a B

 

My odds of getting a Brick red leather seat in Canada though? :S

 

Another weird thing is on the passenger side, along the seams on the top of the seat, on either side theres a really hard "ball" under the leather. Anyone know what THAT is? looks very unsightly.

I am taking my car in monday to have the heater under the seat looked at. I got them to replace the leather on the top section, but they wouldn't do the bottom section.

The hard ball under the leather is probably a folded piece of piping , if the covers have piping in that location ?, or the seat covers have metal rods that are used to attach the cover to the seat frame .