Dealer Service Damage Issues

My car has been to the dealer several times over its 3 year warranty period for various issues --> mainly clutch pedal and throw out fork squeak, and several dash rattles.

This last weekend I decided to replace the cabin air filter, so I started pulling the center console and dash apart. I found:

1) The gearshift boot threaded inside the gearshift knob - and a hole through the boot as a result.

2) A giant wood screw crammed in place of a "missing" pan head sheet metal screw.

3) The "missing" sheet metal screw bouncing around behind the climate control/stereo unit.

4) Two cracked dash brackets.

Apart from this sloppiness, the dealer has actually been fairly good to me. Suggestions on a course of action?

Blue

report findings to the dealer, call SOA and lodge a complaint and then stop using stealerships. Who cares if they are good to you? Only good to you so you'll keep bringing the car back.

find a good local subie shop to work on our car.

+1 - obviously you weren't a "preferred" customer, or else they would have used a carriage bolt....

local mechanics would probably charge fairer rates, and their business is predicated on a good name and happy customers plus, local independents ftw

Bring it up to the Subaru dealership first, chances are that they don't know that one of their tech's is being so sloppy. Just go in and speak to the Service Manager, be polite and to the point and see what they will do. If that doesn't resolve the issue then contact Subaru.

Not all dealers are "stealerships"

^^^^^ I haven't found one that isn't.

And the service manager or whoever prolly doesn't know that the tech is bein sloppy, but prolly doesn't care that he saved a few bucks at the same time.

I've had nuthin but trouble with my dealership, all the normal naggles and whatnot, but in my area, there's nowhere else to go.

Just tell the dealer what happened and ask for a free oil change or sumthin, since no real damage was done. Don't go in flying off the handle and sayin how they need to buy you a new car. You catch more flies with honey than vinegar.

Yeah, being a military family my wife, kids and I have had the pleasure of living all over this great country. However, I've also had the great displeasure of getting a bad sampling of our many Subaru dealerships. I could give you a short list of the few good ones, mainly back in my home town, but I could give you a very long, long, long list of the bad ones. That being said, I do a lot of my own service now.

As for my little dealership/service missteps I've had one do an oil change and only put about a quart and a half of oil back in, thus I do all my own oil changes now. I've had a seat slashed by whatever was in the back pocket of the boob that was servicing my car, and that was when my car was in because the radio was acting goofy. Not much I could do about that without going to the dealership. Most recently I had a brand new set of 08 STI 5 spoke wheels that I had just put on the car, they were spotless and in brand new condition, get scratched up on the passenger side. After getting my car back and doing my usual walk around I noticed the wheels. When I went back in and pointed it out to the service manager he stated that it was "impossible" for his guy to had done that kind of damage. Well, it wasn't like that when I handed the keys over. Needless to say they were fixed, but they didn't look that great... they clearly hired the cheapest guy they could find to "fix" them.

Anymore, unless it is for warranty work, I just do it myself. Oh, and if anyone wants that list of dealerships/service departments to stay clear of just PM me!

I've worked at two of them. The stories I could tell....

But, to be honest, they, like everyone else, are trying to make a dollar by any means possible. Some do it through honest means, others do stuff like this and be as nice as possible doing it. The honest ones are hard to find.

This shouldn't be kept quiet, they need to know one of their staff messed up and telling them yields the chance to fix it and have it not happen to someone else. Bring it up, and the worst that can happen is they blow you off. Then, you can take further action (SOA, BBB, Angie's list, etc.), but you'll have to tell them first. Only way to be fair.