Subaru coverage - faulty hood scoop on STi
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Subaru coverage - faulty hood scoop on STi
I'm a newbie here, looking for some advice. 2004 STi, at 57K miles my hood scoop "left the building" at 65mph. No warning, just flew off. I just found out that I need a new hood as well as a scoop, as the ripping off of said scoop bent and separated the attaching hood sheet metal beyond repair.
This is an un-modded car. I drive a lot of highway miles, but this car has never been abused. I even bought the Subaru 100,000 mile extended warranty.
Subaru, via their regional rep, has refused to cover the damage.
Has anyone else heard of this happening? Any suggestions on convincing SOA to stand behind their product?
BTW, in the year and a half I've had this car:
- Check engine light started coming on at ~40,000 miles. Faulty catalytic convertor, took over a month to get the parts.
- Cruise control stops working when CEL activated. Driving this car without cruise is challenging to control speed!
- Rear suspension began to rattle and felt loose at ~45,000 miles. The dealership has replaced many faulty parts, including bushings and struts.
- Door speaker blown, buzzes and rattles even at low volume (it’s the “premium” upgraded system - I know, should have gone aftermarket anyway)
- Speedometer is off ~10%. Subaru dealer claims this is “within tolerance”.
- Other minor annoyances, such as a sticky/inoperative cupholder, dash and door rattles
It will be for sale - cheap - when I get it back.
Thanks for any feedback.
This is an un-modded car. I drive a lot of highway miles, but this car has never been abused. I even bought the Subaru 100,000 mile extended warranty.
Subaru, via their regional rep, has refused to cover the damage.
Has anyone else heard of this happening? Any suggestions on convincing SOA to stand behind their product?
BTW, in the year and a half I've had this car:
- Check engine light started coming on at ~40,000 miles. Faulty catalytic convertor, took over a month to get the parts.
- Cruise control stops working when CEL activated. Driving this car without cruise is challenging to control speed!
- Rear suspension began to rattle and felt loose at ~45,000 miles. The dealership has replaced many faulty parts, including bushings and struts.
- Door speaker blown, buzzes and rattles even at low volume (it’s the “premium” upgraded system - I know, should have gone aftermarket anyway)
- Speedometer is off ~10%. Subaru dealer claims this is “within tolerance”.
- Other minor annoyances, such as a sticky/inoperative cupholder, dash and door rattles
It will be for sale - cheap - when I get it back.
Thanks for any feedback.
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Car Info: 02 Impreza WRX sedan
If SOA determined that the hood latch was not secured to the primary (second 'click' down) position, they will cite owner responsibility. A hood secured only to the first latching position will allow air pressure at speed to build up beneath the hood and if sufficient it can rip the hood off the car. If the hood latch and striker assembly were fully functional, that may be why they came to their conclusion.
Or, they just might have taken that position to avoid their responsibility. See the owner's booklets to find out what recourse you have after the regional rep has made a decision. If that's the final word, then small claims court might be your option.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
Or, they just might have taken that position to avoid their responsibility. See the owner's booklets to find out what recourse you have after the regional rep has made a decision. If that's the final word, then small claims court might be your option.
--
0==WW==0
"…axles of evil…" - george w. bush
Guest
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Thanks for the replies so far. No reason was given for denying coverage. The dealer will not allow me to talk to the SOA rep directly, which makes this even worse. Their translation is that he won't cover it because he thinks I might have caused it ... but there's no other reason given, and I've made no mods to the car. He also commented about the "high mileage". At <60K we should expect body parts to fall off?
Neither he nor I have any reason to believe the hood was not properly latched. If that's what he suspects, it hasn't been communicated to me.
Neither he nor I have any reason to believe the hood was not properly latched. If that's what he suspects, it hasn't been communicated to me.
Last edited by Reade23; Jun 29, 2005 at 10:45 AM.
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I live near Ft. Worth Texas ... bought it in Houston when the dealer nearest me (Arlington) tried to convince me that $1500 OVER sticker was a good deal. They've since gone out of business. Houston dealer gave me a good price, $3000 less.
The dealer that has it now is Huffines in Lewisville (Dallas), the nearest dealer to me - 60+ miles away. But I don't think the dealer's the problem here, at least on this issue. I've had problems with them in other areas (general lack of responsiveness), but this decision is coming from SOA.
The dealer that has it now is Huffines in Lewisville (Dallas), the nearest dealer to me - 60+ miles away. But I don't think the dealer's the problem here, at least on this issue. I've had problems with them in other areas (general lack of responsiveness), but this decision is coming from SOA.
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Car Info: A limousine with a chauffer
You should certainly be allowed to see/speak with the SOA rep directly. I would contact Subaru Customer Service and raise hell:
Customer Service: 1-800-SUBARU3
Eastern Hours: 8:30 - 5:00 Monday-Thursday, 10:30 - 5:00 Friday
Central Hours: 8:30 - 5:00 Monday-Thursday, 9:30 - 4:00 Friday
Mountain Hours: 7:30 - 4:00 Monday-Thursday, 8:30 - 3:00 Friday
Pacific Hours: 7:30 - 4:00 Monday-Thursday, 7:30 - 2:00 Friday
I've contacted them before when a dealer mistreated me and Subaru handled the problem pretty well
Customer Service: 1-800-SUBARU3
Eastern Hours: 8:30 - 5:00 Monday-Thursday, 10:30 - 5:00 Friday
Central Hours: 8:30 - 5:00 Monday-Thursday, 9:30 - 4:00 Friday
Mountain Hours: 7:30 - 4:00 Monday-Thursday, 8:30 - 3:00 Friday
Pacific Hours: 7:30 - 4:00 Monday-Thursday, 7:30 - 2:00 Friday
I've contacted them before when a dealer mistreated me and Subaru handled the problem pretty well
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The worst part about this, IMO, is that it sounds like the guy got a bum car and now he's getting crappy service. He'll probably never buy a Subaru again.
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Car Info: 05 WRX Wagon (Crystal Gray)
Originally Posted by Reade23
The dealer will not allow me to talk to the SOA rep directly, which makes this even worse.
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Car Info: 95 Impreza Wagon... 1.8 Litres of fury!
Keep harping on them. Every time I go above 60 in a WRX or STI, my eyes are locked onto that scoop. It just looks like it's not attached right. It flaps around, up and down, just waiting for that one particular pocket of air to come and ****** it up.
Or you could just put a WRX hood on. The STI scoop is goofy anyway.
If they continue refusing to help you, maybe you can demonstrate the functionality of the DCCD on SOA Corporate office's front lawn
Or you could just put a WRX hood on. The STI scoop is goofy anyway.
If they continue refusing to help you, maybe you can demonstrate the functionality of the DCCD on SOA Corporate office's front lawn
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Originally Posted by Impretzle
If they continue refusing to help you, maybe you can demonstrate the functionality of the DCCD on SOA Corporate office's front lawn
I'd pay for your gas to do it!
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Reply first to Impretzle: I agree, that thing is goofy and looks like it's going to fly off with every gust of wind. Who knows, I maybe be the first of many having this problem, given that I have the dubious honor of having already put 60K on mine, much of it at 80mph. Combine that with typical Texas winds and it's being tugged on by some 100+mph gusts every day.
Putting the smaller WRX scoop on it is not an option - there's a sub-frame underneath the thing that channels the air, and I presume provides some structural support, and it's as high as the scoop itself.
Well, I met face to face with the Subaru rep yesterday, and what an a-hole. He basically said "it's outa warranty - so it's your problem, not mine". When I suggested I have to take him to court to have SOA back up this "safety issue" (I tried that angle, too) he sneered and said I don't have a leg to stand on - it's out of warranty and that's that.
I came real close to spitting on him, and I'm a pretty mild mannered guy.
SOA's phone rep has promised me a phone call from some "review board" within 48 hours, but also said that the district rep has discretion and they rely on them to make the call. I'm not optimistic.
Whoever said this will be my last Subie was right. And if I can encourage anyone who will listen to stay away, even better. (No offense to anyone on this board - I have had some fun owning this thing.) I've had vehicles from all the "American" brands and beat the hell out of them, had problems here and there and always been dealt with fairly. IMO, the GM Protection Plan was the best ever - got a new tranny, had my front end rebuilt twice, and numerous other repairs done within the 100K extended warranty on my '96 Impala SS - which, BTW, I sold with 215,000 miles on while it was still running like a top, not a drop of oil consumption or anything!
So, next week I get a new hood and scoop put on ... and it goes in the paper. Anybody interested? It's very well maintained, but it has 60K miles and a new hood. $19,500 takes it.
Putting the smaller WRX scoop on it is not an option - there's a sub-frame underneath the thing that channels the air, and I presume provides some structural support, and it's as high as the scoop itself.
Well, I met face to face with the Subaru rep yesterday, and what an a-hole. He basically said "it's outa warranty - so it's your problem, not mine". When I suggested I have to take him to court to have SOA back up this "safety issue" (I tried that angle, too) he sneered and said I don't have a leg to stand on - it's out of warranty and that's that.
I came real close to spitting on him, and I'm a pretty mild mannered guy.
SOA's phone rep has promised me a phone call from some "review board" within 48 hours, but also said that the district rep has discretion and they rely on them to make the call. I'm not optimistic.
Whoever said this will be my last Subie was right. And if I can encourage anyone who will listen to stay away, even better. (No offense to anyone on this board - I have had some fun owning this thing.) I've had vehicles from all the "American" brands and beat the hell out of them, had problems here and there and always been dealt with fairly. IMO, the GM Protection Plan was the best ever - got a new tranny, had my front end rebuilt twice, and numerous other repairs done within the 100K extended warranty on my '96 Impala SS - which, BTW, I sold with 215,000 miles on while it was still running like a top, not a drop of oil consumption or anything!
So, next week I get a new hood and scoop put on ... and it goes in the paper. Anybody interested? It's very well maintained, but it has 60K miles and a new hood. $19,500 takes it.
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From: Phoenix, AZ
Car Info: Subaru Impreza WRX 2002
So, let me get this straight... you're going to sell a car which has been a fun, reliable car for 60k miles because some dealer was a jerk to you, and because you made a claim on something which is indeed out of warranty and which was clearly a freak accident of some kind? And not just that, you're going to dismiss the entire BRAND of cars as a waste of money over this incident?
Wow, I'd hate to see how you'd react if someone rejected your credit application or refused to put onions on your hamburger. Clearly a bank boycott and a McDonald's sit-in protest are in your future.
Wow, I'd hate to see how you'd react if someone rejected your credit application or refused to put onions on your hamburger. Clearly a bank boycott and a McDonald's sit-in protest are in your future.