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Old 12-13-2004, 09:06 PM   #1
Susie's Suby
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Default Suburban Subaru in Pittsburgh, PA

I don't like the idea of hurting someone's business, so I thought long & hard about this before deciding to post...

We've had some problems with the service department at Suburban Subaru in Pittsburgh, PA. We bought our 2.5 RS new in 2001 there--no problems at all with the sales dept.

However, the service dept has messed up more than once...1st, they took several tries to fix a leaky window gasket (this was back when the car was a few months old). But they eventually got it, and we figured it was no big deal.

But then we had a problem with our brake pedal after they changed the break fluid in a routine maintenance visit; it seemed like they hadn't done a good job bleeding the brake line. We took it to a friend who is an auto mechanic and he was able to do it properly. He explained that it's a difficult system to bleed properly and, again, we decided that, while we'd go somewhere else for our maintenance (cheaper, anyway--I don't remember why we opted to have the dealer do it that one time!) and only go to Suburban's service dept for the big things...like the TIMING BELT.

I posted a thread on service & maintenance describing our timing belt woes in detail; suffice it to say that someone screwed up royally. They replaced the timing belt and tensioner. The engine died when the tensioner malfunctioned, leaving me stranded up on I-79 in the middle of nowhere in cold weather with a baby and a cello in the car.

Now, to be fair, they have done right by us since this happened. They gave us a tow and a loaner car. It took 3 weeks for them to fix the engine, but Thanksgiving was in the middle of those 3 weeks.

The thing is, because of their mistake, I'll never feel fully confident of the RS again, which sucks because I do a lot of winter driving to far away places for gigs. The only way I'd feel okay about it again would be if they put in a new engine, and since the car has nearly 100,000 miles on it (hence the need to replace the timing belt), I can't really blame them for not putting a new one in...I just wish they hadn't screwed up in the 1st place.

Granted, anyone can install a defective part (if that's what it truly was), but I think that, combined with the other problems we've had, this illustrates a certain carelessness on the part of the service department at Suburban Subaru in Pittsburgh, PA.

Susie
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Old 12-13-2004, 11:23 PM   #2
RexyGirl
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A broken timing belt and tensioner is really no reason to replace an engine. (Unless there was other problems with the engine.) If the car has 100K on it, and you travel alot, you need to expect SOME things to go from now and then. Yes, it may leave you stranded, it may not. It looks like the dealer admitted something was wrong and made good by it. I am sure if something else comes up they will do the same.

If you travel alot, it might be time to look at another vehicle with lower miles or new. Even a brand new car can break down and leave you stranded. (That's why they have Roadside Assistance, it can, and does happen)

Look at it this way. Instead of paying money to maintain it every month, take that money and put it toward a car payment. You will have a better piece of mind. Even if those things did not happen and you drove your car every day with no problems, there is no way of telling when something could go wrong.

If you decide to keep your car, you might want to invest in Triple A---this way you have more piece of mind, no matter where you are.
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Old 12-14-2004, 06:42 PM   #3
Susie's Suby
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Thanks, I do have AAA.

As I said, I gave serious consideration as to whether or not to post this description of my experience with this particular dealer. When I asked the folks on the maintenance forum (where I posted about the timing belt debacle), they seemed to think it was a good idea.

What I'd really like is to have my car back as it was before the engine was damaged by this faulty repair, so I could find someone else to do it right. Not gonna happen, I know! ( Unless I can find a way to defeat the time/space continuum, of course!)
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Old 12-15-2004, 02:46 PM   #4
96GreenLX
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Wow maybe I'm lucky I was able to find an Impreza in Butler. Do they have a lot of the Ls there? Oh yeah is it still flooded in Pittsburgh too? I haven't been home for 4 months so I missed the flooding.
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Old 12-20-2004, 06:34 PM   #5
Susie's Suby
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Quote:
Wow maybe I'm lucky I was able to find an Impreza in Butler. Do they have a lot of the Ls there?
Well, we were okay w/ the sales dept, altho it's been since Jan '01 so I don't know what they're like now.
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Old 12-20-2004, 09:59 PM   #6
DILLIGAF Racing
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I bought my car there, and I had a problem with their service also. My WRX was missing a bracket for the throttle cable, and I didn't realize that till after shredding the cable. Anyways, I took it up there to have them fix, and I get a call a couple of days later they call me to come pick it up. They didn't even make it out of the garage before the cable was messed up again, so I open the hood and to my suprise......wait for it......they used Zip Ties. My dad was REALLY suprised I didn't flip out on them, but I calmly told them that it was HIGHLY unacceptable, and it was to be fixed right. Took a few tries, but they got it right. Won't take it back for service there again.
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Old 12-21-2004, 08:34 PM   #7
Susie's Suby
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Blew-ridge Pearl

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Yeah. They also managed to mess up my friend's WRX *oil change*! Ooopsie...forgot to put the crush-washer in. Doh.
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Old 01-05-2005, 09:05 AM   #8
isis
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Angry

I have no problem hurting them. They suck.

I bought my 02 WRX in the spring from them. I asked them why the front wheels were loud around a hard corner, they said it was either the AWD or the tires. They also said it would be inspected before I picked it up.

Wellllll.....9 months and only 5 or 6 thousand miles later, the noise it exactly the same, and the car fails inspection. So I take it to the dealer and they say it's not covered by the warranty and the front wheel bearings are indeed bad. It's going to cost me over 600 dollars and they'd have to keep my car for 2 days. I reminded them that the car was inspected, by them, with the exact same noise right before I bought it and suggested that they pay for it. The guy, with a big ****-eating grin tells me I should have had another mechanic check it out, he doesnt' remember it, so he can't cover it.

So I took it back to my mechanic, who fixed it for about $100 less and aligned the car for free. So I was naturally hesitant to take it back when 1K miles later, the car drops second gear. I called and they said they'd have to "take a look" to see if the warranty could cover the repairs. So after pricing out RA gearsets and transmission shops, I called another dealer, to give them the same question and ask about the RA set, they said "Bring it in, you have powertrain warranty and it'll be fixed no problem!" I'll never go back to the crooks at Suburban again, I hope the place burns.

Langston in Monroeville is where the car is now, I'll review them after I get my car back, but so far, so good.
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Old 01-05-2005, 02:02 PM   #9
RexyGirl
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Quote:
Originally Posted by isis
I have no problem hurting them. They suck.

I bought my 02 WRX in the spring from them. I asked them why the front wheels were loud around a hard corner, they said it was either the AWD or the tires. They also said it would be inspected before I picked it up.

Wellllll.....9 months and only 5 or 6 thousand miles later, the noise it exactly the same, and the car fails inspection. So I take it to the dealer and they say it's not covered by the warranty and the front wheel bearings are indeed bad. It's going to cost me over 600 dollars and they'd have to keep my car for 2 days. I reminded them that the car was inspected, by them, with the exact same noise right before I bought it and suggested that they pay for it. The guy, with a big ****-eating grin tells me I should have had another mechanic check it out, he doesnt' remember it, so he can't cover it.

So I took it back to my mechanic, who fixed it for about $100 less and aligned the car for free. So I was naturally hesitant to take it back when 1K miles later, the car drops second gear. I called and they said they'd have to "take a look" to see if the warranty could cover the repairs. So after pricing out RA gearsets and transmission shops, I called another dealer, to give them the same question and ask about the RA set, they said "Bring it in, you have powertrain warranty and it'll be fixed no problem!" I'll never go back to the crooks at Suburban again, I hope the place burns.

Langston in Monroeville is where the car is now, I'll review them after I get my car back, but so far, so good.

If they were willing to take a look at your 2nd gear problem to determine if it was warranty or not, you must be under 5 years 60,000 miles., In that case, if they knew their a** froma hole in the ground they would know that wheel bearings are also covered 5/60!!!!! Contact Subaru and see if you can get your money back for what you paid for!!!
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Old 01-05-2005, 02:12 PM   #10
isis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rexygirl
If they were willing to take a look at your 2nd gear problem to determine if it was warranty or not, you must be under 5 years 60,000 miles., In that case, if they knew their a** froma hole in the ground they would know that wheel bearings are also covered 5/60!!!!! Contact Subaru and see if you can get your money back for what you paid for!!!
According to SOA's website, the wheel bearings were added to the list of 5yr/60K warranty for the 2005s, the 02-04 models are missing that item from their list. I'm over that, but come on, it takes about $800 to tear down the tranny and look inside, and since the bastards don't like the paperwork or something, they just would stick me with the bill. F-em. . . I hate driving up there anyway, (I live in squirrel hill) it's murder unless you go between 10am-4pm or after 8pm. North hills are probably a decent place to live, but driving through all that sprawl to visit really sucks.

I doubt SOA would give me my $$ back for the wheel bearings since I refused service and went to a competant mechanic to have the work done. (even though it cost less)
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Old 01-05-2005, 05:12 PM   #11
RexyGirl
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Quote:
Originally Posted by isis
According to SOA's website, the wheel bearings were added to the list of 5yr/60K warranty for the 2005s, the 02-04 models are missing that item from their list. I'm over that, but come on, it takes about $800 to tear down the tranny and look inside, and since the bastards don't like the paperwork or something, they just would stick me with the bill. F-em. . . I hate driving up there anyway, (I live in squirrel hill) it's murder unless you go between 10am-4pm or after 8pm. North hills are probably a decent place to live, but driving through all that sprawl to visit really sucks.

I doubt SOA would give me my $$ back for the wheel bearings since I refused service and went to a competant mechanic to have the work done. (even though it cost less)

Look on page 7 of your warranty and maintenance booklet. On the bottom under transaxle and differential it specifically states wheel bearings. ( I have the same book as you)

If you call Subaru they will probably reimburse you (especially since it will cost them less) tell them that you didn't know it was covered under warranty or the dealer refused to fix it for you under warranty and you went somewhere else

**The subaru website usually does not list every item covered under warranty. Usually it is general information (I haven't checked it out yet
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Old 01-05-2005, 05:29 PM   #12
isis
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rexygirl
Look on page 7 of your warranty and maintenance booklet. On the bottom under transaxle and differential it specifically states wheel bearings. ( I have the same book as you)

If you call Subaru they will probably reimburse you (especially since it will cost them less) tell them that you didn't know it was covered under warranty or the dealer refused to fix it for you under warranty and you went somewhere else

**The subaru website usually does not list every item covered under warranty. Usually it is general information (I haven't checked it out yet
I'll try that, thanks! Man i'm gonna be uber-pissed at suburban if SOA pays for this. People have suggested firebombs. . .
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Old 01-06-2005, 11:19 AM   #13
RexyGirl
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As long as you are/were under 5/60, and the car was not in an accident, you should be fine. Tell them the reason you went elsewhere is because the dealer would not look at it for you and claimed there was nothing wrong. Let us know how it works out!

(Firebombs might work, but then the Subarus on the lot would be destroyed too, and it's not their fault!)
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Old 03-14-2005, 10:09 AM   #14
Susie's Suby
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Default Suburban of Pgh *still* sucks...

The saga continues...

My subie is broken down, had to leave it in Wheeling, WVA. I am so pissed I can barely type this.

A few days ago, I had trouble starting the car. The battery was 4 years/100,000+ old so we replaced it. At my gig on Friday in Wheeling, I once again couldn't start it. AAA towed it to a repair place down there & got a ride back to Pittsburgh.

So guess what the problem was??? The cam sensor was never bolted on tightly enough after they "fixed" the engine, after the new "faulty" timing belt tensioner they'd installed last November broke and put the car out of commission in the middle of nowhere. The cam sensor eventually worked its way loose and stranded me again. If I hadn't gotten a ride to the concert hall, I would have been out of a gig.

The repairs at the so-called "service" department at Suburban Subaru in Pittsburgh are like time bombs. I don't know what's going to go wrong next in what has been an extremely reliable car up until now.

I'm definitely calling SOA about this dealer's service dept. If anyone else has had problems not already mentioned in this thread, please reply. I'm extremely frustrated by this chain of events.
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Old 03-14-2005, 03:02 PM   #15
brandon_bxtr
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I work at Langston Subaru in Monroeville, PA. Our service department is the best I have ever witnessed. We have won numerous accolades for customer service excellence. It is also the largest Subaru service department in western PA. You should stop in. Best of Luck.
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Old 03-14-2005, 04:26 PM   #16
DILLIGAF Racing
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off topic, but what kind of music do you do?
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Old 03-14-2005, 06:13 PM   #17
Susie's Suby
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DILLIGAF Racing
off topic, but what kind of music do you do?
Whatever music I'm paid to do (Mostly classical--I play the cello.)

Update: My husband called Suburban & they towed it up to, er, fix it some more. Not thrilled about this, but technically they're the only ones who are obligated to fix it. Maybe they'll get it right this time?

brandon_bxtr: Thanks; Even though we now live in New Castle, which is pretty far away, I'd absolutely love to go to Langston but as I said above Suburban has it now b/c they should fix their own mistakes. God, I hope they don't muck it up any further. It's been such a great car!
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Old 09-15-2009, 01:47 PM   #18
WRBlueGDB-F
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I know this is an old thread, and Baierl has taken over this dealership, but they still have all the same douche bags walking around.

I stopped a couple weeks ago for an axle nut. The guy at the parts counter didn't know what I was talking about. I had to look up the part # for him on my phone, and fortunately it was out of stock. I could never bring myself to spend a cent at this dealership.

What a joke this place is. I'd suggest to avoid it at all costs.
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Old 03-04-2013, 09:32 PM   #19
Nortybignort
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So i take my car up to Baierl Subaru today for a recall on my 2012 Sti. Sitting in the waiting area and theres a tv on and real loud. I have Nameless axle back and hear my car go flying up the road behind the garage. So i go out and tell the service writer and they basically ignore me. So i leave and get in my car and look down at my console where i put change and all the silver is gone. Only thing left is pennies. I guess i should have removed it. So i go in and get the service writer and he comes out and I show him nothing but pennies and he doesnt know what to say. I took everything else out of my car except that. So basically they beat my car and stole my money out of my car. I called Subaru of America and filed a complaint. Needless to say I wont be going back. Sorry for ranting but want to give other people a heads up. Does anybody have any experience with Day Apollo?
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Old 07-28-2020, 04:25 PM   #20
pleiades276
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Angry Don't Go To Baierl Subaru in Pittsburgh

7/28/2020 - Go somewhere else


I took my Outback in for a recall that was related to the front exhaust pipe that may make noise per a Subaru bulletin, and I reported hearing a noise coming from under the front of the vehicle. Ryan gave me a loaner and were very pleasant as usual. They couldn't get to my vehicle that day, so they asked me to keep the loaner overnight. Later the next day Ryan called saying my vehicle was done, but the noise was not related to the recall and it would be $300 to fix. I explained that was not in my current budget (Covid) and he said OK, then its $65 because we looked at it. I said well I just wanted the recall work done and wasn't told there would be charges for this visit. There was a long 10 second silence on the phone, then I asked if he could waive the fee because I was not aware of fees during recall work, and eventually he agreed to it. When I picked up the vehicle someone else checked me out and reminded me that they were doing me a favor by not charging me this $65 fee. I peacefully took the car with reluctant head nods and went home.


The service director Josh emailed me, so I emailed him back explaining the experience and today he got back to me by phone. He patronized me and ignored the part of the Subaru bulletin about the noise, and said they were in the right to attempt to charge me for the noise. But I said Ryan did not tell me about any charges at the time of drop off, and Josh said he should have told me. Ryan did not remember if he did or did not tell me about any charges, and Josh still insisted that Subaru was in the right to attempt to charge me for this work. The conversation did not end well. I would recommend taking your Subaru somewhere else, I have been there multiple times with my and friend's vehicles, but now we are at the point where the customer service rep can't even get the job right after the fact.


I've owned a few Subarus in my day, and had service done at Bowser, State College, and a lot here recently. Maybe its Covid, maybe they just squeeze people for money now if you don't want to pony up to their price the instant they call.
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