Should I ask Subaru to Extend my Warranty?

[Marukai]

Scenario:

I purchased a 2009 Impreza 2.5i in Oct of 2008 from the dealer that has processed all claims without a run around. I purchased the car because I wanted something other than a Honda or Toyota that's reliable. I also love the Boxer engine sound.

Problems:


15k Miles: throw out bearing failed on the manual transmission. Tranny had to be pulled out and inspected. New clutch assembly was installed and the tranny was flushed and filled with new gear oil.

12k Miles: The rotors became warped. Resurfaced under warranty.

28k Miles: Rotors once again warped and resurfaced under warranty.

30k Miles: Today I took the car in to have a diagnosis done on the power steering whine. The pump is being replaced under warranty.

I do like the car a lot and the dealership has handled all the problems professionally. I'm just not sure if I still have faith in the product. It's given me way too many problems. It will be interesting to see how this car holds up when at 60k.

I know that many people have had excellent experiences with Subaru in regard to reliability. Perhaps I got a lemon?

After today's incident I'm tempted to send off a better business bureau letter to see if they will extend my bumper to bumper warranty from 36k to 60k. Does this sound fair? My powertrain is 60k

Advice?

 

[VK56VD]

Good luck with that. I assume it's pretty difficult to get any warranty extended from the manufacture for free.

Let us know how it all goes down.

 

[Hermann]

If it were my car the second time the rotors warped, there would have been new rotors installed. JMO

 

[Marukai]

I've heard of many people getting their warranties extended to 100k miles on the WRX models because of engine failure. However, my situation is different. It's little things here and there that aren't necessarily cheap to repair. Power steering can run 400-$500 for pump and labor. The clutch I believe would be in the same price point. Having stuff like this go up on a car with only 30k miles is a bit much if you ask me.

 

[Marukai]

Originally Posted By: Hermann
If it were my car the second time the rotors warped, there would have been new rotors installed. JMO


I think I may eventually get some Outback rotors for my car since their the cheapest brake mod and the braking is so much better.

 

[bdcardinal]

Sounds like you have had a pretty reliable car to only have four problems in 30k miles. What would the BBB do? They are completely useless and have no power over any companies whatsoever.

 

[Marukai]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Sounds like you have had a pretty reliable car to only have four problems in 30k miles. What would the BBB do? They are completely useless and have no power over any companies whatsoever.


I have had great success with sending BBB letters. I sent one to my cell phone company because of bogus charges. I sent one off to Citi Bank to get my APR reduced. BBB is good because it gets the attention of the company faster, and they take you more seriously. I always send letters through bbb.org since there's no postage involved. I think BBB mails the letter for you or sends it electronically.

 

[Bluestream]

I wouldn't worry about these minor issues as long as they are fixing them for you. Better to get them out of the way now rather then when the warranty is done.

Ask for new rotors next time you are in. (ask nicely)

 

[super20dan]

here is my subaru horror story-3 -yes 3 blown head gaskets-2 radiators (exploded due to leaking head gaskets) and 2 new cylinder heads. was assured this would solve the head gasket issues. guess what -it didnt. traded the car as soon as the warrenty was up. run -dont walk. all this before 70k !

 

[sxg6]

I'm pretty shocked about your rotors. I have a MT '09 legacy and still have my stock rotors @ 55k. Anytime people have issues with warped rotors, I think they need to reassess the way they brake, especially with a manual transmission. I think you should definitely get new rotors the next time they start to shake on you. Some people believe there is no such thing as rotor warp, and the shuddering is caused by an uneven amount of pad material transferring to the rotors. Not sure what I believe, but just be very careful to properly brake in your rotors when you get new ones, or when you get them resurfaced. Other than that, it stinks to hear about the TOB and PS issues, but I don't think it's anything excessive.

http://www.stoptech.com/tech_info/wp_warped_brakedisk.shtml

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Sounds like you have had a pretty reliable car to only have four problems in 30k miles. What would the BBB do? They are completely useless and have no power over any companies whatsoever.

Not really.
We had zero problems in 30K (or 100K) with either out '97 Aerostar or the '99 Accord.
The Aero did need brakes at 72K, while the Accord needed them at 92K.
Our Subie has had zero problems to date, but I really hope that the head gasket problem was resolved before they built the engine in ours.

 

[rjundi]

I don't think four issues like that will have Subaru give you an extended warranty. You may want to ask for one at cost (I think
My 2004 WRX wagon 5 speed (w/75k) has been the most reliable vehicle I have ever owned including a new 95 Honda Civic and new 89 Toyota Pickup. No issues. I take that back one issue, a CV boot was torn at 72k miles but changed out for

 

[eljefino]

You may be able to BUY a factory extended warranty while still covered by the free one. Aftermarket ones are not worth the ink they're printed with. Sometimes you can buy the warranties thru online dealers and avoid the 300% markup.

Coworker blew the engine in his 97 legacy and I was in my favorite junkyard going thru the tire pile. Inquired about replacement engines and they sell them as fast as they get in, they say.

 

[M1Accord]

My 02 Accord V6 is still on the original rotors and pads. I could have still use the original battery but I figure it has been more than 8 years so I change it. I never fail to start on me but battery is a strange creature. My driving is mix, with many highway miles but also a decent amount of stop and go on weekend for short errands and going around town. My only complain is the horrible gas mileage. I get only 22-25 mpg combined even though I am using 0W20 M1. It may have something to do with my BF Goodrich tires though. The OEM tires were Michelin Energy, which is also on my Toyota and give it 35 mpg consistently. The BF Goodrich drive better in my opinion. It seems to have better grip and perform better in snow and rain but that's just butt dyno talking. It certainly looks better.

 

[Scott_Tucker]

The squeaky wheel gets the grease!

 

[Kiwi_ME]

I don't really see how those three independent areas of failure adds up to a "lemon," nor how they influence the reliability of the rest of the car. It's game of chance, the statistics of which you can research before buying the vehicle.

Luck being the way it is, if you buy an extended warranty you probably won't need it!

 

[another Todd]

Originally Posted By: bdcardinal
Sounds like you have had a pretty reliable car to only have four problems in 30k miles. What would the BBB do? They are completely useless and have no power over any companies whatsoever.


The BBB is worse then useless if you are a consumer. If you are a manufacturer, the BBB is very helpful. The BBB acts like a shill for the manufacturers, pretending to be fighting for the little guy, when in fact, they rarely do.

I don't think any car manufacturer will extend the bumper to bumper warrantee, but will sometimes extend your powertrain warrantee. But since you are not near the end of that yet, you may be a little premature to ask.

 

[Mr Nice]

BBB is a waste of time. Just trade the car in next time you have a major problem.