Subaru Calgary NON-Warranty Work...thanks!

[2K255HP]

I'd like to see if I can get more information on how I should proceed. I have some ideas already but wanted to get more info before I head down those routes.

Basically I have having an issue where the car would go into safe mode, due to the engine pulling timing (information subaru told me due to "an oversensitive knock sensor") The issue would go away if I reset the ECU, but come back after a bit of driving, limiting boost to wastegate pressure in all modes.

Subaru Calgary, the dealership I brought the car to is claiming it was how i hooked the boost gauge into the fuse box that caused the problem. That I was placing a greater amp draw allowed than the original, returning can communication failures related to the vdc and yaw sensor which would put my car into safe mode. Fuse boxes should prevent any extra draw by blowing out the fuse no?

They did inform me the car was pulling timing, and they replaced the knock sensor but the car would still go into safe mode. How am I to tell that it wasn't the knock sensor that fixed the issue, then they went about blaming my boost gauge for the issue so it wouldn't be warranty work?

[RickDaTuner]

Where do you have your boost gauge tied into electrically?
The CAN network does not depend on amperage, your Tech is one clueless dick head for stating that.

Post as much information as you can, KMs, mods, service history.

By the sounds of it, the problem is beyond them and they are just trying to get it off their backs

[MintRacer]

easiest thing to do would be to remove the boost guage and return everything back to factory, if problem still exists they can't blame something that is not there.

[Xtrema]

Originally posted by MintRacer
easiest thing to do would be to remove the boost guage and return everything back to factory, if problem still exists they can't blame something that is not there.

Then they'll blame that it WAS there and damage is done.

[2K255HP]

Originally posted by MintRacer
easiest thing to do would be to remove the boost guage and return everything back to factory, if problem still exists they can't blame something that is not there.

The thing is, they replaced my knock sensor and the issue seems fixed. I claimed to them that if I placed the boost gauge back in and the problem still doesn't return, then you can't blame the boost gauge.

Don't they have to prove it was that part that caused the issue? For all i know I have a new knock sensor, which might have fixed the issue, then they decide to take out my boost gauge and blame it on that.

[2K255HP]

There was over $2000 in charges for this, that is why i'm ticked about it. If it is the boost gauge, so be it, but I highly doubt it. I'm not dumb...seriously these people!

I've posted this on iwsti, westernsubaruclub and also here...i've also sent an e-mail to complain to subaru canada and also intend to speak to the regional manager about this.

[Sharpie]

Do not mod your car if you still have warranty. They can deny you for anything since you installed aftermarket parts.:closed:

[RY213]

Fucking Subaru, this is why ill never buy another Subaru...

[Canadian 2.5RS]

Originally posted by Sharpie
Do not mod your car if you still have warranty. They can deny you for anything since you installed aftermarket parts.:closed:

Not true. Quit spreading this misinformation! This has been beaten to death of every forum including this one.


Fucking Subaru, this is why ill never buy another Subaru...[/B]

If the above is the reason you wont buy another Subaru then I will thank you on behalf of the Subaru community since we already have enough retards that buy into the shit they read on the internet. Seriously, WTF? Has this happened to you?

Blame the stealership and their shitty tech not the manufacturer.

[2K255HP]

Well they need to PROVE that it was my aftermarket part that caused it right?

Are there lawyers I could talk to about this stuff? I'd like as much information as I can get before I proceed on my own.

[RY213]

Originally posted by Canadian 2.5RS


Not true. Quit spreading this misinformation! This has been beaten to death of every forum including this one.



If the above is the reason you wont buy another Subaru then I will thank you on behalf of the Subaru community since we already have enough retards that buy into the shit they read on the internet. Seriously, WTF? Has this happened to you?

Blame the stealership and their shitty tech not the manufacturer.
Ive personally been told by the dealership not to mod my car until the warranty is up. The truth is they cant deny you warranty on say a headlight if you install an exhaust, since the 2 things are not related. My problem with them is they will look for the tiniest thread to link something that should be covered under warranty with a mod you have done in order to deny your warranty.
If you buy an EVO, the dealer will mod the car for you at the dealership and not void your warranty. I will not buy a car based on our shitty local dealerships and their shady practices. Yes, Subarus are great cars, but their local representation is shitty at best and I refuse to support them. These cars have a reputation as a rally car for the streets and are promoted as such by Subaru in their marketing. Yet if you mod it, they wont back up their own cars.
The local dealerships will look for any reason to refuse to fix something under warranty. I have a friend with an 07 WRX who clutch went after 35000km. They blamed it on wear and tear and charged him around $2000 to repair. There was no damn way it was wear and tear, this should have been a straight up warranty issue. One of the techs at the same dealer stole his sunglasses out of the car during a service. After repeated calls to speak to a manager, nobody even had the decency to hear him out or return his call. Thats a whole other issue though...

[wes_v]

I heard it was your fault because you piggy backed a fuse??

[2K255HP]

If piggy backing a fuse was pulling to much amp, the fuse would just break and not allow the connection. isn't that the whole purpose of a fuse box? Aren't that what fuses are for?

Some fictional comment about the CAN system pulling too much amp?

I could accept it if i plugged everything back in and it did have the symptoms it exhibited before I brought it in, but if I plug everything back in and it still works....how could they possible blame the part :dunno

Anyways, some good ground is being made with Subaru Canada...I didn't buy a brand new car to deal with this stuff...tons of other people have installed the boost gauge in the exact same way and no one has an issue.

Subaru Calgary still needs to prove to me the replaced knock sensor didn't fix it. I still don't know why the old one wasn't put back in if the new one they replaced/ordered didn't fix my issue. Dealerships are usually too cheap to leave a brand new part in there if the old one was okay.

[2Valve0]

I'd :banghead: if a dumb ass tech told me that.

[alloroc]

Unfortunately Subaru has a case. Fuses are there to protect the wires and not the equipment the wires are connected to.

What you need to do is first ask Subaru what the max current that can be passed through the knock sensor actually is, and then measure the current draw of both setups.

[2K255HP]

and if they are the same? then how i plugged into the fuse has no bearing on the knock sensor going correct?

I still have a feeling the old knock sensor was faulty if the engine was pulling timing. It still makes no sense why they didn't put the old one back in.

They told me they sent logs to Toronto, and they saw that, so the suggested replacing the knock sensor. If they can show me that how i tapped in can directly influence how the knock sensor works, they have a case. It doesn't clear the fact that the engine was pulling timing at one point, it went from the engine pulling timing to the CAN system being faulty from the extra amp being pulled from the fuse box. If it was pulling too much, it would just blow the fuse? If they can show me a direct relationship between that and the CAN system then they have a case.

If it wasn't for my boost gauge I might not of known there was an issue the first place.

I've always heard good things about Subaru Calgary...guess its just sales and not their service. Because the more and more I read up on their service....boy does it blow...

[Sharpie]

Originally posted by Canadian 2.5RS


Not true. Quit spreading this misinformation! This has been beaten to death of every forum including this one.




Okay bud, so why isnt the dealership fixing his car under warranty?

[RickDaTuner]

Originally posted by Sharpie

Okay bud, so why isnt the dealership fixing his car under warranty?

When it comes to warranty work, a dealership can say they will warranty anything and in the past they have.
But when it comes to sending the paperwork through to Subaru of Canada its not their call, and if they are denied, then the dealer eats the cost.

Lately with the tough market, and lack of sales, all dealerships have been bitting down on needless warranty work.
This coupled with the fact that most manufacturers will pay a fraction of retail time to warranty work makes the technician very hesitant to call anything for warranty, as they would rather be paid retail hours than dealer warranty time.


To further your case. The Knock sensor is on its own circuit far apart from anything having to do with the fuse box. Any type of short circuit or or malfunction by the Knock sensor will come up in a specific OBOII code.

This is a voltage producing sensor.
Your tech has his story far off trying to pass a boost gauges wiring as the culprit. My guess is that he is trying to claim that some sort of wire to wire inductance is causing the sensor to read off.
This would be true if the wire to your boost gauge was drawing more than 3 amps and constantly turing on and off, creating a collapsing magnetic field with every power cycle.
But since all knock sensors wires have a ground wire and are shielded, this type of voltage inductance occurring is next to impossible. failing short of this wire being placed next to a starter drawing more than 70 amps this cannot happen.

It's the same story with the Can Network, This system works on a digital signal that can range from 1v to 5v depending on the speed and manufacture. Again this network has a dummy wire and is also shielded to prevent any form of current inductance from other wires. even if there was a major disturbance to the network, the signal would just be routed through another module, since they are all daisy linked to each other. again the end result for this type of failure would be a OBII code specific to the location of the loss of communication.

To claim that boost gauge is causing the car to go into protect mode just by running an extra wire off a fuse from the power distribution box is a long shot, which would have to be proved by a tech.
For the record yes a fuse would blow before too much current was placed through that circuit, but that depends if the tap was placed on the power side or the ground side of the fuse. Also the Factory boost gauge is installed in the same way, you run a piggy back tab off the radio fuse.

It would seem that this tech has just spent far to much time trying to figure out a problem that is beyond him, but cant justify the time spent on the car for warranty to pay him.

Thats just called being a poor technician, and has nothing to do with Warranty rights or how parts were installed

[2K255HP]

RickDaTuner thank you so much for your input/advice and experience. I seriously appreciate the information you provided.

Subaru Calgary had my car for two weeks, and if you count when the problem first occurred its been over a month. Given your statement, I guess they couldn't justify 20 hours in data gathering to Subaru of Canada for just a knock sensor that was replaced.

I am still confused as to why the new knock sensor was left in if the problem still existed like the old one did. The new ECU they swapped in wasn't left in...and dealerships usually don't leave a brand new part in your vehicle if it didn't fix it.

Paul the manager can BS all he wants about how it was his pleasure to just not charge me for the knock sensor since Subaru asked for it to be replaced, but seriously, why would he of replaced my old one that was causing issues when he could just blame it on my boost gauge.

They have not given me any proof that the car wasn't fixed before the boost gauge. That is the most annoying part of everything I think. I wonder how many other people get screwed by Subaru Calgary...maybe I should start a poll :rofl:

[RickDaTuner]

No worries,

Warranty has a very specific process they like to see followed, which is all outlined in the service manual.
Most tech now adays can't handle being told what to do, many of them think they are smarter than the engineers who put those cars together. So off they go using what they have been taught by other techs, and their own hair brained theories on what the problem is.

In the end this is what happens, they spend way to much time on something that if they would have followed the procedure in the manual then they would have found it in the alloted time and fixed the problem.
Heck when you do warranty work its totally possible to make hours on that too, sure not as much gravy as retail, but still something.

Keep fighting man, don't let them take advantage of you for their short comings, after all we take our cars to the dealer to get the proper service and repairs and not some half assed service from an independent shop.

I can also guarantee you that Subaru of Canada is on your side, because all they really want is that the job is done right and effectively as well. Its the independent dealer that wants to screw the customer over.

[JZS_147]

take it to a good shop that knows what they're doing. I'd suggest RCTS, they're really good with diagnosing and fixing problems like this.

you spent $2000 for a retard tech to give you wrong information and replace a part that didn't need replacing. spend a couple hundred, get the problem fixed, then email a copy of your work order to subaru canada with what the real problem was, and see if they'll do anything for you. if they won't no big deal, your car is fixed and you don't need to deal with those morons anymore, sometimes it's just not worth the hassle.

[2K255HP]

For ~2000 in repairs, I won't be giving up anytime soon. Subaru Canada is already engaged and I will do whatever I need to so this problem is resolved in the correct manner. Again if I felt like I was a fault and the resolution they described to me was a legit one and not some fictional one I would take the responsibility of the bill. However everything sounds too fishy to me and the dealership credibility right now as a whole is at an all time low to me.

I don't take lightly to being ripped off. I will own up to my own mistakes, but i will not be pushed around by a dealership just because they think they can.

I'll keep everyone updated

[heavyD]

Why would you connect the boost gauge power in the fuse box? I would have pulled power off the accessory wiring to your radio under the dash. That would have taken their excuse away.

Subaru dealerships are widely known as amongst the worst in the city so if you buy a new Subaru and plan to mod or even take it in for regular service you have to beware of their shoddy practices.

[2K255HP]

hindsight is 20/20 lol if I could of taken their excuse away I would of. A proper investigation will take place and hopefully enough complaints about Subaru Calgary will bring about change?

[2K255HP]

good news is the problem came back even with the boost gauge out...so there is legitimate problem here. gonna see what the next plan of attack is here....why must trusting dealerships be so hard? :rofl:

[msommers]

Trust and dealerships? :rofl: oxymoron FOR sure!