2006 sti subaruA client of ours recently had an eye opening experience about Subaru of Mississauga, beware to anyone using Subaru of Mississauga, and possibly any Subaru dealership.

ORIGINAL COMPLAINT FROM CUSTOMER
Address: Ontario
Current Subaru Owner: Yes
Comments: At 1pm Friday August 15th 2008 I took my 2006 sti to Subaru of Mississauga on Mavis Road to check my first gear. It only goes into first on a downshift at or below 1500 rpm. I wanted to have it checked even though it has done that since I had the car. I did the paperwork and what looked like the owner of the dealership, white hair approx 55 to 60 years of age at approx 150 – 160 lbs came out with my paperwork and told me, and I quote “with my years of experience I can tell you that you need a new clutch as the clutch is not dis-engaging” I told him that he is lying and I wanted my car back. He then turned red knowing that I caught him in a lie (that attempted to get $5,000 out of me when it was not needed) and insisted that he would look at my car anyway. I refused because I know that if he lied to my face he would make sure that there was something wrong with my car. I took it and wanted to report the incident to you. Most cars can not go into first and reverse at much of an rpm but figured that 1500 was low. How many people unknowingly paid this dealership for fraudulent repairs that they knew before hand were not needed. I love my Subaru but have to wonder if this Subaru dealership is just one bad apple or if this sort of thing happens often.

RESPONSE FROM SUBARU
Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 12:32 PM
Richard Ouellette wrote:

I spoke to the technicians here at Subaru Canada, Inc., and also the dealership again regarding the situation.

The correct interpretation should have in fact been “When the clutch is worn, it will not engage, but it will slip and cause this issue to occur.” The word “disengage” was not altogether wrong or a lie, but it is misinterpreted in this matter.

Richard Ouellette
Bilingual Consumer Support Representative
After Sales
1-800-894-4212
www.subaru.ca

CUSTOMER’S FINAL COMMENTS
Date: Mon, Aug 18, 2008 at 1:30 PM
Subject: Re: Dealership Experience
To: Richard Ouellette

Thank you Richard for checking this and getting back to me. And as you can see it is different than what he told me when I was there. If he said it wrong it could be chalked up as human error but when challenged he did not back down or admit his mistake. So he either is a liar or he has no knowledge how to fix a car. Either way he should not be there.

As a matter of fact I was the one who told him how a clutch works and when it is worn it slips and the engine revs but does not go anywhere. So the question remains what was his possible explanation of saying that it needs a new clutch.

Clutch 101: The clutch plates or friction pads are what slips on the flywheel when they are worn. The flywheel is attached to the engine. When the clutch is worn you can put it into any gear when ever you want at any rpm. It will not make it harder to put it into a gear but easier.

This is proven very simply by sitting in the car with the engine off (because if the engine is running the flywheel is turning) and running it thru the gears with ease without pressing the clutch in. So even suggesting that a new clutch would be needed; again I quote “with my years of experience I can tell you that you need a new clutch as the clutch is not dis-engaging”. is a false statement or he does not know what he is saying. There is no other explanation because there is no actual reason for suggesting a clutch replacement for the symptoms that were being described.

I hope you now see that a diagnostic of the problem is irrelevant, and allowing this person to take a look at my car that is proven to be either incompetent or a liar would not be a wise choice.

I ask for nothing more than for you to make sure that this person and dealership does not do this to an elderly couple and completely take advantage of them for profit.