Subaru CVT failure update (full refund for the owner - yessssss!) | Auto Expert John Cadogan
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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
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Judging from the comments on this video, Subaru just earned a 100x more in public relations bonus points than it cost them in dollars. Well done JC.
Dealers need to remember that in 2022, what you do to one customer, you do in full sight of EVERY customer, and every potential customer.
(Via the great work being done by people like John in this case. )
Congratulations - well done. you've restored a little faith in the subaru warranty and customer service ethic.
No worries Jamie.
@@AutoExpertJC Mr John good work. I'd love your thoughts thow on the independent mechanic making the so called mistake but then subaru paid for their mistake? Should the independent repair be paying subaru back for their so called mistake in changing the oils. Really good on subaru and you but I feel the independent repairer should have paid for this and not subaru?
@@AzzaBro59 Exactly what I just said in my comment. 👍
Many years ago my SS developed a ‘grinding’ noise coming from the rear during a road trip out of town one Saturday. I was 80km from home and a local Holden dealer was open so I went in. I described the problem to the mechanic who looked a bit perplexed when he pointed to another SS wearing the same dealer tags as mine. It had stopped in an hour earlier with the exact same problem … no oil in the diff. Both cars had been serviced a few days earlier. I gave my dealer a call on Monday and the arseholes denied it was their fault. They actually went broke a few years later.
So now your Holden dealer is peacefully retired in his villa thanks to his ill gotten money. Nice
Bizarre I can see doing car after car after car making a mistake like this, but the same mistake twice around the same time. What are the odds of that, of course the mechanic knew the diff should have oil.
Well done, John, and well done to Subaru for looking after Wil.
Thanks, Simon.
Only looked after once exposed. Aawful service
@@daweigo6851 Could be much much worse, looks like Subaru are aiming for least worst rather than best.
@@daweigo6851 Maybe, but would Subaru have known about it apart from the original segment on this channel?
Probably not, this event would just be one of thousands per year that might get processed. To their credit when it was brought to their attention, and despite having "expert advice" that it wasn't legally their problem, they sorted it out anyway. Sure it might have been just a chance to grab some good publicity (aka a ScoMo foto shoot, but without the horrible miss steps and embarrassment) but the customer got treated well in the end... and that's all that matters.
Although it appears the dealer had to be dragged screaming along to the party, but in my 60+ years I've never had interactions with a dealer that put my interests above their profit margin.
Well done John, some important people are watching you
Hopefully not through range-finding NVGs...
@@AutoExpertJC 🤣🤣
@@AutoExpertJC what's that red dot on your forehead in the video mate?
@@AutoExpertJC
Your OLIGHT torch will sort out the NVG issue. 😄
@@AutoExpertJC two different bits of kit John (knowing you to be a stickler for the facts).
A dealership mechanic tried to tell me I had a leaking turbo gasket on my xtrail at the time when it was using a little extra oil when my xtrail doesn't have a turbo to start with. Not mention any names but the dealership was one of the biggest in Sutherland. You work it out. Never trust dealership mechanics. You can use your well known local mechanic as long as you use the genuine parts for your servicing. And it should not void your warranty.
You don't need to use genuine parts for warranty compliance.
should have said show me where it is leaking
Well done John, accountability is a real inconvenience to many these days, thank you for your frank honesty and dedication to improving the Australian motoring industry. Well done also to Subaru Australia for providing a generous resolution to the customers predicament, particularly when it appears the product failure was due to a third party. This incident initially had me considering canceling my 2023 Forester order but my confidence in the Subaru brand has been reaffirmed.
Some years ago I provided an engineering report for someone who had the same issue with a Toyota Camry transaxle. A mechanic drained both the differential and transmission, and then failed to refill the differential. On being asked to assess the vehicle, the mechanic told the customer 'the oil must have leaked out'. The customer, not being a complete idiot, correctly identified that a leak of that size would have left a polite little trail of differential oil all over his pristine driveway. The tide mark in the differential housing was incredibly well defined at about 10mm above the lowest point in the housing. It was clear it had been running without oil since the last service. In the end the matter went to a dispute and the mechanic was ultimately ordered to foot the bill.
I've not had a chance to dissect a Subaru CVT. If, however, it is like others I have examined then I would respectfully submit the reason they replaced the transmission is because once the transmission/differential barrier failed and the fluid entered the differential housing, the fluid would have picked up fine metallic particles that were the remains of the bearings and gear teeth etc and the transmission hydraulic pump would have circulated these throughout the transmission. Complete disassembly would then be required to assess the damage and it would likely just be cheaper for Subaru to replace the entire assembly.
That might be quite right, but there is no mention of ANY transmission damage whatsoever in the report I have.
My thoughts as well .CVTs are not supposed to use other than the correct fluid to prevent damage.
My thoughts too. The CVT has been run for a time with low oil. Even without any contamination from the diff, wear during this time would be greater than normal, althogh may be difficult to measure. Replacing the complete unit brings peace of mind, for owner, dealer, and Subaru. Replacing just the diff carries a risk of future failure, and another dispute. all now avoided, and a happy customer.
@@AutoExpertJC If the mechanic had put diff oil in with the CVT fluid then I am sure transmission failure would have occurred . Also, when filling the front diff on a Subaru there is a drain port that overflows when the diff oil is at its correct level . Just sayn
The metal that would have entered the torque converter, valve body and pump gears, not mention all the nooks and crannies of the transmission would be next to impossible to remove. also, due the milage put on those components, with containments in the oil it would make sense to replace both trans and diff.
Mate some time ago walked out of his dealership mechanic role after refusing to sign for a timing belt replacement on a Sonata V6. The dealership tried to charge 'twice" for the ancillary belt changes. By that I mean that the time allowed to do an ancillary belt change (more that one belt) was charged as well as the time for the timing belt change which INCLUDED the ancillary belts remove and replace. They wanted to charge 2 hours for the ancillary belt R+R and well as 4 for the timing belt, a total of 6 rather than the required 4, if memory serves..
Service rip-offs are rife - sad but true.
As a Subaru owner for the last 15 years, the result you achieved has confirmed my confidence in both my choice of car and your channel. The Subaru dealer servicing I have experienced has overall been very good. They replaced both front transaxles under warranty when I complained of a humming noise in the front end. Neither myself nor the mechanic were sure which side was the culprit and when they replaced the good one in error, they immediately replaced the other as well at no cost. They did try to charge me to replace the four rubber dust caps on the brake bleed nipples claiming they must have all fallen off. I did notice that they had replaced the brake fluid two services prior so felt there was a fair chance that the mechanic had forgotten to replace them after bleeding the system but as I purchased non genuine replacements for $2, I didnt think it was worth the argument. Experiences at other dealers have not been quite as good. I had marked the oil filter with my initials prior to a service and when I noticed they were still there after the service, I questioned the service manager as to whether they had in fact replaced the oil filter. His response, "Guaranteed, I did it myself". There was just a tad of back pedaling when I pointed out my initials. Another time they dripped brake fluid/battery acid over the mudguard and took the paint off down to bare metal. Both situations were resolved at no cost to me. Thanks for pursuing this issue and putting many Subaru owners minds at ease. Well done John and well done Subaru.
That has been the experience of my extended family and I across a number of cars and Subaru dealers.
I thought wiping your old oil filter with a rag was standard practice outside the DIY servicing world ? Actually the operation I use does give me back all the replaced items, but you've reminded me to mark filters in situ!
VICTORY..Thank's for being around for US John Cadogan.
No wukkas, dude.
Hi John, while I am constantly entertained by your content I was waiting with bated breath for the outcome on this one. We have previously purchased three new Subaru vehicles. We have purchased a manual liberty wagon, a manual WRX and a 2016 CVT forester that we still own. Honestly, this update has heavily influenced my decision on a future Subaru purchase. Thank you for your entertaining content. Thank you morels for for providing accurate information that consumers can use as a reference to potentially avoid being taken for a ride by dealerships.
Hi Josh, I suggest that you get your CVT serviced even if Subaru say its not needed, just a simple oil and filter change can extend its life very significantly
@@darylwalford8697 Just make sure to put it in the right hole :-)
JOSH is the perfect example of why eating the cost on this one (maybe $4000 hard cash) is the cheaper way to solve this. The long term, often unknown losses from this sort of thing is far more damaging to a brand
@@mvubu6823 Every girl ("Tiffany") says that...
One of your best ever reports John! I have a 2016 Forester with CVT so the headline really grabbed my attention. It's great to see that you and Subaru delivered a fantastic result for the customer.
Always a difficult situation trying to rely on so called specialists. Unfortunately we all can't be experts on everything and need some trust however dangerous that may seem. I recently had new tyres installed on our caravan (yes I know). We even did a couple of short trips on them. About to undertake a longer trip I decided to double check the tyre pressure ratings. I was surprised to note that the max load rating for single axle stamped on them was 1150kg. Our GTM is 2500kg so certainly looked undercooked to me. The dealer assured me that number was irrelevant. After some prodding he came round to look for himself. Still insisted they were fine. Eventually he called the techs at the tyre supplier. Oops. Never seen anything like that in 20 years of fitting tyres. All fixed now with properly rated tyres (1320kg) at no cost to us. Although happy with our outcome and the willingness in the end of the fitter to fix the problem, one wonders how many others are blissfully out there with unroadworthy vehicles, albeit with newish tyres.
Agreed, sometimes you have to have faith in those who have specialist knowledge.
@@AutoExpertJC Even when they sometimes don't?
The conversation with the tyre retailer sounds like something that should be in writting.
Hey John. Have to agree with you (as always). The front diff oil change on a Subaru CVT transaxle is a bit trickier than most would think. There is a T70 drain plug, a hose with a one way breather that needs to be pulled out of the transaxle is the diff fill point and lastley there is another 14mm drain plug. The second drain plug is there to indicate when the diff housing is full as the oil will start to drain from there once the diff housing is full of oil. I've seen issues where people overfill the front diff and as in the case of Mr.Tomas' car put the oil into the actual CVT. Changing the front diff oil on a Subaru CVT isn't the most complicated job but you can definitely get caught out of you don't know what you are doing.
Keep up the great work standing up for the little guys mate. Regards, Darko.
Good on Subaru to honor the intent of their warranty.
Agreed - they ultimately did the right thing.
Not really. Only did as exposed and embarrassed
@@daweigo6851 not necessarily so. We don't know if Mr Toms contacted Subaru Australia himself. His initial contact seems to say he dealt exclusively with the dealership.
I worked as a service adviser for a Subaru dealership for a few years - quite a while ago now - and can say that I had a pretty good relationship with the Subaru Australia service management who were happy to help customers where they could as per John's benefit of the doubt reference.
I know that there were a few cases where out of warranty did not mean "shit out of luck" and customers were very appreciative, both by telling the story, and purchasing a new Subaru when the time came to change.
Things may have changed somewhat in the intervening years, but this resolution sounds like the Subaru Australia I remember dealing with.
They were always happy if a customer contacted them directly and on occasions brought to our attention issues which had been raised with them directly. With instructions to simply do the job and submit the claim.
So I call into doubt that they were trying to not pay. I believe that until John or Mr Toms contacted them after the first video, they hadn't been aware of the situation.
@@David_Johnson_ ok thanks for the info ..
@@daweigo6851 Subaru didn't know anything about it, it was a dealer level until John made his video.
The $11,000 (maybe $4,000 hard cost) is the best value "goodwill" shit sandwich they could eat, considering what they spend on marketing each year to win clients
Great result, and report John. I've been waiting for this response. I still feel Geoff King motors was being deceptive to begin with
It could have just been totally Keystone Cops at both ends.
@Auto Expert John Cadogan I think without this report, the outcome would have been drastically different
@@AutoExpertJC Hmmm, one has to wonder why they wouldn't supply the engineering report, however.
Many problems with their whole system; starting with the fact that the customer was made to pay for some kind of engineering report and then somehow was told he couldn't see it. If I paid for it, I see it first, and maybe I'll let the dealer see it.
I'd want to see it, too. And be assured of its veracity.
Your preaching from the pulpit has had a miraculous result. Well Done. Let the Force stay with you.👍👍👍
I'm thinking of doing PR for the Galactic Empire in future. (Thank you.)
Great work John. Thanks for the detailed video. I am currently facing an issue with my forester I bought new in 2019 which gives a grinding noise every time I turn. I have been reporting this to the service team 3 times now but nothing was done about it. After watching this video, I am planning to write to subaru Australia and hopefully I get directions from subaru to have the issue resolved. Cheers.
It could be your viscous coupling breakdown. They are rather intolerant to tyre diameter disparity between front and rear, typically new tyres on the front and worn ones on the rear. The noise on turns sounds a bit like worn front constant velocity joints.
That goodwill from Sube=Australia will go a long with with some owners and buyers hopefully into the future.
Plus I'm just kind of glad you helped an old fella out with an otherwise expensive problem
Nice one John. If it wasn't for you I'd wager this outcome would be very different.
My 04 Subaru outback, had its airbag replaced in 2019, but unfortunately the dashboard had a couple of small cracks. I complained and it , they replaced it and gave me a courtesy car for 2 days free. Love Subaru and there service.
That's fantastic news, I also wrote an email to Subaru head office of complaint!
Well done, Marcus.
Not all heroes wear capes, some where C hats...and Stark shirts. You're a good egg JC.
Thank you. If I'm a hero, society's properly fucked.
@@AutoExpertJC lol 😅
I wish we had more of your kind in the States. Your customer advocacy is admirable. The part that got me the most was “there are only one set of facts”. We in the States seem to think there are alternative facts. I will take a serious look at Subaru on my next purchase.
My independent repairer is gold. Found him in desperation with a car that I’d had a gut full of and just wanted him to repair to a drivable condition so I could get rid of the bloody thing. He kept at it for a few days, calling, sending photos, checking if it was ok if he had a look at this and that, text messaging what the bill was looking like as it added up. Got the car back after a week, and it was like a new car. Ran better than it ever had, and it had been to many mechanics previously. Dealers, specialist independents, and brand name franchises. None of them had ever been able, or could be bothered to look for the source of a turbo issue that had plagued the car for years since buying (2nd owner). This guy found it and fixed it. He’s a bloody legend. He gets my cars, mowers, whipper snipers and anything else with a petrol engine. They all come back like new.
Have had my MY18 Outback 2.5 premium since new. No complaints about CVT from me, I like my car very much. I have had good support from Subaru service department. The dealer I purchased the vehicle from using the Auto Expert purchasing service was very good and an efficient experience, so thank you very much too.
Quite happy with the Outback, but I do like the choices of vehicles on offer by good car makers these days including Subaru of course. Cheers!
In regards to your comment on replacing the entire transaxle assembly versus rebuilding the differential section, I wanted to make mention that this is a very common practice. It's a benefit to both the service shop and the customer to approach it in this fashion.
When you have a catastrophic failure of the transmission or the differential in a transaxle assembly, even if the other section doesn't show any visible signs of damage upon teardown and inspection, there is still potential for the failure to have stressed its counterpart. These stresses may not be detectable during teardown, but could lead to premature failure that would ultimately lead to a bad customer experience.
Further, the rebuilding of either section is a highly technical specialty, and typically beyond the scope of general service shops and dealerships alike. The amount of labor involved has the potential of exceeding (or at least coming bloody close to) the cost of replacing the entire assembly, which can be provided with a comprehensive warranty from a dedicated rebuilder. I equate it to asking a GP to perform open heart surgery: The basic understanding of the operation is known, but the specific experience and training isn't relevant to the practice.
The third issue is the availability of parts. Even pre-Covid, the required parts may not even be manufactured, simply because of the rarity of rebuilding a specific section versus replacing the entire assembly, and while enthusiast-oriented vehicles may have an aftermarket option for parts, it's not viable for a dealership to warranty a part not manufactured and vetted by the brand they represent.
I do apologize for the length of this reply, but as a former independent mechanic and member of ATRA, I felt I had to offer some insight into the "behind the scenes" of why some of these things transpire the way they do. Ultimately, it comes down to the customer's AND the shop's experience: If I can get your vehicle back to you fully functional in two days with a warranty on the failure addressed, why would I charge you nearly the same (if not more) to rebuild a part of it, that may lead to another failure down the road due to undetectable damage inflicted by the initial failure, and take several times as long to get your vehicle back to you?
Hi John,
Thanks for this video, I really appreciated it. This is the same thing happened to my Subaru Outback 2015 model. When my local mechanic did the major service of my Outback, drained the diff oil. He made a mistake, he filled the cvt oil filler port not the diff oil filler port. Car just run for a year and then suddenly stop. My local mechanic shoulder the expense of the repair but outside Subaru. After 3 years Car broke down. I went to my Mechanics he told me the repair is out of warranty. Hopefully subaru will do something about this, to label the oil fillers so it will not happened again to someone else.
Cheers,
Vladimir
Your analysis of the relationship between Stealerships and Independent mechanics is spot on in my experience. I had my first new car purchasing experience in 2015, a Skoda Yeti 2.0 TDI . Only went back to the Stealership for the Tata airbag replacement. All servicing has been performed on schedule by my brother's independent workshop. He was Automotive Apprentice of Year back in the Age of Dinosaurs. I digress. At 42500 kms the bearing in the water pump failed and the car was out of warranty. Had it replaced by said brother. Due to the location of rhe water pump it necessitates replacement of the timing belts as part of the process. Took the defective pump back to Stealership for investigation and some financial contribution to the cost of repair. Said they would look into it. Heard nothing and contacted Skoda and began an exhausting email exchange with the final correspondence stating they wouldn't help as I had not had it repaired at the Stealership. Did some research and there appears to a known issue with water pump in VAG 2.0 TDI engines which are supposed to last till 105000 kms. Having watched many of your excellent videos I could have gone and quoted sections of the ACCC Consumer Guarantee legislation (as per your vids). However I couldn't be stuffed, they wore me down and threw me under the bus. You obviously have much bigger cojones than me and power to you Carry on John.
Congratulations John. A job well done.
Thank you, John.
Congratulations John for the sterling effort on the behalf of Wil, as my mother owns a 2019 Subaru Outback your CVT video caught my attention, and yes i did watch both to the end.
S+S Subaru dealership in AYR Scotland have always been polite up front and helpful with any issues with the vehicles purchased from them. STI, ISUZU DMAX, OUTBACK.
SUBARU/ISUZU warranty and customer service, i personally have never had any issues.
Well Done John! I recently went to a "leading" dealership near Adelaide. In my 2 visits during that day I saw 5 apprentices and 1 qualified mechanic in the service workshop.
Just how did you know if they were apprentices or qualified? On a plus side, at least someone's training apprentices again.
As an apprentice, I was mostly left on my own, particularly with just scheduled servicing, and could approach tradesmen for help, and was often offered good unsolicited advice pertinent to my jobs at hand. There was also an adult apprentice who started 6 months after me and thought he knew it all already. One day, a FWD car he'd had the rear drums off (showing my age there **ahem**) returned on a transporter the next day after a stub axle had sheared off at motorway speed because he'd overtightened the taper roller bearings on reassembly and they'd gone poopy in their trousers.
John, thanks for your complete presentation of the case and, first of all, for helping Wil so smoothly out of the trouble.
If this is the case, the cost of repair should fall to the independent repairer, not Subaru. The workshop would have or should have ' idiot' insurance to cover these slip ups.
Yes and probably could have gone that way. But it looks like the dealer made a error in how they responded to the issue. Instead of them looking like heroes cleaning up some other repairers mess, they came across as have a guilty look on their face with their hand was firmly planted in the cookie jar. Which is unfortunate if it was all a big miscommunication and nothing untoward was happening.
Something untoward was happening. They refused to show the report even though the customer paid for it, and they charged for a transmission when there was no need. Maybe Subaru will go after the independent mechanic
Good outcome. Once again John you have saved the day. I tell people that they are called stealerships for a reason and find myself advising poor sods about Aust Consumer Law 2010. Most are simply ignorant of their rights.
Keep up the good work….Please.
Very well done indeed John, a very happy outcome indeed. I've very much enjoyed reading the responses to the initial video about this as I am getting my second Outback in October. My first has 412k and other than their crap head gaskets and cold interior, the rest was fabulous.
I’d say if the dealership had shared the report as the customer requested they might not have found themselves in this situation. He could have taken the report to his local independent mechanic who ultimately was responsible for the issue, and taken it up with them. Well done to Subaru for coming to the party even though it wasn’t their problem, take it out of the marketing budget.
John, you've presented us with an excellent example of the application of critical thinking to a needlessly complicated problem. Well done!
Bloody awesome mate…can’t thank you enough for sticking up for us oldies
Good result well done. We are on our third Subaru and love them. All services are done at Central Coast Subaru. They have always been excellent and extremely helpful. A dealership that has a specific Subaru section.
Well done John. I have had many Subaru’s over the years. Only just last year we traded our 2019 Outback in on a large shit wah towing vehicle. The subie was miles ahead of the new vehicle in the electronics dept even though tow vehicle cost almost double. Cheers
Good news for Wilfred. I had a similar experience with the transmission of a 6 year old Holden Cruze about 5 years ago. The dealer was going to sting me about $4K, so I rang Holden customer service and told them I was well aware of the inherent problems with the car and also that if it wasn’t resolved to y satisfaction, I would take it further.
Lo and behold same afternoon the dealer rang and said the transmission was being replaced free of charge.
About a year later the car was stolen, thank Christ.
Good outcome for the client, well done John for the follow up with Subaru. I bet when Subaru and the dealer watched your video and the inquiring WTF discussion from you. I can see you in the doorway at the HQ with lube (transmission oil) in hand and telling them bend over this is going to hurt you more in future by a lack of loyal customers $$$$.
You could direct that for Netflix. (Thank you.)
An incredible story that happily ended well. I had to go through a similar experience with a Mazda 3, a dealership in Melbourne where the car was always serviced from new and Mazda Australia. Initially I was quoted over $13K including $7,700 for a new diesel particulant filter. After a protracted battle with the dealership service manager and Mazda Australia, I got out of the whole $1,500 poorer. I have never felt so powerless in my life. It's a terrible situation to be in when you've done nothing wrong. The dealership had the entire service history. No one else had ever worked on the car.
You now know which dealer to avoid in the future.
@@jeffreythompson9549 I thought I did well to get the Bill from over $13K down to $1,500. Sold the car, got a Subaru which has featured strongly on this channel recently.
Now you know why Mazda have been found guilty by the ACCC of unconscionable conduct with similar stories being told by owners.
@@davidperry3531 in the end I think Mazda and the dealership resolved the situation reasonably. That was at the end of an ordeal I don't believe I should have been subjected to. Manufacturers and dealers should not just think about a particular cases but the bad taste it leaves in consumers mouths and how that effects repeat business. Since buying my current Subaru XV in 2018 there have been a number of recalls I've received advanced warning and resolution of. I have been well looked after by the dealer. Subaru should clearly label oil filling on the cases for mechanics. Consumers need to keep themselves active and informed. When recall notices are issued, they need to be acted on quickly. They're part and parcel of owning mass produced items.
This is why I have only ever owned one car from new in 22 years of driving. I still have the car (LT Focus manual) but when I had to buy a ute for work I found a BA that looked straight. If I spent $13k on it I could completely respray it, rebuild the engine and transmission and have a virtually brand new car! No dealership assholes required. I can also do all the services at home and save hundreds of dollars there every year.
Very well done,to yourself and Subaru HQ.Hope Mr Tom's has a very serious chat with his independent so called mechanic.
Great video. In 2020, my mothers 2015 Subaru Forester XT required one new driveshaft and CV at 55,000km. Despite the full dealer service history, zero modifications or towing and easy life at the hands of a 76 year old, she was told she would have to pay for the repair due to the 3 year warranty having expired. The dealer claimed the failure was due to the car having been predominately been used for city driving with- in their view- more likelihood of u turns and parking that could prematurely wear the components in question (yes, really!) I encouraged her to negotiate- she ended up paying 50 percent of the cost - around $700 cost to her from memory. However, it sounds like she should’ve pushed harder to have this covered in full. A failure at 55,000km doesn’t seem like reasonable durability, particularly in the context of the 100,000km warranty, even if expired by time.
For context, she is still very happy with the car overall. I am similarly impressed with it as a package and keen to order an Outback XT Wilderness, if they ever make it to Australia.
I watch all the American channels and Subaru have NO plans to export the 'Wilderness' to Australia apparently! 😞 NOR anything that has the 2.4 turbo engine!!! Bastards!😅
AWSOME OUTCOME! I think you should go on A Current Affair to show them how to do a follow up with results. What I'd like to know now though is whether the independent mechanic who serviced it wrongly would be liable for damage after the findings by the experts in Melbourne, or is it just whoops sorry dude?
ACA hates reports like this because it puts a dent in advertising contracts.
Nice One ! Great that you stepped in and helped these people ! Reason # 479,813 to never buy a CVT
Except this failure had nothing to do with the CVT itself.
Good advocating John and the general points you made could protect other viewers from being ripped off.
Good work John, a cold beer waiting for you at Dingo Piss Creek.
It is like insurance, though. Asking the dealer/manufacturer to provide retrospective cover for an unforeseen occurrence will always start with a 'No'.
Then the fun (and emails to you) begin.
Great result.
I want you on my side with any mechanical breakdown and any dealer issues with my vehicle. Great result.
Thanks for your insights John . I will certainly remember this video and the previous one if I have any warranty or other issues with my car or other products.
Great outcome and reporting John. You mentioned some stat at the beginning re the % of dudes who watch your vids to the end. I was pondering this a while back as I sat back still content after more than 20 minutes. I really can't pinpoint how you do it as I do fade quickly on other channels. It must be the great content (including Tiffany's Big Banana adventure at Coffs) for sure but its still quite remarkable.
Well done JC. Love the fact you are always in there fighting for the rights of consumers. Love that you slash and burn your way through the BS to expose the FACTS.
Tiffany will be justifiably proud of you. I hope she rewards you handsomely.
Wonderful that you help Subaru come to their senses, lets see if it lasts.
Hi John. A bit of good news for this guy and I’m hoping, ( because Subaru is known to be a good car and try to help the customers). The first dealership I took my daughters car to was atrocious to the point that I left negative feedback on Subaru Australia. I was contacted fairly quickly from them and they were very helpful. The car is still off the road but I have faith that they will be doing the right thing. I been looking for a newer car for myself and Subaru has been in the back of my mind for a while. So I’m hoping that they do look after my daughters car as I’ll sing them praise
And the crowd goes wild 🙌🏿👏🏿👏🏿👏🏿🙃 awesome job John. A win and useful information for us plebs.
Your in depth analysis of the root cause is greatly appreciated. Far too rare and commonly unappreciated these days I'd suggest.
Excellent outcome, great work. I watched with great interest and also live in the region (not Coffs itself). My service dealer is another multi franchise in Coffs (they pretty much all are) and I was never happy with being brushed off on a specific issue with my vehicle. It's a common problem which does have a fix (sort of) but all I get the "it's a characteristic of the car" line.
Unfortunately we don't all have the mental resources to fight such fights and they prey on that. Having an advocate is sometimes the only way many of us will get anywhere. Having been through the trauma of an eight year long legal battle with a legal bill deep into seven figures, avoiding fights like this is (unfortunately) often the preferable course of action and so you just live with it. Fortunately the NSW Court of Appeal sided with me but sometimes the fight leaves some pretty deep scars even though you might win.
All I know is I will never own another of this particular brand of vehicle ever again.
Do us ALL a favour and don't keep it to yourself...unless your legally bound of course...🤔
@@gbsailing9436 My legal battle was unrelated to my vehicle issue. I was just pointing out that not everyone is mentally up for having a battle with a dealership service dept for various, sometimes traumatic, reasons. Indeed I would suggest most are not up for the confrontation. Businesses prey on this (quite normal) vulnerability all the time.
@@alexsimmons1803 OK I get that. I assumed incorrectly that it was associated to the vehicle. My bad! Having been through a number of legal issues myself, I understand.
So I am from Canada, had something similar happen, and when my diff failed it was part of the whole housing, I had a 2010 legacy sedan and because the diff is part of the trans housing, not separately bolted, they would have to split the casing for the repairs, and apparently here, the dealerships are qualified to do a teardown of the trans. though to be fair we had been looking to replace the car, and they at least gave us I would way fair trade in value for a car that according to them needed a new transmission. Love the channel, thanks for the work.
From the research I’ve done on this issue, and my understanding of that, the fill points for the cvt and transaxle are on opposite sides of the transmission body. The drain points are on the same side. Both of which sit at different heights. So for someone not familiar with this setup I could see this mistake occurring.
Hey John I called it - diff oil in the CVT in the original clip. There would have been around litre of heavy diff oil going around the CVT which may not have caused any significant damage. This is why I service my cars, a Subie XV and an Amarok.
Am reminded of my mid 90s Ford Mondeo. Bought it cheap because it didn't have overdrive. The suggested repair was replacing the automatic transmission. So I researched my options online in car forums. One poor person had actually replaced his transmission and it hadn't fixed the problem. This research was productive. The car needed a variable speed sensor. Bought one from a wrecker, it was installed. Problem fixed.
Awesome.
love your work John, making sure the dealers don't fall asleep at their desks....great outcome
Fantastic result. I faced a similar issue with another car manufacturer where my better half’s car had a transmission issue a couple of months out of warranty. They told her she had to buy a new transmission. Thankfully I was able to discuss the issue and get it resolved at the cost of paying for my next service in advance as a show of goodwill. The only way I got it resolved was to involve head office. A related issue popped up again and when they tried for a second time I highlighted that the part they said they replaced was one of the components they replaced last time….. thankfully we sold the car and will never buy that brand again. I have a Subaru myself and can confirm my service issue experiences with them have been amazing, I hope that never changes
Sweet Zombie Jesus! Cool work, John! (Yep, I watched both videos all the way through). Yes, the issue has been resolved, but what I find absolutely fascinating is the culture at **cough, cough** Coffs Harbour dealership is the fact they simply didn't reveal the details of the issue to Mr. Toms. For me? That shows a systemic and cultural issue at the dealership where if they can "get away with it", they will. Otherwise, as, you rightly pointed out, why would they hide it if it is in their favour? Why? It wasn't, which is why. I reckon that is the exact reason why Subaru Aus-tralia (as you put it) gave such a lengthy email to you (and probably a stern talking to at the Coff's dearlership). So glad Mr. Toms put his out there and on your channel, and for you to follow this one. Cheers mate. PS: Due credit to Subaru Australia. It feels like they do genuinely care.
We just sold our 2011 outback with 257,000 km on it. The CVT flawless for the 11 years we had it. Let’s hope our new 22 forester does the same.
Thank You! All the way from North West Florida, USA. You make me proud! I agree with your points made here. Sad it took this level of intervention. Again, thanks for helping you "colorful journalist". Yesssss! Maybe dealership service departments should be comprehensively audited for capability? We know that will never happen.
Thankfully Wil Thoms had the sense to seek your help. He chose well. The outcome you have strongly helped to achieve is excellent. However your explanation of the way in which the car service industry works and the potential risks an owner may face is beyond excellent. Thank you for the education and thank you, Subaru, for continuing to prove your loyalty to your customers.
Great to see your advocacy getting results for consumers
I’ve been waiting for the follow up and glad to know the outcome was good. I have a 2016 Liberty at present and will (still) be upgrading to the new WRX as soon as I can get one, I’ll be sure to hit you up on the website for that.
Good result for the owner and a good explanatory report leaving only one or two points open. I did notice that all the actors in the story were named except the independent workshop whose incompetence allegedly caused the problem.
Well done Subaru Australia and your 58,000 viewers for helping out even when the issue was likely caused by non Subaru technician. Hopefully Subaru Australia's new improved 'Customer Service Experience' is real. l currently wait for a response from Subaru Australia. In our case Subaru Australia has been good in communication and support with loan vehicles but not in rectifying the fault.
If the independent mechanic didnt fill the diff correctly.. then the bill should be on said mech? something sounds a bit off to me. The front diff is filled by the breather fitting on the TR 690 and there is a level port that needs to overflow. If they have underfilled the diff the owner needs to find a new mechanic.
I agree that some liability might attach there - but as the owner is reimbursed and the car is fixed there are no damages to compensate.
John. An excellent response by Subaru to your involvement and logical presentation. Kudos to you as you really had Subaru & King motors backed into a corner leaving only one satisfactorily viable exit for both parties. Job well done !
Spot on John. No one is better at standing up for your rights than a calm and informed yourself. Also you have mentioned elsewhere the value of diarising your experience and all communications. It sounds like Will Tomm's did this and was able to speak with complete clarity later when it mattered. His documentation worked for him. Even after he authorized thousands of dollars worth of out if pocket expenses. With this and your help he was able to recover the situation
Good work. Doing your part to MALS. Keep it up.
Thanks Lucas - will do, mate.
Well done, in following this up and getting the right result for the customer. Journalism done right ✔️
WELL DONE John, great video been watching this one with great interest and great out come .
Hi John, great work on getting a result on this, as a second time Subaru Outback owner (2016 & 2021 models) I was very interested in the outcome of Mr Tom's dilemma. Very happy that Subaru came to the party on this and have faith that should something like that happens to me I know that Subaru can be relied upon.
On a different note, with the current weather conditions happening on the east coast of Australia would it be possible to do a video on what people affected by this should look out for when replacing a flood written off vehicle or for people purchasing a "cheap" car and finding out that it was in a flood.
Love the videos and keep up the good work 👍
Congrats John a really nice thing to do it’s good to see a nice bloke doing a great job
We have similar issues with “Some dealerships” here in the United States. I under the impression that many dealers everywhere don’t like independent mechanics working on their sacred vehicles. Fortunately I have been with the same dealership (Toyota) since 2003. They serviced all of my vehicles including 1994 Camry (150 k miles) 2001 Lexus RX 300 186K miles) 2008 Lexus RX 350 (Totaled in 2016 100K miles) to my two newer vehicles 2017 RX 350 and 2019 Toyota RAV 4. Guess I have developed trust in their repairs and services
Glad the owner prevailed with your assistance. Enjoy your channel!
As a Subaru owner, I have to say thank you, and well done John. I’m also very glad to see that Subaru stepped up, let’s face it, an independent mechanic stuffed up, they could’ve washed their hands from the whole affair, but with your intervention Subaru has been magnanimous.
The independent mechanic got out of this one pretty well. One responder is now questioning their next Subaru purchase which is odd, Subaru went beyond what they legally needed to, the failure of the cvt wasn’t their fault, to maintain their reputation. Makes me happy about my Outback purchase last year.
Love your work John.
You deserve a good reach around for that.
Well done Subaru Aus too, as it doesn’t seem it was a product failure… Long live Subies and there CVT box. Maybe the missus will get that Forester….
Well done, Mr. Cadogan! The dealer not releasing the A&B report was
the single biggest problem for Subaru. Not giving some one what they paid
to have done is a huge no-no. From there, Subaru has all the evidence and
having done that one little thing wrong, will cause a judge to look askance at any other details...
I like Subaru more now than before so they managed to save themselves.
Great advocacy John, well done. I really hate doing business with car dealers, your trusted local mechanic is often a much better option (when available).
Great follow-up piece, John. After hearing all of the facts surrounding this case, it appears as though Subaru took the high road. Most likely because of your influence as a "social media influencer." This situation appears to be more of a public relations effort on the part of Subaru than a case of laying blame on an independent garage. I'm happy for the end user. Keep up the great work.
Agreed, generally, Stephen, only J'm not that scary.
Nice work Mate, we are taking delivery of two new cars in two weeks, great to hear Subaru been supportive….
Well done John and well done Subaru Australia for coming to the party even though it appears to be not really their problem. My partner has one of these cars so this story certainly sparked a lot of interest.
Keep up the great work John and thanks for helping to MALS.
Think someone might owe you a beer 🍺
Well presented and a great outcome. Especially as we have a 2021 Outback and 2021 XV as our retirement cars.
Watched the first episode and had some concerns. Having just switched from the king of mediocrity to Subaru. I am and will still be for some time, nervous about a CVT . Stuck in the past , always had Manual cars . Anyhow great job JC on clearing that up. Thank you
Great work John, Nice summation of the "facts" (as you put it). It's great to know that Subaru Int. and, here in 'Shitsville', are behind their customers, and ultimately, their products. I will look to go ahead with my purchases later this year feeling more comfortable about the CVT and its ability to take some punishment here on Australian roads. I take it from this summation that using a reputable dealer with fewer automotive licences for other manufacturers, rather than more licences, will be the preferred option with respect to servicing in future.
I only wish "Subaru" would re-consider again their decision to not bring the wilderness here to 'shitsville' in a right hand drive model. This opinion echoes also for the Ascent (and the new model Outback with the 2.4 turbo engine) which I think both would be winners for them here in... 'Straya'.
Thanks again for keeping everyone honest in this. I hope it doesn't/hasn't cause/d you too much grief. Keep up the good work, we are all very interested the work you do...I haven't purchased a motoring mag. in like 20years now...such is the poor nature of motoring journalism.
Kind regards...GB
Its alays good to learn new things . JC has raised many issues . Dealers can be an expensive weak link in the chain . This is especially so if they are multi franchise dealer. They can also be the strong link at times. . There is much to be said for dealers that are owned by the manufacturers or importers , they have skin in the game.
It's quite true that at times they're the strong link.
Good job John and good for Subaru.
Thanks Jim - agreed.
An absolutely great outcome, it doesn't get any better than that. It's great to see how things not only turned out but the post result analysis. Since 'bloody well done' has already gone, what can I say...damn fine splendid!
Good on Subaru Australia, I am a proud owner of a Subaru (3rd time) and hope that if I ever face a similar issue that I am looked after, obviously being assertive and not just accepting the word of the dealer is IMPORTANT.