Subaru of America passes their verdict

The engine tear down has been completed.  According to Subaru, the engine failure was caused by an issue with the valves and damage to the cylinders. The fault was not due to "a lack of lubrication" although this is what the Wilsons were told at the start. And as far as proper maintenance, the findings of the tear down was that the engine was clean without sign of build up or gunk, meaning that proper service was done (even though it was not serviced at Subaru).

The result? Subaru of America has agreed to pay 75% of the cost to replace the engine. The Wilsons will be responsible for the remainder, which could be a bill of $1,200. The loaner car was no longer available, having exceeded the 5 days that Anchor had agreed to allow the Wilson family to use it.

The repair to the engine could take a week or more.

So that is the final decision of Subaru of America in the saga of the Wilson's Forester.

Thank you all for your comments and you support. Please feel free to let us know what you think about this final development.

UPDATE FROM W. MOORE:

As it turned out, a valve guide failed in one of the cylinders, which caused the valve to fail. It put excessive loads on bearings and damaged the cylinder and head of the engine. As mentioned, the engine was very clean inside, so it had nothing to do with lack of engine maintenance on the Wilson's part. This was mentioned by Anchor Subaru.

That helped in Subaru America's decision to pay for part of the cost to repair the damage. Mr. Benoit negotiated with Subaru America, in the Wilson's behalf, and got it so that Subaru paid 75 % of the cost of repair, which is about $3,500 total. In the deal they are replacing timing belts and some other components while the engine is apart. The Wilson's part in all that is about $900 with additional monies going toward the replacement of non-damaged parts just mentioned, bringing the total, with tax, to around $1200.

Considering that the engine was 5000 miles over warranty, they could have insisted on not doing anything, and while that would have been very undesirable, none the less, they could have taken that stance.

Yes, the engine should not have blown at 65,000. Obviously there was a defect in one of the engine parts, and it took that mileage to manifest itself. In a beautiful, loving, self sacrificing world, Subaru might have given a free loner car for the entire duration of the ordeal, (Which would have spoken volumes for, and put a feather in, Mr. Benoit's hat- I wish he had done that) and Subaru America might have made everything go away for free,(don't hold your breath) but that does not happen very much in the world we currently live in.

And it would also had been better, had Subaru really stepped up to the plate and pay 75% of their cost for the part( manufacturing cost), and their cost for labor (Anchor Subaru's cost), but they did not. Instead they are charging full retail price. Welcome to the real world. Still, all and all, I think the Terrence and Jennifer should be thankful for this outcome, and move on. And I thank Mr. Benoit for his part in it and wish him well.

Anchor Subaru "found the problem"...now what?

In reading comments left on the blog this morning, I noticed an entry from W. Moore in regards to the engine tear down findings done by Anchor Subaru on the Wilson's Forester:

"I heard from Terrence tonight. 01/31/12. Anchor Subaru found the problem . Something failed to cause valve stem and cylinder damage. They commented that it was not an oil lubrication problem, but some sort of failure. They also commented that the engine was very clean inside, no gunk or varnish, implying proper service by the Wilson's. Anchor Subaru will call Subaru America in the morning, as it was 6pm at tear down finish. Stay tuned........"


Now we wait to hear what Subaru of America is willing to do about the stranded Wilson family.

Your comments matter! The Subaru Saga Continues

Recently this blog has been getting some unprecedented attention as many of you have had something to say about the situation that the Wilson family was facing because of Anchor Subaru. Several of your comments have been lost along the way and I have received emails about people being unable to post their thoughts. I am very sorry for this. Please be patient while I look into the problem.

Please try posting to a different page, perhaps this one or Subaru Update. Please do not be discouraged but keep your comments and support coming. This isn't over yet.

Subaru Update

If you have read the recent posting I did about the situation regarding Anchor Subaru and my sister's car, I wanted to post this update.

Thank you to everyone for commenting and please keep it going because there is no end in sight, yet. The car is being held hostage and below you can read the official statement from Anchor Subaru in regards to the situation:

Hello this is Chris Benoit from Anchor Subaru I would like to respond by first stating we take any and all customer issues very seriously and proactively take steps to resolve those issues. We have been able to consistently grow our business over the past 17 years by among other things treating customers fairly and operating with integrity. Further, although we strive for perfection we sometimes make mistakes and when this happens we do the right thing and take responsibility for the mistake. We are a relatively small family owned business and we truly recognize that our customers are the reason we exist. In this context I would like to address some of the points made by the op jmaziarz.

The vehicle was serviced on Saturday 1/14/12 we performed 2 recalls and an oil change. The vehicle was towed in 4 days later on Wednesday 1/18/12 having traveled 132 miles since the Saturday service. We visually inspected the vehicle and found an internal engine noise, the drain plug and oil filter were tight and no oil was leaking from either place and the oil level was full. If we had found that either the drain plug or the filter was loose resulting in leaking oil causing the failure, I would have at minimum apologized to the Wilsons and paid for the repair. However, this was not the case. To support the point that we did put oil in the vehicle it would have been unlikely to have made it 2-3 miles before failure, whereas this vehicle drove 132 miles over 4 days before the failure.

In discussing the findings with Mr. Wilson the Service Advisor said that there was an internal engine failure causing the noise, the drain plug and filter were tight and that the oil level was full, and thus the failure was not caused an improperly performed the oil change but rather an internal failure.

The advisor then offered the possibility of Anchor obtaining goodwill assistance from Subaru of America to help defray some of the costs (the vehicle is out of warranty by 5,000 miles). The only requirement is that we would need oil change records as supporting documents. Mr. Wilson provided the records and they were presented to Subaru of America. The next step in the process it to obtain customer approval to disassemble the engine to determine the point of failure and report the findings to Mr. Wilson and Subaru of America. They will then determine the level of assistance if any that will be provided.

Throughout the process we have been in contact with Mr. Wilson and Subaru of America. We last called and spoke with Mr. Wilson on Monday 1/23/12 to get approval for the disassembly. We were told that he would call us back and we have not yet heard from him. We are looking forward to getting his approval and moving forward.

I would ask that Mr. Wilson contact me directly at (401) 767-5000.

Thank you,

Chris Benoit
Vice President
Anchor Auto Group
Anchor Subaru
Anchor Nissan

And here is my reply:

I would like to thank Mr. Benoit for responding. However, the facts remain that on two occasions, during two separate phone conversations, once to J. Wilson and once to Mr. Moore (J. Wilson's father) the reason for the engine fail was said to be "no lubrication in the engine" and it was only after proper paperwork was provided proving constant maintenance to the car and it was discovered that the latest oil change was in fact done by your service department, the story changed to an internal engine failure. Here I would like to point out that your dealership itself sold this car to the Wilson family 2 years ago. You stated that you are awaiting to hear from Mr. Wilson on whether or not to dismantle the engine. The facts are that it is entirely possible that if you and your dealership decide to not be responsible for the "engine fail" once the engine has been completely dismantled, Mr. Wilson will be charged the labor fee and then the rebuild cost to his engine. One can understand why there is a delay in his decision since perhaps he now needs to reach out and consult a lawyer. The Wilson family owns only this one car and has been without transportation according to you, since 1/18/12. Today is 01/27/12...and being that you take "any and all customer issues very seriously and proactively take steps to resolve those issues", why haven't you offered them a loaner car during this time? Let me ask you also, since there is a huge amount of public outcry about your treatment of this situation and we have heard from a number of unhappy customers coming from dealings with your dealership, how can the Wilson family feel certain that their car is being handled properly or that they will get an honest outcome? You sound very convincing in your response Mr. Benoit, but the facts show a lack of customer care and a change in your dealership's story. What started out as "lack of lubrication" and engine seizure has turned into a faulty Subaru engine that is suddenly the fault of the customer (when in fact the car was recently purchased from you and has been perfectly maintained). Even though you tried very hard to sound caring and concerned, I am left with doubts. And in the time that has passed, this is the very first time the Wilson family has ever heard from you, here on this very high traffic blog where many people have commented on the unfairness of this situation. In fact, I myself sent the link to your dealership's attention yesterday when I visited your contact page. I also visited the contact page of Subaru of America, explaining that this situation was creating a negative buzz about Anchor Subaru and, by extension, Subaru of America. How sad that it ever had to come to this but the reason I wrote this blog was because of the lack of care, concern and fairness that was shown to the Wilson family. And in writing this, I have heard many more sadly similar stories. Unfortunately, it would seem that the general opinion and advice to the Wilson family is that if they want justice, they need to seek legal advice. How sad that it comes to that. You may be a "family owned business" Mr. Benoit but you haven't treated the Wilson's like family and that casts a shadow on the name of Subaru as well.

Just as an added bonus, I asked about the recalls that brought my sister's Subaru Forester in to Anchor Subaru in the first place. One was a recall that had to do with the engine control module reprogramming. So beyond the oil change itself, they were the last people to touch the engine and then three days later the car died. And Mr. Benoit said that the car was driven for four days before it died when in fact, it was three. The car died at night on the third day and was towed back to the dealership late that same night.

There is still no help being offered from Anchor Subaru, other then the comment by the Vice President Mr. Benoit, as seen above.

I ask again that everyone please pass this blog along and let everyone you know hear about this situation. You can never underestimate the power of the written word or the people behind it.

Thank you again.

And please scroll down the comments section  of Subaru, How Could You? to read Mr. W. Moore's addition to the story. It's very interesting as well.

And stay tuned for further updates as then occur.

Subaru, How Could You?

I loved my Subaru. We were together for 12 beautiful years and when it was time to say good bye, she took a little piece of my heart with her.

Since I have had a long fulfilling relationship with Subaru, I was thrilled for my sister Jen Wilson and her husband Terrence when they purchased their Forester and joined the team. Once you fall in love with one, it changes you. Yes it does. I think its something to do with the all wheel drive. I'm not going to review the mechanical reasons why I love Subaru cars but rather the emotional reasons, because that is what I do. I loved my Impreza and her style, her pep, her dependability. I always knew that little ticking engine would start for me. She never let me down. Never.

Okay, what am I getting at? This is not just a reminiscence of my good ole Subaru days. I am writing because I am incensed by a situation that my sister is facing and the reaction of the company of Subaru.

Jen gets the oil changed in that car so regularly she has become the center of many jokes in the family and even at the mechanic where she goes. "Its a Subaru" we tell her, "you don't have to baby it so much". But without fail she keeps the maintenance up perfectly. And then she received a recall notice from the dealership (Anchor Subaru in North Smithfield, RI) where she purchased the car two years ago. So being the good little car owner she is, she brought the Forester in and while it was there the dealership offered to treat her to a free oil change, since they offered that service when she purchased the car but she always took it to Steve and Rick, our local mechanic (who happens to be a licensed Subaru Master Mechanic, which sounds like a super-hero but probably not one who wears a cape because capes are dangerous, as well all know) So Jen agrees to the free oil change purely out of convenience........................

AND THEN?????

THREE days later, whilst driving to get T at work (because they own only the one car, those little tree huggers) all manner of lights began flashing on the dashboard. Jen made her way off the clogged highway and was able to roll off to the side of the road while the Forester took its last hiccup of a choked breath and went silent. Now Jen was stranded, T needed to be picked up from work and their one totally reliable car was now unconscious on the side of the road.

After being towed to the dealership that had just serviced it three days ago..the cause of the problem? "The engine had no lubrication so the engine seized. You need a new engine" is exactly what Jen was told.

I repeat for emphasis:

"The engine had no lubrication so the engine seized. You need a new engine"

Greatly upset and surprised, Jen responded "You did the oil change three days ago!"

What was the retort? "Well, did you keep up the maintenance? We need to see proof that you were getting the oil changed on a regular basis"

Proof was provided the very next day but still Anchor Subaru was no explanation or response to repeated phone calls.

It has been a week and both the local dealership and representatives from the company, have refused respond on a plan of action. They have questioned our mechanic's abilities to care for the Forester and refused to accept responsibility for destroying the engine in Jen's car. How hard is it to remember that once you drain oil, oil must be replaced? There was no lubrication because none was put into the car after the oil was drained! They have not offered or agreed to lend a loaner car to Jen and T and the auto insurance will only provide a loaner in cases of accidental damage. But this is a case of accidental damage! Unless Anchor Subaru damaged the car on purpose! They refuse to replace the engine, they are holding the car at the dealership and have effectively stranded my sister and her husband, without any means of transportation. And a week has gone by.

So, I ask you, dear faithful readers, how do you feel about the way Anchor Subaru has dealt with this? I know some of you personally. Whether we are close personal friends or not,  I am humbled by the mere fact you are reading my blog. I am reaching out to you now. Please take a moment to comment on this entry. I will compile your remarks and forward them to the Anchor Subaru dealership that is handling (or I should say, refusing to handle) this ridiculous situation for Jen and T.

Or if you are bold and daring, feel free to send Subaru an email about how you feel as well.

http://www.anchorsubaru.com/contact-form.htm

Together we could shout out and create some change in the way big companies treat the average hard working consumer. Let's tell them that we won't tolerate this kind of treatment. We are not helpless. We have a voice. What could be more powerful than enough people saying "No, this is not fair, change it"?

And please feel free to forward this blog to anyone you know. Let's get the word out!

If you break something, Anchor Subaru, just fix it! How hard is that to understand?

Thank you for reading!

Little One

Why can't I be more like my dog Anna? She is satisfied with one meal a day and it is always exactly the same. No complaints, no refusal to eat (except when she is on a hunger strike, which is rare) She only drinks water so we never have to make a run to Italy for her when the vodka runs low. All she ever wants to do is exercise, seriously...it is the biggest treat for her. Walking or running makes her happy. She can jump at least 4 feet effortlessly. And I never see her sweat.

Anna is always agreeable to anything. No decision makes her upset, she packs light, never gets cold or hot, requires no special attention or plan. She is spontaneous and always in a good mood.  She is very clean, willing to lick your hands, the dinning room floor or any other spot you require. Anna has no problems relaxing, often sprawling in the center of the hallway or any other place you need to walk through, particularly if you are carrying something heavy and//or hot. She has an uncanny way of knowing in advance where would be the most inconvenient place for her to lay and she promptly lays there.

She has no addictive habits like caffeine and never complains that her feet hurt, head hurts, stomach hurts or that she is tired. In fact, she never complains, no matter what. If we leave her home she doesn't throw a fit. If we wake her up early she never grumbles. Even if we were to stay up all night, with the TV on, she would only sit near enough to be pet, leaning against you.

Anna happily chews on her toys, never gum or candy. She never uses all the hot water and dirties several towels. In fact she produces no laundry what so ever. No personal body products are ever consumed by Anna. She never complains about her pillow or mattress, she happily sleeps on the floor! You never have to change her sheets or buy her new furniture and she never whines about the chairs being uncomfortable.

My mother-in-law Denise spends hours each day talking to Anna about everything and nothing. Denise calls Anna "Little One". Hearing Denise chatting away reminds me of something else extremely valuable about Anna. She keeps secrets. I mean, really keeps them. Although there are times her eyes seem to speak volumes, she never divulges even the raciest, juiciest of tales. She is a vault, locked down!

Anna is never a backseat driver. Nothing fazes her. You can miss the turn, stop short, even forget where you are going and she acts as if she doesn't even notice.

Hopefully no one else in the family will ever catch on to how much more valuable Anna is than me, otherwise I may get left out on the balcony.

Earl Grey

I walk Anna every morning down our street, across the road and down towards the olive tree garden. Sometimes I deviate and we go down the stairs toward the sea. We have a pattern, a rhythm that we follow every morning. Along our way we meet different people and their dogs, some who ignore us and some who lung and bark at Anna (the dogs lung, the people look the other way for the most part). I assume they are barking at Anna. Maybe its really me.

A few days ago I noticed something different. Several feet down the road, along a property that is edged in shrubbery too high to see over and too thick to see through, a scent that could only be described as Earl Grey tea wafted into my senses. I thought the first time I smelled it that I must be imagining it, since I drink Earl Grey every morning and my nose must just be impatient to get home. But day after day since then I have smelled it. Gently lingering at one spot along the shrubbery and then take a few steps and its gone. Like the perfume of an exotic flower just beyond my gaze. Oddly enough, its winter here and nothing is flowering. The evergreens are all that is left of the foliage and spring has not sprung yet. Strange. I like to think someone is sitting just behind those bushes, at a table set for tea with two china cups and saucers painted in a delicate floral design with pink petals. Cucumber sandwiches cut into squares with no crust, scones and biscuits with soft butter and preserves. The tea is steeping in the matching tea pot complete with cozy and all I need to do is cut through the greenery and sit at my spot. And there are spoons, naturally.

This reminds me of the honeysuckle in North Province RI. I would walk Anna around the neighborhood where we lived and there was one spot, down a side street, where you would be walking and suddenly the sweet smell of honeysuckle would flood over you. I spent so much time looking for the actual plant but I could never locate where the smell was coming from. Like a fool, I would turn this way and that, sniffing the air like a hound trying to find the trail of a fox. A few steps beyond and the cloud would vanish. The invisible honeysuckle cloud.  And here we have the invisible Earl Grey tea cloud.