I have nothing but high praise for Modesto Subaru Service & Parts departments! I own an 11 year old Outback which according to a diagnostic test needed a catalytic converter. I phoned & spoke with Steve Orr at Modesto Subaru & he looked up my VIN # & the Catalytic converter was a recall item & would need to be repaired by an authorized dealer to be covered. I already knew that Modesto Subaru was highly rated having many friends who use them. Still I went to yelp to search & check the comments & ratings for all the Subaru dealers close to Monterey, all the way up the Bay Area as far as Burlingame, Livermore, Central Valley & up to Sacramento. The ONLY dealer that had a high rating & many praise-filled comments was MODESTO SUBARU.
Modesto Subaru far exceeded my expectations! While in the waiting room with my dog, employees all petted her, gave her a bowl of water & treats. This impressed me, but not as much as the great ongoing communication from Steve Ford, who had checked me in for my 1:00 appoint. Steve came in to the waiting room every 20-30 minutes to keep each of the customers waiting, apprised of the status of their cars. This was not even to give any of us "bad" news, but to say things such as, 'the new brakes are being put in now & all is going as planned', or, to bring in the piece of interior molding that was being examined to show them & explain to the customer what was being done to fix it. These are not exact statements but an example to show you how they were keeping every one informed. The dealership was very clean, comfortable & nicely decorated. Free coffee & bottled water is in the waiting room area, which is not a dark dreary room, but an open area, bright & cheerful with a large screen TV with remote. Another customer said that in the morning, there was fresh fruit & other snacks for the customers to eat. Later an employee apologized because there were no snacks left to eat. All of the employees, whether they are associated with your being there or not are friendly & make everybody feel important & welcome. The shop was also spotless. Customers can go to a large picture window provided, to watch their car while in for repair or service. However, with the regular updates from Steve, a customer does not need to wonder what is happening because they always know!
Steve came to tell me that the oxygen sensor, which normally comes out of the bad catalytic converter to be installed in to the new catalytic converter, was rusted to my converter & could not be removed. Steve said, they did not have one in stock but it would be there the next day. They could have cheated & obtained an aftermarket oxygen sensor that day, but they chose to order an authorized Subaru sensor so the repair would be done correctly & up to Subaru standards! Steve said, we will give you a loaner car at no charge & you can go about your day now if you like, then return tomorrow to get your car. I was on my way with a brand new Impreza long before 3p.m
Saturday Steve was off Sat. but had introduced me to Brittany, who would be helping me when I returned to pick up my car. When I arrived Brittany was friendly & professional. She went over what had been done, as well as items recommended by the mechanic. Two of the three items I knew about, so her information was a confirmation of what I had recently learned from a trusted mechanic in Angels Camp when I had my oil changed. I asked Brittany which items were the worst &/or should be done first as they are all expensive repairs. Brittany answered my concerns clearly, & knew what she was talking about, explaining what causes & effects to expect if these items failed before I could take care of them. Much of this I already knew, but it was encouraging to know that she was intelligent & had a clear understanding of more than just reading off a sheet of paper provided by the mechanic. The other positive aspect of this is that it showed me that the employees at this dealership are honest & know what they are talking about. I also purchased some Subaru parts from the Parts Department on Saturday & was very pleased with Felix Andres' help & great customer service. Just as I had been earlier with Steve Orr in this same department.
If you are looking for a GOOD Subaru dealership, I can say that Modesto Subaru is one you can trust. I am surprised that Subaru is not on top of other dealers in order to keep their reputation as an automaker high, when they are so poorly rated, including many horror stories from customers. read more