My letter to Subaru- I am writing to express my deep disappointment with my recent Subaru purchase from Profile Subaru. I consider myself to be a loyal Subaru customer. Being a mother, it is important to me that I have a safe and reliable car for my family and I have found both those in my previous Subarus. My first 2 Subaru purchases were from a Subaru dealership and I had absolutely great experiences both times. It gave me such peace of mind buying a car that I knew had been brought up to date on its service by the dealership and knowing I would not have to worry about either safety or reliability. My first Subaru had 156,000 miles on it and yet I had zero mechanical issues after purchase. So, when it came time for a new car this summer I did not consider any other vehicle but a Subaru and I only considered buying from a dealership so that I could have the same peace of mind. I purchased my 3rd Subaru Forester from Profile Subaru on May 14, 2015. In less than 3 months since buying my Forester from your dealership I have experienced everything but safety, reliability and peace of mind. There are several reasons for this.
First, the Subaru was sold to me with only one key. I was not made aware of this until after paperwork had been signed and I was taken outside and handed this one key. Having an extra set of keys is important to me for safety reasons. If I lock myself out of my car or, even worse, one of my children gets locked in the car, I need to be able to unlock the car with a second key. For this reason, I called your service department to inquire about getting the second key that should have been given to me at purchase and found out it would cost me $220 to have a second key made. An expense I do not feel I should have to pay because an extra key should have come with my purchase just like every other vehicle purchase I have made.
Although cause for disappointment, the one key issue is the least of my concerns. Not too long after purchasing my new Subaru from your dealership my check engine light came on. I promptly scheduled an appointment with your service department, took time off of work, and brought the car in to be checked. I was told that it needed new spark plugs and that I was responsible for paying for this service. I am very disappointed that this service had not been completed prior to me purchasing the vehicle, especially given the fact that your own website states this should be done at 60,000 miles and the Subaru I purchased had more than this mileage. This is the kind of lack of maintenance I would expect from a private party sale, not a dealership. This lack of service negates my reasons for buying from a Subaru dealership. Not only does it strip my peace of mind but it also inconveniences me by having to take several hours off work to drive to your dealership and wait for my car to have a service completed that should have already been done by you prior to you selling the car. Not to mention, the financial cost to me. After spending thousands more on a dealership purchase than it would have cost me to purchase from a private party, I was now responsible for maintenance costs out of pocket. Also, this repair did not remedy the vehicle's issue as the check engine light came on just a few days after the spark plugs were replaced. For the second time I had to take time off of work, drive to Profile Subaru and wait for service to be completed.
Even more than all these above, today I discovered that I need new brakes and rotors for my back tires. After hearing a grinding noise coming from the back wheel, I had it inspected. What we found was beyond unacceptable. One of the back brake pads was completely worn down to nothing but metal. The other nearing the same amount of wear. As for the rotors, they were terribly grinded down. I am extremely upset that your dealership sold me a vehicle this unsafe to drive and as a result I unknowingly drove my family in such an unsafe car with no back brakes. This is absolutely unacceptable. It also concerns me that your service department gave the car a pass on its New Hampshire safety inspection when brakes are specifically outlined as one of the items included in the inspection process. I am just appalled. Of less importance than the safety issue, but still noteworthy, is my out of pocket expense once again to have this repair completed. These back brakes clearly should not have passed safety inspection and Profile Subaru should have never sold a vehicle without first replacing such worn brakes.
With all these issues in such a short span of time since owning the Forester, my sense of safety and peace of mind have completely vanished. I am constantly worried about breaking down and now have the added worry that there may be other safety items that do not meet inspection standard. I feel unsafe driving the vehicle you sold me in such poor condition. I am also upset about the financial burden it has caused my family. read more
