Most ethical dealership ever. Too bad sales dropped and had to close due to Tariffs. Employed over 100 people.

This is a review of the service department. Brought my basically brand new BRZ to them for my 1k oil change. When I picked it up, the service sheet said they put 5-w30 oil in it (they claim their technicians wouldn't mess that up), and they also added 4 miles to it for "road testing". When I asked them why they added 4 miles, they said "up and down the highway," and when I asked why, they said "road testing." And when I asked what they were testing? They said "road testing." Conclusion: they basically took it on a joy ride. No reason to take a brand new car on a road test up and down the highway when you have perfectly good local streets to check for a basic road test. Also, never had my crosstrek be taken up and down the highway before, hmmmm. I won't be back. read more

I was in the process of buying a new Subaru Outback and I did a quick price check and found a much better price here. I quickly spoke with Lenny on the phone and was given very straightforward pricing details without haggling. In the end, this got me a comparable deal at the place I had been for the last 2 hours haggling, but I left with the feeling I should have come here first (even though it was 1 hour further away). In 3 minutes, I got a strong impression that this would have been a much better buying experience. read more

I've only had great times at this service center. My tech Harry is nice and always explains things to me in depth, and dumbs it down when I don't understand. I always pick up and drop my car without any issues and if there's even a small wait everyone is super apologetic- their online scheduling portal is also pretty simple. They provide complementary pick up and drop off Lyft services if you're within a certain radius which is super helpful. You can drop your car off before work and pick it up after. Your car will come back washed and in better shape than when you leave, based on my experiences ! I used to go to Steven's creek Subaru and they're good too if you're in south bay. read more

Had a great experience. Smooth and easy. Nicko was our salesman. Test drove the car we wanted. Worked out the numbers and purchased the car. Couldn't be happier. From sales, the manager and finance. No pressure and everyone was great Thank you Subaru Redwood City for easy and smooth transaction. Excellent customer experience read more

Aaron Ashley. That is the name you need to know to buy a Subaru. I contacted Aaron among others about a car in their inventory. I was seeking to buy a specific model/trim/color. Working through Trucar, I got 4-5 inquiries, including a dealer 3 miles from us with the same car in stock. Aaron was the only contact who made an excellent offer via email immediately and within 1-2 hours we had agreed on a price. The closest dealership relented and offered to beat his offer by $100, but having dealt with their underhanded tactics before, I decided to stick with Aaron. He offered an e-sign contract which locked in the price without subjecting myself to more sales onslaught. I am beyond happy with this purchase and would recommend anyone to buy with Aaron at Carlsen Subaru. read more

This a review of an experience I had at this establishment several years ago. I went in to purchase a used Cayman. I was willing to purchase the car for the sticker price provided it would be taken (at my expense) to Carlsen Porsche for a PPI. These fellas refused unless they ran my credit? Despite the fact I had cash. The salesmen claimed it had its 60k maintenance done and new tires. When I asked for paperwork they stalled. Eventually they relented and provided me paperwork for a jiffy lube oil change. The PPI came back with 5k of repairs needed, including new tires, brakes and a stripped oil drain plug. Needless to say I was glad I had the PPI done. These people just wasted my time and dinged my credit and flat out lied to me about the condition and maintenance done. read more

Crazy fast purchase 75 minutes including test drive, trade in and financing! Yes!!! Plus the rundown of the 1.5 million new features. Another 5 star purchase for my new Subaru. I was able to get an Amazing price for my new Subaru and for my trade with Sam Levy all from the comfort of my kitchen in about 20 minutes while making dinner. In case you foolishly think all dealers value your time, you are very wrong. My husband thought we should try a dealer in San Jose today, we spent more time sitting outside on a curb waiting for our sales guy, with an appointment, than my whole transaction with Sam. If your time is valuable or you just can't stand the multi hour car buying affair, call or email Sam Levy. slevy@carlsensubaru.dealerspace.com read more

Apparently this dealership is as cheesy as it looks. I had a great experience buying the car, hence the two stars, but when I brought it in for the 18-month service the tech saw an unusual pattern of gouges on the *inside* of one of the wheels. The service writer guesses they happened when the car was hauled onto the transporter to be delivered to the dealership. He thought they were significant enough to mention. I was concerned that perhaps the wheel is damaged and could fail, and he didn't disagree. He recommended I contact Subaru. I did, and a few days later a Subaru "Customer Advocate" got back to me saying that Carlsen wouldn't replace the wheel "because it won't damage the car". It's not the car's health I'm concerned about, it's my own. If that wheel fails at speed, I'll have a very bad day. I asked her if Subaru would guarantee that the wheel won't fail. She refused, telling me to contact Carlsen. I did, and they haven't responded. Supposedly the dealer cost of that wheel is about $125. It looks like Carlsen thinks that's a fair price to pay for a bad review and an unhappy customer. read more

Carlsen is great. If you do not want the add-ons that's fine! No pressure. They tell you all that is offered but it is up to you if you want it. You can finance through them or your bank or credit union. Back story- I searched for a new car for months and finally decided I wanted a Subaru. I previously went to Putnam where I was told that if I did not want add-ons that they did not have to sell me the car or I could buy an older car. He also said MSRP is a suggested price and they do not have to sell it for the sticker price. That is when my friend recommended Carlsen. It was a good experience. I am happy with my beautiful new Forester. Kirk (Salesman) & Victor (Manager) helped me with my purchase. read more

Carlsen Subaru is the best and I won't take my car anywhere else to be serviced! They do great work and have the best prices in the Bay Area for a dealership. I used to have my car serviced at a different dealership, and I finally called around to price compare after I was quoted an outrageous amount for my 60,000 mile service by the other dealership. Since then, Carlsen Subaru has always had reasonable prices, great transparency and I feel like they actually want to help me instead of overcharging/taking advantage of my lack of car knowledge. I recently went in with a concern and they gave me an initial estimate. Turns out the fix was super simple and Carlsen Subaru significantly reduced the price I owed which is a testament to their overall ethics and honesty. My tech (Jeff) is helpful, knowledgeable, and always takes the time to listen and explain each service. If you live in the Bay Area, I recommend using this dealership! read more

Had an issue with my Subaru seat as the fake leather/vinyl was cracking on my 4 year old car. Contacted Subaru of America and they asked me to take it to Carlsen for a technician to check out and confirm it was defective. The Carlson service advisor (name withheld) looked at it and said "the seats cracking, but it could be cuts". Huh??? It's f*ing cracks from the cheap vinyl used. Anyway, he took pictures and, when zooming in and looking at the pictures, it was clearly just cracking. However, he must have entered something in his system that said "cuts" as SOA refused to pay/fix the issue as they told me the Carlsen technician noted the cracking was likely some cuts in the seat and therefore not defective. I know this sounds like a rant, but this is a FAIL. Subaru has known defects in newer models where they try to use leather and vinyl for edging around seats. Even though this is a top of the line Subaru, the vinyl portion is cheap and cracks --- even if you garage your vehicle and take immaculate care. Anyway, the guy at Carlsen service was absolutely useless. SOA WAS 100% willing to remedy the situation if it had not been for the Carlsen service advisor and his notation. read more

Almost-seamless process (a few unforeseen snafus on my end for the loan). The sales experience was straightforward, no-nonsense. Larry was great and notified us promptly when the car arrived at the location. Steve.. was also fantastic. Once we got to the heavy paperwork regarding finances he made it pretty much painless and was a great guy all around to work with. As expecting parents, we are so happy with our new Subaru Forester Sport! read more

Carlsen Subaru Service is excellent. I give it 5 stars, as do my friends who drive Subarus as well! My Service Advisor Jeff, explained things clearly to me and went over all the best and worst case scenarios for my car service so there no surprises. My car runs great thanks to the technicians there. Jeff and staff got me in and out super efficiently! Thank you Carlsen Subaru! read more

I had two experiences with Carlsen in my journey to find a crossover SUV at the end of 2020. The first time I was just starting to check out new Subarus (and also visiting dealers of other makes). I was in "explore mode" and not ready to buy yet, and I said so. The salesman at Carlsen let me test drive my initial choice, and then we chatted about the positives and negatives. He gave me some useful backstory behind that particular model, confirming (at least in my mind) that it wasn't quite right for me. I then asked about the Forester, at which point he seemed to lose patience, saying he had other things to do. Then he left abruptly. That final exchange left enough of a bad taste that I decided I would never return to this dealer. Fast forward a few months later to the point where I had finally decided on the car I wanted, a 2021 Crosstrek Sport with a moonroof, and in a very popular color (I had driven a similar one at another dealership). I submitted my non-negotiable specs to 17 Subaru dealerships all around the Bay Area, telling them to give me their best out-the-door price...And saying that they would be bidding against other dealers. (This method worked extremely well.) To my surprise, the second-lowest bid was from Carlsen Subaru. Carlsen was also the most forthcoming with the detailed invoice information I had requested. (With other dealerships it was more like pulling teeth). The biggest surprise was the person who contacted me was Sam Levy, the very same salesman who I had spoken to months before. As it turned out, the lowest bid dealer in Sunnyvale was giving me the runaround, saying I needed to show up ASAP or the car might be gone (which turned out to be a ploy). I had a conflict, so I asked Sam at Carlsen if he could match their lower price. He did so; and he said I could pick it up at a convenient time a few days later. It was just as easy after I arrived at Carlsen: all business and no games. Not only was the car spotless and ready to go for the agreed-to price, Sam was friendly and amenable, the paperwork was a breeze, and the other staff I dealt with were equally friendly and (mostly) low-pressure. At the very end, Sam even took the time to show me some more obscure features of the car, including how to properly synch up my phone. In short, Sam may not have been an ideal salesman to introduce me to the Subaru line, but he was a joy to work with once I settled on exactly what I wanted. Highly recommended for those in that same mode. (Next will be the service department - let's see if Carlsen can maintain this rating.) read more

Carlsen Subaru - my new ride - Auto Repair Near Me - Redwood City, California

Had my seatbelt tensioner replaced (wouldn't extend) but wasn't given rental car, so had to drive dangerously for a couple weeks. Overall experience wasn't too bad, communication was pretty good even though texting is slow. Got to shuttle back and forth from home read more

In 2015 I purchased a Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited from Sam. That purchase was a total pleasure and we got a great deal. I don't recall if I left a review back then or not. Well a few weeks ago my daughter and I stopped in because Carlsen Subaru had a used 2019 Crosstrek Limited with low miles for a very reasonable price. They let us take it for a pre purchase inspection (PPI) and it checked out fine (literally zero problems found). Sam also suggested a different idea - a brand new 2023 Crosstrek Limited with zero options / accessories / PIO's that was due in in a couple weeks. We sat down and talked price, and like last time, Sam was low pressure and the price was super competitive (remember this review is during the supply chain debacle/chip shortage/etc. We went home and contemplated it, then decided that for only about 10% more we'd prefer a brand new vehicle with a brand new warranty. We emailed him to sign up for it. Because we were a repeat customer (I think that's why), no deposit was required. When it came in, Sam was just as easy going, and the purchase went smoothly with ZERO baloney dealer added equipment, "Additional Dealer Markup" (ADM) or "Market Adjustment." And our time in F&I (Finance and Insurance) was just as relaxed and low pressure (this is where most people start dripping in sweat)! The entire purchase process took just under an hour and a half (and a good part of that time was Sam showing us everything on the vehicle and how to use it.) Bottom line is, if you want to buy a Subaru, please don't go anywhere else (a dealership elsewhere in the Bay Area is asking, maybe requiring, a "Protection Package" for an additional $698.) We actually had FUN buying the car, which is how it ought to be (but not how it usually is - buying a car is usually a dreaded thing where you imagine it taking half the day or more.) And don't forget to ask for Sam :-) read more

I didn't have a pleasant experience here. No one was outside helping guests we had to physically go inside just to holler at a salesman to come out and show us a car. We wanted to test drive the WRX and they had one in stock that happened to be like the company joy ride car. It had a lot of miles on it and they still wanted full retail price which was not cool. Why would you take a rare car out to be the hot ride car? Obviously depreciated the value. On top of that the car salesman wasn't helpful. Basically like here are the keys here you go. If you want a Subaru go to Albany they are way more attentive and actually want your business. read more

We bought a Crosstrek at Carlsen in 2020, and are considering buying another for a different family member. I have been looking at the various Subaru dealers in the area, and want to point out that **Carlsen was the only one that avoided huge over-MSRP markups during the car shortage in the past year**. Even when they had only a very few cars, they kept the price at MSRP. When we buy the second one, I am buying at Carlsen again. My first purchase there was excellent and I expect the next one to be, as well. read more

Long overdue review: If you're looking to purchase a new car John Minch is your guy. Purchased a new Crosstrek as a surprise 80th birthday for my dad. Spoke with John on the phone and coordinated through text. No bait and switch-no haggling-no upsell. Flew up to SF for the day and went to the dealership at the appointed time and John had everything ready as agreed. John and his doggo came in on their day off. The car was washed and prepped and the finance guy was ready to process the paperwork. My brother and I were in and out of the dealership in less than an hour. Dad was completely surprised and drove us in his new car to his birthday lunch that same afternoon! He loves his Crosstrek! Pretty perfect transaction! Thanks John! read more

I just purchased my 2025 Subaru Outback from Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City. This was by far the best car buying experience I ever had. The staff is professional and friendly, they knew exactly what I was looking for and within minutes it was ready for test drive. There was never any sales pressure, they worked out the numbers to our satisfaction. At finance, I only purchased what I needed. The entire process took less than 2 hours. Going forward Carlsen Subaru, although 2 hrs. away from where I live will be my dealer of choice. read more

Exceptional friendliness, courtesy, patients and professionalism. I recommend Carlson Subaru to anyone that buys one and needs to get it serviced. read more

We always take our car for service there. Great service. The crew is courteous from drop off to pick up. We never feel that we are charged for unnecessary repair. read more

Please do not go to the service center here. Save your time, money, and sanity. Very disappointed in their disability to diagnose issues with my vehicle and the misdiagnosis leading to thousands of dollars in un needed repairs. I will not be going back to this dealership and would tell anyone who needs work on their Subaru to avoid this place at all costs read more

This is specifically for the sale team and Larry Fung. Ordered a 2022 subaru BRZ from them and they delivered before the promised date and at the best price around the bay area. The delivery process was smooth and even the finance process was smooth. Highly recommend! read more

Got a new brz from Sam and he's awesome. The car is great too. I'd highly recommend Sam and Carlsen Subaru. read more

Carlsen Subaru - Auto Repair Near Me - Redwood City, California

All considering the situation of the chip shortage right now I am very happy to have received my order of a brand new 2022 BRZ. I did not pay mark up, "dealer installed accessories", or any hidden fees. I did order last year all the way back at the end of August 2021 and was given a total out the door price that did not change when receiving delivery. Sam was very straightforward and was able to answer all of my questions while I was waiting for my car. No fuss was given when it came time to visit finance. I was not pressured to buy or add anything. It was an easy process to buy a car here. It's still very difficult to get a brand new 2022 BRZ or GR86 without markup and unfortunately Subaru stopped all orders for this car. If you are waiting for a car here, it will be worth the wait. read more

Carlsen Subaru - Just bought exactly what I have ordered! - Auto Repair Near Me - Redwood City, California

Recently purchased a Subaru Forester here. Just wanted to talk about the overall experience. Saw the car listing on website and proceeded to "Get Today's Best Price". Sales consultant Larry Fung emailed back the next day with a quote of 1000 over invoice which I though was reasonable so immediately emailed him back to setup an appointment for a test drive. Arrived at the dealership the next day and asked for Larry. He came out shortly and greeted me and said my car was ready for test driving. Immediately took me to the car and then just handed me the key to do the test drive by myself. Larry seems overall a nice guy but not too talkative and didn't seem to know too much about the features of the car. Definitely not you typical car salesman. After test driving the car, came back to the dealership and told Larry I'll take it. So far the experience has been OK. Not great or good. After going through some paper works it was time for the finance manager. Forgot his name. Could be Victor. White male with a European accent. Stepped inside his office and was greeted with a smile and some small talks. After a few minutes, started his sales pitch for extended warranty and maintenance services. I politely declined them all and the smile was gone. Instead, kept pressuring me to make the additional purchase by using scare tactics. For example: - Everything will be different after COVID. - If you don't buy it now, it'll be a lot more expensive down the road. This was by far the worst 15 minutes of car buying experience. Overall, I would say if you can get a good price from them then by all means make the purchase from them. If not then go somewhere else. read more

2018 Subaru Crosstrek- brought it in for some Subaru recalls and to get an oral change. Their service department was fast and efficient and I was in great hands with Jeff. He made sure to follow up with me as the work was getting done and kept me appraised of the estimated time of completion. They made it easy to drop off, pick up a courtesy vehicle and pick up all in the same day. If you need any work done I wouldn't hesitate heading in and talking to Jeff Signorello, he will take care of you. Great work Subaru of Redwood! read more

Carlsen Subaru - Subaru - Auto Repair Near Me - Redwood City, California

I really like the customer service they provide . They are friendly, listen to your concern. & give you options, no hard sell. I called to schedule my service. The lady who book my appointment was friendly & helpful. I did have some questions & no one was available at that moment, she said will find someone from the service dept to call me back later today. nick@ service called me back with the price quote ! I asked if it is necessary to replace the cabin filter since i bought my car last year? he said if it doesn't need to be replaced, he could subtract the cost from the price quote. Gwen helped me to check in. (I think he helped me on my last service too) he verified what we were doing today, the cost, and make sure if the cabin filter is not needed. He won't bill me. He also offered me a package which will save me $400 dollar! it was a great deal. Before I say yes to the package, he even told me take some time to think about it. No hard feelings if I turned it down. My car was ready for pick up within the timeframe (3-4hr), they found the cabin filter in good condition, no need to replace it, save me $100.00 When I pick up my car, I decided to buy the package to save my $400 & I truly like the way they handle the customer. Gwen, again, thank you for your help and offered me the package to save my $$$ They also offer Uber/Lyft for drop off and pick up so I don't need to wait there for 3?to 4 hours. read more

I wish I could give more than 5 stars!! Today was my second super positive experience with Carlsen Subaru Service Center over the past few months. I called first thing this morning, and was able to get a 10:30am appt for an issue re: my key getting stuck in the ignition. Having a very busy week ahead- I was so happy that I could get an appt the same day as calling, and that the issue was resolved by this afternoon! Not only did Carlsen Subaru take care of the cost of repairing this issue and the service hours, but they also ordered me a Lyft home after my morning drop-off! The service rep Bob was super efficient and helpful and today was a truly positive experience... THANK YOU! A few months back, another very helpful service rep (I think his name was Jeff) went out of his way to assist with working with a third party warranty (purchased at Marin Subaru). I know this is isn't the standard practice- but Jeff truly went above and beyond to get my problem resolved and make sure that I wasn't stuck was a massive out of pocket expense. And over the few days it took to resolve my issue, I was issued with loaner Crosstrek Subaru without any hassle. Having limited knowledge about cars and repairs- I feel like I have been taken care of thoroughly and my best interest was always prioritized. Thanks for the excellent service- I look forward to routinely bringing my Forester here!! Thanks again. read more

I've had only the best experience at this dealership for both service and sales. Shout out to Kirk who is so patient and goes above and beyond to hear your situation and address your needs. I've also had a very efficient service experience there too. Easy to get in and out and they allow dogs in their lobby! read more

Took care of an issue pain free, as it was under warranty. Diagnosed and solved a noise that was coming from the car. Turns out debris was caught in a cavity, causing the noise. Also like the lyft service they provide for local residents. read more

TL;DR: I took my car into the shop to repair my transmission, they DROPPED and BROKE my new transmission, and even after getting a new part for my new transmission, they are still unable to finish. Very uncommunicative, I almost ALWAYS have to be the one to call to get updates. *VERY* unsatisfied with their service. ZERO STARS. So this all started on August 10th, which is almost 3 weeks ago. I recently bought a used 2016 Impreza and noticed that after driving for a while it started making grinding noises so I decided to take it into the shop to run a diagnostics check. We brought the car in and when we asked about possible repairs they let us know that they don't take any warranties besides factory warranties, so our CarMax warranty would be useless at this shop. We told them we would do diagnostics here, but take it to a different place for repairs, our service agent was Harry. The diagnostics take the whole day and I only find out what's wrong with the car after I call them (this will become a running theme with this dealership). They tell us our car has a transmission issue, but the factory will cover the repair so we can keep the car at their shop, since they already started the process of ordering the new part. We come to pick up the car and Harry tells us we should call by 8/17 to get the status. I called the dealership on 8/17. Harry let me know the factory still hadn't approved the shipment of the part, and so I should call on Monday 8/21 so he could tell me when it would arrive. I called him on Monday and he let me know that the transmission had shipped and will arrive on Wednesday, with repairs finishing on Thursday or Friday. The next morning Harry is the one that calls me (which is the only time they called me first) and let me know that the transmission is actually coming in at 3 pm, and that I could take the car in that day. I do so, expecting that maybe the repairs could finish a day early since the part early. I drop off the car and Harry lets me know that they would still finish on Thursday or Friday. Three days pass, with no call from the dealership. So I call on Friday and ask them what's going on. THEY DROPPED MY NEW TRANSMISSION AND BROKE IT. THEY DIDN'T EVEN THINK TO LET ME KNOW, I HAD TO BE THE ONE TO CALL THEM. THE PINNACLE OF UNPROFESSIONALISM. Harry told me he would update me on the status of the car 45 min-hour later but obviously he didn't. I had to call them again 4 hours later and ended up being sent to voicemail. Harry called me an hour later to let me know that they should receive a new part for my new transmission by Monday, and that the car should be out of the shop by Monday or Tuesday, since it should be a simple repair. I call them on Monday, the secretary at first is unable to get me a representative, and asks for my phone and email so they can get back to me as soon as someone is available. I wait 1.5 hours and call them back, another secretary picks up and asks who my service assistant is, I tell them Rich (since Harry is out of the office at this point) and she tells me she will talk to him. They can't get Rich on the line but passes on a message saying that a master technician will come in the next day and finish the repair. I call again this morning, Tuesday 8/29. I get sent through the wringer again as the secretary tells me no one is available, asks for my number and email, and then tells me they'll call back soon. I call them back an hour and a half later, they tell me Rich is busy but he will call me soon. He does, and lets me know that the transmission has now been installed, but the check engine light is now on! They have no clue what's wrong but assume that it's a problem with the transmission harness (the part they broke when they dropped it). I ask him to update me and to finish as quickly as possible as I need the car to drive down to college in a couple of days, he promises to me that he will update me. I wait for 4 hours, and call them again. The secretary asks me for my phone number and email again, and they tell me that they will try and get someone from the maintenance department to call me soon for an update. Half an hour passes and still no call back, with the store closing soon. I have to call them again. Another secretary picks up and runs me through the same routine. They tell me that all the maintenance workers leave the shop at 5:30 and that I should call them again the next morning. This entire ordeal has taken 19 days with me still having no ETA for when my car will finally get fixed. This place is UNCOMMUNICATIVE, UNPROFESSIONAL, and EXTREMELY SLOW. I am NEVER taking my car back here EVER AGAIN. The fact that they DROPPED my transmission is ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS. If I could I would give this dealership ZERO STARS. read more

Took my 21' STI to get serviced here for the second time and disbelief of the service I got. I called to leave a message to the manager to call me back, but i don't know if the message got to him because the lady asked if I wanted to speak with my advisor and I said "no" because I wanted to hear from higher up what their protocols were for servicing and recall with no bs-ing from my advisor. Of course the lady told my advisor because he called me to "apologize" but at this point i don't know if he's bs-ing me with the things he's saying to not get back to his boss. I went to pick up my car because I got a call saying it's ready to be picked up. I get there and my car is NOT ready. Where is my car? My advisor went to look for it and came back to ask me what ticket number they gave me for my car and asked me what car a drove. Then went back to look for my car. I see him pressing the remote to look for it. Weird my car should be ready out in front if they called me saying it's ready. It also took me 12 minute to get to the dealership so that's plenty of time to get it "washed" or whatever excuse my advisor used. I get my car. The first thing I noticed my sunglasses are missing. I parked my car and proceed to look for it. Found them under my seat. Interesting how it got there. I was leaving the dealership and my car was jerky. Why is my car in sports mode when I don't drive it in sports mode. I called to ask what the protocols are for such service and recall repair. I get that they may need to "test drive" the car to make sure nothing is rattling. But I'm not seeing why they need to drive it in sports mode. Advisor said my sunglasses were probably placed somewhereto get to the main panel. There's no f-ing excuse. Put my stuff back where you found it. I had a great experience purchasing my car here with Sam! But unfortunately will not be coming back for any of my service done here. Also been over 24 hours since I left the message to have the supervisor call me and I haven't received anything so I gave them a chance to speak with me before I post this review. read more

BEWARE! Professional liars employed in this dealership service department. Told me the car was painted to avoid repairing under factory warranty. If you don't know much about cars stay away. This guy Gordon is very good. He will tell you that he is working at Carlsen Subaru because he likes to tell the truth (LOL!). Except he will avoid all eye contact and as soon as you expose him will tell you to go to another place because you had "offended" him. There is a reason why this dealership is so small while other Bay area Subaru dealers are growing. read more

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This review is highly overdue: I had been dealing with some mysterious sounds, which started softly, and progressively worsened. Each turn of my wheel to the left or right, produced loud clunking sounds which only worsened when the wheel was turned fully. After one shop misdiagnosed my car with bad CV boots, replaced them, and then when the problem wasn't solved (and in fact created another fairly terrifying sound in addition to the original problem), told me the sound was because of the tread of my tires, I finally turned to the dealership. I've had too many bad experiences with Walnut Creek Subaru and will never in a million years return there. I did however use Redwood City Subaru to replace my clutch about 2 years ago, and had already liked that customer experience. Fast forward to now - extremely frustrated and fed up. However, Redwood City Subaru pulled through yet again. Gwen was attentive and precise in helping to document the exact timeline and nature of the car's issues. He then went with me on a test drive and experienced the problems for himself. I then went on another test drive with the actual service technician, Johnny, who would be evaluating my car, so I could again replicate both issues. Hands down, Johnny was the most meticulous and thorough person, and ensured he got to the bottom of everything, before I got a call to pick up my vehicle. In the meantime, Gwen had set me up with a loaner car, which he was able to facilitate as quickly as possible, due to the nature of my car issues being somewhat dangerous. During the entire time I had the loaner, Gwen provided daily updates to let me know their progress and findings. Overall, this was the best experience I could have hoped for. Both Johnny and Gwen took me seriously about the issues, which was extremely appreciated. Quality service (and this was exceptional), comes with a price. And it was entirely reasonable, and 100% worthwhile. If you're in need of service for your car, especially with unusual problems (they had never seen this issue in a car without any kind of accident), I highly recommend this dealership. You can trust them. I'm glad I did. This read more

I wish I could give them five stars, but my initial experience when I brought my car in for service was not a good one. I'm not going to name the person who was extremely rude and questioning me, but I will tell you that their service director Maher Nijem is the reason I was able to give them four stars. He went above and beyond to make things right. He's professional and knows how to treat clients. Carlsen Subaru is lucky to have him as their service director! read more

Bought a car in an hour and a half. Unreal. After walking out of a bad situation at Subaru Oakland, partially involving $4000 of "mandatory" add-ons (etching, nitrogen, Lo-Jack, sealants), drove down to Redwood City to buy a Forester from Sam Levy, who not only honored his online quote, but also had the just-delivered vehicle out and waiting for me to take for a spin. No mandatory add-ons at F&I, and the transaction could have been even faster if not for half an hour undoing financing issues caused by Subaru Oakland. read more

I purchased my Forester XT at Carlsen Subaru 2 years ago. I felt like all my questions were answered and I had a good feeling about the car when I drove it off the lot. They had the best purchase price of the exact car I wanted within 150 miles AND their service was excellent! Just recently I had brought it in to get serviced since the AC wasn't working correctly. Thomas helped me out and even provided me with a courtesy vehicle since the repair took longer than expected. The repair report was well-documented and easy to understand. Also, I didn't know I had accidentally left my phone in the courtesy car when I returned it, but they emailed me instantly about it. I appreciate their honesty and their open communication. Everyone I have ever come in contact with there has been friendly and they are all safe and masked up during these times. They even provide hand sanitizer in many areas of the shop. My next Subaru will definitely be from them again. read more