I took my 2018 Outback into Ramsey Subaru's service department two weeks ago at the urging of my trusted local mechanic, because the dashboard tire light was on and wouldn't go off, even after replacing all four tires. The service representative told me the problem was a module that controlled the four sensors for the tire, so he replaced the module, and then, I got the By The Way Routine: "We did a total check of your car, (even though I didn't ask for it), took pictures, and found that all these things need to be done (he gave me a long list), including pulling the engine to fix a minor oil leak. That's about a $4400 repair. You've got 131,000 miles on the car, so maybe it would be better just to trade it in." Those were more or less his words. To their credit, everybody at the Ramsey service facility is polite and efficient. Read on.
Skeptical. I took the report and photos to my mechanic and he said, "No big deal. That's just a valve cover gasket repair. The rest of those issues don't have to be done right now."
So, with the module supposedly fixed, I drove out of the service center, and within three minutes, the tire light came on again. I called the service guy back and we made another appointment. The issue was actually the four sensors that monitor the tires, which they didn't see the first time, despite me suggesting they check the sensors. So much for their factory trained technicians. To their credit, Ramsey Subaru replaced those free of charge today, which was appropriate, considering I shelled out almost $400 to have the problem fixed correctly the first time. That seems to have solved the problem. I hope. Of course, let's not forget to mention that they inconvenienced me by making me go back to the dealership a second time. Everybody's time is valuable.
The bottom line is, Ramsey Subaru, as well as Wayne Subaru, and World Subaru of Newton, NJ, are all guilty of trying to turn a small problem into a big one. All three have tried to con me into unnecessary repairs on multiple occasions, for minor problems that were easily repaired by my local mechanic, at a much lower cost than what I was told by these three dishonest dealerships. The other con job was to try and get me to trade in my car, which I have no intention of doing. I get letters, postcards, and now, text messages from all three dealers practically begging me to trade up to a new Subaru. I wasn't born yesterday, folks. I've been driving Subarus since the 1990s. Take care of them, and they'll practically run forever.
I'm not blaming the young man who took care of me at Ramsey Subaru. I'm sure he is instructed to suggestively sell expensive repairs and trade-ups from his superiors. The point is, it's dishonest. Having bought four cars from Ramsey Subaru, I expect better. I don't want to be conned, and neither does anyone else.
My advice is, think twice before dealing with Ramsey Subaru's repair service, or the other two dealerships mentioned. Don't let yourself be conned into anything! Get a second opinion from a mechanic you trust before agreeing to let any Subaru dealer repair your car. read more