Shady behavior by Subaru Pacific (Hawthorne CA)

[waldoputty]

this is my elderly father's first subaru. it has been decent and reliable, but the car died 3 times in last 2 weeks. i did a little googling and found a subaru battery settlement that applied to my car - 2019 legacy. so i made an appointment for the battery test/replacement for this parasitic power draining issue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Subaru_Outback/comments/yfusm0

the staff was friendly and i waited my 2 hours. then my service rep came back and told me that i needed to pay $400 for a new battery. that was 2x more than what AAA would have charged, but i was not that surprised given it is a dealer. however, when i asked about the battery settlement parasitic draining issue, that is when i was shocked.

The service rep told me that the settlement does not apply because they did not find parasitic power drainage from the car. That sounded reasonable, but he continued to say that they DID NOT TEST the car for parasitic drainage because the battery is dead. OMG

Basically subaru is weaseling out of their responsibility because the battery is dead. EVEN WORSE is that fact the rep was about to push me out the door with a new battery.

SO IT WAS OK IF MY 80 YEAR OLD FATHER's CAR WOULD HAVE LEFT THE SHOP EVEN IF THERE IS A POWER LEAKAGE PROBLEM. The key is that they did not want to do a test that may cause them money from the battery court settlement. Huge disappointment and very unethical.

 

[waldoputty]

this is my elderly father's first subaru. it has been decent and reliable, but the car died 3 times in last 2 weeks. i did a little googling and found a subaru battery settlement that applied to my car - 2019 legacy. so i made an appointment for the battery test/replacement for this parasitic power draining issue.

https://www.reddit.com/r/Subaru_Outback/comments/yfusm0

the staff was friendly and i waited my 2 hours. then my service rep came back and told me that i needed to pay $400 for a new battery. that was 2x more than what AAA would have charged, but i was not that surprised given it is a dealer. however, when i asked about the battery settlement parasitic draining issue, that is when i was shocked.

The service rep told me that the settlement does not apply because they did not find parasitic power drainage from the car. That sounded reasonable, but he continued to say that they DID NOT TEST the car for parasitic drainage because the battery is dead. OMG

Basically subaru is weaseling out of their responsibility because the battery is dead. EVEN WORSE is that fact the rep was about to push me out the door with a new battery.

SO IT WAS OK IF MY 80 YEAR OLD FATHER's CAR WOULD HAVE LEFT THE SHOP EVEN IF THERE IS A POWER LEAKAGE PROBLEM. The key is that they did not want to do a test that may cause them money from the battery court settlement. Huge disappointment and very unethical.

as an update, the bmw advisor apologized and actually paid for the battery. we shook hands and walked away.

 

[Ecmbuster]

Obviously there is a lack competence. That Subaru TSB has been around for a while.
The simplest parasite test I worked on is with a simple Bluetooth Sperry meter and Prova AMP clamp.
If there is a parasite, it can be measured and graphed over time to an Android or iOS device.
The entire test lasted 1,200 sec = 20 min.

 

[waldoputty]

Obviously there is a lack competence. That Subaru TSB has been around for a while.
The simplest parasite test I worked on is with a simple Bluetooth Sperry meter and Prova AMP clamp.
If there is a parasite, it can be measured and graphed over time to an Android or iOS device.
The entire test lasted 1,200 sec = 20 min.

wow i dont know what took them hours to do. well they told me there is no leakage, but i will have one more shop check it because my 80 old father drives it. i heard that there may be more than just the module that could be problematic. is there some software version that is needed to fix the potential issue? thanks

 

[Ecmbuster]

You will never know till the possible parasite is measured.
When I have a "problem child" this device is attached, monitors the battery voltage and connects via Bluetooth.
When paired, sends data to the smart phone. If your father is capable and understands a smart phone, he'll know in seconds without opening the hood or you both use it with the application. ie:

https://www.fruugo.ca/bluetooth-12v-battery-tester-bm2-battery-monitor-analyzer-charging-cranking-test/p-140083983-295899532?language=en

Amazon.com

As for the dealer, ask them because they list those issues with the VIN.
I would measure / test / monitor the parasite and this tool works great.

 

[waldoputty]

You will never know till the possible parasite is measured.
When I have a "problem child" this device is attached, monitors the battery voltage and connects via Bluetooth.
When paired, sends data to the smart phone. If your father is capable and understands a smart phone, he'll know in seconds without opening the hood or you both use it with the application. ie:

https://www.fruugo.ca/bluetooth-12v-battery-tester-bm2-battery-monitor-analyzer-charging-cranking-test/p-140083983-295899532?language=en

Amazon.com

As for the dealer, ask them because they list those issues with the VIN.
I would measure / test / monitor the parasite and this tool works great.

lol my 80 year old father is definitely unable to deal with these matters. that is why i am trying to make it foolproof for him.

is there a website i can search for issues with the VIN?

he uses a japanese car instead of german because we want to avoid problems, and subaru has 4wd sedan that is heavy enough but smaller than suvs. i am going to research your info further. thank you.

 

[Douglas007]

Sorry they tried to pull a fast one on your Dad. You're a good son for taking care of it. Here's a useful link to check for recalls:

Recalls | NHTSA

Use our VIN lookup tool to check for recalls on your car, or search by make and model. Also, get recall information on car seats, tires and equipment.

www.nhtsa.gov

 

[waldoputty]

here is an update. after a few months, the car battery problems got worse and worse. so I finally pulled the DCM fuze. after pulling the fuze, never had a problem again.

however my father essentially stopped driving so the problem is no longer as threatening.

recently the car started after sitting for more than a month.

subaru recently extended warranty for replacing the module. I need to take it to Subaru to get it replaced.

it seems Subaru is avoiding the recall for some reason. very disappointing.