JOEK39 Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Just got my'01 Forester with 93K on the odometer back from the Suby dealer, with head gasket job completely covered under warranty. I was very surprised , but the service manager tells me he is able to get from 50%-100% covered on failed head gaskets on most subys with leaking head gaskets, provided they were brought in under warranty several years ago for the cooling "conditioner" additive. The stated deal at that time was an extension of the head gasket warranty to 80K, so I'm definitely happy they covered this at 93K. Might be worth a shot for others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 awesome, nice hit getting it fixed. The stated deal at that time was an extension of the head gasket warranty to 80K, so I'm definitely happy they covered this at 93K. Might be worth a shot for others.that's not quite right. the Subaru extended head gasket warranty campaign is for 100,000 miles and 8 or 10 years, so you sneaked in under both counts, just in time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hondasucks Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 I just did one on Tuesday that had 94k on it. Warranty doesn't pay very well (3 hours for one side, or 7 hours for both sides) but this car also needed it's 90K service, so when it's all said and done it'll be pretty close to the 12 hours that I would have gotten for the head gaskets if it was out of warranty. Nice thing is once it's done, you USUALLY don't have any problems with it leaking again, and the single cam engines you don't have to pull to do either... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted June 18, 2009 Share Posted June 18, 2009 Warranty doesn't pay very well (3 hours for one side, or 7 hours for both sides) ... So Subaru says it can (or should) be done in 7 hours. so when it's all said and done it'll be pretty close to the 12 hours that I would have gotten for the head gaskets if it was out of warranty. But if I, the customer, am paying for it it takes 12 hours. Quite a revelation. Little wonder they're called stealerships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JOEK39 Posted June 20, 2009 Author Share Posted June 20, 2009 You're correct, the warranty extension was 100K miles or 8 years. I purchased car in 10/00, so I missed the 8-years by many months - but was within the 100K miles. Can't tell how many hours they billed SOA on warranty work, but I did have timing belt, water pump, and T-stat replaced at same time - charged me for $237 parts + $125 labor, for a total to get my car back home of $390. I'm feeling pretty good about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdjdc Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 12 hours for a headgasket job is such a rip off. I am a shade tree mechanic (hobbyist) and I can do a full headgasket job with reseal in 5 hours. That includes pulling and replacing the motor, because I like to have it on a stand to do the work. The only power tool I use is a cordless impact gun, all the others are normal hand tools. I agree, it is no wonder that they are called stealerships. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timintc Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Had my drivers side HG replaced under the warranty in late 2003 at which time i was a very pleased customer. Fast fwd to 2008 and 65k miles later both head gaskets are leaking. The dealer wants no part of extending his previous work so i take it to an independant Subaru mechanic who replaces both HG charges me 1500 bucks and shows me the gasket the dealer had installed and its clearly the first generation of faulty gaskets. Sheesh am not too happy with the dealer here in Traverse City MI any longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
edrach Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Had my drivers side HG replaced under the warranty in late 2003 at which time i was a very pleased customer. Fast fwd to 2008 and 65k miles later both head gaskets are leaking. The dealer wants no part of extending his previous work so i take it to an independant Subaru mechanic who replaces both HG charges me 1500 bucks and shows me the gasket the dealer had installed and its clearly the first generation of faulty gaskets. Sheesh am not too happy with the dealer here in Traverse City MI any longerKeep the head gaskets for reference (hang them on the wall of your garage for a reminder) and write to SOA and tell them of your experience. Never hurts to persue what seems shoddy service and follow-up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 in general i agree with the sentiments about dealers. though anytime things are done on a "work order" basis and laborers are charged for hours, there's good and bad jobs. having worked in industries that do this, it's just the nature of trying to tame a huge beast. there's problems with paying "by the hour" too. it's just way more complicated than that from an organizational standpoint. when you're the laborer and get 3 hours for somethign and then run into problems diagnosing, rusted bolts, broken tools, or other parts break and knowing you'll 'get blamed', it's just a dynamic and inefficient problem all around. what happens sometimes is the "experienced" guys know which jobs to take (get paid more hours than it'll take) and the less experienced guys get the crap jobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdjdc Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 Gary: It just isn't fair to make people pay for others ineptitude. I shouldn't have to pay for 12 hours when the job only takes the mechanic 6. I think that is just fraud. Paying by the hour forces slower mechanics to become more efficient so that they don't lose jobs to the better more efficient mechanics. I think it is total baloney that a mechanic can work an 8 hour day and get paid for doing 12 hours or more of work just because that is what the "book" calls for. It happens in independant shops too, because they all work off of "book" hours. I know it is an industry standard, but it is wrong. When a mechanic is starting out, he should charge less by the hour until he becomes very good and efficient and then he can up his hourly charge. That way people will continue to use his services as he becomes a more proficient mechanic. Just my thoughts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted June 20, 2009 Share Posted June 20, 2009 right on mike, i do agree with. it gives poor service too. if someone can get paid for more hours than they work, do they think that encourages high quality service and work? quite the opposite, the quicker they are the better. having worked for large companies, in manufacturing - the only real world solution is to control everything yourself, but that cant' happen in large corporations. if you owned a large business you'd understand the non-efficient necessities they put in place. i don't agree with it, maybe there's a better way, but it's one of those "necessary" evils sometimes to survice the complexities of large markets, infrastructures, etc. if anyone can do differently, they would suceed immensely at business. for instance, and this is only one example of many, if it was based on actual hours - then warranty work would cost a company inordinant sums of money - because people would abuse that. "oh the spark plugs were all rusted and it took me 50 hours". you are honest - but all people and employees are not. which brings us back to - "stupid rules come from stupid people". another system you're thinking of likely has all sorts of holes in it (or you'd start a revolution in industry if it didn't) that would get abused by people too - so for a company to survive they have to do something. i agree, but this has happened because people are dishonest and greedy. and that's unfortunate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdjdc Posted June 22, 2009 Share Posted June 22, 2009 It is unfair that "book" hours are based on a job being done with nothing but manual tools and I know of no shop that doesn't have air tools and the best of equipment. The bbks really need to be revised to reflect a more "real world" situation. That would be fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unibrook Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 It is unfair that "book" hours are based on a job being done with nothing but manual tools and I know of no shop that doesn't have air tools and the best of equipment. The bbks really need to be revised to reflect a more "real world" situation. That would be fair. Welcome to the world of DIY!!! Why do you think so many of us buy our own tools and go to work in the driveway? Sure it takes longer to fix it, but by going slowly and carefully, I know I am doing the job right. Nobody cares about your car like you do. That is the reality. You know the old saying: If you want it done right... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forester2002s Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Welcome to the world of DIY!!! Why do you think so many of us buy our own tools and go to work in the driveway? Sure it takes longer to fix it, but by going slowly and carefully, I know I am doing the job right. Nobody cares about your car like you do. That is the reality. You know the old saying: If you want it done right... Ditto. Plus the satisfaction that I get out of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xoomer Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 My .02 From Working in a BRAND NEW Honda/Kia Shop, something like 70 bays... I was a parts guy working in the Shop Parts department.. (long story) I very rarely saw the techs working with power tools... Except when they had to.... It was a quiet shop.. except for the Occasional Curse word... Techs at this dealership can make more money doing PDI's than anything else. PDI's at this dealership pay 5 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olnick Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Techs at this dealership can make more money doing PDI's than anything else. That's good to know. What's a PDI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB99W Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) What's a PDI? Pre-Delivery Inspection EDIT: Of course, the dealer only needs to do that after they determine that you have sufficient ''Personal Disposable Income''. Later on, if the payments turn out to be too much, your credit card issuer will inform you of the ''Past Due Interest''. Edited June 23, 2009 by OB99W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flowmastered87GL Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 just a note on hours billed. SOME shops bill the same, say 12 hours for a head gasket, whether it takes them 5 hours or 20. You know, stubborn bolt here, socket down the intake there I have found most of the independent shops are pretty fair about either working longer and charging you just what the book says, or if its a super easy fix making it cheaper, or if its some easy fix, free if you are a good customer (not saying you will get a free head gasket swap, but they may replace your plug wires free or something...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eppoh Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 I thought Subaru supposedly had the 2.5L head gasket problem fixed in 2000? Will Subaru ever come up with another reliable engine, not prone to major problems? This is why I will only drive a suby with a 2.2. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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