The things you own, own you
Ugh. The Subaru had been doing great until about a month ago when the "Check Engine" light went on - right after a regular maintenance check performed at the dealership.
We brought it back the next day and they said that it was a secondary air pump malfunction, which would not affect the driving of the vehicle, but to replace would cost about $800-900 between the part and the labor. They insisted it had nothing to do with the maintenance check, because it doesn't touch on the air pump, and reset the sensor system to see if that remedied it - the light stayed off for a few days, then came back on again. So, we decided we'd get it fixed, eventually.
We made an appointment for April 13th to have a new pump installed. When Chuck called on the 12th to verify that the part was in, they didn't even show an appointment. So, he rescheduled for the 20th. We dropped it off for a few hours and then came back, picked it up, and it was fine for a week - when the "Check Engine" light reappeared. Chuck immediately brought it to Advance Auto parts for a diagnostic check, and yes, it dinged on the air pump again. They reset the sensor system on the off-chance that it was the sensors that were malfunctioning. A week later, to the day, the light came back on again. We had it re-verified at Advance that it was the same reading - yup. Chuck called the dealership garage the next day and made an appointment for them to FIX IT. The whole thing is made worse by the fact that cruise control is disabled while the "Check Engine" light is on, so effectively we lose a feature while this is unfixed.
Really, we're only bringing it back to them at this point because we paid alot of money for a repair that did not take, and feel it's their responsibility to make it right. After this, we're not bringing it back in. They can't easily find the car and our names in the system, lost (or never made) a significant repair appointment, and as a crowning achievement, they may have fucked up the diagnosis and/or repair itself. Considering that this all surfaced immediately after a maintenance check that THEY performed, I'm really sketched out.
UPDATE: WHAT THE F - Another repair estimate this time, for new valves, for $1200??? EFFING SHITE MELONFARMING LINTLICKER FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE
We brought it back the next day and they said that it was a secondary air pump malfunction, which would not affect the driving of the vehicle, but to replace would cost about $800-900 between the part and the labor. They insisted it had nothing to do with the maintenance check, because it doesn't touch on the air pump, and reset the sensor system to see if that remedied it - the light stayed off for a few days, then came back on again. So, we decided we'd get it fixed, eventually.
We made an appointment for April 13th to have a new pump installed. When Chuck called on the 12th to verify that the part was in, they didn't even show an appointment. So, he rescheduled for the 20th. We dropped it off for a few hours and then came back, picked it up, and it was fine for a week - when the "Check Engine" light reappeared. Chuck immediately brought it to Advance Auto parts for a diagnostic check, and yes, it dinged on the air pump again. They reset the sensor system on the off-chance that it was the sensors that were malfunctioning. A week later, to the day, the light came back on again. We had it re-verified at Advance that it was the same reading - yup. Chuck called the dealership garage the next day and made an appointment for them to FIX IT. The whole thing is made worse by the fact that cruise control is disabled while the "Check Engine" light is on, so effectively we lose a feature while this is unfixed.
Really, we're only bringing it back to them at this point because we paid alot of money for a repair that did not take, and feel it's their responsibility to make it right. After this, we're not bringing it back in. They can't easily find the car and our names in the system, lost (or never made) a significant repair appointment, and as a crowning achievement, they may have fucked up the diagnosis and/or repair itself. Considering that this all surfaced immediately after a maintenance check that THEY performed, I'm really sketched out.
UPDATE: WHAT THE F - Another repair estimate this time, for new valves, for $1200??? EFFING SHITE MELONFARMING LINTLICKER FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUDGE