PictureChasers Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Do many of you use dealer either for parts or service? We are having a huge string of major issues over rebuilding our Justy engine at Subaru dealer. It's not about price, it's about competency & telling the truth. We bought this Justy to rebuild only after confirming through dealer that for our rebuild, both new crankshaft & complete brand new Subaru shortblock were available in Canada, depending on how far we had to go. Our last rsort was to order the short block if internal parts were hooped, which sounded fine. We let them rebuild it before our biggest trip of the year, it's now apart all over their garage, and OH, now there's a problem. That crankshaft they had confirmed, doesnt really exist, and the engine available on 1.5 days notice, is now only possibly available, in JAPAN. And the engine seal kit? It was imaginary as well, oh but there are 2 seal kits to relpace that one, for twice the price. How can we do any mechanical job if the dealer is not responsible for being right when they tell me there is a part available? Should they not be liable to tell the informed truth? Who else can I ask if Subaru has a shortblock, if not my dealer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Our local dealership ordered a gas tank for my Brat... they said it would take a month to 6 weeks to get. Well, it took them one full month to tell me it was unavailable. Doesn't seem like most of them want to deal with the older models. Try Paul at Lithia Subaru in Oregon City, if it's available he'll know... or will certainly find out for you. Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Yeah, try telling them you want a part for an ea81 turbo.... "That must be aftermarket" or "ea81s only came with carbs...". Then once you've convinced them that the engine exists, they tell you tyhe part doesn't exist anyway!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PictureChasers Posted April 22, 2005 Author Share Posted April 22, 2005 Yeah, try telling them you want a part for an ea81 turbo.... "That must be aftermarket" or "ea81s only came with carbs...". Then once you've convinced them that the engine exists, they tell you tyhe part doesn't exist anyway!! Are these "older" cars doomed if even Subaru won't stock parts in North America? Mine is 1990. My biggest issue is first being told these items were available, before we even bought the car to rebuild. Items necessary to complete stages of our rebuild. Then they take our engine apart, now saying, oh, you meant you might actually want to SEE the part, well that's another story. Had they told us initially the REAL parts availability, we would not be in this spot, nor owning a Subaru yet. We seriously considered abandoning this car at dealership today. We only have $640 into buying it, if things dont improve on the dealership end soon, we may still yet abandon this car at dealer, and shop for another Rabbit to rebuild. We told them that too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GLCraig Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Doesn't seem like most of them want to deal with the older models. Try Paul at Lithia Subaru in Oregon City, if it's available he'll know... or will certainly find out for you. Good luck! Yes, Paul along with his parts counter staff, Rodney and Leah are really good about making an effort to help us old school folks. Best of all you don't need to give them a VIN number to look up parts, just a year and model. The management at Lithia doesn't let them stock the older parts anymore but the regional distribution warehouse is only an hours drive away, so most things can be had the next day. There have been a few things that need shipped across country for me and the fuel pump I needed had to be shipped from Japan but that they didn't complain at all about making these orders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rallyruss Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 dealers do not "deal" in older cars. you should find a local shop that can handle the task. and my local dealer has a horrible reputation among thye local sube freaks new and old. they all travle out of town to get decent service from Santa Cruz Subaru. if your car is more than 5 years old do not bother with the dealer your car is old news to them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Look guys, *I* and probably the only one who will get a phone call for a...87 carbed 4WD wagon, and look up all the parts, check all the partnumber changes, and check to see if its actually avalible. 90% of the time, the part *IS*, thats right, *IS* AVALIBLE. If you guys ever have any issues, please dont hesistate to call Prestige SUBARU Parts Department. 1-828-298-9600 Ask for Will, thats me. Or you can PM or email (wmaham1701@hotmail.com) your parts request. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 dealers do not "deal" in older cars. Yeh, its pretty sad to call up a random dealer and ask for a common part for the Leone/Loyales...and they right up and say "SUABRU no longer offers any parts for that car" or similar. Then I started working at the dealerships...starting hunting down all the parts for them....again, 90% of the parts are avalible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mudrat79 Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Hey Pic Chaser.... Is your Ride Carbed or Injected....??? In America I did a Check....There are several Short Blocks Available for 90-94 Injected models, Also is yours a stick or auto...??? That May make a Huge difference....I asked for a stick Model And there were several of those available..... Kinda Sounds to me as if the Dealer your Working with doesn't want the Work/Job..... Another route you might think of Going, is Get a Good Long Block through a Junk yard, and have that installed.... Also , The Gaskets are all still available....I did a complete Re-Seal to an 88 Justy last Summer, and Everything was a day out ......Meaning Portland Warehouse Had them...... Good Luck, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MorganM Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Parts: It's like pulling teeth to get any parts service. Plenty of attitutde, audible *SIGH*s, no 'good bye' just hung up on, etc etc. By the attitude I get you'd think looking in a book for a part was like cleaning up a raw sewage spill. And NO I do not give them any attitude back or to begin with. I call up and politly give them my VIN and ask nicely for what parts I need. Soon as they punch in my VIN their negative attitude kicks in... Service: I do all my own service and their's is not required. I'd never take one there anyway; costs too much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 just for EVEYONE's future reference...the VIN filter does NOT work on any of the SUBARU Leone/Loyales... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoahDL88 Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 I'd try Carter Subaru in seattle, the responce i get from them is always "how many do you need" every where else is " i don't think there are any more of that in the US" Hodges here in michigan has been great though, takes a bit for them to find the obscure stuff, but John always finds it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operose Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Is your Subaru dealer competent? short answer: NO long answer: still NO they didn't even know what an ej22 was Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hooziewhatsit Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 just for EVEYONE's future reference...the VIN filter does NOT work on any of the SUBARU Leone/Loyales... why exactly do they need the VIN? I called the local dealer a while ago about the front seal for a 3AT tranny.. 'we need the VIN since we'll have to go to Subaru for it' And of course I didn't have the car here, so I didn't have the VIN. so, instead I went to local place who had it in stock (not oem, but it works) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 The vin for any of the Impreza 1993+ and the Legacy 1995+ is needed because its cataloged EXACTLY what part goes onto each car, so from the VIN information, we can narrow down 036520937 possible interior color codes to one....the VIN also has the exact production date so it rules out all the other stuff. The VIN does not work on the 1st gen legacys as they were not cataloged 100%...sometimes it workes, sometimes not. As for the Leones....you can punch in the vin and it will tell you what it is, but the Parts filter for the VIN does not work. There is no way you can screw up a 3AT front seal unless you are completely stupid. Its simple: 2wd or 4wd? turbo or non turbo? 4 speed or 3 speed auto? what year? Yeah, ive got that one in stock. Easy. IIRC the 3AT's are all the same regardless of turob, 4wd, and year. JATCO 3AT=same across the line. The only reason *I* would need a vin for a Leone is to get the key code to make a key. Otherwise, if its 93+ Impreza, 95+ Legacy....I get the VIN to make sure I get the right part. Its especially important when body shops call in for interior parts, and shops call in for small electrical parts for the engine or transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85Sub4WD Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 NO - my dealer caught my car on fire by pouring motor oil down the preheat tube - tried 7 different carbs and never got one to work properly - and about half the retaining bolt/screws for the passenger side of the dash are gone because of them WJM - it is Southern States Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Well, compared to some of your experiences, my dealer isn't that bad. They may not know what they are talking about, but they generally try to do their best to find the part your looking for. I have also been pleasently suprised with cheap prices on many items lately - except for the set of hydraulic lifters for NZ$513 (US$370)! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WJM Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 NO - my dealer caught my car on fire by pouring motor oil down the preheat tube - tried 7 different carbs and never got one to work properly - and about half the retaining bolt/screws for the passenger side of the dash are gone because of themWJM - it is Southern States Souther States since its new ownership takeover is t3h suckage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redskin Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 Wow, is it really that hard to get bits in the states? here in Aus parts for older models are readily available from dealers including all the body panels, yep, even roof skins. l recently rebuilt my Brumby from the ground up and replaced enough parts to empty out the bank account, (and make the wife nervous, ), These included all the body clips, inside and out, windscreen and rubber, numerous mechanical bits, internal dash parts and anything else that was suss, the total rebuild price including paint was about $5000 Aus,and l did all the work myself, a little pricey perhaps but for my money l now have a near new car. About the only bits that are unavailable are early turbo bits as they were not released in this country. Don't really know how this would help you other than to say your dealers are full of crap if thats their stand on older parts, they must be geared to forcing people into new cars, hope this helps. Pete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
operose Posted April 22, 2005 Share Posted April 22, 2005 they must be geared to forcing people into new cars that is EXACTLY what they're trying to do.... "oh, we don't have parts for that crappy old car you're driving... BUT I've got a great deal on a 2005 blah blah blah blah" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snowman Posted April 23, 2005 Share Posted April 23, 2005 Wow, is it really that hard to get bits in the states? here in Aus parts for older models are readily available from dealers including all the body panels, yep, even roof skins. l recently rebuilt my Brumby from the ground up and replaced enough parts to empty out the bank account, (and make the wife nervous, ), These included all the body clips, inside and out, windscreen and rubber, numerous mechanical bits, internal dash parts and anything else that was suss, the total rebuild price including paint was about $5000 Aus,and l did all the work myself, a little pricey perhaps but for my money l now have a near new car. About the only bits that are unavailable are early turbo bits as they were not released in this country. Don't really know how this would help you other than to say your dealers are full of crap if thats their stand on older parts, they must be geared to forcing people into new cars, hope this helps. Pete. I think that has a LOT to do with the fact that they sold the Brat/Brumby in AUS for a lot longer than in the US. 87 was the last year in the US right? What was the last year in AUS? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zefy Posted April 23, 2005 Share Posted April 23, 2005 i've given up on the dealerships... they a bunch of idiots... well the guys at wolfe aren't bad but the guys in richmond are idiots... all i deal with now is the certified suby repair place near my house... they don't mind getting there hands off the keyboard and into the backroom with the books and microfilms... everytime i ask the dealership they want a VIN... well my 79 brat doesn't have the 13 digit VIN that we have all grown used to... i even tell them, "the VIN won't work... its 10 digits..." they insist that i get it... the guys at the repair place know what kinda car i got and know where to look and give me a straight answer at the beginning... no jumping hoops... if i were you i would find one of these places... oh also... dealers don't know anything... they left the battery ground disconnected on the 01 legacy after a clutch job... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ross Posted April 23, 2005 Share Posted April 23, 2005 I think that has a LOT to do with the fact that they sold the Brat/Brumby in AUS for a lot longer than in the US. 87 was the last year in the US right? What was the last year in AUS? We got the Brat/Brumby untill '94 in New Zealand, i'd say Austrailia was the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
subie94 Posted April 23, 2005 Share Posted April 23, 2005 i myself just deal with the guy i got my subie off of,he also has a small dealership that he runs out of his home.i've known him for years an has gottin a many subies off him. it turns out he has some connections at acouple local area dealerships(just for parts) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seahag1978 Posted April 23, 2005 Share Posted April 23, 2005 i myself just deal with the guy i got my subie off of,he also has a small dealership that he runs out of his home.i've known him for years an has gottin a many subies off him. it turns out he has some connections at acouple local area dealerships(just for parts) Wanna share his name? The 3 local dealerships here are worthless for older parts. One refuses to look for parts, the other told me to buy a new Subaru?! Way to win a customer huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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