rv7

My saga has come to an end. I did not want to post the details of what was going on until this issue was resolved. It is, and now I am. The following letter is exactly what I sent to SoA. It is extremely long, but I felt it had to be in order to cover all of the details. There will be no cliff notes. After having a horrible experience with Mastro Subaru, I called Subaru of America and began working with a customer service rep. I give him credit for being concerned about my case, but in the end, I still have no answers. Without further ado, here is the letter:

To Whom It May Concern at Subaru of America,

My name is Ryan XXXXXXX, and I am writing in regards to a recent experience I had at Mastro Subaru in Tampa, FL. I purchased my ’05 Impreza STi (VIN # XXXXXX) on September 11, 2005 from Williamson Cadillac in Miami, FL; the odometer showed approximately 8,500 miles when I bought it. I have wanted to purchase a STi since before they were available here and in 2002 I even filled out an online petition to help convince Subaru to bring the STi model to the U.S. I was thrilled when they finally showed up at dealerships and couldn’t wait to graduate college so that I could find a decent job and afford one. Needless to say, I was ecstatic when I had finally saved enough money and drove home in my slightly used STi. I chose to buy slightly used because I wanted warranty coverage, but I could not justify the additional expense of purchasing new. Overall, I have been very happy with the Subaru brand and I plan on putting my fiancé in a Legacy GT in a year or two. Subaru is the only brand I recommend to others. Despite all of this, my recent experience with Mastro Subaru has been nothing short of a nightmare and has nearly made me regret buying my car in the first place.

The whole ordeal began when my car shut off in a Wal-Mart parking lot. I had just pulled out of a parking space and began to accelerate in first gear when the car quit running. Thinking that perhaps I had clumsily stalled the car, I pushed the clutch in and tried to restart it. The starter was turning the engine; however, it would not start. At that point, I decided to look at my fuses to see if one had blown. When they all appeared to be fine, I knew that something was wrong and had AAA tow the car to my parents’ house. A few days later, I contacted Subaru Roadside Assistance and had them dispatch a tow truck to take my car to the dealership. They informed me that Reeve’s Subaru was the closest. However, I requested that it be towed to Mastro Subaru instead-a decision I would later regret. A friend of mine, who works in car audio, recommended that before the car was towed, I take a look at the ECU to verify that the wiring harness had not somehow come loose. I pulled the carpet back, removed the metal plate that protects the ECU, and looked at it. Everything seemed to be fine and all four wiring harness plugs were firmly snapped in place. I put the car back together. This was at approximately 4:00pm on 8/9/06. The tow truck arrived one hour later and took the car to Mastro Subaru so that the service department would have it in the morning; they were expecting it.

The next day, 8/10/06, I received a call from the service department and was informed that my ECU was corroded and needed to be replaced. The quoted total for parts and labor was $945 exclusive of tax. I was informed that the repair would not be covered under warranty because there was evidence that the ECU had been removed and was not reinstalled correctly. Specifically, I was told that the plastic cover that keeps moisture off the ECU was missing. This immediately alerted me that something was not right, because I had seen that plastic cover less than 24 hours prior when I inspected the ECU. At that time, I did not inform the service advisor that the plastic cover was present when the car was loaded on the tow truck. Instead, I inquired as to how the ECU could have gotten wet, and also asked where the ECU was physically located. The advisor then explained that the ECU was located in the passenger’s foot well area and that it somehow got wet because the plastic cover was not there to protect it. He apologized that they would not be able to cover it under warranty. In addition, he informed me that he’d left a message with the Subaru dealership in Miami (where the car was originally sold) to determine if they had any service records that involved removing the ECU. Since I needed my car back ASAP, I told the advisor to go ahead and order a new ECU so that it would ship out in time to make it here the next day. I realized that irregardless of warranty coverage, the car would need a new ECU and I wanted to get it fixed immediately. I asked for permission to leave work early, and drove to the dealership.

When I arrived at Mastro, I was greeted by the advisor that I spoke to on the phone. He brought me in to the service garage and introduced me to the service manager, John Coffield. Together, they showed me the corroded circuit board of the ECU and we briefly discussed it. I was again informed that the plastic cover was missing and for that reason it could not be covered under warranty. Then, the advisor and I walked through the service garage to go retrieve the metal case that houses the ECU. While walking, I asked the advisor, “Out of curiosity, what does that plastic cover look like?” I did this because I wanted to confirm that the plastic piece I had seen the night before was, indeed, the part that they said was missing. After he briefly described it, I knew it was the same piece. I then asked him, “What would you say if I told you that I know for a fact that the plastic cover was there because I saw it yesterday…because I did?” I explained that I looked at the ECU the previous day to verify that the wiring harness had not come unplugged and I had seen the plastic cover then. I also described the cover in detail, citing such items like the “F” that is embossed in the plastic as well as the arrow symbol that points towards the driver’s side of the car. He seemed taken a back, said it was “interesting,” and suggested that we go speak to the service manager, John. We then walked back over to John’s office, and the advisor informed him of what I had just said. I have never seen someone so speechless before. Never. John was silent for a few seconds and then began stumbling on words as he began speaking. He said that the bottom line was that my ECU somehow got wet and that it wouldn’t be covered under warranty. He also told me that there were other things that indicated the ECU had been removed; specifically, the bolts that secure the metal plate had been removed before. Of course they had! You have to remove those screws to look at the ECU, which is exactly what I just told them I did! In the brief conversation that ensued, John repeatedly indicated that the cover was not there. Every time he said this, I corrected him and reminded him that it WAS there, as I had seen it. He then informed me that he has to go by what the technicians say and he saw no reason why the technician would say it wasn’t there if it was. He had no answer when I asked “How would I be able to describe it (the cover) to a ‘t’ if I hadn’t seen it?” I told him that I thought it was “extremely odd” that the reason I was given for my service not being covered under warranty was that this piece of plastic was missing, when in fact it was not. Stressed and confused, I left for the day.

The next day, 8/11/06, I called the dealership at approximately 2:00pm to inquire about my car. I was connected to the same service advisor that I had previously dealt with. He said that they had just finished the car and it was ready to be picked up. He also informed me that they spoke with the dealership in Miami and they had no service records for my car other than the dealer prep work when the car first arrived. The advisor then indicated that the technicians looked at the car again and noticed that I had an aftermarket down pipe which had partially melted the air conditioner drain hose. He said that they could not tell if it was melted completely shut, but if it was, it may have caused water to back up and drain inside the car. Interestingly, I was also told that they had found the plastic cover in question. He said it was found stuffed under the passenger’s seat, “but it’s all crumpled up and looks like it’s been there for a long time.” I laughed at the irony, verified how late they were open, got off the phone, and drove to Mastro.

When I arrived, I found a salesman, and asked to speak with Pete Mastro, the owner of the dealership. I was hoping to speak with Pete about my situation and let him hear what I had to say before he spoke with the service department. Unfortunately, when the salesman went to look for Pete, he came back to inform me that Pete was already in a meeting with the service department. I then had a great conversation with the salesman, discussing all things Subaru: the Spec-B Legacy, the Limited STI, the ESX STI, and a slew of other stuff. Shortly thereafter, I was able to meet with Pete. I informed him that I would like to speak with him about the service that was performed on my car. The two of us then went in to the service manager’s office and sat down to begin what would turn in to a lengthy conversation.

Pete opened things up with a “Well, what can I do for you?” From his opening, I quickly got the impression that he had been briefed on my situation and was not going to be very open minded to hear what I had to say. I gave him the long-winded story from start to end. When I got to the part where the service advisor told me that my car was done and that they had also found the plastic cover, he interjected. Apparently, he was not informed that the service department found the missing cover earlier that day. Pete agreed that it was odd that I had seen the cover two days before, but yet it was “not” there when the service techs worked on the car. He offered to pull the parking lot security tapes to see if anyone had tampered with my car during the night. I thought this was ridiculous and told Pete that I didn’t think it was necessary. I said that I thought we could both agree that it was highly unlikely that someone broke in to my car during the night and removed my carpet and the metal plate, only to remove the clear plastic cover and then put everything back together. He seemed to agree. Pete also brought up the issue of my after market down pipe melting the A/C drain line. I informed him that yes, I was aware of the melting as I smelled the rubber burn for two weeks when I first put the down pipe on, but that the hose still drained fine. I then told Pete that I wasn’t trying to call anyone a “liar,” but that I found it odd that the reason I was given for my warranty being denied was completely untrue. Again I stressed that I knew for a fact that the plastic cover was there and again I asked “how I would have known what the part looked like if I hadn’t seen it?”

I then made a suggestion to Pete that he promptly dismissed as “impossible.” I asked him to consider the following scenario. The technician receives a car that is not running. He plugs in his diagnostic tools and learns that the ECU is dead. He then wishes to look at the ECU and begins disassembling to car. As he is removing the ECU, the clear plastic cover accidentally gets misplaced and is somehow pushed under the passenger seat. To me, this is a very real possibility. There is a minimal amount of room to work with in the passenger foot well area, and the plastic cover in question is not a very big part. Pete immediately dismissed this scenario, citing that their “Subaru Certified Master Tech” worked on the car and “he is way too meticulous to simply misplace a part.” I then said, “C’mon Pete, everyone makes mistakes,” to which he responded that there was no way it happened. He informed me that the “master tech didn’t earn that status for no reason.” He said that maybe one of the level two technicians could have done something like that, but not the master tech and the master tech is the one who worked on my car. Similar to what John told me, Pete said that he can only go by what the techs tell him and he saw no reason why the tech would say it wasn’t there if it was.

At some point in our conversation, John, the service manager, joined us. He was very short and to the point as he indicated that he had already sent pictures to the regional Subaru rep and that it was not going to be covered under warranty. John also told me that he though it was “very suspicious” that when I had originally spoken with the service advisor on the phone, I acted like I didn’t know where the ECU was. Then I came in and said that I did in fact know where it was, and I had even looked at it. What suspicions he had, he did not say. I then told them that I felt like they were questioning my integrity, but they assured me that they weren’t. Things were beginning to get heated and voice levels were steadily increasing, mine included. At some point I said, “John, you were speechless when you found out that I had seen that cover. Speechless!” To which he replied, “Yes, I was. I was speechless because I was trying to figure out why you acted like you didn’t know where the ECU was when you had actually looked at it.” I thought it inappropriate to laugh, so I didn’t. It was somewhere near this point that I said that I honestly felt like the whole thing was “fabricated.” This prompted Pete Mastro to stand up and inform me that there was “nothing else he could do for me and that he wouldn’t let me sit there and make accusations against his staff!” I then asked, “Pete, please tell me…how else am I supposed to feel? I don’t know what the hell to think.” He didn’t have an answer and again indicated that he can only go by what he is told by is staff. He also informed me that the dealership makes more money off of warranty work than it does non-warranty work. He said that he would rather cover it under warranty because then everyone would be happy, but unfortunately he could not do that. Pete said that I could take it up with Subaru of America and produced the phone number upon my request. I asked Pete how he would feel about me sharing my experience with others. He was doubtful that I would be able to do so objectively and said that I am obviously not pleased with the outcome, but didn’t say much more.

I then brought up the name of a fellow STi owner, Robb XXXXX, who purchased an ’06 STI from Mastro in October 2005. Robb is an enthusiast whom I met through a local Subaru meet. I began to explain to Pete that Robb’s car was recently totaled while his friend was driving and that he had already been in contact with Mastro’s internet sales manager, Dave Cardwell, regarding another STI. In fact, Robb and his wife were at Mastro the previous day looking at a white/gold STI as well as a Legacy GT. Pete then interrupted and told me that I can give what ever reference I wanted. I politely informed him that I was neither speaking of a giving a reference nor was I threatening to discourage people from going to Mastro. Conversely, this man had come to his own conclusion that he will not be buying a car from Mastro based on my experience. This, coming from someone who says he had a great sales experience at Mastro when he bought his first STI there. I said to Pete, “Again, don’t take this as a threat, but that is already one guaranteed lost sale.” He then politely replied that if his dealership wasn’t good enough for me and my friends, that we are more than welcome to go somewhere else.

At this point, I had been speaking with Pete for about 30 minutes and the conversation was clearly over. Though obviously not happy with the outcome, I made a point to offer my hand to Pete and we shook hands. I was then directed to the cashier to pay the bill. I noticed that the invoice included a $6 charge for a new plastic ECU cover. I then took the invoice back to the service desk and politely told Pete that “if anything, I’m not paying for the plastic cover.” He agreed and had it removed. John then walked the new invoice over to the cashier and I initiated a handshake with him as well. The total bill was $1004.57; a hefty amount for a newly-engaged, trying to buy a house, fresh out of college, type-person.

I’ve waited a few days to write this letter because I wanted to remove myself from the situation and clear my mind. I’ve only been minimally successful at doing so as I’ve thought about this every day. Looking at my experience as objectively as possible, I’ve come to a few conclusions. The first is that I will never go to Mastro Subaru for anything again, and I’d be a fool to do otherwise. With the benefit of hindsight, I should have listened to the Subaru Roadside Assistance employee when she recommended that they tow my car to Reeve’s Subaru. The second conclusion is that there are only two possible explanations for the “missing” plastic cover. One explanation is that it was, as I suggested, accidentally misplaced under the passenger’s seat. This is the suggestion that Pete Mastro immediately rejected, which, in my opinion, was an ignorant thing to do. Nobody is immune from making an honest mistake or misplacing a part and I would hope that Pete realizes he made a mistake by dismissing this as “impossible.” The only other logical explanation, and one that I was hesitant to suggest, is that someone was/is not telling the truth about the “missing” plastic cover. I know for a fact that it was there when the car was loaded on the tow truck. This only leaves the possibility that the dealership is the one not telling the truth. I can think of no reason why the dealership would have “fabricated” this story and I’m not 100% convinced that they did. It just doesn’t make sense for them to have done so and I’d like to give them the benefit of the doubt. I prefer to think that the first explanation is, in fact, the truth. I think it is very possible that while removing the ECU, the technician misplaced the cover under the seat. Once he realized that the ECU was corroded, he went back to see if the plastic cover was there. When he did not see it (because it was under the seat), he erroneously concluded that it was missing. These are the only two possible explanations that I can think of, but as I told Pete, “please, suggest something else that does make sense.” He was not able to come up with anything else and neither can I.

I blame no one for my ECU going bad as I understand that things happen. However, I cannot understand why it would not be covered under warranty. Irregardless of the plastic cover fiasco, why would an ECU that has slight corrosion not be covered under warranty? To me, the only logical source for any moisture in that area would be the air conditioning unit that resides directly above the ECU. My previous car (an Acura) dripped water on the passenger’s floor mat (and their feet if someone was sitting there) every time I ran the A/C. Even if someone had spilled something in that area, the carpet is lined with plastic on the backside, which would have prevented anything from soaking through. When looking at the ECU as it is oriented in the car, the corrosion is limited to the lower right corner. This is the area where the wiring harness plugs in to the ECU; the one area that is not protected from water intrusion. The clear plastic cover is cut away in this area to make room for the wiring harness. Ironically, the rest of the ECU is encased in a metal box, which would prevent water from getting in anyhow. It appears that the moisture wicked its way in to the circuit board through the wiring harness as some of the wiring harness pins are corroded as well.

To me, this whole experience has been awful and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. I’ve had to stay late at work in order to make up the lost time, my mind has been a wreck, and to top it all off, I’m out $1004. As I told Pete Mastro, I don’t really know what to think of the situation and I’m open to suggestions. I do know that over the past few days, I’ve experienced all sorts of emotions and have spent countless hours speculating and analyzing the whole thing. This letter is quite lengthy and I thank anyone that has taken the time to read it. However, in reality it only represents a small fraction of my thoughts. I truly hope that Subaru of America will give this matter serious consideration and treat me better than I feel I was treated by Mastro Subaru.

[/END LONG LETTER]

I know how I feel about the situation, but I'm curious to hear what you guys think? I have tried my best to present both sides of the story and have not purposefully omitted any information (which is why this was a 12 page letter.) In the end, SoA told me that they cannot cover my ECU under warranty. When I stated that "to make sure I understand things correctly, my ECU won't be covered under warranty because it somehow got moisture on it, yet there is no good explanation for where the moisture came from." I was told that they could only offer two possible explanations, one is the downpipe melting A/C drain line theory (I explained that it drains fine). The other is that the cover wasn't there. Yet again, this whole argument is right back where it started and I still have NO good answers.

WTFchuck

cliff notes?

rv7

Too many important details. It looks intimidating, but only takes a few minutes to read.

WTFchuck

i need to write a letter to soa about my buying experience there also.... long story short... i dealt with a guy there for a week tryin to get a 06 wrx... he says u need a co-signer an u can drive away... he already ran my credit, an i explained to him i knew i needed a co-signer an my rents who have 800+ beacon would co-sign... he says ok good... just have them sign these papers an ur good to go... so they sign an i give it to him... a day later he says we can't get u a loan... i said ok wtf u said i would be able to drive off with a co-signer an now ur backing out? thanks for ur non business an misdirection... i go to reeves explain them my situation... they said ok let us work with u... we go thru the same process... an within 5 min they get me financed, i ask the guy what the problem could've been with mastro... he jsut shrugged an said i have no clue because of amount u an ur rents make together plus there beacon score its outstanding there should've been no problem. so i will not go to mastro for anything, an i highly recommend everyone else do the same


also could u post this at www.FloridaSubarus.com

SnowMann

Ummm..."Irregardless" is not a word.

Theres always 3-sides to a story. I wonder what the other 2 are?

hihobibo

About the plastic cover, are you sure that maybe you didn't put it back on after you looked at it? Like you said, everyone makes mistakes, and while you did see it, maybe you accidentally left it off. Besides that, I guess the whole thing sucks, but you probably could have found a used ECU online for much less.

WTFchuck

irregardless - Definitions from Dictionary.com

Silver_Moss_S14

hihobibo - I agree 100% that he could have left the cover off the ECU by accident but the fact remains that at that point the car was already dead due to a faulty/water-damaged ECU. If he had to remove this cover to see the damaged ECU it wouldn't have mattered as much as he knew for a fact that the cover was there and was able to describe it to the service department.

rv7 - I definately would like to hear the other side of the story as well. Your letter sounded objective enough to raise some flags at SOA...at least I hope. I am very interested to see what they have to say about this matter. I have to say, I'm quite impressed that you were able to keep your cool for that long and not blow up at anyone as that wouldn't have helped your case at all. I agree that there is something extremely strange about this situation and I personally think that it seems that someone is not telling the whole truth. I can understand why the owner did not want to admit that it was possible his master tech misplaced the ECU because then there could be a chance the blame would be put on him and his dealership. To me that just sounded like he was covering his ass.

I would really like to hear SOA's response to this. Make sure you update this thread!

DJC

doesn't matter, the ECU was already dead from water with or without the plastic cover. Strange indeed--I don't see why Mastro didn't simply warranty that part. It isn't like the mechanic needs to pull the engine to replace an ECU. If in fact Mastro makes more $$ through warranty work, It doesn't make sense as to why they wouldn't go with it to make both parties satisfied. Something's fishy.

hihobibo

I know that the ECU was already dead, but I was saying that this whole denial of warranty work was because the plastic case was removed when the tech looked at it, so if he did accidentally leave it off, the denial was because of his action and not Mastro's tech.