Ask a Subaru Dealer

[90crxfreak]

Can I cone foe a test drive next week...... no one has any wrx's/sti's by me......

[rexxx0486]

Hey rexxx, I've got another question for you that's related to another one that was recently asked. I've had my 2012 DGM WRX for about 5 months now and have found that the paint has chipped on the hood twice and along the rear fender flares in 3 other places. I knew this going into buying the car, but was hoping to somehow avoid it later down the line. My dealer has been great so far and overnighted a paint pen/bottle for touch ups which coupled with some clear coat has helped, but invariably with this many chips in the paint at 6,000 miles, the problem will continue to happen. Has your dealership ever covered any claims about chipping paint? It seems that there is quite a grey area between defective paint and "soft" paint as you said. I essentially am just curious as to where the line is drawn on when paint should routinely be chipping and when it needs to be resprayed, etc. because it is too thin and weak. I owned a 2002 Nissan Pathfinder for 10 years before my '12 WRX, and only had the paint chip once the whole time. I'm just in the midst of deciding whether this issue will need to be brought up in the future or whether it's a lost cause and the dealer (or any dealer really) will just say that's part of the game. Thanks again for answering all these questions, you're providing a very valuable service!

Sorry for the delayed responses guys. Anyway, I would call 1800 subaru 3 and see if there is anything they might offer you. The dealer is after all a dealer of a product. The manufacturer is really the one responsible for paint issues if any. I should point out that any car when driven hard on less than perfect roadways is bound to get a few rock chips,(keep in mind that your pathfinder was like 2 feet higher off the ground and out of the way of bouncing gravel) but if you feel like the paint on your car is defective/inferior then by all means make your complaints known. At the very least your input may affect Subaru's future painting methods/materials. If it is really driving you nuts you should be able to have the bumper sprayed for around 300 bucks and then get a clear bra for the front.

[rexxx0486]

Can you get your car serviced at a dealership you didn't buy from?

Yes but if it is a borderline warranty issue you might want to try your original dealer and see if they can pull strings for you.(only if youve been servicing there, don't show up at 60k and 3 yrs later having never even done an oil change with them looking for a favor) It is good to build a good relationship with your dealer if they offer good service, they can be a valuable resource. A lot of people overlook that and get tunnel vision on price. Find a dealer you can be friendly with who you trust, it doesn't have to be the dealer who sold you the car but it should be a dealer you regularly use.

[rexxx0486]

First, kudos to rexx for this thread. Via PM, he provided some much needed insight into my buying decisions prior to me even contacting a dealership. So thanx!

Now, regarding the paint... Some others have pointed out that it may be beneficial to have the dealer NOT do any waxing/buffing/whatever prior to me taking possession of the vehicle (hopefully in the next couple days). It's in an effort to not have some new guy at the dealership screw up my paint job.

What are your thoughts on this? How much swirl/orange peel is normal when I do my "walkthrough" over the vehicle?

Ok, firstly as you can see from this thread, if you want a perfect show quality paint job, Subaru is not the company for that. The paint and the sound systems have room for improvement on an otherwise phenomenal car. Quite frankly most new car paint jobs are not what they could be, not just Subaru. Expect some minor orange peel and hairline spiderwebbing type stuff that will easily polish out. If you know what you are doing and are a freak with your car and garage it and wash and wax it regularly, then I agree with the folks who told you to do your own prep. bring it home with the plastic on it, claybar it, protect it etc. I recently became aquainted with a gentleman on the forums who is VERY knowledgable on this subject if you are interested in knowing more about detailing a car, his name is RaskyR1, here is his website: http://www.detailedimage.com/Ask-a-P...had-raskovich/
Now if you're like me and want to drive the car through muddy fields and autocross it and just drive like Ken Block in general then screw it, just let them wash it, it'll still look great to anyone but the most detail oriented among us. To the untrained eye it will look gorgeous and you will be doing with the car what it was made for, having fun!!! If you're like me, I would also highly recommend buying the Subaru Added Security plan (ext warranty) so you don't have to worry about breaking anything while ripping the car around and driving it like you stole it.

[rexxx0486]

Can I cone foe a test drive next week...... no one has any wrx's/sti's by me......

I will let you know when I have one in stock so you can come drive one

[etnpnys]

Now if you're like me and want to drive the car through muddy fields and autocross it and just drive like Ken Block in general then screw it, just let them wash it, it'll still look great to anyone but the most detail oriented among us. To the untrained eye it will look gorgeous and you will be doing with the car what it was made for, having fun!!!

+1. This is basically exactly how I feel about it. I don't even have the car yet and I had already planned a trip to the dirt this weekend. ...Said trip has now been cancelled due to inclement weather.

Again: thanx!! You're a wealth of knowledge, and an extremely valuable resource to this community.

[11blackwrx]

i dont mind the sound system in the cars but i hate the paint, its far too cheap

[rexxx0486]

11blackwrx I can see why the wrx system sounds good to you from the two other cars in your sig it's all good though dude I'm still rockin cassettes over here lol

[11blackwrx]

11blackwrx I can see why the wrx system sounds good to you from the two other cars in your sig it's all good though dude I'm still rockin cassettes over here lol

haha yeah the other aint the best, but if you add a sub to the wrx it makes it seem better

[rexxx0486]

haha yeah the other aint the best, but if you add a sub to the wrx it makes it seem better

Yes agreed, even the mini subaru oem sub makes a big difference but Ive found that the head unit is the real weak link. Whenever we've done aftermarket Pioneer Navigation head units for customers on imprezas or foresters it makes the sound so much better. Not sure why but it is really noticeable. Like the car came back from nav install and I was wondering if they accidentally redid the interior speakers, that's the level of difference.

[11blackwrx]

i wanna get an aftermarket head unit but just dont have the money to drop on one

[rexxx0486]

I hear that, that's why I'm still rockin those cassettes!

[wrxtra]

Rexxx0486:

Thanks for the thread! It certainly helps to be able to tap the knowledge of the "guy behind the counter".

[rexxx0486]

Thanks man! Glad to help if I can.

[rexxx0486]

Heres one I got through PM

Hello Clayton,

I have recently been looking for a new 2012 WRB WRX Limited sedan, and I saw your posts on your purchasing program. I noticed that, unfortunately, there are no wrx's available at your dealer. Some additional searching revealed that a dealer in Northern NJ did have the vehicle I am looking for. I'm not sure what your ability/dealer policy to transfer vehicles from one lot to another is, but I would be willing to consider purchasing this vehicle from you if you would be able to get it moved to your dealership. If you would be unable to do this, I was wondering if you would be willing to take the time to talk to me about what I should expect a reasonable price to be for this vehicle.

I have made arrangements to see and test drive the wrx this Saturday (4/28) around noon, it is quite possible I will be purchasing the vehicle on this date if I am offered a good price for my trade in and on this vehicle.

The car I am looking at is a new 2012 WRX Limited. It has an STS, body side moldings, and the auto dimming mirror and compass (not homelink).

The price I was offered was 30,200 which I feel to be too high.

I would greatly appreciate any information or insights you can provide!


ANSWER:

No doubt the price is high but I have found that the typical WRX buyer is unfortunately not the patient type, so there is a lot of demand for the in stock cars and a low supply of them. You can kind of expect to pay a high price for an in stock car anywhere if you won't wait 6-9 weeks for an order, and if you won't pay it the next guy will so they've got ya right where they want ya. I don't condone it but I understand it. Look at it from the dealerships perspective, they have only one car and that's it for the next 6-9 weeks. Not a lot of incentive to give it away for a cheap price. For the same reason there is no way they are going to let me swap it in here fir 500 under invoice, so you're pretty much stuck with them if you can't wait for an order. With that said, they seem to be a bit over sticker which is a bit heavy handed for even a high demand car like that (unless you want too much for your trade and they have no choice but to hit you with a high price on the WRX to make up for it). I'd offer 500 under the actual sticker price on the window tops and they ought to be able to do that at least. If they won't do that, they are extremely greedy bloodsuckers and should be avoided. If you would wait for a car I could do 27959 plus accessories. You'd be saving around 2000 dollars and buying from someone who supports the WRX community rather than gouges it. Anyway, I'm glad to help either way so If you need advice feel free to run it by me.
Clayton