Good Will Repair - The Fuel leak

[WhiteRabbit80]

So I just wanted to post this up to you all and see what you think.

I have a 2004 WRX with 135,000 on the clock. I've always had the raw fuel smell on cold starts, but in the last week its gotten worst and I have seen fuel starting to puddle (for lack of a better word) on top of the passenger side bank. So I started looking in to the recall. Problem is, it's not valid for my car. I contacted SOA and expressed my disappointment. I was told that the recall doesn't cover my car because it "should" have been fixed by the time my car was born. They also said that my car was too old and had too many miles on it for warranty work. I have a quote from my regular Subaru mechanic (not the dealer) for $350 to have the repair done.

They did offer up another possible solution to have me bring the car in for an "expert" diagnosis and possible having a "good will repair" done.

So I ask you, fellow Subaru owners, have any of you had any luck getting a good will repair done? What do you think my odds are of SOA coming through on this one?

I ask because I want to get it fixed as soon as possible and I don't want to waste my time at the dealer if its not worth it

Thanks

[teflon_jones]

Who exactly offered this up? SOA? Did you take down the person's name?

[WhiteRabbit80]

Yeah, it was SOA here is the email I got:

Thank you for contacting Subaru of America, Inc. I am sorry to learn of the difficulty you are experiencing with your Subaru and I understand your frustration.

The New Car Basic Limited Warranty which covered fuel system components on your 2004 Impreza has expired by both time and mileage. Once the vehicle is out of warranty, there is no guarantee as to how long components will last.

Your vehicle is also not affected by any recalls or campaigns related to the fuel system but we can certainly review your concern as a request for possible goodwill assistance.

To proceed here, you would need to reply to this email with your current mileage and then have the vehicle diagnosed by an authorized Subaru dealership, as they are our eyes in the field. Once you have scheduled an appointment, please reply to this message with the date and time of your appointment. I will then review with the inspecting dealership whether or not your concern is such that would make you a candidate for possible goodwill assistance.

If you need any more information, please feel free to contact us again. Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.

Best wishes,

Kerry Ann Miller
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer/Dealer Services Department

[teflon_jones]

Well they'll inspect it for free so why not!

[WhiteRabbit80]

Well I agree, it's not going to cost me anything, except time and a car rental for a day (not to mention I really don't like dealing with my local dealership). I just wanted to see if anyone here had any experience with trying to get a goodwill service done. If its a 99% fail rate, I'm not going to waste my time.

On the other side, if no one here has ever attempted a goodwill service, I might be tempted to be the guinea pig so I can make this tread useful.

[WhiteRabbit80]

So I took the car into the dealer this week to get diagnosed for SOA. They had some trouble replicating the leak, but were eventually able to find one at the fuel rail similer to what happens with the '02 '03 models. The dealer reported this to SOA and SOA agreed to replace the fuel rail at no charge to me. They called it a "one time goodwill gesture".

Just an FYI for those of you that have '04 WRXs that leak on cold starts, you can try writing SOA about your problem and you may be able to get it fixed at no cost to you. My case may have been helped by me stating that I have owned Subaru's since I've been driving, but who knows.

To bad they only offer this "one time", but I'm glad not be getting high on gas fumes anymore!

[EvoEatr]

I personally am a Subaru tech, my experience with "good will repairs" are if a customer "complains" about something in the correct way, Subaru will usually cover it. Subaru in my experience seems to be pretty customer oriented...