My partner and I purchased a used 2019 Subaru Ascent from - Kyle Chase
My partner and I purchased a used 2019 Subaru Ascent from patriot Subaru on 08/27/2021. The sales staff were excellent and very patient and accommodating as we had our newborn child with us.
In December we noticed that there was an issue with the car losing power and not accelerating when we pressed the gas as well as a rattling noise in the front end. We scheduled an appointment and brought it in on 12/20/21. We were provided with a loaner vehicle while they looked into the issue which we were very thankful for.
Within an hour or so they called and informed us that the turbo had gone bad and that it was going to be a while before parts would arrive. They very graciously allowed us to keep the loaner vehicle during the time we were without our car.
On 02/11/22 we were informed that the work was completed and on 02/14/22 my partner and I drove down to return the loaner and collect our vehicle. We were charged for an oil change and a tire rotation which I thought was odd. I told the service advisor that I thought the oil would have been changed when the turbo was replaced but they explained that an oil change would not have been required for the job completed and I accepted that answer and paid. They also told us at this point that the front suspension was replaced free of charge.
Before we even left the driveway I noticed that the window switches on the drivers side were not working properly and I immediately turned around and back into the garage bays. The same service advisor came out and attempted to fix the switches with different troubleshooting steps and then determined that further investigation would be required to determine the cause. We were given the option of taking our car home with the broken window switch and get it addressed later or get back into the loaner we came in and leave our car with them once more so they could troubleshoot the issue further. We decided it would be best to leave our car because we live 2 hours away from the dealership and we wanted to ensure the issue was fixed as we had no previous issues with the window switch prior to leaving it with them originally. We got back into the loaner and headed home.
On 02/21/22 the service department called and stated that we needed to bring the loaner we were using in for an inspection and maintenance as we had been using it since 12/20/21. I had called to inquire about the length of usage on the loaner as I noticed stipulations specific to this in the loaner agreement and I was told by my advisor that it was a non-issue. They offered to send a driver up to get our current loaner and drop off the new one in its place with an updated loaner agreement. We gladly accepted as previously mentioned it is a 2 hour drive one way to the dealership. Once again, we are extremely grateful for the service.
On 03/12/22 our service advisor called and told us that our car was finally fixed and that we could come pick it up. Again, we made the 2 hour drive with our 7 month old to retrieve our newly fixed car and return the loaner vehicle. Everything was in order and we were happy with the service we were provided, and a little frustrated with our luck with the car so far.
Later on in the month of March my coworker overheard me cold start the car and told me he thought it sounded like there was an exhaust leak. Once my attention was drawn to the issue I too thought it sounded like an exhaust leak so I called my service advisor once again; and he made us an appointment for 04/02/22. They again sent a driver up with a loaner and took our car down for service.
We were informed that the work performed on our turbo was not done correctly when it was replaced and that there were loose bolts holding the turbo on as well as a missing screw and that they were able to correct the mistake. They sent a driver up with our vehicle and retrieved the loaner about a week later.
On 04/28/21 I thought the car was exhibiting the same behavior so I called Patriot once again to inform them what I believed was going on with the vehicle. During the same call I also explained that I was still hearing a rattling in the front end while driving on the gravel road to work.
They sent another driver up with a 4th loaner and picked our car up and drove it down to Saco for us. We were called very shortly after they received the car and told us that they found no issues with the vehicle mechanically and that the car was ready to be picked up. I told our advisor that we would have to come down on a weekend because it is such a far drive and he understood and offered to perform an inspection as the sticker was set to expire. I thought this was odd because I was under the impression that the car came with a brand new inspection sticker as of August 2021 when we purchased the vehicle. I accepted the offer for the free sticker and had no doubts the car would pass as we just replaced all four tires on 03/17/21 after we were informed by the dealer that they were ready to be replaced (once again odd as we purchased the car in August and hadn’t put many miles at all on the car).
Our service advisor called my partner not long after offering the inspection to inform us that while scraping the old sticker off to place a new sticker on the windshield one of the tech’s broke our windshield. He said that there was a chip already in that area and that the act of scraping the old sticker must have cracked the windshield. He told her to call her insurance and file a claim so that the windshield could be replaced so he could put the new sticker on the car.
She didn’t think that it was our responsibility to pay for the cost of replacing the windshield for it was the dealership that broke the windshield. I attempted to have a conversation with our service advisor but after multiple attempts at contacting him I left a voicemail which was never returned. My partner reluctantly opened a claim with her insurance and scheduled an appointment with Safelite to replace the windshield. On the day of the appointment Safelite called and cancelled our appointment due to a staffing issue and informed us that they were no longer doing mobile appointments and that we had to drive to a Safelite location to have the windshield replaced.
Today 05/27/22 we made the 2 hour drive to Saco to return the loaner and retrieve our car. When we arrived, the service advisor checked the fuel level and told us to leave and fill the car up (it was at 3/4 of a tank.) I drove to the gas station next door and added the $13 worth of fuel to top off the tank and returned to the dealership.
While we were gone they had pulled our car around front and parked it where we could access it. I pulled the loaner up next to it and started transferring our personal items into our car, including our 9 month old son and his car seat. Because it was 85 degrees out, our car is black, and it had been sitting in the sun all morning, we wanted to get the A/C running before transferring our son over. My partner went in to retrieve our key so we could simply get it running and the service advisor refused to give it to her stating she needed to check-in the loaner before she would relinquish the key to OUR VEHICLE. Note we were not trying to leave, we simply wanted to start the car and we were not even done transferring over all of our belongings.
I finished transferring our items into our car while my partner held our son. I drove the loaner into the garage bays where we then stood and waited while the service advisor finished a phone call, our key sitting on the desk in front of her. Once the phone call was done she picked up OUR key off the desk (so we couldn’t grab it) and performed a 3 second walk around of the car, told us we were all set AND THEN gave us the key to our car.
This last visit with the dealership was extremely disappointing. Not only did we pick our car up in worse condition than when it was taken to the dealership, we were treated as if it were outlandish to ask for the keys to our vehicle just to simply cool it off for our 9 month old.
As if things couldn’t get worse during our 2 hour drive home, in our uninspected car with a broken windshield, I noticed that the alignment was off. While driving straight on the freshly paved highway the steering wheel was turned 10-15 degrees to the right. I wish I had performed a more thorough inspection prior to leaving the lot as the alignment was supposed to have been corrected in February after the dealership replaced the front suspension. Additionally, we had no issues with the alignment prior to them taking the car for the fifth time.
We are extremely exhausted and disappointed by the lack of consistency and quality in the service we have been provided with Patriot Subaru.
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