After hearing all of this, I have to give it to a Jeep Dealer near us. My mother had bought a new jeep a couple of years ago and within two days some warning light went on and stayed on. The owner of the dealership went to my parents house and dropped off another jeep, taking theirs back to the dealership with him. After it was fixed, he dropped their jeep off and made arrangements to come back and pick up the dealership's jeep. Great guy, great business.
In my misspent youth as an automotive journalist, one of my colleagues (a pro driver) took a current-gen STI on a dirt road to evaluate the operation of the 4WD and newly recalibrated center diff. He learned a lot about the car's handling characteristics (too dumbed-down for the average consumer, he reckoned), and also cleaned most of the paint off the lower rockers. On the one hand, he took the car off road, which we generally didn't do (except that one time I tried it out in a 50th Anniversary Corvette), but on the other hand, Subaru pumps up the rallying so much that you kinda expect it'll be fine off-pavement. Subaru NA wasn't particularly thrilled about the damage (I think the car was slated for a show or commercial shoot the next week), but they eventually sucked it up. Moral: Subaru cheaped out on paint.
@jduffy13: I've always been a bit peeved that there weren't seven stars in the logo, which would be technically correct. Wiki just informed me that the big star represents Fuji and the smaller five represent the companies united under it... well damn it, come up with some other fake company so you can have all Seven Sisters, wouldja?
Do you people realize how much it costs to have a loaner fleet for service customers. People don't want to pay list price for a car today, so how is a dealer ever going to afford having service loaners?
The Auto Manufacturers (at least the main line ones) don't support a loaner program, and they cut back on the demo programs. Yes, the high line makes still have some kind of a loaner program, but it is up to the individual dealer to initiate the program. That's why some BMW or Saab dealers still don't offer BMW or Saab's as service loaners.
It is the same tired argument I make when any one of you purchases a car at deep discount, and brag about it. If the dealer and the manufacturer can't seem to make enough of a profit selling the vehicle, they try and make up for it somewhere else, like higher service costs, or no loaners. Or, they don't offer that particular model any more (Case in point, the last GTO)
enterprise did something similar to me, after i was rear-ended by a drunk driver. what a nightmare that whole experience was. my insurance paid for the entire rental, but enterprise still charged hundreds of dollars to my credit card, and it took several weeks to get a refund of the money they stole from me. i'll never deal with them again, and i advise others to do the same.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
For the record, Audi dealers still give out Audi loaners.
It's really confusing how the car managed to get towed if she returned it to the dealer's lot. Maybe she parked it on the street or something?
Either way, blame goes to the dealer for not returning the car, the tow company for not contacting anyone, and Enterprise for not calling about the car for a whole month.
Still, nice to see the customer got out of this one.
@Mad_Science: The Audi dealership i used to work at would only let customers have use of a VW Polo under extreme circumstances,only owners of A8/S8's got the use of a free Audi & then it was only a base spec A3. And that is a lot more common than you'd think.
@Mad_Science: That's impressive,dealerships in the U.K. aren't as generous from my experiences. The local Mercedes dealer uses a Vauxhall Corsa as a loaner. I don't know why.
So it's safe to conclude you get far better customer service in the U.S. compared to the U.K. Which just adds to my growing belief that England is a giant turd in the North Sea.
@Mad_Science: That's actually how I got my seat time in a Phaeton. I took my car in to VW for service, and their loaner car was out. They had a used Phaeton on the lot, I asked if I could just do a long test-drive in that for the three hours they'd have my car, and they said sure.
@layabout now with V8 power: Not necessarily. There's a lot of variation regionally, even within what a particular manufacturer's dealers will provide. Comes down to the individual business, management and staff.
I used to take my car to the dealer for service. Very professional operation, and you paid a premium for it. They only had a couple of loaner cars, and it was tougher to schedule them than your service. But they did offer an on-call shuttle service that would pick you up from a couple of nearby transit points and then drop you off. Very prompt, and they only used top of the line cars, so also very posh. Let you know what you were missing, and probably encouraged plenty of folks to trade up before too long.
They also washed your car after service. Not a big deal, but a nice gesture. The best thing was warrantying work. I had a clutch slave cylinder (internal to the transmission) replaced by another dealer in another state. The seals went bad and I had to have the job redone. This dealer honored the original repair, even though the work had been done close to a year earlier. I was grateful and amazed.
The best loaner car is the top o' the line flagship, the one you really want to sell. Put your service customers in the Avalon, the Impala, the Taurus SHO. The car sells itself, and you don't have to pay the smarmy salesman to do it.
Try that, instead of sending the customer to Enterprise, where they'll be saddled with a middlin' fair vehicle with the middlin' small engine, which might in any case be a better vehicle than what you're trying to sell. Get smart, dealers!
@Fluffy, Pushbroom: I had a conventional Impala as a rental for vacation a couple years ago - it wasn't anything fancy, but damn was it a great turnpike sofa. Fast, smooth, even thrifty - 28mpg at 80mph.
@Elhigh: Once you get 'em up to speed, they're great cars. Around town they're a real snoozefest (at least, my '03 3.4 ABS-less driver's ed car with over 100k was) but once we got to the freeway bit, all was roses and I figured out what the car was intended for.
What part of 'free' don't you understand? Sometimes, free costs $3,000. It's not like freedom's free, or anything.
Dealer didn't do what they were supposed to do. They're at fault. Enterprise got the car back. They lost some time they could have rented it, but it didn't rack up more milage, and it's probably good for another six months use with only a car wash.
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was starred
Mike the Dog is sitting by the door with a pair of cow slippers, and a very sad face. was unstarred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
@FromaBuick6: I replied to the comment "I considered getting a Subaru for a while. Then I realized I'm not an environmentalist or lesbian"
If you're not yet aware Subaru are generally known for their work in motorsport,mainly rally inspired. And secondly i never stated that lesbians couldn't be enthusiasts. You're the person that used the word in a negative manner in your original comment.
@layabout now with V8 power: Yeah, we know Subaru's motorsport background, and the WRX crowd does, but I'll guarantee that at least half of Subie buyers don't have a clue.
And, honest to God, most of the non-WRX Subie drivers I see are mannish-looking women, retirees and people with political cause bumper stickers (or a combination of the three). Their commercials don't help, either.
Yeesh, sorry for making an irreverent, un-PC comment about a sacred cow on the internets. You'd think this was a GM forum or something.
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was starred
If FromaBuick6 has to watch one more Chevy commercial, he's going to punch Howie Long in the face was unstarred
@FromaBuick6: Haha,i must admit you do have a point.
Subaru is one of those brands that i immediately think of the Impreza & almost forget its stablemates. Where i live Subaru also have stereotype owners,Enthusiasts, rally nerds,& welly wearing country folks.
@layabout now with V8 power: Subaru was well-known here in the States as the one and only car company to ever market specifically to the rainbow crowd... FYI.
This says a lot for Subaru of North America. To not automatically blame the customer for this isnt as normal as it should be. Someone at their headquarters believed her.
But let me ask this. When it was towed shouldnt they have looked for the owner of the vehicle either using the license plate or the BIG GREEN E'S placed on the car? Why was it towed if it was a late model (since it was a rental) vehicle? Also why was it towed if it was sitting at the dealers lot?
@fodder650: If you were a tow company, would you notify an owner that you took their car? The longer it sits on your lot, the more money you make. You've got to find your own car.
I think its kind of a cop out for dealers to outsource to rental companies. I remember when most dealers gave actual loner cars. I remember when we took our car into service, they gave us a big, grey, Enterprise Dodge Charger V6. God, that was a bad car. The windshield rake was so steep, I could barely see the stoplights! The point is, I know that they are trying to save a buck, but cotomer servis does matter!
@seoultrain: I was going to correct it, but then realized you got there first. We can't let any Jalopnik readers forget the value of good cotomer sevis.
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Hint, it's in the sign above.
I once did this to a Subaru salesman for laughs and he had no clue what it meant.
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Wall of Faux-Outdoorsy Stone?
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Yeah me too.
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The Auto Manufacturers (at least the main line ones) don't support a loaner program, and they cut back on the demo programs. Yes, the high line makes still have some kind of a loaner program, but it is up to the individual dealer to initiate the program. That's why some BMW or Saab dealers still don't offer BMW or Saab's as service loaners.
It is the same tired argument I make when any one of you purchases a car at deep discount, and brag about it. If the dealer and the manufacturer can't seem to make enough of a profit selling the vehicle, they try and make up for it somewhere else, like higher service costs, or no loaners. Or, they don't offer that particular model any more (Case in point, the last GTO)
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I AM A LESBIAN ... trapped in a man's body!
Is THAT why I'm on my seventh Subaru over 25 years?
02/04/09
Aw, come on. I said you could be an environmentalist, too.
02/04/09
It's really confusing how the car managed to get towed if she returned it to the dealer's lot. Maybe she parked it on the street or something?
Either way, blame goes to the dealer for not returning the car, the tow company for not contacting anyone, and Enterprise for not calling about the car for a whole month.
Still, nice to see the customer got out of this one.
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@seoultrain:
@BRAWNDO_POWERED:
So it's safe to conclude you get far better customer service in the U.S. compared to the U.K. Which just adds to my growing belief that England is a giant turd in the North Sea.
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I used to take my car to the dealer for service. Very professional operation, and you paid a premium for it. They only had a couple of loaner cars, and it was tougher to schedule them than your service. But they did offer an on-call shuttle service that would pick you up from a couple of nearby transit points and then drop you off. Very prompt, and they only used top of the line cars, so also very posh. Let you know what you were missing, and probably encouraged plenty of folks to trade up before too long.
They also washed your car after service. Not a big deal, but a nice gesture. The best thing was warrantying work. I had a clutch slave cylinder (internal to the transmission) replaced by another dealer in another state. The seals went bad and I had to have the job redone. This dealer honored the original repair, even though the work had been done close to a year earlier. I was grateful and amazed.
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Try that, instead of sending the customer to Enterprise, where they'll be saddled with a middlin' fair vehicle with the middlin' small engine, which might in any case be a better vehicle than what you're trying to sell. Get smart, dealers!
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Dealer didn't do what they were supposed to do. They're at fault. Enterprise got the car back. They lost some time they could have rented it, but it didn't rack up more milage, and it's probably good for another six months use with only a car wash.
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But if you can find me another 230hp, AWD, 5speed manual, compact wagon for $19k with 8k miles on the odometer, I'd be interested.
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Besides, who says lesbians aren't enthusiasts?
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If you're not yet aware Subaru are generally known for their work in motorsport,mainly rally inspired. And secondly i never stated that lesbians couldn't be enthusiasts. You're the person that used the word in a negative manner in your original comment.
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And, honest to God, most of the non-WRX Subie drivers I see are mannish-looking women, retirees and people with political cause bumper stickers (or a combination of the three). Their commercials don't help, either.
Yeesh, sorry for making an irreverent, un-PC comment about a sacred cow on the internets. You'd think this was a GM forum or something.
02/04/09
Subaru is one of those brands that i immediately think of the Impreza & almost forget its stablemates. Where i live Subaru also have stereotype owners,Enthusiasts, rally nerds,& welly wearing country folks.
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But let me ask this. When it was towed shouldnt they have looked for the owner of the vehicle either using the license plate or the BIG GREEN E'S placed on the car? Why was it towed if it was a late model (since it was a rental) vehicle? Also why was it towed if it was sitting at the dealers lot?
There are an awful lot of what-ifs here.
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