Letter from SOA re: 6-Speed tranny

[Sir_Xenon]

I was at my dealer on Friday (last) and was getting my WRX worked on. The supervisor downloaded a letter from SOA and showed it tome. It was to all dealers regarding the STi 6-speed tranny and warranty work.

Basically, the letter said that if a 6-speed tranny comes in for repair and the car is under warranty the dealer is to remove the tranny, SHIP IT TO SOA, and SOA will decide if the tranny is under warranty for the problem.

So you STi abusers beware: SOA has caught on to the "mod friendly" dealers.

I have a copy of the letter from the site and if anyone needs it I can re-produce it here.

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[firedust]

why dont you reproduce it here?

[Jon [in CT]]

Originally posted by Sir_Xenon
I have a copy of the letter from the site and if anyone needs it I can re-produce it here.

Yes. Post a scan.

I wouldn't be so sure that the reason for this procedure is what you suggest. I recall the early failures in the US involving the WRX transmission in 2001 resulted in a quick transmission swap with a new one without even looking inside and the prompt shipment of the failed transmission to SOA for analysis.

[Sir_Xenon]

I don't have access to a scanner but I'll re-type the letter and if anyone doubts it they can call a dealer and confirm:


----------------------------------------------------------------------
To: All Subaru Dealers
From: Subaru of America, Inc.
Department: Service
Date 12/2/2003 11:24:13 EST


Subaru of America, Inc. has prepared a 6 Speed Manual Transmission Repair Program for the STi. In the even a 6 Speed manual transmission is brought to your Service Department for repair please use the following procedure:

1. Complete the repair order as usual, gathering all pertinent information.

2. Obtain the customer's signed authorization for the removal and shipment of the transmission to SOA.

3. Inform the customer that if the failure is warrantable the transmission will be repaired and returned at no charge including shipping.

4. If the failure is due to abuse or some other non-warrantable cause, the customer will have the option of approving the cost of the repair plus shipping or having it returned in assembled condition where possible.

5. If the repair is not warrantable SOA can provide an estimate for repair by facsimile or e-mail if so desired. UPon approval from the customer SOA will perform the required repairs and ship the unit back to the dealership. A debit to the dealer's parts statement will be entered to cover the cost of the repair. The dealership is responsible for obtaining repair authorization and collecting from the customer.

6. Contact the Subaru Tech Help Line for shipping authorization or diagnostic forms. The diagnositc forms may also be found on Subarunet - on the left menu, click on 'Service', and then click on 'Transmission Repair Program'.

7. After completing the forms and contacting the recommended shipper, prepare the transmission for secure shipment.

Once Subaru of America, Inc. receives the unit it will ship back to the dealership within five business days. Shipping time each way will vary based upon dealership location.

---------------------------------------------

It was from http://test127.subarunet.com/announcements/all/....

That was all I got and the website is obviously restricted.

[North Ursalia]

It's not because they are wise to mod friendly dealers. It's because they haven't rolled out nor taught the 6 speed repair proceedures/certifications yet. This will change in the spring with the exception of a dealership not having a certified 6 speed tech. In that case, it either goes to SOA or the car is packed up to a dealership that does have one, as is the case at present with the 4EAT and 5MT trannies. Point to note is that if your 6 speed is deemed abused, you pay for:

Removal
Shipping to SOA
Diagnosis time
Shipping back to the dealership

If you don't pay for any single portion of that, you won't see your tranny again. If it's warranteeable, you pay nothing of course.


Brian

[PeterJ]

Thats a good point!

[liigod]

I hate Subaru of America. They claim that everything is abuse so they dont have to pay for it, or at least thats been my experience. I hope one day someone starts a class action lawsuit.

[Leonardo]

Here, a guy was denied Warranty on an STi (or so we think) cuz for some time now, the showroom glasses (the huge, tall ones) have been shattering at about one per day/week

Here the STi, due to importation tax, costs $38,900. Imagine having a 39K car without warranty. Dealer here won't allow Cat-Backs/intakes.

Bastages!

Lucky for us there are a couple of alternatives other than the dealer. No warranty but cheaper labor costs for same or beter work.

[ascott]

Originally posted by North Ursalia

If you don't pay for any single portion of that, you won't see your tranny again. If it's warranteeable, you pay nothing of course.

Actually, you don't get a rental from SOA until they determine the repair is warranteable. That means you have no car until the transmission arrives at SOA, they get it apart, and determine that the fault is covered.

So even if they DO cover it, you'll be out of a car for at least a week before you get a rental.

So, you're mildly screwed any way you cut it.

[Opie]

Originally posted by liigod
I hate Subaru of America. They claim that everything is abuse so they dont have to pay for it, or at least thats been my experience. I hope one day someone starts a class action lawsuit.

Hmmm, I've never had a warranty problem with Subaru. Never even had them "suggest" abuse. I guess they are not claiming "everything" is abuse.

[ascott]

Originally posted by Opie
Hmmm, I've never had a warranty problem with Subaru. Never even had them "suggest" abuse. I guess they are not claiming "everything" is abuse.

The line I've gotten consistently is "We'll take it out, take it apart, and if it shows signs of abuse, you pay."

They won't clearly state what "signs of abuse" constitutes. When it comes to a what could easily become a $3000 repair bill, they better be able to give me distinct criterea before I let them touch it.

I don't think its the dealer. The dealer I get my service done at has been great with regards to my aftermarket parts. They know I autocross. They know the car. They know I'm not some dumb kid slapping APC clear taillights onto my car. The replaced my turbocharger at 15K miles because of bad bearings. No questions asked. I ask about the transmission, and the service manager's face droops.

Subaru of America simply will not pay them if they honor a warranty claim on a transmission without SOA looking at it first, and SOA ALWAYS claims abuse when it comes to the transmission, at least around here. If they deny the claim, you have to sue. In order to win a lawsuit where you've got a warranty that prohibits competition and a marketing campaign that encourages it, you have to get a jury trial, go through discovery, depose people, yada, yada. That gets very expensive very quickly. While all that is going on, you have to find something to drive too. They know this. They're selling transmissions left and right. Win-win for SOA. The rest of us are SOL.

[makofoto]

Does Suby still offer a free SCCA membership with each WRX/STI that they sell ... I got one with my '03 WRX ... what do they think we are going to doing with our SCCA membership ... become corner marshalls ... or competitors ...

[gjhsu]

Originally posted by makofoto
Does Suby still offer a free SCCA membership with each WRX/STI that they sell ... I got one with my '03 WRX ... what do they think we are going to doing with our SCCA membership ... become corner marshalls ... or competitors ...

Oh, yes, you can race all you want, but if you show any tire wear, sorry, they can't fix that

[BillJC]

I never understood all of this negativity towards SOA for not covering all blown trannys. If you race your car, opentrack your car, or do anything other than drive it everyday, it's considered abnormal driving. And to SOA, abuse. If you brake it, you are responsible. What's so hard to understand. Just don't drive it to the point of breakage. It's not a race car. It's a street car. And you can't drive a street car like a racecar and expect it to live a long life. It just wont happen. I've said it before and I'll say it again, any tranny can blow up. I've seen this in M5's, mustangs, honda's, camaro's and all sorts of cars at the track. There isn't a tranny that will live forever short of a Jerico. The point is, racecars don't have warranties. If they break, you fix them. Not SOA.

Sorry if I offended anyone, it's just my opinion.

Bill

[neverendingmods]

What SOA is doing,I believe, is avoiding the Dealers that automatically say "Abuse" and don't cover it. Same time, they are also making sure mod friendly dealers aren't paying for abused tranny's. This will eliminate false claims because only an idiot would go through what was entailed in that letter knowing they abused they're tranny either w/modifications or clutch dropping. That would be a ton of money that could have been spent upgrading the tranny(if abuse was done). Think of it this way, if you mistakenly shifted from 3rd gear at full throttle into 2nd rather than 4th and made mince meat out of your engine, would you really go to the dealer and say it just blew up(motor)?

[GameOver]

....I remember going with my mom to Sears and buying a really expensive lawnmower; The salesperson was telling us to put some oil in it before we started it up because there was a guy that naturally, it came assembled and of course he assumed all it needed was gas, started it up right out of the boz. Well, he seized his engine and took it back to Sears...........they gave him a new one.

THAT IS CUSTOMER SERVICE

I value customer service alot.......something Subaru of America lacks.............and this is why the purchase of my STi will be the LAST Subaru I buy.

It would be the same thing as M3 buyers damaging their engines, bcuz of a factory defect, from reving it so high and BMW claiming abuse.........

this is BS straight from SOA

[Chaste Automotive]

Subaru has not allowed any dealers to do a rebuild at all on the six-speed that is why every trans has to be shipped back to SOA which then ships the thing to Japan. Technicians here have not been trained to service the transmission properly yet. When they do allow dealers to service the trans it will only be certain dealerships in each region and not all of them. Not a big conspiracy, I would rather have people that know what they are doing repair my trans. When I had my trans rebuilt the tech reassembled the thing wrong that is more infuriating then having to wait.

[BAC5.2]

I wish I had an STi. The Subaru Training Center is right down the street from me. Instead of shipping to SOA, I could go there and have them rebuild my tranny as a "learning" experience.

[Downfall]

Well I'm lucky that I have a mod friendly dealer. If you guys think that STi people have it bad, the local Mitsubishi dealership hired private detectives to go to street races and take pictures of any Evos out there, if people brought their car in for warranty work they were denied warranty on the spot.

[corndogs]

I was at Mastro Subaru and Pete Mastro told us the exact same thing. They ship it off and SOA decides if it's abuse or not.

[BAC5.2]

Originally posted by Downfall
Well I'm lucky that I have a mod friendly dealer. If you guys think that STi people have it bad, the local Mitsubishi dealership hired private detectives to go to street races and take pictures of any Evos out there, if people brought their car in for warranty work they were denied warranty on the spot.

I read about that. That is some grade A bull**** right there.

The people on the EVO board were pretty smart about removing the tags and covering the VIN on the dash. Sounds like a foolproof way to take care of the problem.

[GameOver]

Originally posted by BAC5.2
I read about that. That is some grade A bull**** right there.

The people on the EVO board were pretty smart about removing the tags and covering the VIN on the dash. Sounds like a foolproof way to take care of the problem.

hm, pretty smart move ....I give u props. After all when you go to the strip you are essentially on a closed circuit and dont need to have ur tags on right ?!?!?

Clever!
Foolish for Mitsubishi.

Ill tell ya what, IF mitsu looses these evo fans/customers I dont think mitsus gonna stay l4 long in the USA....mitsu is the equivalent of ford here

sorry about that....I own a 98 eclipse gsx and quality sux


later

[BAC5.2]

Tag's are not required at the strip. The car does not need to be street legal (OPS cars and such) to run at the track. It's like international waters, but you can't gamble or drink.

I wonder if I could talk to the Subaru training center and get them to do a rebuild on my engine as a "learning" process? Hmmm... Might be a cheap way to get a decent rebuild...

[whtlegacy]

Originally posted by Leonardo
Here, a guy was denied Warranty on an STi (or so we think) cuz for some time now, the showroom glasses (the huge, tall ones) have been shattering at about one per day/week

I'm lost. Why was the showroom glass shattering? and how did that affect someone's warranty?

[BAC5.2]

He got denied a warranty, he broke the windows. I think...