ScoobyWRX300

My MY05 Impreza WRX went in for a service & MOT last week. Although it passed the MOT there is excessive play in the OSR shock and top mount.

At the time the dealer was putting this through as a warranty repair but they've just phoned to say Subaru won't replace the parts because shocks are classed as wear and tear.
On other cars that's fair enough but given the known problems with Impreza shocks it sounds like they're taking the p1ss.

Over the last 5 years the cars already had shocks replaced on 4 or 5 occasions and each time under warranty. The difference is they were always previously done under the original Subaru 3 year warranty and not the 2 year extended Subaru warranty.

Has anyone ever had their shocks replaced under extended warranty?

If there's any chance of getting Subaru to do this under warranty I need to asap because the warranty runs out in 5 days!

If anyone else has had them done in extended warranty then I can at least use the fact during my coming argument.

vava voom

iTrader: (6)

Hello mate i am sorry to say you got no chance...

my 2007 wrx with 40k on the clock is not covered and i called half the dealers down south, funny enough they ALL said theye were not aware of any faults withe the shockers

ScoobyWRX300

Is your car out of warranty though?
Mine is still covered (or at least for the next 5 days) by the extended Subaru warranty.
I paid around £900 to extend the warranty by a further 2 years when the car was 3. I only extended it because of the shocks issue and the fact that I'd just had a new rear diff and the gearbox stripped to replace worn bearings - all on a car that had done less than 20k.

The Subaru extended warranty is useless. In two years the only thing it's covered was a replacement rear seat belt which was replaced in April and is due to be replaced again now.

ScoobyWRX300

Incase anyones interested.

I've spoken to Subaru Extended Warranty people myself and they have said if my car had failed its MOT then the shocks would have been covered.

Because it passed the MOT the movement in the shock is slight and therefore classed as general wear and tear.

I suspect that means they're ok now but will need replacing some time in the next year but at least by the next MOT in a years time.

What shocks are considered a good alternative to the cr@p ones Subaru use?

I'm only after a direct replacement - not bothered about adjustable or anything special. Just something that would last as you'd expect shocks on another model of car would.

thanks

dotthedog

My 2001 WRX had the rear shocks knocking badly at 40k, just over three years old in autumn 2004. Subaru extended warranty replaced them no problems, also two front calipers with seized pistons, the hydraulic cambelt tensioner was leaking at 59,500 when it was serviced and that was changed and at the same time it failed it's MOT due to rear suspension bush wear.

They paid for that as well.

In early 2006, I replaced the WRX with a Sportswagon R 2ltr 150 bhp no turbo. (Mr Sensible head on) and took out the extended warranty in Jan 2009. It's now the end of November 2010 and in 23 months I have not been able to claim anything as nothing has gone wrong.

eddie

SRSport

Sorry to go slightly off topic but what do you think of the R sport compared to the WRX? I love mine but always have the nagging feeling I should have spent the extra £2000 for the WRX.

edit: (160bhp by the way. When we're this much down on power we need all the extra we can get)

scoobyboy

subaru have changed the supplier of their extended warranty and they are a pain to get stuff authorised now, if it's not physically broken then they won't replace it

urban

iTrader: (1)

Good to know - thanks

dotthedog

It was purely financial in that I was going to take early retirement and put the extra dosh into my pension, a very tax efficient use of money.

Passengers prefer it as it is a lot more comfortable due to softer suspension. It is like a WRX with winter tyres on just a bit blunter in the handling stakes. The first time I threw it into a favourite corner, it went a good bit wider not like a normal car but not nearly as sharp as the WRX.

The lighter interior is much nicer than the coal black of the WRX cabin, the smiles as you accelerate or go up a motorway hill with no speed decrease is not there as it does not have the guts of the WRX.

It is 21mph per engine 1000rpm, the WRX is about 27mph. At 70 on the motorway you can hear the engine in the Sport R in the WRX it is well below the road noise.

Reliability

WRX needed the following changed in 60k of use
Fifth gear 8K
Rear shocks 40k
Front calipers 45k and 55k
Timing belt tensioner and rear bushes 59k

Sport R
Battery at 20K

Tyres

WRX at best 15k
Sport R 40K

Brakes Front
Pads 15k, discs 30k WRX
Pads 30k, discs 50k Sport R

Rear
Both needed at 50k due to rust on disc

Petrol

23mpg increasing to 27 mpg after 30k on WRX
31 mpg on the Sport R

I will not buy another new car due to the the high levels of depreciation. I will keep the Sport R till around 100k or if the g/box or engine blow before then.

When I was driving into work one morning my old WRX passed me and I nearly opened the car door at 70mph to take it back.

When my current car goes, it will be a WRX next, say 3 years old with 30k on it that I buy.

You only live once after all!

eddie

SRSport

Great write up. Thank a lot. I have the WRX 17s on and the WRX calipers so hopefully dont lose out there too much. Suspension is fairly similar as far as I know. All that is missing from the R sport is that extra 75ish bhp and then it would be a wonderful car to drive. I am very tempted by the Hawk WRX but my sensible head also means Im looking at the Mercedes diesel C220 so as you can tell I cant really work out what I want.

dotthedog

Just had my Sport R, Dec 05 reg, 50k and MOT service done at the Subaru dealer, got the call that the cambelt hydraulic tensioner is leaking. Just like my WRX five years ago.

Said to the dealer no problem, I have the Subary extended warranty and they paid for that five yers ago on the WRX.

The very nice lady said that's nothing to do with us. I was just as nice back but said you are the Subaru dealer and you deal with warranty claims and this is a Subaru warranty.

She tried to say it was not actually a Subaru warranty but I stood firm and referred it back to the dealer.

She asked the service manager and then got back to me and said they would handle it.

In the end, I just paid the quoted price of the service and the car passed it's MOT with no advisories.

eddie

ScoobyWRX300

Wish I'd made more of a fuss with Subaru at the end of Sept when I originally started this thread.
Admittedly that was two and a half months ago but shock is really knocking now and only done about 1000 miles since service/MOT.

What are the recommended alternatives to Subaru OEM shocks which seem prone to knocking?
All I'm after is a standard shock, nothing fancy, but something which will last better.

thanks

SRSport

Go back and make a fuss now. There is no harm in doing it and you are probably in your right to do so and to have it fixed. If they say they need proof that it was faulty before the end of the warranty show them the advisory. The problem started and was evident before the warranty expired so there should be no problem.
I had something fixed (something to do with steering) under warranty 6 months later after the warranty expired as I reported before the warranty expired and I then had to go abroad for 6 months. They said no problem.

edit- having said that I did make a small fuss but nothing more than stand my ground until the service manager backed down.

SRSport

What MY is it? Generally it is replacement Subaru shocks via camskills (if its before '55 or aftermarket coilovers for around £650. Thats it as far as I know.