Fox Subaru - Service & Parts — Local services in Cascade Charter Township

TL:DR -- Don't trust Subaru or Jonathan Sinko to give you any recommendations for what your car needs. Always double check what they've suggested.

Subaru values brand trust with consumers at $90 in case you were curious.

Why do I say this? I'm so glad you asked. I'll keep this brief.

I bought my first brand-new off-the-lot car from Subaru in 2018. I have really loved owning this car and was even a Subaru ambassador. This car has been the best vehicle I've ever owned. I've had every oil change done at Subaru I know it's a little price but it was quality service done quickly. I don't mind a company making profit, that keeps them around and it lets me trust the service I'm getting. This morning I thought, maybe I'll get a new Subaru later this year.

However, I went in for my oil change, and they recommended I replace my engine air filter and cabin air filter. They sent me photos on my phone, and they both looked reasonably clean, but it was listed as a BRIGHT RED LINE ITEM. I also knew that in the fall, I drove around to 5 different auto stores trying to replace them myself and thought, yeah, it's pricey, but I'll just do it.

I get home and put my receipt invoice in the same place I store all my Subaru work invoices and have an itching feeling I have been scammed. So I look back, and sure enough, I paid to have my engine air filter and cabin air filter BOTH REPLACED IN LATE AUGUST. I'm posting this review in late March 2023. The worst part of it the account tech who sorted through my account and who can see my whole history of work was Jonathan Sinko both today and back in August. He can see that I already had the service back in August, but he still recommended it. Unacceptable customer service.

This means I was recommended to have an air filter replaced after 7 months. I work from home; I don't drive much at all. Between August and March, I drove 5465 miles, an average of 780 miles a month. The Subaru service manual suggests replacing the engine air filter at 30,000 miles and the cabin air filter at 12,000 to 15,000 miles. So they recommended I spend $90 total when I'd only used: 36.4% of the cabin air filter and 18.2% of the engine air filter. This averages out to 27.3% filter usage before they recommend upgrading.

When I did the math and the research on suggested mileage for replacement, I went back to Subaru to call them out about the broken trust with the brand. They used the brand trust they had built with me taking their recommendations about how to keep my car in good condition to con me out of $90.

Subaru values brand trust with consumers at $90 in case you were curious.

As a note before reading the following, I didn't yell, I don't believe in dehumanizing service workers. I do require brands to live up to a certain standard that they say they hold.

After I went back, I spoke to the woman who runs the invoices, and she told me there was no manager in the office. I briefly explained that I don't appreciate brand trust being used to extort me for money when it isn't a real recommendation. Suddenly, there was a manager in the building. She went to let him know I wanted to chat. They made me wait 45 minutes, then the manager didn't come out, and they sent a salesman to sort this out. He listened to half of the problem, asked for the papers, and went to "sort it out." After more waiting, he had the entire trip refunded: oil change and filters. A refund is a reasonable start to correct this, but it is entirely unacceptable to be using your brand trust to con customers out of money to add to your profits when the recommendation is nowhere near replacement levels set in your own service manuals....

TWICE now at Fox Subaru I’ve signed an estimate that is 40-50% difference from what I’m charged when I go to pay the bill and both times they acted like this is an acceptable business practice. After the first time, I complained and got a credit, so I decided to give them another chance. The last oil change, they also marked all four tires as having been checked, yet my TPMS light was still on and all the tires were outside of spec (3 low, 1 high). When I messaged the tech about the discrepancy, I was ignored. They clearly weren’t checked at all. Then this time, my estimate is 70 and I get to the counter and am charged 110. I’m going to look into reporting this situation to corporate Subaru.

If Fox Subaru service were the last place in the world to get my vehicle serviced, I would learn to do it myself or ride my bike instead. DO NOT...

I had a really mundane fix I needed, and it involved having to go back and forth between Fox Subaru and Subaru of America. I'd imagine it is far from a fun case to work on. Yet, all of the service advisors who helped me were absolutely FANTASTIC. I could not possibly sing their praises enough. I anticipated having to spend upwards of a grand, but my service advisor, Nicole, was able to work the case with SoA and got them to pay for the part I needed. Moreover, she didn't even charge me for the diagnosis. Even when it came to paying for the labor, I was charged significantly under what the estimate originally was. Frankly, I could not be happier with the service I got. Everyone there is respectful, friendly, and genuinely just wants to give you as much help...