After 22 excellent years of driving manual transmi...

After 22 excellent years of driving manual transmission Mazda products and receiving excellent client services from Mazda, I thought I would try Subaru, per their marketing campaigns about customer satisfaction, and to drive something different just for a change. I thought I was lucky to receive a great Subaru product (2017 Subaru Forester), which I purchased through Subaru Mississauga.

I just went through 10 days of hell trying to get satisfaction from Subaru services. The manual transmission on my 2017 Subaru Forester (less than 40K kms, began to slip and the car became undriveable while I was away for a weekend in Ottawa. I took it in to Subaru Ogilvie, and they said the clutch was worn out and the entire assembly required replacement. Further, not only was I told by Subaru Ogilvie that I should be driving an automatic because of the wear and tear on the transmission, but I had to find and purchase a flywheel myself at your Subaru Mississauga location and bring it to Ottawa to get it fixed, as they couldn't find one anywhere and it would need to be ordered (I was paying for a rental car in the meantime). I was given the royal runaround between the Ottawa Ogilvie Subaru, the Mississauga Subaru where I purchased it, the Corporate headquarters in Mississauga, and the Protection Plan folks as they all passed the buck and no one was willing to stand up for the product or even consider that there was a mechanical problem with the manual transmission. Unless I can prove that there was a pre-existing mechanical problem to start with, it is not covered due to wear and tear. EVERYTHING IS WEAR AND TEAR in a car.

But with Subaru, it appears I am guilty of bad driving habits, unless I can prove my innocence. I have driven 2 Mazdas, 2 Volkswagens, and 1 Dodge, all in excess of 300,000 kms and never had a clutch problem. I pride myself on my smooth manual transmission operation, and I also refrain from stop and go traffic, as I live in the countryside and avoid heavy traffic. The wear and tear is NOT as a result of my driving, but I believe it must have been a mechanical problem to start with. And the dealership tells me it's my fault and is not covered. This is not acceptable, especially after the smooth story I was given about the complete coverage of the Protection Plan.

At this point, this experience has cost me approximately $2600 in repairs and car rentals, not including my day off and gas. And I had spent $2647 for a worthless Subaru Protection Plan that should have covered this. Nowhere in the policy does it say that it s up to the customer to prove why they should be reimbursed for costs.

In Subaru's eyes, I expect the benefit of doubt goes with the dealer, not the client. Shame on Subaru. I regret that I no longer have faith in Subaru s business practices or product line, and I plan to go back to Mazda, who stand behind their product, or perhaps to Toyota or Volkswagen. I have cancelled my Protection Plan, as it is worthless and a scam, and hope to unload my 2017 Forester as soon as possible. This is completely in reverse of my original plan, which was to become part of the Subaru family. Your cars are nicely designed, but obviously, the company advertises but does not stand behind the product. In 10 days, my view of the company has gone from great to terrible. My social media friends are fully supportive of my plight and have also been surprised by Subaru s stance on this and lack of customer support. No one at Subaru has offered a resolution.

I understand from the Ontario Motor Vehicle Industry Council and the Better Business Bureau that should be informed of the above scenario and I may and can seek dispute resolution services through them, barring satisfaction directly from you, the dealer.

I wish I could end this with a thanks, but not in this case. Please feel free to share this info with your colleagues and managers, as they should be aware of the organization they work for.