Am I being taken for a ride?

[Dale Stothers]

Monday: I brought my 2014 Subaru Impreza in to a new shop to check for a vibrating noise I’d been hearing for a while and to diagnose why my interior fan was only operational at one speed. Within minutes, the car was on a lift and I was shown where a heat shield was the culprit of the rattling sound. It was the end of day, so I left the car with them overnight so they could evaluate the blower. They explained exactly what they’d be doing and even confirmed my thoughts that it was probably a faulty resister. After that, they’d perform a safety evaluation. I’d told them earlier that I planned on passing this vehicle to my son when he got his licence. I felt pretty comfortable with this as everything else had been thoroughly explained and the shop was going to make repairs to eliminate the noise free of charge.

Tuesday: This morning I received a call telling me the blower resister was indeed bad and would replace it. In addition, they noted a few safety concerns, the most pressing being the bushing on two suspension arms. I use these terms like I understand what they are, but in truth I am usually at the mercy of the professional I choose. There were images provided to me that clearly suggested a problem, with the black bushing(?) cracked and appearing to begin pulling free. Was told both sides were the same and offered of $495 per side because it was my first time at their shop. It felt like the responsible option to agree to the repairs.

Near the end of day I was told they were having issues with repairs to the suspension. Arms had frozen(?) Having a difficult time, they’d have to see whether or not a realignment was necessary. Was told they’d probably finish up by tomorrow morning.

Wednesday: I texted the next morning. Was told he was finishing up the arms and would give it a test drive and would contact me shortly.

At 1pm they called to tell me they were still working on the suspension, but in the process of blower repairs the motor had a short and would need to be replaced. Quoted a reduced rate of $250.

End of day, I went over to see whether the car was ready. It was not. Continued issues with the arm and would likely carry into tomorrow.

Right now I feel like a complete schmuck and expect further issues. I’d really appreciate opinions on where to take this today.

Stay well,
cg

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