Stohlman Subaru of Sterling - Service Center

Poor communication from both service tech staff and Service manager. There is obviously a disconnect between HR hiring and job requirements for customer facing positions Service manager. There is obviously a disconnect between HR hiring and job requirements for customer facing positions More

Dishonest TL;DR: Discovered I was lied to about the level of repair required before my car could be aligned, and was left with a poor taste in my mouth as I dis TL;DR: Discovered I was lied to about the level of repair required before my car could be aligned, and was left with a poor taste in my mouth as I discovered horrible dealers do exist. I've been unable to get a response from the dealer about a part list they promised I would receive after multiple attempts and weeks to contact them. Parts listed that I needed to replace (from memory): - ball joints - bushings (front) - tie rod ends - camber bolts (front) - control arm (front) (comes with ball joint and bushings easing labor costs) - sway bar end links (front) - brakes (front) - lower control arm (rear) (replaces bushings too) - trailing arm (rear) - bushings (rear) - end links (rear) - toe adjustment bolt - toe adjustment bushing (rear) (too firm a material) - brakes (rear) Parts that actually needed replaced: - ball joints - brakes (front) - brakes (rear) My Background: I have an older Subaru and had replaced the aged suspension with a Primitive Racing lift kit. This kit is known to be plug and play from a reputable company, and I matched it with some All Terrain tires so I didn't have to worry about taking it out into the woods for camping. It has also been well maintained by myself, though due to my work schedule I wasn't able to use my normal shops near home. The Appointment: I went into Stohlman's with my vehicle ready to be aligned due to new wheels, and to get a scheduled oil change. I pulled into the service area and was immediately was approached by a service rep. They talked to me about the service and ensured they had everything they needed before I handed over my keys. After sitting for 45 minutes I was brought back to the maintenance bay to discuss issues with my car. The tech greeted me and told me he was unable to move any of the adjustment bolts on the vehicle to bring it into alignment because the lift kit has put too much stress on the car. Not only that, but as he tried it would become worse. He pointed at the ball joints on the front lower control arm, and the bushings telling me the boot was broken and the lower control arm should be replaced (labor and part cost would be about the same but it would replace more than just the ball joint). We then walked to the back and he told me bushings were bad there too, the toe adjustment's bushing was aftermarket and totally nonadjustable, when the bushing is adjustable separate from the bolt for extra angle necessary with a lift kit. He told me the control arms and trailing arms for the rear were bent or locked up he wasn't sure which. The end links were shot, and the bushing for the sway bar was bad. My brakes needed done, as well as my tie rod ends. I asked him if he could provide me a list of the parts while I cursed at my car under my breath since that was a lot to remember. Plus, if the OEM parts were having an issue with my lift kit I needed to talk to Primitive Racing about the kit they sold me, and I needed to research what parts I could buy that would compliment the lift without locking up again. He agreed and told me he would move to do the oil change as I went back to the waiting area. Once my car was done, and I was called back up by my service rep I looked through all the paperwork they gave me and the part list was not there. I asked for the sheet, and they said they'd have to talk to the technician to get the list and it would be awhile before they were available. They were able to E-mail it to me, and in the short sighted accepting person I am I said sure that was fine. After a few days without the list I reached out to Thomas Wimmer through his review request E-mail letting him know I couldn't review the service until I had the list of parts which I requested. Now suspecting foul play I went ahead and scheduled an appointment with another shop (specializing in offroading vehicles) to double check my suspension. Peer Review and Follow Up: The other shop spent 2 hours looking over my car trying to find why Stohlman's would tell me that the suspension had locked up the bolts, they were able to move everything and were stunned at the level of repair (I tried to remember since I still didn't have a parts list) I was listed at the dealer. The did confirm that my ball joints were bad, but that was the extent of the damage, the bushings, control arms, and bolts were all fine if a little old. At this point I reached out to Thomas again through the same E-mail and asked that, since my state inspection was the next day, that I would be able to get that list expedited through to me so I could order the parts to keep my vehicle on the road. I still have not heard a response from him and I am on the third week of waiting for this part list I wanted before reviewing their service. After Thoughts (Personal): I had an amazing dealer where I used to live, and due to their awesome treatment of me with my other Subaru I had convinced many friends and family members to buy a Subaru themselves. I had never witnessed any of the horror stories that others talk about with dealers, and believed that with Subaru I never would. The community, the other dealer I bought my other Subaru from, and the company were all awesome and I enjoyed interacting with them. I had plans to buy a new Subaru from Stohlman's, but if the technicians can't even work on a Subaru without lying how can I be sure sales will work with me to get me what I want? If I came in for maintenance/warranty work would I need to get that double checked by another shop too? And once it's modified can I be sure they won't lie that the modifications haven't broken something completely unrelated to avoid warranty? More