Carter Subaru in Shoreline

Dealership is great, service is bad. We have purchased three Subaru’s from this dealership and they have been so kind at the dealer. But whenever I am in service I always feel unwanted in We have purchased three Subaru’s from this dealership and they have been so kind at the dealer. But whenever I am in service I always feel unwanted in there? Erin has probably been dealing with my services for the past 2 visits and I have never felt welcomed by her. Today, was just too much. I get it they are busy but they should not have treated me the way they have. The first man I spoke to said they were busy probably two weeks in. And then referred me to Erin. And here goes it all. I tell her that our car was overdue for an oil change and the response I get from her was “well that’s a disappointment” and stares at me. I’m like okay. She’s horrible and because of her and the majority of the people in service I won’t come back for their service. In fact I will call out the only person who has been the only person so kind and helpful to me, CARLOS. He is always kind to my sister and I whenever we go in. Aside from that the people in dealership are kind and welcoming. They don’t nag you and are so helpful. John Sylvester and Desmond are very kind and work hard for what they do. They were able to get us a car even below our means and we appreciate that a lot. And it just shows the type or human beings that they are. Other than that I have no other complain, except for their service. So if you want a car come here. But for other things just drive the extra mile to walker’s or the one in ballard’s Or even on the east side. More

Avoid this place if you’re an informed buyer. xxxxxxxx I went in to Carter Subaru with an online quote from John Sylvester, who told me explicitly if I came in they would match any offer. I did my research I went in to Carter Subaru with an online quote from John Sylvester, who told me explicitly if I came in they would match any offer. I did my research, visited numerous other dealerships and was given a better quote for a car they had on their lot, from a different dealership. With this better quote I scheduled a time to meet with John at the dealership. He told me he was unavailable and to work with a James Bennett. When I arrived and tried to speak with James he didn’t want to help me because he was busy with another customer, and stated John never told him I was coming in. I then got pawned off to an old bald guy (can’t remember his name lucky for him) who couldn’t give less of a crap about the sale so was very rude and blunt the entire interaction. When I made it clear they wouldn’t be able to scam me through financing they refused to even sell the car and now they won’t trade it to the dealership that was actually going to sell it at the quoted price. Don’t waste your time here if you’re an informed buyer. It’s a bunch of salty low lifes trying to rip people off. More

Not so black and white Update: After writing this review, Carter Subaru was able to credit us $1500 towards the cost of repair and found a refurbished transmission. Most of Update: After writing this review, Carter Subaru was able to credit us $1500 towards the cost of repair and found a refurbished transmission. Most of this was thanks to our customer service agent Randy. To be clear, He and Debbie were very kind. Our final bill was close to $7,500. Today I received a phone call from a woman from the dealership whose name I did not catch. She told me that Subaru has since decided to extend the warranty on all CVT transmissions to 100,000. She then expressed her extreme exasperation at my earlier review. She seemed very angry that I didn't state that Carter Subaru gave us the $1500 in service credit. Our conversation was awkward and ended ubruptly when she hung up. The credit was not mentioned because it had not yet happened. The woman who called me today was incredibly rude and unreasonable. She could have politely asked me about my review or even if would be willing to change it. I don't know how to go about getting our money back since she made it quite clear I should never go there again. Here is how the rest of the service went: Once I was notified they had the part and could begin work; I asked Randy to please let me know if they find any other problems with the car. We went to pick it up and the 60,000mile check list showed the at needed a new battery and a new brake light. I asked Randy about it. He said the service center did not notify him of these problems. He immediately offered to cover the expense of a new battery and light. I just had to come back the next day. It went fine. My car sounds great. As for my earlier review: No one is happy about having to drop thousands on a new transmission. It was very difficult to get a clear answer on why they didn't find a problem with the transmission when they replaced the head gaskets. My previous review: Noticed my Subaru Impreza had an oil leak a few months back. Took it in, turns out it needed new head gaskets. Luckily it was covered under warranty. Took my Subaru in for its 60,000 mile check up and they now tell me the transmission needs to be replaced. It will cost $8,000 plus the $800 for the 60,000 mile tune up. There was no check engine light on. The transmission just failed somewhere between 58,000 miles and 62,000. Of coarse right outside the warranty. The various b.s. answers from customer service only made it worse. They have ruined my finances. Will never go to Carter Subaru again or own another Subaru. If cars were designed to fail right when the warrany expired they wouldnt cost so much. More

Great Experience We had checked out a few Subaru dealers before deciding to work with Carter Subaru. The sales person was helpful and not at all pushy and matched the We had checked out a few Subaru dealers before deciding to work with Carter Subaru. The sales person was helpful and not at all pushy and matched the deals we were offered at other places without complaint. He answered all of our questions and was very quick to respond. He found us our perfect car, and we are still thrilled with it. More

How a New Car Purchase Should Be We narrowed our car search down to a couple Subaru models, and then used www.cars101.com to research all the tradeoffs and options. When it came time We narrowed our car search down to a couple Subaru models, and then used www.cars101.com to research all the tradeoffs and options. When it came time to secure a specific car, we got quite a range of quotes from Western Washington dealers. Joe Spitz, at Carter Subaru Shoreline, offered a discounted price that was far less than the next lowest quote for the same car. His proposal wasn’t even in the same league as the much higher fixed prices used at some Subaru stores. We were happy to get the exact package we were seeking, for a model that is in very high demand, while paying a deeply discounted price that made a joke of the “true” car values listed by the various car buying websites. Our sales consultant, Joe Spitz, impressed me as the kind of guy who eats, sleeps, and loves the Subaru brand. I have pretty high expectations when I’m about to be parting with a lot of money. Joe not only exceeded all my expectations, but he also significantly lessened the amount of money I had to part with :)! His candid and thorough response to my questions, and his use of just the right amount of humor, made the buying process downright enjoyable. He has really earned my respect. I see other glowing online comments about the guy. This would normally be a disincentive for me to post yet another accolade for his virtual refrigerator door. But, fair is fair, When someone really gets it right, he or she deserves at least as much notoriety as a looser who's earned every flaming arrow he or she has ever received on the web. I'd much rather write a positive review - when that rare, praiseworthy instance occurs. Without reservation or prompting, I’d suggest that anyone in the market for a Subaru “Goe see Joe.” Joe Spitz, at Carter Subaru in Shoreline. More

The Worst Experience we've ever had! Went to Carter today to look and maybe buy an Outback. First salesman, Zach, was nice. Went out and picked a car to drive. He goes to get the key and Went to Carter today to look and maybe buy an Outback. First salesman, Zach, was nice. Went out and picked a car to drive. He goes to get the key and another guy comes out says Zach is busy. Proceeds to rush us with looking at the new Outback then tells us we don't want a Crosstrak. We ask to look at one. He takes us to one and asks if we done. We tell him we want to test drive one, ask what happened to Zach and he tells us Zach has a customer that is buying a car. WOW! I guess we didn't rank as worth their time. The guy was a complete xxx! Went to Eastlake Subaru and are proud owners of a Subaru Outback. More

Purchase my 2016 STi from Joe Spitz Joe is about as professional as any person I've meet. He helped me order my 2016 WRX STi and I am very impressed by his knowledge of Subaru cars as w Joe is about as professional as any person I've meet. He helped me order my 2016 WRX STi and I am very impressed by his knowledge of Subaru cars as well as how he treats his customers with honesty and respect. I will continue to send Joe Spitz my business. More

great service department I have purchased 2 Outbacks from Carter since 1999. We service our cars there because of the great customer service we get from Bennie C. In the serv I have purchased 2 Outbacks from Carter since 1999. We service our cars there because of the great customer service we get from Bennie C. In the service department. We have already referred a handful of friends to Carter because of this. More

Second Carter Forester, happy camper I've owned dozens of cars in my 78 years, and back in the day the experience of a car purchase was neither fun nor easy. I came in for an oil change, I've owned dozens of cars in my 78 years, and back in the day the experience of a car purchase was neither fun nor easy. I came in for an oil change, and drove out in a new car. Fun. Easy. Thanks. More

I have been going to Carter Subaru for over a decade. Unfortunately, their focus on quality and customer has taken a wrong turn. I recently decided to purchase a new Subaru from Carter, but was concer Unfortunately, their focus on quality and customer has taken a wrong turn. I recently decided to purchase a new Subaru from Carter, but was concerned about the amount of cement dust from the nearby construction and wanted to make sure cars were not brushed or put through an auto car wash. The salesperson told me it was not a problem because they only did light power washing. It was cloudy on initial inspection of the car, so I did not see it right away, but once I pulled the car in the garage, I quickly realized the car was badly scratched over every inch, including headlight, taillights, paint, etc. After seeing pictures of the car, Carter had us go to a detailer and we also took it to a painter - both indicated the car had possibly been brushed with a contaminated brush and not enough water. I asked the salesperson about this and she e-mailed that car had not been washed with a brush or gone through a car wash. Carter was good about offering to take the car back, and I planned to order another car from them. After getting the check back, and before starting the process to order a new car, my wife and I wanted to better understand how the scratches happened, so we went to the lot to compare a few cars that had just come in (and still had some of the protective covering) to cars that had been in the lot for a while. Without exception – cars that still had the protective covering were in great shape, and cars without it were badly scratched. We then realized that we were walking past the wash bay. We watched as they drove a brand new car drove into the wash bay, applied a very small amount of water, and then scrubbed the entire car with a brush that was never rinsed or even returned to the bucket. In an instant, I went from feeling good about the fact that Carter Subaru would give me my money back for a damaged car, to absolute disbelief. I could not believe this was how the cars were washed. I could not believe that, even after I told them the professional detailer they recommended told me the car probably had been brushed, they denied it and would only say the damage must have occurred at the factory or in port. I certainly could not believe that I was explicitly told my car had not been washed with a brush, when it had been. We went back and asked for the Sales Manager and explained what we had seen in the wash bay. He asked us to go into a room so that we would not “sour other customers.” I then told him what we had seen by comparing cars before and after detailing. He responded “we’re not going to change our process.” I would hope that, even if some or most people did not notice the damage, he would still have wanted to avoid unnecessarily damaging the cars, especially as it could be remedied with simple improvements to the process. We asked one more question, but only received another harsh response. My wife and I got up and left. If at any point in the process someone had simply apologized and been honest about how the car had been washed, I would have been fine. I don’t understand why we were treated as we were, especially after we had been told one thing about the car washing process, and then saw for ourselves it wasn’t true. It also doesn’t make sense to us how, knowing the cars are being damaged, Carter Subaru won’t even consider making improvements to its detailing process. I tried bringing my experience to the attention of the owners of Carter Subaru, but my letter remains unanswered. After all these years, I am not so much angry or upset by this experience as I am sad to end a long relationship with Carter Subaru. I am actually writing this because I hope it makes a difference to future car buyers and saves others from going to Carter Subaru and experiencing the same thing. I would strongly recommend checking cars when sunny or with a light if buying from this dealership. We went to a number of other dealerships and were amazed at how much better cars looked elsewhere. More