Kendall Subaru of Eugene

Great experience until dealing with service department Disclaimer: I want to say up front that my purchasing experience from this dealer was exceptional and I would recommend this dealership for purchasin Disclaimer: I want to say up front that my purchasing experience from this dealer was exceptional and I would recommend this dealership for purchasing especially Kevin Pickett. I also want to say that my car is under warranty and they have not charged me a single dime and have been accommodating with rental vehicles and such. This is a long review but I hope that it is informative to anyone wanting to take their car in for service at this dealership. With that said I can summarize this review in the words of the service manager: "All Subaru vehicles when they get to 17,000 miles or more will make a whistling noise when you turn on the climate control" - Jerry, Service Manager, Subaru of Eugene, OR. Vehicle Background: I purchased my Legacy in 2014 and it now has 17,000 miles on it. During a drive up from California to Oregon, I pulled into a parking lot to eat and left the car in park. During my meal a whistling/whining noise started. This was about 5 months ago. Since then it has continued and the dealership so far has been unable to determine what the problem is. The Symptoms: 1. The noise is is best described as a whistling or whining noise, but not a high pitched, more like a guttural and changing whistle. It could almost be compared to bubbles coming up out of the water if they were higher pitched. It is very similar to what you hear from cars that need serpentine belts replaced. 2. The noise changes in volume randomly and regardless of any conditions (except circumstances which make the noise go away completely). It can be very low or moderately loud and can switch back and forth instantly and multiple times in quick succession. 3. The noise goes away completely when the climate control is turned off (heat, fan, ac, completely off) although sometimes it can take 3-4 seconds for it to die down completely. 4. The noise does not present as soon as the car is turned on and driving. I would estimate it takes at least 3-5 minutes of driving before the noise presents. It is worth noting that this is with outside weather conditions of anywhere between 35 - 65 degrees and that the car is always parked in the garage. 5. The noise presents whether the car is in park, idle, accelerating, braking, and driving at any speeds up to 75-80 MPH. I have not tested at higher speeds but the outside noise eventually will drown it out. 6. The noise can only be heard inside the car. If I open the hood and listen near the engine I cannot hear it. 7. If I turn off the engine but keep the climate control on, the sound also goes away regardless of the fan speed selection. Maintenance Performed: Replaced the serpentine belt Increased freon amount/pressure Next Step: Replace the blower Service Department Experience: When we first took in the vehicle for this issue they said they could not reproduce the problem and that maybe it would go away on its own. We accepted that and took it home. 5 or so months later I could not take it anymore and brought it back to the dealership service department. I explained all of the above symptoms to them when I checked it in. They called me back later and again said they could not reproduce it. Finally the service manager called me and asked if he could have permission to test drive it. I explained I already told them that it only presented after driving it for 4 or 5 minutes and only when the climate control was on and that I expected them to test drive it. He called back 15 minutes later and said he identified the sound I described to him and that he thought it was the serpentine belt. When I asked why he thought it was the belt since to my understanding, the belt spins regardless if the AC is on or off, he said that having the ac places a larger load on the belt and so I said fine but was doubtful since I had already opened the hood and listened and could not hear it there. They replaced the belt and the noise continued. The next time I brought it in he said that there was an engineer there that suggested increasing the freon in the car. The manager said they did that and the sound went away. During a later conversation with the service manager, the service manager claimed, "The engineer nor us ever heard the sound" which made me wonder how they could claim that the sound went away after putting freon in if they never heard it in the first place. I took the car home and the noise still continued. I called up the service manager and I could tell he was clearly frustrated and did not want to deal with this issue any longer. He told me the only way he could do anything was if I brought the car in and had him listen to the sound while in the car with him. So I agreed and took it in again. When I got there, he got into the car, acknowledged the sound and then pushed the A/C button. I then pushed the off button and he exclaimed, "Oh, you are turning off the whole climate control system". He then went on to explain that the noise was completely normal and that every Subaru with 17,000 miles or more makes that noise and that it is just the air pressure in the vents. I was dumbfounded. What he was saying did not make any sense to me so I started asking more questions. The more questions I asked the more ridiculous his answers seemed to become. When I asked him why I have never ever heard that sound in any other vehicle with many more miles than 17,000, he claimed that I could not compare my Subaru to any other vehicles. When I asked him if he could show me any other Subaru that made the same noise, he claimed he did not have any with that many miles, not even their taxi's. When I asked him why it would happen all of a sudden, he claimed that there are tons of parts and they get dirty and shed and such and that over time, they just make that noise. When I asked him if he was correct that the noise is just from air pressure in the vents, that it would make sense the noise was still there if the car was off and the climate control was on, he claimed, and I quote, "logic would seem to dictate so, but not necessarily because when the car is on the pressure might be higher" I then asked that if a lower pressure was the cause for the noise going away why wouldn't increasing fan speed cause the noise to come back? At this point he was pretty much done with my stupid questions and said that it was a complex system that I did not understand. He then told me that only thing left he could do was change the blower and if that did not fix the problem that there was nothing he could do. He also told me if he called engineers out to try to solve the problem they would tell me to turn up the radio or drive with the windows down. He also stated (in my interpretation, threatened) that if I had them try to find the problem after replacing the blower that they would have to take out the dash and that if that happened I would start hearing all kinds of rattling and shaking and noises. Where I Am Now: I am not a mechanic or even someone who is very knowledgeable about cars, so I cannot really argue with the service manager, I can only try to ask questions to understand the problem. I am praying that changing the blower will solve the issue. I am terrified if it does not solve the issue that this guy will be even more upset and sabotage something with the vehicle or at the very least, hate me for life. I am hoping someone else out there can benefit from this review. Regards, - Joe More

After weeks of research and being on the fence for a After weeks of research and being on the fence for a while, we decided to purchase our first new vehicle. As we are expecting our first child we wan After weeks of research and being on the fence for a while, we decided to purchase our first new vehicle. As we are expecting our first child we wanted something safe with proven reliability and safety records, so a Subaru Outback was our choice. Living in North Bend, Oregon, our nearest dealer happens to be Kendall Subaru in Eugene, about 120 miles away. Everything went smooth, we put a deposit on a 2014 Outback 3.6R with a Special Appearance Package. We thought it would be ready to pickup on the last day of February, so we sold our Honda Accord coupe and arranged a ride to the dealership. We arranged this in advance, but much to our disappointment, when our day came there was no car waiting for us… Hmmm, I'm going to say right now, it is misleading to sell something you don't even possess. Anyway, turned out good for us because we were able to get the same exact car with a 2.5 liter engine that we are totally happy with. Everything we need and 30 mpg… John Pease is an honest man, and we appreciated his integrity, thoroughness, and dry sense of humor. We did our research and were able to get our vehicle at the price we wanted……. until, the finance office arghhhhhh… We purchased an extended warranty, which brought our payments up a bit, and although it gives us a little peace of mind (we are trusting this vehicle with our baby's life), we just hope it doesn't let us down, if we should ever need it. Stacey, the finance manager, sold us on it, as we do live 120 miles from the nearest dealership, and covers costs at any approved facility…. anyway if the warranty is as good as she explained it to be, then we are all good. Overall, we think it was a good experience, and we will recommend Kendall Auto Group to our friends and family. More

This is the second car I have purchased from Kendall Subaru, the sales staff are tremendous, I would recommend John Pease as the guy to go to, he was fantastic to work with, understanding, patient & kno Subaru, the sales staff are tremendous, I would recommend John Pease as the guy to go to, he was fantastic to work with, understanding, patient & knowledgeable. With my previous vehicle, I found their service department wonderful, they are trustworthy and thorough. More

I searched for about 6 months looking for a kia soul that had all the options I wanted and most specific a manual transmission. I selected a 2012 model as several car review articles had great reviews and co had all the options I wanted and most specific a manual transmission. I selected a 2012 model as several car review articles had great reviews and commended kia for listening to customer feedback and making upgrades and changes to make the vehicle better. This equates to standard features that are optional for other manufacturers. This model seemed to have most if not all the bugs worked out from earlier models. This vehicle was a gift for the wife and the deal all came together seamlessly. I called on it Wed, agreed on a price, put down a refundable deposit (some other dealerships had a nonrefundable policy if I backed out) and picked it up on today, Friday. I had the vehicle inspected by a reputable shop in the area and he gave it a thumbs up but did mention the air filter would need to be changed soon. Not only did Cory deliver and pick-up the soul at the shop, he also honored my request to have the air filter replaced! Cory had all the doc's ready to go and awaiting final signatures. We waited a very short period and met with Stacie who was very personable and had a great attitude. Collectively we spent less than an hour finalizing the deal. My wife and I drove from Grants Pass so waiting around wasn't on our agenda. I almost passed this one up and was going to pay $3k more for the same model at another Eugene dealership. I'm glad I was attentive and noted the vehicle was a manual when the description declared it was auto trans. This by far was the best car buying experience I have experienced. I would highly recommend the Kendal group for you car shopping needs as this will be the first place I go to when I want another vehicle. More

We had been researching Subaru's for a while, and decided it was time to purchase. My husband and I visited the lot, and met Jacob Wallace, he was very knowledgeable about Subaru's and was a very ni decided it was time to purchase. My husband and I visited the lot, and met Jacob Wallace, he was very knowledgeable about Subaru's and was a very nice guy! We purchased our new Crosstrek and the whole process was so smooth!!!! Great service, and great salesman. Thank you Kendall Subaru, and special thanks to Jacob Wallace!!!! We will be back for our next new car, and so will all our friends and family! More

I was looking for a Buick Park Avenue with low miles. Kendall had just received one on a trade in. I called and spoke to Kevin Pickett who was friendly and set up an appointment to view the car. My wife Kendall had just received one on a trade in. I called and spoke to Kevin Pickett who was friendly and set up an appointment to view the car. My wife and I were greeted by Kevin at the door and soon took the car for a test drive. It drove like new and was in overall great shape. Although I was going to look at an other car at an other dealer the next day Kevin worked with us to get the price down to where we felt was fair and a good deal so we went ahead and bought it. All the time my wife and I never felt pressured and never once felt stressed with any of the process. Every one else we dealt with there was pleasant and professional. We left feeling more than good about the whole experiance and will definately do business there next time I'm in need of an other vehicle. More

I came into Kendall Subaru twice while shopping for my new Outback. Both times I was fortunate to work with Matt Logue. Matt was funny, knowledgeable, and helpful with my car buying experience. He made me new Outback. Both times I was fortunate to work with Matt Logue. Matt was funny, knowledgeable, and helpful with my car buying experience. He made me feel comfortable and worked with me to make sure I was happy with my purchase. I would highly recommend the staff, and specifically Matt Logue at Kendall Subaru. More

John Berglund was incredibly helpful in finding the right car for our needs. He was knowledgeable and patient and made the buying experience enjoyable. The only part of the transaction that could have be car for our needs. He was knowledgeable and patient and made the buying experience enjoyable. The only part of the transaction that could have been better was the finance portion. The woman working with us for the financing responded to her cell phone and texted a few times during our interaction, taking the focus off of our transaction. More

We met John Bergland on the Kendall lot to test drive an Impreza. Even tho' Kendall didn't have the model we wanted there was one that was the color we had to have. During a very long test drive with John, Impreza. Even tho' Kendall didn't have the model we wanted there was one that was the color we had to have. During a very long test drive with John, we learned everything we needed to know about the Impreza, simply and without pressure of any type. And the car we hadn't considered buying because it "had to many features" became ours the next day. Last year, the purchase of our 2011 Chevy Cruse Eco dream car was a disaster and the wrong car for us basically because of the lack of knowledge of the salesmen at a local dealership. It was certainly worth it to drive 150 miles to Kendall to receive the excellent information on the Subrau, and all without pressure. Everyone was friendly and helpful, altho' we were disappointed with the trade in price, we felt it was much to low according to Kelly Blue Book. All in all it was a good experience and we will definately refer anyone interested to John Bergland at Kendall. We love our Subaru Sport Limited. More

I can hardly believe buying this Legacy Wagon from Kendal Subaru was as a fantastic experience as it was. Jacob met us in the parking lot, and immediately, without that Pushy used car salesman attitude foun Subaru was as a fantastic experience as it was. Jacob met us in the parking lot, and immediately, without that Pushy used car salesman attitude found us EXACTLY what we were looking for. Got us an Unbelievable price on our trade in… (more than I asked for… can you believe it) and I drove out an hour later. I mean how does that happen? It was one of the most satisfying experiences, and they are SOOOO helpful and nice! I LOVE Jacob, he was the BEST! I can’t say enough good things about this business. I’ve always bought Honda’s, but with this experience, I can tell you… Kendal Subaru from now on! Thanks again Jacob!! More