Irvine Subaru

I brought my Outback in to Irvine Subaru on a Thursday morning with a “Subaru light display” (all yellow and red Brake light all staying on) after having no problems whatsoever the night before. I figured it had to be a censor problem and decided to take it to the dealership to read the code and fix the problem and get me back on the road. When I was told that no one could even look at the car for 6+ hours, I decided to read ChatGPT and Reddit and try to fix it myself. I asked to check my car back out and it took 3 calls to the service bay and 50 minutes of wait time to get my car back. I checked my gas cap and removed the negative terminal on my battery to hopefully reset the computer, but this didn’t help, so I checked the car back in. Long story short, I finally got a video inspection texted to me the following afternoon, with a long list of things to do, including replacement of my cabin air filter, which had just been done by Valvoline. The basic problem was that my intake oil control valves were sticking. So these were replaced and a double oil change was performed. Some charge pipe O-rings were also replaced. I called in on the 4th day and spoke with a stand-in Service Advisor, who wasn’t aware of the work I had approved and declined. So my car was in the shop for >4 days and the charge was >$1300, including $985 in labor (@ $210/hour!). My overall impression is that this dealership is way too busy to effectively accommodate all the customers they are checking in. I have bought 2 Outbacks there, my son drives a WRX and my daughter drives an Outback. We all love Subaru and what the company stands for. I called the local Subaru Customer Service rep and she had the Irvine service manager call me the next day, but there was no service recovery offered. I would recommend that you find a Costco-sponsored service center or establish yourself with a mechanic you trust closer to home. Frank’s Subaru had always provided 5-star service in the past (Laura has always been fantastic), but my recent visit was very unsatisfactory.

The service is great. The environment is relaxing and stress free with a very helpful and friendly sales and service staff. I was unfortunate to have some car issues which were not easy to fix in one visit. The service department did not neglect the problem, but continued to work to solve the problem by following up with me to come back to make sure the issue was resolved. Hats off to Laura Flannigan for getting different service techs including Subaru engaged in resolution of the issue.

Very respectful, great deal, treat you like family. Knowledgeable sales staff, well stocked dealership. Service department very accommodating. Purchase completed in timely manner. Very happy with purchase.

Friendly smooth transaction, quick efficient transaction, quick process in finance. Fair negotiation. I recommend this dealership.

This dealership provided superior customer service from every person I came in contact with during and after my purchase!

A exceptionally easy, quick experience, with folks who knew their stuff, which got me in to the vehicle I wanted with no hassles.

Great experience buying a new vehicle. Everyone was knowledgeable, helpful and friendly and made the experience pleasant.

Mike Cutright was great to work with. His help getting the right accessories was appreciated.

Great experience, I was out of town and had a tight schedule. Frank's found the ideal car and I picked it up on my way from the airport! Very efficient, friendly, and professional.

Every transaction from Sales to Encore training: top notch. High praise to all employees who served us for their professionalism. All processes impressed us and we told all our friends. We LOVE our Forester. Best choice we ever made.