Subaru Problems

You could well be right. It would seem they haven’t found what’s causing the noise and have simply guessed that it’s a problem with the tyre. The car is still under warranty, so I would take it back and demand they find and fix the fault.

As we promised when you first contacted us regarding this problem we got in touch with Subaru and asked for an opinion on the noise on your car. We understand that they had a technical rep drive your car and talk to you about the problem, which the company says is “normal”. They have also agreed to change the clutch, despite the belief that it’s unlikely to fix the problem. It seems from what we have been told that the noise is a harmonic problem in the drivetrain and can’t easily be fixed by swapping parts.

The speedo is allowed to read up to 10 percent higher than the real speed of your car, plus 4 km/h, and there’s nothing you can do about it. A GPS, which is more accurate, can be a useful guide to your real speed.

If you’ve had paint protection applied your complaint is against the company that did that work, not Subaru. If it were done through the dealer, then you might also have a claim against the dealer. I would be very annoyed with paint protection company for not telling me they have problems with Subaru paint, if that is indeed the case, before they took my money and did the job.

Clutches are considered wear and tear items; they wear out. It’s really a matter of whether they have a reasonable life span or not. Yours has done 90,000 km, which is in my view quite reasonable, and you know little of how it was treated before you bought it, so you have no real chance of claiming Subaru was at fault.

Clutch wear could be your problem, have your dealer check it for you.

Here's Subaru's answer: "As with most brands gearboxes are not totally sealed units. If the vehicle is exposed to very heavy sand, the clutch may fail and sand could be evident during replacement." From that you should get the message that you shouldn't attempt to drive through heavy sand.

We have had previous reports of this issue and have approached Subaru for their comment, which was that they were not aware of a problem. They also advised that owners should only use Subaru- approved globes, suggesting that any problem that might exist was related to non-factory globes.

We don’t have ‘lemon’ laws in this country so you need to work through the laws in each state relating to consumer rights, and based on what you say has happened to your car you would appear to have a strong case against Subaru. Before you go that far, however, you should try to resolve your issues through the dealer, and if that fails, through Subaru.

Under the Australian Consumer Law introduced in January 2011, a consumer can request a refund or a replacement for persistent problems if the car doesn’t do the job it’s supposed to do.

Without being able to listen to your car I can’t say I have or haven’t heard it before, but it seems clear from what you say that Subaru is aware of the noise. You would have to wonder why they removed the gearbox, twice at that, if they believed it was nothing to do with the box, and why replace the clutch if, as they say, it won’t fix the problem. I’ve sent your complaint off to Subaru and asked for a report on your car. Hopefully that might get an answer.