I have a 2018 Forester still under warranty, bought 9/2018 and 21000 miles.
I have taken this car to a foreign car mechanic for all maintenance instead of going to the dealer.
The fuel gauge appears to be stuck on full.
My question is…shoild I take it to the dealership where I bought the car or can I take it to the dealership that is closer. There is a about a 25 mile difference in total distance.
That is your choice. I hope you kept all the documents from your mechanic if a warranty issue arises.
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Yes, I have.
I had heard that you were “better off” going to the place where you bought the car. Is that not accurate?
To fix a warranty problem like this you have to use the dealer. (edit - you should be able to take it to any Subaru dealer, think about what happens when someone moves).
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Any Subaru dealer can repair this under warranty for you. There is no advantage to going to the selling dealer.
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The only negative I have had going to another dealer for warranty work was a bunch of maintenance items recommended that the other dealer had already performed. I declined, and no problem with the warranty work.
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It’s my understanding that all dealerships will handle warranty issues for you, but if you’re not sure, try calling the closer dealership and ask them what the policy is.
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In the old days, full indications meant there was a bad sending unit. Some of those are combined with the fuel pump. That usually means that any garage can fix the problem.
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But not under warranty.
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I would call the dealer I want to go to, and hear their response to my request, then decide.
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Sorry, I missed the line about the gauges. I thought you were asking about routine maintenance.
For the gauges, by all means take it to a dealership so it can be corrected under your warranty.
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Give the closer dealer a chance, they’ll hope to earn more service business. Any Subaru dealer in the country can do warranty work for you.
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You can take it to either but you may get more attention at the selling dealer. Either case if it’s covered it’s covered. I have the same thing. One is 30 miles away and one is 60 miles away. I go to the one 60 miles away because they get me in and out in a hurry. The other one I’ve had to wait a week or more for a warranty appointment. Both have good coffee but the service is much better and efficient at the distant dealer.
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+1
They recently broadened their policy, but for many years the Subaru dealership from whom I bought my Outbacks provided free loaner cars to service customers only if they bought their Subaru from them. I guess that everyone is competing for service business nowadays, because they now provide free loaners to every service customer, as long as the service involves more than just an oil change.
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yup - ANY dealer – bought a used buick thru an internet site … my dealer was happy to take in a warrantee car ! easy money…
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The dealer is the one who is “better off”.