Rust 2016 STi
 

I'm a bit shocked, if honest, regarding the amount of rust on some of the suspension components of my 2016 WRX STi. This is my first Subaru and bought it brand new in March '16 as a complete change from a constant stream of Alfa Romeo's that I've had in the past. At first, I liked it, but gradually grown to dislike it for a number of reasons.

It's eaten two batteries (warranty item), completely killed them, both of which the dealership (FG Barnes Maidstone) tried to fob me off by saying that I wasn't using the car enough and that it was me causing damage to the battery. Long story short, it was easier for me to go to Euro Car Parts, spend £80 on a decent battery and fit it myself which I did in 5 minutes.

The service plan on the car isn't worth anything as far as I'm concerned. £27 a month for 3 years will get you three services from the dealership. The last one, the coolant was left right on the minimum, and I'm not even convinced that they had changed the oil. I really wish that I'd taken it back and kicked off, but their attitude there is abysmal and to be honest I'd have prefered to do it myself.

The brakes were seized on every time that I go to use the car, didn't bother with FG Barnes this time, but instead stripped the calipers and cleaned them up myself. It got so bad that I had to leave the handbrake off and chock the wheels when it went back on the drive. The rear discs have warped and are scored to sh*t as well.

When sorting the brakes the other day, I was shocked to see the amount of rust on the suspension components. This is a two year old car with 16,000 miles on it, and something tells me that this isn't going to wear well with age. Yes I know it's the underside, but the wife's 55-plate Alfa 156 is in better nick than this underneath!

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1742/...e4c21050_b.jpg

https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1750/...c68238af_b.jpg

The front is also going the same way!

What's the thoughts on this?

Surely rust like that will be covered under the warranty??

Have you ever jet washed the underside after driving on gritted roads.

It's never been driven on gritted roads. It's not even used as a daily driver.

I really don't know if it's just me or not, but to be honest I've never seen a new car with so much rust underneath! Maybe some enquiries need to be made this time.

I also have a 2016 STi, coming up for 22 months old. Car is always garage and is not a regular drive. If left for more than a couple of days I always hook up a CTEX battery conditioner. I've had no battery problems and had a quick look underneath and no signs of rust.

Sorry to hear your having issues on your 1st scoob experience,
I would go ask about the rust but doubt you will get far . You could always spray it all in clear under seal , the new skylines are exactly the same if not worse.

Did you order the car from the factory or had the it already been made prior to you walking into the dealer?

Only thing I can think of is it's been sitting at a dock somewhere before being shipped to a dealer and the salty air has attacked it...

Definitely not normal though, thats what mine looks like underneath but it's 13yrs old!

Sorry to hear you've had a bad experience.

Yes the car was ordered via Subaru, apparently it was in stock at a warehouse somewhere up Northampton way from what I remember.

I'm certain it's not covered under warranty, but with this and the crap support and service from the dealership I think I might have a case against Subaru here. Failing that, it will go back end of year and I'll get something else.

I would def be pushing back against FG Barnes..

Your a customer and have a right to a product being fit for purpose.

At present and with the problems you have already experienced, I would be wanting s meeting with senior sales reps or after sales manager in order to explain your concerns.

:ok:

Sorry to hear of your problems. Firstly it should be covered for the rust. Take it to an alternative dealer if your current dealer doesn’t play ball.

The battery is a common issue and is usually caused by the tracker. My STI chewed batteries unless I had them on a charger in the garage for the periods I wasn’t using it.

Great cars though 😎

Thanks fellas. I'm going straight to head office about this, I won't go anywhere near FG Barnes after the problems that I've had with them. I'll write to them tomorrow and see what they have to say, if anything, and let you know of the outcome.