Downtown Subaru of Oakland Service and Parts Department

Reviews

Reviews are sorted by relevance, with the most helpful and insightful feedback listed first for easy reference.

  Amehlyn Neaves
a week ago
Had a great experience with Downtown Toyota. We found the perfect car for our growing family! Abdul was very helpful and polite. Highly recommend to anyone looking to purchase a car.

  Maddie Lionberger
4 months ago
As soon as I learned my break/tail lights were out, I went to the dealership as a matter of convenience, in an attempt to avoid delays with ordering parts, etc. I requested to have the mechanic change my oil and rotate my tires while there. I was told all fluids would be topped off as part of the oil change service. After several hours, I was given the following summary: "all 4 brake lamps in rear of vehicle in op due to wiring harness rusting out...P&A generated for both lamp housings and trunk housing including bulbs and harness for trunk hatch. Cost for repair $1,816.53." I trusted the technician when he told me they attempted to replace the bulbs but they were rusted shut into their sockets. Because I couldn't afford to pay $2k that day to replace the entire electrical system including the trunk hatch which was operating fine they stated that my car was unsafe to operate and I needed to tow it off the lot. I decided to look into changing the lights myself. After consulting the car's manual for 2 minutes, I realized I was more than capable. I bought all bulbs from an auto parts shop ($15 total) and managed to change every one of them. Granted, one socket contained a fair amount of rust, but with a little pressure and the appropriate tools, I was able to remove the burnt out bulb. I applied an over-the-counter anti-rusting substance ($1.79) for good measure. There is absolutely no reason a few broken bulbs warranted a complete overhaul of the system and rendered my car useless. The least they could have done was replace the bulbs in the sockets that were so easy to remove and contained absolutely no rust (pictured). I was charged $235 for the lights evaluation alone. To add insult to injury, they didn't even fill up my wiper fluid! All-in-all I paid $368.99 essentially for an oil change (that they didn t even meet their promises on) and tire rotation. Can't help but feel like this happened because I m a woman.

  Rachel A
5 months ago
It s rare that you get the spirit and treatment of a small, hometown mechanic at a dealership but you will here.I ve been to other Subaru dealers in the Bay Area and when I was struggling with an immediate power steering issue, this location is the only one that picked up the phone and connected me with someone in the service department. They assured me it was safe to drive to Oak from SF and that they d look at my car right away.The service department has a smooth check in process with two lanes that end inside at a check-in spot. Someone comes to you to get you started.The facilities are REALLY nice. The waiting room is very large, clean and offers snacks and beverages. As a car-fan girl, I was particularly impressed with the garage which has a huge open layout. Each specialist has their own tools set up around the perimeter with clean, distinct areas. It s gives the impression that service staff definitely know what they re doing.I can t say enough good about the service department staff themselves. I m a bit of an armchair mechanic and always ask TONS of questions. They were so patient, clear, and friendly. They really indulged my desire to be walked through the mechanisms and their thought processes. They were honest about pricing estimates and the overall condition of my car didn t try to sell me on anything else.Having been to others, esp Serramonte Subaru in Colma, I can assure you downtown Subaru of Oakland stands above the rest in availability, service, honesty & integrity. Moved from a remote Rocky Mountain town and living in SF I appreciate this place so much. Definitely found my new go-to place.Thank you all!

  LEON Chang
a week ago
Got a car from Mr. Brandon Franks. Super nice guy, very knowledgeable about the vehicles, no pressure sales process !! Would definitely send all my friends here

  Alexandria McCauley
a month ago
I have a Subaru Crosstrek 2021 and I wouldn't trust anyone else with my car. This is the only place I take her. I really have to give a shout out to Roman. In the past at other service centers I've felt like I'm a joke to them because I'm a woman. Roman has never made me feel this way. I've always felt like I'm taken seriously. Thank you Roman for everything that you do. You make a huge difference. Also, thanks for knowing what my Subie looks like (:

  Poornima Sethuram
2 weeks ago
Derick has helped us to view the option of cars available. He did a great job.

  Sherry S
a week ago
Preston is awesome! He helped me get my Avalon today.

  Beth Bishop Hardwick
a year ago
I don't want to go back here ever again. The level of service has gone so far downhill, and it's really not acceptable. Today, they found my engine air filter to be dirty and didn't even call me to offer to change it! It also appears that the tires were not rotated which should be part of the basic service I was there for.I had made my appointment early in the morning so I could just get in and out quickly and wait for it. I was told there were no techs and it would be a couple of hours. I got a ride to my office, and the car was done an hour later. So disorganized.Finally, when I came to pick up, I needed a restroom. Let me just say, I would never use the restroom that was offered me! If my purchase of a future Subaru depended on the service I got in Oakland today, I'd find another car. I am so angry and so upset. I very much hope someone will try to make good on this! It's just not acceptable!

  Alden F. Cohen
4 years ago
May 8th 2019 updateThe Manager called me back to help amend the situation with my key-finder device.Unfortunately, this company was unable to fulfill my request to have an itemized report of the labor involved to replace my windshield and recalibrate my Eyesight technology for my insurance company (they combined both jobs into one amount). I was supposed to have an email sent with that information, but so far it s been a week without any information.April 30th, 2019I brought my Subaru into the service department to get a windshield replaced. Left only my key and my key finder device with the technician. Came back to pick up my car and was given back my car key with my key finder making a constant high-pitched alarm sound. The mechanic said, it was like that, when I found it. I couldn t use my app to turn off the device that was working perfectly fine when I left it inside the vehicle. The Subaru Advisor, Jimmy basically said they weren t responsible. They tried to fix the problem and one advisor detached the battery but when put it back together, it stopped working all together.There were no notes from my mechanic who worked on my car that the key finder device had gone off.I m made to look like the bad guy for trying to find out how this irritable noise began. 5 stars for fixing my car problem within the time frame they told me. 1 Star for the customer service.

  Gail Gugino
7 months ago
I would like to thank JD for his continous help in answering the questions I have had since I purchased my vehicle.He has been extremely polite, professional, patient, and quick to reply each and every time I have contacted him. I appreciate it and shall recommend him and your dealership in the future. GG

  Satchell Thales
4 years ago
I have loved all four of my Subaru s but unfortunately I hate going to get the car serviced. The new location sucks. No more car washes or vacuuming service. They have been saying they are waiting on a permit to wash cars from the city for three years now. There is a car wash place right next door. I m sure they could work out a deal with there company for service. Who are the R&D personnel for Subaru of Oakland?? I moved to San Leandro so no shuttle service either. The old Toyota dealership that they shared facilities with has two shuttle vans for customers. That means a three hour wait with an appointment. At least they got rid of that one rude rubenesque brunette. She always made the trip here regrettable. Raymond seems a lot more pleasurable to work with. For that I will up it from one star to two.

  Christina Hebert
a year ago
A few years ago I left a 5 star review for this business. I am now changing it to a one star review. I wish I could give even less given my recent experience. This business has turned shady and management needs to seriously reevaluate their "service advisors" as I believe they are bringing this business down. This business is normally very busy on Saturdays. It was nearly empty when I went, which says a lot based on my experience.I had purchased a prepaid service pack for my vehicle when i bought it new. Six months ago I had my car serviced at this location, and was told I had "one more service" in my pack according to the service advisor at the time (who is no longer employed there, as is true with many of the employees who I worked with for many years at this location). I went in to get my car serviced and was told even though my car was due for service +/- 100 miles from being dropped off, as soon as the car hit 36k mi (even if 1 mi over) the service agreement was no longer valid and there was nothing that could be done and it was my responsibility to pay for the service (thankfully we had this conversation BEFORE any work had been completed). And even though my car wasn't due for service at the time - it was my fault by not bringing it in at 35,999 miles. I argued my point and had no luck.Thankfully this is far from the only Subaru dealership/service center in the Bay Area. I called another dealership and was able to get another appointment almost immediately. I brought my car in, told the service advisor of my experience at this location and was told "they clearly don't know what they're talking about!" In addition to being told I prepaid for a specific number of services, the other dealership also said that many service pack/warranties issued prior/due to covid are being extended by Subaru at no additional cost. I will admit some services (like the free wipers) were no longer covered, but he was adamant my 36k mi service would be covered (and it was).If you do get your car serviced at this location, get EVERYTHING in writing in your account. If you know the service is covered by a warranty and they're saying it's not - follow up with a different service center or Subaru. But honestly, given the number of dealership/service centers in the area, until management "cleans shop" I would steer clear of this location.

  David Martinez
5 months ago
Never going here again. They dented my car at 3 different places. What kind of a service center damages a car, not fixing it.

  Cassie Davis
4 months ago
Super nice, professional, and advocated for me with my insurance! Shout out to Roman for the excellent service!

  gryhze
a year ago
Arrived a few minutes early for an appointment for an Express Oil Service. Quickly received and inventoried the car and was sent off to the service writer. Advised service writer my first time visit to this shop for EOS. He printed out the service order which included a $40 charge for "Premium Engine Treatment." I asked him what that entailed and he could not answer my question. He then discounted the PET to $20. Service invoice included tire rotation, brake measurement, TP check and fluid top off. Service was completed in about 1 hour. However, upon closer inspection when I arrived home, tire rotation was not performed (yellow curb scuff mark still on right rear wheel) and fluid top off not done. If I use them again, this will be mentioned to the service writer. Overall price was within competitor's pricing. Verify your service work before leaving.

  Patrick Bertram
2 years ago
Highly recommend against this location. I booked the "hour" service option for a simple oil change and tire rotation and came in before work only to learn that it would be several hours regardless because they were short staffed. I asked if I could just come back on Saturday and was told that due to how short staffed they were on weekends I wouldn't be able to get the car until Monday if I did that.A 2 day turn around for a tire rotation and oil exchange due to lack of staffing is probably the lowest level quality of service I've ever encountered. Will never use this store again.

  Hannah Curran
11 months ago
This place has gone to the dumps!! I ve brought my forester here for six years, but within the past year the entire staff has turned over and service and experience was poor. The staff isn t super knowledgeable about your vehicle or issues and the answers you get are because the mechanic said so . I brought it in for an oil change and they didn t replace the air filters like I asked, several areas were not marked and/or checked on my safety inspection, they had no expertise to explain why they certain repairs were recommended AND I noticed body damage to my car a couple days after that I m 90% sure happened in the garage because how else do you get sideswiped on your passenger door (though I have no way to prove it, unfortunately, so will have to cut my losses). Needless to say I m never bringing my car here again, and neither should you!

  Johnny at Cal
a year ago
Nothing but negative things to say about this dealership. They re shady. Dropped my car off for diagnostics and picked it up to discover that the headlights were no longer fully functioning. They denied fault, were immediately defensive and argumentative. You could tell that the manager was coming to the defense of his employees with BLIND LOYALTY. Customer satisfaction was completely absent from the service manager s approach to receiving my concerns. They wouldn t even concede that it was in the realm of possibility that they might have inadvertently caused the issue. Needless to say, I m opening a case with Subaru of America to file a complaint and I m going to pursue this with every fiber of my being after the way I was treated by these shady people.

  Adonai Fernandes
2 years ago
Every time I need to service my vehicle, mostly oil change, I use this facility and they have done their job to satisfaction. Scheduling a service is easy and fast. Peace of mind comes from the fact that they use factory recommended parts.They offer a free shuttle aid, from and back to their facility, while the service is being performed, if you can't wait for it or you can use their customer lounge area.Prices are pretty much equal to all other dealer's maintenance service. Sometimes discount are offered through mail promotion.

  Christopher Schweitzer
2 years ago
Great service and friendly/helpful staff. Patrick helped us on our most recent visit and he was able to help us with a number of maintenance requests along with scheduled maintenance. He also helped us to get an estimate for some body work we need to get done. The service was fast and communication was top notch. Would definitely recommend taking your Subaru there for servicing

  David Berends
9 months ago
We had a really great experience buying a used car with Terry and Abdul. They were able to make a deal to get the car we wanted! (Ascent)

  Alex O'Donnell
7 months ago
Larger dealer, capable of handling customer volume.In 6 years of ownership, no nasty surprises, no tools left in the car, nothing gone missing.Normally good on status updates and prompt return of vehicle.Prompt on recall work. No quibble on warranty repairs.Close to BART.Since the start of the drought, they stopped washing cars after service. That policy is still in place.They now provide Uber rides one way within a 5 mile radius and have no loaner fleet. With major service intervals and / or repair work, you can probably lean on them for a longer ride and both directions. Considering how they are 15 miles from One Subar Hayward, they should really offer up to the border of the two catchment areas.Staff still courteous, understanding, and helpful.Is really a no frills experience, maybe due to being remote from their sales location.

  Grace Lim
a year ago
A scam. Brought my car in for clicking noises coming from the right front wheel and a replacement on a recalled airbag. They pressured me into full servicing on top of diagnostics. I agreed as I was taking this car on a road trip and thought it would be good to tune her up. They claimed that there was an issue with the left CV axle and they would replace the whole mechanism, said it would be ready the next day. Then called to tell me it would be ready on Monday, and then changed it to Tuesday.After I got my car back the realignment was off. In the middle of my road trip not two weeks later, car started making clicking noises again. I took her to a much more honest mechanic who informed me that the axle and connecting mechanism WAS NEVER REPLACED, and SHOWED me the rusted axle. He also showed me a broken pin and damaged strut and let me know that not only were that not replaced, it was likely that they were damaged when they took the mechanism apart and put it back together. Subaru gave me a receipt which states that the axle was replaced which is obviously a complete lie. I m questioning everything that they claimed to do - the axle replacement, the servicing, and most importantly the supposed airbag replacement.They have absolutely no conscience. How could you return me a car that you obviously know is unsafe? And charge me nearly 3k for work that was not even done? Sick to my stomach with shock.

  AC H
a year ago
I really like to take this opportunity to thank Mr. Bennett in the service department and Lyle, the technician. They really took a very good care of my Forester and worked after their normal working hours. So I could drive back home worry-free. Words are not enough to express how thankful I feel in my heart. Thank you Downtown Subaru of Oakland Service department.

  Mitch
2 years ago
I'm a new Subaru owner (and new car owner in general), and was told at a recent oil change that my coolant was low and I'd need to get the special Subaru Super Coolant. After checking the coolant level myself and finding it well below the "Low" marker, I became pretty nervous and made an appointment at Downtown Subaru's Service & Parts Department for the next morning. Since I fortuitously happened to be in the neighborhood at the time, I called and asked if I could leave the car there overnight. I was told that I could, relieved I wouldn't have to drive the car several miles back home (and up into the hills).Upon arrival, one of the gentlemen working in the service center showed me around the back, and after glancing at the car determined that it was too new to likely need serious work. He and another tech popped open the hood, gave it a quick look, and offered to just top it off with coolant right then, free of charge. He even explained/showed that the tank I was looking at was only an expansion tank, and so I wasn't in nearly the predicament that I thought I might have been. I was super grateful both that I wouldn't be without my car for the night and that they'd even entertain the idea of just doing this as a favor. For that kind of service, I'd be willing to take my business to these folks whenever I need maintenance.

  George F
4 weeks ago
11/2021: Always (update: sometimes) knowledgeable and friendly support at this dealer service center. I drive over from Albany for work on my 2022 Outback Limited XT.

  Vusal Jafarov
2 months ago
Raj,Abdul and John were great. Thank you Raj for your help.

  Lucy Abouchard
4 weeks ago
Shafi Is the man, helped us out alot

  Sophia Baker
2 years ago
Fixed the car okay, but dented it. When I was there they told me they would fix the dent the following Monday free of charge because it was their mistake. The following week they never got back to me and when they finally answered one of my calls claimed they did not cause the damages and refused to fix the dent despite having committed to it already. I would not recommend using them, they are UNTRUSTWORTHY and won t take good care of your car.

  Simon Tam
3 years ago
I made an appointment to have my car checked out for an unusual vibration coming from the steering column/drive train. Two technicians (Luis and Adam) diagnosed the issue and noticed the same reported vibration. They also verified the vibration from my car was more intense after a comparing it to a same model at the shop. Luis then contacted Subaru's tech-line and reported the finding. The customer service advisor (Jimmy) then notified me that the car was ready for pickup.Upon reviewing the diagnosis report in front of Jimmy, I noticed the current outcome of the vibration finding was an open case # within Subaru's system. Since there was nothing written down that the open case is not a safety concern, I politely asked Jimmy to include this detail as part if the report. To my surprise, he responded by saying, "I'll add that in if it makes you feel better." In an outwardly frustrated tone. At the time, I gave the benefit of the doubt, believing he was not speaking on emotion. Going off this premise, I respectfully responded to his question by saying, "Yes, that would help make me feel better, thanks." His immediate response was a loud dissatisfied grunt while swiping the report from the countertop. Then he stormed off to his computer to make the change. Also worth mentioning, his outburst was done in the presence of two receptionists behind him. I could see from the receptionists' reaction that Jimmy's outward frustrations were making them feel uneasy...myself included.To be fair, I'll give Jimmy the benefit of the doubt that he may have been having a bad day before my arrival. Regardless, I don't believe his actions are justified to any customer, especially to customers that are kind and respectful.In light of this exchange, I still do respect Subaru as a company, but it is unfortunate to have experienced this first hand from one of their employees...and surprisingly from an employee serving as a direct representative of the company to everyday loyal customers.I would have given this review 1 star had it not been for Luis, Adam and the two shuttle drivers...they are all 5 star gents from my experience. Very professional and kind.