How is Saab, Audi, and Subaru service compared to Acura service? I know whenever I bring my TSX in for every 10K service I have a loaner provided and the maintenance isn't that expensive.

How does Saab, Audi, and Subaru maintenance compare? Are there loaner cars at Saab? I know for a fact that Audi there are loaner cars, and Subaru, not sure.

I am just asking because I am looking at a used Saab 9-2x still, a used 02-04 A4 2.0 quattro, or Subaru Impreza (non WRX).

 

It also varies by dealership as well. My VW dealer provides free loaner cars for all services.

 

I used Park Ave Acura in NJ when they were on these forums... and was treated like a king there.

That said, my Audi dealer makes me feel even better. Everyone there knows our name when we come in and it's not b/c we're there a lot b/c the Audi's we have had have been great, we get Audi's as loaners and don't have to use Enterprise, and I've even been allowed to test drive cars if we decided to wait for a small service just b/c I was bored.

Honestly, the service we get at our Audi dealer is the reason we got our second one about a month and a half ago...

Oh and the 2002-2004 Audi A4 was a 1.8t engine. The 2.0t didn't debut until the 2005.5 model which was basically a 2006 and was the redesign... Just an FYI.

 

Well, I happen to currently have an Audi and a Subaru in my driveway. Anyhow, it's based on your local dealer, but here's what my dealer offers:

Audi = Similar service to Acura, except it's free for me (I have an '06 and they came with free maintenance). They provide loaner cars when available, if not, they'll get you set up with an Enterprise rental car. Their loaners typically are A3 or A4 avants. If you decide to wait in the lounge, they have free wifi, starbucks coffee, and some doughnuts if there are any left over.

Subaru = No loaners. They can shuttle you or you can wait. If you wait, you get a vending machine, and that's about it. With Subaru, I have free oil changes and tire rotations for life.

 

^ Forgot to mention the free maintenance with the Audi. That's a nice perk

 

I would stick with an Audi or the Subaru before getting a Saab. I've heard a lot of horror stories with Saabs and their service departments. I personally would get the A4, it's a fun car; especially if you chip it!

 

That's a pretty useless comment, dontcha think? Who exactly did you hear these "horror stories" from, and how many? If you don't have firsthand experience, then you don't know do you?

I've had BMW, Merc, Audi, Saab, VW, Mazda in the last few years, and here's the true poop - it's not the maker, it's the dealership. You've probably never seen the BMW CCA magazine Roundel, have you? A more fervent group of believers you'll never find. Yet ..... even they are now grumbling that BMW service sucks, a real take it or leave it attitude. The problem is, people tend to focus on the badge on the car, when they should research their local service options. People who buy a certain brand, who don't live near a dealer or only have one service choice, should tread carefully regardless of what type of car it is.

Having said all that ........ my VW, Audi, Saab and Mazda service experiences were all fine because I happened to use good service depts. I didn't have great luck with BMW, not so much because of the car (even though it wasn't built especially well), but because BMW of Beverly Hills did not at that time have a great attitude towards its service customers. Is that still true? I don't know, I haven't heard any "horror stories."

And don't get hung up on the loaner issue; I don't expect my dealership to waste money and metal buying a fleet of loaners when there's a company called Enterprise that does it for them.

 

I have heard this comment from quite a few SAAB owners that take their SAABS into the SAAB dealership for service.

I agree with you that a lot has to do with the quality of the dealership itself but you can't hide Saab's reliability history with that.

--I personally would rather drive an A3 avant over an impala any day if I owned an A4 that needed to go in for service. But that's IMO

 

Audi doesn't do free maintenange on their new cars anymore, do they?

 

I think they stopped giving it for free on the new ones but you can buy an AudiCare service policy that covers all the maintenance. Or something. I dunno. Didn't make much sense to me but then again I never asked for clarification from the people that bought it.

Every dealer is different. I might not have bought an Audi if there wasn't a good dealership within 20-30 miles of me. Fortunately, there is so I'm pretty sure I'll be treated well.

 

Well that's just your opinion.

My wife has an A6. If she needs to bring her car in for service, she shouldn't be driving an Enterprise rent a Chevy, she should be getting an Audi as a loaner.... and she does.

And yes, for the 2007 model year (and forward) Audi dropped the free maintenance deal.

 

why dont you go to your local dealers and find out? each dealership service varies. some hyundai dealers have better service than Mercedes dealers and vice versa. all depends on that individual dealership

 

yeah i'm going to look at some local area dealers for saab, subaru, and audi.

so you guys said that saab relibility is bad? well, the 9-2x is the same as the Impreza, only reason I would get the 9-2x because it has more of a entry luxury look rather than a racing look, but I wouldn't mind either. On the other hand, I would like to look for a 2003-2005 A4 Avant or sedan with quattro, but I've heard Audi reliability isn't good either.

I'm looking at these 3 car brands because all 3 have japanese and german quality to them even if the Saab 9-2x is really a Japanese car.

 

it can be a lemon and you can lose your shirt, or it can run forever on peanut shells. Stick with a CPO or buy a good aftermarket warranty and pray for luck, it usually works out just fine.

 

My last car was a SAAB 9-3 convertable and I loved that car, but the dealership is EVERYTHING.

The car itself worked great for me for 7 years and 175,000 miles. The only major work I had done was a fuel pump that let go at around 150,000 miles. The dealerships were both my best and my worst dealership experience.

When I bought my car I lived in NH and bought the car at SAAB Nashua North. Those guys were GREAT. Always got a loaner, always got treated well, and treated fairly. Pick up and drop off service, if you wanted to get something done you didn't even have to take time off of work. They once had a guy curb one of my wheels parking it, it wasn't even that bad and they owned up to it and got me a new wheel, no problems. On the other hand when I moved to southern MA, I had the horrible misfortune to have to deal with Wigwam SAAB in East Providence. Those guys were horrible. They treated me like they were doing me a favor whenever they took my car in and were just generally jerks.

If I were still living in NH, I would have bought another SAAB, it was a good car for me and the dealership made the difference. But because of where I live now, I didn't even consider buying a SAAB. I really wish the car manufacturers understood this dynamic better, they just don't seem to get that the post buying experience is just as important as the actual car, and maybe even more.

FWIW I also nixed the infinity for the same reason, the dealership. I liked the car, but the salesman was a douche, so I went and looked at something else. Why don't these guys ever learn?