In addition to GM’s cover-up involving rear brakes that could lock up, one of my lingering bitter memories from owning a 1980 Chevy Citation was taking the brand’s first front-wheel-drive compact in for an oil change. Rarely, if ever, did one of those visits not end with a call from the dealership’s service department that went something like this:
“Mr. Starkman, it’s Dave over at Jim Dandy Chev Olds. Your oil change is done, but while we were servicing your vehicle, we noticed that you need a new thingamajig.”
“How much is a new thingamajig, Dave?”
“Oh, the thingamajig costs less than five dollars,” he’d reply cheerfully. “But to get to it, we have to take apart your entire engine. And whenever we take apart engines, GM strongly recommends replacing all the parts.”
Admittedly, I’m exaggerating for effect. But oil changes when I owned GM vehicles almost always resulted in additional “necessary” repairs I suspected I didn’t need but didn’t want to tempt fate by ignoring a service manager’s warning that he’d never drive a car needing his recommended repair, nor allow a family member to do so.
Car dealerships rank among the businesses Americans most distrust and despise. Given that they make more money servicing vehicles than selling them, the temptation to squeeze extra shekels from customers is formidable. Ford CEO Jim Farley has said mechanics at his dealerships can earn about $160,000 a year. Someone has to absorb that overhead.
People familiar with the modus operandi of Ford and GM know exactly who that someone usually is.
Why I Became a Subaru Loyalist
Ten years ago, I purchased my first Subaru and became one of the brand’s unapologetic cultists. Before that, I’d had nothing but great experiences with Toyota and Acura. But dollar for dollar, the Subaru Outback offered the biggest bang for the buck on what mattered most to me: safety. The Outback aced its crash tests, and the latest safety features were standard equipment, not expensive add-ons.
Subaru’s long-standing support of animal shelters was another plus. While GM spends tens of billions on stock buybacks, Subaru has contributed more than $70 million since 2008 to national and local animal welfare organizations, supporting the rescue, transport, adoption, and care of more than 700,000 pets. Most Subaru owners have pets, which is why the company has long featured dogs in its advertising.
Subarus are known for longevity, but I never tested that reputation because I leased my earlier vehicles. Because they hold their value so well, dealers were constantly offering sweetheart deals to move me into a new lease, once after just 18 months. When the lease on my 2020 Subaru expired three years ago, however, I bought it outright. The vehicle was worth about $8,000 more than the residual value.
When the Dashboard Lit Up
Last Friday around 3:00 p.m., my dashboard lit up like a Christmas tree. Multiple warnings flashed for safety systems, including Subaru’s EyeSight technology, which includes collision-avoidance braking, automatic emergency steering, and blind-spot warnings. The value of that technology is not theoretical; my auto insurance premiums dropped because of it.
The timing could not have been worse. My sisters were in town to throw me a birthday party, and I needed my car to ferry them around town and later take them to LAX. A bright orange ‘Check Engine’ warning sign was illuminated and put the fear of God in me. I grew up in Canada where ignoring signs and warnings simply wasn’t done.
I called Subaru Santa Monica, about ten minutes from my home when Los Angeles traffic occasionally cooperates. The service manager assured me I wouldn’t damage the car by driving it and, to my surprise, offered me a Saturday morning 9:30 diagnostic appointment. Securing a Saturday slot on short notice was itself unexpected.
The Bill That Never Came
I arrived on time and was immediately greeted by a service manager named Kevin. He said there were two likely culprits: a loose gas cap or a faulty engine thermo control valve. A senior mechanic nicknamed Pancho ran diagnostics and quickly confirmed it was the latter.
“Is that a big repair?” I asked, bracing myself.
“It is,” Kevin replied. “We’ll need the car until about 4 p.m.”
“How much will it cost?”
“Subaru will cover it.”
I didn’t ask why. It’s best not to look a gift horse in the mouth. According to Subaru’s website, my powertrain warranty had expired a year ago, and I wasn’t about to remind Kevin of that inconvenient detail.
When I returned at 4:00, the car wasn’t quite ready. Kevin explained Pancho wanted to run additional diagnostics to ensure the repair was done properly and asked for another 45 minutes. That threw a wrench into my plans. I still needed to pick up a cake and drop my dog off for boarding.
Pressed for time, I called my wise friend Bethann in Michigan, who calmly suggested that Cousin Rob might retrieve the cake and that the kennel might stay open a few minutes late if I explained the situation. She was right on both counts. Cousin Rob came through, and Kendall at West LA Dogs graciously agreed to stay past closing.
Kevin had my car ready around 4:50, ten minutes before closing. He told me that if Pancho hadn’t been completely satisfied with the repair, he’d already arranged a loaner vehicle. I made it home just in time to greet the caterer and reached West LA Dogs with about eight minutes to spare.
Why This Still Matters
This isn’t the first time Subaru has done right by me, which is why I remain a loyal customer. While waiting, I took a look at the redesigned 2026 Outback. I’m not shopping, but it’s noticeably more spacious and SUV like and has garnered favorable reviews. Subaru didn’t sell me anything that day. It didn’t have to.
I’m publishing this as a public thank-you to Subaru, but also as a reminder of why GM lost my trust permanently. I will never forgive GM for the POS Chevy Citation I once owned.
GM hasn’t changed much over the years, aside from a CEO rebrand that swapped a suit and tie for a leather jacket. Last year, the company recalled more than 720,000 of its most expensive trucks and SUVs after widespread reports that their V8 engines were prone to premature failure, sometimes with very low mileage. The recall came only after the NHTSA opened and expanded an investigation.
GM’s solution so far has been to recommend thicker oil and other half-measures critics say won’t fix the underlying problem.
Yet GM spends lavishly on TikTok influencers, offering free concert tickets and loaner vehicles in exchange for passing mentions. Perhaps if GM simply did right by its customers in the first place, it wouldn’t need to bribe influencers to simulate goodwill. It might even earn the occasional rave mention the old-fashioned way.