5 Things My Subaru Salesperson Should Have Told Me About My New Vehicle But Didn’t

That is why the car comes with a manual or look it up yourself most cars have heated seats with a diagram on them. Also read the sticker on the window it tells you what features and options are on the window.

I was a Subaru salesman, and in 2022 was named by Subaru USA as one of two frontline salesmen who best represent the brand.

Part of why I received that honor was because of how I “delivered “ the Subarus that I sold.

45 minutes to an hour of covering all the features.

You just need a good salesman, or speak up and ask to be shown the features you care about!

He should also have told you that every time you start the car the radio comes on. There is no way to turn it off and it's major annoying.

They didn't tell me the crosstrek didn't have an automatic rear gate. I didn't think to ask because all of my friends who had bought suvs have had that feature for at least 8 years. It would have been a deal breaker. Now my neck and back hurt every time I close the gate

How about when the car locks up after being rocked as an antitheft device? Rock the steering wheel back and forth while pressing the ignition button.

one "feature [??] is the tyre pressure monitor system.
i purchased a brand new 2018 impreza and no one told me that this system will be very expensive one day. the actual sensors in each wheel will need replacing one day and they are costly!!! sadly, this "feature" cannot be turned off. if any sensor fails, an alarm comes on and if the sensor does not get replaced, the alarm just stays on. very annoying all round!!!!

All that info is in your owners manual.
A “sales” person is just that, selling you on a vehicle to make a deal.
Once that has been done, it’s up to you to understand what you have purchased if you weren’t smart enough to do your research prior to the purchase.

OMG, thank you for writing this article "5 Things My Subaru Salesperson Should Have Told Me About My New Vehicle But Didn’t." Yes to all of the listed items mentioned and more! This should not be happening; no one is holding anyone accountable for these omissions. Is there anything that Subaru can do? It seems unlikely.

I own a '21 Subaru Crosstrek and I would be lost or at the very least locked out of my vehicle had I not read my owner's manual. I suspect that most don't read it the way it needs to be read. I guess 85% of Subaru owners have never programmed their five-digit vehicle lockout code into their vehicle's liftgate button. Our salesperson had no clue how to do this and tried to put it on us as a challenge to get it programmed. The other item that is my pet peeve is the key fob battery lock-out or fob sleep feature. Our salesperson again had no clue and had me even suggesting using a metal can to store the fobs to prevent battery drain. I now know that it doesn't work that way. To activate the feature hold the lock button while pressing the unlock button twice followed by four consecutive fob blinking lights and your key fob will sleep until you press unlock again. We also completely agree with your article regarding the stop-start feature. Our button is in the lower left bank of dashboard buttons in the center of three. I find it annoying to have to reach down to turn this feature off every time we go somewhere. This feature is not ideal for a rural setting where 99% of driving is on an expressway and secondary roads are four-way stops with multiple vehicles stopped at the same time waiting to proceed. I would rather Subaru change their Love for Dogs campaign, yes I have a dog, to an education campaign to teach their salespeople what to teach their vehicle buyers. We have decided that the dealership and salesperson from whom we bought our vehicle do not deserve our repeat business.

Can you make it so the cruise control adjustments on 2022 outback in single mph and not 5 mph

I recently bought a 2021 Outback and I don't know how to remotely start it using the key fob. It's the fob with the lock, open and alarm buttons. I've tried everything in the owner's manual and what I found on YouTube without any luck. I even changed the battery.

...or maybe you should have just read the manual.

Hi, I just bought a 2025 Forester, and the dealership brought me back 2 weeks later, had me tell them everything I’d used on the car (features, apps, buttons), and then they covered everything I hadn’t. They then gave me a $25 gas card for my time. It was a great experience. And, they told me another bonus need to know: with cars equipped with EyeSight, those washer rollers that come down in car washes can set off the Precollision braking (found under Driver Assist). This can cause the brakes to lock up while you’re on the automatic “conveyor” in tunnel type car washes. It takes seconds to turn it off and back on, and my local car wash has one of those. I’d like to avoid getting rear ended by a driver who’s done nothing wrong - I’m glad they gave me this key info!! PS - I adore my Forester!

Did your salesperson also tell you how underpowered the boxer 4 is w/o the turbo? Or, that the key fob needs to be like 20 feet away to work? This is the way Subaru nudges to buy the app and pay for the pricey subscription fee to use the remote start.
Sure, you can play with apps on the touch screen when it feels like responding. The chump chip is awful. The touchscreen and hands-free operations are the worst. Try getting the touchscreen to work in cold weather. The hands-free calling at highway speeds in useless- Apple, or Android. People think I'm holding my head out the window when I call them. My 2018 Subaru had a better hands-free system.

What are the + and - levers on the back of the steering wheel for ?

I love my 2024 cross trek wilderness. My only problem is my gas mileage is not 27 to 29 as stated on the window sticker for a few months I was only getting 14 now I'm up to 22 MPG. I've taken it in three times they told me to just keep driving it. I'm at 5000 miles and had my first service, I need a car with really good gas mileage. Even my old Mazda got better than 22 when I bought the car I was given extensive training which I had no idea what they were talking about and I was invited back for another training session after driving it a couple of weeks. I feel like I have a good handle on most things although I learn some things in your art article. I'm just really concerned about gas at this point with the price is going up and all.. My dealership experience was excellent, except for this gas phenomena.

Hi, I am on my 3rd Subaru, a 2019 Outback touring. My first 2 subies went the way of the dreaded head gaskets. After researching and being assured the gaskets have been reworked and are no longer a problem, I bought my 2019.
I have a driveway with a steep pitch, and had parked there the night before. The next morning I went out to leave, and the battery was dead. Thinking it might be the park/neutral switch I took it out of park, big mistake! As I was rolling toward the street. I stepped on the brake, nothing, I applied the parking brake, nothing. I finally put it back into park, which my heart out to hear. But I had to stop somehow! Why on earth did Subaru eliminate the emergency brake and leave no alternative. Once the battery goes dead, you're dead.