
Cityside Subaru
Belmont, MA
Hours
Sales/Showroom
Monday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Tuesday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Wednesday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Thursday 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM
Friday 9:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Service
Monday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Parts
Monday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday 7:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Saturday 8:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Sunday Closed
Filter Reviews by Keyword
By Type
Showing 3,675 reviews
Took my 2003 Forester here for a Timing Belt replacement because they had a special on their website advertising this service for $250. I should have known there would be trouble right away when I called on because they had a special on their website advertising this service for $250. I should have known there would be trouble right away when I called on the phone and they claimed they had no knowledge of this special. I printed out the coupon and brought it in with the car and pointed them to their own website. Anyway they said fine and I left the car for the timing belt replacement. The next day I get the call from a service associate saying that when they took my timing belt off they found that the belt tensioner was leaking, and if I wanted it put back together the whole job would be $600 now. He made it clear that if I chose not to do that the only option was for them to push the car out into the lot and I could tow it out of there myself. (Basically extortion). Now, I know $250 sounds low for a timing belt replacement, and I should have expected that a dealer would go on a fishing expedition (looking for more things to charge for) once they had the vehicle, but in the Subaru a timing belt replacement IS relatively simple due to it's accessibility at the front of the engine. I asked the associate for a breakdown of costs and he gave me a list of parts and additional labor for the work. This now included about $140 for the tensioner, an extra $150 for labor fot that, and now $60 supposedly for bolts on the belt cover that they found were rusty and the cover gasket. So first off, if they quoted me $250 for replacing the timing belt, they knew they would have to replace the bolts and gasket since any car coming in for this service has at least around 100k miles, and this should have been part of the total cost. Second, the actual retail cost of the stainless steel bolts at several other locations was less than a dollar a piece and the gasket less than $10 so that whole cost to them was probably around $10. (They wanted about $60 more from me). Second, although it was probably perfectly reasonable to replace the tensioner when doing the belt, they were being completely dishonest about this too. Even if I grant them the exessive price of the tensioner they were charging, there should be zero extra labor on this. The tensioner has to be removed and replaced as part of the normal process of replacing the timing belt. Since I do most of my own maintenance on the vehicle, I have a full set of shop manuals (the originals published by subaru) and they clearly state this. I told the guy on the phone to hold the work and I would come in and speak to the service manager. I came in the next day and spoke with some guy named Joe, I think, who was the service manager. When I questioned him about the sudden high cost of the job, he acted like they had never tried to force anything on me it was all optional and they would finish up the work for the original $250 minus replacing the tensioner. When I asked about the extra labor for the tensioner replacement, he tried to tell me it was extra work. Now I know this is false, and even if some mechanic would try to replace the belt somehow without removing it, the tensioner can easily be removed with one bolt anyway. As expected, when challenged with this fact, Joe became hostile and rude, and just irately said he wasn't going to argue with me. After, I DID argue with him for a bit more they agreed to finish the job including the tensioner now for $500 which means I paid about $250 more for a tensioner that I could easily buy for about $100. (oh well I should have know I wouldn't get out of a dealer for the same price they quoted). The interesting thing was that, on the final invoice, the charge for the the bolts and gasket was now about $15 and the bolts were listed at 81 cents a piece. I guess someone forgot to hide that fact. The whole process reeked of dishonesty and was to me clearly a bait and switch operation. They advertise the work at one price, then once the have your vehicle apart, they try to extort you to pay much more. When faced with someone who actually knows something about the vehicle, they just become rude and hostile. Extremely unprofessional operation and I would never do business with them again. More
Got in touch with them using Consumer Reports new car price service (live in Metro West). Not only did they give me a grate price (about $500 below true dealer cost), but they were able to locate exactl price service (live in Metro West). Not only did they give me a grate price (about $500 below true dealer cost), but they were able to locate exactly the vehicle / color I wanted when others couldn't get it. I would highly recommend them. More
We had a very great experience at Cityside Subaru, and recommend them very highly. We are first time car buyers, and Cityside was the first dealership we walked into. Michael was incredibly helpful, frien recommend them very highly. We are first time car buyers, and Cityside was the first dealership we walked into. Michael was incredibly helpful, friendly and patient---not pushy at all, which was completely opposite of what we were expecting. (At all of the other dealerships we visited, we felt like we were being sold to, which is not a great feeling.) We visited Michael several times, the first time to test-drive the Forester, the second time to test-drive the Outback, and a third time to re-test-drive the Outback before making a final decision. Michael was really great and friendly each time, and we never felt like he was trying to rush us with anything, or try any type of high-pressure tactic. He was very knowledgeable and also answered all of our questions regarding the cars thoughtfully, and we never felt like he was fast-talking through any issues we brought up. The only downside we experienced at Cityside was that they were unable to match the quote another dealer had provided. Although we would have loved to give our business to Michael and Cityside, we were unable to pass up the lower price at the other dealership. All in all, we had a very good experience with Michael and Cityside, and definitely recommend them. More
CORRECTION: I NEED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT!! On CORRECTION: I NEED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT!! On 12/15/10 I submitted a negative report because I hadn't received an answer regarding a question CORRECTION: I NEED TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT!! On 12/15/10 I submitted a negative report because I hadn't received an answer regarding a question I'd submitted to City Side's Service group. After having a discussion with my Sales Rep I was informed my perceived lack of response from Joe was completely out of Joe's character. As a result Joe and I met and reviewed the chain of events. The information Joe presented clearly indicates that he did respond in a very timely manner. It appears that my IT group purged Joe's responses from our system as SPAM, which erroneously lead to my original miss-perception. The level of Joe's genuine caring and commitment to his customers is unparalleled by any of my prior auto service experiences, even those by my Acura Dealer, who I thought was the best. To say the least Joe Cisek of City Side Subaru, approaches a customer as if they were his own customer and not City Side's, and he's gained a new avid supporter! I've since asked Dealer Rater about possibly retracting my original rating response. Howie More
Shopping at CitySide was a remarkably pleasant experience. We came in undecided on make or model, new or used. 'Consultant' Peter Rosenberg painlessly presented all options and quickly narrowed experience. We came in undecided on make or model, new or used. 'Consultant' Peter Rosenberg painlessly presented all options and quickly narrowed our choices to at least a Subaru from CitySide. With no strong recommendations but plenty of helpful advice and lively conversion we settled on a new Impreza wagon/hatchback. There seemed to be no reason to haggle over price as all options whether add-ons or financing were up front and clearly presented, again with no pressure to add on bells and whistles for additional cost. Winter immediately showed up after our purchase, and the car is perfect, particularly as we come to an understanding with the bluetooth lady who runs the phone system. More
They have a very laid back approach but at the end of the day they do want to sell you a car. They will not push using stereotypical salesman approaches but they will subtly try and pressure you - this is t day they do want to sell you a car. They will not push using stereotypical salesman approaches but they will subtly try and pressure you - this is their job though. I did not love the way they negotiated the price but I used the Wakefield dealership to negotiate the price I wanted. I did not care for the management - they were distant and a little sleazy like but the salesman I worked with was an absolute top notch guy. My overall experience was very positive - I went in with a closed mind because I do not enjoy dealing with salesmen, but I came out happy with a brand new car. More
Merry Christmas Mark & Don... Thank you again for all Merry Christmas Mark & Don... Thank you again for all your hard work. My wife looked out the window at 7:00 am, saw a covered car with a big b Merry Christmas Mark & Don... Thank you again for all your hard work. My wife looked out the window at 7:00 am, saw a covered car with a big bow on it, and ran outside (almost knocking me over as she ran past me!). She could not figure out what kind of car it was, or how it got in the back yard. She uncovered the car, and almost died of happiness. She asked how it got there, since I was with her all night and morning. I told her Santa delivered it from the dealership...She did not car how it got there, just that it was there! I told her how you were all in on it, and she felt very bad for pestering you. She is very happy, and she has not even driven it yet (she has sat in it 100 times in the past 4 hours). You both made our Christmas very happy... Thanks, Mike Michael R. Barton President Machine Device Corporation 28 Rumford Avenue Waltham, MA 02453 More
My experience at CitySide Subaru to buy my new Legacy was very positive. My salesman, Peter Rosenberg, was extremely helpful, pleasant, friendly and very knowledgeable. He was able to get in the specific ca very positive. My salesman, Peter Rosenberg, was extremely helpful, pleasant, friendly and very knowledgeable. He was able to get in the specific car that I wanted without delay. He went over everything about the car in detail which was very helpful. It was a real pleasure to work with him. I love my new Subaru, it has a great ride, is very comfortable, and looks great! I would very much recommend this dealer, as I have been going there for years and am very happy with the people and the service. More
Peter Rosenberg was the salesman we dealt with primarily. He was friendly, likable, low-pressure, helpful, and well-informed. My wife and I trusted him instinctively, a pleasant surprise when setting out to He was friendly, likable, low-pressure, helpful, and well-informed. My wife and I trusted him instinctively, a pleasant surprise when setting out to buy a used car. We had some contact with three of his colleagues, and they, too, were pleasures to do business with. We bought a 2008 Subaru Outback, almost three years old but with low mileage. It has so far performed beautifully. We have not yet had the car serviced, but are inclined to take it to this dealership. We would recommend the dealership wholeheartedly. More
We recently traded in our Saturn for a new Subaru at Cityside Subaru. The staff here are friendly and made the process as pain free as possible. The price of the new car and the trade in value for our o Cityside Subaru. The staff here are friendly and made the process as pain free as possible. The price of the new car and the trade in value for our old one was very fair and reasonable, and they make sure that they explain everything; based on my experience so far I would recommend this dealership. More