Sebastian Calvo

I brought my Outback in to Irvine Subaru on a Thursday morning with a “Subaru light display” (all yellow and red Brake light all staying on) after having no problems whatsoever the night before. I figure morning with a “Subaru light display” (all yellow and red Brake light all staying on) after having no problems whatsoever the night before. I figured it had to be a censor problem and decided to take it to the dealership to read the code and fix the problem and get me back on the road. When I was told that no one could even look at the car for 6+ hours, I decided to read ChatGPT and Reddit and try to fix it myself. I asked to check my car back out and it took 3 calls to the service bay and 50 minutes of wait time to get my car back. I checked my gas cap and removed the negative terminal on my battery to hopefully reset the computer, but this didn’t help, so I checked the car back in. Long story short, I finally got a video inspection texted to me the following afternoon, with a long list of things to do, including replacement of my cabin air filter, which had just been done by Valvoline. The basic problem was that my intake oil control valves were sticking. So these were replaced and a double oil change was performed. Some charge pipe O-rings were also replaced. I called in on the 4th day and spoke with a stand-in Service Advisor, who wasn’t aware of the work I had approved and declined. So my car was in the shop for >4 days and the charge was >$1300, including $985 in labor (@ $210/hour!). My overall impression is that this dealership is way too busy to effectively accommodate all the customers they are checking in. I have bought 2 Outbacks there, my son drives a WRX and my daughter drives an Outback. We all love Subaru and what the company stands for. I called the local Subaru Customer Service rep and she had the Irvine service manager call me the next day, but there was no service recovery offered. I would recommend that you find a Costco-sponsored service center or establish yourself with a mechanic you trust closer to home. Frank’s Subaru had always provided 5-star service in the past (Laura has always been fantastic), but my recent visit was very unsatisfactory. More

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I have had very good experiences at Irvine Subaru over the last 4 years. Especially with Laura Flanagan she is always excellent. I wish I could say the same about Sebastian Calvo but unfortunately my m the last 4 years. Especially with Laura Flanagan she is always excellent. I wish I could say the same about Sebastian Calvo but unfortunately my most recent experience with him was the worst experience I have ever had at any car dealership service department over the last 40 years. Our outback was damaged at our last visit. The passenger door was dented and scratched which I noticed when I arrived home at about 4pm after picking up our car at 3:30 on Friday January 26. Upon seeing the damage I immediately called the service department and asked for Sebastian. I was told he has left for the day and he would call me back monday january 29th which he did. I sent him the photo and told him what had happened and the the car had no damage when it was dropped off. I called again on Tuesday and Wednesday and was told that Sebastian was still investigating. On Thursday February 1st Sebastian finally called me to confirm that our Outback was not damaged when it was dropped off but since I had not fully inspected our car when picked up he took no responsibility for the damage and accused me of lying about where the damage happened. As a 60 year old military veteran, and a local business owner I was and still am highly offended by Sebastian's attitude. The car was brought to me with the driver side facing me and since I had been to the dealership many times without any problems I did not think to inspect all sides of our car. After more phone calls and Sebastian wasting more of my time arguing with me he begrudging said he would fix it, but he made it a very frustrating and inconvenient experience from start to finish. He never apologized or took any responsibility and treated me as if I was being disingenuous about what had happened. More

by RB2 Verified Customer Verified Customer

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We made an appointment for an oil change. We get there and am told it’ll be a 2 hour wait. We walked to a nearby coffee shop to wait and then get a call that it would be ready in 15 minutes s We get there and am told it’ll be a 2 hour wait. We walked to a nearby coffee shop to wait and then get a call that it would be ready in 15 minutes so we walk back and end up waiting another 30 minutes so we go and ask for status and then still have to wait longer. The final price was also more than the price quoted online when scheduling the appointment. Also they told us there was a nail in driver rear tire and told us it couldn’t be fixed and we would have to order replacement tire (we were unaware of this nail as there had been no pressure loss) but we bought our tires from Costco so we decided we’d take it there for the warranty. We take it to Costco and they removed the supposed “nail” and turns out it was a metal nut or some sort of blunt/rounded piece of metal that lodged between the tire threads but didn’t puncture the tire. Thank goodness we decided not to listen to the dealership who advised us to buy a new tire from them. Inconceivable that the dealership didn’t even look closely enough or do leak detection test to confirm it was a nail/puncture before “advising” us to purchase a new tire and replace it. Always felt distrustful vibes from the “service advisors” at this dealership and this confirmed our instincts. More

by Reggie Verified Customer Verified Customer

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Service was great. Very helpful and knowledgeable. Everyone was ver quirtous . Highly recommend Irvine Subaru Very helpful and knowledgeable. Everyone was ver quirtous . Highly recommend Irvine Subaru More

by hpikoos67 Verified Customer Verified Customer

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The service is very good, and the car maintenance is quite fast.It is perfect. quite fast.It is perfect. More

by AISHENYANG Verified Customer Verified Customer

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Irvine Subaru is not the closest dealer to me but it's worth the drive for the excellent service and professionalism from the advisors at Irvine Subaru. I will never take my Outback anywhere else. worth the drive for the excellent service and professionalism from the advisors at Irvine Subaru. I will never take my Outback anywhere else. More

by KEDWARDSWTF Verified Customer Verified Customer

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This is the best group of people. My only complaint was the communication regarding replacing my 5 month old tire. I was told my tire was not repairable or driveable and they did not My only complaint was the communication regarding replacing my 5 month old tire. I was told my tire was not repairable or driveable and they did not have any tires on site for my 2023 Forester and it would be a couple of days and nearly $300 to replace it. More

by SCGma Verified Customer Verified Customer

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Irvine Subaru is an excellent, efficient facility. I love my Outback and need it to be in the best running condition. I love my Outback and need it to be in the best running condition. More

by JACQUI.FRANKS1954 Verified Customer Verified Customer

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Service Director Sebastian Calvo was very proactive & helpful. Service Advisor Sam Flores was professional & courteous. Parts Consultant (sorry, can't remember name) was patient, courteous & profession helpful. Service Advisor Sam Flores was professional & courteous. Parts Consultant (sorry, can't remember name) was patient, courteous & professional. More

by mjoganic Verified Customer Verified Customer

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The service people were pleasant and my oil change was done in a timely manner. My only complaint is that I was told my car would be getting a car wash with my service and when I picked it up, it was clea done in a timely manner. My only complaint is that I was told my car would be getting a car wash with my service and when I picked it up, it was clear that it was still very dirty and had not been taken through the car wash. I even got a text update that my car was being taken through the car wash, but clearly that wasn't the case. Disappointing. More

by Christine Verified Customer Verified Customer

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