The AUSubaru.com.au Forums

Not the most exciting thread(!) - but can anyone recommend a good Subaru mechanic in A-town? I recently bought a 91 L-Series with 155 000 on the clock and it’s running well and looking good; just needs a drive belt replacement and a few niggles checked out. I’m enthusiastic with my spanners but by no means expert so any recommendations would be great. And does anyone know what a typical drive belt replacement might cost?

Thanks guys

"Rising Sun Car Care" in Gepps Cross. the Guys name is Steve, he's "Steve_Rising_Sun" on this board. He is THE early Subaru guy in Adelaide.
(08) 83496960.

hey daza i still got your tools here......hammer and punch.....need to work out some way to get you guys back togeather.....

Two more Votes for Steve and Eddie @ Rising Sun,
My whole drivetrain is from them.

Surgically clean workshop and great service.

Groover gets a vote!

Another vote here for Steve at Rising Sun. Great service at a reasonable cost.

Thanks guys - sounds like Steve's the man. Cheers for the tips!

I wonder if Steve and Eddie are still available at Raising Sun, and if they still do a good and a not too expensive job ?

(I used to do my servicing and repair at S&T Automative in Blair Athol -- a satisfied customer !, but I just learnt that Tony sold the business.)

Yeah they are, or for a genuine suby mechanic, try eblens.

Brumby Kid wrote:Yeah they are, or for a genuine suby mechanic, try eblens.

...and if you do, you'll need see your bank manager!

Steve FTW. Haven't seen Eddie in a while - is he still there?

Both are true gentlemens

Yeah, you will need a second or third morgatage for eblems. Try S&J autos in edwardstown for your performance suby. Expensive but he knows what hes doing. A rumor going round that when subaru cant fix it they ask him.

Today I dropped in to Rising Sun. Steve was the person sitting behind the reception desk. It appears to me he does not do the mechanical work on the customers' cars; the hired mechanics do. Maybe this is something of a concern.

valerian wrote:Today I dropped in to Rising Sun. Steve was the person sitting behind the reception desk. It appears to me he does not do the mechanical work on the customers' cars; the hired mechanics do. Maybe this is something of a concern.

Complete bollocks. He does work on cars...but a workshop does not run itself.

This is not a concern. At all. Not in the slightest.

But hey, your car, your $$$. Make your own decision.

Here is my account of dealing with Rising Sun. I brought my car for service and some minor repairs last Monday morning as was agreed. Steve told me that the loan car blew the gasket, and offered to take his car. It was manual, which I did not want to drive. So that we agreed I'd drop the car some other day.

I gave him a list of things to do including the 200k km service. After I dropped the car, he called me saying that one of the pulleys was rattling, and suggested to buy the "timing belt kit" and replace the whole lot, i.e. the timing belt, water pump, pulleys and seals. Actually, this was what I wanted to to, and I agreed.

I brought the car home today, after 2 days of work, and examined it. To my surprise, I discovered that water pump was not changed. The tax invoice does not say anything about changing the water pump either. It appears the water pump is not a part of the timing belt kit as I thought. My list of things to do did not contain the water pump. It would be the additional stuff I was going to negotiate.

I popped the hood open, and I noticed that the old sticker about changing the coolant was still there. No new stickers about changing the timing belt and coolant. What a bummer. Is it reasonable for me to expect it ? I am going to ask him to attach it. Othervise, how would the next car mechanic know about what was done to the car ?

The coolant which was changed now sits at a low mark in the expansion container. Maybe, the coolant was sucked out during the drive home. Is it reasonable for me to drop to the Rising Sun and ask to top it up, without additional charge ?

Last thing, when I came home, I noticed an oil slick on the drive way. It was left there by the loan car which stayed overnight. Perhaps it was my fault as I should have known the old car would leak the oil.

On the whole, I am not 100% happy with the service I got from the Rising Sun. I will be on look for another Subaru mechanic.

Before you bag him on a open forum (oh, too late), try this.

Give him a ring or drop in. If the response is less than what you expect (and is reasonable), by all means vent here.

But give him the opportunity to resolve it in the first instance.

BTW, did you see all the letters of thanks from customers on his wall who he helped above and beyond what anyone else would? I guess not..

sven '2' wrote:Before you bag him on a open forum (oh, too late), try this.

I am not "bagging" anybody here. I just give dry facts. Everybody can draw their own conclusions from my descriptions. I am not saying whether the Rising Sun was bad or good. As a matter of fact, I suppose, it appears from my descriptions that Steve was trying to do his best.

I happen to agree with Valerian, I for one do not believe he was bagging Steve, simply stating facts, and asking advice.

I think certain individuals , need to back down and address the questions at hand , rather than come to their own conclusions and judgments and make a situation more than it really is.

Just my 2 cents

This morning I dropped in to the Rising Sun, and presented Steve with the following comments:

1. I cannot tell from the paperwork whether the waterpump was changed as a part of the 200k km service. I was under impression after the phone conversation the water pump would be changed...
2. The coolant bottle is almost empty, can I have a free top-up ?
3. My previous mechanics put stickers under the hood about changing the timing belt and coolant, but I have not seen the stickers attached this time...

His reply was:

1. The water pump was not changed. It was examined and found to be not leaking. Generally, water pumps are good for 300k km, so that no need for pre-emptive change. On the phone, he was talking about the inspecting, not changing the water pump.
2. I can have a free top-up of coolant.
3. They do not put stickers about changing the belts and coolants. They put a record on the car's logbook, and the record is also kept on the computer. There were no stickers coming with the timing belt kit.

Also, I thought $580 for a timing belt kit was steep, but I did not offer any comments to Steve about it.

valerian wrote: Also, I thought $580 for a timing belt kit was steep, but I did not offer any comments to Steve about it.

mate ring subaru and ask them about a 200km service.

make sure youre sitting down.

$580 is actually very cheap for a timing belt kit.

what condition are the toilets like at his shop? Did you go over them with a fine tooth comb as well?

valerian wrote: Also, I thought $580 for a timing belt kit was steep, but I did not offer any comments to Steve about it.

The last service my wifes forester got through subaru was nearly that much and that wasn't a major service, just a 50000km service.

I have heard of Subaru quoting $1200 to change a timing belt and that was just a belt.

Rising Sun obviously thought you were coming back and put your information on the books and computer. stickers don't really mean much at all, as you can write anything on them once the old ink fades (seen it done)

TOONGA

Alex wrote:$580 is actually very cheap for a timing belt kit.

Just to clear the misunderstanding. $580 was for a no-name timing belt kit, no labour included. For comparison, Jarvis Subaru sells the Subaru genuine timing belt kit for $450, http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Subaru-Genui ... 19c74b0273