@mzhang2018 Only you can answer those questions. You're right, your issue does not seem to be isolated. Take a look at this thread, if you haven't seen it yet:
AC Condenser Problems
Mike
AC Condenser Problems
Mike
2017 - AC does not work? - SOLVED!
The car is about two years old. The AC does not work. The air comes out is not cool at all. It seems there is no refrigerant in the system. Perhaps there is some leak in the AC system. I will bring it to a dealer next week. I will report their diagnosis.
The two about-ten-years-old Honda cars in my family have never had AC problems. It seems it is not rare for 2017 Forester to have an AC problem. Does this mean I have to buy an extended warranty if I'd like to keep this car? Does it mean I should go back to Honda again or try Toyota when I purchase my next car? ......
The mileage of the car is about 15,600 miles.
The two about-ten-years-old Honda cars in my family have never had AC problems. It seems it is not rare for 2017 Forester to have an AC problem. Does this mean I have to buy an extended warranty if I'd like to keep this car? Does it mean I should go back to Honda again or try Toyota when I purchase my next car? ......
The mileage of the car is about 15,600 miles.
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@mzhang2018 -
Running the AC without refrigerant can cause other problems, most notably in the compressor, so it's a good thing to not run it until the issue is fixed.
It looks like your problem is common, so once it's fixed you should be okay.
Many people will tell you an extended warranty is a good idea with a Subaru, as there are a lot of potential expensive repairs the warranty will cover.
If you decide to, get the Subaru sponsored warranty, but search around online for a good deal.
Most dealers make big bucks on their markup.
The Subaru warranty is transferrable to a new owner, so if you decide to sell the car, the warranty will help you get more in resale value.
Running the AC without refrigerant can cause other problems, most notably in the compressor, so it's a good thing to not run it until the issue is fixed.
It looks like your problem is common, so once it's fixed you should be okay.
Many people will tell you an extended warranty is a good idea with a Subaru, as there are a lot of potential expensive repairs the warranty will cover.
If you decide to, get the Subaru sponsored warranty, but search around online for a good deal.
Most dealers make big bucks on their markup.
The Subaru warranty is transferrable to a new owner, so if you decide to sell the car, the warranty will help you get more in resale value.
An update:
Briefly speaking, I went to the dealer. They replaced the condenser and two o-rings. Now the AC works.
More details: The service advisor first told me the condenser was hit by a rock and leaked. This means it would not be covered by the warranty. I asked for taking a look at the damaged condenser. I did see a small black area perhaps with some oil. However, it is not dented. So, I told the service advisor that I did not think it was hit by a rock. I took photos. Then, he said he needed to ask the service manager to check it. I agreed and waited. But no one came and talked with me in the following one and half an hour. Then, I went to ask that service advisor again. He told me they were replacing the condenser with the warranty. I thanked him. Half an hour later, the repair was done.
Briefly speaking, I went to the dealer. They replaced the condenser and two o-rings. Now the AC works.
More details: The service advisor first told me the condenser was hit by a rock and leaked. This means it would not be covered by the warranty. I asked for taking a look at the damaged condenser. I did see a small black area perhaps with some oil. However, it is not dented. So, I told the service advisor that I did not think it was hit by a rock. I took photos. Then, he said he needed to ask the service manager to check it. I agreed and waited. But no one came and talked with me in the following one and half an hour. Then, I went to ask that service advisor again. He told me they were replacing the condenser with the warranty. I thanked him. Half an hour later, the repair was done.
@mzhang2018 - Good for you!
Their line about damage was BS and many other folks had the same issue as there are known defects with the condenser on the '17.
You were lucky they had one in stock as others on the forum reported having to wait.
I wonder how many other people were bilked out of their warranty coverage by the same dealer.
From now on maybe the service techs will hit the condenser with a hammer so there is a dent there to blame it on...
I'd be looking for a different place for service.
Their line about damage was BS and many other folks had the same issue as there are known defects with the condenser on the '17.
You were lucky they had one in stock as others on the forum reported having to wait.
I wonder how many other people were bilked out of their warranty coverage by the same dealer.
From now on maybe the service techs will hit the condenser with a hammer so there is a dent there to blame it on...
I'd be looking for a different place for service.
Mzhang2018, glad you got it fixed, always verify and look for yourself before authorizing any additional repair expense.
DragonSubie7, agreed!
DragonSubie7, agreed!
The car is about two years old. The AC does not work. The air comes out is not cool at all. It seems there is no refrigerant in the system. Perhaps there is some leak in the AC system. I will bring it to a dealer next week. I will report their diagnosis.
The two about-ten-years-old Honda cars in my family have never had AC problems. It seems it is not rare for 2017 Forester to have an AC problem. Does this mean I have to buy an extended warranty if I'd like to keep this car? Does it mean I should go back to Honda again or try Toyota when I purchase my next car? ......
The mileage of the car is about 15,600 miles.
A few weeks before my warranty runs out, I found my AC was no longer working efficiently, so I called my original dealer (The one who sold me this new car) and they told me they were booked solid for more than 3 weeks and could not find have availability to look at the problem. I argued with them about honouring the warranty if I had to wait this long, and they basically told me I was out of luck. They just brushed me away with no solutions. To add insults to injuries, that same dealer charged me $100 to change a burnt fog light 3 months after I made the purchase. I had to argue with them to get a refund after I found out that this fix should have been under warranty. If this isn’t enough, every time I went there to get an oil change ($120 per visit), they always filled up the oil a hair over the minimum mark on the dip stick, forcing me to add almost a quart of oil to bring it up to the maximum dipstick mark. Want more? I discovered a dent on my gasoline door after a visit for an oil change. I have no proof it was actually them, but am pretty sure the dent wasn’t there a few days before the visit. And to put a cherry on top on that cake, while getting an oil change, they sprayed my whole battery with a sticky dielectric gunk, making a mess of the engine bay. Yes, I like to keep the engine bay clean. They didn’t spray JUST the battery poles like they should, they spayed the whole top and one side of the battery… I tried to clean it, but that stuff was so sticky that I decided to replace it with a better AGM battery. What kind of monkeys work at that dealership?
Back to my AC story, I called the only 2 other Subaru dealers in my area and one of them could accommodate me within 48 hours. So I booked an appointment and showed up at (Ogilvie Subaru Motors, in Gloucester, Ontario). They offered me a Starbuck coffee and a comfy chair. 45 minutes later, the service manager came to tell to me that the condenser had a breach and was causing a leak, that they had the part in stock and could do the work within 2-3 hours, if I didn’t mind the wait because they we’re short staffed because of the pandemic restrictions. I gave them the go ahead. They offered me more Starbuck coffee and a couple hours later, the Forester’s AC was fixed. They gave me a detailed invoice for $0.00 and my keys, then said they were really sorry for having made me wait for that long. When I got home, I did a tour of my Forester and the engine bay. The new condenser was indeed in place and the AC was spitting out cold air like never before. I was impressed. Clean, no greasy finger prints, no dents or scratches, all the bolts and clips were all in the right place. It didn’t look like anyone had worked on my Forester at all! Now that’s a Subaru Dealer worth going back too! Not just for servicing, but for my next purchases and all my referrals! I doubt my original dealer represents the typical Subaru Dealer attitude toward customer care, but Ogilvie Subaru Motors sure provided me some level confidence about owning a Subaru product.
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