Dealership Repairs Woman's Subaru. Then She Discovers They Took Out The Wrong Part: 'They Had It For Almost A Week'

When you turn your car over to a technician to fix it, you expect that it’s in the best hands. Your car should be safe at the dealership mechanic and in working order by the time you pick it back up.

But one woman says a dealership left her with an additional problem and now believes they were just plain negligent. While some commenters defended the technician, others said this never should have happened.

Woman Says Dealership Mechanic Messed Up

In a TikTok with more than 424,000 views, content creator Brittany (@brittany_mackenzie) films what she found when she picked up her Subaru from Subaru of Midland after a window replacement, a job the dealership had the car for nearly a week to complete.

"@Subaru you better cut the freaking cameras right now. Am I on Punked??" reads the text overlay.

"Just got home from the dealership and my husband realized—are you serious?" she says in the video. "Somebody cut the freaking cameras. Oh my gosh. They said it was good to pick up."

The dealership had removed all the trim to replace the window. When Brittany picked up the car, the trim hadn't been put back on, plus her sideview mirror fell off, she says.

"@Subaru of Midland I know you are joking right now. After my glass breaking for the second time this is how I pick up my car??? Mind you they had it for almost a week!!" Brittany adds in the caption.

Not everyone thought the situation was as bad as it looked.

"It's really not serious. They just forgot to put the cover back on," one commenter wrote, suggesting it was a minor oversight.

Brittany pushed back saying, "They also forgot to put back the rear lift gate button and had it almost a week to test the glass to make sure it wouldn't break again," she replied. "Feels pretty negligent to me, not just a moment of thoughtlessness."

What To Know If A Dealership Returns Your Car In Worse Shape

According to Ware Law Firm, when you leave your vehicle at a dealership for service, a legal concept called "bailment" kicks in, meaning the dealership assumes responsibility for the care of your vehicle while it's in their possession. 

They have an obligation to return it in the same condition they received it, minus the repaired issue. If a dealership returns your car in worse condition than you dropped it off, the steps that matter most are documentation and speed.

Take photos immediately, before you leave the lot if possible. Report the issue to the dealership in writing the same day, and keep records of every communication. If the dealership is resistant, escalating to the manufacturer's customer service department is often more effective than going back and forth with the service department directly.

And if the same defect keeps coming back after repeated repair attempts it's worth knowing what lemon law actually covers.

According to Nolo, most state lemon laws require a manufacturer to refund or replace a vehicle if a substantial defect hasn't been fixed after a reasonable number of attempts, typically three to four for non-safety issues, sometimes just one for defects serious enough to cause injury.

If the car has been in the shop for 30 or more days within a year due to warranty repairs, that alone can qualify it as a lemon in many states. The key is documentation: every repair order, every written complaint, every communication with the dealer creates the paper trail that makes a lemon law claim viable.

Some people who commented on Brittany’s video agreed that she should escalate the matter.

“Just find the attorney general for your state and reach out,” said one.

“And they said Subaru’s are the world’s safest cars to drive,” a person claimed.

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“Always check it before you leave….” another wrote.

Motor1 reached out to Brittany via TikTok direct message and comment and Subaru of Midland for comment via email. We’ll update this if either responds.

 

 

 

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