Within about 10k miles had a close family member need the rear main seal replaced, I believe it was. Came out one morning and oil was all over garage floor. It was a 16 or 17 Outback with the 2.5. I love the price and versatility and AWD system in Subarus, but I get anxiety with a HG replacement in the old 2005 years ago, a 13 Crosstrek that drank oil Ino longer deal with (about a full quart every 4k), and another family member with an older Outback (15?) with a little over 100k that needed an expensive repair on the transmission. And this one Subaru extended the transmission warranty I believe 🤦♂️ I'm just crossing my fingers.
Subaru 2.5 Change Interval
- Thread starter HowAboutThis
- Start date
MoneyJohn has it right:
Because folks from past 'generation' (2011-2016 IIRC) were complaining that their vehicles are oil burners. Subaru says a quart of oil loss per OC interval is OK but folks were not buying it. So they lowered OC interval for newer vehicles.
I had a 2015 Outback 2.5 Premium, and it had no oil consumption. The problem mostly was corrected by the 2015 model year. Subaru was tired of dealing with consumption complaints so it transferred the responsibility to owners doing shorter OCIs so it could deny warranty coverage if owners didn't follow the new interval..
Because folks from past 'generation' (2011-2016 IIRC) were complaining that their vehicles are oil burners. Subaru says a quart of oil loss per OC interval is OK but folks were not buying it. So they lowered OC interval for newer vehicles.
I had a 2015 Outback 2.5 Premium, and it had no oil consumption. The problem mostly was corrected by the 2015 model year. Subaru was tired of dealing with consumption complaints so it transferred the responsibility to owners doing shorter OCIs so it could deny warranty coverage if owners didn't follow the new interval..
I don't think the "Fram in a Blue can" is seeing any limitation in 6M /7500mi.
Honda uses Fram in a Blue can also as their USA service replacement part.
I would always like to see bigger filters ( like on my lease VW jetta)
But I don't think anyone has pushed a "Fram ToughGuard" variant to its limit in 6mo / 7-10K miles.Unless the majority of their driving was multiple, short trips with no extended complete warmup; But, that would be a statistically odd regimen.
Maybe ZeeOsix could chime in here.
Clearly Subaru was shortening their OCI as customers are lazy or uninformed and DON'T CHECK their oil level between oil changes.
The used Subaru I purchased from a woman in CO. had saved all its service records ( nice!) I read through them and almost every time
the Dealer (Flatirons Subaru) or the oil change place ( Grease Monkeys) noted there was NO OIL READING on the dipstick!
note: Subaru DS can be notoriously tricky. If I'm getting odd HOT readings, sometimes I will insert the stick just to the O-ring and ADD a 1/4" to my reading. Also the reading is sensitive to the car being LEVEL.
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Hmmm you really saying I need to check my Subaru oil when the car is level? You CRA CRA
I would submit to you that the OEM filters from Honda and Subaru are not the same despite being painted a similar blue color. I am of the opinion that the Subaru one is like a jobber entry level filter, lower than the Extra Guard, while the Honda is more like an Extra Guard or perhaps even a Tough Guard.
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
I'm convinced it was due to historical consumption issues.
Once my extended warranty is up I plan to run 10k intervals, if not more.
/
I'm actually thinking of REDUCING the interval for my FA20DIT-powered Forester, though...
Once my extended warranty is up I plan to run 10k intervals, if not more.
/
I'm actually thinking of REDUCING the interval for my FA20DIT-powered Forester, though...
gathermewool
Site Donor 2023
Why does that matter? If something like a Fram Ultra can last 15k, why can't a Subie blue last 7.5k?
My 2020 2.5L Forester Owners Manual OCI is 6,000mi or 6 months.
I would do a 6k interval with M1 or Valvoline
My data show that if you drive a lot- say over 1500miles a month - and you warm the engine up completely for at least a 1/2 hour during you commute, you can easily extend - with NO downside - the oil change interval to 9k miles per oci.
Modern oils are longer drain oils than ILSAC GF3 was. If your engine cannot do this interval and return a good UOA - either you are driving in a subzero climate, or your engine's PCV and cooling system is defective or improperly designed and you should not have bought that car to begin with.
Of course, let's give Classic's and Hot Rods a PASS !
I say you're probably fine going to 7,500 miles, but be guided by uoa's with TBN on your car. Not other uoa's nor the opinions of others.
I run 10k OCIs on my 2.5 in my Forester. These engines are so easy on oil. The only concern is oil consumption. I'm lucky enough my 2.5 doesn't consume any oil.
Due to no orange ADBV? I'm sure Subaru wants proprietary filtration and loading capacity in their media. I bet its better than EG but less than TG. But the P- gasket base gasket on the Subaru and Honda filters is worth its weight in Gold when you are running real synthetic oils. I had gasket failure on Wix and Purolator on the the old EJ where the the oil filter is wrapped by the exhaust piping in very close proximity; OTC Fram do not have these gaskets.
But would I rather have a case of Tokyo Roki rather than Fram? You Betcha!
Lots of WAG here so far. Since there's no official reason, and the fact you're out of warranty, none of the reasoning for dropping to 6k really matters. What matters are how YOUR driving habits are affecting YOUR personal engine. The real answer you're looking for, if extending OCIs is your main goal, is to do a UOA just before 6k miles and then top it off. Keep driving it til the results get back, and then make a determination from there if it's time to change the oil. If the viscosity and FP look good, you can extend, and then at some reasonable additional distance, get another UOA and repeat. Get an OA with oxidation and nitration if you're really into deciphering what's going on in your engine.
Wear metals are not a valid way of determining that it's time to change the oil, unless you're talking about iron, and that's around 150ppm limit. I did UOAs and extended OCIs based on viscosity and FP, and found I was able to extend from 10k miles (roughly the OLM) to around 16k miles using PUP in my Fusion before the oil started to show distress. A 60% reduction in needed oil changes can be a significant savings if you're driving 25-30k miles per year. FWIW, my mom's '18 Forester has had a couple OAs and the numbers look great so far out to about 6,600... she's still under warranty so she's stuck with 6k intervals for that, but after warranty (or after I get it from her) the next OA will be at least a 9k interval. FBs have not been shown to be overly hard on the oil, so you may continue to see great OAs out to or past 12k....
Wear metals are not a valid way of determining that it's time to change the oil, unless you're talking about iron, and that's around 150ppm limit. I did UOAs and extended OCIs based on viscosity and FP, and found I was able to extend from 10k miles (roughly the OLM) to around 16k miles using PUP in my Fusion before the oil started to show distress. A 60% reduction in needed oil changes can be a significant savings if you're driving 25-30k miles per year. FWIW, my mom's '18 Forester has had a couple OAs and the numbers look great so far out to about 6,600... she's still under warranty so she's stuck with 6k intervals for that, but after warranty (or after I get it from her) the next OA will be at least a 9k interval. FBs have not been shown to be overly hard on the oil, so you may continue to see great OAs out to or past 12k....
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Frankly, I would be more concerned about the use of a 5w-30 oil in a vehicle (no longer under warranty, but WHO CARES?) that calls for a 0w-20? Our 2nd Subaru, a 2014 Outback (same motor) called for 0w-20. Never used a drop between changes. Nor any consumption in the 2017, nor does it have direct injection: that's a 2020 change.
Also, I am not saying the use of a quality 5w-30 is going to damage this engine, but why? Maybe I've been off the Forum too long: it used to be a big question as to whether using 0w-20 was even "safe" in a car originally spec'ed (specced?) for 5w-20 or 5w-30!
Our 1st Subaru, the SVX, still has no oil consumption between changes. Been using 10w-30 for over 28 years... Way back in those old days I purchased an Every 3 Months/3K Miles lube-for-life that included the oil & filters for the whopping sum of $39.95. Had about 33 dealer changes before I finally gave it up...
Also, I am not saying the use of a quality 5w-30 is going to damage this engine, but why? Maybe I've been off the Forum too long: it used to be a big question as to whether using 0w-20 was even "safe" in a car originally spec'ed (specced?) for 5w-20 or 5w-30!
Our 1st Subaru, the SVX, still has no oil consumption between changes. Been using 10w-30 for over 28 years... Way back in those old days I purchased an Every 3 Months/3K Miles lube-for-life that included the oil & filters for the whopping sum of $39.95. Had about 33 dealer changes before I finally gave it up...
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Why not? They use it in Australia on the Mobil 1 (and other companies) site. Plus, most all of the 6k miles were 80+mph into headwinds. Pretty big engine load, little thicker oil 🤷♂️ Pretty confident it doesn't matter, but to each their own.
The owner's manual for my wife's 2018 Forester recommends 0w20 but specifically allows 5w30 and even 5w40. So it won't void the warranty. All else equal, heavier oil should have higher film strength which could make a difference under demanding use. As long as you don't live where it gets super cold in the winter, the 5w versus 0w won't matter. The 0w20 oils I've seen are all synthetics, making them more expensive than 5w30. In summary, if 5w30 protects the engine just as well and meets warranty and is cheaper, why not use it?
To be accurate, the owner's manual allows the usage of 5w30 and 5w40 in the event of oil consumption and the need to top off the amount of oil that was consumed. Also, in the event that happens, they recommend getting the oil changed with a full compliment of 0w20.
I have experimented with using 5w30 in the exact same engine and I did not like the results. If 5w30 or another viscosity oil is used in some other part of the world in this engine that is fine. It uses 0w20 in the USA to be compliant with emissions regulations and the engine is rigged to use it and respond to it for best results. I have found this out from first hand experience, not from people hypothesizing about oil usage on the internet.