Subies, the engines again...

[Jetronic]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
I've never seen an OM that didn't direct the driver to check the oil at every fill-up.


My owners manual states: check the motor oil level every 3000 km.

 

[dblshock]

****
I had my car serviced at 75,000 at Subaru. At, 82,000 miles, my engine blew up due to not having a drop of oil left in the car. There were no warning lights: the oil light never came on to warn about the oil level being low. I took the car to Subaru and they kept it for 8 days to review it, 8 days? Then came back and said that the car is no longer under warranty so they cannot do anything.

- Sue S., Encinitas, CA, USA


****
I had the oil changed more frequently that recommended (every 3000 to 5000 miles).

The engine should have lasted longer than 113,500 miles.

I will never buy another turbo.

I have been told the fix will be from $6000 to $8000 (new engine or rebuild engine).

Subaru offered me a $1000 incentive to buy another Subaru. No other help.

- Peter W., Corte Madera, CA, USA

 

[dblshock]

Dear sir, on February 11,2015 we purchased a new 2015 Outback 2.5 premium at seller dealer 400106 VIN 4S4bsafcof3289278 and the odometer reading was 10 miles. This was our dream car that we saved for a few years to finally purchase. It developed an engine knocking noise at only 1000 miles on the odometer. So I took it to the Subaru dealer for evaluation on 3/18/15 and after 2 days there they determined that the engine had a problem and would have to be replaced according to Subaru experts. I really respect Subaru�'s and their history, but we no longer consider this one our dream car. If the power plant is faulty we wonder what else is going to go wrong with it. My family will no longer feel safe. Though the car may or may not fall under the song-beverly consumer warranty act we want a replacement for the same type vehicle, nothing more and nothing less. I feel the engine should not of failed at only 1,000 miles on it and I��M sure Mr. Nakamura would strongly agree.
- Chino Hills, CA, USA

 

[emg]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
Is the 2.5 EJ255 (turbo engine) closed deck? It does not seem to suffer any significant head gasket issues unless the owner abuses it by overheating it.


As I understand it, the turbo engines have much tougher head gaskets, and the fix for the non-turbo engines was to install a head gasket of a similar design to the turbos.

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: dblshock
Dear sir, on February 11,2015 we purchased a new 2015 Outback 2.5 premium at seller dealer 400106 VIN 4S4bsafcof3289278 and the odometer reading was 10 miles. This was our dream car that we saved for a few years to finally purchase. It developed an engine knocking noise at only 1000 miles on the odometer. So I took it to the Subaru dealer for evaluation on 3/18/15 and after 2 days there they determined that the engine had a problem and would have to be replaced according to Subaru experts. I really respect Subaru�'s and their history, but we no longer consider this one our dream car. If the power plant is faulty we wonder what else is going to go wrong with it. My family will no longer feel safe. Though the car may or may not fall under the song-beverly consumer warranty act we want a replacement for the same type vehicle, nothing more and nothing less. I feel the engine should not of failed at only 1,000 miles on it and I��M sure Mr. Nakamura would strongly agree.
- Chino Hills, CA, USA


Right there is a perfect example of a ignorant driver.

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: dblshock
****
I had my car serviced at 75,000 at Subaru. At, 82,000 miles, my engine blew up due to not having a drop of oil left in the car. There were no warning lights: the oil light never came on to warn about the oil level being low. I took the car to Subaru and they kept it for 8 days to review it, 8 days? Then came back and said that the car is no longer under warranty so they cannot do anything.

- Sue S., Encinitas, CA, USA


****
I had the oil changed more frequently that recommended (every 3000 to 5000 miles).

The engine should have lasted longer than 113,500 miles.

I will never buy another turbo.

I have been told the fix will be from $6000 to $8000 (new engine or rebuild engine).

Subaru offered me a $1000 incentive to buy another Subaru. No other help.

- Peter W., Corte Madera, CA, USA



Yikes, where do you find these morons?

 

[Trav]

Originally Posted By: madRiver
Originally Posted By: Trav
The 96 EJ22 has a closed deck and no HG issues associated with the open deck failures.


Is the 2.5 EJ255 (turbo engine) closed deck? It does not seem to suffer any significant head gasket issues unless the owner abuses it by overheating it.


Yes its open deck. EMG posted the most likely reason it doesn't have gasket problems.
Although they are not as strong as closed decks there is nothing inherently wrong with them, sealing them properly is the key.
Peugeot used open deck with wet liners for years without issue.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Originally Posted By: dblshock
Dear sir, on February 11,2015 we purchased a new 2015 Outback 2.5 premium at seller dealer 400106 VIN 4S4bsafcof3289278 and the odometer reading was 10 miles. This was our dream car that we saved for a few years to finally purchase. It developed an engine knocking noise at only 1000 miles on the odometer. So I took it to the Subaru dealer for evaluation on 3/18/15 and after 2 days there they determined that the engine had a problem and would have to be replaced according to Subaru experts. I really respect Subaru�'s and their history, but we no longer consider this one our dream car. If the power plant is faulty we wonder what else is going to go wrong with it. My family will no longer feel safe. Though the car may or may not fall under the song-beverly consumer warranty act we want a replacement for the same type vehicle, nothing more and nothing less. I feel the engine should not of failed at only 1,000 miles on it and I��M sure Mr. Nakamura would strongly agree.
- Chino Hills, CA, USA


Right there is a perfect example of a ignorant driver.


How so? A Brand New car should not: 1) Burn that much oil in 1000 miles, 2) Require anything maintenance-wise in 1k miles. Yes, checking the fluids would be recommended but a brand new vehicle should not need that sort of stuff right out of the gate.

 

[dblshock]

**** Brand new car and engine burning oil issue: Subaru of georgetown, tx, dealer told me that I did not have to change the oil until I reached 7500 miles on my brand new 2014 Subaru Outback. At 4900 miles, oil pressure and low oil lights came on briefly, then turned off 30 miles later. I didn't check the level since the the lights turned off. Then 50 miles later, both turned on again. I checked the dipstick, and there was approx. 1mm of oil registering on the bottom of the dipstick. The Subaru of baton rouge, la dealer told me this was normal and changed the oil at 5400 miles.
- Austin, TX, USA


***

Two days ago I started hearing a Bad whinning noise as if a Pulley Bearing or an Air leak is occurring. I dropped it off today 10/9/14 at Stohlmans Subaru in Tysons, VA and will let you know what they find. With under 16,000 miles and it just being over a year old this is unacceptable. Why should my year old motor be doing this? I am losing faith in Subaru. I purchased this car because of the reliability the old ones had and the new safety features that Subaru says they have, but it seems that the old ones were the reliable ones and they have changed them and just use the old ones as selling techniques.

- dynarider84, Reston, VA, USA


****

Purchased a new 2014 Subaru Iutback limited 2.5---noticed strange humming, wooo,wooo,wooo, jet engine sound at exactly 3700 rpms ( no sound above or below 3700 rpms)--noise can be heard driving or revving engine up to 3700 rpms in neutral also. Took to Subaru and they checked several things and say noise goes away when serpentine belt is removed but returns when belt is replaced.--they also replaced alternator and replaced pulley--noise still there-------

Subaru then had an engineer look at car and they now say 3.6 engine makes same noise at 3700 rpms and now call this normal characteristic of their cars but still can't say what causes this strange and loud humming at 3700 rpms----Subaru customer service has not been helpful, they all seem to want to distance themselves from this. My car now has 10,000 miles on it and noise is still there and Subaru still won't address issue. This has been extremely disappointing as I thought Subaru was supposed to be quality/customer oriented co. Has anyone else experienced this?

- ph1019, Ft Mill, SC, USA

 

[HerrStig]

This automotive icon of the left is taking a beating on here. Is there a correlation between number of cute bumper stickers and service life of the car?

 

[HerrStig]

Originally Posted By: CKN
Originally Posted By: Rust_Belt_Pete
Black ice and snow doesn't care which weels are pinning it cares about the friction coefficent.
Any one who lived in the snow belt knows that being able to stop on time is much more important than AWD.


Yep-NOBODY should buy a Subaru because they plow through snow better than many other vehicles. But they don't stop better on black ice.

Your point makes about as much sense as having over 100 quarts of oil in your garage.

DO they stop better on snow? How?

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
This automotive icon of the left is taking a beating on here. Is there a correlation between number of cute bumper stickers and service life of the car?


There has been some study done and it determined that generally speaking the more stickers people have on their cars more likely they are to crash or cause an accident.

 

[FutureDoc]

Originally Posted By: HerrStig
This automotive icon of the left is taking a beating on here. Is there a correlation between number of cute bumper stickers and service life of the car?


Probably because it is more fiscally responsible to repair a old car and spend money on bumber-stickers than it is to drive around in a new 5 passenger pick-up because you want to look handy and might need to transport a paw-paw tree someday...


So far the OP is only able to drag up idiotic owners with random, often mythical complaints.


As for subies in the snow... my concern is not stopping (because if you "must" stop on slick wintery roads, you already made a mistake. Tires will dictate stopping and steering. My concern is directional control and getting forward movement on slick inclines. That is when you realize the part-time AWD systems of Toyota, Honda, Ford, Nissan and GM can't cut it. I have a 18-22% grade (steeper at points) in my first 1/4 mile of a commute and I don't get "snowdays".

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

Ah yes, I forgot you applachian folks

Yeah you gonna need all the help you can get and need all 4 spinning.
Been living in flat lands all my life

 

[pottymouth]

Hard to believe anyone would argue that it's acceptable for a modern, normally aspirated passenger car engine to use any noticeable amount of oil in 5,000 miles. A tuned and thrashed WRX maybe, but a bone stock Forester? No way.

 

[Rust_Belt_Pete]

Originally Posted By: pottymouth
Hard to believe anyone would argue that it's acceptable for a modern, normally aspirated passenger car engine to use any noticeable amount of oil in 5,000 miles. A tuned and thrashed WRX maybe, but a bone stock Forester? No way.



From my observations I find that the the mechanical and reliability problems in WRX and its likes is caused by a defective insulation between the drivers seat and the steering wheel.

 

[Nate1979]

Originally Posted By: itguy08
Originally Posted By: Nate1979
Originally Posted By: dblshock
Dear sir, on February 11,2015 we purchased a new 2015 Outback 2.5 premium at seller dealer 400106 VIN 4S4bsafcof3289278 and the odometer reading was 10 miles. This was our dream car that we saved for a few years to finally purchase. It developed an engine knocking noise at only 1000 miles on the odometer. So I took it to the Subaru dealer for evaluation on 3/18/15 and after 2 days there they determined that the engine had a problem and would have to be replaced according to Subaru experts. I really respect Subaru�'s and their history, but we no longer consider this one our dream car. If the power plant is faulty we wonder what else is going to go wrong with it. My family will no longer feel safe. Though the car may or may not fall under the song-beverly consumer warranty act we want a replacement for the same type vehicle, nothing more and nothing less. I feel the engine should not of failed at only 1,000 miles on it and I��M sure Mr. Nakamura would strongly agree.
- Chino Hills, CA, USA


Right there is a perfect example of a ignorant driver.


How so? A Brand New car should not: 1) Burn that much oil in 1000 miles, 2) Require anything maintenance-wise in 1k miles. Yes, checking the fluids would be recommended but a brand new vehicle should not need that sort of stuff right out of the gate.


First, any driver who doesn't check their oil regularly is ignorant. Second, things happen, things go wrong. Subaru isn't the only manufacturer to have oil burning issues. GM's 5.3L with the AFM is a perfect example of a very reliable engine but one that can create oil burning. Owners had to push GM for a fix but it finally happened.

Third, the owner now doesn't feel safe because their engine had to be replaced. How is that relevant? And then they want the car to be replaced with a new one because the engine was replaced. Really?

Sorry, these stories just point to ignorant drivers who need to take some personal responsibility (check the oil) and not be so sensitive when things go wrong.

 

[itguy08]

Originally Posted By: Nate1979

First, any driver who doesn't check their oil regularly is ignorant. Second, things happen, things go wrong.


You should not have to check the oil within 1k on a brand new car. Especially if they say it can go 10k between oil changes. And it sure as you know what should not burn nearly all its oil in that time period!

Wife just got a new car and I checked the oil at 1.5k. Still 100% full. That's how it should be.

Quote:
Third, the owner now doesn't feel safe because their engine had to be replaced. How is that relevant? And then they want the car to be replaced with a new one because the engine was replaced. Really?


I agree 100%. IMHO we have a generation of people that thing life is perfect - unicorns and fairy tears. Life is not perfect and you need to adapt. Should I have had to have an engine (or transmission) replaced in any one of my cars I'd not feel any less safe in the least bit.

 

[Ausfahrt]

This all just seems like the usual internet deal where a few rotten apples get all the attention. I have owned two Subies and neither one of them ever burned a drop that I could discern. The Crosstrek that we still own recently completed a trip from Florida to Vermont and back without any noticeable drop in the oil level.

I do subscribe to the "break them in hard" method with lots of near redline runs followed with a healthy dose of engine braking but that is probably not the average break in.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Originally Posted By: Oregoonian
Happy to report tha my 12 year old Duratec 2.3 engine in my Ford Focus, has never needed to add a drop of oil in the 7 years I've owned her. I check the dipstick about once a month.

My OCI's are between 8 to 9K on synthetic.


I had to add oil once to my 2.0L duratec. I was surprised when 6 quarts came out during an oil change.

Apparently the dipstick reads dry on the first pull ...




Originally Posted By: AZjeff
People who think a quart in 2K usage is OK for a low mileage car most likely don't own one. Unacceptable.


Chrysler said 650 miles per quart of oil in our PoS 2008 Wrangler was normal.


Originally Posted By: Nate1979


To be fair they did a complete engine redesign and went to xw20 at the same time. People have tried heavier weights and they still consume (when tried after the fact).


Subaru's manufacturing tolerances just aren't up to having low tension piston rings. The rings won't seat properly. If they don't seat, it doesn't matter if you run 0w-20 or 20w-50 ... it's going to consume. Obviously heavy oil is going to consume at some smaller, different rate ... but it'll still consume.

When our PoS 3.8L minivan-engined wrangler was burning 1 quart every 650 miles, it didn't matter what was in the sump ... it was going to burn a quart every 650 miles