Subaru Lifestyle

[firebane]

Looking at possibly getting a Subaru in the 04 to 08 vintage and I know with vehicle age there are known issues.

I know of the head gasket issues, possible valve guide issues, oil leaks and ring land failures.

I have inquired to Vex and received pricing from them on both types of their inspections and while I am sure their second tier inspections are valuable, I just find spending that money on top of a selling price a bit much.

I also know that the sohc are much easier and simpler than the sohc variants which is why they are probably more common.

But if someone was to look at a turbo variant what sort of things would be advisable to look at? One thing I heard was to start from a dead cold and see if there is any blue smoke? Is there any other pointers or things to look for?

Or does one just buy and run some tests yourself to see where things are and forge a battle plan?

Or maybe just stick to a NA version and not go the turbo route?

[ThePenIsMightier]

I hate Subaru and I know almost nothing about them because I just don't care.
So why post?
Well, because I strongly suspect that all these "known issues" are radically blown out of proportion because it's the 2% who've experienced them have #KeyboardWarriored it up. I was saying "ring landing" in my head while reading your post just waiting for it to show up and then bam! I'm pretty sure that I MAYBE know what a ring landing is, but I'll tell you I've sure heard about it being attached to Subaru and I still think that means nothing.
Ever since I owned a Mercedes W126 (which they made for well over a decade) and heard about the #AchillesHeel timing chain issues, I just realized that the internet is NOT helping some of these issues. Do their timing chains literally explode at 160,001km and they kept making them that way for another 8+ years?! No. Sometimes there is an issue and that's fair, but the internet will suck you into believing something else.

As mentioned, I don't give a shit about Subaru but if they actually had significant issues with ring landings and etc etc, don't you think they'd be on death's door financially? I mean - who the fuck would buy them if there was actually literally all these chronic issues??

[Gart]

I have an '07, and my neighbour has an '08. It seems you are already aware of the main issues with this vintage. With mine, the main issue I have is oil consumption. I did the head gasket and had to do the radiator recently as well. I've had some minor MAF and knock issues which trip my CEL, and there have been quite a few recalls for my model (airbags, air pump, and a few others that I can't think of this second). The rest was what I'd consider normal wear and tear on the car and I am getting higher on the mileage on it. Compared to mine the Neighbour's was slightly worse on repair cost to date (valve and compression issues), but his is also still on the road.

mine is starting to show rust around the sunroof and gas tank area. But my previous car was a Mazda (so my rust standards are low)

I do like the car though and would buy another. I just need to check the oil levels frequently for this one compared to the rest of our fleet.

[firebane]

I hate Subaru and I know almost nothing about them because I just don't care.
So why post?
Well, because I strongly suspect that all these "known issues" are radically blown out of proportion because it's the 2% who've experienced them have #KeyboardWarriored it up. I was saying "ring landing" in my head while reading your post just waiting for it to show up and then bam! I'm pretty sure that I MAYBE know what a ring landing is, but I'll tell you I've sure heard about it being attached to Subaru and I still think that means nothing.
Ever since I owned a Mercedes W126 (which they made for well over a decade) and heard about the #AchillesHeel timing chain issues, I just realized that the internet is NOT helping some of these issues. Do their timing chains literally explode at 160,001km and they kept making them that way for another 8+ years?! No. Sometimes there is an issue and that's fair, but the internet will suck you into believing something else.

As mentioned, I don't give a shit about Subaru but if they actually had significant issues with ring landings and etc etc, don't you think they'd be on death's door financially? I mean - who the fuck would buy them if there was actually literally all these chronic issues??

Any post is valid to me.

I know why generally things like ring lands fail and that is more user than mechanical due to poor fuel or upping boost on stock internals.


I have an '07, and my neighbour has an '08. It seems you are already aware of the main issues with this vintage. With mine, the main issue I have is oil consumption. I did the head gasket and had to do the radiator recently as well. I've had some minor MAF and knock issues which trip my CEL, and there have been quite a few recalls for my model (airbags, air pump, and a few others that I can't think of this second). The rest was what I'd consider normal wear and tear on the car and I am getting higher on the mileage on it. Compared to mine the Neighbour's was slightly worse on repair cost to date (valve and compression issues), but his is also still on the road.

mine is starting to show rust around the sunroof and gas tank area. But my previous car was a Mazda (so my rust standards are low)

I do like the car though and would buy another. I just need to check the oil levels frequently for this one compared to the rest of our fleet.

From what I understand oil consumption comes from head gasket or poor oil used or not changing oil enough.

I do agree like a lot of things that the internet makes something small seem very large.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

I’ve owned various vintages of Subarus and never had a major failure that wasn’t self inflicted. With good maintenance and not bagging the shit out of them they can last a long time. Try to avoid anything modified in my opinion.

[jutes]

I had an 06 STi with a bigger turbo, supporting mods etc that I autocrossed regularly and drove over 100k in the span of 6 years. Never a single issue.

[LilDrunkenSmurf]

I had an 04 STi with a larger turbo that I had for 8 years, and put 100k on, and I didn't have any issues (that also wasn't self-inflicted). That being said, the last owner I knew about had gone through a turbo and possibly 2 engines? It's all about how you treat it.

[Kijho]

I hate Subaru and I know almost nothing about them because I just don't care.
So why post?
Well, because I strongly suspect that all these "known issues" are radically blown out of proportion because it's the 2% who've experienced them have #KeyboardWarriored it up.


It's all about how you treat it.


I'll echo' these two points. For every "bad" thing you see online Facebook/ Forums/ etc. how many "good" things are there existing that nobody has reason to post about? I'm on my 3rd Subaru, I had two STI EJ's before, both ran well for the 2 to 3 years I owned them, but I also took very good care and did all maintenance and almost never bagged on them.

When the 2015+'s came out there was lots of "unknown" with them since it was a new thing. Some people had theirs blown up within 1000km, and meanwhile others like me are at 125,000km's and baby it, still runs excellent. You see guys who are launching off and red-lining practically every single light, and then guys who drive normal... :dunno:

If you buy a 10 to 15 year old car though you should be going into that expecting some potential repairs and maintenance.. but I'd say that would apply to all makes of cars our there IMO.

Subaru's are also very easy to work on, and there's soooo much information online for everything you'd ever need to know!

When you turn off traction control and drive one in the snow, it just gives you a big cheeky grin every time.

[ExtraSlow]

15 year old Subaru is probably a better choice than anyyhing euro.

[ercchry]

Passed a 2008ish vintage legacy being loaded onto a flat deck yesterday in my similar vintage euro... that has never been loaded onto a flat deck and I thought to myself “good thing he was able to splurge his savings on that Canada Goose jacket” :rofl:

Cause the issue with subaru is when they break... they really break

[CelicaST-162]

Figure I'd share my 0.02 cents on this...

Having worked at an independent shop, we had our share of turbocharged and N/A Subaru's come in. If any of them was an EJ25, we would have a bet on how much oil it had on the dipstick, and most of the time it was very low. Having two Subaru's myself, I really enjoy the way they drive, they are just really fun to drive! Back to the mechanics, if it wasn't knocking as a result of low oil pressure or lack there of, the headgaskets would leak. If the headgaskets wasn't leaking, it was an oil burner. This is not the car for someone who doesn't check their oil, or has the mentality of "It's a newer car, I don't have to check the oil", if that's the case, they'll be on the side of the road waiting for hooks. Heck, I've seen a 2016 STi, with 22,000K come in the shop with not a trace of oil on the dipstick. I would absolutely get into another knowing I would get raped again for another engine, but that's just much I like driving them. (05-07 STi's). Other than that, if anyone asks if they should buy a Subaru, I could never recommend one to someone in good faith.

[cam_wmh]

Subaru Lifestyle?

As a start...

https://static-01.daraz.pk/original/ad55e49a631a9df04b6ab4514a223ac7.jpg_340x340q80.jpg
https://images.boardriders.com/global/dcshoes-products/all/default/xlarge/51390025_identify,p_wht_frt1.jpg
https://i.redd.it/7krg45ov1uwz.jpg

[firebane]

Figure I'd share my 0.02 cents on this...

Having worked at an independent shop, we had our share of turbocharged and N/A Subaru's come in. If any of them was an EJ25, we would have a bet on how much oil it had on the dipstick, and most of the time it was very low. Having two Subaru's myself, I really enjoy the way they drive, they are just really fun to drive! Back to the mechanics, if it wasn't knocking as a result of low oil pressure or lack there of, the headgaskets would leak. If the headgaskets wasn't leaking, it was an oil burner. This is not the car for someone who doesn't check their oil, or has the mentality of "It's a newer car, I don't have to check the oil", if that's the case, they'll be on the side of the road waiting for hooks. Heck, I've seen a 2016 STi, with 22,000K come in the shop with not a trace of oil on the dipstick. I would absolutely get into another knowing I would get raped again for another engine, but that's just much I like driving them. (05-07 STi's). Other than that, if anyone asks if they should buy a Subaru, I could never recommend one to someone in good faith.

Care to explain this? Interested in why.

- - - Updated - - -


As a start...



I'm older than the generations who think flat brims and vaping is cool and been using lanyards long before they were "hip"

[cam_wmh]

Care to explain this? Interested in why.

- - - Updated - - -



I'm older than the generations who think flat brims and vaping is cool and been using lanyards long before they were "hip"

haha, lanyards had a 6 month window in 1999.

[Kijho]

I'll sell you my 2016 WRX for cheaper than you'll find a 07' STI for :clap:

[firebane]

I'll sell you my 2016 WRX for cheaper than you'll find a 07' STI for :clap:

LOL I'm good but thanks :D

[CelicaST-162]

Absolutely,

I have had many friends who have owned Subaru's, most have ended up in situations where they're faced with a repair bill that's worth more than what the car is worth. On their part, they should have been more mindful about the maintenance on their cars. (Ie checking engine oil). But, they had to learn the hard way. It all boils down to that engine, if it's not leaking headgaskets, it's burning oil and if it's not burning oil the headgaskets leak... or lastly it knocks for no reason (crankcase full of oil). If it's someone who knows to check these critical items, sure... It's a great car to have. If it's someone who considers a car an A to B car and has no interest in wanting to exercise these extra precautionary steps then no, absolutely not a car I would recommend.

[firebane]

Absolutely,

I have had many friends who have owned Subaru's, most have ended up in situations where they're faced with a repair bill that's worth more than what the car is worth. On their part, they should have been more mindful about the maintenance on their cars. (Ie checking engine oil). But, they had to learn the hard way. It all boils down to that engine, if it's not leaking headgaskets, it's burning oil and if it's not burning oil the headgaskets leak... or lastly it knocks for no reason (crankcase full of oil). If it's someone who knows to check these critical items, sure... It's a great car to have. If it's someone who considers a car an A to B car and has no interest in wanting to exercise these extra precautionary steps then no, absolutely not a car I would recommend.

So this post sort of goes right in line with the majority of what happens to these cars.. owner fault.

Mind you there are obviously things that do happen outside of the owner but lets be honest.. Subarus aren't really what I'd consider a A to B car even though they were marketed as such. I'd say if someone wanted a simple A to B car that doesn't care if you forget the oil a bit.. get a Honda.

As a person is mechanically inclined and can build and rebuild stuff and understands maintenance.. I think as long as you found one with either no issues or minimal issues and it was taken care of, it should be good.

[CelicaST-162]

Absolutely! Someone that want's a car that they don't have to put too much thought into other than putting in gas and bringing it into service on time...Perfect, a Honda or Toyota will do. Someone that understands the Subaru "ism's" and is willing to deal with it, and wants to have great value for their money (AWD) great!

[Pacman]

Figure I'd share my 0.02 cents on this...

Having worked at an independent shop, we had our share of turbocharged and N/A Subaru's come in. If any of them was an EJ25, we would have a bet on how much oil it had on the dipstick, and most of the time it was very low. Having two Subaru's myself, I really enjoy the way they drive, they are just really fun to drive! Back to the mechanics, if it wasn't knocking as a result of low oil pressure or lack there of, the headgaskets would leak. If the headgaskets wasn't leaking, it was an oil burner. This is not the car for someone who doesn't check their oil, or has the mentality of "It's a newer car, I don't have to check the oil", if that's the case, they'll be on the side of the road waiting for hooks. Heck, I've seen a 2016 STi, with 22,000K come in the shop with not a trace of oil on the dipstick. I would absolutely get into another knowing I would get raped again for another engine, but that's just much I like driving them. (05-07 STi's). Other than that, if anyone asks if they should buy a Subaru, I could never recommend one to someone in good faith.

I've got 2 Outbacks. Both are 2012 models and have the EJ25 motor. One has 121,000 km and the other has 225,000 km. I've aware of the headgasket issues and have been keeping an eye out for them. Whenever the car goes in for a service at the local independent dealer, I ask them to do a quick pressure test on the system. So far, I've been fortunate and haven't experienced any gasket issues. The car with 225,000 km burns a small amount of oil between oil changes but nothing that requires a top up. I'm more concerned about the CVT transmission in these cars. They are a known problem area and the cost to repair is more than what the cars are worth.

Other than that, they are a great A to B car. Reliable, great in winter with snow tires, good on gas etc.

[finboy]

Biggest thing is finding a used one from a competent owner. I had to go to Vancouver island to find my forester, and even then it had a replaced motor and mods that weren’t done properly. I love my car, but I’ve made a great relationship with the highs at vex and read a LOT to get answers on what to do properly. If you arent planning to mod it, watch for the following:

-Avcs banjo filters. These fine filters clog if oil changes aren’t done religiously, first they nuke the turbo then dump the bottom end of the motor. Ask if they have been serviced or replaced, watch out for “new turbo” in listings
-oem oil pickup cracks and engines starve of oil, morosso and killer b both make good replacements
-good oil, good filters, check every fill up, change every 5k
-let the car warm up a bit before hammering on it, watch out on extended high speed turns (great videos exist of guys getting rid knock from doing donuts on ghost lake)
-non sti transmissions can survive, but treat them nice
-air oil separator, get iag or radium

I’m sure others will mention more, they are fun cars but they aren’t a Honda.

My thread which I try to keep quite honest:
https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/407731-I-bought-a-Subaru-and-don’t-own-a-flat-brim-hat-(Subaru-forester-xt-build)

It is hard to find another awd wagon with 300whp for the price, but it took some work to get there and keep it manageable. That said, calgary has great Subaru resources.

[heavyD]

My wife's Outback has the 3.6 and it's going through a lot of oil. My 2013 STI used a little oil but not like the Outback. That said I'm always on top of it but these aren't vehicles for people that get their oil changed and don't open the hood again until the next scheduled service.

[Sentry]

1. Check your oil
2. Get a good tune (Airboy) or leave it bone fucking stock
3. CHECK YOUR OIL

I left Vex a month ago after 5 years but for Subarus they're all I'd recommend still.

I got a SOHC and turboed it so I can have my cake and eat it. SOHC reliability with STi power. :D

https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/409316-The-Lesbaru/page2

[Sentry]

This is the stack of fucked Subaru engines at Vex, about 20 of them there.

85% of these were from not checking oil (rod bearings)
10% from bad tune (ring lands)
5% just bad luck

https://i.imgur.com/OP2Z1un.jpg

[firebane]

1. Check your oil
2. Get a good tune (Airboy) or leave it bone fucking stock
3. CHECK YOUR OIL

I left Vex a month ago after 5 years but for Subarus they're all I'd recommend still.

I got a SOHC and turboed it so I can have my cake and eat it. SOHC reliability with STi power. :D

https://forums.beyond.ca/threads/409316-The-Lesbaru/page2

Yah I watched your build. I'm looking for something that is already turbo'd and manual. My budget is making it tough to find that.

Not in a rush but do want to find something soon. Hoping to end up in a 02-08ish wagon.

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This is the stack of fucked Subaru engines at Vex, about 20 of them there.

85% of these were from not checking oil (rod bearings)
10% from bad tune (ring lands)
5% just bad luck

https://i.imgur.com/OP2Z1un.jpg

:O

[tcon]

Lol the fanboys saying check your oil, sorry but an engine that burns a litre of oil every 2500km is shyte

And the classic Subaru catch-22; Fanboys say gEt A TuNE but that voids your entire warranty. If you don't tune, you engine is at greater risk of exploding, but at least you have warranty (until subaru trys to fuck you over, as they will 100% try to do)

[troyl]

I have a 2010 WRX. Spun rod bearing at 130,000km's, drive it hard, but maintain it well. I recently put in a IAG stage 1 short block, things seem to be running smooth. Have about 4,500 kms on the rebuild.

I would say that Subaru's require a little more love and attention, but I can only really compare to my Supercharged RSX.

Days like today make me happy to have a Subaru.

[Twin_Cam_Turbo]

Lol the fanboys saying check your oil, sorry but an engine that burns a litre of oil every 2500km is shyte

And the classic Subaru catch-22; Fanboys say gEt A TuNE but that voids your entire warranty. If you don't tune, you engine is at greater risk of exploding, but at least you have warranty (until subaru trys to fuck you over, as they will 100% try to do)

Lots of performance cars burn 1L/2500km if not more, especially if they are driven hard regularly. That’s a pretty broad statement to make.

[ThePenIsMightier]

So, is this "not checking oil" thing mean they're literally running out of oil, or is it an overheating issue from it simply being a little low and can't dissipate enough heat?

[CelicaST-162]

So, is this "not checking oil" thing mean they're literally running out of oil, or is it an overheating issue from it simply being a little low and can't dissipate enough heat?

Yes and yes.