dresch Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I've wanted a OBW for years, I saved and saved and finally traded by Camry with 65k on it for a 02 Outback. Bought it with 29k miles in late October. I started smelling antifreeze about a month ago. I looked for a leak and didn't see one. I kept an eye on the controls and didn't notice the temp gauge running hot at all. We got a fresh snow last week and I saw a very small amount of antifreeze on the snow. I took it in to the dealer to learn that the HG was bad. They've replaced it and I picked it up today. I have 33k on it and only 3,000 miles of warranty left. I average about 20k a year. I'm a mom with 2 small kids, live in the middle of no where NY and just happen to live on top of a mountain in snow country. I'm now terrified that this car will turn into a nightmare for me...a nightmare that I can't afford. Should I sell it now and cut my losses or hang on to it and see what happens? Thanks, Dresch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Make sure that there are no air pockets in the engine (if Subaru fixed the head gasket there shouldn't be), never let it near a 'quik-lube' or any of their ilk, and drive it in confidence. Once repaired HG's rarely go bad again. There is evidence that improper refilling after draining the cooling system is the trigger for HG failure. We have all our work done at an independent shop EXCEPT oil changes, cooling system and automatic transmission issues, then we go to dealer, too easy for mistakes to be made. Our 2000 Legacy is at 160,000 miles and the ONLY repair we've had is a wheel bearing. It's a great car, enjoy it, take care of it and you'll hit 250,000 miles in it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzam Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 Personally I'd feel better that the head gaskets have been replaced. I believe that Subaru extended the warranty for head gasket failure to 100,000 miles, so check with your dealer on that coverage. I doubt that your car will ever become a "nightmare" and you should expect plenty of trouble-free service from it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 they fixed a known issue, they didn't just install the same engine as it came with new with the same head gasket problems. so your chances of another head gasket failure after 30,000 miles is really really small. you'd have to be very unlucky for that to happen. like others said, i'd consider this a good thing that you've finally gotten it taken care of. my guess is the previous owner probably had some *hint* of the head gasket problem or was suspicious about something and got rid of it, so you just happened to get someone elses problem. but....any 2.5 liter could have give you this problem, they have issues. but yours is taken care of, so i wouldn't worry about it. change that oil often and don't let it overheat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 You should be good to go. I run the post 03s and the goop offered by Subaru. I think I am at about 112,000 miles now and plan to keep it another few years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
friendly_jacek Posted February 3, 2005 Share Posted February 3, 2005 I've wanted a OBW for years, I saved and saved and finally traded by Camry with 65k on it for a 02 Outback. Bought it with 29k miles in late October. I started smelling antifreeze about a month ago. I looked for a leak and didn't see one. I kept an eye on the controls and didn't notice the temp gauge running hot at all. We got a fresh snow last week and I saw a very small amount of antifreeze on the snow. I took it in to the dealer to learn that the HG was bad. They've replaced it and I picked it up today. I have 33k on it and only 3,000 miles of warranty left. I average about 20k a year. I'm a mom with 2 small kids, live in the middle of no where NY and just happen to live on top of a mountain in snow country. I'm now terrified that this car will turn into a nightmare for me...a nightmare that I can't afford. Should I sell it now and cut my losses or hang on to it and see what happens? Thanks, Dresch Just to clarify, the drivetrain warranty is good for 60000miles/5years. HG warranty is possibly extended to 100000 if your car was included in the coolant conditioner recall. You should be OK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnuman Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Just to clarify, the drivetrain warranty is good for 60000miles/5years. HG warranty is possibly extended to 100000 if your car was included in the coolant conditioner recall. You should be OK. If the dealer replaced the HG's, I would be surprised if they did not put the conditioner in. Check it out and see if that was done. If so you should be good to go for quite a few more miles. . . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
86subaru Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 i agree with the first reply , i had a 2000 ob took it to a quick lub place and they mixed up the oil filter and tranny filter , but they caught there mistake no damage done, i understand about having 2 kids etc... we sold our 2000 ob and now she drives a 88 full time 4wd a/t turbo wagon ,96,000mi on it now, and i sometimes worry about when my wife takes a longer trip ,just her and the kids , but so far after 8 months her turbo wagon runs and drives great , most subaru dealers take care of there customers , just my .2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dresch Posted February 4, 2005 Author Share Posted February 4, 2005 Thanks so much for helping ease my mind. Like I stated before, I wanted the OB for many years and just couldn't swing one new. I saved and saved and finally got a low mileage used one that checked out in great shape. I was able to speak with the previous owner. He is a older single man that trades in every 2 years and has for years. The car appeared in perfect condition and all maintenance was done as scheduled by the dealer. Is there anything else, besides continuing to maintain with dealer, that I should be doing or looking for? Any other "known" problems that I should look for? I need this car to last a long, long time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 Make sure that there are no air pockets in the engine (if Subaru fixed the head gasket there shouldn't be), never let it near a 'quik-lube' or any of their ilk, and drive it in confidence. Once repaired HG's rarely go bad again. There is evidence that improper refilling after draining the cooling system is the trigger for HG failure. We have all our work done at an independent shop EXCEPT oil changes, cooling system and automatic transmission issues, then we go to dealer, too easy for mistakes to be made. Our 2000 Legacy is at 160,000 miles and the ONLY repair we've had is a wheel bearing. It's a great car, enjoy it, take care of it and you'll hit 250,000 miles in it. I agree with most of this but not the Dealer only part. I have way more confidence in local independent Subaru shops then dealers for everything. They have much more control since they are smaller and they care about your business, to the dealership you are just another number. And their techs are trained to be part swappers not for repairs. There is too large of a disconnect between the service writers, techs, and supervisors in most dealerships. I would never let a dealership touch any of my Subaru’s. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 I agree with most of this but not the Dealer only part. I have way more confidence in local independent Subaru shops then dealers for everything. They have much more control since they are smaller and they care about your business, to the dealership you are just another number. And their techs are trained to be part swappers not for repairs. There is too large of a disconnect between the service writers, techs, and supervisors in most dealerships. I would never let a dealership touch any of my Subaru’s. rweddy, did you READ the post you quoted? "We have all our work done at an independent shop EXCEPT oil changes, cooling system and automatic transmission issues, then we go to dealer, too easy for mistakes to be made." And yes, I'm sure that the indy shop we use could do the tranny flush/fill/filter and oil changes, but at shop rate. Dealers do these services as loss leaders and hope to find things wrong that they can then call you and have you authorize repair ... "just say no". At least in our area no indy shop is gonna change my oil and filter for $16.95 and do a transmission for $49.95 ... and wash the car? I stick to my recommendations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted February 4, 2005 Share Posted February 4, 2005 rweddy, did you READ the post you quoted? "We have all our work done at an independent shop EXCEPT oil changes, cooling system and automatic transmission issues, then we go to dealer, too easy for mistakes to be made." And yes, I'm sure that the indy shop we use could do the tranny flush/fill/filter and oil changes, but at shop rate. Dealers do these services as loss leaders and hope to find things wrong that they can then call you and have you authorize repair ... "just say no". At least in our area no indy shop is gonna change my oil and filter for $16.95 and do a transmission for $49.95 ... and wash the car? I stick to my recommendations. Yes I did and no offense was intended. No indy shop is going to have a $5 hour monkey over tightened your drain plug or forget to put in enough oil. They are loss leaders because they have untrained do this work and does not seem to be worth the small savings to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Yes I did and no offense was intended. No indy shop is going to have a $5 hour monkey over tightened your drain plug or forget to put in enough oil. They are loss leaders because they have untrained do this work and does not seem to be worth the small savings to me. I'm no big fan of stealerships in general, and my local has pulled a couple of boners. But they don't have $5.00/hr monkeys doing their oil changes, they have regular Subaru trained techs. And at least if the dealer screws up (not likely on an oil change or tranny service) it's not going to turn into a battle. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rweddy Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 I'm no big fan of stealerships in general, and my local has pulled a couple of boners. But they don't have $5.00/hr monkeys doing their oil changes, they have regular Subaru trained techs. And at least if the dealer screws up (not likely on an oil change or tranny service) it's not going to turn into a battle.I stand corrected. Here in CO the stealerships have seperate lube stations that do fluid changes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scoobaroo Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 We got a fresh snow last week and I saw a very small amount of antifreeze on the snow. I took it in to the dealer to learn that the HG was bad. They've replaced it On an '02, it should have just had the "goop" added to the cooling system for a minor, external head gasket seep. Glad they replaced the gasket for you, though. Drive your OB with confidence, now. There aren't many known issues with an '02 Outback other than the problem that you've already had. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
later, Peter Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 ENJOY!!! I had the same concerns, even though I have past history with Subaru wagons ('83 GL)... I always liked the lines of the '96-'99 OB wagon with the Phase I engine (didn't know what that meant though). After I found out, I was paranoid about the HG problems listed on these pages. My research showed that the problems were probably caused by: 1. the poorly designed cooling system (tends to trap air) & B. incomplete filling of the C. S. I now have two: a '96 OBW with nearly 150k and a '99 OBWan with 71k I plan to keep them both for awhile... Hey I have a great friend living in Chatham... you near there? Later, Peter This site's a gas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Johngenx Posted February 5, 2005 Share Posted February 5, 2005 Way I see it, the OBW is a great car, and with the HG done, it's probably got years and years of trouble free service left. Why take a loss on it now? Even if the HG fails again in the distant future, so what? Even if you buy a Corolla, you might have a problem with it. There's no way you can be assured that you'll have a perfect car, no matter who makes it. Other than the HG issue, the 2000+ models seem pretty bullet-proof to me. No major tranny issues, emissions issues seem minor to non-existant, the AC systems seem good, and I haven't found any debilitating problems so far. That 02 sounds like a keeper, no doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dresch Posted February 7, 2005 Author Share Posted February 7, 2005 Many thanks for the positive feedback on the car. I really do love the sense of safety I get during the winter months. Peter wrote: incomplete filling of the C. S. What is CS? Sorry if it is a stupid question... Chatham is about 45 minutes east of here. It's on the state line with Massachusetts. Really pretty place to live...except the Troopers live to ticket in that area--especially Austerlitz. There must be a barracks there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cougar Posted February 7, 2005 Share Posted February 7, 2005 I think Peter was implying 'cooling system' when he stated C.S. . Sorry to hear you got hammered with the head gasket issue right off the bat. I can understand you being leary about future problems now. Hopefully you will get many trouble free miles of driving now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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