schlit

I've had trouble with dipstick oil levels too. I wouldnt be too worried unless you tried checking it several different ways at several different car positions. Mine showed the same 3" too high, then the next day showed normal.

So dont buy AWD. As I was pushing a forester with snow tires stuck in a 6" snowstorm last winter I was thinking to myself how it really didnt matter.

Yes, life is too short to bother with a lawsuit. Cast your vote by not buying a subaru if you're not happy. That's what Im doing. I think the salt in the wound it that they market the AWD to set themselves apart from other makes and charge you extra for it when you purchase the car....and not point out the extra maintenece requirements (I consider them a hassle) in order for the car's drivetrain not to burn up at 100k.

Dang stealerships. Thanks for the heads up guys.

2002 Forester Check engine light came on, checked it and is throwing an emmisions trouble code. The dealership is trying to tell me they think it's a bad catalytic converter just based on the code. There is no power loss and/or exhaust system clogging, so I'm not sure how this could be causing a trouble code when it only has 80,000 mi on it. Woldnt you suspect an O2 sensor problem first before a cat? Never heard of one going bad like this.

Just because one is an Automotive Engineer doesnt mean they know squat about the statistics and percentages of failures. And anyone saying its a 15% 25% 35% failure rate is just taking a guess unless they're getting numbers from SOA or any other legit source. Its just misleading to say otherwise. Some of you guys in here crack me up.....saying a 140k HG failure is attributed to age and then turn around and say its a problem with hondas too. Im led to believe that since there's entire websites set up for this specific subaru problem, it's very likely a bigger problems for Subarus. http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/guestlog.html

Be very wary. I know of some who bought cars from people who said they'd "send" the title later and never recieved it. If you dont know the guy, I'd be cancelling the check before he cashes it. It is a huge headache to get a title without proof of one in just about every state except Alabama...where anything can be titled fairly easily.

I think that is the biggest crock of crap. Sealer isnt permanant. It's just going to get you past the extended warranty till it really fails. I've been complaining about this for the past few months and now it's actually happening to me.

I've been smelling a hint of burning coolant from the engine bay for a few months. Checked it out, and found one side leaking externally. Not gushing, but enough to slowly burn. So I take it in to the dealer and have them check it out. They confirm the leak and say the car isnt covered by the extended TSB warranty. I was contacted years back when they first issued the TSB and therefore had the dealer put the stop leak in at every coolant change, and documented. Is it possible some VINs arent covered in 2002?? The dang thing only has 76,000mi on it. I am so pissed Who do I call at SOA to verify and plead my case?

Here's another vote for dino and a trans flush. Unless you want to extend your oil change interval there really isnt much reason to make the switch to synthetic now.

So to the original poster, its safe to say Subaru was still working out the major HG kinks up to 2003 and you just need to be aware of it. Not saying that the engine wont last past 200,000k, but it's up to you to throw down the cash to keep it going. 2003 and on, I'd feel more comfortable with. http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/guestlog.html

I dont think you can even compare domestic manufactuers to foreign when it comes to longevity. The sales trends in the past few years speak for iteself. My buddy with a Chevy will argue he only has to pay 1/4 of the price for parts, though he has to replace things 4 times as often. I dont agree that either Honda or Toyota have the extensive headgasket problems Subarus have. 1990's or not. My family has owned 3 hondas in the 90's and are familiar with the common problems. None of them as serious as what Sub owners have to deal with. Just look at Honda message boards. A blown HG on a Honda is almost unheard of unless you turn the boost up too high on your turbo'd system. Only when you come to this forum does a headgasket replacement get categorized as a normal maintenance item.

Depends on how much money you're willing to spend and if you have one of the lemon years. If you can do a lot of the work yourself for cheap, then they'll last as long as any Toyota or Honda. I'm probably going to get flamed for this but if you rely on the dealer and you have one of the many lemons, I just cant see it being cost effective to own a 100,000k+ Subaru. Especially if you're worried about the head gasket and AWD problems a lot of these cars have....and thats in addition to the normal major maintenence items. Having worked on both I do think Subarus are more difficult and expensive to work on than any Honda. To start off, you cant even find a decent printed service manual for under $100 unless you get an illegal digital version.

Yes, the "slime" is a stop leak coolant additive that will temporarily patch the problem long enough for the complimentary 100k warranty to run out. And it applies to your vehicle. Normal warranty is 60k, but if you put it in, they give you till 100k. My advice, get the paperwork from Subaru stating the stop leak was put in and go somewhere else to get it flushed out and replaced without it. If the HG is going to fail, you want it to do it before 100k so your'e not stuck with a failure at 120,000k. IMHO If Subaru really valued it's customers it wouldnt require the additive. Check out http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/guestlog.html

Yea, I second that. Something isnt right, hard to say excatly though. Could be he didnt lube correctly. Could be a bad bearing. It's not "nothing to worry about" though. It could be something that wont fail the bearing till 20,000 miles later....then for sure you cant take it back. I had to replace a throwout w/ 60,000 mi on it that was making the same whirring/whistling noise while it was unloaded. Sound would go away with the slightest touch of the clutch pedal. When I tore it apart all the lube points were bone dry and the races of the bearing were loose.

I dont know if there's a difference in wire grades, but typically this wouldnt be the cause of your poor mileage unless you have a bad connection. The resistance of the wire usually doesnt degrade till far beyond your miles. With a cel and bad mileage, start with the free ODB reader at autozone, find out the culprit. Willing to bet its your O2 sensors. Obviously, new wires wont do anything if you have worn plugs, might want to check those too.

Milky white coolant is a dead giveaway that there is oil in the coolant. When oil gets into the system, it doesnt look like oil anymore. If the mechanic doesnt know this, they're either trying to screw you over or really dont know what they're talking about.

Dude that's insane and awesome at the same time. Im used to the flat midwest and have a hard time even comprehending a trip like that. Dont people die if they get stuck out there? I mean, I'm looking at the map and there's NOTHING around.

Yea, I'd say go to subaru and have them put their crap in and get a receipt, go home and drain and refill the system. If it's going to go, you want the gasket to leak externally so you can get it fixed under warranty. I think the stopleak they offer really only helps subaru, not the customer. If they truly wanted to help the customer, they would have just extended the warranty without requiring the stopleak.

Here is interesting info about a lot of "unlucky" subaru owners: http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/guestlog.html Kinda makes me want to sell it now.

Yea it's an easy to remove the clock and you only have to resolder one connection. My fiance was intrigued by the idea of soldering, so I let her do it. Its THAT EASY.

Susie, let me know how it goes. My 2002 forester always has a hint of burning coolant smell and I'm thinking of taking it in if I can track it down. I only have 76,000 mi, but I think there is a time limit also associated with the recall, not only 100,000mi.

My sister did that and it costed her about $1500 when it was all said and done. The assembly just isnt designed well for lateral forces and several pieces usually end up bending....which makes it difficult to fix the first time unless you replace just about everything. You may be lucky and only have a bent control arm, but that's usually not the case. If your insurance deduct is $500 or less I would go ahead and claim it because you may be going back to the shop more than once.

It doesnt matter man, as long as you dont turn it off and check it within 30 seconds it is ok. I've let it sit overnight and it gives bogus readings. IMHO it's a F'ed up design. There are several reasons outlined in http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=21899&highlight=dipstick+overfill I just checked mine the other day and it showed 2x full when I know it showed it at a normal level just a week ago. Not sure why Subaru even bothered with a dipstick.

Might want to look into this, but I thought it was illegal to put an older engine into a newer car.