I've got a 2000 legacy GT wagon. It's got not quite 46,000miles on it. It's slowly losing coolant, probably seeping out through the head gasket......there are coolant stains down the sides of the engine block, below the heads. The temp gauge is not showing any rise in temperature, never has, and there's no evidence of coolant in the oil.
The "stop leak" was added at the dealership at the 30.000 service, while my Legacy was still under the three year/36k mile warranty so I'm covered by Subaru's extended warranty on the head.
I want to press the issue about having Subaru pay for new head gaskets.
My feeling is that the "stop leak" treatment is merely "a Band-Aid on a sore that won't heal", good for Subaru but bad for the Subaru owner; it saves Subaru the cost of new head gaskets and, of course, Subaru is counting on the stop leak to forestall head gasket failure 'till after the extended warranty runs out.
What are my chances of getting Subaru to pay for head gasket replacements, if I really press the issue? I guess, the first step is with the dealership, and, if they refuse, a Subaru factory rep, and failing that, deal with it in court. And is a class action law suit against Subaru realistic?
The head gaskets ARE, after all, defective......Subaru has been dealing with this issue through several generations of head gaskets, and Subaru IS responsible for making good on any factory defects.
