Jeff Powers

Just to finish this thread and to update the curious ... I took the '99 Forester back to the Subaru dealership (third trip) and was told at high RPM the car DID blow a little blue smoke. They couldn't tell me if it was the rings or pistons or seals or whatever. Even though their thorough assesment ;-) was comforting, I opted to buy a new Forrester and trade-in the problem. I still got a fair deal, but I would have preferred to buy another make. Unfortunately, it's my wife's car and she likes the Forester. She doesn't have to deal with the problems. My advice to all car dealers: Pay more attention to complete and quality customer service in your service departments and resell business will go through the roof. Most dealers only care about sales. I ask you all - How valuable is a trusted mechanic and service station??

Change the oil and filter every 3,000 - 5,000 miles. Subaru dealer does the oil/filter changes, so I'm not sure what they use, but I refill engine with 5W-30 Castrol GTX when oil gets low. The first 60K was long commute driving (45 miles each way to work), from 60K-90K has been short commute to daily work (5-10 minutes each way). Lots of hills here in PA, but no aggressive driving. BTW, I checked the antifreeze and see no oil residue. I'll check the air filter casing and PVC value. Thanks all.

Absolutely no oil has ever spilled, dripped or smoked - I've been looking for it for the last year. I personally replace the oil at regular intervals when the "check engine" lite comes on (effectively meaning the oil is down 3 quarts). I've never inspected the antifreeze resevoir for oil, so I'll take a look. Thanks for the ideas.

I have a '99 Forrester that is gulping 3 quarts of oil every 1,500-2,000 miles. No oil spots on the driveway and no excessive smoking from the exhaust. I'm also surprized that I have no other apparent mechanical problems. From reading the board, burning oil seems common, but this is excessive. I'd like to keep this car for a few more years (currently 90,000 miles on it) because my son can use it for college. I'll be taking it to the dealer soon. What should I tell them to look for/repair? I'm new to the board, so thanks for any and all replies.