Susie K

Thanks Cougar. I found Marketplace and posted my thread there. Susie K

Thanks, Ballitch. I won't be repairing this car - I've given up; someone else will need to repair it. Susie K

Dr. RX, I've drafted my letter and I'll send it off by e-mail in the tomorrow (Friday) morning. I'll keep you all updated. Susie K

Thanks, ShawnW. I'm giving up and I'll be selling the car to whoever needs it...Susie K

Thanks, Josh, but how do I get to the USMB "Marketplace" - I can't seem to find it...Susie K

Thanks, Dr. RX for your advise. Subaru told me that they are a small company and their cars are actually made by Fuji Motorswork and their reputation is important to them...But it seems that in this situation, theory and practise are not the same. Tonight, I will draft a strong letter telling them that I'm not interested in owning another Subaru due to their lack of customer service. Let's see what happens... Susie K

Thanks svxcess for your reassurance. I'll give it some thought...Susie K.

Thanks, The Dude. Good idea! I'll give the Subaru rep a call now and let him know that I'm disappointed that they want me to pay for the tear down (even though the local dearlership told me that it is the head gaskets that are the problem). I'll let him know that this is a gamble for me. Furthermore, I'll let him know that I will not be purchasing another Subaru... I'll let you all know if I make any progress. Susie K.

WOW! Thanks for this award; I feel so priviledged, especially since I'm the new kid on the block. All of you have been so helpful at my time of greatest tension. It's wonderful to have such a support group. FYI, I've decided to give up... I heard from Subaru this morning (Wed). The inspector saw my car yesterday and they might be willing to address the head gasket problem as a gesture of good will. HOWEVER, first they want the local Subaru dealer to have a "tear down" done on my car so that the inspector can re-visit my car and confirm whether the head gasket is the problem. Then, they will decide whether to pay 0-90% of the cost. If the cylindar has a crack, they will not pay for that repair. So, I've decided to give up - it's time to eliminiate this tension. I'll revise my original thread now with details on my car to see if any of you are interested in purchasing it. Thanks again for your support. Susie K.

Thanks, Cougar for your reply. FYI, This morning, I got a call from Subaru - the inspector saw my car yesterday and they are willing to address the head gasket problem as a gesture of good will. HOWEVER, first they want the local Subaru dealer to have a "tear down" done on my car so that the inspector can confirm whether the head gasket is where the problem is. Subaru is unwilling to pay for the tear down, so I will have to - I'll call them now to get the cost... If it's confirmed that the head gasket is the problem, Subaru might pay 10-90% of the repair (or they may choose not to pay for any of it). However, if the cyllindar is cracked, I would have to pay for that myself. There are too many unknowns for me to continue with this car. Otherwise, the car is in excellent condition inside and out. So, I've decided to sell the car. Someone out there who knows how to repair this will get an excellent car. It's time for me to give up...Susie K

Thanks, Ranger83 for your reply. It's amazing about the price difference! Good that you got a voucher...And yes, thanks for for info on www.cartalk.com - I'll go there and find a local mechanic. Susie K

Hello Everyone, my car has a 2.5L Horizontally Opposed DOHC Engine and car is a 1999 Legacy Outback. Thanks. Susie K

Thanks The Dude. If I don't have to spend $5k, I would consider keeping the car. I've asked others to provide me with contacts for reliable independent Subaru repairshops in Roseville, CA so that I may get other quotes if Subaru does not repair. Susie K

Thanks, Gnuman. This morning, I started an inquiry with the 800 SUBARU3 phone #. Today or tomorrow, they're sending an inspector out to see my car to let me know if they pay for any of the cost. Once I hear from them, I'll let you know and perhaps you can repair it? Thanks again. Susie K

Thanks, Bearbalu for your reply. Yes, I too am convinced that the problem started with something else - but how can I prove it? This morning, I went to my regular local Subaru dealership - the one who completed the 75K svce last Saturday and they said that nothing they did would have caused this catastrophy. But then, why did it happen just after they worked on it? No, the car did not overheat just before Check Engine light illuminated - at least temperature gauge was normal. This is what happened: I heard a rotating sound at passenger side of engine, then, smoke exited exhaust, then Check engine light came on, I pulled over within 30 seconds, and that's when I smelled burning oil. The inside of car also smells light burned oil! I belived they quoted me another $3k in case other items needed to repaired when they pulled engine out - but timing belt and all other items were repaired under power train warranty good to 60K miles in Oct 2003. Thanks, I'll check nasioc.com for a Subaru repairshop. Susie K

Thanks for your reply. Yes, the car was towed but back wheels were placed on a trailer, I believe - I was in the tow truck along the highway at night so I didn't see what happened. Now, I realize that I may have this other problem... And, once I've exhausted all means to have my car repaired by Subaru, then I will send that letter out. It's time that Subaru address this problem. Yes, I will get additional quotes. ANYONE READING THIS: I NEED A RELIABLE INDEPENDENT SUBARU REPAIRSHOP IN THE ROSEVILLE, CA AREA. Thanks. Susie K

Thanks Dr. RX for your reply and offer to repair for a lot less if the car was closer to you! This morning, I contacted 800 SUBARU3 to see if they would repair (since this is an on-going problem with this engine). They are sending an inspector out to see my car and let me know if they'll pay for any of it. Let's see what happens... Susie K

Thanks Matt for your reply. Yes, I will get additional quotes. I don't mind fixing and keeping it if it's not going to cost $5,000! Perhaps a reader can point me to a independent Subaru mechanic in Roseville, CA? Thanks. Susie K

Thanks MorganM for your reply. The $2,400 is only to replace head gaskets due to labor of 18 hours to remove engine. As you know, the gaskets only cost $75/each. The additional cost (upto $5,000) is for additional items which were damaged from the blown head gaskets such as cylinder heads. It seems that I should call them and get greater detail which I will do RIGHT NOW! Timing belt and other items under power train warranty were repaired in Oct 2003 when 60k service was performed. Yes, I will get several additional quotes. Susie K

Thanks Sanjay for your reply. I have a 2.5L Horizontally Opposed DOHC Engine. Is this sufficient info? Right now, the car is at a dearlership outside of Sacramento and I'm deciding what to do. I went to my local dearlership this morning and they advised that they did nothing wrong and there was no way to anticipate this problem. However, they did tell me that it's impossible for this to cost $5,000 but it will cost about $2,400. When I had the 60k service done in Oct 2003, all items under warranty were repaired then - including timing belt. I also contacted the 800 Subaru number and they are sending an inspector to see my car to let me know if they've pay for any of the repair. Otherwise, the car is in excellent condition (including exterior and interior). I will let you know what happens and so that you can see the car, if you'd like. Thanks. Susie K

Hello Everyone, I've revising this thread on Wednesday, Feb 23rd at 1:45 pm (Pacific time). I've decided to give up. This morning, I got a call from Subaru - the inspector saw my car yesterday and they might be willing to address the head gasket problem as a gesture of good will. HOWEVER, first they want the local Subaru dealer to have a "tear down" done on my car so that the inspector can confirm whether in fact it is a head gasket problem. I will have to pay for the tear down. At that point, the Subaru inspector will re-inspect and will pay 0-90% of the repair. If the cylinder has a crack, Subaru will not pay for the cylinder repair...Since there are too many unknowns, I'm giving up. The car is currently sitting at a Subaru dearler just outside of Sacramento, CA. Here are more details: 1999 Legacy Outback, About 80,500 miles, auto trans, Exterior paint white - no dings, dents, scratches. Interior cloth upholstery-excellent cond. Driver & Front passenger air bags, 4-channel anti-lock braking system (ABS), side-impact door beams, child safety locks, rear doors, outboard rear seat headrests, 2.5L Horizontally opposed DOHC engine, variable power-assisted steering, heavy duty raised suspension, front & rear stabilizer bars, AM/FM stereo cassette w/weather band, CD Player, Tweeter kit, Cargo security cover & removable mat, outback carpeted floormats, roof rack, 15" allow wheels, extended splash guards, halogen fog lights, A/C, power windows, door locks & mirrors, cruise control. Recent maintenance performed (I have all receipts): Oct 2003: 60k service - all items under warranty were repaired at this time; Feb 2005: 75k service; Finally, every 3 months, oil changes were completed. Please let me know if you're interested in buying. And, thanks to each of your for your help. Susie K HERE'S MY ORIGINAL THEAD WHICH I POSTED ON MONDAY: I'm glad to find this site-here's my message with a request for help: Last Saturday, I had the 75,000 mile service completed on my 1999 Legacy Outback with a 2.5L Horizontally Opposed DOHC Engine. Five days later, I drove to Lake Tahoe and on the way, my Check Engine light illuminated and within 15 seconds, my car lost energy. I pulled off the highway and smelled burning oil. Car was towed to dealership and I was told: 1) head gaskets had failed which will take 18 hours to repair at a a cost of about $2,400. Also water was found in oil and anti-freeze and the inside of car smells like burned oil as does exhaust at rear of car. 2) In addition, dealer informed me that other problems may have occured from head gasket failure. Total cost could be from $2,400 to $5,000! I a responsible Subaru owner; I have had periodic maintenance performed regularly including the 60k mile service done on Oct 2003 and oil changes every 3k miles. I relied on dealer to advise me on preventative maintenance items needed so that I would avoid such disasters! Since head gasket problems appear to be a significant in number for several Subaru owners, do you think that my regular Subaru service dealer will repair at no cost to me? I plan on meeting with service technician tomorrow. How shall I address this situation? Thanks.