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I meant to clarify one thing:  In the end, will replacing original head gaskets with turbo and resurfacing heads truly 'fix' what may be slight, non-critical seeping, the root of my anxiety?  

 

The potential for needing hg replacement down the road is ultimately my primary concern, but does this potential still exist even if hg replacement and resurfacing is done as you describe?

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I'll go one step further in asking:

 

If this is truly seepage or 'wet spots' right now, rather than 'leaking', are the head gaskets a 'non issue'?  Or, due slight wet spots inherently indicate inevitable failure at some point, even if a long way off?

 

If I have a worthwhile opportunity to replace and resurface at a reasonable cost while addressing the timing belt, I'm leaning towards doing so.  If anything, I imagine it may help support any resale in the future.

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Oil leaks have no connection to head gasket failure in my experience.

 

Some engine models have a time and or milage clock as it were.

 

Most, if not all, will not tolerate running above normal temperature whole low on coolant. This is death for headgaskets. Milder, longer time to fail, more severely, shorter time to fail. But in my experience, fail will come after that condition.

 

There is an oil gally that passes through the heads, and it can get to leaking. That's always been a slow to develop thing, from what ive seen, and when it gets to be enough to be annoying, reseal the engine.

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Resurfacing the heads and replacing the HG on an engine that probably has never been overheated (best guess for yours)- should be money.  Go for it. 

 

It's hard to say if/when it will progress.

 

In general OEM installed 00-04 headgaskets with oil spots don't progress fast.  05+ engines progress quicker.  But it's hard to say and could go either way. 

If the dealer doesn't make the 00-04 and 05+ distinction - they've definitely seen them progress fast and have quoted plenty-a-customer a headgasket job for oil spots.

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Here's the issues you may run into with resurfacing: 

1. dealers don't typically resurface.  some do, but most don't.  so they're going to balk at the request, no fault of theirs it's just outside their nominal ops.

 

2. dealers dont' resurface in house - they use local automotive machine shops. the problem with that is machine shops have a policy that if you only resurface the heads, they offer no warranty on them.  they only warranty the heads if you do a complete valve job and pressure test for $500+.  Both of those are entirely unecessary on your car - because THE CAR IS RUNNING - there is no need for a pressure test/valve job - even with blown headgaskets pressure test and valve jobs are pointless on those engines (without specific, compelling issues).  So it ends up getting filtered through 3 different people before you hear it - machine shop guys, to Subaru guys, to service rep - then to you.  too long of a chain to get this right.  

 

*** Dealers that do resurface will know they can just have them resurfaced and you're good to go. 

 

So the dealer who doesn't typically resurface is likely going to say: "Sure we'll have them resurfaced if you pay for that, since it's outside our normal repair.  The shop charges $500+ for that."  And they may say they can't do the repair without the machine shop warranty.  Which is complely silly but you can't fault them for having a blanket policy to protect themselves from installing sub-par parts either.  So you need to find a way around that. 

 

If you walk into a machine shop (something i've done countless times at various places, even places that don't know me) - you just tell them you want the resurface and dont' care about any warranty.  They don't care, they mount and resurface and are good to go. 

 

So you have to think ahead a little and be pro-active to get a resurface only (should be $50 - $150). 

 

A.  ask the dealer if you can take the heads yourself to a machine shop - maybe even call around and find one so you can tell them you have a preferred place.  you can even call the dealer service department - ask them who they use for machine shop work, then call that machine shop directly so you're working with a place that typically does SUbarus. 

 

B.  ask the dealer, and explain all this, and ask them if they can get a resurface only, not all the other unecessary items.

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it's a generic title given by the site, so it doesn't necessarily mean anything.  i'm sure there are well versed people in NC, but as with any high capacity people they're probably hard to find/have access too - they usually aren't short on work/projects/opportunities and aren't enamored by general public wanting low cost services from top notch experience.

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Oh, nagging for low-cost services was not at all what I was implying.  Translation - I wonder if there are any forum members in NC who could recommend local Subaru mechanics who do good work.  I'm new to NC, and even newer to Subaru.  This forum is invaluable and greatly appreciated!

 

Believe me, it is agonizing to be devoid of expertise regarding all things automotive.  In this case, ignorance equates to feeling swindled every time.  Years back, a mechanic who had agreed to purchase my Xterra ended up stealing it while I was out of the country for several months.  :blink:

 

Now that would be an interesting thread...

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