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I will not be buying a sedan or anything with a CVT.
The OBS has been surprisingly expensive to keep on the road, much more than my previous Subarus. The front suspension was shot at 100K (visibly leaking and causing obviously uneven tire wear), along with the sway bar links (clunking and wallowing over every bump in the road), which cost a cool $1500 combined to replace. :-(
And I had to replace a wheel sensor for the flat-tire warning system at a mere 77K miles, very disappointing, AND the malfunction light is back on now in the dash. I would have paid to delete this system when the car was new, it has no value for me at all, so having to pay to fix it repeatedly in such a young car is pretty irksome. My alternative is to drive around with a bright orange warning light on all the time.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
So far, my check light has stayed blessedly quiet, but I've done a myriad of other things with it.
I replaced my shocks at about 70,000 miles, which was before they were totally gone, but the new ones still made a marked improvement (gas shocks have an operational lifespan of 50-75K miles, even though most people run theirs much longer!). When shocks get worn, it puts a lot more stress on other parts of the suspension. I also put heavy duty springs on at that time so the car can better handle heavy loads... and boy, oh boy, does it ever! Total, that was about a grand in parts.
Issues, though.... I had to replace the oil pump seal at about 66K (that was an emergency repair while on a trip), then the center differential's bearings/races at 95K as well as head gaskets. After the differential was repaired, the car was quiet enough that it became obvious I had wheel bearing issues, so both rear wheel bearings were replaced a few days later. Thankfully, all that stuff was under warranty (best $1,500 I ever spent)!
I think all is well for now, but I imagine that TPMS will have issues soon enough. We've had the car 7.5 years now, and I am pretty sure those wheel sensors are battery-operated (hopefully not!). Overall, I figure that if I wasn't spending money on this car, it would be money spent on another.
By coincidence, I had a new intermittent problem start to occur today during a 2-hour drive - the radio is cutting in and out, just losing all power and then coming back on a few minutes later....I really expected less repairs from this car until at least 150K miles, based on all the Subarus I have had in the past. Still really like the car though, so I guess I will keep fixing things as long as nothing gets TOO expensive.
(I had heard they had the head gasket problem in the 2.5 under control by the '09 model year, but if the head gaskets go, that will probably be the final straw and the car will go - will hate to see it go. I did have to replace the valve cover gaskets before 100K, another thing I would expect to last longer than that).
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
1. Coolant leak into the cylinders or oil passages (least common).
2. Combustion gas leak into the coolant (typical cause of EJ25 overheating issues).
3. External oil leak.
In about 2003, Subaru required the use of Stop Leak (they call it Subaru Coolant Conditioner) in the coolant of the EJ25. This, combined with a modified version of the head gasket material, drastically reduced the frequency of #1 and, to some extent, #2. Now, the most common issue is the external oil leak which, admittedly, is the least alarming of the three (and certainly the least disabling).
The issue wasn't really "fixed" until they created a different engine head design, which they introduced first to the Forester in 2011 (the "FB" engine), and then to the rest of the line in 2012 (IIRC). From what I've read, the block itself remains somewhat similar, but the head is redesigned to route coolant differently.
Mine was the external oil leak, but it started weeping very early in the life of the car (around 30,000 miles, IIRC), and it wasn't until the visit for the transmission that the tech actually volunteered that the gaskets were, indeed, leaking. If you look under the car, just to the inside of the exhaust ports, you will see the large black gasket that separates the block from the heads. If it is wet there, or there are little concentric, dark rings sort of haloing the gasket... that means you have the beginning of a problem!
Also, XT's FA 2.0 Engine, while more efficient than the older EJ25, did have an issue in 2014-2015 with excessive wear within the left cylinder bank. Mine was one of those and while the engine was successfully repaired, I decided to trade to a '17 to avoid possibility of the __right__ cylinder bank going bad. The 17's had a number of refinements and (finally) an interior that's not all black. So far so good.
Wow, Kurt! Is this your third XT (in a row!) now?
Will I get 2 trouble-free years from this car now? Would have mostly expected that based on my past Subarus, but this one seems to be part of a new, not-so-good era....
Am keeping a close eye on the Forester to see what they plan to do for the '19 model, since I want the stick and I'm afraid they may drop stick availability even further (or entirely) for the next-gen. A dream come true would be if they decide to start to offer the XT with a stick again...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
No more 2010 Forester for us. It was in a collision last Wednesday, with airbag deployment. I suspect they'll total it.
On the subject of pipe dreams ... going to Ireland / Northern Ireland again in May; will need to stop and visit with a Forester 2.0D w/ 6 spd manual.
As for stick with the XT, Subaru stopped those in '09 because they weren't selling well enough. Given every auto journalist hounds Subaru over that, perhaps Subaru will relent in '19.
The new Impreza is a good looking car save for the head and taillight designs; those just ruin it. The interior is quite attractive.
Forester was totaled. I will bring it home on Monday, most likely, and pull some mods off it before selling it for scrap. Sad deal, honestly.
Cheers Pat.
I don't do Facebook either.
It's a shame that this once wonderful forum is now nothing more than a leasing forum.
I was in Iceland last month and was jealous of the Forester Boxer Diesels.
Many of them were rentals, but no soup for me. I had VW Tiguan TDI and Kia Cee'd CRDI wagon rentals.
Wife has a 2015 Outback 3.6R - about 22,000 relatively trouble-free miles in just over 30 months.
Beyond routine maintenance, it's had to go into the dealer for a couple of recall issues.
It's equipped with Eyesight, which we both love on long road trips.
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2015 Subaru Outback 3.6R / 2024 Kia Sportage Hybrid SX Prestige
Cheers Pat.
Cheers Pat.
We jettisoned the 2008 Sienna LE in favor of a 2015 Sienna Limited Premium two years ago. It's a great travel vehicle. And yes, we bought our daughter a CPO 2013 Honda CRV LX AWD nearly 2 years ago. I wanted her in a Forester, but the prices on similarly equipped base Subaru's were outrageous.
Family is good, life is good. But I'm getting old.... Sitting in a plane seat for extended periods is getting harder as I get older. I spend most of my on-line time as a moderator on SiennaChat, and participate a bunch on SubaruOutback and a little bit on CRVOwnersClub when I'm not on Facebook or LinkedIn.
It's good to see a number of you (Wes & Pat) are still around!
I'm guessing your daughter has one or two years of undergrad remaining, exciting times ahead!
Cheers Pat.
My daughter was on track to graduate in May, 2018, Jim, but got temporarily derailed. She took on way too much, got caught up in some unfortunate events that happened to people she felt responsible for, and suffered from total overload. We brought her home a few weeks back and are making progress on getting her back on level ground. Kids.....
BTW, I don't think I've mentioned but I've been a grandpa for nine months now. She arrived two weeks before my Audi got to the states!
Congratulations on your addition(s)!
Cheers Pat.
http://www.autoguide.com/auto-news/2016/01/toyota-tops-fiat-flops-in-autoguide-s-1st-annual-lemon-list.html
Cheers Pat.
I should have had cookies ready!! LOL
Dave
I now post here very, very infrequently. Like many others, have moved over to FB. Nice to catch up with some family news.
Sorry to hear about the daughter study woes. I know that one as well, but daughter is now graduated and working in England, so all things pass...
Seasonal Greetings to all
Cheers
Graham
Cheers pat.
Haven't had a Subie in two years.
My wife liked my Audi enough to get an Audi Q5 for herself.
You notice we're reviving the Owners Clubs, the Crew was certainly an inspiration!
Scored a sweet little 2002 bug-eye Impreza 2.5TS wagon for Mikey a while back. Private sale on the side of the road. Great condition and cleanest maintenance record. Unfortunately got trashed in an 'incident'. He was ok. Searched for weeks and couldn't find a decent replacement Impreza wagon anywhere in New England. He wanted a wagon, not a sedan. Found him in the back lot at the Subie dealer looking at an older Forester of all things. Next thing I know we come across a Forester just traded for an Outback with 86k, clean, and completely gone through by the dealer. They wouldn't budge on the price because used Subarus in New England go for 'market value' and don't follow Edmunds pricing. But, my salesman let me on to a little 'secret'. The Forester was actually mispriced because someone thought it was a Premium. It wasn't. Next thing we know Mikey is rolling around in a fully loaded 2012 Satin White Pearl Forester Limited with all the options. He loves it!
Traded the 2009 Outback with 46k miles for a 2018 Outback (OB #4) in Twilight Blue last June. Amazed at the difference in size between the 4th and 6th Generation Outbacks. Karen can barely get the snow off the roof with a long brush it's so much higher.
'Visited' my beloved 1983 Mustang GT for the first time in months last weekend. It is in inside storage in an old mill building in town for the winter. Put in a battery and got it running because in two weeks, it is out for the summer and months earlier this year because it hardly snowed this winter and spring is already in bloom. I actually started bringing it to Car Shows two years ago. This year it MAY finally get to the big Mustang Show at the Budweiser Plant in Merrimack, NH.