Subaru Forester Scheduled maintenance costs
We own a 2005 Forester that is due for its 30 month/30,000 mile inspection/maintenance service to keep the warranty intact. Suburu dealer charge is $825 for the service which involves an oil and filter change, coolant change and inspection, replace air cleaner, replace spark plugs, inspect all fluids and change out brake fluid, inspect brake lines, inspect steering and suspension and rotate, inspect and balance tires. This seems WAY out of line--wondering what other Forester owners have found regarding these charges.
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My dealer is expensive, and his 60k mile service is less than that!
I'm lucky, there are 12 in my region.
One thing that might help - consider a Subaru Chase credit card. You earn 3% back in Subaru Bucks, and can use those to pay for maintenance.
We have earned $1600 so far! :shades:
Just save those receipts, you should be fine.
The Magnussen-Moss warranty act means that as long as you document the service your warranty will be unaffected.
-Frank
Oil Change
F/R Diffy Fluid Change
Brake Flush
Coolant Drain/Fill
Fuel Filter
Air Filter
Check:
Brakes, timing belt, drive belts
-mike
$450 sounds about right. We just had it done on our '01 Forester at just under 105K, and I think we paid in that neighborhood.
Bob
Within a year you can accumulate $500 worth of Subaru Bucks.
Your timing belt will be free. :shades:
Throttle body induction service
Carbon fuel service (they use a system called TerraClean)
I also see Air intake system cleaner on the quote..
Other dealers in nearby cities charge around $680 and seem to stick to what is on the list in the maintenance schedule.
So, what are those other things mentioned above, exactly? Should they be done? If so, how often? Is all that carbon business really a signifant problem at only 30K? Don't modern fuels included cleaners? Full disclosure: I rarely even open the hood and have the Subaru dealer do everything. I went there to get new wipers (lame, I know)! I'm old now, and lazy ...
Also, the garage that did the work did not change the brake fluid, saying that it looked just fine. Will this effect the warranty.
I remember the days when I could change the plugs in my 66 volvo in 1/2 hour max.
Of course the car handled like a tank, but that's another issue. And in the 50 years that I have owned cars, from a 50 ford, to a TR4, to a couple of Volvos, etc, I never had the brake fluid changed. I know that I cant generalize from my experience, but I really wonder about the necessity of this. Im obsessive about tires and brakes, but break fluid?
ps All of my cars have gotten over
125k miles with no problems, except for the poorly made Volkswagen Quantum which drove me crazy.
2nd time, with the right tools, it took me maybe 20 minutes.
http://tinyurl.com/6x6nha
It is said to take an hour with the right tools, including doing these for better access:
- removing the windshield washer bottle from and the battery from the driver side
- removing the air cleaner snorkel from the passenger side.
- opening the hood straight up by removing the prop from its mount in the radiator support and taking the plug out of the strut tower to put the prop there (undo the windshield washer hose leading to the hood first).
Tools include a 5/8" spark plug socket, a spark plug ratchet hinged at the head, a 3" extension and a 1-1/2" extension.
What is it like doing it from below? Is there clear access so nothing has to be removed, and does it take the same or less tools?
We bought our 2.5XL late last month and are up to 600 miles. It's our first new car since '94, so we're used to just changing the oil every 3,000. And is this something we should have done by the dealership or our trusty mechanic?
I want to do right by our pristine new Subie. (You can tell, I've still got the new owner euphoria.) TIA for your suggestions.
Hope this helps.
-mike
Motorsports and Modifications Host
You are a subaru owner, right? I am almost 36K miles and curious if I should fork out the money to get this extended warranty subaru keeps sending me. Up to 60K or 80K (3.5 years). And then there is this Gold Plus warranty thru the dealer. Any thoughts??
Thanks, Acunurse
My thinking here was the WRX, because it's a performance model, it might need it down the road—even though I drive it (mostly) like a little old lady. As to the other models, we chose not to get it, but I guess anything can happen... Our Forester has well over 100K on it, and our Outback Sport has over 40K on it, and so far so good. We've had a few things go on the Forester, but that has happened recently. So a 100K extended warranty would not have helped in our case, as these problems arose after that mileage point.
Having it is certainly some peace of mind. I guess you need to ask yourself as to how long am I going to keep the car? If you think you're going to keep it for a long while, or put a lot of miles on it, it may be worth it.
Bob
Bob
2002, right?
Bob
Len
Len