i have about 23k on my 02 wrx. i took it in to the dealer to get the factory recall on the cruise control thing fixed, and i noticed a day or two before that my rotors were getting uneven, and my brakes were squeeling. i had them take a look at it while it was there.

they told me they were going to see if they could get them covered under warranty, and let me know. i went to pick up the car and they had resurfaced my rotors/replaced my front pads under warranty. i was shocked. apparently the brake pads are covered under the 36k mile warranty.

is this news to anyone else?

btw, this is the best dealer i have ever dealt with (big valley subaru, in Van Nuys, CA). A while back, i had my 5th gear synchro give out for no reason. when i picked up my car they had it fixed, as well as replaced my flywheel and clutch with an updated one without asking.

on top of that, they have never questioned any of my exhaust mods.

Originally posted by Horten
i was shocked. apparently the brake pads are covered under the 36k mile warranty.

Yeah, I was surprised, too, when I heard that. Strange but true!

Considering I have nearly 50,000 miles on my car and my original pads still have about 50% left, I think Subaru expects their pads to last through the warranty period. It is still surprising that a wear item is covered.

i have no idea why mine wore out so fast. id say 15k of my miles were freeway driving.

wow, big valley did all that for you? i'm shock.....but more shock, brake pads had always been viewed as a wear item

that said, my stocker lasted 30k mile....so did the second set. i'm at 63k miles and recently went over to axxis ultimate w/ss line. whatta difference

Originally posted by Horten
is this news to anyone else?

If you look at your warrantee book (which came with the car) - it's pretty much spelled out in black and white:

Wear Item Limited Warranty
Wear item coverage for all models is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Items covered include brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disk linings, and wiper blades.
*See your Subaru Dealer for complete details."

I had mine replaced at around 20k as well (under warranty). I was experiencing a slight, uneven wear on one of the pads (it wore down to the sensor).

DrD,
Curious..... I don't doubt you (obviously mine was covered), but where in the warranty booklet does that quote come from? I've searched high and low to find it in my documentation but could never locate specific info relating to how long the wearable items were covered.

- Kean

If you look at your warrantee book (which came with the car) - it's pretty much spelled out in black and white:

Wear Item Limited Warranty
Wear item coverage for all models is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Items covered include brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disk linings, and wiper blades.
*See your Subaru Dealer for complete details."
damn.! i just put in new wiper blades.

Oh *****... time to get new wiper blades!!

Richmond Subaru in VA replaced my front brake pads and resurfaced my front rotors at 32700 miles on a 02 Subaru Legacy GT. I took the car in originally to have a rear brake shim kit installed per a TSB on Subaru.com. The dealer installed the kit, and then replaced the front pads and resurfaced rotors all under warranty.

I have a question for the board also:
I have noticed a grinding sound from the rear brakes when I apply the brakes as I am backing up in reverse. The sound used to just occur when backing up and applying the brakes, it now occurs in forward motion while I am braking as well. It seems to be worse when I have not driven the car in several days or a week and apply the brakes in forward or reverse.
Dealer checked the pad level and says I have 50% life on rear pads, and 75% on front pads.

Any ideas what could be causing this grinding noise? It sounds like a wear indicator coming on, but again, dealer says I have at least 50% rear pad life left.
Do I need to have glazing removed from the rear pads or grease the rotor/caliper surfaces on the rear brakes? I am taking the car in again soon to have the tires rotated and wanted to make a suggestion to the service department to check out the rear brakes again and find a solution.

Thanks
Shane

when you are reversing and apply the brakes the pads will shift backwards when you start going forward again and hit the brakes they shift forward again. This could be your issue.

but where in the warranty booklet does that quote come from?

I'll look when I get home - in the interim, just go to the Subaru website, check under warranty, then look up 2002.

Here's a direct link (http://www.subaru.com/owners/care/warranty/middle.jsp?pageID=2002)

If you look at your warrantee book (which came with the car) - it's pretty much spelled out in black and white:

Wear Item Limited Warranty
Wear item coverage for all models is 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first. Items covered include brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disk linings, and wiper blades.
*See your Subaru Dealer for complete details."


I was reading my owner's manual today and I'm pretty sure it said that the brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disk linings, and wiper blades were only covered for 90 days from when the car was bought...

I'll look when I get home - in the interim, just go to the Subaru website, check under warranty, then look up 2002.

Here's a direct link (http://www.subaru.com/owners/care/warranty/middle.jsp?pageID=2002) Thanks for the link DrD. There have been discussions about this in the past. However, I never found any verbage in the handbook that pointed directly to wearable items and the 3/36k coverage. This is good info as a confirmation (and it's straight from SOA's mouth).

Thanks,
Kean

Are rotors considered as a wear item? My rotors are badly warped. I wonder whether this warranty would allow me to get new rotors and brake pads?

Do I need to have glazing removed from the rear pads or grease the rotor/caliper surfaces on the rear brakes? I am taking the car in again soon to have the tires rotated and wanted to make a suggestion to the service department to check out the rear brakes again and find a solution.

Thanks
Shane


Please do not grease any part of your braking system, especially the rotor/caliper surfaces. ;)

Are rotors considered as a wear item? My rotors are badly warped. I wonder whether this warranty would allow me to get new rotors and brake pads?


sorry for reposting...but i really need to know

I would imagine the rotors would be covered if it appears to be a result of a defect and not user error/abuse/accidental damage (as with any component during the 3/36). It's not included as one of the covered "wear items" according to the quote above.

everything on the entire vehicle is covered under 3/36 unless damaged by the obvious reasons.....accident, abuse, etc...THIS MEANS EVERYTHING!!! from bulbs and wipers to brakes and rotors. EVERYTHING!!!

They should resurface your rotors under your warranty unless they found a reason they warped..i.e wheel lugs on too tight, etc. They will replace your rotors if they are unable to cut them to a safe thickness. (unless you have been riding your brakes metal to metal, this should not be a problem)

This is listed in your warranty and maintenance booklet (the smaller one)

The 90 day reference is for replacement parts, usually purchased over the counter. (Check out the heading at the top of the page)

Subaru has one of the best warranties around. Most companies only cover these things for 12/12. Subaru stands behind what it makes....(and that doesn't even include the powertrain warranty!!)

everything on the entire vehicle is covered under 3/36 unless damaged by the obvious reasons.....accident, abuse, etc...THIS MEANS EVERYTHING!!! from bulbs and wipers to brakes and rotors. EVERYTHING!!!

They should resurface your rotors under your warranty unless they found a reason they warped..i.e wheel lugs on too tight, etc. They will replace your rotors if they are unable to cut them to a safe thickness. (unless you have been riding your brakes metal to metal, this should not be a problem)

This is listed in your warranty and maintenance booklet (the smaller one)

The 90 day reference is for replacement parts, usually purchased over the counter. (Check out the heading at the top of the page)

Subaru has one of the best warranties around. Most companies only cover these things for 12/12. Subaru stands behind what it makes....(and that doesn't even include the powertrain warranty!!)

yeah...I took it in today. They resurfaced the rotors and replaced the pads under warranty. No problems! I was hoping they would replace all the rotors and all the pads, but sadly that was not necessary. All they needed to do was turn the front rotors and change the front pads.

Interesting, I didn't know about this and my pads are getting quite low. Time to review the warrantee book.

Interesting, I didn't know about this and my pads are getting quite low. Time to review the warrantee book.

As long as you are still within the 3yrs/36k warranty, you are still covered. If the rotors are too thin to be resurfaced, they will replace them and replace the pads. If not, they will resurface the rotors and install new pads.

Yeah, just don't walk into the dealership and say "Hey, I want my brakes replaced"..If they are not below specs, they will charge you for them..

Yeah, just don't walk into the dealership and say "Hey, I want my brakes replaced"..If they are not below specs, they will charge you for them..

You ma'am, are one smart cookie.

Thank You, I think...... :p

Another unknown item covered in the 36k...

Batteries for your keyless entry/alarm remotes. Not kidding.

:D