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Old 02-04-2010, 12:02 AM   #1
Frinklemur
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Member#: 231509
Join Date: Dec 2009
Default Center diff implosion after 10k miles??!?!?

Bought my '09 OBS, 5sp manual, new in June. Have loved it, cared for it, doted upon it, etc etc. Really, after 10k miles, not much in the way of scheduled maintenance needed beyond a few oil changes.

Problem started on Monday -- I was heading out of town on work. I was leaving in the wee hours of the morning, so when I first started to back out of the garage and the car didn't move, I thought, "damn. Ebrake. I'm an idiot." Only ...the emergency brake was off. I tried again, and the car backed out fine. So I thought that was weird, but when I tried again, the care moved. And when I started driving, it was fine. Then I started hearing a noise...like a creaking or clicking below 20; above 20, more of a whine; above 40, it disappeared into wind/tire noise. After five minutes of that not going away, I said, "I'm not driving 2 hours at highway speed like this -- it's going to be a safety issue or a stranding issue."

Took it to the shop. They're swamped. So Monday night they look at it. Tuesday, they say it's a 'bearing' -- I figured they meant a wheel bearing. Today, I get the "Yeah, it's more than we thought originally". I didn't write down the list of what he said, but if I recall, it was all the ball bearings, all the roller bearings, all the oil seals, and the fluid in the center diff. He rattled off a list of parts long enough that I couldn't remember them all. I should have the car back on Monday.

When I asked the most important question -- WHY??!? -- he said he had no idea. So I put it out to NASIOC: This is a car with 10,000 miles on it. I haven't abused it. I've used it in the snow, and it's been great. I'm not pulling any crazy Ken Block stunts with it. Anyone want to hazard a guess as to what caused this? The car's in Buffalo, so it sees sand and salt and snow, and I do drive it quite a bit (10,000 miles since June). But ... any ideas on this one?

The dealership is getting me a rental tomorrow (hooray) so I'll have wheels for the weekend. But I'm a bit concerned. Is this unusual? Typical? Has anyone heard of anything like this happening? Is it possible that this was a one-off thing, that this was just a bad diff?
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Old 02-04-2010, 09:03 AM   #2
Storm
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Member#: 5218
Join Date: Mar 2001
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: SAUL'S Motorsports
Vehicle:
96L Most Over-
Developed Beater

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Definately not typical......unless somehow the tires are not all the same size.
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Old 02-04-2010, 09:09 AM   #3
jay25RS
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Member#: 4273
Join Date: Feb 2001
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: CT
Vehicle:
2015 Taco
& 2015 Legacy Ltd.

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I wouldn't worry about it. No matter how good a product there will be a failure rate associated with the production. Yours just had a bad bearing... One bad part in the transmission could cause failure in other parts as yours did. At least the warranty was there for you and you'll be back on the road in no time! As an added bonus, you'll have the rental to save some miles on your own car!
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Old 02-04-2010, 09:44 AM   #4
MikePiper1
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Join Date: Mar 2009
Chapter/Region: MWSOC
Location: Lowell,Mi
Vehicle:
2013 STI Sedan
ISM

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My center diff took a dump at around 12k mi. The tech wrote on the work order that - and I quote - "Tolerance was found to be incorrect which caused retainer ring to come loose". I didn't get a chance to talk to the tech but it sounds like another factory defect?
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Old 02-04-2010, 10:00 AM   #5
Pohenegamook
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Member#: 134262
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Hoenix
Vehicle:
-1 centrifugal
bumble-puppy

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Since there are 2 of you reporting this, you should consider asking a Mod to move this to here:
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=64

(It's not really an NA specific topic anyway)

Best of luck though, that really sucks. I'd be super pissed...
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Old 02-04-2010, 12:47 PM   #6
subyski
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Member#: 202642
Join Date: Nov 2007
Chapter/Region: RMIC
Location: Centennial, Colorado
Vehicle:
08 Impreza,80Vette
68 Impala, 15 SantaFe

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Bring it to the dealer. This should be covered under warranty. Could be just a defect.
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Old 02-04-2010, 03:24 PM   #7
blackfang
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Member#: 131347
Join Date: Nov 2006
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Richmond Va
Vehicle:
2007 Legacy 2.5i SE

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Yep, take it in. It is unfortunate, but things happen and that is why you have a warranty.
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Old 02-17-2010, 10:05 PM   #8
Frinklemur
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Default

Update: Things have not improved.

The center diff was toast. They replaced it. I picked it up 8 days after dropping it off, drove it home (about 6 miles), called the dealer and asked "Is some break-in noise normal?"
It isn't.
I drove my car back to the dealer. The metal from diff (I have pictures, the transfer drive gear is visibly, badly damaged) made its way into the transmission. They want to replace all the bearings in the transmission. but...I played along...until they called and said, "Yeah, the wrong parts came in. The right parts should be here Monday."
I'm talking to the service manager when he's back in town on Friday. I do not have faith in a transmission that has had little metal bits run through it. I think a new transmission is in order. (or, you know, upgrade me to a WRX 6-speed )
Seriously, though, apart from driving it home, turning it around, and driving back to the dealership, I have not driven my car in February.

The clock is ticking on the Lemon Law -- by my count, they have 12 days to fix my car or buy me a new one. And the worst part is: I don't want a different car. Up until this one crapped out on me, I really liked my OBS.
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Old 02-20-2010, 02:55 PM   #9
Calamity Jesus
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Member#: 44501
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Location: Yeah, well, you know
Vehicle:
that 's, like, your
alternate facts, man.

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You may need to contact a lawyer ASAP if you're considering Lemon Law.

Also, the WRX doesn't have a 6 speed and you wouldn't want any of the 6 speeds Subaru makes in your OBS.

Argue for a brand new transmission. You may want to talk directly to SOA.
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