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Old 04-14-2009, 07:50 PM   #2201
BIGSKYWRX
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typically SOA tells the dealership to leave the engine as is (don't tear it down), crate it and ship it to SOA (and from there maybe to Japan?)- so not many mechanics have peeked inside the faulty engines. as far as the new engine, I can't imagine that they would tear down the engine just to see what possibly changed- my guess is not damn much- possible new bearings that would very closely resemble the original ones
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:14 PM   #2202
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Quote:
Originally Posted by stoker68 View Post
As a potential buyer, I am watching this issue closely, and cringe every time a new car is added to the list. The reality is though, who says the engine won't fail at 36,001 miles? There has not been enough time for someone to prove this wrong (unless you drive a considerable amount..which is somewhat possible). The way I see it, The ones that haven't broken yet are potentially time bombs, and who knows what will set them off...there is no proof that the you are safe at 36,000 miles. I know it sounds crazy, but there is some pretty compelling evidence that the '09's are all potentially at risk, whether you're at 1,000 or 10,000 miles. As sad as this may be Maybe this is taking it too far, but after fallowing this thread for the better part of three months(even before I joined), this is the impression I'm getting.
Well, I'm in the same boat... And unfortunately, by nature an optimist.

I see this as a fight club cost scenario. SoA needs to do some math on this and this is what the equations look like:

Recall:
Engines sold before ??/?? x Cost x 100% = $$$$$$$
(Plus, remember.. Once you recall, you must HONOR that recall past the warranty period)

No Recall:
Engines sold before ??/?? x Cost x % that may break = $$$

Once SoA starts to receive broken engines they are tearing them down and finding out the issue, and (hopefully) fixing it. They don't want to incur the cost of fixing every engine sold before a certain date.

It freaking sucks... But it is business... Until somone pin points the problem, and makes it something you can point to and say "That is broken" this won't get any better...
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:39 PM   #2203
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Quote:
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It freaking sucks... But it is business... Until someone pin points the problem, and makes it something you can point to and say "That is broken" this won't get any better...
You are right. And honestly, I agree with you. I have been heavily debating the issue since I found this thread, and I am honestly leaning towards giving it a shot. The vin I am looking at is 819xxx. according to the data, this number doesn't mean anything, but this is 15,000 cars past the ones that are failing. I am very naive and I just love the '09 WRX. And with the '10 model year coming out in a few months, it gives me even greater negotiation power. After illuminating this issue to many of the dealers I have gotten quotes from, I have been able to get free 10 year and lifetime warrantees. Even subaru is becoming desperate for sales. I have watched the stock of WRX's in my area litterly grow 175% in the past three months.

Even so, I really don't know what I would do if the engine did pop...I keep comming back to this issue
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:40 PM   #2204
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:43 PM   #2205
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Old 04-14-2009, 08:43 PM   #2206
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This issue sucks... But thank god it's not happening at 36,0001 miles.
Yet..........
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Old 04-14-2009, 09:26 PM   #2207
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I have a '09. I have had my engine replaced. Do I worry that it will go again? Yes, that thought has crossed my mind. Am I going to let it bother me? No.

People who have the car need to stop complaining about whether or not their car is going to break. You are taking the fun right out of driving it. Drive it the way its meant to be driven and let it go. It either breaks or it doesn't... Get over it and enjoy your car until it does.
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Old 04-14-2009, 09:57 PM   #2208
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I have a '09. I have had my engine replaced. Do I worry that it will go again? Yes, that thought has crossed my mind. Am I going to let it bother me? No.

People who have the car need to stop complaining about whether or not their car is going to break. You are taking the fun right out of driving it. Drive it the way its meant to be driven and let it go. It either breaks or it doesn't... Get over it and enjoy your car until it does.
You have a point... Might as well drive the balls out of it... If it breaks.. It breaks.. but it's better than driving it like it has a glass jaw hoping it doesn't break and missing out..
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Old 04-14-2009, 10:16 PM   #2209
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i drove the living piss out of my engine. It lasted 6500 miles amazingly.
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Old 04-14-2009, 10:23 PM   #2210
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I was watching the youtube and comments from claimed to be tech say it's turbo related causeing the bearing to starve oil and failed bearing. I wonder if something is poorly designed or something defective.

Arent' these mitsubishi turbos? If this is true the turbos must be out of stock
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Old 04-14-2009, 10:24 PM   #2211
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i drove the living piss out of my engine. It lasted 6500 miles amazingly.
Just for the record does yours fall under July/August 2008 production date?
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Old 04-14-2009, 10:27 PM   #2212
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I would assume that the engines are kept in the USA and sent to NJ. They should have the proper facilities for a tear-down.

If the issue is caused by contamimated oiling holes in the crankshaft, then failure would be dependant upon the presence, size, and quantity of the (presumed) metal particles. This could cause a great differential in failure mileages, so there really would be no indicator mileage-wise. All it would really take is one decent sized shaving to really ruin your day quickly, and small ones to ruin a day for you some time later. If the issue is bearing material alone, they could also vary quite a bit.

I would say that no-one is in the clear unless a piece of information comes to light telling us so. Who knows, maybe SoA knows the core issue and have resolved it. They probably can't guarantee that all engines will be affected, so a recall may not be in order (although it would be 'nice' for them to do so), as they could tear 100 engines down to find 10 affected ones (as an example). This would be a huge waste of money (although it would be the right thing to do - we all know money talks).

And, even if someones engine failed at 40,000 miles, odds are that they would still cover the repair, espically if contamination can be proven AND they are 'reminded' of this issue.
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Old 04-14-2009, 10:32 PM   #2213
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gtr View Post
I was watching the youtube and comments from claimed to be tech say it's turbo related causeing the bearing to starve oil and failed bearing. I wonder if something is poorly designed or something defective.

Arent' these mitsubishi turbos? If this is true the turbos must be out of stock
You could pinch off the oil line for the turbo, and it would do nothing to the engine (but, the turbo would go south pretty quickly). And if contamination were to come from the turbo, it just drains back into the pan and would get picked up by the sump and filtered before it got anywhere close to the rod bearings, as their oiling ports are pressurized. Although the pickup could become clogged, I would assume that the oil light would reflect the pressure loss at high RPM's.

And if it was oil starvation, the only way I would think the turbo could do that is to actually leak it out. I'm pretty sure no-one who had an engine pop was low on oil.
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Old 04-14-2009, 11:08 PM   #2214
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......

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Old 04-14-2009, 11:19 PM   #2215
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Originally Posted by Michael Yount View Post
... Unless/until they tell us something factual about 1) what the cause is, and 2) what they've done to correct it --- it's impossible to predict which cars will be affected. So we all live on in mystery....
Which is exactly why I told my brother-in-law to hold off buying an '09, even though he had cash in hand to do so.
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Old 04-15-2009, 05:46 AM   #2216
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......

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Old 04-15-2009, 06:36 AM   #2217
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Which is exactly why I told my brother-in-law to hold off buying an '09, even though he had cash in hand to do so.
So what's he driving in the meantime? This car is an incredible performance bargain and supremely practical as well.

Subaru has made millions of turbos. I believe it was a limited supply chain problem and has been remedied. My car has only 8700 miles on the replacement engine so I can't "prove" it but other than documenting required maintenance I'm driving normally, and very happily.
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Old 04-15-2009, 08:13 AM   #2218
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Just a reminder to everyone that keeps mentioning the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. That is on the entire car. Everyone that buys a Subaru and goes with the standard warranty gets a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty, and the motor would be considered part of the powertrain. Unless Subaru comes up with a known fix or provides a list of affected VIN#s I will be selling/trading-in this car before it hits 5 years/60,000 miles.
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Old 04-15-2009, 09:55 AM   #2219
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If you are looking to buy an 09 WRX, I'd wait until the 2010 WRX came out. And not just because of these failures. It is possible some of the changes that are found in the 2010 Legacy will make its way into the 2010 WRX. For example, the 6-speed is now standard in the LGT (even the NA Legacy gets a 6-speed albiet not the same one). Also they moved the turbo closer to the block greatly improving low-end torque (258 lb-ft from 2000 to 5600? RPM). They said they did this for improving emissions as well so that might be a reason that the 2010 WRX will get it.
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Old 04-15-2009, 10:51 AM   #2220
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HelperMonkey View Post
Just a reminder to everyone that keeps mentioning the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty. That is on the entire car. Everyone that buys a Subaru and goes with the standard warranty gets a 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty, and the motor would be considered part of the powertrain. Unless Subaru comes up with a known fix or provides a list of affected VIN#s I will be selling/trading-in this car before it hits 5 years/60,000 miles.
I'm with you Helper. I drive a car that's potentially unreliable, even if the motor continues to purr for the next few years without a hiccup. I've completely given up hope of modifying it, and I'll unload it before I run out of warranty (sooner if I can manage to come up with the coin for a 135i or a 370Z). Neither car comes close with bang-for-buck but what's the value of a car you can't trust?

I continue to marvel at those who advise us not to worry and drive without concern. Are you really ready to get stuck in the boonies without cell service when your motor starts knocking? Where I live, in the heart of the Rockies, that's a distinct possibility, and the prospect of this happening in the dead of winter or in mid-summer ain't pretty.
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Old 04-15-2009, 10:52 AM   #2221
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Originally Posted by VVG View Post
So what's he driving in the meantime? This car is an incredible performance bargain and supremely practical as well.

Subaru has made millions of turbos. I believe it was a limited supply chain problem and has been remedied. My car has only 8700 miles on the replacement engine so I can't "prove" it but other than documenting required maintenance I'm driving normally, and very happily.
Great, but until confirmed as true by SOA, I'm not going to recommend a car with an undetermined issue that is causing some of them to blow up. Unless I hate him, that is.

There is a way for SOA to make a statement on this if the issue is resolved going forward. Until then, many enthusiasts are going to be cautious about the car, and some will avoid it altogether.
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Old 04-15-2009, 12:41 PM   #2222
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If you are looking to buy an 09 WRX, I'd wait until the 2010 WRX came out. And not just because of these failures. It is possible some of the changes that are found in the 2010 Legacy will make its way into the 2010 WRX. For example, the 6-speed is now standard in the LGT (even the NA Legacy gets a 6-speed albiet not the same one). Also they moved the turbo closer to the block greatly improving low-end torque (258 lb-ft from 2000 to 5600? RPM). They said they did this for improving emissions as well so that might be a reason that the 2010 WRX will get it.
+1. Not to hijiack the thread, but I agree. It will only be a few more months when the 2010 WRXs are released. Give Subaru time to work out the engine kinks in the 2009 model. Plus who knows, the 2010 WRX may get the 6sp, HID lights, and an interior refresh.
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Old 04-15-2009, 12:52 PM   #2223
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+1. Not to hijiack the thread, but I agree. It will only be a few more months when the 2010 WRXs are released. Give Subaru time to work out the engine kinks in the 2009 model. Plus who knows, the 2010 WRX may get the 6sp, HID lights, and an interior refresh.
Seriously.. good call.. But while you're at it... Why not just wait for the 2011's.. Who knows they might have solid rocket boosters, mini guns, and special pockets to hold your unicorns, puppy dogs, and butterfly kisses...
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Old 04-15-2009, 12:53 PM   #2224
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Originally Posted by docboy View Post
+1. Not to hijiack the thread, but I agree. It will only be a few more months when the 2010 WRXs are released. Give Subaru time to work out the engine kinks in the 2009 model. Plus who knows, the 2010 WRX may get the 6sp, HID lights, and an interior refresh.
And maybe, just maybe, non-clear tail lights.
Sorry for the OT posts, I think I'll head to the rumors section now.

Anyway, Subaru lost another customer altogether or until the 2010 models arrive.
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Old 04-15-2009, 01:04 PM   #2225
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Right, I have to totally agree with this sentiment. I have cash in hand and was ready to pull the trigger; now I am waiting on the sidelines for 2010 or even considering a totally different car......


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Anyway, Subaru lost another customer altogether or until the 2010 models arrive.
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