Over the last couple of weeks we're been smelling a sweet antifreeze smell coming from our '02 Impreza. I've looked all over the car for a coolant leak but I haven't seem to have found one, until today. I got under the car and noticed the antifreeze accumulating under the support bar that holds the engine mounts.

I've done a bit of research and found this service recall "WWP-99 Service Campaign - Cooling System Conditioner". Apparently, if you had a vehicle with a Phase II engine you would have got a recall letter in the mail, I don't remember seeing one. You were to bring the vehicle and the dealership would add a Coolant conditioner which might stop the leak or prevent it from happening. Subaru would then extend the warranty to 100,000 miles for a head gasket failure if you continued to add tis conditioner after every coolant service.

Anyways, my vehicle now has 148,000 km (I live in Canada) and I never had the Coolant conditioner added because I knew nothing about the Service Campaign. I'm pretty sure that its the head gasket as well. Do you think that Subaru Canada will repair my head gasket under this Service Campaign or am I going to have to foot the bill?

Colin

It all depends on whether or not your vehicle was originally covered under the recall.

I would look up your VIN # but our US system does not show Canadian vehicles. Call your local dealer and see if the recall applied to your car. Then contact SOC.

If it doesn't apply, you can purchase a bottle of the additive and add it yourself. It only costs a few dollars....then see what happens

There are other coolant leak products that do work better, but you must go through a special process to the letter for them to work. We used this http://www.crcindustries.com/faxdocs/label/lb401016.pdf some at the honda dealer I worked at on older cars where as the customer wasn't about to spend major money on an old POS. It has worked more often then not.

I might be wrong but I was informed that the WWP99 did not apply to canadian vehicles. I came across this when trying to get external coolant leak covered on a subaru for a customer of mine and it turned out the vehicle he owned was originally from Canada. He was under the 100k mark but because the vehicle was canadian and the wwp99 not applied to the VIN, he had to pay for the repairs. I would suspect the same would be in your case.

Since the information your reading states "To 100,000 miles" its pretty clear its an american thing. Your car being canadian is in KM. Best bet would be to call Subaru of Canada and talk to them. Its not even a decision any more that a dealership can make for you. Plus you would need to provide proof the vehicle has been properly maintained and that its coolant system has had its recommended flushes done. Here in the states (in alaska at least) its every 30,000 miles. PLUS the WWP99 is to have the conditioner applied even if the vehicle is already leaking. Then if the leak returns, a repair is considered/performed. In your case, you'd have to have it applied and who knows when/if the leak might return. By then they still might deny it. Call Subaru of Canada.

Good luck but I would not be surprised you'll be paying for this one. Its about a 10hr job and a couple hundred $$ in parts.

I called the dealership this morning and apparently there was a Service Bulletin in Canada but it expired 5 years after the in service date of the vehicle (July '07). I've got most of the service receipts and at 72,000 km we had the vehicle at the dealership for a service. The date of the service was in December '04. This date is after the date the dealerships should have been informed of the problem and the fix. In the details of the 72,000 km service at the dealership there is no mention that the Coolant Conditioner additive was put into the coolant system. The car know has 148,000 km and is 5 1/2 years old.

Do you think we have a case?

Does anyone know where to get ahold of the Canada Service Bulletin?

Colin

Well the dealership is responsible to check for any open recalls when ever a subaru comes in for service. It should also show on your bill if they did a coolant flush that the additive was put back in. If you have done everything you were suppose to and can prove the dealership dropped the ball, you might have something.

Nothing on the bill of sale saying they flushed the coolant or added the Conditioner at my 72,000 km service.

I'm still looking for the Canadian Service Bulletin.

Colin

My '02 OBS (in-service date Sep 2001) was *after* the end cutoff date for the WWP-99 campaign. Thus, your car should also not fall under that campaign. However, the Subaru Cooling System Conditioner has been specified to be used whenever changing/flushing coolant (on '02 2.5l Imprezas at least) for some years now, so it's certainly a good idea to flush your coolant and add a bottle of the Subaru Cooling System Conditioner with the refill (it only costs $3-4 IIRC).
I'd also get one of the fluorescent dye+UV light kits so you can pin down exactly where the coolant is coming out.

The car is going in to the dealership tomorrow to check where the leak is coming from. I hope they can just tighten the head bolts and add the coolant conditioner. We'll see.

I have a 2002 Impreza TS w/ a 2.5 litre engine, and just under 100,000 km, which I have had for just under 7 years. I went in for my 96,000 km tune up and they spotted a small coolant leak (left head) and told me I needed a new head gasket. Though the mileage is low on the car it is past the 5 year mark and so far Subaru is refusing to take any responsibility for it. I am aware of the US service campaign. Subaru has said my VIN was not covered which is quite frustrating since it seems ot be EXACTLY the same problem as reported elsewhere.

Has anyone in Canada had any luck with the head gasket issue? If so, any advice in dealing with Subaru about it?

I find it absolutely unacceptable that a car with such low mileage should require such a substantial repair over which I have had no control (e.g., happened in spite of good servicing).

Any advice would be appreciated. -Frustrated.

What if you are located in the US... do you have a case. I am a phase two. with 110,000 miles and the subaru dealership just told me two weeks ago that my head gasket was leaking.

no offense but at some point, the car does become your responsibility.

That is an oversimplified response.

Subaru can't (or won't ) seem to fix a HG issue that's at least 10 years old.

I've had plenty of other vehicles that didn't need a $2000 f'n repair right past 100k miles, like my old 99 LGT did.

And at that point (plus numerous problems with my wife's under-warranty OBXT), I sold both of our "responsibilities" and bought Hondas.