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Old 01-03-2009, 08:47 PM   #26
mike 53
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Default Don't be too quick

Just reading The symptoms of head gasket failure and as most of you already know those symptoms can indicate a few things such as a non genuine thermostat and of course a blocked heater core . Some repairers are still overlooking the obvious because of a common HG problem and doing a major repair for nothing
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Old 01-03-2009, 08:59 PM   #27
mike 53
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Default Don't be too quick

Just reading The symptoms of head gasket failure and as most of you already know those symptoms can be a few things such as a non gen thermostat and of course a blocked heater core . Some repairers are still overlooking the obvious because of a common HG problem and doing a major repair for nothing
Mike
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Old 01-03-2009, 10:47 PM   #28
subiepntbllr
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mdungelman View Post
Mine were leaking under 60k. Luckily replaced under warranty. I don't necessarily think its so common on the newer n/a's.
same here, mine started leaking at 22k ish on a 07. my mechanic said thats not unusual, he has seen it a few times. luckly my warrenty covered it to.
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Old 01-04-2009, 02:00 PM   #29
BrysImpreza
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My buddies 98 LGT had them go around 120K - Only changed coolant around 60K
My mom's 02 TS went around 89K - Never changed coolant
My buddies 99RS went around 90K - never changed coolant
My Brother in laws 02 RS went around 120K - coolant flushed once.
My 04 TS is on original - flushed coolant at 30k, 60k no issues whatsoever, 101K on the clock.

I blame prolonged coolant use, it does eventually breakdown and turn acidic.
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Old 01-05-2009, 12:15 PM   #30
ibanez24_7
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My 02 TS is at 97k and no HG leaks. I did change my valve cover gaskets at around 90k but thats it. I bought it in 04 and it had 42k believe it had a coolant flush at 30k.
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Old 01-05-2009, 01:54 PM   #31
Qc SleePER
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Yup, changed mine at 120 000km, it's an 02' RS.
My mech said he's done tons of those, he diagnosed it with me on the phone lol.
He also said replacement seal where thicker or different somehow which leads me to believe they could have nipped this in the ass earlier.
Volks GTI's blow heator cores and ignition coils, I guess every brand has an achilles heel, except with the VW it's bumber to bumper

Brys how often should the coolant be changed to avoid this?
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Old 02-12-2009, 04:23 PM   #32
gfunk9132
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I have a BHG in my 98 Forester 87K on it. Obviously its a subaru problem, but was it from faulty engines or low quality head gaskets? I ask becuase I'm putting a decent chunk of money into this thing and just want it to last at least another 5 years+. Those of you that have already replaced the HG how has the car been since?
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Old 02-17-2009, 08:15 PM   #33
denskil
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I have a 2004 Impreza TS with 140,000 kms on it and recently noticed some coolant on driveway that looked like it had bubbled up and was kind of a pale green color (sorry I'm not very technical). I took it to the dealer and was advised I have a leaking head gasket. Cost estimate was quoted between $2,000 to $3,000 to do this repair (out of warranty). When I contacted Subaru Canada I was advised they would cover $1,000 in parts bringing my repairs to $2,200. I understand the labour involved is extensive but does anyone know if $1,000 parts sounds accurate? Many of the posts on this thread refer to previous generation engines, so I'm not sure how common this issue is on post-2003 engines.

Thanks!
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Old 02-18-2009, 05:06 PM   #34
bsikora
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i have a 2006 and no problem yet.....hopefully i wont have the problem.....

Last edited by bsikora; 02-18-2009 at 05:07 PM. Reason: hopefully i wont have the problem....
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Old 02-18-2009, 05:33 PM   #35
scrappy doo
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i have an 02 obs with 123k. external leak until i added the conditioner, now no leak at all
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Old 02-18-2009, 05:44 PM   #36
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i have 122k on my 99. i noticed the HGs leaking about 30k miles or so ago but i plan to pull the engine and do the HG, valve covers, plug seals, cam seals, front crank seal, oil pump seal, timing belt, tensioners, water pump, oil pan and anything else i can find! is Subaru the only place i should get the HGs from since they are MLS? you does Felpro have them now? Ive heard Felpro is the best aftermarket gasket company. i used that conditioner and it stopped the leak for a couple months but it comes right back. its a good thing its only $1.50!
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Old 02-18-2009, 08:27 PM   #37
denskil
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dropped the car at the dealer today to pull out the motor and change the head gasket. Subaru is apparently covering $1400 worth of parts (some of the pistons are being changed too). This is much too painful at 140,000 kms but I am hoping these repairs keep my car on the road for another 10 years....
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Old 02-19-2009, 01:12 PM   #38
nix-hex
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your car will def be on the road for another ten years but dont be surprised if you have to change the HGs again sometime. engines arent perfect sad to say
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Old 03-01-2009, 10:12 PM   #39
thedivascloset
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I have a 2003 Baja (NA 2.5). It has 72,000 miles on it. I bought it over a year ago (with about 40,000 miles on it..thought it was a good price at $12,000). I always do the tire rotations myself with the oil changes too. LOVE my car...BUT! Head gasket..yup. I know this is a big problem with Subaru..my parents took it to their mechanic, as it was acting up while I was on the road working, and it was quoted at about $1600 for the repair. Is there anything I can do to get Subaru to help spring for some of this since it is a problem they seem to be aware of? I am very sad..thats a lot of money, especially since I am having them do the timing belt too since it is at 72,000. Any comment? I'm a newbie here looking for some subaru love!
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Old 03-01-2009, 11:05 PM   #40
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thedivascloset View Post
I have a 2003 Baja (NA 2.5). It has 72,000 miles on it. I bought it over a year ago (with about 40,000 miles on it..thought it was a good price at $12,000). I always do the tire rotations myself with the oil changes too. LOVE my car...BUT! Head gasket..yup. I know this is a big problem with Subaru..my parents took it to their mechanic, as it was acting up while I was on the road working, and it was quoted at about $1600 for the repair. Is there anything I can do to get Subaru to help spring for some of this since it is a problem they seem to be aware of? I am very sad..thats a lot of money, especially since I am having them do the timing belt too since it is at 72,000. Any comment? I'm a newbie here looking for some subaru love!
1-800-SUBARU3 for SOA to see if you can get some "goodwill" money for your repair. It is not unheard of, even out of warranty.
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Old 03-02-2009, 07:28 PM   #41
thedivascloset
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Talking Go Subaru

So I did call 1800-and the guy I talked to was awesome. I have to say, he was extremely nice, and opened a "case" for me..so we will see. Even if I don't see a dime, it was nice that they were so understanding..lets hope I get a little cash for my crazy head gasket thing! Go Subaru for being responsive..
Thanks for the advice, and to all those other Subie folks that have posted their problem for me to learn from..thanks!
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Old 03-03-2009, 04:21 AM   #42
trueno16v
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Quick question, is this HG issue only with NA 2.5s. What about turbo 2.5s, why don't they seem to have this HG issue? Or turbo 2.0s?
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Old 03-03-2009, 11:32 AM   #43
rougeben83
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the turbo's don't seem to have this problem. They have the rod bearing issues and owners putting too aggressive a tune on them to make up for it though
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Old 03-03-2009, 01:33 PM   #44
JeanGrey
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Sigh.... well it seems I am having this same issue. Someone said they fixed it with the conditioner? Is that something to try?? I have a 2003 with 115k miles on it. This is going to be so expensive to fix and I am going to break down into tears right now. I'm going to call Subaru to see if they'll cover some. My mechanic said he's quite sure this is the problem and he's done it on Subarus before. So after it's fixed I should change coolant with every oil change and I should also add that conditioner stuff? I'm going to go get my manual and read through it, good thing I have nothing to do at work today. Though I might strangle someone.
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Old 03-03-2009, 02:14 PM   #45
Back Road Runner
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The head gasket is covered to 100k miles by Subaru as long as the car has had all its service bulletins taken care of. Basically all Subaru does to stop the leak is to put Stop Leak in the coolant. This is their "conditioner" and their fix for this common issue.

Because of this, I would of course suggest that after any anti-freeze change, buy a bottle of Subaru's conditioner to toss in. It's kind of a dumb fix, but if it keeps customers and Subaru happy, so be it. If anything does go bad, at least you had the conditioner in and they can't whine about that.

I've heard that people step to STI head gaskets and prevent the problem too.
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Old 03-03-2009, 04:09 PM   #46
JeanGrey
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Has anyone else has success getting money from Subaru when the car wasn't under warranty?

The dealership will charge me $50 to diagnose the problem. Then, Subaru will tell me if they'll give me any "goodwill assistance." However the dealer told me it can run over $2000 if they do the timing belt at the same time. My mechanic (who is very good) said he'd probably charge $800. Not to mention the fact that when I made the appt. the dealership service guy was like "oh, and you know you'll be here, so you can get some information, and sometimes they do deals on trade-ins." F*$# you scumbag. I really just want to cancel and have my mechanic bang it all out for $800, as I doubt Subaru will cover even close to the difference, and they are looking for external leaks on a 2003 apparently, and won't deal with internal leaks which is what all symptoms point to. I figure the timing belt will cost a few hundred anyway.
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Old 03-03-2009, 04:57 PM   #47
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I got 2k reimbursement for about $3200 parts and labor on both our 02 forester & 03 OBS. Both headgaskets were replaced on the two cars about a month apart. Both external leaks.

I contacted SOA after the fact. The OBS has 86k & the forester 68k.

I was pretty pleased, but still feel that SOA should make this a TSB and have them all replaced since the older headgasket is basically defective.

All of my contact with SOA was through e-mails
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Old 03-03-2009, 07:01 PM   #48
surowrxa
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JeanGrey View Post
So after it's fixed I should change coolant with every oil change and I should also add that conditioner stuff?
Coolant changes follow the regular maint. schedule, just add conditioner.

Quote:
Originally Posted by JeanGrey View Post
Has anyone else has success getting money from Subaru when the car wasn't under warranty?

The dealership will charge me $50 to diagnose the problem. Then, Subaru will tell me if they'll give me any "goodwill assistance." However the dealer told me it can run over $2000 if they do the timing belt at the same time. My mechanic (who is very good) said he'd probably charge $800. Not to mention the fact that when I made the appt. the dealership service guy was like "oh, and you know you'll be here, so you can get some information, and sometimes they do deals on trade-ins." F*$# you scumbag. I really just want to cancel and have my mechanic bang it all out for $800, as I doubt Subaru will cover even close to the difference, and they are looking for external leaks on a 2003 apparently, and won't deal with internal leaks which is what all symptoms point to. I figure the timing belt will cost a few hundred anyway.
I understand you are upset. It is a flaw that is common. I would still recommend you go through the motions with SOA. Reason is, you don't know how much they will do for you until you try. Mention that you have an independent that is cheaper (maybe even with "goodwill" involved), see what they say. Just ignore the sales pitches, they are inevitably intertwined with the dealership experience. If they fail to get your business, you (and they) know you tried to work it out.

Your 2003 (what model?) is almost certainly externally leaking. It may not have a puddle of coolant (as many others have not either) because the antifreeze is hitting the exhaust and burning off. If your oil looks like chocolate milk, I stand corrected, but it is very rare to the usual failure.

No, I don't work for Subaru. Just trying to stay positive in life.
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Old 03-03-2009, 08:15 PM   #49
VIsubi
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Sorry guys yeah haven't had this problem on my 06....I better not shucks I have 13,000 miles on it..beter last another...what you do get though is alot of other greasy things flinging grease on your engine so you think its your engine but thats fix's with a nice engine bay spray down...after you cover up what needs to be covered up....
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Old 03-03-2009, 10:08 PM   #50
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I think in 04-05, the issue was fixed(so I've been told), but all the older cars will have the problem, guaranteed.
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