by "WRXasaurus" (wrxasaurus)
Published 03/25/2017 at 10:50
by "WRXasaurus" (wrxasaurus)
Published 03/25/2017 at 10:50
Tags: Subaru
; WRX
STARS: 0
The reason I ask is because the general consensus is that they aren’t. Mine must be the exception then. I have had virtually no problems with either of them, maybe I’m just lucky.
My first Subaru is my 2006 WRX Limited. I bought it used in the fall of 2011 with 62,000 miles on it. Since then it has been my daily driver 90% of the time through six winters and 73,000 more miles. I have never once been stranded or had any major issues at all.
I have replaced the clutch at 75,000 miles, this generally falls in line with the majority of 5 speed WRX clutch life expectancy.
I have replaced both front struts at 110,000 miles. I attribute that to the terrible roads of the Iron Range and Duluth, MN.
I have replaced both front half shafts because of torn CV boots at 90,000 and 120,000 miles, right and left respectively. Again, just your typical wear and tear item.
I preemptively replaced my timing belt, tensioner and thermostat at 95,000 miles. I have replaced all the fluids twice as well.
The only issue that I could come up with is the one summer my car sat (I traveled all summer for work). I had some of pistons on my caliper rust to the caliper as it sat at the airport during that time. This was remedied by a seal kit and replacing a few of the caliper pistons.
My other Subaru is my wife’s 2016 Forsester 2.5i base model. We purchased it in October of 2015 and have put on 35,000 miles on it. It has had zero issues and our only complaint is the ridiculously bad usb/bluetooth interface with the radio.
So am I just supremely lucky, or are Subarus not as unreliable as days of early 2000's head gaskets and piston rings?
"PS9" (PS9)
03/25/2017 at 10:56, STARS: 5
I get the sense that a few people buy them used after they’ve been demodded and abused. Shit breaks when you up the boost or use power adders.
Also I bet a lot of people think it’s just like a Corolla but fast and treat it accordingly (no maintenance schedule, oil changes every 100k miles, flooring it everywhere, clutch dumps at the stoplight, etc.,)
"dtg11 - is probably on an adventure with Clifford" (dtg11)
03/25/2017 at 10:56, STARS: 0
I’ve heard Subaru’s are pretty reliable, beyond turbos and headgaskets.
"Monkey B" (monkeyb)
03/25/2017 at 10:57, STARS: 0
they are, but those fools that modify the turbo models have a different experience.
"Eberle-Hills-Cop" (Eberle-Hills-Cop)
03/25/2017 at 11:01, STARS: 2
I have a 2005 sti with 152k on it. Only major maintenance was replacing the turbo at 150k. Factory clutch still too. Don’t believe the hype & take care of it.
"Noah - Now with more boost." (antriebverliebt)
03/25/2017 at 11:04, STARS: 0
From age 16-19 I did my best to destroy my parents’ 2001 Subaru Outback. Dirt road hoonage, high RPM snow drifting, etc. It lasted for 170k and was still absolutely fine when it was donated. That was the old 2.5 and a 5 speed though. Hard to break those.
"OKcarburetor" (okcarburetor)
03/25/2017 at 11:08, STARS: 0
I’ve seen more than a few develop some serious rod knock at the track. My 2001 2.5 RS was a massive pile of shit as well. Anecdotal, but I probably won’t have another one.
"WRXasaurus" (wrxasaurus)
03/25/2017 at 11:19, STARS: 0
Yeah, I have maintained it well. I have put a simple Cobb tune on it and it still hasn’t skipped a beat after 40,000 miles.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
03/25/2017 at 11:22, STARS: 1
I bought a 2002 impreza new off the lot. In the 105,000 miles I owned it it needed the following work: Valve adjust at 65k, 3 front axles over the life of the car. Probably 5 wheel bearings and one rear hub assemble. Rear hatch replacement due to strut ripping out of the hatch, front brakes, numerous trips for AC repairs (lets say 4 or 5), Catlytic converters, entire ignition system. Was it unreliable? It only abandoned us once when the rear wheel fell off due to the hub failing, and I didn’t have one single year go by when it didn’t have some sort of issue or another.
Now we replaced it with a 2013 Outback which has had the short block replaced under warranty due to excessive oil consumption. Other than that the Outback has been much better on the small parts than the impreza. There were rear brakes at 30k and the rear hatch struts (again), and rear door handle broke twice. So yeah I’m not buying another subaru.
My Mazda 3 which I bought in 2009, now has about 65k on it, has only needed a thermostat and two light bulbs since I bought it.
"boxrocket" (boxrocket)
03/25/2017 at 11:22, STARS: 0
A lot depends on the year, model, owner, and attentiveness to manufacturer recommendations make a big difference.
Reliability ratings are also skewed because - like other popular brands like tesla, apple or Starbucks - there are fervent brand loyalists (true for most brands, especially true for brands with positive widespread perception, earned or not) who wouldn’t publicly complain or make negative statements about their preferred brands.
I work at a small used-car dealership that sells & services all major brands (up to and including Porsche), and we’re largely done with Subarus. Thankfully Subaru tends to be somewhat-forthcoming with TSBs and such for aftermarket shops like ours, and they finally got around to extending warranties for the catastrophic engine failures they were having. However, the relatively-nearby dealership is slow, understaffed, and their customer service is largely lacking. I’d prefer my customers get a semi-equivalent Volvo or Mazda, despite the possible fuel economy loss.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/25/2017 at 11:23, STARS: 1
Not gonna lie, that engine scares me a little.
All that aside, only one person I know had issues with one, and that was a 2000s turbo going bad. Which is better than some makes I could mention.
"WRXasaurus" (wrxasaurus)
03/25/2017 at 11:25, STARS: 0
Yeah, that’s my feeling as well. Proper maintenance is key.
"WRXasaurus" (wrxasaurus)
03/25/2017 at 11:31, STARS: 1
Which engine are you talking about. The updated FB25 has been flawless. And my EJ255 has never had any issues either.
"HammerheadFistpunch" (hammerheadfistpunch)
03/25/2017 at 11:44, STARS: 0
Subaru s are generally considered reliable, but even reliable brands have maladies
"Alfalfa" (alfalfa-romeo)
03/25/2017 at 11:58, STARS: 1
Subarus are big in here Utah. I know plenty of people who have pretty much only ever bought Subarus. I only ever hear about how great they are, with the exception of some people here who say otherwise.
"My bird IS the word" (mybirdistheword)
03/25/2017 at 11:59, STARS: 1
Wrx sti.
So. Many. Hoses.
"TheTurbochargedSquirrel" (thatsquirrel)
03/25/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 1
My family has had no issues with the 7 Subarus we have owned.
"wafflesnfalafel" (wafflesnfalafel1)
03/25/2017 at 12:20, STARS: 2
That is good to hear. My wife’s aunt is on her third Forester and they all have been bullet proof. Another relative has had a last gen Impreza for years with basically no issues other than maintenance related items. A high school buddy had an old Loyale wagon that he absolutely beat on and it was fine until his mother pulled out in front of a truck at about 95,000 mi. But I work with a guy with a last gen Forester XT whose auto trans blew up at 105,000 (though it’s been solid other than that), and I’ve got a neighbor that had one of the early last gen Outbacks that had the oiling issues. My wife has a newer Crosstrek and has had no problems, (I’ve been looking for signs of oil consumption but no issues at this point.) Statistically, they rate quite well and I figure I can mitigate any of the traditional issues with good maintenance.
"vicali" (vicali)
03/25/2017 at 12:24, STARS: 0
We have a 2008 Forester with the dreaded EJ25 - not one issue in the almost 10 years of ownership.
I watch my levels pretty close, and if down the road it needs headgaskets it’s still within normal vehicle costs. I wouldn’t trade it for anything and my wife agrees- it’s been one of her favourites to drive. We talk about an outback when the time comes- I want a 3.6..
"m-b-w loves his SUBAROO" (m-b-w)
03/25/2017 at 12:45, STARS: 0
I’m at 45k on my 15 Outback. I’ve had no mechanical issues.. (aside from a CEL which was sorta my fault for floating the car in a flash flood). The only issues I have had were leaks, one in the rear ceiling from the roof rack, and one that filled up the passenger floorboard. I’ve gotta get it into the shop to get a new headlight as one has condensation, and to get a new horn as mine sounds somewhat broken at the moment. Aside from this, I feel like it’s been a reliable car for the past 45k miles. As long as you take care of these cars and use the right brand of oil, they seem to be reliable. I’m hoping to get quite a few more miles out of mine.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
03/25/2017 at 13:02, STARS: 0
The only ones I would call reliable are non tuned Turbos and 6 cylinder cars. The old 4cyls had head gasket issues and the new ones have oil consumption issues. So the n/a 4 cyl is the worst thing they make. The turbo version of those 4 cyls is made to a higher standard, duh, and have almost no issues if they are left stock. They will literally outlast your grandmother. The 6 cyls are the same way. No issues, butt loads of power, and not finicky boost to deal with.
Personally my dream car would be a Legacy sedan STI with a twin turbo 3.6R and the new STI drivetrain with the selectable diffs and everything. I mean I understand the WRX stopping at 2.0L because RALLY CAR!!!! But the STI has no limits. They could make a turbo 6cyl for it, but they don’t. I don’t understand why they don’t make a high power luxo car. IE a Legacy sedan STI. OH WAIT, THEY DO ! But it is only in Japan. They could sell a $40-50k performance Sedan and Wagon here in the US. I wish they would.
"Manwich - now Keto-Friendly" (manwich)
03/25/2017 at 13:19, STARS: 1
Reliable compared to what?
I’d say they’re less reliable than a Corolla. But more reliable than most European cars and more reliable than Jeeps.
Also an old beat-to-shit or modded Subaru will be less reliable than one that is in good condition and/or is completely stock.
And when comparing new Subarus, a non-turbo base model is more likely to be reliable than a loaded turbo model because there are fewer things to break.
"FTTOHG Has Moved to https://opposite-lock.com" (alphaass)
03/25/2017 at 13:41, STARS: 0
2013 Outback no issues at all through 62k. 2014 Forester needs a new motor at 51k. Other than that it’s been fine. Once I get it fixed we’ll see how it goes. I’ve heard the FB25 issues are mostly fixed now.
"TheD0k_2many toys 2little time" (thed0ck)
03/25/2017 at 14:53, STARS: 0
depends. i know most of the ones i see break are because of mods.
but i had an AWD talon that was stock motor besides head gasket and head studs and i ran it at 28psi of boost no issues at all.
"Autophile412 - what's the world got in store?" (autophile412)
03/25/2017 at 15:58, STARS: 0
I have had two Scooby Doos. Neither of them gave me any issues.
My 01 2.5 RS had some modifications (turbo, springs, exhaust, etc...) and it was a tank. Never had a problem. Worst thing to happen was a broken spring due to having to swerve to miss a falling piece of equipment in a construction zone forcing me to hit a large chunk of broken concrete at 50mph.
My ‘01 2.2 Impreza was the same. I had it for three years and 65,000 miles and the only thing I ever did was change the oil every 7,500 miles. That thing was unbreakable. Trust me I tried.
"brianbrannon" (brianbrannon)
03/25/2017 at 18:26, STARS: 0
My dealership has at three engines apart at all times...
"MR2_FTW - Group J's resident Stig" (MR2_FTW)
03/25/2017 at 19:22, STARS: 0
My family had an 03 Forester with the SOHC 2.5. Zero issues until the customary blown head gaskets at 150k. They had their mechanic replace that and it was fine until the clutch needed to be replaced at 165k (not bad for an original clutch). Then - because the mechanic that replaced the head gaskets, when he replaced the timing belt, neglected to also replace the timing belt pulleys, the (newish) timing belt snapped and crunched the valves at around 180k. They sold the car to a friend of mine who put in a used 2.0L and used it for her daily for a while.
I was pretty happy with its reliability. The thing that ultimately killed it was dumb mechanic work.
"Needmoargarage" (needmoargarage)
03/26/2017 at 00:10, STARS: 0
I’ve owned five now. Generally I’ve decided that the SOHC engines are reasonably reliable, while the DOHC turbo engines and drivetrains are finicky. There are a few fatal flaws of the EJ255/7 that Subaru never addressed that leave me scratching my head. Also, compared to the variety of other vehicles I’ve owned, I’ve noticed that maintenance is relatively more expensive/frequent mostly due to all the extra components of an AWD system.
Here’s what I tackled on my STi today:
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
03/26/2017 at 00:41, STARS: 1
I thought the 3.6 was part of the oil consumption recall as well. Totally agree on the turbo cars. I would still consider a WRX even after my bad experience with the outback.
"briannutter1" (briannutter1)
03/26/2017 at 12:07, STARS: 0
I had an ‘03 bugeye wrx wagon that I liked. It was worlds better than the 2011 wrx my now ex owns. Fun yes and about the only alternative for us northerners. Not particularly well built at the $27k price point.. Keep the oil and filters changed. Do every recommended service interval not matter the cost as the oil feed filter to the turbo can gum up and take out the turbo. Struts on the 2011 sucked straight off the showroom floor. Do what you can to coat with a rust preventative like fluid film. The EJ engines are not well designed..intrinsic problem with engine block design. Oil consumption, bearing problems, etc. My cars both reached 150k miles but they get expensive after that.
"CaptDale - is secretly British" (captdale)
03/27/2017 at 11:16, STARS: 1
Nope, the 3.6R is a great motor. They run 5w-30 and don’t have the “let’s get better mpg with low retention ring to meet CAFE standards” issues.