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Wagons Subaru Crew Subaru Forester Subaru Forester Maintenance & Repair Forester - Headgasket Repair & Engine Rebuild
97 messages, Last post on Jun 24, 2009 at 6:36 PM
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Replying to: chien (Dec 09, 2007 12:02 pm) If the body is good, I would do the repair, especially with the waranty - you also seem to be getting more work done than I had to do, so I can't comment on the price. It may be a closer call with your costs and the value of the car. There are others in this forum that are better on the mechanical and cost issues! 98_incuse |
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Replying to: chien (Dec 09, 2007 12:02 pm) It does seem a shame to give up on an otherwise good vehicle and unfortunate that the headgasket failed in the worse possible way. I had a Nissan that developed a head gasket leak but the leak was external so was cheaper to repair. Unfortunately, headgasket failures is the biggest issue with your model year. By nay chance did you get the coolant conditioner added? FYI, I believe that Juice sold his 98 Forester this past summer for $5k. -Frank |
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Replying to: chien (Dec 09, 2007 12:02 pm) |
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Replying to: p0926 (Dec 11, 2007 7:55 am) |
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Replying to: p0926 (Dec 11, 2007 7:55 am) The coolant conditioner was for the 99 engine which was a SOHC vs my engine, a DOHC. I never got any notification from Subaru about it. The sale prices for a running car are $4-5K. My car is not what I would call "running", so I guess it's value is $0. It goes for 5 - 10 miles before overheating. Some might try to trade it in without mentioning the head gasket but I just can't do that. I'm mad at Subaru for ignoring this, so my next car will not be a Subaru -- probably a Honda. I'm not sure if the oil was drained but the first mechanic I had the car at did a pressure test after trying the radiator flush/new thermostat route. I had checked the oil before leaving on my trip and the oil on the dipstick was brown not black. I didn't realize what I was looking at but my trusted mechanic says that indicated that oil and coolant had mixed in the engine and compromised the bearings. He'll have a closer look before the rebuild starts. I thought a lot about getting a new car (Honda Element springs to mind and I got quotes from CarsDirect and others) but I decided to make that $5K bet that I could keep the Sub running at least 3 more years as everything else on the car seems in good running condition. Personally, I hate throwing away stuff that still has use in it. Would love a new car but that would cost $23-25K and I don't want to buy on payments or lease. This was not an easy decision to make and it still depends on what my mechanic finds when he pulls the engine. I'll know soon! Thanks for your input!
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Replying to: chien (Dec 12, 2007 3:51 pm)
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Replying to: ateixeira (Dec 13, 2007 8:29 am)  -mike |
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Hi all -- re: the DOHC engine flaw causing blown head gasket. I ended up getting my blown engine rebuilt. Not an engine swap but my original engine rebuilt, with new rings, new water pump, new timing belt etc. I really wanted a Honda Element, but this was $5K vs $25K. I am the original owner. The body is still good and the car mechanically well-maintained, so I felt it was the most practical solution. My mechanic used a shop and person he absolutely trusted, and he is hard man to please. It took a 5 weeks because of end-of-year supply problems, but I got it back in late January and it runs really well. I also replaced the cassette player with a CD player and had the car detailed inside and out, so it would feel like new. My mechanic told me to let it warm up for a few minutes before taking off so the aluminum parts and steel parts were near the same temp. So far, so good. Everything runs smoothly and there are no new noises,weird engine shifts, or temperature issues. I'm taking it in soon for a 1,000 mile oil change as the engine is "new" still. I do smell a slight burning odor at the end of the day when I garage it, but it is slight. This may not be the best solution for everybody, but for me, who hates throwing away good things, it was. I figured it was an unacknowledged (by Subaru) engine design flaw. A rebuilt could make the engine go another 50-100K (I hope) which for me, means another 5-10 years as I don't drive more than 10K/yr. I also have a long-term relationship with a trusted mechanic who has maintained this car from Day 1. He did not push me to rebuild the engine because he knew it was a lot of money and a big decision, but I know he also likes to keep cars on the street for as long as possible. Most of the cost was for the rebuild itself. There is a 3 year warranty on the engine, parts and labor. I loved my Subaru before this, and hope to regain that love and trust after a few more miles!
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Replying to: chien (Mar 12, 2008 2:50 pm) When I purchased my first Subaru, I had several problems that made me want to tear out my hair. I flatly declared that I was going to sell that car and never buy another Subaru. I, like you, decided that it was cheaper to keep the car I had than to buy something else. I am quite glad I did. Even though that car took more than a little of my blood and tears over the years, it turned out to be a fantastic machine. All told, my ownership experience with it was quite rewarding. |
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We have an '01 Forester L with 99,640 miles, and during a recent trip to our local mechanic, we discovered that there was a coolant leak from the head gasket. This car was serviced during the recall for the head gasket (WWP-99) back in 2004, and followed the maintenance schedule faithfully since which was required under the extended warranty for the head gasket coolant leak to 100,000 miles or 8 years from the initial date of service. Since when this was discovered, I only had less than 400 miles to go before this warranty was going to run, so I immediately took the Forester to a local Subaru dealer. However, later, the dealership reported that it was oil that was leaking, not coolant, and so this extended warranty for the head gasket did not apply. I naturally contested it (my mechanic said it was coolant), and in the end, Subaru USA agreed to pay half the cost of the head gasket repair. I did not want to agree to this, but I just could not risk having the warranty run out during the dispute process and needing to pay for the whole thing in case they turned out to be right about the coolant leak. If I had had several thousand miles left, I would have pushed the issue back to Subaru and insisted on a second opinion to decide whether it was oil or coolant leaking. I am now wondering whether it is some kind of a standard response by Subaru to pay half for the repair of the recalled head gasket claiming an oil leak versus coolant's in the hope that an owner would just accept it as I did. Has anyone had this kind of experience?
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