Hey all, looking for a little advice...

EDIT: 2009 Outback, standard, non-turbo, 4-cyl.

Took the Suby in for an air bag recall. Asked them to change the timing belt since it's at 120k. They just called back with a whole laundry list of other stuff: control rod bushings, rear brakes ($240 for a job that takes me 30 minutes), new tires, leaky head gasket. They want $1400 for that last, and and they're saying it's easier to do when they're in there for the timing belt- although they didn't offer any price break.

Told them no on everything. Should I let them do the hg? Inherent distrust of dealers makes me a little biased...

What year & model Subaru? Turbo or N/A?

At Bay Area labor rates (120/HR) they are charging close to 10 hours plus the head gasket price. That's a rip off.

Sadly head gaskets are a common problem on higher mileage Subaru motors. Usually you can tell there is a coming problem if your hoses start to look bloated that are connected to crank case or coolant lines. If your coolant overflow bottle is looking a little stained dark from oil as well.

Which Dealer, Friend of mine had one of the Cincy dealers work on his car to fix a few oil leaks. Came back with even more leaks, I told him he should have done it himself. Worst part, the car was down for 2 weeks. 2005 Impreza 2.5L NA engine with a 5 speed. Claimed they could not get parts in I guess maybe they should have ordered them off the internet.

The dealer is usually the most expensive. maybe you should be dealing with a reputable local repair shop where the owner knows your name. He appreciates your business and will be there for you when you're in a pinch. Subaru head gasket job isn't an "A" tech repair and I see no need to return to your worst enemy for repairs. Good luck.

It's a 2009 Outback, standard, non-turbo, 4-cyl.

Took it to Subaru dealer in Kings Auto Mall. Beechmont is not too far, that was my other option. I hate going to dealers, but this started with the airbag recall and I figured I'd bite the bullet for the timing belt.

I do too much of my own work to get to know a reputable local repair shop. Believe me, I wish I did, there's plenty of work I'd rather pay someone else to do. If you have a recommendation, fire away.

Getting billed for Actual hours worked seems to be a thing of the past. It's all about what the 'book' allows. More of a flat rate, 'That costs this much'. This is why I'll be unloading my 97' outback wagon while it's still running for what ever I can get. I'll disclose the current problem. Most in that age range are advertised with the overheat issues remedied. For the time being.

They offering to do the work engine in or do they INSIST pulling because 'that's the way we do it'? That they might be charging you a secondary labor charge on the belt labor, that they have to remove anyway, is just a portion of the gravy. A new belt part charge is understandable. When researching jdm engines up here, some firms recommend replacing the belts, WP and all that goes with THAT prior to putting them in the car.

It's time. Good call given your situation. Your probably paying about 500 more than an open shop but your parts will be OEM and the dealer isn't going out of business next week either.

The dealer wants to sell you tires too. Insult to injury. I got asked to leave a dealership over a my car 'needing tires' chat. Same make tires gone @ 20k recommended and my car needed speed rated tires. Nope. Then I could get away with just 2 for now. Always with the up sell.

Yep the one with the crown, my friends car Their was a subbie shop on Cincinnati Dayton road just south of Kemper. Don't remember the name, friends think it is great place. I can check with Travis and see where he takes his cars.

damn near every major city has several suby only shops that can undercut that price big time.
just google up your area for suby shops

I'm still best friends with a local independent shop. They do our yearly inspections and they just did ball joints on my truck today so my son didn't miss a day of work. If I waited for the guys at my Porsche shop to get the job done, the day would be shot.
I haven't been to a dealer except for factory recalls on our cars. Our Indy shop has taken care of us for years. If my wife goes in, I don't have to look over the bill or the work.

A 2.5 four cylinder timing belt job isn't something that would make me say "uh, while we're in there..." Any tech that has to raise up the engine to do a t-belt on that engine isn't someone you want to trust your car to anyway. You may want to do a coolant flush just to keep the stuff fresh but don't forget to add the Subaru specific coolant additive ($2.50) that helps keep the head gaskets sealing well. Then look at your coolant for crap in it - if it's good, after you refill it with the additive you should have many more miles left on the road. If you want to have the hgs replaced, by all means price shop the Suby dealers - they love to steal customers from each other!

I'd have the dealer just do the recall.

Timing belts are not that tough and OEM parts are readily available. Whoever you get the timing belt done can inspect for any headgasket leaks.

A good solution - just remember to add the Subaru coolant additive!

Thanks for the advice, guys. Talked to them again and got the list to something reasonable, though not painless. Willing to pay someone to work on this car to have more time to work on the 914. I'll tell you, I don't know how people who aren't car people don't get absolutely pillaged by these guys.



Open to any suggestions...



This burns me more than anything. I dread the call from my wife that starts with, "I took the car to the dealer..."

http://turninconcepts.com Clint is supposed to be the man.

Shit. Thx for reminding me. Just ordered some.

+1 on the coolant additive. Right after I bought my Subaru (2005 3.0R) I had a bad head gasket coolant leak and almost had the HG done. A local independent Subaru shop recommended the Additive, added it and 130K miles later all is well......

Not saying this will fix your issues, but it worked for me. What are the symptoms? If you have oil and coolant mixing, may not work, but its worth the $6-$8.

I have worked on my sons sti including swapping motors. Changing head gaskets in the car seems really hard although I have seen the head off of a new sti in the dealer shop with the motor still in the car, this one had a broken piston land. I would like to watch the torque sequence on a motor in the car. Hell, even doing a leak down is hard for me. The super additive must be leak stop if it fixed any leak, it does work. Also you could check with nasioc to find a good local shop.

Subaru techs put in a two dollar bottle of the stuff every time they do a coolant flush or t-belt service. I doesn't look like Alumaseal or any other sealant I've seen and it doesn't gum up the radiator like the other products do. I never had a leak but after I changed out my coolant according to the manual, I didn't put it in. Occasionally I'd smell burnt coolant and I consulted my Subie parts guy - he told me about it and I put it in. I've never smelled any coolant since...

Let me preface this by saying that I owned and operated a garage here in Vermont where Subaru is the most popular car. I have done my share of head gaskets on the 2.5 Subaru engine. I can understand why the dealer suggested doing the job while they were doing the timing belt as you have to remove the timing belt while replacing the head gaskets. Also they know that the head gaskets are going to fail soon anyway. The dealer knows that replacing them proactively might save you money if they fail and the engine overheats causing more damage. Subaru built their reputation on the 2.2 engine which was great, then they brought out the 2.5 around 1997 which has had a head gasket issue from the beginning which they have never corrected. The 3.0 on the other hand is bullet proof. I have no use for the 2.5 as it was and still is a POS.

Make sure that they replace the water pump, thermostat and all of the timing belt pulleys and tensioner while they are in there.

Charlie