2014 Impreza oil change

[thunderfog]

Hey all. I had two free changes from the dealer negotiated in the purchase of my car which I have used, and now it's time to do the oil changes on my own. A couple things:

First, I bought the Rhino Ramps. I have read a lot about them in various forums with all the pros and cons, and they made me nervous, but I went right up the first time with no issues what so ever. I'm guessing the AWD may make it easier for that car? (I never had to deal with jacking up a car before... have *always* had trucks I could just slide right under.)

Second, oil choice. I enjoyed doing the research on here, and while I get that most any reputable 0w-20 will do, I've narrowed it down between Kendall GT1 and Pennzoil Ultra Platinum for my own personal preference. Prices are very close so there's no separation there, really.

Kendall or PUP...who ya taking?

 

[cknight49090]

PUP

 

[JTK]

Which ever you like! I've got Napa 0w20 in my 2014 and OEM filter. The nice thing about my lifted Impreza (XV Crosstrek) is I can slide right under to drain the oil. Nice easy oil change with the top mount filter. You just need some clean rags to sop up the cup around the filter.

Does yours consume any oil? I've gone through a few top-up quarts in my XV 5spd. Currently at ~6300mi.

 

[wjli]

What is Subaru's factory / recommended oil brand. Mazda has "Genuine Mazda" oil but also recommends Castrol in the owners booklet. Im sure it is a money thing with Castrol, but I was just wondering if Subaru has a particular brand recommendation as well. I would pick the Pennzoil Ultra in answer to your question and would have bought it if my local Walmart would have had it in 0w20. They didnt so i went with the regular Pennzoil Platinum 0w20.

 

[thunderfog]

Originally Posted By: JTK
Which ever you like! I've got Napa 0w20 in my 2014 and OEM filter. The nice thing about my lifted Impreza (XV Crosstrek) is I can slide right under to drain the oil. Nice easy oil change with the top mount filter. You just need some clean rags to sop up the cup around the filter.

Does yours consume any oil? I've gone through a few top-up quarts in my XV 5spd. Currently at ~6300mi.


I followed those consumption posts closely before I bought, and no, I do not have any noticeable oil loss. I subscribe to the break-in theory while acknowledging that no one really seems to know. I went easy on the RPM acceleration and deceleration, yet put the engine under some load while getting it up to 4500rpm or so several times in the first thousand miles after it was properly warmed up. The dealer actually told me to hit 5500rpm a few times in the 1-3k mile range.

So far so good.

 

[thunderfog]

Originally Posted By: wjli
What is Subaru's factory / recommended oil brand. Mazda has "Genuine Mazda" oil but also recommends Castrol in the owners booklet. Im sure it is a money thing with Castrol, but I was just wondering if Subaru has a particular brand recommendation as well. I would pick the Pennzoil Ultra in answer to your question and would have bought it if my local Walmart would have had it in 0w20. They didnt so i went with the regular Pennzoil Platinum 0w20.


Subaru likes their own Idemitsu 0w-20. I don't recall any other brand being mentioned in the manual.

I find it maddening that PUP is not offered in 0w-20 at Wally World, while PP is. I found 3 5qt jugs of 0w-20 PUP on Amazon with free shipping however for ~ $85-90.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted By: thunderfog
Originally Posted By: wjli
What is Subaru's factory / recommended oil brand. Mazda has "Genuine Mazda" oil but also recommends Castrol in the owners booklet. Im sure it is a money thing with Castrol, but I was just wondering if Subaru has a particular brand recommendation as well. I would pick the Pennzoil Ultra in answer to your question and would have bought it if my local Walmart would have had it in 0w20. They didnt so i went with the regular Pennzoil Platinum 0w20.


Subaru likes their own Idemitsu 0w-20. I don't recall any other brand being mentioned in the manual.

I find it maddening that PUP is not offered in 0w-20 at Wally World, while PP is. I found 3 5qt jugs of 0w-20 PUP on Amazon with free shipping however for ~ $85-90.


Any 5w20 will work just fine as well... I wouldn't worry too much about the "0" part, it really only makes a difference in extreme cold temps. And you could skip the synthetic all together, and do more frequent changes, which might be a better idea given some documented fuel dilution issues with this engine.

Subaru only "requires" synthetic because they extended the OCI out to 7500 miles. Now they have reduced that interval to 6000 miles... ? Rumour is EXCESSIVE fuel dilution of the oil and complaints about having to add oil before the scheduled OCI...

And SUBARU now specs a 20 grade for one reason... to try and improve the marginal fuel economy ever so slightly...!

The engine won't know if the oil is 0w , or 5w, 20 or 30... SYNTHETIC or conventional... just keep it fresh, and topped up.

 

[gpshumway]

Originally Posted By: geeman789
Any 5w20 will work just fine as well... I wouldn't worry too much about the "0" part, it really only makes a difference in extreme cold temps. And you could skip the synthetic all together, and do more frequent changes, which might be a better idea given some documented fuel dilution issues with this engine.

Subaru only "requires" synthetic because they extended the OCI out to 7500 miles. Now they have reduced that interval to 6000 miles... ? Rumour is EXCESSIVE fuel dilution of the oil and complaints about having to add oil before the scheduled OCI...

And SUBARU now specs a 20 grade for one reason... to try and improve the marginal fuel economy ever so slightly...!

The engine won't know if the oil is 0w , or 5w, 20 or 30... SYNTHETIC or conventional... just keep it fresh, and topped up.


While 5w20 will technically work fine, it opens you up for potential denial of warranty coverage for not using the recommended oil. Better to just use 0w20 in a new car, it's no more expensive than 5w20 synthetic any way.

The fuel dilution issues are in the direct injected cars, the OP's car is port injected, but I assume you knew that.

 

[lubedude13]

That's fine if it's out of warranty but under warranty you might want to use what it specs

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: thunderfog

Subaru likes their own Idemitsu 0w-20. I don't recall any other brand being mentioned in the manual.

I find it maddening that PUP is not offered in 0w-20 at Wally World, while PP is. I found 3 5qt jugs of 0w-20 PUP on Amazon with free shipping however for ~ $85-90.




Between the Kendall GT-1 and the Pennzoil Ultra, I don't think you can make a bad choice between them. Pennzoil is great, you can't even be a casual observer of this forum without seeing it's praises (rightfully deserved, it's a very high quality oil). Likewise if you dig around, you'll find great reviews of the Kendall as well. It's an excellent oil, just not as readily available as some of the other oils.

If you wanted someone to pick for you, I'd suggest you go with the Pennzoil Ultra. It's an excellent oil and is the safe pick for us to suggest for you. I myself am actually about to buy a couple cases of the Kendall GT-1 w/Liquid Titanium, not because I think it's better then the Pennzoil, but because I can get it for a good price and I know it'll protect my vehicle excellently. Again, between the two oils you suggested, you can't go wrong.


Out of curiosity, why aren't you considering the PP 0w-20 you said you can readily get at Wally World?

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: lubedude13
That's fine if it's out of warranty but under warranty you might want to use what it specs


Agreed. Follow what the manual says while under warranty. Also, although you probably would be fine with a quality conventional oil and appropriate OCI, don't forget your turbo will make your vehicle a more hostile environment for your oil than the non-turbo engine is.

 

[gpshumway]

Originally Posted By: sicko
Originally Posted By: lubedude13
That's fine if it's out of warranty but under warranty you might want to use what it specs


Agreed. Follow what the manual says while under warranty. Also, although you probably would be fine with a quality conventional oil and appropriate OCI, don't forget your turbo will make your vehicle a more hostile environment for your oil than the non-turbo engine is.



What turbo? The Impreza Sport is a naturally aspirated 2.0l 4 cyl. The FB20 to be precise.

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: gpshumway

What turbo? The Impreza Sport is a naturally aspirated 2.0l 4 cyl. The FB20 to be precise.



My bad, I read Impreza and was thinking WRX.

 

[geeman789]

Originally Posted By: gpshumway
Originally Posted By: geeman789
Any 5w20 will work just fine as well... I wouldn't worry too much about the "0" part, it really only makes a difference in extreme cold temps. And you could skip the synthetic all together, and do more frequent changes, which might be a better idea given some documented fuel dilution issues with this engine.

Subaru only "requires" synthetic because they extended the OCI out to 7500 miles. Now they have reduced that interval to 6000 miles... ? Rumour is EXCESSIVE fuel dilution of the oil and complaints about having to add oil before the scheduled OCI...

And SUBARU now specs a 20 grade for one reason... to try and improve the marginal fuel economy ever so slightly...!

The engine won't know if the oil is 0w , or 5w, 20 or 30... SYNTHETIC or conventional... just keep it fresh, and topped up.


While 5w20 will technically work fine, it opens you up for potential denial of warranty coverage for not using the recommended oil. Better to just use 0w20 in a new car, it's no more expensive than 5w20 synthetic any way.

The fuel dilution issues are in the direct injected cars, the OP's car is port injected, but I assume you knew that.

SUBARU = TURBO.... except when it doesn't...! My bad...

I will read carefully before posting, I will read carefully before posting... !

About the warranty... has anyone ever had an engine fail under warranty, and did the dealer ask any questions about oil? Engines fail so rarely under warranty thus not much data...

My only indirect experience was with a friends car, and the dealer asked for proof of an oil change... nothing about brand / type / grade of oil etc. They did pull a valve cover, though...

 

[gpshumway]

Originally Posted By: geeman789
SUBARU = TURBO.... except when it doesn't...! My bad...

I will read carefully before posting, I will read carefully before posting... !

About the warranty... has anyone ever had an engine fail under warranty, and did the dealer ask any questions about oil? Engines fail so rarely under warranty thus not much data...

My only indirect experience was with a friends car, and the dealer asked for proof of an oil change... nothing about brand / type / grade of oil etc. They did pull a valve cover, though...


Auto makers are becoming ever more stringent on their maintenance requirements. It still varies by manufacturer, but yes, lots of people have been denied warranty for not using the specified oil. There are a couple threads in the NASIOC warranty forum right now.

Most egregious example I can think of is VW/Audi (other German brands are bad too), anybody who didn't have their oil changed at the dealer had almost no hope of warranty coverage on their sludged 1.8t engine, even if they had receipts for the "right" oil. Same for anybody with a failed cam on a PD TDI engine. "Oh you used 505.00 oil once instead of 505.01, sorry, no warranty for you."