Are Suburu s still quirky to work on?

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10 years or more ago friends said their mechanics told them things like " if you buy another Subaru, dont bring it here" and some articles said some mechanics charged more to work on them.
what was that about, and is it still a problem?
 
Yes pretty much. They aren't hard to work on per say just different. Some jobs are easier and a few are a lot harder. They build a good car. It'd a factor but I wouldn't let it deter you if you find one you like.
 
Likely areas where Subaru is not popular. I have never heard a successful mechanic have a single complaint about them. But I live in New England and thought it was a popular car since a kid growing up in white mountains.
 
They’re strange cars.

Spark plugs for instance. Those are a pain to do.
 
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Subaru dealers are generally pretty familiar with working on Subarus.

So I'd say that if there is somewhere local to buy a new Subaru, there is probably somewhere to have it serviced.
 
As with any other make, there are Subaru indies who know these things inside and out and who can fix anything any of these cars will ever see.
The routine stuff is pretty easy, as it is with almost any other car.
I write this having had four of the beasts with two in the extended family fleet ATM.
I'll note that there is no easier oil change or brake service than what you get with a Subie.
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
10 years or more ago friends said their mechanics told them things like " if you buy another Subaru, dont bring it here" and some articles said some mechanics charged more to work on them.
what was that about, and is it still a problem?


Technicians/Repair Shops don't have a reason for that type of behavior, Suburu labor guides give pretty accurate times compared to say......Chrysler that has NO issue with printing .5 Hours when the job really takes .8 Hours.

The WRX is the only Suburu model that's popular here.
 
They're quirky, yes. But amazingly simple. The turbo cars are a pain, but that's every turbo car.

I like working on them. There aren't many engines you can do a timing belt and water pump job on in an hour, hour and a half.
 
They are different, not necessarily difficult. Not many boxer engines out there other than Subaru and Porche.
 
Simple to work on, nothing too quirky about them they are similar to any other water boxer. I do wish they would loose the open deck cases however and return to a closed deck and loose the CVT or at least offer a real auto or manual box in the grocery getters like they do in other parts of the world, for me the CVT is a deal breaker.

I have done a couple that had converted closed deck inserts from IAG and that made them bulletproof. Other than that awesome cars.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Simple to work on, nothing too quirky about them they are similar to any other water boxer. I do wish they would loose the open deck cases however and return to a closed deck and loose the CVT or at least offer a real auto or manual box in the grocery getters like they do in other parts of the world, for me the CVT is a deal breaker.

I have done a couple that with converted closed deck inserts from IAG and that made them bulletproof. Other than that awesome cars.


The CVT is a deal breaker for me too. My father has a Subaru with a CVT which is a complete turn off to me. There is nothing nice about that transmission imo. Nice car otherwise, but no thanks because of the CVT.
 
I am a first time Subaru owner with my Outback. At first, I was a little uncertain of how to work on them. But after getting into it, I've found it very easy to work on, with the exception of changing spark plugs, of course. But honestly, I've had more difficulty changing the rear plugs on a transverse mounted V6. Or on big V8 Ford engines. Or on any minivan, as mentioned above. So, when put in perspective, the Subaru plugs really aren't that bad.

I've never pulled an engine in a Subaru, but those that have tell me it really isn't harder than any other similar sized engine.

Oil change on my 2.5 is absolutely the easiest oil change I've ever done on any car. The drain plug is easy to get to, particularly considering the high ground clearance of the Outback. But what makes it particularly easy is the top mounted oil filter. It is so nice!

I actually prefer to work on my Outback more than my Alero. Good engineering makes cars easy to work on. And that ain't something that GM or Ford have ever been concerned about.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Trav
Simple to work on, nothing too quirky about them they are similar to any other water boxer. I do wish they would loose the open deck cases however and return to a closed deck and loose the CVT or at least offer a real auto or manual box in the grocery getters like they do in other parts of the world, for me the CVT is a deal breaker.

I have done a couple that with converted closed deck inserts from IAG and that made them bulletproof. Other than that awesome cars.


The CVT is a deal breaker for me too. My father has a Subaru with a CVT which is a complete turn off to me. There is nothing nice about that transmission imo. Nice car otherwise, but no thanks because of the CVT.

Which year and model? I guess if you are used to a car with 250+hp and a regular auto, the CVT with the 4 can feel pretty weak if you're trying to stay near the front of the stop light GP, and the engine doesn't sound great above 4k. But for just going with the flow, the Subaru one works very well IMO, and if you are trying to get good mileage, its very impressive at that. I find it amazing how smoothly it gets to highway speed just sitting at 2k rpm. Compared to my old CRV with a 5 spd auto where it had to noticeably shift every time the grade changes, in and out TC lock, then to 4th, back to 5th, then 4th TC unlocked... I like the CVT more, as the engine just varies between 1500 and 2500 rpm with no real auditory change. I'm not sure which year they started simulating shifts when you use a lot of throttle, but mine will do that, and it has 7 "gears" in manual mode, but running in manual mode is much less efficient as often 7th is a bit too tall and 6th spins the engine faster than it needs to, and shows much higher fuel consumption, than it would be in auto variable mode.
 
I'd rather work on a Subaru than a transverse Toyota/Ford/GM V6.

Although I'm not looking forward to plugs on my friend's Forester with the FB25 engine. The NA EJs aren't bad for plugs.
 
Originally Posted By: JR

Some mechanics just dont like anyting but domestics, period.

That's because domestics make them their money. It's a conflict of interest.
 
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