Subaru supercool is there an alternative

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I know that my Volvo dealer wanted me to use their expensive ATF but the Volvo forum outsmarted them. Someone found that Mobil's 3309 is re-branded for Volvo. I can get a case of Mobil for the price of a few bottle from the dealer.

My 2013 Outback Subaru says to use Subaru Super-cool. At $26 a jug it seems an excessive price. So is there an alternative or what is the scoop on the Supre-cool.

I'm going to need this because in June I bought the Outback with 36,000 miles on it, I have a mysterious coolant loss. The dealer pressure tested the car, it lost 2 pounds in 10 minutes - dealer says it is within specs. Coolant loss is due to evaporation.

There are people on the Subaru forum that call me overly worried but I never had a car that was reported to be in good shape - lose coolant. It is a Certified Subaru. Car isn't over heating, I can smell coolant outside the car on hot days but they tell me everything is normal.

So because of this mystery loss I want to find a coolant to use in the Outback that doesn't cost so much.
 
I'd just buy the gallon of premix.

I owned/maintained 3 of the fb25 powered subaru's they all needed 8oz or so yearly.
 
Originally Posted by urdrwho
The dealer pressure tested the car, it lost 2 pounds in 10 minutes - dealer says it is within specs. Coolant loss is due to evaporation.

There are people on the Subaru forum that call me overly worried but I never had a car that was reported to be in good shape - lose coolant. It is a Certified Subaru. Car isn't over heating, I can smell coolant outside the car on hot days but they tell me everything is normal.

Does your car not have an expansion tank?
Never thought this was an issue with cars built in the last 30+ years

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Pentofrost A3 you say? I need to look in the garage because I know I have Pentofrost that I used in the Volvo's. It is blue, premixed --- just not sure if it is A3.

Just looked and it is Pentofrost NF. I have two bottles of it. ;(
 
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It has an expansion tank and that is where I see the drop. I check it with the car in the same location, first thing in the morning before starting the car. I made lines on the reservoir where it was when the dealer topped off. In less than 500 miles the coolant has noticeably dropped under my lines.

The morning after I bought the car I looked and the reservoir was 99% empty.

Originally Posted by Lolvoguy
Originally Posted by urdrwho
The dealer pressure tested the car, it lost 2 pounds in 10 minutes - dealer says it is within specs. Coolant loss is due to evaporation.

There are people on the Subaru forum that call me overly worried but I never had a car that was reported to be in good shape - lose coolant. It is a Certified Subaru. Car isn't over heating, I can smell coolant outside the car on hot days but they tell me everything is normal.

Does your car not have an expansion tank?
Never thought this was an issue with cars built in the last 30+ years

coffee2.gif
 
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Originally Posted by urdrwho
My reservoir has gone down probably about 4 oz in less than 500 miles.

I would seriously consider adding Subaru Coolant Conditioner to your radiator, to see if that helps out. I used it in our 2003 Outback (model year prone to head gasket issues) with good success since I didn't have to replace head gaskets before that Subaru's untimely demise in an accident.
 
Recochem makes good coolant, and theirs is concentrate, available at Pep Boys for about $20/gal but often goes on sale for even less
smile.gif


Peak Global Lifetime will probably work, too.
 
Originally Posted by urdrwho
I'm going to need this because in June I bought the Outback with 36,000 miles on it, I have a mysterious coolant loss. The dealer pressure tested the car, it lost 2 pounds in 10 minutes - dealer says it is within specs. Coolant loss is due to evaporation.

There are people on the Subaru forum that call me overly worried but I never had a car that was reported to be in good shape - lose coolant. It is a Certified Subaru. Car isn't over heating, I can smell coolant outside the car on hot days but they tell me everything is normal.
If you smell coolant it is leaking and they don't want to chase the leak. My car leaks coolant and I know the smell you are talking about. Evaporation my foot! Time to call corporate!
 
Does your warranty cover repairs at indie shops or only at dealer? I have been less than satisfied with dealer service overall but they occasionally surprised me with relatively fast and effective service. I have not dealt with Subaru dealers but I suspect they are on par with others. If the warranty covers other shops it may be worth taking it to a radiator specialist or other reputable repair shop. However if you don't have warranty and prefer diy, it may be worth getting a UV leak detection kit.
 
I need to add a bit of coolant to my FXT on a regular basis, not sure why but at least I know it's not getting into the oil. My daughter's Impreza doesn't use nearly as much coolant. I just buy the Subie premix because it's convenient and I don't have to worry about making sure it is compatible with my vehicle. I did try changing my radiator cap and that didn't make any difference.

I have a little bottle of the Subie conditioner in the garage but several Subie aficionados have warned me not to use it unless I definitely have a real problem...I don't think having to add coolant every so often is a big concern, myself.
 
OP, contact Subaru of America: [email protected]

Originally Posted by Virtus_Probi
I need to add a bit of coolant to my FXT on a regular basis, not sure why but at least I know it's not getting into the oil. My daughter's Impreza doesn't use nearly as much coolant. I just buy the Subie premix because it's convenient and I don't have to worry about making sure it is compatible with my vehicle. I did try changing my radiator cap and that didn't make any difference.

I have a little bottle of the Subie conditioner in the garage but several Subie aficionados have warned me not to use it unless I definitely have a real problem...I don't think having to add coolant every so often is a big concern, myself.


I have to add from just below low to full every winter in our FXT. The Legacy doesn't seem to lose anything.

I've been told in the past to simply add distilled and make sure you drive it (cold to hot) before it freezes.
 
Sure adding coolant once in a while is no big thing and I've had cars that needed it. But those were older cars, high, high mileage and adding fluids can be expected on such cars.

I wrote a check for almost $25,000 on a car with what I consider low mileage (36,000) and only three years old so I'm not thrilled now that I have a car that needs to be coddled with fluid watching. My Volvo S60 with 220,000 miles never, ever needed coolant, the same for the Volvo V50 with 130,000 miles on it. The same with the Caddie, the same with the Honda, etc.

When I wrote the check, I never, ever considered that I was buying a car that I needed to keep an eye on the coolant level. It is just not right. But also what isn't right is the way Subaru handles coolant. I swear the reservoir is the same one that was on my 95 Legacy. It does not have a screw on cap and is really an antiquated design. Maybe it is their way of selling Subbie coolant?
 
I use the Subaru Super Coolant for warranty and will until 100k. I have to add about 4 oz every 6 months. Zerex Asian Blue will be my goto after warranty as it's $11/jug at WM.
 
It doesn't make you a bit inquisitive why the Legacy doesn't seem to lose anything but the other Subbie does lose coolant? On a Subbie forum I was reading a post from a guy that had the mysterious coolant disappering problem. He needed a half block installed (reason unknown) and after the new half block install, the mysterious coolant disappearance ended.

To me, if one subbie loses coolant and the other doesn't that points to engineering / design problem. For a long time the oil consumption problem was not accepted by Subaru and I think it was a Class Action that made Subaru take notice. "Owners of Subaru Forester, Outback, Crosstrek, Impreza and Legacy are getting compensation from Subaru from the oil consumption lawsuit filed against them"

I wonder how many people even think about the coolant. If you take your car to a subbie dealer they top off fluids, check tires, etc. So to all the people taking their cars to the dealer for oil changes, they just won't know if it needed coolant.

To me the big question that nobody has a definitive answer for is --- why?

Originally Posted by gathermewool
OP, contact Subaru of America: [email protected]


I have to add from just below low to full every winter in our FXT. The Legacy doesn't seem to lose anything.

I've been told in the past to simply add distilled and make sure you drive it (cold to hot) before it freezes.
 
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I haven't smelled coolant in any of my new Subies. My '97 Legacy smelled like coolant, even after I replaced the radiator, though it was as you describe, in that it was only on hot days. I attributed that mild smell to the amount of coolant expanding into the reservoir. I don't know the real answer; the radiator replacement fixed the actual leakage issue and top-off volumes were from that point negligible, just as I consider having to add a few oz. to my new Subies every year.

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You quoted me about contacting SoA. Have you done this? It does not hurt to get them involved, regardless of whether the depress rate is "in spec."....
 
Yes I have been in contact with SOA and they are very helpful.

The radio needed to be replaced and was bad from the beginning. Little did I know those squiggly lines were a sign of a dying radio. Now if only Subaru would update the radio so that it works correctly with Sirius.

I think I am hyper sensitive because inside of me I am not sure I made a wise choice. Remember this is a Certified Subbie with the 152 point inspection.

Test drive day....
Step into the car - battery is dead. New battery and away we go.
Onto the road and I try the brakes, they go 75% of the way to the floor. I tell the sales guy these brakes have air in them. Into the shop, brakes bled and off I go.
I thought the car was very comfortable, clean etc. To me it ran ok and I bought it.
Next morning after purchasing the car, I check the reservoir and it is 99% empty. Another check point that someone forgot to check.
Then it was the radio issue. They fixed it.
Than it was the fuel filler that wouldn't close (TSB for it) . They fixed it.
CVT had flare and shuddering after warmed up - they did a TCM update and it is better. Not 100% to my liking but maybe I'm not a fan of the CVT.
Multiple occasions I've had to put coolant into the reservoir and I can at times on hot days smell coolant
Two times I've gotten into the car after it sat for several days and the brake pedal was full to the top. It is a push button start and I could barely press the pedal enough for the switch to activate the ignition. Not fixed.
Electric lift gate will at times stick, won't go up. Not fun in the rain with groceries. Not fixed.
Rough idle on hot days with AC turned on. Engine management of modern cars lean or enrich to make up for the load but ???

The service manager is aware that I know about cars. I told him I do most all my own work, I've replace Jaguar engines, Subbie engines, replaced timing belts and everything in between. So what do they say about coolant, they explain the ebb and flow of hot cold coolant in the reservoir. Errr! Yes I know how the reservoir works.

This is from a subbie forum and it is my big worry "I have a 2015 Outback Limited with 38,000 miles that had a leaky head gasket."

Not sure if I got all of the issues but in a way I keep expecting another shoe to drop. recently I test drove another OB Limited, it was a 2016. Totally different experience. There was no odd CVT issues, idled well with AC turned on, lift gate was much smoother, etc.

Last week while at the dealer AGAIN waiting in their service department I saw a 2015 Honda CR-V EX-L for sale in their lot. We have a 2011 Honda CR-V EX-L and it hasn't lost a drop of coolant and has not seen a shop since we bought it 3 years ago. So I take the Honda out for a drive and the CVT is smooth, none of the jerkiness of my Outback. The Outback Limited has a much better trim package than that Honda and the OB probably has better speakers (Harman Kardon).

If the dealer had something in another OB model or even a Honda that struck me, I would most likely bail on this car. I already spoke to the sales guy about bailing and he said they would work with me. For $25,000 after driving off the lot I shouldn't have seen the dealers shop again.

SOA is aware of all the issues I've had since purchasing the car on 6/25/2018. By now I'm probably a PITA to them.
smile.gif



Originally Posted by gathermewool

You quoted me about contacting SoA. Have you done this? It does not hurt to get them involved, regardless of whether the depress rate is "in spec."....
 
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I know this is a few months old but my 2017 Legacy was brought in for a coolant smell and low coolant. They topped it off and told me that the system is an open system that evaporates into the air. Then, I traded the 17 in for an 18 and this one has low coolant too and also a coolant smell although I smell it more when it is warm out and not cold. When I was in for my first service they didn't top off the coolant. When I bring it back for my 2nd service I will let them know. I have a 10 year 100k warranty on it so anything is wrong they have to fix and I get a rental. I also had my battery go bad within 6 months. They replaced it quickly.

I don't drive this car as much as my other car but it is my kid friendly car so it's nice to know I have a rental available if/when it needs service. I did my first six month service at under 2700 miles.
 
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Subaru blue is the same as Honda/Nissan blue-green. You can use Zerex Asian Blue(WM occasionally has it), Peak OET Asian Blue, GC Blue.

Prestone does make a replacement, but it has 2-EHA. Subaru has been mum about that unlike Toyota or Honda but rumor at a Prestone marketing meeting is that they're pushing for Cor-Guard or the Toyota formula in blue at SIA.
 
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