Leaderboard

Agreed...whats the point of posting an issue without final resolution for others learning. The most satisfying part was it all "added up"...and I just wasn't some unlucky customer after all the due diligene I did purchasing the thing. While its no fun to have to question others....a very personal thing...at the same time, I've made mistakes and was raised to "fess up when you mess up", with the understanding that we all do it and its part of the growing/learning process and its OK. The failure just didn't pass the "sniff test of randomness" given all the situational facts, my experience with the vehicle as well as my own experience with failure analysis early in my career....so I had to question the process....and knowing there was a young, newly minted apprentice involved...it wasn't unreasonable. I did my best to make sure that the dealer folks understood I can tolerate oopsies, but we needed to investigate openly and honestly...and they did so. So to have the Subaru guys "fess up" was just awesome on a human scale...not to rub it in their face....its a fair amount of pressure catering to the public... but to know that my local Subaru dealer, indeed fellow San Antonians, have some sincere and honest folks who want to do right by their fellow man (not just because they're a customer).....those are my kind of folks! -tkyler

Just got back from the dealer. Props to the dealer, they brought me back to the lift for the initial inspection...I even helped push it in from where the tow truck dropped it off and they brought over their two most senior techs to investigate. We checked ATF dipstick (not CVT model) before the lift and it showed fluid in it, but slightly low....for obvious reasons as we'll see next. Once on the lift, we drained the front diff and surprise..... out popped ATF.....along with a LOT of broken metal parts. We collected some fluid and It did not appear to any of us that there was any diff oil in the mixture. The hypothesis by the senior techs is that the assigned tech and his apprentice probably got crossed up along the way and forgot/overlooked refilling the front diff after draining it....(idosubaru called it!) and the front diff disentigrated in short order and the pieces punctured some wall (I'm not familiar with the arrangement of the sumps/paths etc).......punctured some wall that allowed ATF to flow into the diff, which of course we observed when we drained the front diff. Either/or, the service manager (after private consult with the senior techs) graciously shook my hand and said, "we got this...this is on us". I've made my share of mistakes and understand how things roll.....despite the inconvenience, but most importantly, I can't say enough about the transparency and integrity of this Subaru dealership and their service staff. -tkyler

might swap tire-pairs front-to-back, inspect brakes, lug nuts, etc. at the same time.

I'm not impressed by the phrase "the engine sounds good". If the guy from the car service who fixes my car had said that, I'd have believed him. But if this is coming from a guy trying to sell his old car, it sounds unconvincing. You'd write the complete characteristics of your car, listing them in a column. Then many users would be satisfied with your post. Take an example of a list of attributes from any car sales site like jdmbuysell.com. There they write them on a table, show some photos of documents for cars, etc.

The OEM bolts are flange head bolts. No lock washers. Never had one get loose. Do not over torque them. The springs are re usable, as long as they are in good condition. I should have wrote in my earlier post to push the tensioner in the direction the spring moves it. But also, it should move freely. Don't hold pressure while tightening it, it's just to make sure the spring moves it far enough kind of thing.

These don’t have a washer under the bolts in stock form. (Or my memory is off or all the ones I’ve worked on were missing). This makes me wonder why those washers were added and if a previous owner was chasing an issue? Is there any chance the bolt is not tightening enough? I mean I see you’re posting torque values. You’re sure he’s reaching and keeping that value? You’re sure the threads have never been stripped? These threads are prone to strip and with washers under the head there will be less thread engagement than normal. These don’t have a washer under the bolt head in stock form. I’ve repaired a few of those threads with thread repair inserts or longer bolts and a tap.