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yeah, i get it... and this is probably one of the biggest reasons I learned to do stuff myself.. despite the fact that "women dont work on cars" lol buying the components individually is ALWAYS going to cost more, always. And buying direct from a dealer.. yeah..

That shop doesn't know what they are talking about. So many flaws in that quote. High Points: You don't buy a head gasket "kit". You buy the parts individually - it's much cheaper. About $100 cheaper than their quote. Or more. And that's OEM Subaru retail pricing I'm talking about. Subaru only sells a complete gasket kit and those are not a good deal as they cover multiple engines and include many things you do not need and will not be using. Head bolts are NOT TTY and do not require replacement except on an individual basis if they are damaged or corroded (not typical). At least they got the pricing right. But they don't understand these engines. This engine does not use Super-Blue coolant and never did. That came 10 years later in 2009. And it eats plastic cooling system components. I would avoid it at all costs on vehicles not designed for it. It is NOT better than standard green. Subaru oil filters are junk - made by Honeywell/Fram (lowest bidder) for the USDM only. Even Subaru Japan will not allow their use on the newer engines. WIX is much better with an up-front bypass valve design. Amsoil is better yet although right now the EA15K12 filter is back-ordered due to production delays related to the short supply of steel to make filters. Valve stem seals are a good idea and resurfacing is absolutely required but they make no mention of the need (and it IS needed) to check and adjust the valve lash on the heads. Many of the shims are NLA from Subaru and this may require grinding the valve stems to adjust the lash, and also the shims are generally not in stock for the 25D - requiring often a 3-5 day wait to get these parts. They have too many hours for the head gasket replacement, and insufficient labor/parts for the cylinder head work. They have 6 liters of oil listed for an engine that takes 4.3 liters (4.5 quarts). There's likely more if I want to read between the lines but I've already started drinking and IMHO this shop is not qualified to work on this engine. GD

Back in the 90s - before after market idlers existed, and Subaru wanted $90 per idler - I converted the brackets on some old tensioners to use replaceable standard bearings. The idler with the teeth is already a standard bearing. I buy known name brand bearings with contact seals, and replace only the bearings. The tensioners have a swaged post with a standard size bearing [looks like] friction / spin welded onto it. I turned bar stock into posts for standard bearings, and swaged them onto the flat brackets.