ThosL

My sister thought she needed an oil change today; I carefully explain to her that because she does not usually drive more than 20 miles on any given day, that the three month recommendation is overly conservative on her Subaru. She was determined to get it done. She has been used to spending around $50 each time, which is highway robbery for someone on a fixed income. So I said she could go to "Splash" a car wash/oil change place in Norwalk. Last time they charged me around $21, tax included; or Monro, which has a little better treatment, I told her to just have the minimum done. What I wasn't thinking was how Monro gets people in the door with the oil change special of around $25, then sells them on everything else that they say needs to be done. They would give me staggering estimates on potential repairs at another shop which I always rejected. So they got her for a "loose pipe" and a radiator flush! I am really angry that they pushed this on her. How do you help ignorant family members not get ripped off by outfits like "Monro"?

You don't want animals to die in cars where you can't find them. I don't know if it is still in there. I drive the vehicle every day, and sometimes hear what could be scurrying critters or fluid transfer in/around the engine, etc.. Thanks for the suggestions. Probably the best idea is mousetraps with PB. I would get into my car in the morning and see fresh gnaw from the seat foam rubber strewn around. I probably should replace the driver's seat.

I apparently have a mouse that has been in my Subaru, not sure if it is still active in there. Advice? I have tried mouse traps without catching anything. It gnawed away on the foam driver's side seat, a 4X6 inch section of the seat. Where would these buggers hide?

The last time I got plugs the parts store pushed the plat/iridiums on me, pre-gapped though I eyeballed them just to make sure before putting them in. My mpg is lower than usual, low 20s, not sure what that would be.

The brick and mortar shops realize how competitive the business is with the online sellers so have come down on their prices. Last time I paid around $80 per tire installed for three, and kept one of the tires on that was not that badly worn. Later I found a virtually new tire relatively cheaply. I would also explore the used tire option; some times you can get a nearly new set mounted and balanced for a lot less. With the price of petro coming down, eventually that will translate into cheaper tires, motor oil, etc..

What's the best price for a shop to do struts? Quotes I have heard are quite high.

It depends how bad the head gaskets are, I have had at least short term success with "Blue Devil" and "Fiber Lock" (a three-pronged approach) which run around $70 and $35 each with guarantees--keep all receipts and original packaging if it doesn't work as they can be hard to get money back on otherwise though I have been able to do that. Other thoughts on keeping the engine cool; there are super cooling fluids to add, a secondary radiator maybe, an extra fan. I have even put the heater on full to suck heat out of the engine. If it turns out to be you need to get the head gaskets replaced, parts alone could be $400 according to a worker at NAPA I was talking to today who had her husband a mechanic do the job including pump and timing belt. I would look at all options, check out the videos on you tube with all the critical comments!! You don't want to clog up your cooling system.

If it's not broken why fix/replace? Several weeks ago when I had my water pump replaced we checked the timing belt that had no cracks or signs of abnormal wear and did not replace it. And it had not been changed in at least 100K miles!

Good to hear you got it back considering statistically your odds were not good; more likely for it to have ended up half way across the country or up in Canada or chop shop, but the high value cars are more popular targets for that. Cops are advising owners lock their cars with thefts becoming more of a problem, Subarus are harder to break into than some cars.

I have had estimates on doing my head gaskets of $1000 minimum, so I would exhaust all other reasonable options before going down that route; but sounds like it is on its last legs anyway. Maybe use it only when necessary while looking for a replacement according to what you can afford.

I know this product as all head gasket "repair" products will be rejected by the Subaru mechanics and specialists, however I tried it several weeks ago with success. K & W Fiberlock was at Auto Zone with similar products like Blue Devil, which I tried a couple years ago. I called the company before buying it, since it said they offered a double money back guarantee, and a nice lady said they are a big company that honors their word. Since putting it in I have driven a couple thousand miles or so with no overheating or bubbles. My head gasket problem was probably pretty minor though. I spoke with Montesi auto in Waterbury and he said that Blue Devil did not work when he followed all the steps, probably most people give up when making the company honor their guarantee, I got my money back with Blue Devil after contacting the state AG on this consumer issue. Has anyone tried this product? What are the risks to the radiator, or other cooling system parts? As with many of these products, youtube has a number of comments:

I had a 2.2 transplant into my 99 Outback and have not had any engine problems since, except for the water pump.

Just be glad you aren't in Jackman, Maine, mooose country. Truckers regularly have them run out in front of their trucks.

I had the job done today, a little under 4 hours for the water pump alone. When the water pump compartment was opened up, the shop manager said look at how the plastic melted, a bad sign for the head gaskets; ie though we could not see them if other plastic gaskets melted, they were probably damaged. The old timing belt looked OK, so we decided to keep it, no other parts were replaced but water pump and thermostat. The job was done under $400. After the job was done it looked like we had the tell-tale bubbles in the radiator and overflow tank with overheating. But I was able to drive the car 50 or so miles without any indications of a serious problem. Time will tell.

I'm having the mechanic in Waterbury work on it tomorrow am; I will just have to keep the radiator full and keep my eye on the gauge on the way up.

I had Monroe check it out, they said water pump. I went to a couple other places that did not get a flashlight and get under it to diagnose.

Does letting the vehicle cool off change the dynamic of the water flow in the radiator, the overflow, and throughout the engine? Say what? I was thinking that with a bad water pump leaking water (I am adding around a gallon every time I restart the car) you add water when you restart the car and unless there is enough water in the system abnormalities will happen especially because the water pump is not working.

I have noticed overheating problems seem particularly acute with Subarus, I can't remember another brand of vehicle that seems to be prone to this. I have a number of questions of how people can avoid problems due to overheating. In the case of radiators, fans, the coolant system, the water pump, outside weather and climate effects, heavy hauling or substantial up hill terrain challenges, leaks, etc., what are the preventative measures that should be taken and measures that should be taken after a problem develops with 2.5 and 2.2 engines? Is the hot/cold sensor on the dashboard a reliable measure of threats to having the engine overheat? How high does the dial have to go up before a real threat to the integrity of the engine develops? Does letting the vehicle cool off change the dynamic of the water flow in the radiator, the overflow, and throughout the engine? How long should a Subaru be allowed to cool off if it overheats before it is restarted? Why is a hot engine hard to start? If the water pump is going bad, how much water does it leak, does the water only come out of it or other places in that case, how much notice do you have before it must be replaced? Why is the 2.5 more prone to permanent damage and does the 2.2 installation replacement significantly impact the power available as well as strain it inordinately when in a station wagon? Are synthetic coolants or other forms of extraordinary options worth considering to augment the cooling system? Thanks for responses to these questions.

The mechanic has scheduled the water pump job for Monday. I asked him how driveable it is and he said I should be OK if I keep the radiator full. So I have driven it on the highway today; this morning I was OK, then drove it this rather hot afternoon and it is overheating. I have a 30 mile or so ride back home, is there a way to drive this carefully so as not to overheat the engine again? It did not get into the critical area with the temperature gauge, how accurate is that? If I keep putting water in the radiator will I be OK and pull over when it gets above the 60% level on the gauge?

A gas service station down town has a '98 Outback wagon with standard tranny, 75K or so on new engine for $2800. Probably fair, it had been regularly serviced. But they may take less. I would never get set on any car, have it thoroughly checked out, sounds like you are in the process of doing that.

If you were closer I would gladly share one of the areas best IPAs: http://everythingontap.com/2014/07/19/two-roads-road-2-ruin-double-ipa-review/ This job is beyond me in terms of my experience and I would have to do it in a parking lot and hope that no one would try to enforce the no work on vehicles rules.

I switched back from the Iridium quattro plug to the NGK OE and had much better results. The parts shop automatically gave me the more expensive NGK platinums last time.

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The shop in Waterbury said the 2.2 is an easier job than the 2.5. You never know what you are going to get when you open up the water pump/timing belt compartment someone said; so we'll see.

I was hoping this was just a leaking hose problem, as "Splash" oil change/car wash said; I ran it by Monroe who after quite a while with a flashlight and looking at the schematic said it was the water pump. $700 estimate there, same at another trusted mechanic for timing belt too, another shop with an hour drive away was around $400.