SOA Coolant Additive-email notice (LONG)

[Suzam]

I just received this via the "My Subaru" Web Site, of which I belong. Thought I'd pass it on to those who may not get an email notice. Here it is as, just as I got it:

 

 

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Service Program WWP-99

February 2004

Dear Subaru Owner:

 

This email is sent to you in the interest of continued customer satisfaction. Subaru of America recently announced a campaign on certain model year vehicles starting in 1999 through 2002. Official Owner Notification Letters will be mailed to all affected customers starting in late February through May of 2004. The timing of the mailings is based on the vehicle model year, starting with oldest affected model year in February through the newest affected model years in May. The following text is similar to that contained in the Official Owner Notification Letter that will be sent to you during the mailing phase affecting your vehicle. Therefore, this email is most likely arriving before most owners will receive their official Owner Notification Letter in the mail. Please do not schedule your vehicle for an appointment for this campaign until after you have received your Official Owner Notification Letter, unless you are experiencing vehicle problems. You can contact your local Subaru dealer for any questions related to this or e-mail us at Subaru.com, contact us.

 

CAMPAIGN MESSAGE

As a precautionary measure, SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. is recommending that a special conditioner be added to the engine cooling system of certain 1999 through 2002 model year Subaru vehicles equipped with 2.5 liter engines. This recommendation, which applies to your Subaru vehicle, is made to prevent a possible external coolant leak at your vehicle’s engine cylinder head gaskets.

 

WHAT YOU SHOULD DO

Once you receive your official Owner Notification Letter in the mail, you should contact your Subaru Dealer as soon as possible for an appointment to have the Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added at no cost to you. The approximate time to perform this operation is 15 minutes. However, it may be necessary to leave your vehicle the full day of your scheduled appointment to allow your dealer flexibility in scheduling. Please present the official notification letter to your Subaru Dealer at the time this repair procedure is performed.

 

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Your vehicle’s engine cooling system contains liquid coolant/anti-freeze. Over time, it is possible for small external coolant leaks to develop at the engine cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal expansion and contraction of engine components caused by the heating and cooling of these parts. To prevent coolant leaks from developing or to correct existing leaks at the head gaskets, a special Subaru Cooling System Conditioner should be added to your vehicle’s cooling system.

 

FUTURE MAINTENANCE

In the future, it will be necessary to add Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner to your vehicle’s cooling system whenever the engine coolant is replaced. The recommended service interval for coolant replacement can be found in your Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading “Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services”. As a reminder, with the official owner notification mailing, we will include an update page that should be added to your Owner’s Manual and Warranty and Maintenance Booklet. We ask you to keep in mind that replacement of fluids (including Subaru Cooling System Conditioner) during inspection and maintenance services is not covered under warranty.

 

WARRANTY EXTENSION

Once you receive your notification letter, you should have this Service Program repair performed promptly. If so, Subaru will extend coverage under the Subaru Limited Warranty on your vehicle for cylinder head gasket external coolant leaks to a period of 8 years or 100,000 miles, whichever occurs first. Warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was delivered to the first retail purchaser. If the vehicle was used as a demonstrator or company vehicle before being sold at retail, warranty coverage begins on the date the vehicle was first placed in such service. As a further condition for this extended warranty coverage to apply, you must have Genuine Subaru Cooling System Conditioner added to your vehicle at any subsequent cooling system services at the interval specified in the Warranty and Maintenance Booklet under the heading “Schedule of Inspection and Maintenance Services”. Resulting damage caused by a lack of maintenance or low coolant level will not be covered.

 

CHANGED YOUR ADDRESS OR SOLD YOUR SUBARU?

If you have moved or sold your vehicle, please reply to this message with your Vehicle Identification Number and your updated information.

 

IF YOU HAVE PREVIOUSLY PAID FOR A RELATED REPAIR

In the event that you have already paid an authorized Subaru Dealer for repairs to remedy an external coolant leak in an engine cylinder head gasket at less than 100,000 miles and your Subaru’s cooling system has been properly maintained, you may be entitled to reimbursement for the head gasket replacement costs. Any reimbursement by Subaru will be based on our suggested retail parts pricing and suggested labor time multiplied by the dealer’s hourly labor rate at the time of repair. Because Subaru Dealers are independently owned and operated, Subaru of America has no control over the actual charges. The actual repair cost may be higher or lower than the rate used by Subaru of America to calculate reimbursement. If lower, reimbursement will be limited to the amount you actually paid. Please send the ORIGINAL service repair order, which has complete information including the name of the repair facility, date of repair, mileage at the time of repair, complete vehicle identification number (17 digits), and your name, with correct mailing address and telephone number to the address listed below.

 

Subaru of America, Inc.

Customer Dealer Service Department

Attention: Service Program WWP-99

P.O. Box 6000

Cherry Hill, NJ 08034-6000

 

Please send original receipts only and retain a photocopy for your records. Please be assured that we will attempt to process your reimbursement request as quickly as possible, but may take up to 120 days for this process to be completed.

 

IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM

Should you have any questions regarding this customer service program, please contact your nearest Subaru Dealer. To locate the nearest Subaru Dealer you can access our Website at http://www.Subaru.com and select “Find a Dealer”. Or, you may call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 (1-800-782-2783) during normal business hours for assistance. Please call us immediately if the dealer fails or is unable to make the necessary repairs free of charge or write to the address listed in this email.

Again, this email is possibly being sent before you will receive your official owner notification. Therefore, we would appreciate it if you would wait until that time to have the service campaign completed. Your continued satisfaction with your Subaru is important to us. Please understand that we have taken this action in the interest of your vehicle’s proper operation and we have staged the owner letters in phases so that Subaru dealers can perform this service within a reasonable time frame. We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this matter may cause you.

 

Sincerely,

 

SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.

 

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[myles]

Originally posted by Suzam

<snip>

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Your vehicle’s engine cooling system contains liquid coolant/anti-freeze. Over time, it is possible for small external coolant leaks to develop at the engine cylinder head gaskets. This is the result of normal expansion and contraction of engine components caused by the heating and cooling of these parts. To prevent coolant leaks from developing or to correct existing leaks at the head gaskets, a special Subaru Cooling System Conditioner should be added to your vehicle’s cooling system. <snip>

 

If this is the result of a "normal" process, why aren't the other engines affected ?

[Guest lothar34]

Was '99 the year they switched to SOHC for the 2.5L?

[Commuter]

In North America, the Impreza platform vehicles (Impreza, Forester) got the SOHC engine in 1999. The Legacy platform vehilces (Legacy, Outback, Baja (when it arrived)) got it in 2000.

 

Commuter

[joybell]

Question: My 2003 Forester is supposedly not affected, but subjected to the same coolant additive when I take it in for service? So does that mean that I get the extended warranty too? Actually, I would rather not have the stop leak coolant added if I don't get an extended warranty. How do I know if the dealer adds it or not? Different color?

[Scoobaroo]

Translation of the letter:

 

-We are in deep s#it over this head gasket thing and it could cost us tens of million$ to properly fix the problem.

 

-Let's tell people that head gaskets are supposed to leak and that it's "normal".

 

-Let's act as if we're concerned about the problem by adding a cheap can of sealer to peoples antifreeze thinly disguised as a "conditioner" Maybe this will buy us some time until these cars are out of warranty.

 

-If people have to pay out of their own pockets to fix their head gaskets that should have been designed properly to begin with after the sealer fails and the car is out of warranty, then f*ck 'em.

 

I'm good at translating cheesy, predictable corporate responses.

Let me know if there are any others that need translating.

[Petersubaru]

adding the sealant could only be a pre-cautionary thing to do...I have been told by some reliable mechanics that the larger auto manufactures add some kind sealant to the rad before it leaves the factory...who knows for sure as to what is actually going on...are the newer subarus starting to have head gasket problems???...a major weakness once again???

[rweddy]

adding the sealant could only be a pre-cautionary thing to do...I have been told by some reliable mechanics that the larger auto manufactures add some kind sealant to the rad before it leaves the factory...who knows for sure as to what is actually going on...are the newer subarus starting to have head gasket problems???...a major weakness once again???

There are some external leaks not but not the issues like the 96-99 with intenal leaks.

[BradSA138]

that's serious I wonder if my 1993 is affected?

[Subsforever]

that's serious I wonder if my 1993 is affected?

nope the 2.5 wasnt available until 1996, you have the 2.2 if its a legacy or a 1.8 if your have a impreza.

[cookie]

The dealer is supposed to put a sticker on the car to prove that the conditioner has been added. Mine is on the driver's door if I recall correctly.