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I joined this forum last year as I was approaching retirement and thinking about buying a newer used or new Subaru.  This will be my first ever Subaru. I've long done all of the servicing I can on my cars (have a pretty good hobby garage with a lift and maintain a couple vintage Volvo 1800's as one of my hobbies). So I came here looking for some feedback on what to look for in a used one and got some great & helpful replies to aid in my search and consideration.

 

To cut to the chase, I'm now retired and after thinking about it for quite a while, I pulled the trigger yesterday and ordered a new 2015 CrossTrek premium  2.0 with a 5 speed  to arrive in about a month.  Obviously it'll go back to the dealer for its initial servicing and any warranty issues, but I always think long-term, so I thought I'd ask where people turn for service manuals for your cars to maintain them long term?

 

I am willing to pay for a good, factory / dealer quality manual if they can be had, but barring that, what resources are there out there??

 

Dave in Iowa 

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Subaru has a website where you can download service manuals for all of their vehicles. You pay for a subscription for a certain amount of time and download all you can during that time. I think this would be the only source for a service manual for a 2015.

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Thank you for that useful bit of information. I found it but didn't commit any money just yet.

 

It looks like I'd have to view / download one manual section at a time rather than the whole manual.  Is that correct??

 

Please, anyone who's used this service, feel free to chime in.

 

Dave

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yep, it's been that way before, so i'm not surprised you're seeing it still.

 

you could wait a couple years and they'll likely be free all over the internet like the 2 or 3 dozen Factory Service Manuals I have.  i haven't paid for one since a 1988 XT6 factory service manual like 20 years ago.

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I wondered about whether or not manuals would be more available in a few years. There are some really good support sites that have those for free for the vintage ('70 & '71) Volvo's I have as hobby cars & figured there'd be something comparable for Subaru.

 

The dealership I'm buying from gives you the first 5000 mile oil change free, and says they'll warranty the power train "for life" if I take it there for all  scheduled maintenance, I'm not likely to do that but what I think I will do when I take it back for that free service is to ask about a manual then just to see what they say. Plus I want to chat with their service guys about oil. I know, I know - that's always a subject of discussion on ANY forum; I've been a life-long believer in Castrol oil, but I'm willing to listen.

 

I really do appreciate the tone & demeanor of this board so far in the few exchanges I've had here. In may ways this group seems to have the same kind of supportive mind-set as the Volvo support groups I participate in.  I'm looking forward to being a part of it and, hopefully, I'll be able to contribute something over the years.

 

Thanks to all.

 

Dave in Iowa 

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Yeah, see what the service guys say about the manuals.  I'd be curious to know if the hard copies are still available.

 

The manuals do become available online as time passes.  I have a relatively large selection on my server, but don't really have any of the brand new cars.

 

http://main.experiencetherave.com/subaru_manual_scans

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Motor oil is like religion and politics. Nobody agrees on it, and wars are started because of it.

 

The most important things is to change the oil on a regular basis.

The newer models all use synthetic oil, so start doing some research on your favorite brands synthetic offerings.

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I agree about the analogy to religion, I've seen (and mostly stayed out of) some virtual shouting matches elsewhere on that subject.

 

Castrol dose offer full synthetics, but, as you say, I need to do a little research.  What's taken me a longer time to get use to is the shift to very light weight oils used in a lot of newer cars like my wife's Ford Focus and this one. I use them because that's what the OEM says to use and I have to figure there's a good reason, but my 45 or so years of experience as an amateur mechanic still makes me winch as I pour what looks a lot like sewing machine oil into an engine.

 

My intent in mentioning this last thing is not to switch the conversation here to either oil or Volvo's but, if you have never heard of him, as automobile fans anyone here may be interested to learn of a guy by the name of Irv Gordon. I've met Irv on three occasions at Volvo meets. He's the real deal, a very nice guy and his record is backed by the Guinness Book.  The engine in his '66 Volvo has been gone through only twice in 3 million miles (around 770,000 and again at around 2.2 million). He's achieved this record by simply sticking religiously to the factory maintenance schedule (and that work was always done at a dealership so it was documented). When asked, Irv will tell you that he uses Castrol. So I take that to be pretty good testimony in real-world driving. 

 

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/09/18/irv-gordons-volvo-p1800-has-hit-3-million-miles/    

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I have some background in volvos. A friend of mine owned several at one point. He drove his 87 240 wagon to just over 500,000 before the rust had taken over. He still has an 83 wagon which now has the engine from the 87.

 

Irv Gordon's car is legendary. I think that's testament to both good engineering and strict maintenance practice.

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Yeah, see what the service guys say about the manuals.  I'd be curious to know if the hard copies are still available.

 

+1  i've got some old hard copies, wonder what they do now.  come to think of it i don't know if i've ever seen a hard copy even for 2000+ models on ebay or someone else, etc....

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Most new cars usually come with a 'Owners Manual' :

 

XV Crosstrek Owners manual : ( added link in here )

 

http://www.joomag.com/magazine/subaru-xv-crosstrek-manuals-2014-xv-crosstrek-owners-manual/0648029001392674672

 

 

Another place to look is :

 

http://www.devicemanuals.com/productsupport/SUBARU_XV+Crosstrek_manual.html

 

 

If you’re after a 'Service / Workshop Manual' it can be ordered online or at the dealer.
They are usually in PDF format on CD or downloaded.

 

 

$_57.JPG

 

 

Found here : http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/SUBARU-XV-G4-X-2-0L-2012-2014-FACTORY-WORKSHOP-SERVICE-REPAIR-MANUAL-IN-DISC-/321424267571

 

 

( You use to be able get something like Haynes / Gregory’s publisher or the like that did a hard copy, couldn’t find any for the XV though )

 

More handy are the 'Parts Catalogue' but they are much harder to get hold of ...

 

 

Ciao, Bantum ...

 

 

( Note : Sorry I ran out of time to finish, will come back to update links )

 

 

Edited by Bantum
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Add : Well after searching for a bit found this :

 

http://www.subaruxvforum.com/forum/subaru-xv-diy-how-tos-tsb/2208-service-manual-3.html

 

and also here :

 

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByEKsdcnhknbY095MDJsVFoyOGM&usp=sharing

 

It might help a few out there looking for a suitable Workshop manual ... :)

 

Cheers, Bantum ...

Edited by Bantum
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