Wondering about 30,000 mile maintenance service

[ratterrierdog]

Hi Folks,

 

New member...first post.  Hopefully I'm doing this properly.

 

I have a 2012 Legacy that has reached 30,000 miles.  My dealer wants quite a bit of money for the services performed, and there are certainly items I can do myself (like air filter, probably PCV).  On their maintenance checklist the services listed that will definitely be done are:

oil and filter

rotate and balance tires

replace brake fluid

throttle service (not sure what they do for this)

replace air filter

replace differential fluid

 

The remaining items are all inspect / check.

 

I have looked at the owners manual to try and see what is definitely needed at this interval, and these look to be oil and filter, air filter and brake fluid.  The differential fluid is inspect and "replace as necessary" with a note that mentions to do this at 15,000 if under heavy conditions.  So does this mean under normal conditions it should always be replaced at 30,000? 

 

Any other information from you folks about the 30,000 mile service would be welcome and appreciated.

 

 

Also, I have had the rear brakes done not too long ago, and was surprised that the rears wore down before the fronts, as front brakes do most of the work.  Maybe because the front pads are more substantial?  Cars I've owned prior to Subarus always had the fronts wear out first, since the front wheels do most of the braking.  Is my guess about the front pads being more substantial correct?

 

Thanks much,

 

ratterrierdog

[nipper]

Look in the owners manual and see what it says to service. The trottle thing just makes cash for the dealer.

 

Normal conditions is one person no towing no temp extreems. it never hurts to replace a lubricant, its up to you. Some cars never have them changed.Inspect the fluid if it looks tired, replace.

 

Subarus are AWD but brakes do wear differntly then 2wd cars. The other possability is that your fronts arent working as well as you think they are.

[Bushwick]

You haven't changed the oil in 30k miles? If you plan on keeping the car any longer (assuming it's not already damaged) get in the habit of 3-4k mile changes. I run the best synthetic oils and by 4k miles it's always been dark and ready to be replaced regardless of the engine and driving habits. If driving the engine hard, then 3k miles.

[nipper]

I use 5K for oil changes (easy math) and every other oil change for a drain and fill of the tranny fluid.

 

Also check oil level once a week. 

 

I assumed he changed the oil per schedule.

[jp98]

You can't tell the condition of the oil by its color.  If you are running a synthetic you should be able to get at least 10,000 miles out of it by just changing the filter and then topping it off.  You need to pull a sample of it and send it to a lab to see just what the oil is doing.  I use Blackstone Labs.  The sample kit is free and the turn around if quite quick if you use their email service.