blitz Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Of those that have received the notice, how many of you have accepted the coolant additive (sealant)? Also feel free to add any comments as to why you did or didn't: e.g. I like the 100k mile warranty extension on the head gaskets. or: I value heat at 100k miles during the winter months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtsmiths Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 We put it on our '00 Legacy. THe warranty wasn't the issue, we're alread over 150,000. Can't hurt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unverviking Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Yup, got it done with a 60k service. Has almost 72k on it now. The 100k warranty was worth the effort of getting it done. Kinda seals (pun inteneded) the market for the Sube dealers and coolant flushes... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brokechump Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I passed just because I haven't found specifics on what it does other than work like stop-leak "oatmeal" stuff. Don't know if it has the same consitancy or not. Just did the HG's on my 00 OBW with 120k this past week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 as my personal savior. However I also changed the head gaskets because I am an Atheist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted January 3, 2005 Author Share Posted January 3, 2005 as my personal savior. However I also changed the head gaskets because I am an Atheist. LOL In my mind's eye, I had more of a vaccination scenario in mind. I need to weigh-in and say that I haven't taken the vaccine (yet). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 But I figure it's good insurance. The real problem is the oerbored block and the open deck. http://www.cgperformance.com/subaru_block.htm These guys figure the same thing I do about it and they are making big power with this closed deck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 My main problem with accepting the goop, is the fact that all the commercially available "stop-leak" products each make big a point of claiming that theirs is the one that doesn't clog the heater core. So essentially the way I see it, Subaru has dealt everyone in this boat a hand of trading the cost of potential warranted head gasket replacement sooner in exchange for a likely heater core replacement out of pocket later. I'm not amused. For anyone that knows, what's parts and labor on a heater core? I gotta make a decision soon and figure out which way I'll be getting screwed LESS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howards11 Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I took the additive on my 2000 Forester. I have 37K on it. ~Howard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 it was from someone applying Bar's leak for a radiator hole that was way too big to cure anyway. When removing the radiator tanks you could see that it had clogged the tubes. This stuff mixes with the water and is supposed to keep in circulation until there is a leak. Guess what, your antifreeze already has a small amount of stopleak in it. We are upping the level of the stop leak enough to cure a potential head gasket leak. It would seem that over the years that this does have to coat the inside of the block, radiator and heater core. I am betting that this will be at such a low level that it won't affect the car. It seems to me that the biggest possible failure in this no sealing surface wonder is the head gasket, and the stop leak will be benificial in the end. After all one of the most common heater problems is a pinhole leak and this is likely to help seal that too. The real cure is to redesign the block which I hear they have done for the turbo models. I would love to see it tried on an already leaking engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
richierich Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 58k miles on a 2000 Legacy GT and I haven't had the dealership add the additive, but since I own an independent Subaru repair shop have added it to a few customer vehicles when doing coolant services. I don't add as much as it says. But do have to do it to keep the 100k warrantee in effect. I charged $800 for the last heater core on a 97 Legacy, that was parts and labor. Dealer wanted $1050. I had a antifreeze recyler look at the stuff, he didn't believe it was same as stop leak, but in some ways it must be. Austin that works at Carter Subaru has added it to an older Legacy and if fix an external headgasket leak. On vehicle that have headgasket problems, it seems that antifreeze is seeping from other places as well, almost all the hose clamps have green stains around them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeman Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 I am having the coolant conditioner added today. I never did get a notice. My notice was y'alls posts on this message board. I am glad the warranty on the headgaskets is extended to 100K. Also, it was "free", my favorite word. Of those that have received the notice, how many of you have accepted the coolant additive (sealant)?Bradford Also feel free to add any comments as to why you did or didn't: e.g. I like the 100k mile warranty extension on the head gaskets. or: I value heat at 100k miles during the winter months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brokechump Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Looking at the cg performance web site, it would seem to me that because of the block design you're going to get a head gasket leak whether you use the addative or not. If the cylinder walls are fixed only at the ends and allowed to vibrate up and down the slightest bit you're going to constantly rub the HG AND the magic conditioner particles. Did I miss understand the CG website? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frag Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 Looking at the cg performance web site, it would seem to me that because of the block design you're going to get a head gasket leak whether you use the addative or not. If the cylinder walls are fixed only at the ends and allowed to vibrate up and down the slightest bit you're going to constantly rub the HG AND the magic conditioner particles. Did I miss understand the CG website? Dont know if I read well either but they seem to say that this vibration occurs only if you run more than 10 lbs of boost in a turbo engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 is going to occur in our engines. At this point Subaru have found materials that resist the movement in the combustion chamber area enough to seal the combustion gasses at the low cyl pressures we use. In the last round of head gaskets for the 2.5 phase 2 they think they have found a compound of sealer that resists the shrinkage at low temps that was causeing the coolant leakage to the exterior. The goop is to fix all the ones that that don't have the new gaskets or the new gaskets might not work for. This is a bandaid fix at best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted January 4, 2005 Author Share Posted January 4, 2005 I charged $800 for the last heater core on a 97 Legacy, that was parts and labor. Dealer wanted $1050. That's less than a headgasket job, although I'm still viewing the reality of the situation as one where a person runs a high risk of having headgasket failure after 100k miles on top of a blocked heater core, a partially blocked radiator core, and coated coolant passages in the block and head. That's gonna suck. :-\ I figure that SOA calculated the route that would statistically cost them the least, thereby putting the bulk of the finacial burden onto the vehicle owner. The important point to keep in mind, is that it is Subaru's error, not the vehicle owner's error. Now my assessment of the situation is that Subaru is NOT meeting their moral obligation, although I admit it's a bit difficult to quantify that statement. I'm not fanning a whiner's thread, but I am attempting to drive towards a conclusion as to whether or not Subaru F-'ed-up twice (engineering boo-boo, then dis-avowment of responsibility). I think I might have an INTERNAL leak on my phase II (like the phase I's are experiencing). I've purchased a second car in preparation for dealing with it soon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookie Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 and you are under the 100,000 get the goop in quickly. This would mean that you have met your obligation for the extended warranty. They did pay for my head gasket job after all. I was out of warranty at the time too. Actually I never really had a Subaru warrnty as I bought the thing with about 85,000 on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gbhrps Posted January 4, 2005 Share Posted January 4, 2005 My 02 OBW developed an very tiny external leak on both heads at about 45 000 km. You couldn't find any on the ground, but you could smell it inside the car with the heater fan on. Headgaskets were replaced under warranty, and then 9 months ago comes the recall notice for the coolant additive. Back to the dealer and had it added as per notice. Car now has 84 000 km and no problems to date, but..........I watch that temperature guage closely when I'm driving, and I eyeball the garage floor under the car regularly for coolant spills. There is no sense ignoring the warning signs of a known medical condition. Love the car, my second OBW, and I'll own another! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atomic Robot Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 My 02 OBW developed an very tiny external leak on both heads at about 45 000 km. You couldn't find any on the ground, but you could smell it inside the car with the heater fan on. Headgaskets were replaced under warranty, and then 9 months ago comes the recall notice for the coolant additive. Back to the dealer and had it added as per notice. Car now has 84 000 km and no problems to date, but..........I watch that temperature guage closely when I'm driving, and I eyeball the garage floor under the car regularly for coolant spills. There is no sense ignoring the warning signs of a known medical condition. Love the car, my second OBW, and I'll own another! I had exactly the same situation with my '01- mainly the smell. I took it to the dealer- having heard that a recall was in the works (but before it actually started) and they replaced everything. They put the goo in the next time it was in for service. No problems after a year... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baymtnman Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I just had the coolant added in an 00 Legacy with only 22,300 miles. My reasoning was simplistic. If the sealant caused downstream problems (i.e. heater core, etc.) that will become evident across a broad array of users. And thus you have a class action, as opposed to a limited set of users. The additional warranty was my main motivator. In this way, if we endure longer term problems, and can document the cause as being the sealant, we have a solid case in all our collective favor. Keith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blitz Posted January 7, 2005 Author Share Posted January 7, 2005 and you are under the 100,000 get the goop in quickly. This would mean that you have met your obligation for the extended warranty.They did pay for my head gasket job after all. I was out of warranty at the time too. Actually I never really had a Subaru warrnty as I bought the thing with about 85,000 on it. Actually I'm just coming up on 50,000. I plan on taking it in for a HC sniff test next summer during the hottest months. That way it'll be easy to get the bubbles to appear in the o'flow tank. I'm gonna tell 'em to hold off on the hand-wash till I assess the deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crashton Posted January 7, 2005 Share Posted January 7, 2005 I had them put their special oatmeal in my Forester. I'm now just a couple hundred south of 100,000 miles. As far as stop leak plugging heater cores goes, I think it's an old mechanics tale. I had a 88 Toyota 4Runner with 90,000 on the clock. The block started seeping coolant. I was told it was a pourous casting. The fix was a new short block $$$$. Well not quite, first I drained & flushed the coolant & added a can of Bars Leaks. I sold that 4Runner with 195,000 miles on it with the same engine in it & the heater working as good as new. Even though this stuff worked for me it's a bandaid at best. Subaru is hoping it's bandaids get you through the 100,000 mile zone. They are saving a ton of money doing this. Chuck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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