jeanie26 Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I am looking for some advice in regards to my situation... I have a 1997 Subaru Legacy/Outback wagon. It has 155K miles and the body is in good shape. The problem is that during a routine oil change, I was told that I needed ~$1700 worth of work done. This includes replacing the drive shaft, CV boot, and various gasket seals. It has been a great car so far... but I keep thinking that maybe I should try to trade it in for a new Subaru. I had a 30,000 mile tune-up at the dealership ~18 months ago and I undergo routine oil changes and miner repairs - including a knock sensor replacement. Has anyone been in this situation before? What did you decide to do? I can't do any of the work on my own. I live in Fairbanks, Alaska so the labor and parts might be a little bit more expensive than in the lower 48. Thank you in advance for any suggestions or words of experience. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 I would recommend getting a second opinion before you do anything else. Ask around for recommendations for an independent shop in your area. My daughter took in my 94 Rodeo for an oil change and came home and told me it needed almost $1500 worth of work, which it didn't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie26 Posted March 13, 2006 Author Share Posted March 13, 2006 I would recommend getting a second opinion before you do anything else. Ask around for recommendations for an independent shop in your area. My daughter took in my 94 Rodeo for an oil change and came home and told me it needed almost $1500 worth of work, which it didn't. The quote is from an independent shop. Before I was familiar with the town, I went to the dealership and was told I needed a number of things done. This shop was my second opinion shop and I have had nothing but good experience with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 i would post exactly what is needed here and we can comment on that. on the driveshaft - why is that needing replaced? a bad driveshaft will result in very noticeable vibration at certain speeds. if there's no vibration i wouldn't believe it needs replaced unless i saw it. every bad driveshaft i've ever seen (u-joints fail) vibrates at some speed. if it had to be replaced, source a used one on the board here, he may be quoting a very high priced new or used unit up there. you can get a driveshaft for 50-100 bucks. and they are very easy to replace, an hour labor. on the CV - don't replace it if the $ bothers you and you're not keeping the car awhile. on fronts...i've driven 50,000+ miles with broken boots. on rears i've gotten 100,000+ miles on ripped boots and i've never heard them make any noise (still on there). CV boots aren't worth replacing in my oppinion. there's a chance if the inside boot breaks that the grease spatters on the exhaust and smokes a little, no harm but really annoying. if you can ignore that smoke or don't have it, don't have the cv axles replaced. if you do replace them, get subaru only as the aftermarket ones you get at shops are horrible quality and will break when new (do a search on this board, it's happened to a number of people, including me). and by break i mean the entire axle will break, not just the rubber boot. subaru OEM axles never break. what gaskets are leaking and how bad? loosing a quart of oil between oil changes is tolerable if it's not dripping on the exhaust and smoking or leaving marks on the driveway. if you can forgo some uneceesary repairs this car can last you quite some time and reduce that price tag. good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seattlelegacy Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 Well, first of all, unless it includes a head gasket, an axle and some seals shouldn't cost anywhere near 1700. Sounds like maybe you took your car to a stealership. There are people on this board that can probably help you with your car at a far better rate than you were quoted (I believe we have a member or two in Fairbanks). I suspect its only a matter of time before they chime in. But seiously, a new axle (which includes the boot they told you about) and gaskets for valve covers, front and main seals, oil pan seals, and all the usual subaru suspects shouldn't cost anywhere near 1700 bucks. Could you be more specific with the seals that need to be replaced? Maybe just type up their list of discrepencies and post it here so we know exactly what seals the stealership was talking about. Jordan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. RX Posted March 13, 2006 Share Posted March 13, 2006 The quote is from an independent shop. Before I was familiar with the town, I went to the dealership and was told I needed a number of things done. This shop was my second opinion shop and I have had nothing but good experience with them.Sounds like someone needs money for a new fishing rod or rifle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 Do keep in mind, that money (and I agree you probably don't need everything they mentioned and other stuff can wait) is only 6-8 car payments or so on a new car! (which isn't really new anyway - try taking a brand new car from the dealers lot to another lot and have them make an offer to buy it - you'll see it's a used car then!) I am of the camp that, if a car is meeting your needs, and can be made reliable, it's usually worth repairing. naturally, some of us are in a postion to replace our cars occasionally and that can be fun too, just not always neccesary. maybe your car would be a good candidate for a school auto tech class project? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie26 Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 You all have been very helpful... I do smell oil and that makes me nervous to not fix the gasket that is dripping oil. I am a graduate student at the university so I don't really have the funds to get a brand new car and reliable used cars are hard to come by. I think that I might just go head with some of the repairs because I tend to trust the mechanic that has been working on my car for the past couple of years. What I am really concerned with is the suggestion that I will need to replace the driveshaft. I wasn't certain what exactly needed to be fixed, but as Gossgary pointed out, it was in fact a worn u-joint that needs to be replaced. Is this something that occasionally happens? Or is this very rare? A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a rattle sound that I first thought was the CV joint. But, the CV joint (not the boot) was ok and the mechanic diagnosed that the u-joint was bad. Apparently, he doesn't know of anyone in town that he would be able to purchase a used u-joint alone so the entire driveshaft would need to be purchased and that Subaru only sells parts for the entire driveshaft. Does this sound correct? Is it possible to purchase and replace only the bad u-joints or does the entire driveshaft need to be replaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1 Lucky Texan Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 You all have been very helpful... I do smell oil and that makes me nervous to not fix the gasket that is dripping oil. I am a graduate student at the university so I don't really have the funds to get a brand new car and reliable used cars are hard to come by. I think that I might just go head with some of the repairs because I tend to trust the mechanic that has been working on my car for the past couple of years. What I am really concerned with is the suggestion that I will need to replace the driveshaft. I wasn't certain what exactly needed to be fixed, but as Gossgary pointed out, it was in fact a worn u-joint that needs to be replaced. Is this something that occasionally happens? Or is this very rare? A couple of weeks ago, I noticed a rattle sound that I first thought was the CV joint. But, the CV joint (not the boot) was ok and the mechanic diagnosed that the u-joint was bad. Apparently, he doesn't know of anyone in town that he would be able to purchase a used u-joint alone so the entire driveshaft would need to be purchased and that Subaru only sells parts for the entire driveshaft. Does this sound correct? Is it possible to purchase and replace only the bad u-joints or does the entire driveshaft need to be replaced? Aha! I think someone here has a cool, less expensive fix for the u-joint. try a search including the word Ford. I think that's it. Anyway, there's way to weld in a different joint. Oil leaks COULD be put off, just keep an eye on the level. maybe wait till a timing belt change is required. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 bad. Apparently, he doesn't know of anyone in town that he would be able to purchase a used u-joint alone so the entire driveshaft would need to be purchased and that Subaru only sells parts for the entire driveshaft. Does this sound correct? Is it possible to purchase and replace only the bad u-joints or does the entire driveshaft need to be replaced? answer this - does the car vibrate at all? if it doesn't, then i doubt this vibration is u-joint related. i'd hate to see you replace the driveshaft and the vibration still be there. he is correct in saying the u-joints are not replaceable. they are staked in non-replaceable u-joints. i have actually replaced them before, ROCKFORD makes a ujoint that will work and is designed specifically for replacing these staked in "non-replaceable" ujoints, but it requires someone willing to do the work which your mechanic will not want to do. my Subaru has Rockford Ujoints on it now, but it's not something a mechanic would know how to do probably. this is not a common issue for the ujoints to go bad. i'd get a used drive shaft. should be able to find one for $100 or less. actually....i'd make SURE the driveshaft is the cause before wasting time and money on it. again...does it ever vibrate while driving? or just make noise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subarian Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 If the driveshaft does have a bad U joint, there are other options than the dealer. If there is a local driveline shop, they can install replaceable U joints in your driveline, and it will cost you less than a new driveline. You can also check out http://www.rockforddriveline.com/ or have your mechanic take a look for your application. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeanie26 Posted March 14, 2006 Author Share Posted March 14, 2006 You bring up an interesting point... When I brought the car in last fall for what I thought was a CV boot problem, I was told that the noise I was hearing was due to the u-joints. The mechanic suggested waiting it out until the noise was unbearable. The car never really had a vibration and it still hasn't developed one. I would have expected the car to get much worse sound-wise over the winter due to the extreme cold but it hasn't. I have gotten some leads for a reasonably priced u-joint in town and I will be getting a second opinion before I commit to fixing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted March 14, 2006 Share Posted March 14, 2006 a shop can replace a bad ujoint for about $100-$200 with the rockford ujoints i used in mine. i have never seen a bad ujoint last a year without getting noticeably worse or failing completely. the bad ones i've seen typically have the rear view mirror shaking quite humorously...which is why the mechanic said to wait until it was "unbearable" because they normally get worse. once they remove the drive shaft it should be easy to tell, as the ujoints will be stiff, lumpy or frozen. should only need one replaced, they run $40 per ujoint plug installation/labor cost. vibration can be attributed to many things - wheel balance, tires, snow/mud packed inside the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now