Most important maintenance upon buying a used Subaru Outback?

[mountainwalker]

Hi All,

 

My first post, so please be gentle. I'm looking for a good used Subaru Outback after not needing to own a car for several years living and working in a major metropolitan area. Relocating from NY to Silicon Valley and the Subaru Outback should fit our uses very well on the W Coast. Will be used for drives of 10 min to 1 hour during work week, and road trips on weekends including drives to mountains (and skiing in winter). Really like it and very impressed by what I've heard from many subie owners.

 

What maintenance would you perform upon buying a used Subaru Outback?

 

This is a list I put together with some posters on Edmunds and CarTalk and the garage that inspected a car for me for what needs to be done upon buying. Is there anything you would add? How much do you think all the below should cost if done by a good independent garage? One person estimated all the below costing about $1000.

 

Sincerely appreciate your advice - I like to take good care of my gear : ) I kept a 7 year old Volvo 240 I bought in college in great working condition for many many years.

 

MAINTENANCE LIST UPON BUYING USED (any used car just bought should get the following, unless you know they were done within the last 3-6 months):

 

- Coolant drain/fill

- Add Subaru coolant conditioner

- ATF (Automatic Trans Fluid)/Trans drain/fill

- Fuel filter

- Replace timing belt if over 90,000 miles

- Front +Rear Differential fluid drain/fill (though often don’t need anything)

- Replace Spark Plugs (every 30K in non-turbo Subaru engines, unless it has platinums and is under 100k)

- Replace Spark Plug Wires (if applicable)

- Brake Fluid Flush and Change

- Brake Pads inspection and replacement if necessary

- Brake pad rotors if needed (fine if look good and not felt)

- Fuel system flush – could be done with $4-5 bottle of fuel system cleaner

- Power steering fluid drain/fill if fluid is discolored (reconsider price/purchase if power steering fluid looks bad)

- Replace Tires if necessary – for Subaru Outback AWD, make sure all tires matched for tread, tread depth and size

 

Notes:

 

- The Owner's Manuel should have a list off all of the required maintenance and when it should be done. Follow the listed services and you should have a good vehicle that lasts many miles

 

- If there are good maintenance records, much of that may be up to date. I would say that the three most commonly skipped items are coolant, transmission fluid, and fuel filter. If the vehicle has >90k miles, I would also have the timing belt replaced, if it has not been already.

 

- The timing belt. If there is no documented proof that the timing belt has been changed, consider it original. Average mileage for any FY 2000 car is 100,000 miles; so, the timing belt is due. When the timing belt slips, expensive harm will occur to the engine.

 

- Replacing coolant and make sure you get a hold of Subaru coolant conditioner whoever performs it. Timing belt is due. Tires are very important that they are matched in wear/size/make/model. Plugs are every 30k in Subaru non-turbo engines.

 

- Power steering & fuel system flush both are "wallet" flushes, don't bother.

 

- Oil change - That's the *first* thing, unless the previous owner has a receipt from a fairly recent one I would assume it's been let slide in anticipation of selling. Brake pads can be inspected and only need replaced if they are worn out. Rotors should be fine if there is no problem seen or felt. Differentials probably don't need anything. Fuel system should be left alone. Power steering fluid should be left alone unless it looks bad, and then you might want to reconsider the whole purchase, or at least the price.

[bulwnkl]

I agree with your list as a general guide, though I'd also replace the air filter. Note that some (newer) Subies use in-tank fuel filters. Personally, I won't normally replace those since I don't like emptying and dropping the tank to do it (I like to do this stuff myself). Be careful of fuel system cleaners just because so many are completely useless. Others are excellent. The same (effective) active ingredient can be found in:

 

Chevron Techron,

Red Line SI-1,

Amsoil P.I. (I think that's its whole name),

BG44K (old formulation. Not sure about new).

 

Other, mail-order solutions that are highly effective are:

 

Fuel Power Plus (lubecontrol.com),

Bio-Plus (RenewableLube.com).

 

Frankly, I wouldn't waste my money on other fuel system "cleaners."

 

If you don't have receipts for engine oil changes, look in the oil filler hole and see whether you can see the cam. Some engines you can see it, others you can't, but look for sludgy stuff or noticeable black carbon deposits that look hard or crystalline. Either of those would be a sign of very poor maintenance or a head gasket failure.

 

Good luck!

 

Oh, and read the myriad threads on here re: head gasket failures during certain model years. Not saying to not buy a Subaru (I love our Baja!), but certain model years' engines had troubles such that if one hasn't had the head gasket replaced, it'll fail soon.

[EVOthis]

dont forget PCV valve...only a few bucks and often overlooked....

[mountainwalker]

Hi bulwnkl,

 

Your post is so spot on you anticipated my next post about head gasket leakage in Subarus pre-2005. I just had a 2000 Subaru Outback I was evaluating from Silicon Valley inspected, and it had head gasket, oil pump and rear main seal leaks. When asking about the problem, a poster on another forum mentioned I might want to seek out 2005- model years as the problem with leaking head gaskets could be found in model years prior to 2005. No idea if this was the cutoff.

 

Adding your suggestions to the list, which when it's done, maybe could be made into a sticky note.

 

 

I agree with your list as a general guide, though I'd also replace the air filter. Note that some (newer) Subies use in-tank fuel filters. Personally, I won't normally replace those since I don't like emptying and dropping the tank to do it (I like to do this stuff myself). Be careful of fuel system cleaners just because so many are completely useless. Others are excellent. The same (effective) active ingredient can be found in:

 

Chevron Techron,

Red Line SI-1,

Amsoil P.I. (I think that's its whole name),

BG44K (old formulation. Not sure about new).

 

Other, mail-order solutions that are highly effective are:

 

Fuel Power Plus (lubecontrol.com),

Bio-Plus (RenewableLube.com).

 

Frankly, I wouldn't waste my money on other fuel system "cleaners."

 

If you don't have receipts for engine oil changes, look in the oil filler hole and see whether you can see the cam. Some engines you can see it, others you can't, but look for sludgy stuff or noticeable black carbon deposits that look hard or crystalline. Either of those would be a sign of very poor maintenance or a head gasket failure.

 

Good luck!

 

Oh, and read the myriad threads on here re: head gasket failures during certain model years. Not saying to not buy a Subaru (I love our Baja!), but certain model years' engines had troubles such that if one hasn't had the head gasket replaced, it'll fail soon.

[idosubaru]

I would also ask what to look for when buying a subaru outback.

 

Headgasket issues. Search "head gasket" here or on any search engine to find out about the EJ25 engine in Subaru Outbacks. The later 2000+ Outback engines are more tolerable (won't leave you stranded if they do fail) than the older DOHC style (if they fail you are stranded). Or just get the H6 engine to avoid that.

 

Also be sure to know how to check for torque bind, you can search here to find that out.

 

Maintenance will depend on vehicle and mileage so this is a bit arbitrary and hypothetical.

 

The H6 model doesn't get the coolant conditioner you have on your list nor does it need a timing belt (has a timing chain), so the maintenance advisements are different and will depend which year/model you purchase.

 

I'd pass on the power steering flush and fuel system cleaner. Just add your own cleaner into the first couple of tanks and call it a day.

 

no way to put a price tag on this without more details. $300 - $2,000 depending what all you do from this list and who does the work. timing belt and brakes alone could surpass $1,000 easily depending what all is done, rates, parts, shop, etc. $700 timing belt and $500 brakes is not at all uncommon for a dealership.

 

Unless there's records of replacement add thermostat, radiator cap, air filter, and fuel filter and probably ATF filter (if it's a 98+ = they have an external screw on type if it's a 1998+ model) to your maintenance recommendations.