Pass this on to anyone who might find this useful:

My beloved 2002 Subaru Forester began overheating during the hot weather recently.

I took it to a mechanic (Out West Garage down in Petaluma). Maria, the owner, told me that I had an external coolant leak from my head gasket. She said this is an epidemic problem in some Subarus and directed me to the internet. There, I found a bunch of pages about my leak, including sites for class action suits against Subaru, and a blog detailing another driver's problem.

It seems that there is a flaw in the head gasket of many 2.5 liter Subaru engines made between 1997 and 2002. They seem to begin having trouble after about 90k miles, after the car is out of warranty, but can hardly be called old. It's VERY expensive to replace a head gasket... upwards of $2,000.

I talked to the dealership (Hansel Prestige in SF) and they explained that while there is no recall, Subaru has a program to treat some engines with a liquid that is supposed to stop the head gasket from leaking (this is only available from a certified mechanic, I believe).

I expressed my disappointment at what I considered to be a $2 fix to a $2,000 problem and they referred me to Subaru USA.


At Subaru USA, I spoke to Barb, who is dealing with this problem nationwide. She was kind and sympathetic, which I hoped wasn't just a corporate ploy. She gave me some solid advice regarding my complaint.

1. She said the car needed to be seen by a Subaru dealership, not just an independent Subaru mechanic

2. It needed to be towed in to guarantee I hadn't driven it while it was overheated (I'd been very careful as soon as it began overheating).

I did as she directed. The dealership verified my problem and said they would add the leak-stopping liquid and test my car the next day, letting the engine get good and hot. Twenty-four hours later I got a call saying it had again overheated and there was evidence the head gasket was cracked internally, leaking exhaust fumes into my coolant. This, they said, wasn't covered under the Subaru gasket program.

They quoted me $2,200 to replace my head gasket and I knew that wouldn't include anything else they found worn or wrong along the way.

I called Subaru USA again and explained my problem. I didn't get mad or yell. I didn't make threats. I just expressed my disappointment in what I've always considered to be a quality product, and explained that this is my second Subaru, which I had hoped to drive through nursing school and then upgrade to another Subaru. The man said Barb was off that day, but he would convey my message and she would call me in 24 hours.

Guess what? Yesterday afternoon, I got a call from the dealership saying that Subaru USA had called and instructed them to replace my head gasket FREE OF CHARGE. They're going to do the re-machining, and everything associated with it. Meanwhile, I opted to spend a little money and have the water pump, belts, hoses, etc. replaced while they're in there.

I've been assured I'll get at least another 100k miles out of the car.

Yeah, Subaru! I already liked my car, but they've made a life-long fan out of me!

Suzi


Suzi LeBaron
Certified Yoga Instructor
and Massage Therapist

Yoga Bodega
17190 Bodega Hwy., Bodega, CA
mail: P.O. Box 842, Bodega Bay, CA 94923
(707) 876-3401