KaraK

My MY98 UK Turbo has piston slap, I took it to my dealer to investigate it, they say that yes it has piston slap but that since it is not burning any oil they aren't going to do anything about it - are they right to say this? I thought that it was a warranty fix regardless? He even went to so far as to say that it is a "characteristic" of "all" subaru engines regardless of year and model of car (in fact he turned to my Dad who is a legacy owner and told him that he will have it in 60-70K miles!)

This is what the SIDC FAQ says about it:


3.14 Piston Slap
It seems a small percentage of the MY98 cars have had problems with Piston Slap after a period of 10,000 to 20,000 miles has been covered. This manifests itself as a knocking noise which is much more pronounced when the engine is cold. This should not be confused with a ticking/tappet type noise which is common on all Impreza engines , but a distinct knocking noise which is most noticed between 1,500 and 2,000 rpm. In the UK, Subaru have been resolving the problems by fitting an a completely new short engine (block, crank, pistons) , and this cures the problem completely. Some cars are apparently much worse than others, with very lightly driven cars being just as susceptible as those driven hard! All Subaru dealers should be aware of this problem, and offer to resolve (free of charge under warranty) if the problem exists. If your dealer denies all knowledge, then go to another dealer who may be more sympathetic to your cause. The work takes between 2 to 3 days to perform, and as well as running it in again, you most get your ownership document(s) updated with the new engine number. If the problem occurs on a normally aspirated engine, then a simple piston replacement can be used, instead of a whole new block.



So who's in the right here? Do I need to go back to my dealer and press the issue?

danny-boy

Go back to your dealer my friend, and ask him to put in a "good will" warranty request to Subaru UK to get the work done, doesn’t matter if you don’t have a warranty. Piston slap is a manufacturer fault and within your consumer rights you have up to 6 years to get all repairs fixed.

If you need more details you can email me if you like.

Cheers

Dan

(MY98 owner who's just had his piston slap fixed FOC)

KaraK

this is what does my head in! I HAVE a warranty! One of the reasons I went main dealer was so I'd get a "proper" subaru warranty....


EDIT: Dan -> YHM!

[Edited by KaraK - 6/7/2003 6:43:25 PM]