For 5 years I have had the Subaru Warranty and had my car serviced at a Subaru Main Dealer, it has cost a huge amount of money - but, its been an investment in reliability.

Now, Subaru want £1233 to extend my Warranty for another 12 months (Yes, thats more than £100 a month!) ..... only a mug or someone who knows there's trouble brewing would plump for that!

Add to the £1233 I would really need to keep up the Main Dealer Servicing, the 60month service cost? £245 approx. - when I look at whats done, its an oil change and inspection of steering/brakes/fuel lines/drive belts/hoses - thats it!!

So, asked I, the MOT is due at the same time .... would you MOT it, without charge, as a lot of the Inspections are MOT items (remember they are making a HUGE profit on the £245 Oil Change! )

Answer? NO Sir, the MOT is £42:10 .... so total cost about £290!

Then there is the £160 straight Oil Change in 6 months time (MY00 Classic)

Therefore, to keep up the stamps and warranty will cost a minimum of £1683 over the next 12 months Friggin' Hell!!

So, I am now thinking straight and I can Service the car myself - whats an Oil Change? - hardly rocket science Cost? Oil + Filter, what? £45? and use the MOT (cost to me of £28!) to check fuel lines/brakes/steering/gaiters/and stuff ..... £73 versus £290 (£217 in the bank!) and £1233 not spent.

Saving £1450!

Then, in 6 months time - Oil Change - £45, saving £115

So, in 6 months time I 'may' be £1565 better off ....... of course, if my engine blows up at a re-build cost of £2000 the risk will have cost me (not the £2000, but the difference between that and the cost to protect yourself)

ie. £435 (not too bad for the worse case engine rebuild?)

I think the ties between Subaru and myself have to be severed

I am soon to be on my own!

Pete

The sums are simple, maybe too simple? Am I missing something?

 

It isn't going to blow up, FFS!

 

Id buy a new mass aiflow meter and take my chance. A brand new Subaru 2000cc short engine only costs about £1500 Pete. Mending your car will cost a lot more of course as the retained parts need a lot of cleaning but still.....

 

What does a short engine consist of? Block only with crank? or pistons and con-rods too??

£1500 for new is the cost of taking the Warranty for £1233 and allowing the main dealer to shaft me the £290 Service + MOT!

Its madness, complete madness I tell ye'!!

Pete

 

These prices Subaru are quoting for extended warranties are absolutly crazy..!

As said, there isn't much that can't be repaired/replaced for that kind of money..!

Out of interest Pete, how much did you pay for the 4th & 5th year..?

 

Pete - I had the same dilemma.

I bit teh bullet and dropped Subaru like a hot potato.

I now have my local garage mechanic - thankfully he deals with Group N Scoobys, so my Classic shouldn't pose any problems.

I just ensure that I supply him genuine Subaru parts. Easy.

Cost is a 1/3 of the dealers, and the book still gets stamped

Everybody's a winner.

Dan

 

Everything bar the cylinder heads

 

Without looking I 'think' it was about £420??

I got shafted for the dreaded 60,000mile cambelt Service at £700 to keep that warranty up! + 2 x 6 month Oil Changes + 1 'other' £250 annual Service!!

But, I thought £420 was a reasonable premium for the 4th and 5th years

£1233 is simply ludicrous beyond belief for the 6th year - the car has 57,500miles on it and will finish the year with about 67,500miles on it ..... these cars are good for 100,000 miles surely?

Pete

 

I hope so; mine's on 97.5k

 

Sure when I had my car last in API heard David giving a quote of around 1500 for a new engine as long as old one exchangeable, dotn quote me on it but that warranty looks a tad too high to me, i would dump it.

 

It's going it alone now then!!

Subaru are shooting themselves in the foot here, with the inevitable result of no warranty renewals & the main dealers will be sufferring because of the drop in servicing from people scared stiff of ******** their desirable warranty!!

Pete

 

not quite.................normally no oil pump, oil pick up, sump, etc.....................

alyn

 

So? a Block and crank/pistons?

Pete

 

Pete, in simple terms a short block is:

The 2 halves of the block
4 Rods
4 Pistons
1 crank
All bearings
All of the above built up

Thats it.

 

Pete,

I thought you had sold the car and bought something else?

 

The 4th year on my old Audi RS4 only cost me £750 !!!!!!!!!!!!.

Mog

 

Cheers, at my age I like Simple Terms!!

Not much there for £1500!!

If the cambelt lets go I assume its new heads too??

Pete

 

I have a few cars ...... why would I sell such a unique car?

Pete

 

My mistake then.

 

Pete,
You're in the hotbed of independent help with Thames Valley Motorsport at Hermitage & Len at Subaru4U close by, use them & you'll save a fortune !
Mine got to 140k before the gearbox became noisy, so I changed the engine at the same time (not that I needed to) admittedly secondhand but all in £1,300, that's one years warranty FFS.

D

 

Dunk are Subaru4U still at Theale??

Pete

 

pete! what has happened to you over the last couple of days? All we are hearing from you is my engines gonna blow because your warranty will be up! It does not sound like you at all mate, you are one of the ones on scoobynet that pioneers how reliable the cars are and now this! I doubt you will have any major problems with your car at all for the rest of its life, just dont get too paranoid and take everything on board what happens on the bbs, its not worth it, I know!

 

Not sure, I think he might now operate out of Thatcham, rather than Theale. I tend to use Colin @ TVM in Hermitage.

D

 

Next door to Newbury football club

 

Well, I have been informed by the SN experts that my MAF Sensor is about to go, not only that but it will cause a catastrophic engine failure ....

and I won't see it coming as the ECU compensates for the gradual loss of signal from the MAF ....

then BANG!!
Pistons on my lap,

con-rods on the road,

big ends on my small end,

valves volting the speed cameras

I am FOOKIN' terrified ... I don't want to go out now ...

The MAFs about to go,
The MAFs about to go,
Eeeooo Engine Blows,
The MAFs about to go!!

No, its just a change of tack now .... no more Subaru warranty, no more main dealer servicing ........ it takes a bit of adjusting to, thats all!

Pete

 

I suggested changing it as a precaution Pete, for peace of mind.

 

I presumed that you got the oil pump; I should have mentioned the sump pan though, sorry.

Simon

 

Is that like changing a perfectly 1 month old good tyre for a new one, in case the older one had a blow-out?

The car would show signs of trouble when the MAF needs replacing - as I understand it, it runs very weak?

Pete

 

It may do; or it may just go, who knows? The man with a warranty neednt worry of course..... If the brand of tyre had a propensity to fail at speed wouldnt you change it?

 

...and if by 'weak' you mean lean; then thats what kills the engine!