Subaru - Badge of Ownership

[Cliffmeister2000]

I was chatting with a friend who should know, and he said that the cost advantages of a diesel in a pickup truck were negated by the large quantity of oil they hold (10 quarts?).

Is this true?

Do diesel cars require more oil than gas powered cars?

My beloved and i when and looked at Outbacks and Forresters last weekend. Very nice SUVs, but out of our price range. If I can talk my beloved into a Subaru, it will be used, although the salesman said the used ones are still pricey, as Subarus hold their value better than other vehicles.

[Mightydog]

pricey

That's why I drive a Suzuki.

We have a son-in-law and daughter who have a Subaru and love it. It's their second (third?) and wouldn't drive anything else.

[Larry C]

After recently selling my 1992 Chey PU for my full asking price, I am ripe for a NEW ride. On top of my short list is the Subaru Forester. It fits my life style, tows 2400#, AWD, ok gas mileage, and a good reputation. I went to my local Suby dealer for a test drive.

Everything was cool...... driving was fine with a few disappointments, such as Subaru only puts a 4 speed auto transmission in the Forester? After the test drive, I decide to look over the build quality closely. I am not impressed to say the least. I can't believe this $25,000 vehicle is so cheaply built. When I opened the rear hatch, I immediately noticed how small and thin the hinge brackets were. they are about 1/8" thick. I could have easily ripped the hatch off these hinges with my bare hands or a good strong wind would do the same.
I then opened the rear door. The hinges are the same tiny crap. The rear door gasket is not glued on like other cars, its held on with those cheap plastic push plugs we all hate. They are spaced about 6" apart. I could put my finger under the gasket. there was dirt already accumulating under the gasket. This is a new car sitting on the lot! How long will it take for the dirt to wear through the paint under the gasket?
I went away throughly disappointed. Is everything today built like crap?

[chorizon]

I was chatting with a friend who should know, and he said that the cost advantages of a diesel in a pickup truck were negated by the large quantity of oil they hold (10 quarts?).

Is this true?

Yes, my Dodge Cummins Diesel held 10 quarts or so, IIRC.

However, I used synthetic-oil and only changed it about every 120,000 miles.

I'd still change the filter every 5K miles, and keep the truck topped-off.

So no, the larger volume of oil wasn't a huge factor in "diesel-ownage."

The only gripe I had was the injection-pump replacement every 200,000 miles or so...

[mikeschn]

There are plenty of diesels ready for the American market, if there was a big enough American market to justify the cost of bringing them here. VW/Audi has diesel versions of every product they sell here, but most Americans don't want them.

CD

Hmmm...

I guess you and I, a market, do not make!!!

You with and Audi A3 TDI and I with Jetta TDI!!!



Mike...

[swissarmygirl]

Thanks for sharing! Just ordered one for my first Subaru.

[del]

I lost count of how many Subaru's I have owned. But the first one I drove looked like this.

[Shadow Catcher]

All of our Subaru's with the exception of the first one in 1977 have been used. Most with better than 50,000 miles (just broken in), life expectancy is at least 250,000 to 300,000.

[jss06]

I was chatting with a friend who should know, and he said that the cost advantages of a diesel in a pickup truck were negated by the large quantity of oil they hold (10 quarts?).

Is this true?

Do diesel cars require more oil than gas powered cars?

When I had my Dodge it took 12 quarts for an oil change. But I only had to change it every 7500 miles for severe service. 15,000 miles for regular service. Compare that to every 3K miles for a normal gas engine at the time and it actually used less oil then a gas powered pickup.

Outside of that it was put in a new fuel filter every 10K miles or so. ($6 each)

[Cliffmeister2000]

I was chatting with a friend who should know, and he said that the cost advantages of a diesel in a pickup truck were negated by the large quantity of oil they hold (10 quarts?).

Is this true?

Do diesel cars require more oil than gas powered cars?

When I had my Dodge it took 12 quarts for an oil change. But I only had to change it every 7500 miles for severe service. 15,000 miles for regular service. Compare that to every 3K miles for a normal gas engine at the time and it actually used less oil then a gas powered pickup.

Outside of that it was put in a new fuel filter every 10K miles or so. ($6 each)

I don't get it, I must be missing something. Why does the type of engine have anything to do with oil changes? Oil is a lubricant, and breaks down due to wear. Why does a diesel put less wear on engine oil than a gasoline engine?

[Wimperdink]

Love that 360 Del

Thanks for the link absolutsnwbrdr. Ordered ours tonight.

[swissarmygirl]

All of our Subaru's with the exception of the first one in 1977 have been used. Most with better than 50,000 miles (just broken in), life expectancy is at least 250,000 to 300,000.

I keep telling my hubby that I expect to get 300k out of mine....he's not so sure.

[absolutsnwbrdr]

The first 300k is just the break in period! My 1996 Impreza Outback Sport had 212k when we finally got rid of it. Didn't burn (or leak) a drop of oil. 300k isn't out of the question as long as you do regular maintenance... I change my oil every 3000 miles. 99-04 had some head gasket issues, but they were typically seen before you hit 50k.

My Dad thought I was crazy when I bought my most recent Subie. I had a 2006 Legacy Limited with ~76k. I stumbled across a 2005 Outback 3.0R Sedan with 96k. After trade-in, I still had to shell out $3k for it


He was about to have me committed to an asylum for spending an additional 3k on a car that was a year older and had 20k more miles! I justified it by telling him the the H6 has a timing chain that never needs replaced, and has a few other mechanical upgrades (LSD, VTD)

He still thinks theres something wrong with me. But he has recently converted to Subaru


btw... for all sorts of factory information about Subies, check out http://www.cars101.com. The site layout isnt the best, but it has maintenance schedules, physical dimensions, mechanical specs, factory options, etc., for most models.

[swissarmygirl]

The first 300k is just the break in period! My 1996 Impreza Outback Sport had 212k when we finally got rid of it. Didn't burn (or leak) a drop of oil. 300k isn't out of the question as long as you do regular maintenance... I change my oil every 3000 miles. 99-04 had some head gasket issues, but they were typically seen before you hit 50k.

My Dad thought I was crazy when I bought my most recent Subie. I had a 2006 Legacy Limited with ~76k. I stumbled across a 2005 Outback 3.0R Sedan with 96k. After trade-in, I still had to shell out $3k for it


He was about to have me committed to an asylum for spending an additional 3k on a car that was a year older and had 20k more miles! I justified it by telling him the the H6 has a timing chain that never needs replaced, and has a few other mechanical upgrades (LSD, VTD)

He still thinks theres something wrong with me. But he has recently converted to Subaru


btw... for all sorts of factory information about Subies, check out http://www.cars101.com. The site layout isnt the best, but it has maintenance schedules, physical dimensions, mechanical specs, factory options, etc., for most models.

Thanks....I'll pass that link along to hubby. He does all the maintenance on my car.
Speaking of timing chains....when I got mine (99 legacy wagon....it had about 60k on it), I started to notice that the car shook like a sun of a gun when I stopped at a light. We figured it was bad motor mounts and he changed those, but it only helped a little. After a little research he said he thinks if he changes the timing chain, it should solve the problem. Any insights on that?

[absolutsnwbrdr]

If its just happening at idle, I wouldn't think its the timing belt. Subaru timing belts are typically good beyond their suggested 105k mile replacement period (not that you should go beyond that).

If it was the timing belt, you'd most likely notice the engine running rough through all RPM's (or not at all)

Could be a few different things... check out LegacyGT.com...

http://legacygt.com/forums/forumdisplay ... .html?f=96
or
http://legacygt.com/forums/forumdisplay ... .html?f=95

Wouldn't hurt to post your issue there. Just give as much detail as possible... year,model, engine size, miles, issues, etc...