This is an update to my earlier posts on this subject in another thread. After what I found I thought it was worth starting a new thread. When I completed the first oil change in my 2010 Outback, the low oil level light stayed illuminated afterward and did not extinguish in 1-2 seconds as expected.
The only reference I see in the owner's manual to this is on page 3-15 where is talks about adding oil when it's gotten low enough to turn on the low oil level light. It says, The engine low oil level warning light will not turn off immediately even if you replace or add engine oil. It will turn off only when the vehicle is idling and the engine is warmed up completely.
After checking the oil level 8 times or so :8: I took it for a drive to get it up to operating temperature as suggested in the manual. After 15 miles it was still on, but when I turned it off and re-started it the light went off as it should have originally.
I called my Subaru dealer to inquire about this event. The technician was very helpful - told me he had heard about this, it only affects 2010 models, but he had never seen it at his dealership. He called me back the following day with the results of his search. I have attached the Tech Tip he provided.
The Tech Tip is a way to turn off the light. I assume it works. I will try it the next time the light stays on. However I'd be more interested in finding out why this occurs, and what the actual fix is. I don't mind doing this each time I change the oil if it's supposed to be that way and everything is working as designed. But since it's not described in the owner’s manual with the oil change information, it’s infrequent enough that my local tech has never seen it, and there's not a ton of posts on here with people asking about it - I have to assume that it's an occasional thing that only occurs under certain circumstances, or with certain vehicles. Therefore, the low oil light staying on after an oil change until you insert and remove a fuse from a diagnostic circuit appears to me to be a defect.
This is my first Subaru ever after buying 20 or more new vehicles, and I really, really like it for what it is. But a big part of me is dissatisfied with a $30,000 machine that has software glitches. It makes me think about things like loose testing standards, and lack of attention to detail. It leaves me wondering something...if there's an obvious problem in the software/firmware that I can see, how do I know that there aren't software/firmware issues that I can't see, or can't see yet...
Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just too picky? And assuming others feel the same way, does anyone have a easy path into SOA to ask this question? Or do I just start with the dealer?
The only reference I see in the owner's manual to this is on page 3-15 where is talks about adding oil when it's gotten low enough to turn on the low oil level light. It says, The engine low oil level warning light will not turn off immediately even if you replace or add engine oil. It will turn off only when the vehicle is idling and the engine is warmed up completely.
After checking the oil level 8 times or so :8: I took it for a drive to get it up to operating temperature as suggested in the manual. After 15 miles it was still on, but when I turned it off and re-started it the light went off as it should have originally.
I called my Subaru dealer to inquire about this event. The technician was very helpful - told me he had heard about this, it only affects 2010 models, but he had never seen it at his dealership. He called me back the following day with the results of his search. I have attached the Tech Tip he provided.
The Tech Tip is a way to turn off the light. I assume it works. I will try it the next time the light stays on. However I'd be more interested in finding out why this occurs, and what the actual fix is. I don't mind doing this each time I change the oil if it's supposed to be that way and everything is working as designed. But since it's not described in the owner’s manual with the oil change information, it’s infrequent enough that my local tech has never seen it, and there's not a ton of posts on here with people asking about it - I have to assume that it's an occasional thing that only occurs under certain circumstances, or with certain vehicles. Therefore, the low oil light staying on after an oil change until you insert and remove a fuse from a diagnostic circuit appears to me to be a defect.
This is my first Subaru ever after buying 20 or more new vehicles, and I really, really like it for what it is. But a big part of me is dissatisfied with a $30,000 machine that has software glitches. It makes me think about things like loose testing standards, and lack of attention to detail. It leaves me wondering something...if there's an obvious problem in the software/firmware that I can see, how do I know that there aren't software/firmware issues that I can't see, or can't see yet...
Does anyone else feel this way, or am I just too picky? And assuming others feel the same way, does anyone have a easy path into SOA to ask this question? Or do I just start with the dealer?
