Seabass

1. Most horror stories i have read (about 14) all say that the turbo seized, was replaced, and within a short amount of time (1-7days) the new turbo seized. How could this vehicle have gotten from 98,000 miles (when the turbo was replaced) to 133,000 miles (its current milage) without remnent peices of the original turbo clogging the oil lines and repeating the tragedy?
2. Would you personally buy an 05 outback that has already had a turbo blow in it?
3. If yes, what measures would you take to clean the oil system as well as beef it up to maintain oil integrity?
4. ....well i cant think of a 4th question...but if you have come this far i thank you thank you thank you for your time and assistance. Pleaseeeeee help a brother out lol.
thank you sirrr

Hello friend!
I have been tirelessly scouring the interweb for answers to my questions and after much reading i am theroughly convinced you are the one who will bring the proper light to my issue.
the issue:
I found a crisp looking 05 Outback xt with 133xxx miles on it. The listing is private, ie not through a dealership. Naturally i was doing my homework and discoverd the whole "stock turbo blowing up....fighting with dealership...debris in the motor....replacing the turbo only to have it promptly blow up again" ANYWAY. The description of the vehicle is rather non descript. casually mentioning that the turbo "was replaced at 98,000 miles along with the timing belt" I have read many of your posts and i am now aware that the turbo failure is credited to an undersized and clogged oil filter that feeds the turbo. My question/quesions is/are.....(continue to next message)

Read thru your epic cross country drive. Will be doing one myself in September from Seattle to New York. Don't have an Outback yet but was planning to buy a used one after the move. But looking thru the costs to rent a truck or do a upack was just crazy. Plus PNW cars don't have to deal with all that salt as NE cars do, so thought it might be worth driving cross country. I wouldn't take a trailer bigger than the 5 X 8. And I'll mostly deal with hills for the first 1/4 of the trip and it should be flatter in the rest. Just wondering if you still think it's worth it? Since I don't have more than one passenger, I was going to pack the car up, which is one of the reasons I can do the 5 x 8. Wondering if you have any advice. Was your car an automatic or manual? Any thoughts would be helpful! Thanks!

Thanks for all the great info!!!

Just reading your XT performance mods reference. Speaking as one who has spent way too many hours in recent weeks driving around legacygt.com and this site, thanks very much! Nice summary.

-b

Seabass,

I was reading up on the Suspension FAQ Thread and wanted to thank you for all you input. I just picked up a 2005 Outback LL Bean (3.0R) which makes it my 4th Subaru. I definitely experience a lot rear end wobble/instability when hitting 75+ on the interstate and hitting road bumps or dealing with wind.

Based on my observation of the Suspension FAQ Thread, I think I'm going to go ahead and do the following upgrades on the 2005 Outback:

Rallitek Rear Sway Bar (and Upgraded End Links and Mounting Brackets)
KYB GR-2 Rear Strut Assembly (341276, AJUSA Product Page

Any input you have is appreciated.

Thanks!

I love your avatar!