Do 06 outback's have HG problems?

[bunick]

Looking at purchasing my first Subaru. One we are most interested in is a 06 with just under 64k. It is an Outback legacy wagon, 2.5i. The dealer just put new brakes, turned rotors, trans flush, replace pass. window regulator, new belts(not TB), new cvee boots. They accepted an offer from us but then we backed out when we found the cruise not working and there wasn't a keyless entry fob. They are going to look in to resolving those issues. Do I need to worry about the HG on the 06? I thought the 05 and older were most likely to fail. Any thoughts or sugestions? Thanks

[mikec]

Data on the internet indicates that the 11044aa632 head gasket was used for the 03 through the 06 model runs for the 2.5 legacy/outback non turbo engine. After that, Subaru went to the 633 gasket which is now used for the replacement for all years until recent production.

Will the 632 gasket leak? You can look on this site and see plenty of leakers for these years. Will they all eventually leak. No one knows, except Subaru.

As an owner of an 02 with a leaking head gasket, I wouldn't buy it unless it was a bargain, partly because I don't know what the difference was in the 632 gasket, if any, versus the previous one. But that's just me. Others are more adventurous. And if you DIY or know of a reliable indy service garage, that would influence the decision.

[Colin M]

I looked into this quite carefully before buying my 06 2.5i some 3 years ago. Unfortunately, I can't find the data I had at the time but it was sufficient to suggest that, at least in the UK market that the issue was largely sorted. Of course there is the 'give a dog a bad name effect'. With say a BMW people are inclined to accept that a HGF is probably caused by another failure (e.g. thermostat) and chances are it never gets reported on a forum. However there is not much chance of that with a 2.5 Subaru.

There is some suggestion (on the UK pistonheads forum) that the HG issue, at least as far as the SOHC engine is concerned, was primarily a US issue (like the 'ghostwalkers' and, more recently the 'shakers') so maybe there is a sourcing issue on gaskets between US assembled cars and the Japanese assemble cars we get. What I can say is that used 06 Outback prices over here don't suggest an issue - they are silly high. With the repair cost over here we run a mile from anything with that kind of issue - you could, and still can, buy K powered Freelanders for buttons because of the HG issues (even though they were substantially sorted by the end of the K series production)

[grossgary]

06 still has headgasket issues but they are more benign than previous years and less frequent. but they still exist.

1. you should *definitely* check it out thoroughly. they leak externally and are noticeable in the very early stages - there are signs of it starting to fail. where the head meets the block you can see them leaking from under or behind the engine just by a simple visual inspection.

2. ask them about it - dealers are NOT AT ALL in the dark about the headgasket issues- they are repairing them in the shop every single day. get a price quote for a headgasket job - should be $1,500 - $2,000. ask them how they would feel and what happens when the headgasket fails next year after 30,000 miles and you're stuck with that bill? Subaru should sell headgasket insurance!

[rangerjg]

I own a 2006 Outback - bought it new -- and at ~64K miles discovered both gaskets were nearly completely shot. The car was just out of warranty on the powertrain and the dealer refused to cover, so I contacted Subaru USA to appeal. Got a lot of runaround and had to provide ALL service records to Subar USA and the local dealer, which I did; still had to wait several days for a factory rep to "approve it", which was inexcusible in my mind and also added to my rental car costs; Subaru finally agreed to cover 50% of the head gasket replacement only (P&L; they covered about $700). I've had other problems and this has not been the reliable car I expected. Nice car and all, but it has some issues. If you consider buying a used one, try to find one with an extended warranty, and have the car checked THOROUGHLY by a reliable mechanic.

[TwoFortyJeff]

Yes. I specifically bought a 2005 to avoid the problems that plague 2nd gen Outbacks. Mine didn't even make 100k before they went. So much for that idea. It will be interesting to see what happens when the 2010+ models get 5 years old or so.

[mrk610]

Have had my 06 since new at 72 k now . DS head gasket replaced under 5y 60k warrenty at 58500 miles. I noticed it when I started losing coolant.