Headgasket class action website

[nipper]

Originally posted by andrew.w


Just 'cause everybody's doing it doesn't make it right...

Same can be said for class action suites. if your going to sue, sue. Class action lawsuets (sp?), the litigants get hurt, the lawyers make a ton of money, and the company being sued saves a bundle (compared to many small law suits)


nipper

[jsnap]

148,889 miles
I've been dealing with possibly the same issue of late. At my most recent oil change, done a week ago (148,865 miles), it was found I didn't have much coolant left in either the tank or radiator. However, I never saw any leaking, nor any overheating either. No check engine light either.

The same mechanic shop does almost all my oil changes, every 3750-5000 miles and all my other major servicing (except warranty issues) since it went out of warranty in 2000. They only work on Subarus as this town is full of them! Colorado has more Subies in it than any other car manufacturer. It's not uncommon to go to any public parking area and see 5 or more in a row, and if you look around, it's like 7 in 10 cars is a Subaru with Outback Wagons the majority of them.

In any case, I'm doing some things this week to check for leaks.
1. Repalced the radiator cap with an after-market new one (from Checker Auto). Seems to seal better.
2. Refilled the system a few times (topping off only after 1st refill) and checking for bubbles.

So far, still no leaks that I can find. Wondering if this "Subaru Cooling System Special Conditioner" that's mentioned in the letter Subaru sent to owners of 1999-2000 models is I should be using too?

It's about time to do the 150K service on it too (other than another oil change). So cooling system gets flushed then. It could use it.

[jsnap]

I just went to the next sticky thread here and read where the older Phase 1 - 2.5L engines are not part of the leaking engine group.

However, the older Phase 1 - 2.5L engines do develop an internal leak that causes the HG to fail. I just had to replace mine and do a ton of other work. My engine was overheating and spewing coolant everywhere. Yet the thermostat never said it was over heating. So had to replace that too and a lot of other parts that were damaged due to this.

Many, many of us who have this engine are having to do extensive, expensive repairs to fix the problems associated with this just after or slightly longer past warranty expiration. Yet, other makes of vehicles do not experience HG problems. In fact, I never had any HG problems on any other vehicle I ever owned (7 others before this Subaru).


So is the lawsuit covering both HG design flaws?

It doesn't look like Subaru did anything except notify owners and shops about adding the conditioner to the coolant for the Phase2 - 2.5L engines. It doesn't appear as tho expensive repairs ever got covered. Anyone have any new info on this?

Has anyone been successful in writing to Subaru of America to get compensation fo the actual cost of the repairs?

[ricards]

The answer is yes, in some cases. Be nice and be persistent. Send an email with your complaint and Subaru of America will respond.

[nipper]

SUbaru has been covering them on a case by case basis, and alot of it comes down to how hard the dealer will work for you.

Unlike Chrysler or GM (to name two of the many), subaru has been making an effort.

nipper

[subiekiller]

To be honest I can understand a dealership or person working on the servicing of cars being somewhat hesitant to say well hey there is a problem with the outback 2.5 and the head gasket situation. I had to keep saying that well due to the situation I can imagine that it will go ------------ and the final words which surprised me was, Yeah there is a problem with the head gasket and needless to say having the additive included in the coolant was no relief to me since hey - if I wanted a band-aid I would have gone to the shoppers drug mart. Still at this point and shortly getting ready to absolve myself of my 2000 outback sedan - which really not many people have - haha I will have to consider if I would want to buy another one though have really enjoyed this car and the one I had before- time will tell

[jiggie]

hey everyone!! im jon and im shopping for my next subie. I had an 06 sti but the ex wife took her 2 years ago, and ive been driving other cars since. Well i finally decided to get another subie but buy used. I really have taken a liking to the outback limited that has the two moon roofs leather etc. I havent decided on if i want an auto or manual. Any way im here because i started reading up on the ob and have heard more bad than good when it comes to the relyabilty of the cars. Im planning on buyin one out of state and all of them have 120k or more. What should i do before i buy one and should i even waste any more of my time on the ob, and just go back to an impreza?? i want the ob for the obvious reasons, cargo space, heated leather seats, ground clearance etc. I love the looks and feel of the ob but i cant afford thease kind of problems right off the bat. Any and all help will be very much appricated!!! thanks!!

[ricards]

Originally posted by jiggie


hey everyone!! im jon and im shopping for my next subie. I had an 06 sti but the ex wife took her 2 years ago, and ive been driving other cars since. Well i finally decided to get another subie but buy used. I really have taken a liking to the outback limited that has the two moon roofs leather etc. I havent decided on if i want an auto or manual. Any way im here because i started reading up on the ob and have heard more bad than good when it comes to the relyabilty of the cars. Im planning on buyin one out of state and all of them have 120k or more. What should i do before i buy one and should i even waste any more of my time on the ob, and just go back to an impreza?? i want the ob for the obvious reasons, cargo space, heated leather seats, ground clearance etc. I love the looks and feel of the ob but i cant afford thease kind of problems right off the bat. Any and all help will be very much appricated!!! thanks!!

Plan on setting aside about $2,000.00 or more for a head gasket replacement, timing belt, water pump, etc. Unless, of course, you can get your hands on reliable service records and that's already been done.

[jiggie]

cool thanks!!! i think i could scrap up that and put it in savings. Should i worry if it has been done but by a non subaru mechanic? Is there anything else i should know about the ob's before i buy one?

[mikebike357]

For reference, the left headgasket went on my 03 Forester at 70k miles. Dealer quoted me $1500 to do the whole thing (both sides) including a new timing belt.

Thankfully I was able to argue with them over it and got them to 'warranty' part of it... still cost me $600 but that's a lot cheaper than $1500!

It wasn't covered under the revised headgasket 100k warranty because mine was only leaking oil... warranty only applies if it's leaking oil AND coolant.