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2005 Outback Exhaust Replacement?

3K views 5 replies 6 participants last post by  Seanmuong30 
#1 ·
Hey all,

I have a 2005 Outback that I just recently purchased from Craigslist, it’s my first Subaru and I’ve always wanted one because of their practicality. Unfortunately I got played and the vehicle threw a p0420 code 100 miles after I bought the vehicle. I brought the vehicle to a Subaru dealership and they narrowed it down to the cats needing replaced of course. Total of $6k, which is what I bought the vehicle for.

The Outback I have seems to be a SULEV model, so three cat converters. I’m an aircraft mechanic by trade, so I’m fairly handy. I was wondering what the best options are for doing this myself. Are there trusted part distributors for exhaust parts on these? Obviously the majority of the dealer cost is parts.

Also, the vehicle is about to role over 120,000 miles. I was reading somewhere on here that the cats may still be under warranty? Any information would be appreciated. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I know about the risks of Craigslist buying, I should’ve had a scanner on hand but my previous vehicle was stolen and this seemed to be a good deal.
 
#2 ·
It could be as simple as an 02 sensor. There is threads on here you can search up that will give you lots of info on diagnosing. Mainly what sensors to monitor and to make sure they aren't lazy. Vacuum leaks/exhaust leaks can also cause the code. If you do just want to replace the cats, see if an exhaust shop can cut the old cats out and weld new ones in. Or even get a new exhaust assembly from magnaflow or walker. If you have access to a laptop. You can buy a adapter cable and download romraider then make some logs for us to see whats going on.
 
#3 ·
You should be able to call Subaru of America and ask them about the warranty. But have the owners manual with you and read it. When my drivers seat belt frayed, "lifetime warranty" I called SOA and she told me they were not covered. Then I read the page out of the owners manual and she said oh yes they are covered...

If not covered, find a local exhaust shop and talk with them. Don't take a 15y/o to the dealership, local shops will save you money.
 
#4 ·
Warranty is usually 10 years/100k miles for Federal protection of emissions-related systems. Cali may be different, but 120k is not close enough to 100k and you're WAY out of 10 years.

As long as you don't need certified CA/NY/MA, the "Federal" versions of Walker, Magnaflow, Catco, Eastern, etc. would work fine. Take a look through Rockauto.com about availability and rough pricing.
 
#5 ·
If the warranty is 15 years/ 150k miles , you're probably outside of 15 years (????) or very close.

Where do you live? I think when this came up for me and I was just outside of the 150k mile mark.

HEre is some info which may (or may not) be accurate, found on the interwebs

If your car is fitted with a PZEV emissions equipment and was sold and registered in California, Connecticut, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, or Vermont, then the cat is covered for 15 years or 150K miles, WCF.
 
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