When to sell my 2005 Outback 2.5 XT?

5591 Views 11 Replies 9 Participants Last post by Seabass, Jan 24, 2013

John Gregori

Discussion Starter · Jan 22, 2013

I just got a check-engine light and brought it in to the dealership for a look and minor check at 82,500 miles.

Seems like they're suggesting a valve adjustment ($2,000+) and a front and back axel boot tears and timing belt need replacing. Further, brake pads apparently need replacing at front and back for additional $600. All this would be about $4,000 total.

Should I just sell/trade the car before making repairs or is this model worth repairing? For example, if I spend the $4,000 will the car last me another 40,000 miles or so before another major expense or is this model destined for added repairs/costs?

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Seabass

· #6 · Jan 22, 2013

What was the diagnostic code? Doing a timing belt change at 83k without any signs of early wear is ridiculous. Look at the axle boots and see if they've cracked and sprayed grease everywhere. If not, they're fine. The front passenger side is generally the one that goes.

I'd recommend finding a subaru specific shop near you that is NOT a dealer.

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Seabass

· #12 · Jan 24, 2013

I disagree about the boots. At least the passenger side. If it's spilled all of it's grease and you have no idea how long it's been like that, it probably already has a lot of dirt and other crap in there. Re-booting it will keep it going for a while if it isn't already making noise, but the joint could crap out very soon.

As for the drivers side that just has a crack, it should just be re-booted.

The first place to look for the lean condition is all vacuum hoses. Look for leaky or popped off ones. Do that before driving the car further. You will either burn up your valves or blow a piston ring if a hose has popped off. There is a "t" under the intercooler that likes to blow hoses off. Also check for boost leaks.

If you have access to someone with a laptop and a vag-com cable, you can download a program called learning view. It will show your learned fuel trims and give you a very good idea if there is a leak somewhere.

If there isn't a leak, it could be a clogged injector. But rule out the leak before looking into the injectors.

Again, a lean condition will destroy pistons or valves, so figure it out before driving much more.

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