Subaru Outback Disaster! Part1

Tweaksta

Senior Member
Joined
Jul 22, 2008
Messages
615
Location
McMahons Point, Sydney
Car Year
2000
Transmission
5MT
I have to share this true story with you...
No it didn't happen to me - it happened to a friend from Melbourne. Her and her new hubby had just embarked on their honeymoon in their Outback with camper trailer in tow....

WARNING: This tale may disturb you.

Ok, let me tell you about my honeymoon. It's a long story which still hasn't completely finished so don't read this until you have some time to spare.

Day 1 - we set out nice and early before sunrise, packed, smiling and looking forward to six glorious weeks of camping bliss. We arrived at Renmark, set up camp by the Murray and watched the sun set from our brand new camper trailer. Sigh.

Day 2 - we left Renmark aiming for Coober Pedy. After a few hours of driving, we heard an unusual noise coming from the engine. It progressively got louder and louder. As we were near Port Pirie we decided to pull in and get a mechanic to check it out before going any further. We saw four mechanics all of whom said they couldn't even look at it for us until after Christmas (This was around the 12th Dec). Disheartened, we set up camp at the local caravan park whilst we tried to work out what to do. The park owner rang around for us until finally he booked us in at the local Ford service centre. They said they'd look at it.

Day 3 - We took the car to Ford. They diagnosed it as the bearings in the gearbox needing replacement. ****. What that meant was that the gearbox had to be shipped down to Subaru in Adelaide. Approx cost $3000, time approx 3-4 days. Ok. A few days out of our schedule, we could reorganise, cut a few things out. No worries.

3-4 days passed. Gearbox not returned. Ford gave us a car so we did a bit of touring down the coast while we waited. In the middle of the peninsula, outside a small country town, exhaust fell off the bottom of the car. So there's Simon, under the car, tying up the exhaust with wire in 35 degree heat. We got it back to Port Pirie.

After 10 days we finally got the call that the gearbox was back. Bad news - it came with a $4500 bill from Subaru alone. It appeared that they had fully reconditioned the whole gearbox without consultation. Combined with Ford's costs, that was a total bill of $5600. ****. Ok, dampener. We borrowed some money to pay for it, but still planned to continue on our honeymoon.

The next day, when we were due to pick it up, we got a phone call. The gearbox is in, but doesn't engage in 1st, 3rd or 5th gear. It needs to be returned to Subaru. At this stage, we both lost it. We had to face the fact that the honeymoon was over. It just wasn't going to happen. It was two days before Christmas, there was no way we were going to get the car back before new years. After many tears, we rang the RACV and they brought us home. The car went to Adelaide.

A fewdays into the new year, we got the call from Subaru that it was ready. Simon flew to Adelaide and drove it home. By this stage I was considering taking legal action.

A few weeks later, noises reappeared. We booked it into Subaru Glen Waverley to look at it and notified Adelaide as the repairs were still under warranty. A few days before the appointment, the car died. Simon rang Subaru Glen Waverley. They had no record of our appointment. Lost off the system. We took it elsewhere.
 
Subaru Outback Disaster! Part2

Doncaster Subaru checked it out - it was still the gearbox and parts needed replacing. Adelaide refused to cover the costs because apparently they were different problems to the ones they supposedly fixed. Go figure - THEY RECONDITIONED THE WHOLE GEARBOX!! They denied this (we couldn't get a fully itemised bill from them because technically Ford was their customer, not us) but their bill suggested otherwise.

At this stage I wrote several dirty letters, listing complaints and threatening legal action. They agreed to cover costs. This took two months to happen.

We finally get car back four months after the original problem.

Two weeks later, we smell burning oil. We need to take it back. They nicked a pipe in their repairs. Oil was leaking.

We get car back again.

Soooooo, three weeks ago we thought we might head up to Sydney to visit family. We made it to Holbrook. Car lost power on a hill, temperature exploded, steam pouring out of engine. We get it towed back to Holbrook.

Radiator hose has hole in it. Part ordered in from Albury, replaced, off we go. 10 minutes, it overheats again. We call mechanics. Probably just air trapped in the system, they say. It will work its way through. Keep topping up the coolant and you'll be fine. We continue.

The car kept overheating the whole way. Sometimes after 10 minutes, sometimes after an hour. But the trip which should have taken 5ish hours took us 9. We limp into Sydney.

Next day we call RACV. They'll tow it back to Melbourne but only if NRMA deems it unfixable within 3 days. We call NRMA.

Roadside guy arrives, can't fine anything wrong. Working fine. We have to take it to NRMA repairer.

Bloody rude, NRMA repairer refused to look at it til the next day. I burst into tears. He looks at it. It behaves, nothing wrong with it. Must just be airbubbles in the system. It'll be fine. Drive it back to Melbourne.

We leave to head down the cost. In one of the Sydney tunnels, it overheats. We limp it out. It cools down, we continue. After pulling over at least 10 times, we gave up at Wollongong. We ring NRMA.

One look at it, he says we've blown a head gasket. It needs to be towed back to Melbourne.

So, that's the latest news. Head gasket costs $3-4000. We can't afford that. We're still paying back the last lot of repairs. We're left with no choice but to sell the damn thing. We're just crossing fingers that it behaves long enough for us to trade in.

So honeymoon was a complete and utter disaster. We still haven't had a holiday and instead have been left broke, disheartened and feeling somewhat cursed.


(As you can see the poor buggers have been through a bit of a rough trot....if anyone knows anyone who works for Subaru and may be able to help justice occur - please let me know and I'll let them know -thanks).
 
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I can't help feeling guilty because my Foz has been so reliable so far (touch wood).

Now their Outback is officially for sale. They have given up on Suburus altogether.

They will soon be on the hunt for a Nissan Pathfinder.
 
I really feel for them.
Unfortunately subaru are a fairly technical car repair wise and from my experience are, aside from picking basic signs of faults, alien to most mechanics. It goes to show that if you need engine/gearbox repair outside the dealer network you best option is to make 100% sure you have breakdown cover that will get your vehicle and yourself (and your van/trailer if towing) home.

Hopefully they can recover some of their losses in selling it.
 
Just let them know that the series 1 Nissan Pathfinders actually use a Subaru Auto gearbox if it is an Auto - TRUE :eek:
 
You mean to say that it gets worse ??? I can't help but to feel so so sorry for them.

Regards
Mr Turbo
 
Reading that makes me feel for them. The whole experience, even WITHOUT being on a honeymoon, was the trip from hell. How long ago was this?

I know Port Pirie (I lived at crappy Brook for a while nearby) and I really feel for them being stuck in such a hole. Personally, if I had known, I would have been only too happy to go and get them (3 hours drive from here but so what) and get their car back to Adelaide to a proper Subie dealer (Eblens) and they could have stayed here no problems.

My sentiment is if someone from this forum or even a friend is in trouble I would do whatever I could to lend a hand.

Is there a follow up to this story? Where are they now? financially? vehicle wise?

Poor buggers.
 
I know - I felt really sorry for them too....that's why I had to share it with y'all.

They are currently hoping the Outback holds together enough (with blown head-gasket) to trade it in on a Nissan Pathfinder or something else that feels tough for towing their camper offroad.

I even thought a Forester would be that little bit more suitable for towing, but I don't think I can convince them to stay with Subies.....which is pretty sad I reckon :-(
 
May I ask what year your friend's Outback is ?

In the 6 years I've owned my 1999 Outback, the worse that has happened is (a) replacing a split front CVD (normal wear and tear), (b) two new rear shocks (normal wear and tear), (c) replace a pair of leaking windscreen washer pumps and (d) rectify water entry in the rear tailgate garnish.

As for the Melbourne Subaru Dealers.....it doesn't surprise me at all, based on the poor customer service I've had with them on more than one ocassion. I wouldn't service a wheelbarrow with them. Thank god for Makin & Luby.......
 
It all happened to them in December-January this year (2008)

It is a 2000 Limited MY01 - 2.5 Litre.

Everyone told them they were meant to last forever....hmph!
 
It all happened to them in December-January this year (2008)

It is a 2000 Limited MY01 - 2.5 Litre.

Everyone told them they were meant to last forever....hmph!

what happens with outbacks alot is when they're written off they dont get get wrecked but cut in half and put back together with another written off outback. its because of their high resale value. i found this out when i was ringing around trying to find spare parts and wondered why no one had them.
 
The 2.5 litre outbacks have been known for faulty head gaskets from factory. I'm surprised no one picked this up as its a common subi problem if the engine keeps overheating for no apparent reason.
Its such a shame that their honeymoon was ruined by a make of vehicle that comes with a piece of mind when you buy the brand.
I guess it really pays off if you know your vehicle well.
I hope they have better luck with their next unit, shame its not going to be a different model of subaru...

Cheers

Bennie
 
The 2.5 litre outbacks have been known for faulty head gaskets from factory. I'm surprised no one picked this up as its a common subi problem if the engine keeps overheating for no apparent reason.
Its such a shame that their honeymoon was ruined by a make of vehicle that comes with a piece of mind when you buy the brand.
I guess it really pays off if you know your vehicle well.
I hope they have better luck with their next unit, shame its not going to be a different model of subaru...

Cheers

Bennie

Which makes me wonder why Subaru don't have thousands of head gaskets ready to go on standby - with all their service people up to speed on the swapout. If (due to labour hours) the cost is a bit high then Subaru should really be subsidising it since it is a design fault.
 
Just had the head gaskets re-done on my 03 Forester after 125k. Apparently the leaking issue is apparent in the EJ25 built from 1998 - late 2002. I suspect my donk was one of the last to come out with the problem.

Some Subaru dealers were purportedly using "radiator conditioner" (barsleak?) from first service, but I am not sure widespread the practice is. Good news is that the current gaskets seem to be OK (no problems reported from 2003 on). First indication is either a oil or coolant drip from bottom left side of engine.
 
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