Thinking about taking it to the dealership

[Splinter]

To get a 1000 point inspection or whatever the most thourough is.

I've got pretty much no idea what's been replaced on this car over its life, and I dont have the experience to know what to look/listen for in a lot of cases.


Any idea how much it'd cost me, and if I should even do it?

[Manarius]

If it's not broke, why try to fix it? I mean, you could probably do a better job yourself then taking it to a dealer and having them nail you for just looking at your car. Besides, what dealer just looks at a car and finds nothing wrong with it? I'm sure they'll find something wrong with your car...just so they can get more of your money.

[Splinter]

If it's not broke, why try to fix it? I mean, you could probably do a better job yourself then taking it to a dealer and having them nail you for just looking at your car. Besides, what dealer just looks at a car and finds nothing wrong with it? I'm sure they'll find something wrong with your car...just so they can get more of your money.

Ill make it pretty clear that Im not having them do the work

[Manarius]

Ill make it pretty clear that Im not having them do the work

And they'll nail you at least $70 US an hour just to poke their heads around. Besides, how are they going to tell the condition of some things without pulling stuff apart? IMHO, I feel that taking the car to the dealer should be a last resort. There are so many things you can either do yourself or have a separate mechanic do.

[Splinter]

Ill make it pretty clear that Im not having them do the work

And they'll nail you at least $70 US an hour just to poke their heads around. Besides, how are they going to tell the condition of some things without pulling stuff apart? IMHO, I feel that taking the car to the dealer should be a last resort. There are so many things you can either do yourself or have a separate mechanic do.

Yea, just not too many dealers who know imports around here.


I guess what I could do is just assume pretty much nothing has been done to it and do all the 3,6,9,12,18,24 and 48 month tuneups in the Haynes manual

[LaureltheQueen]

has anything gone wrong with the car? There's no reason to go replacing things on the car, other than regular wear items if they haven't failed. Especially on a car of this age.

[Splinter]

has anything gone wrong with the car? There's no reason to go replacing things on the car, other than regular wear items if they haven't failed. Especially on a car of this age.

There are lots of little problems.

Rough idle, bad mileage, shaky steering wheel, inconsistant engine power.

The wear items are what Im looking at replacing.

Bushings, timing belt, ignition system, oil filter, fuel filter

[Tleg93]

Preventive maintenance is a good thing. But, it must be done the right way and it can get costly. Checking the hoses, seals, wire connections and all that jazz is a generally good idea because it may turn up problems that haven't become full blown yet. The only problem is that to do it right, you'll need time, attentiveness and a lift helps for some things. Using a shop is the easier way but you never know how thorough they're being. I think you should find a way to do it yourself, unless you have specific things you want them to check or replace.

[professor]

I had all those things wrong and more when I got my car.

Just doing a standard "tune-up", plugs, wires, filters, checking and cleaning all grounds, made it run nearly perfectly. The eventual replacement of my alternator and it runs totally perfectly.

My wheel shake was bent wheels. As I've said before nearly every car I've ever purchased has had one or more bent wheels. That made my car drive like total crap, unmanageable on the highway. The previous owner thought it was big money problems but not so.

Bushings will cost you a fortune to replace at a dealer. Try to do one area at a time if you must pay someone to do it. A good place to start is the front end = front brakes, struts, new balljoints, sway bar mounts and links, check steering rod ends, and check CV joints and boots. Its all in the same place so you will save big to do it all at once.

The rear bushings are very durable and mine lookes pretty good at 180k, I replaced them anyway but it wasn't strictly needed. Struts and brakes on that end (and sway bar mount bushings) will take you far.

[dscoobydoo]

After I got my legacy SS used in PA, on the drive back we stopped at a dealer for an oil change. They did a onceover and gave me a list of suggested fixes. I said thanks and took their list and compared it with mine. Did not cost me a thing and I got that "inspection" for free.

[Subtle]

Dealers??

Had some buzzing at the ABS that wud not quit even with the ignition turned off. Would take the fuse out to end it.

Naturally it was intermittant so it didn't appear on the diagnosis thing,
but I thought a big dlr would know what it was.

Phoned a small Subie shop and the service mgr diagnosed it over the phone.Bought two relays from them -- no problems since.

[sandals]

i find most parts guys (at the dealership) are extremely helpful on the phone. whether it's an issue that needs addressed ASAP, seeing which parts are swapable between models/years, or just simple things like "what would be the best way to do xxxx?"

i'd just give them a call before you actually take it in.

[greg donovan]

After I got my legacy SS used in PA, on the drive back we stopped at a dealer for an oil change. They did a onceover and gave me a list of suggested fixes. I said thanks and took their list and compared it with mine. Did not cost me a thing and I got that "inspection" for free.

what he said.

take the car in for an oil change and they usually poke around. you can also ask them to look a little deeper and they usually wont charge.

that being said i only take my cars to places that let me back in the shop to look at the car w/the mechanic. it isnt the mechanic that is trying to rip you off but an unscrupulous shop manager. and i always take my car to the same place. build a relationship w/the shop and they will take care of you in return w/discounts and what not like free advice.

i am lucky to have the best subaru service dept (muscatell subaru in moorhead mn) and mechanic in my area. judging from the horror stories i have heard i will argue that this is the most customer friendly and competent subaru shop in the midwest if not the country.

[Splinter]

The local subaru dealership has one numourous awards from the community for good business practice, so I should be in good hands.

The parts guys there have always been super helpful, looking up parts-swap compatibilities and such for me

[greg donovan]

The local subaru dealership has one numourous awards from the community for good business practice, so I should be in good hands.

The parts guys there have always been super helpful, looking up parts-swap compatibilities and such for me

if they are willing to do that then you indeed have a great dealership.

[Splinter]

if they are willing to do that then you indeed have a great dealership.

The guy looked up the price of installing an STI TMIC for me, then when it ended up looking like $2000+, he recommended going to that Saltair wreckers up island from here and taking the stuff out of a wrecked one.

Gave me the # and directions and everything