Is it a mistake to buy an 05 LGT?

I've been searching for hours trying to figure out what's up with the engine failures and turbo faiulres. Is this something that is mostly limited to 05's or is it all years? Is there a main thread about these failures or any real fix for it? I found out about the removal of the screen in the banjo bolt, but I think that is still not completely agreed upon as a fix. I don't really want to get a 2.5I, so it's either the GT or keep buying GC RS's as mine get older. I'd really appreciate ayn help or even a link to a helpful thread. Thanks.

I just found the blown turbo thread in the warranty section. I'll have some serious reading up to do, but please feel free to share any info. Thanks.

This question frustrates me. it's been asked countless times. (not jumping on you).

 

This is a car that is easily modded. if you plan on doing so remember "you have to pay to play". run it hard and it and ANY car you purchase will have problems. don't change your oil regularly and do the proper maintenance and this and ANY car you drive will have problems.

 

That said, I travel 60miles a day in my GT and other than normal wear and tear it's been great. and i have one of the highest mileage cars here with 137k on it. 96k on the original turbo before I switched it out. on Inspection the screen in the banjo bolt was clean as a whistle. Difference in boost however. much better with the replaced unit.

 

so if you get a LGT, make sure you do your homework, get it inspected by a private mechanic and enjoy

right. the blown turbo thread. you don't see a "my turbo is running fine" thread do you?

 

or a "I love my car and I've had no problems with it" thread. it's easy for people to get on a bitch about their problems they are having with their car. hell you can probably find a few threads i've posted liked that.

 

bottom line, every car will have mechanical issues at some point.

There's nothing wrong with purchasing an '05, but just be aware of a couple things.

 

1) there's a cat converter in the uppipe - swapping in a used STI uppipe is the answer

 

2) the screen filter in the passenger side AVCS / turbo oil feed line banjo - remove it

 

3) research the oil pan oil pickup tube - there have been issues with it coming loose / cracking / failing

 

I've got an '05 making 400 awhp and it's as reliable as the day is long. Why? Because I know it's pay to play, and I do regular maintenance on my car. If I do break something, then I'll have to pay more to play more.

 

If you plan on keeping the car stock, the above 3 things still apply. I'd be that most of the blown turbo issues can be traced to them.

hey john,

 

1. without searching why is switching to the STI uppipe the answer?

2. considering I didn't have issues with the previous screen filter would you still suggest I remove it?

3. guess i'll keep an eye on this tube. I've not had issues with it yet.

 

There's nothing wrong with purchasing an '05, but just be aware of a couple things.

 

1) there's a cat converter in the uppipe - swapping in a used STI uppipe is the answer

 

2) the screen filter in the passenger side AVCS / turbo oil feed line banjo - remove it

 

3) research the oil pan oil pickup tube - there have been issues with it coming loose / cracking / failing

 

I've got an '05 making 400 awhp and it's as reliable as the day is long. Why? Because I know it's pay to play, and I do regular maintenance on my car. If I do break something, then I'll have to pay more to play more.

 

If you plan on keeping the car stock, the above 3 things still apply. I'd be that most of the blown turbo issues can be traced to them.

OP, I hope you have checked the highest mileage thread in the sticky's at the top of this forum.

 

I have 122,400 miles on the orginal turbo, still with the screen installed, I have been at AP stage 1 since Dec 04. The past year I have been on Tuning Alliance's tune at just over 16psi. Still have OEM pipe's.

 

Engine has seen 21psi about 100,000 miles ago for a short time.

 

It uses a bit of oil but I use whatever name brand dino oil is on sale at Walmart and Fram oil filters.

 

 

Car has a Spec 2+ clutch and LWFW, STI STS and STI tranny mount. Engine see's redline a few times a week if not more.

 

There's nothing wrong if 05's if you take care of them.

I'm sorry to ask questions that have been covered, just couldn't find anything solid while searching. I've been a member of i-club, nasioc, and rs25.com for a decade now so I really tried to search knowing how noobs get treated over there. I still have 3 of 4 RS's I've owned, one with an STI swap, and never had any issues with any of them. Here's the situation with one car I found, not sure if he's on here.

 

Turbo was replaced at like 58k by the dealer, then the engine blew at 64k. New engine and turbo from the dealer at that point. Now the car has 133k with 60ish k on the engine, but the turbo was replaced again about 2k miles ago because it was making noise. Engine blew right after the last turbo swap, so I'm scared that another engine failure will be in the near future. Or is the dealer fixing whatever the issue is? I like the car and would buy it if I could trust it and he'd go down a little on the price, but I'm afraid of the big boom afterward. Thanks

I have read that these are the King of Cars, faster than any Porsche, better then a Lamborghini and they they are unreliable and made out of sub-standard parts.

 

Or am I better off buying this one than one that hasn't had any issues yet?

 

It's for my wife, so it will not be modded and is an auto.

Or am I better off buying this one than one that hasn't had any issues yet?

 

It's for my wife, so it will not be modded and is an auto.

 

good luck finding an issue free car... especially a pre-owned issue free car. if you want better reliability then the gt, get the 2.5i. problem solved

good luck finding an issue free car... especially a pre-owned issue free car. if you want better reliability then the gt, get the 2.5i. problem solved

 

My mom has a 2.5I and it's not really something I'm interested in. It's pretty much a heavier slightly more refined RS so I'd rather just keep the RS as her daily. It's GT or nothing at this point. I really like it though.

go for it... ive had no problems with my 05... if you buy from the dealer... buy their optional turbo warranty if they offer it, thats what i did with my pre-owned forrester

where are you located? there was actually a nice 05 gt 5eat in flemington subaru 2 weeks ago for sale.

Yonkers, NY 10703.

http://subaru.flemington.com/preowned/dsp_viewcar.cfm?vin=4S3BL676154216386

. if you want better reliability then the gt, get the 2.5i. problem solved

 

who say the lgt is not reliable as 2.5i? the driver is the one that's unreliable

 

FYI: I bought 2 used cars 2,5i and gt, then I did the "30K" service for them right out of the dealer, no problem so far (except normal cosmetic wear and ding)

I've had my '05 for a year now and other than having to check the gas and fill the oil its not that bad. I replaced the up pipe for piece of mind and i check the oil once a month. If you can deal with that they are more fun than not. Kind of like a hot chick with bad teeth.

who say the lgt is not reliable as 2.5i? the driver is the one that's unreliable

 

FYI: I bought 2 used cars 2,5i and gt, then I did the "30K" service for them right out of the dealer, no problem so far (except normal cosmetic wear and ding)

 

I would not say that a 2.5i is more reliable per se, but, you can get away with a little more on a naturally aspirated car then a turbo charged car.

 

I have an 06 GT, and other then scheduled maintenance, it's been in for the TSB (fan relay) and a bad hub and thats about it. I had an '01 GT (Naturally aspirated) and the head gasket leaked on both sides before 30K. If you spend enough time on this site, you will think the LGT is a timebomb, but to c-lo's point, members don't post threads like "my car is running great", those threads would just be boring anyway.

 

So that sad, I would buy an 05 LGT used, but first I would have an independent diagnostics shop check the car over, compression tests, frame tests, etc... etc... Then again, I would do that when buying any expensive used vehicle.

 

Good luck with your decision. Depending on the year/body of your RS, maybe you should just do a turbo swap

I've been searching for hours trying to figure out what's up with the engine failures and turbo faiulres. Is this something that is mostly limited to 05's or is it all years? Is there a main thread about these failures or any real fix for it? I found out about the removal of the screen in the banjo bolt, but I think that is still not completely agreed upon as a fix. I don't really want to get a 2.5I, so it's either the GT or keep buying GC RS's as mine get older. I'd really appreciate ayn help or even a link to a helpful thread. Thanks.

 

I used cooking oil (fully olive one) in my turbo charged prius, the motor still runs strong, 0-60, 4seconds and it has 400k miles on the stock battery :redface:

hey john,

 

1. without searching why is switching to the STI uppipe the answer?

2. considering I didn't have issues with the previous screen filter would you still suggest I remove it?

3. guess i'll keep an eye on this tube. I've not had issues with it yet.

 

1) It's catless and it's an OEM part which will bolt right up. And you can find one for $50 or so used.

 

2) For peace of mind I would.

 

3) You won't know if you have trouble with it until it's too late.

So as far as removing the mesh in the banjo bolts goes. Will removing that pretty much protect the engine and only risk the turbo? I have no problem buying the car if it's just the turbo I need to worry about. I just don't want to grenade the engine.

So as far as removing the mesh in the banjo bolts goes. Will removing that pretty much protect the engine and only risk the turbo? I have no problem buying the car if it's just the turbo I need to worry about. I just don't want to grenade the engine.

 

what are you talking about...

no, removing the banjo bolt filter wont harm neither the turbo nor the engine, just keep changing your oil regularly

what are you talking about...

no, removing the banjo bolt filter wont harm neither the turbo nor the engine, just keep changing your oil regularly

 

The general concensus seems to be that the mesh screen in the bolts are the main reasons for all the turbo and engine failures. Please correct me if I'm wrong. What I'm asking is will removing the mesh prevent the oil starvation issues for the engine? I assume the purpose of the mesh is to protect the turbo so if it is removed there is more of a chance of damage to the turbo by anything that gets passed the oil filter. Thanks.

The general concensus seems to be that the mesh screen in the bolts are the main reasons for all the turbo and engine failures. Please correct me if I'm wrong. What I'm asking is will removing the mesh prevent the oil starvation issues for the engine? I assume the purpose of the mesh is to protect the turbo so if it is removed there is more of a chance of damage to the turbo by anything that gets passed the oil filter. Thanks.

 

The mesh is used as a filter to clean the particles contained in the oil before they can floats into your turbo. The fact is, that mesh (the filter) is not the engine oil filter which you can change regularly. So, when it is dirty, it will be clogged (right?), thus, no more oil supply to the turbo... => kaboom

 

Removing the filter wont harm the turbo, as long as you change your oil regularly (use good syn oil)