To repair or trade-in?

First of all, I'm not sure if this is the right forum, so let me know if there's a better section to post under Second, I don't know anything about mechanical work and have the mechanics do everything for me.

 

The issue is this: I have an '08 Legacy, about 102,000 miles. I like it but ideally I would love a different car, just don't have a lot of flexibility in the budget.

 

I have a 'check engine' light on and the local dealer tells me it needs a new catalytic converter, new drive/timing belts, and the head gaskets are leaking. $4700 total estimate. I expected the belt issue soon since it's almost at the 105k mark, but did not expect everything else. I still owe $3,800 on the loan with 15 payments left. It seems like it has a trade-in value of $3,600 to $4,500. I got those numbers based on KBB and Edmunds, specifiying both a 'rough' condition and an 'average' condition.

 

SO....do I sink the $4700 repairs into it, hoping it will last another 100k miles without too many more costly repairs?? Or trade it in now while it still holds reasonable value and get a different car? Any advice is appreciated!!

5k to change the head gasket, timing belt, and cat? I'd get a second opinion lol. I think your mechanic is trying to bang you over the head!!

Thats like 300 dollars in parts, and like 45 hours of labor. Maybe I am just getting old, that just seems f'n crazy, you can get a new longblock for that price. And this is a normal legacy... the parts for them should be a hell of a lot cheaper than turbo parts.

 

The timing belt has to come off in order to service the head gaskets, I just don't see how they broke that down to 4700. Upload a picture of the estimate!! Lets really see whats going on!

Thats like 300 dollars in parts, and like 45 hours of labor. Maybe I am just getting old, that just seems f'n crazy, you can get a new longblock for that price. And this is a normal legacy... the parts for them should be a hell of a lot cheaper than turbo parts.

 

The timing belt has to come off in order to service the head gaskets, I just don't see how they broke that down to 4700. Upload a picture of the estimate!! Lets really see whats going on!

 

I don't have a printed estimate yet, this was all told to me over the phone. They told me parts + labor would be $1060 for the catalytic converter and $2800 for the belts and gasket. There's another $477 for a few other things that I told them to just fix today (maybe a mistake, I know) so I guess the extra $364 to make a total of $4700 is tax?? Or just bad math on the technician's part. I pick it up tomorrow, and will get a printed estimate to review.

I just think that dealership is way to pricey. Is it the only dealership around? I have like 5+ subaru dealerships within 10-60 miles of me, so getting a second opinion is very easy for me and they keep things competitive. Some people don't have that luxury. I would look elsewhere if that place is your only dealership option. Look for a shop that has a lot of subaru experience.

 

Especially if you plan on selling the car....... I would hope the heads aren't warped and you can just replace the gasket. Even if they had to mill the heads a little, I don't see how they are charging that much..... should be well under 2k! You should be able to get the timing belt and head gaskets changed for under 2k!

 

For the cat, i think your car has 2, one in exhaust manifold and the other in middle of exhaust system. The front one is more expensive than the rear one, so that makes a big difference, and that shouldn't take more than 2 hours labor.... more like 1 hour. The exhaust manifold cat costs like 400, and mid cat costs like 200. If they were changing both it should still be under 1k.

 

They are selling used complete engines between 1200-2k lol

 

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=m570.l1313&_nkw=ej253&_sacat=0

 

What engine comes in that year, i thought it was an ej253, but i can be wrong. I thought the na's were dohc as well as the turbos.

Which cat is bad? Does your vehicle have 3 cats? Cats don't just go bad, unless there are long standing issues that get ignored for an extended period of time. Based on the mileage, head gaskets are a real possibility, especially on the 2.5 liter engine. It's common that a P0420 code (low catalytic efficiency), will give a dealership (stealership) the open door to gouge a customer by telling them that the cats are bad. Is the vehicle struggling at all? Any hesitation when accelerating? Abnormal idling issues? Weird smells? As mentioned above, always get a 2nd opinion whenever a "mechanic" (a term is use loosely) is giving you a quote North of $1500.00. Catalytic converters from Subaru are insanely expensive, and highly overrated. If this was my vehicle, I would get a 2nd, and even a 3rd opinion. See if you have a shop in the area that specializes in foreign vehicles. You would be surprised how many people open shops (even in their own garage), because they know that the dealer is over priced, on everything. I have the dealer do recall work, and that's it. Everything else is done by somebody that owns, and specializes in Subarus. I realize that you may not have somebody like this in your immediate area, but even if you had a 20 mile drive to save a few hundred dollars, it would be well worth it. In regards to the catalytic converter... If it truly is bad, call around, and find an exhaust shop that will cut out the bad cat, and weld in a new one. That right there should be no more than a $200-$300 job, (parts & labor) and I'm budgeting on the high side there. If you can everything addressed for $1500.00 or less, then it would be worth it to keep the car. Good luck.

For 5k you can buy another used 4th gen subaru.......

 

https://www.cars.com/for-sale/searchresults.action?zc=10804&rd=99999&prMn=0&prMx=5000&yrId=20201&yrId=20145&yrId=20200&yrId=20144&yrId=20199&mdId=21378&mkId=20041&sf1Nm=price&sf1Dir=DESC&sf2Nm=miles&sf2Dir=ASC&page=1&perPage=50&searchSource=GN_REFINEMENT

Well I took it to another shop today; basically the same news. He will do the gaskets, belts, and cat for $2800. He's pretty sure the cat is bad (i don't remember which one) but will check oxygen sensors first. I think that's better than the dealerships offer.

 

I'm more inclined to repair it now, whereas first I was going to trade it in. Are there any other common problems with 08 Legacys that I should be aware of, now that it's over 100k?? I don't want to spend so much money every year!

Which cat is bad? Does your vehicle have 3 cats? Cats don't just go bad, unless there are long standing issues that get ignored for an extended period of time. Based on the mileage, head gaskets are a real possibility, especially on the 2.5 liter engine. It's common that a P0420 code (low catalytic efficiency), will give a dealership (stealership) the open door to gouge a customer by telling them that the cats are bad. Is the vehicle struggling at all? Any hesitation.

 

No, no driving issues, I only took it in because of the check engine light. The p0420 code has popped up a few times last year and I just ignored it till now.

That CEL is the bank 1 cat. In case you didn't know there's a list of CEL codes in the sticky up top.

Wow, my dealer only charges $1,780.00 for head gaskets including timing belt for SOHC Subaru's...that estimate seems excessive.

Double check the catalytic converter warranty in your owners manual - most are for 10 years.

What the above post says. I believe there's a hidden extended warranty on emission control devices mandated at the federal level. A dealer will tell you this but an independent garage may not.

 

BTW, I have the same car with the same mileage and haven't had any head gasket or catalytic converter issues. I have had to replace the valve cover gaskets though, but more for peace of mind than anything else. Maybe you should treat your car better? Don't spank it hard when the engine is cold and fill up with gas from different stations I'm thinking.

Under federal law, the catalytic converter and engine-control module are covered for eight years or 80,000 miles. Some other emissions parts carry shorter federal warranties, usually two years or 24,000 miles.

Under federal law, the catalytic converter and engine-control module are covered for eight years or 80,000 miles. Some other emissions parts carry shorter federal warranties, usually two years or 24,000 miles.

 

I got excited and checked, but it's 8/80 whichever is first. I'm at 102k :-/

What the above post says. I believe there's a hidden extended warranty on emission control devices mandated at the federal level. A dealer will tell you this but an independent garage may not.

 

BTW, I have the same car with the same mileage and haven't had any head gasket or catalytic converter issues. I have had to replace the valve cover gaskets though, but more for peace of mind than anything else. Maybe you should treat your car better? Don't spank it hard when the engine is cold and fill up with gas from different stations I'm thinking.

 

Well not every car is going to have the same issues...

 

I don't think I accelerate very fast at all,of that's what you mean by 'spank'. And you're saying I should or should not use different stations?

I'm guessing use different gas stations. I always do. I look around for the cheapest price.

 

Yea spanking it, means driving it hard when the engines cold.

Yes, mix up the gas purchases a little. Everyone has their favourites out of habit or convenience, but it doesn't hurt to mix things up a little. Let the engine warm up before you do any hard acceleration. Its an unusual designn and probably wider and shorter than any engine made. Like I said, I've had no issues with mine and its the same car, same year and same mileage. My climate is tropical in summer and arctic in winter. FWIW I know of a local one the same with much more mileage and no issues either. These cars are ranked very high in terms of reliability.

Whitebear Acura/Subaru charged me $3200 to completely overhaul my engine.... 43K later still no issues. that included all new parts where needed (pistons, rings, timing belts, hoses, serpentine, etc.)