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Clacking noise - turbo failure? oil bone dry! warranty issues HELP!


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Almost one month ago I purchased a 2005 Subaru Legacy GT 2.5 and it drove well until a recent disaster. The car began making a loud clacking noise from the engine, it was smoking, the oil was bone dry, and the CEL light came on. It was undrivable. Now it is in a subaru dealership and they are awaiting service records for the subaru rep before approving warranty coverage on the engine. The oil was changed when I bought the vehicle in June, and there is no foreseeable reason why the warranty should be denied, there are no engine or powertrain mods and no previous damage to the vehicle.

 

I have seen similiar threads online related to this problem. The dealer I purchased the car from says it is probably the turbo failing, and it sucked up all the oil, causing engine damage.

 

Any advice is appreciated, or anyone who has or is suffering from the same problem I would like to hear from you.

 

Anyone experienced with dealing with SOA and warranty issues please HELP!

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I had a simular issue. I just traded in my 05 GT LTD 4 days ago for a new 08 3.OR. I went through hell with Subaru for about two months with serious engine problems. The car was purchased brand new and had every service record from Subaru since the day I purchased it. I never got a check engine light it just started running like it had a diesel under the hood. The engine was loud the car was shaking and stuttering..but no CEL. The first trip to the dealer left me without my ride for 3 days, the service manager came back with it is possibly one of 4 different things wrong and started with every fuel related Item they could think of. I received , new fuel lines, pump and injectors...no help,they replaced heat sensors, and various other items unitl the grand daddy of them all. They pulled the engine and replaced all of the vavles.. all 16 of them but not all at once, this took two separate visits several weeks apart when the first attempts did not solve the problem. My car did serious dealership parking to the tune of a total of 25-30 days. The car returned to me running better but still making noise and shaking like a bad case of parkinsons...I was told to try a fuel additive. LOL..So after 2months of this bullShi....as I was approaching the 55,000 mile mark...I gave up and traded it in on a new '08. By the way, my car was eating about 1-2 qts of oil a week, it never had never done that before...the issue began. Subaru seemed not to take note of this fact when I mentioned it..I was fortunate Subaru covered all of the repairs under warranty....It makes me wonder after reading all the problem people are having, if Subaru may have an issue somewhere with the 2.5GT...Engine, Turbo config???. Do not get me wrong, I am not bashing Subaru this is my 4 one with the '08 and never had a single problem before this last stepchild..Good luck to you and I would press the dealer hard for resolution or get on the phone and be a pain in the ass to Subaru Corporate. I had to pressure to have all the work done under warranty in spite of the powertrain warranty still being in place due to mileage and age.
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I checked the oil a couple times after buying the car and it was fine. Took it on a road trip and it was ok. Drove it down the road and clack clack clack and no oil. Currently Subaru mechanics are dismantling the engine and have narrowed it down to a lower engine knock. Could be a number of things, just hoping the warranty is authorized. I had records of the last oil change which was done right before i bought the vehicle about a month ago, less that 1,000 miles on the car since the last oil change. The dealer also put it in a new clutch plate and flywheel, as well as an oil change, lube, and 600 point inspection. He says the engine was in great condition and not abused and there should be no reason that SOA should not honor the warranty. But SOA wants as many records of oil changes even though the car is not even 2 years old, and there is no way for me to contact the previous owner due to privacy laws. Also it has a few mods, but they should not effect the powertrain warranty - mods include new sport exhaust, fog lights, new lamps, turbo gauge, and the car was lowered. Thats the whole story any help is appreciated.
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Ok, I just posted in another thread, but I am having the exact same problem. My 2005 LGT has 49,926 miles and the turbo went on the way to work. I shut it down and had my wife bring the truck and trailer, then took it straight to the dealer who is 100 miles away. I had just checked the oil level 2 days before and it was fine, I am running Mobil1 and change the oil myself every 7000 miles. I have logs of when the oil was changed with mileage, but they want the reciepts for every oil puchase in the last 2.5 years. Well, those reciepts fade out in a few weeks, so they don't exist anymore, but there is a mobil1 oil filter on the car right now. They won't do the work until I produce the reciepts. I am absolutely sure there is an issue with the legacy gt turbos at around 45 - 55k miles, there are too many of the same reports.
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just got some good news! we tracked down the service reports from the previous owner. Luckily he had every oil change and service problem done at a subaru dealer in pittsburgh - it turns out the car had a turbo failure at 20K miles and it was fixed under warranty. Then it had a valve that was leaking oil, which was also replaced under warranty. He had kept up with all of the subaru maintenance schedules and all the records are at a subaru dealer. I see no reason why I should be denied warranty. They are pulling the engine out tomorrow. So now I can only pray they authorize the warranty. If they dont, im raising hell. Keep up with the help and thanks for the continuing responses.
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well after days of exchanging info with the service manager and subaru's field rep, SOA agreed to a non warranty one time replacement of all parts and service. They will pay for all the work and parts (short block, new turbo) but I have to pay a $500 deductible. This is because I had records of five oil changes, which I had to hunt for because I had just bought the car a month ago. However, once they fix it this time the warranty is void. Seems like they admitted guilt but really I just want it fixed and I dont want to risk potential litigation once they open up the engine and discover it was abused (or not). It has 55K miles, and the warranty runs out at 60K anyway, plus they guarantee the new parts. The dealer I bought the car from offered me money for my rental car. It seems like everyone had to end up chipping in on one pain in the ass problem. Thanks Subaru. Not. I guess 500 bucks for a new engine and turbo is not too shabby, could have been worse. :spin:
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Almost the same Issue here, Subaru replaced my turbo 23,000 mile ago(warranty) but a couple of day ago it went again but now i'm no longer covered(70,005 miles). I'm taking the car in to the dealership tomorrow. Do you think I have a chance at getting it covered b/c it's been such a short time frame?

 

What would cause Smoke to come out of the engine? Explanation:

I heard the clanking(familiar b/c it happen a few months ago) so I knew that the turbo had died. This time as i'm driving her home(b/c the service guy said that it would be ok), the car shuts off... I go look under the hood and decide to open the oil cap...WHITE SMOKE??

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Exact same problem! I had to hassle with subaru to get all the maintenance records (i bought the car with 54K, it now has 56K), and i recovered 6 of the 8 required oil change records. They had replaced the turbo around 20K under warranty, as well as a leaky valve. Since I did not have all the records they said they could deny the warranty all together, however since I just bought the car and it wasnt my responsibility they would offer a "non-warranty one time repair" in which they would pay for all parts and service but I would have to pay a $500 deductible. Parts included a new turbo, and a new short block, as far as they can tell now. Once the parts arrive they will dissemble the engine.

 

Overall I felt screwed in the situation. The previous owner had maintained the car fairly well, including doing all service and oil changes at a subaru dealership. However, they only maintained records of five oil changes (1 per 10K miles which subaru warranty requires 1 per 7500 miles). I bought the car, drove it for three weeks, and now it is being torn apart and I'm paying for part of it! They didnt even offer money for a rental car (however the dealer I bought it from did, although he was not bound to any warranty)

 

Now it has been sitting at a subaru dealership 100 miles away with absolutely no progress. They are still waiting for the short block (which is being shipped from Peru?!?) and the turbo. It has been almost two weeks.

 

Does anyone know how long it takes to replace a short block and turbo once the parts arrive?

 

Does anyone know how long it takes parts to ship from Peru or from anywhere? The dealership told me they have no idea!

 

Will the new short block and turbo lower the value of the car significantly? Or will the parts add more longevity to the vehicle?

 

Also, be careful with any mods with SOA. My legacy has been lowered, has a new twin sport exhaust, clutch plate, and a turbo gauge. Even though these do not necessarily effect damage to the turbo or powertrain, they can use it as a loophole to escape warranty.

 

If anyone has any questions, answers, or thoughts please help. If you have a 2005 subaru legacy gt go to a dealership now and have everything inspected. I wish I would have.

 

and yes it was white smoke.

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So, I guess that means that my engine passed away also?

 

The turbo alone takes roughly a day to install but since its part of the entire rebuild, it shouldn't take more than 2-3 days total.

 

My car is bone stock except for the muffler delete and my oil has been changed religiously before 5-6000 miles.

 

The last time, the service dept told me that "The turbo isn't getting proper cooling for some reason". I asked if there were any special precautions that I should take and they said that there really isn't anything that I can do(mind you i've had a turbo timer since new).

I'll let you know how my situation turns out. And thanks for confirming the white smoke issue...

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perhaps subaru's recall on the turbo cooling fan relay #2 is the reason your turbo is not cooling properly (also, probably the same reason for mine)

 

just found out the new short block arrived, it was from peru, indiana, where Subaru has a plant. they couldnt get a remanned engine, so now i get a brand new short block, pistons, water pump, etc as well as a brand new turbo (which has not arrived yet) - the service manager told me 5-10 days for the repairs. I guess thats not bad for $500 for all parts and labor (subaru footing entire bill except for my portion of the deductible)

 

my theory is that the turbos in some of the legacys are not cooling due to the recalled part, then they have a failure, then they suck all the oil up, then the engine has mechanical failure. It is a hefty price to pay for a cooling fan issue, but if you have all the records and are under the 60K powertrain i see no reason why they could deny warranty. however, if there is any evidence of engine abuse they can withdraw the warranty. Thats why I went with the deductible deal, it was a gamble trying to go for the full warranty because once they open up the engine they could find some abuse and claim no responsibility at all. plus i have a stick. and if i had thrown a gear it could show abuse. this way i am guaranteed complete repairs. of course, once they are done the parts are guaranteed, but no warranty left on the vehicle for labor. damn you subaru!

 

now all i can do is wait and long for my legacy. its painful.

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There was a recall on that piece? Since when? How come Subaru didn't notify me?

 

Congrats on getting your pieces in, you'll be good to go, hopefully by the end of next week.

 

Yeah, the part that has me worried is that i'm @ 70,000 miles. But the part that's giving me hope is that they had just replaced the turbo 20,000 miles ago, which was only a 5-6 months ago

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well the final verdict from subaru and the dealer is in, and I am not sure whether I am happy with this deal or not.

 

with a $500 deductible from me, subaru will replace the short block, long block, and turbo (basically a completely new engine rebuild) on the car, which includes new water pump and other ancillary engine parts. parts are guaranteed, but no warranty on labor.

 

after they ripped out the old engine they found the clutch and flywheel needed replaced, so I had to foot the bill for a new subaru stock clutch kit ($900), however they agreed to install without labor costs since the engine was already out.

 

so after $1400 and three weeks without my sube I will be looking at a new engine, turbo, clutch, and flywheel. Not bad? Or too bad?

 

How long does it take to finish all this work by the way?

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Good deal? Honestly I think its bullcrap that you would have to pay anything for a mechanical failure during the mechanical warranty. One time warranty thought isnt that bad seeing as you're already at 55k and problems most likely won't arise until after 5k anyways.

 

Who did you take it to there, I'm in FL but I'm from the burgh

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I took it to a dealer / repair shop in Ohio, where I was on a trip when it broke down. I think it is bullcrap too, but because I didnt have EVERY record of an oil change and there were some mods to the car they were trying to opt out of it altogether. Then it would have cost me A LOT more for the new engine.

 

What angers me the most is I bought the car, drove it for a month, and now I havent seen it in three weeks. I love that car and really want to get back in the drivers seat. Now they are waiting for the long block and clutch, and once they get the long block they have to measure the valves for some custom fit parts, im not sure exactly but it will extend the process a couple of days. The good thing is they were gonna have to send the valve heads away for x-ray but instead they just got a whole new block.

 

On the glorious day that I get back in the car I will take it back to the burgh for inspection where I bought it and I will let you know just how well this dealership installed all the new parts.

 

KEEP TRACK OF EVERY OIL CHANGE AND SERVICE WITH AS MUCH EVIDENCE AS POSSIBLE. I SPENT A WEEK NEGOTIATING WITH SOA. PAIN IN THE ASS.

 

needed a new clutch anyways, so that would have cost the same just for labor, but since the engines already out i dont have to pay for that.:spin:

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Haha we all need a new clutch, especially me after a jaunt through San Francisco.

 

Oh and since you're in the burgh, I can give mad props and recommendation to take it to Day Subaru on West Liberty Ave. I had Dave, the service manager, and those guys were great after my ordeal with the ecm/relay recall and will be getting a commendation letter from me shortly.

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Sorry about the trouble, and great advice about keeping track of oil changes.

 

With these stock turbos exploding and banjo bolt screen issues, wondering if I should do a turbo upgrade sooner rather than later.

 

That's a good excuse to share with wife... "But honey, if I don't upgrade, the turbo might blow up!" Hmm, might actually work...

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