Just got 05 Legacy GT turbo, scared now.

I just traded my last love affair with Toyota 13 days ago and I regret it so much right now... Is my regret a mistake?

 

This is going to be a lot to read but I tried sectioning it off, so if you're a skimmer just skip to the last part.

 

I've been driving a Geo Prism (AKA Toyota Corolla) for the last 7 years, I purchased it with a salvage title (Smashed in hood that still latched and really bad front struts) for 2,400. For the life of the car I had only replace one wheel bearing (34$ junkyard), a passenger side window (50$ junkyard), one set of front rotors (AutoZone for around 80$), normal brake pad replacements when the squealing just about stopped, and oil changes always way way way to late.

Last month it started dying in reverse at low speeds.

 

I saw an 01 Legacy GT 5-speed for sale at a local dealership and scheduled a test drive. Loved it, the head gaskets and timing had just been done so I wasn't worried (I don't know much about Subaru's other than the 2.5 was prone to head gasket problems). I finished the drive and was ready to sign when bad news arrived from the bank, I was denied a loan based on the age of the vehicle! The finance guy told me I was in luck because they had another car they think I could get financed and they just traded for it while I was driving the 01 Legacy. I told him no thanks (thinking it'd be even older or just shitty), he convinced me to wait and to my surprise it was an 05 Legacy.

 

It had all the badges but the Subaru emblems taken off, I get in and it's the 5-speed with black leather (already melting). Start the drive and can't keep it from going sideways... it's the turbo, oh boy!

(should they have more power in the rear?)

I am just overjoyed at the car and made the decision to buy it than (I've never been so impulsive on a car!) They offered me $2,500 for my car bringing the price of the 05 Legacy (after trade) to $7,400.

I received a 4 month warranty on tranny and powertrain n such. As well as a lifetime engine warranty as long as I get my oil changed there and there alone. The only reason I got the warranty is because they had just gotten the car that day and hadn't had a chance to INSPECT ANYTHING. The finance guy seemed angry when I was getting the paperwork ran because this is when he realized it had the 5-speed and turbo (love badglessness).

 

Anyway, the car had several error codes when I checked it at autozone. Cylinder 2 & 4 misfire, waste gate error, and cat error. I also felt the brakes had some malfunction.

Took it to the dealership and they only reset the error codes saying it wasn't anything to worry about if they don't come back on. They also refinished the rotors and replace the brake pads.

 

I was delivering pizza the other day and I smelt this burning smell really strong (I had smelt it before and was told it was common in Subaru's) all the sudden I felt like the car lost all power it every gear, if I revved at all above 2,400-3,000 the car wouldn't accelerate at all.

Took it to the dealship and they said I was driving to hard and I should shift sooner, so I told the mechanic to drive it. He seemed pissed and he started driving, after he told me it's the clutch he started to redline the car for about a block at 20 mph. The car started SMOKING and he pulls back into the dealership telling me he did that to break whatever was wrong...

 

Needles to say I was PO'd to find out I needed a new clutch and flywheel n such. they quoted me at 1,600 to fix it. I freaked out a little on the sales floor and the manager pulled me into his office offering to pay for half the bill. I told him it seemed overpriced to fix (not knowing if what I was saying was true) and he countered saying he'd pay half the bill wherever I got it done, and for whatever Clutch/flywheel I get.

So my question is, what to get. This is my first manual in six years, and I plan on driving mostly in city every day a lot.

 

Also what else should I have inspected before the 4 month warranty runs out?

I need to get the clutch ordered today hopefully! So please help me pick something good but not super crazy expensive, anything else I should have them do while it's pulled apart?

Read the clutch forum.

 

You can get a 07-09 Legacy GT flywheel and clutch of choice. Email Mike at www.AZPinstalls.com and see what he recommends. I have bought a lot of stuff from him.

 

You need to spend time on here reading and taking notes.

 

IMO your going to want to drive the car on the highway once a week for 10 miles or more to keep it in good shape.

 

Form what I've learned, these cars seem to like to be driven, they are not happy in stop and go driving.

 

Also keep the oil topped off, NEVER let it get low.

 

These cars need TLC but have good bang for the buck, when taken care of.

 

Get us the CEL's when they pop up in a couple of days.

 

Any auto parts store will read them for free.

 

Tell us where you live, may be can recommend someone to help you out.

 

 

 

Oh Welcome to the forum.

 

 

On my 32 mile drive to work, one thing you said kept going thru my mind. "I was delivering pizza the other day".

 

I hope that's your second job, or you get great tips. These cars can be a money pit until you get them right.

 

Make use of the warranty they gave you.

I hope you have the warranty in writing.

 

The clutch they wouldn't know about unless it was slipping before you drove it. The mechanic there seems bad. Smoking the car to fix the issue? If the clutch wasn't toast it is now.

 

New clutch installed should be $900.

 

Your misfire codes don't heal themselves.

 

You need to have this car inspected.

It also depends if you plan on doing anything aftermarket on it. Welcome to da forums as well!!

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

I live in the middle of Iowa, perfect weather for a Subaru.

I just talked to another mechanic and was quoted $680 (parts and labor)

He told me that it wouldn't make much of an improvement to but a heavy duty clutch or anything if I'm just using this as a daily driver and every now and then punching it.

Would servicing the flywheel be good enough?

 

I had the error codes printed but when I gave them to my dealer (stapled to the repair request) somehow they magically disappeared.

 

Also, the previous owner did put headers and an exhaust on the car.

I live in the middle of Iowa, perfect weather for a Subaru.

I just talked to another mechanic and was quoted $680 (parts and labor)

He told me that it wouldn't make much of an improvement to but a heavy duty clutch or anything if I'm just using this as a daily driver and every now and then punching it.

Would servicing the flywheel be good enough?

 

I had the error codes printed but when I gave them to my dealer (stapled to the repair request) somehow they magically disappeared.

 

Also, the previous owner did put headers and an exhaust on the car.

 

You need the fly wheel resurfaced at a minimum. You'll only know if it needs to be replaced when opened up.

 

I wonder if your car is on the factory tune or what was done prior?

2005's have a DMFW. most of us just replace them with a SMFW. Most shops will not turn a DMFW.

 

You also should find out what was done to car, headers are a major change to these cars, most of us run stock manifolds.

 

I'm guessing you also have a catless up pipe now. Is the EGT probe connected to the gray connector on the right shock tower ?

Do a compression and leak down test on all cylinders. Easy way to know if you need a rebuild or not instead of replacing random parts. I suspect burned valves.

 

$6xx for a clutch and labor? Hopefully its a singlemass flywheel and not the stock dual.

 

Worse case senerio, $4500+ to get it back running as it should if its burned valves and for a clutch/flywheel

Did this particular dealership have a sign that said "Compre aqui/page aqui"? Sounds like some irresponsible turbo owner who dumped the car on the dealership before it blows up.

 

EDIT: You need to find out if the car is back on a factory tune. That would be the cause of CELs if he kept it on the stage 2 tune.

 

And don't upgrade the clutch if you don't plan to upgrade the turbo.

Do a compression and leak down test on all cylinders. Easy way to know if you need a rebuild or not instead of replacing random parts. I suspect burned valves.

 

$6xx for a clutch and labor? Hopefully its a singlemass flywheel and not the stock dual.

 

Worse case senerio, $4500+ to get it back running as it should if its burned valves and for a clutch/flywheel

 

 

Yep, if the CEL's are for misfires, worse case is burnt valves, thats something these cars are known for.

 

Uuless they were off the factory tune very early in life.

The mechanic I've found said he should only have to resurface the flywheel, So I've got my fingers crossed.

When shifting I could get into every gear smooth and it felt firm in place, never slipped out. Just any gas at all rev'd and rev'd

 

I got the OEM clutch kit from AutoZone, it was only $230 (much better than the OEM from my Subaru dealer for about $800)

It should arrive tomorrow morning and I can get this beast started

 

I have a lifetime warranty for the engine, I would assume the valves are covered on that. But it's only for $4,000 of work to the engine. It's been parked at the lot through the weekend so I'll get some pictures of the engine bay posted tomorrow when I push it to the mechanics a few blocks away. (yeah, push)

 

I wish I could find a Subaru tech that actually cared about cars and wanted to talk about them for a while and show me what is actually going on under the hood.

(and the saddest part about that statement is that I purchased my car directly from a Subaru dealer with a shop...)

After my initial purchase I gave them a list of things to check that I discovered from this site and they only reset the check engine light, I was not a happy camper.

The list had cleaning the MAF or MAS or whatever it's called, cleaning the exposed grounds, tightening the fuel line on cylinder 2 if it had any leak (now realize that smell was a burning cultch, not a fuel leak), checking the ABS system because braking felt poor and actually failed one day shutting down the ABS completely (actually easier to brake without abs I think, but they just replace rotors and pads), look into the misfire codes, and the final inexpensive honey do was to check the rear left wheel bearing because in 1st and 2nd I could hear a grind noise while going sideways around corners (I found a forum saying the noise may be suspension though)

Take it elsewhere.

 

Any performance shops in Iowa

 

Don't let the dealership fix your car. Yes that's gonna mean pay out of your pocket to fix the car but take it from me. Its not worth the free labor and parts

 

Oh and return that clutch and get a better one. Spec, Act, Competition or something

 

Can you still return the car? Maybe that's the best thing to do.

Read the clutch forum.

 

You can get a 07-09 Legacy GT flywheel and clutch of choice. Email Mike at www.AZPinstalls.com and see what he recommends. I have bought a lot of stuff from him.

 

You need to spend time on here reading and taking notes.

 

IMO your going to want to drive the car on the highway once a week for 10 miles or more to keep it in good shape.

 

Form what I've learned, these cars seem to like to be driven, they are not happy in stop and go driving.

 

Also keep the oil topped off, NEVER let it get low.

 

These cars need TLC but have good bang for the buck, when taken care of.

 

Get us the CEL's when they pop up in a couple of days.

 

Any auto parts store will read them for free.

 

Tell us where you live, may be can recommend someone to help you out.

 

 

 

Oh Welcome to the forum.

 

 

On my 32 mile drive to work, one thing you said kept going thru my mind. "I was delivering pizza the other day".

 

I hope that's your second job, or you get great tips. These cars can be a money pit until you get them right.

 

Make use of the warranty they gave you.

 

 

What's the idea of that. my commute is about 6 miles round trip a 5x week and it's parked Saturday Sunday.

What's the idea of that. my commute is about 6 miles round trip a 5x week and it's parked Saturday Sunday.

 

You need to get oil and exhaust up to temp to burn off the water.

Take it elsewhere.

 

Don't let the dealership fix your car. Yes that's gonna mean pay out of your pocket to fix the car but take it from me.

Oh and return that clutch and get a better one. Spec, Act, Competition or something

 

Can you still return the car? Maybe that's the best thing to do.

 

I am taking it down the street two blocks to a transmission repair shop that get's Subaru's from my Dealership when their overbooked. So feel slightly better about him doing the work. The dealership agreed to pay half of whatever I get from anywhere in town, and pay half the shop fee's from any shop as well.

Just the towing that they won't help pay for. I did only have the car 11 days before it became un-drivable over 20-30 mph.

I'd get more expensive parts but I am incredibly broke right now and I have to pay 100% and give them receipts...

 

That said, I am in love with this car, driving it just makes me smile.

I am considering putting a lot of money into the car over the next year or two, so I was hoping that the AutoZone clutch kit would last long enough to save up for a really smooth one (I don't like to go WOT on anything and I drove a Geo for a long time so this car has plenty of power barely touching the throttle lol)

 

I'm even rolling around the idea of a 2nd job to help pay to do the suspension, brakes, intake, BOV, clean the engine out (no idea what that entails), and hopefully upgrade the turbo. Than I'd get a turbo timer, and start doing things to the stereo and exterior last.

skip the autozone clutch kit. You can buy an OE one from fredbeansparts.com for about the same price

I was just reading through your post, I would highly recommend the 2007 legacy gt clutch kit and single mass fly wheel. I went this route and it is a HUGE improvement in feel and engagement, it's like butter.

 

I truly hope the slipping clutch is all you had, those codes don't sound promising. Also, the mechanic at the dealership you bought it from drove the car at redline in 1st gear for about a block? He did that to purposely break whatever was wrong? Don't ever let this moron touch your car again.

 

Please read up on these cars, they can be very involved. Look into checking your banjo bolt filter screen (if it's clogged either completely take it out and leave it out or replace it...DO NOT DRIVE it if it's clogged), monitor oil level every fill up, don't beat on it or drive it hard until oil is properly warmed up (usually 10-15 minutes of driving). Change your oil often, 3k mile intervals tops. Do a full fluid service (diff, brake, steering, trans). Read up all the stickies, and read as much info as possible on properly maintaining your car.

it's already getting the AutoZone clutch installed should be mostly done...

I drove 7 blocks at 5 mph with hazards on just to reach the mechanic thanks to that Subaru tech...

I needed the car running again fast, but I assume this cheap clutch will get me through the winter. (hopefully)

Is the Banjo Bolt Filter hard to get to?

Return the car and run. You bought a problem car. More I think about it.

it's already getting the AutoZone clutch installed should be mostly done...

I drove 7 blocks at 5 mph with hazards on just to reach the mechanic thanks to that Subaru tech...

I needed the car running again fast, but I assume this cheap clutch will get me through the winter. (hopefully)

Is the Banjo Bolt Filter hard to get to?

 

Some info on the banjo bolt here…many just take out the filter screen and leave it out. I replaced mine 10k miles ago, but on my next oil change I'm just going to take it out.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php/2-5gt-turbo-oil-supply-banjo-bolt-filter-removal-61689.html?t=61689

It's to late to return the car now... Iowa has a 3 day limit and the dealer offered to buy it back for less than I owe... So I'd lose my old car and still owe on this one...

 

I'm surprised you say to just remove the filter, I'll ask the mechanic to look into doing that before he finishes up today. (It's a filter inside the bolt? replace the bolt w/out filter correct)

It's to late to return the car now... Iowa has a 3 day limit and the dealer offered to buy it back for less than I owe... So I'd lose my old car and still owe on this one...

 

I'm surprised you say to just remove the filter, I'll ask the mechanic to look into doing that before he finishes up today. (It's a filter inside the bolt? replace the bolt w/out filter correct)

 

Sorry to hear. They're offering you less because they know there are problems.

 

You have your work cutout for you

It's to late to return the car now... Iowa has a 3 day limit and the dealer offered to buy it back for less than I owe... So I'd lose my old car and still owe on this one...

 

I'm surprised you say to just remove the filter, I'll ask the mechanic to look into doing that before he finishes up today. (It's a filter inside the bolt? replace the bolt w/out filter correct)

 

Yes, it's a filter element within the bolt. It was intended as a last chance filter before the turbo, the idea being that any debris would be caught there and 'save' the turbo. The problem is, Subaru never included it on their preventive maintenance check for owners. There are many documented turbo failures as a result of that filter being clogged. Also, I believe from 2007 and on, Subaru themselves sold LGT's without the banjo bolt filter. They got rid of it. Many other manufacturers don't use one. As long as you change your oil and filter often, you should not have an issue. 3k mile oil and filter change intervals maximum, I do 2500 miles. Use the Subaru OEM filters.

 

As a suggestion, look into what an aftermarket warranty costs for these cars. I bought one, Mercury is the name of it, and they covered a whole lot of problems I wound up having when I bought the car. I waited 4-5 months and then started adressing it. There was over $10,000 worth of work that they covered (new shortblock, turbo, rebuilt trans). It looks like you may have gotten a car with issues, so hopefully you can get some protection. Here is a link to them if interested: http://www.extended-vehicle-warranty.com/

If you're interested, you can join the Iowa Subaru Club group on facebook. There are a lot of knowledgable people on there, and some can do work for you as well. It's a closed group, but send me a PM with your email and I'll send you an invite.