Fool Me Once

Well, I just got taken by the dealership. It's my fault. I should have known better. I have a 2012 Legacy 2.5i Limited and I was right around 16,000 miles, so when I took it in I agreed to the 15,000 mile service. $200 later, I had my tires rotated, a new filter, and a bunch of "inspections" done.

I used to be pretty good about doing my own maintenance (I did all of my own oil changes/tire rotations on my '71 Ford Torino), but I fell out of it for two reasons. First was that I've been dealing with chronic back and shoulder issues for years and I just wasn't feeling like I could handle the physical labor. Second reason was that this was my first "new" car and I was afraid of mucking something up.

Well, I'm not going to get taken any more. I want to become competent enough to do a lot of the routine maintenance for myself. My question to you all is:

1. What kinds of things should I be able to do myself vs. have a real mechanic do?
2. What kinds of basic tools will I need to make this easier for me?

Thanks, I really appreciate the advice.

For oil changes you'll need a 10mm socket and ratchet a screw driver to remove belly pan clips then a 17mm wrench and a oil filter jaws to actually drop the oil... that's about it for a oil change

Jay

In terms of regular maintenance, oil is pretty straightforward and is the same on your car as most others (you have to remove the splash guard under the engine, which is annoying, but after that - remove the drain plug, let it drain, remove the filter, then reinstall the filter (make sure you check the filter sealing surface is clean, then oil the gasket on the filter and spin it on) and the drain plug, fill 'er up, and you're good to go). Other maintenance you'll need to do is rotate the tires (pretty self explanatory, but if you don't have a floor jack and jack stands, can be annoying), change the cabin air and engine air filters (easy enough - remove the old one, put in the new one), change brake fluid (two person job - not hard, you need a tube to go from the bleeder screw to your used brake fluid container, and a wrench (forget the size) for the bleeder screws - also nice if you can have the car on jack stands with all 4 wheels off)

Other things are the plugs (not hard, but because they are on the side of the engine, access is more limited) but that's not until 60k miles.

Other than that, you want to inspect everything periodically (axle boots for cracks, condition of drive belts, condition of brake fluid (when it gets dark due to water uptake, you'll want to replace it as it gets increasingly corrosive), coolant level, oil levels (engine and transmission), etc.)

While $200 is pretty steep for what they actually do, if you aren't comfortable doing some of the things, or don't know what to look for in inspections, it's still cheaper to have them do it than to have something fail.

About the only thing I have the dealer do (other than warranty work) is work on the AC as that requires something to capture the refrigerant, charging system, etc. which I don't have.

dealership for routine maintenance is fail. Save the dealership for warranty type issues.

Find a good local mechanic or do it yourself.

I don't do my own oil changes mostly because I don't want to but also because of co-op rules where I live. I have an independent shop near me that's a bit on the high end, but they still do all that (with synthetic oil) for less than $100.

Yeah, even oil changes are no joy on the 2010+ Legacys. They are so low, you have to lift the front-end off the ground by the center/front jack point, or hang the front end over a low spot to get enough clearance for a drain pan and room to work. As with any low, modern car, you have to be careful where you lift from. There's not much that's solid under there.

In regards to the small 'removable' plastic panel that covers 3/4 of the oil filter; The plastic clips at each side will fragment into 100 pieces if you try to remove them in winter temps. The fasteners in the center are no problem. It's still annoying enough that I left that panel permanently off after the 2nd oil change. There's no need for it, other than to frustrate owners into going in for oil changes.

I still do all oil/fluid changes myself, sparkplugs, brakes and basic maintenance, but there's lots I'll leave for the pros.

Joel

In my handy dandy dealership provided maintenance booklet it also mentioned chassis lube. Is that a real thing? If so how would I go about doing it myself.

Never ask for the XXk maintenance, just go in and ask for an LOF and save yourself the cash.

Originally Posted by laff79

dealership for routine maintenance is fail. Save the dealership for warranty type issues.

Find a good local mechanic or do it yourself.

this

Originally Posted by cbass85

In my handy dandy dealership provided maintenance booklet it also mentioned chassis lube. Is that a real thing? If so how would I go about doing it myself.

It used to be a real thing on much, much older cars. Nowadays, there's nothing to lube (well - some aftermarket endlinks have zerk fittings on them so you could shoot them full of grease, but other than that...)

What filter did they replace air intake or cabin?

When your ready to take on the next project just ask here for specific directions/recomendations and I'm sure you'll get enough help to feel confident about taking it on.

I'm much more familiar with cars from the 50's and 60's and just looking under the hood of these new cars

15k is cabin filter.

2010 Legacy 2.5i

I just changed the passenger side head light bulb. It is a BEAR. The low beam (not the high beam) is tucked within the framing. there is a grey gasketed cap to keep water out of the head light tube/canister. After stairing at it for 20 minutes I figured I had to remove the air filter housing to get clear access to the light cylinder cap. Like i said above it's tucked within the car frame. After another 30 minutes got it twisted off and replaced the light bulb!

I didn't replace the driver side bulb yet because it looks like I'll need to move the battery to get to that one!

As others have mentioned, if you can't or don't want to DIY, find a local mechanic or better yet a Subie specific shop like ours that will take care of things properly at a good rate and with good parts and fluids. We charge less than a dealership, care more, and use top shelf fluids.

-Mike Paisan


11+ Years Maintaining, Modifying and Educating TriState Subaru Enthusiasts.
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Originally Posted by PoManzAWD

In regards to the small 'removable' plastic panel that covers 3/4 of the oil filter; The plastic clips at each side will fragment into 100 pieces if you try to remove them in winter temps. The fasteners in the center are no problem. It's still annoying enough that I left that panel permanently off after the 2nd oil change. There's no need for it, other than to frustrate owners into going in for oil changes.


Joel

I'm assuming that that plastic panel helps to reduce drag, and thus, increase your MPG.