Wristpin failure? Or dealership ripping me off?

Hi all,

i recently bought an 100% stock 2009 Spec.B with 64,000 miles.

I've got quite a story for you and i would really love any input because im not a mechanic and i dont want to get screwed over...

 

Having bought the spec.b from a Honda dealership in CT where no one knew of its importance, i brought it to a local and trusted Subaru dealer (Paul Miller Subaru) to have it thoroughly reviewed to look for problems etc....

the Tech there called a few days ago and said that everything looks great except one "small thing." hHe's investigating the Wrist Pin and that it might be a issue.

this confused me because the carfax is ridiculously clean and you can tell the previous owner garaged and cared for the car (5k miles/year, no rust, etc...).

 

yesterday (11/12/15) i went to the dealership where i had brought the car and they told me that they've identified a loose wrist pin in one of the cylinders. then they proceeded to show and explain to me (again im not a mechanic) about how theyll need to order a new short block ($2000+). Additionally, because the piston head has been rattling around in there for an unknown amount of time, they don't know how much damage it has caused until they pull the motor (labor costs start to add up). so by this time i was sh*tting my pants. this seemingly clean car was turning into a money pit. After revving the car to show me the sound that s connected with a loos wrist pin, i told them id let them know tomorrow(11/13/15) what the next step is.

heres where i started searching the web. it didnt make sense that the block should be damaged because of this wristpin. these numbers didnt add up either (in my mind).

i talked to them again today and the gave me an estimate (that was over the price of a full ej255 motor and trans swap on eBay). i told them id let them know and to not do anything yet.

so heres the full shopping list: the Dealer said They’d have to pull the motor, replace the short block, replace the belts (which they say are old), replace the tensioner, install a new water pump, and install a new starter(which was on its way out). and while we're in there replace the clutch 1 year early cause itll go in a year. When he gets in there he’ll look at the valves, and if they DON’T need to be lapped, then i'd save $400. If they actually need to be replaced, then there’d be a little more expense.

 

im going to contact AZPinstall as im located in North NJ to get a 2nd opinion before i drop multiple grand on a car that appears to be working fine to my un-professional eye.

 

I'd really appreciate any information anyone might have to figure out the validity of these issues.

 

-Aaron

 

heres a picture of the car if you're interested:https://www.flickr.com/photos/124515053@N06/22803739820/

UPDATE: see last page of thread

im going to contact AZPinstall

 

Do this ASAP and see what they say.

X2 to that ^

 

Do you realize what you have there, Subaru say;s they only made about 100 of those.

 

Wrist pins are not normal problem with these engines.

 

Broken ring lands are, if the car has alway's been on the stock MAP. But at your miles, that's hard to believe.

 

Rey and Mike at AZP will to you the truth.

X2 to that ^

 

Do you realize what you have there, Subaru say;s they only made about 100 of those.

 

Wrist pins are not normal problem with these engines.

 

Broken ring lands are, if the car has alway's been on the stock MAP. But at your miles, that's hard to believe.

 

Rey and Mike at AZP will to you the truth.

 

yeah im aware of the numbers on the QSM's. one of the reasons why im being so careful here. i plan on calling AZP in the morning to get a 2nd opinion.

Would love to know how they assessed a wrist pin issue during any sort of pre / post purchase inspection. That sounds absurd.

 

yeah i was wondering the same thing. they said that they can hear the knocking sound faintly. but its pretty hard to distinguish over the boxer rumble. i thought i heard something but my knowledge doesn't go far enough to separate multiple noises from an engine

so little update:

I took it to AZP today. they said they'll check it out. that place it so damn cool. the guys are real nice and I'll be picking it up tuesday if all goes well. i wasnt going to inform them about the wristpin ordeal just in case they might try and pull the same thing. but i decided to do it in the end cause they seemed really honest and to the point. not trying to take advantage or anything etc...

So hopefully the car will be ready tuesday

AZP is a stand up place to take your car. I have been buying things from them for years.

 

They are one of the trusted vendors on here.

 

I post there name in any thread I see where someone is asking for help or a place to buy parts.

 

You'll want to keep in touch with them and buy from them, the customer service is great.

AZP is a stand up place to take your car. I have been buying things from them for years.

 

They are one of the trusted vendors on here.

 

I post there name in any thread I see where someone is asking for help or a place to buy parts.

 

You'll want to keep in touch with them and buy from them, the customer service is great.

 

yeah it when i went it was heavenly. Ill definitely be back. the cars there are beautiful. can't wait to go back this week.

Good luck! I hope they have good news for you.

so little update:

I took it to AZP today. they said they'll check it out. that place it so damn cool. the guys are real nice and I'll be picking it up tuesday if all goes well. i wasnt going to inform them about the wristpin ordeal just in case they might try and pull the same thing. but i decided to do it in the end cause they seemed really honest and to the point. not trying to take advantage or anything etc...

So hopefully the car will be ready tuesday

 

Well...Paisan is a regular poster here, so there's a good chance he saw the thread.

So I picked up the car yesterday and it feels fine. No problems were found. I'm going back in 3,000 miles to get a compression and a leakdown test.

I'm so glad I've got the car back. And extremely glad I managed to avoid a $7,000 invoice. They'll be a pretty nasty dealerrater.com review coming soon

 

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Glad to hear things worked out well. I guess you know who to take the car to whenever it needs something.

So what did they really say? They couldn't hear anything wrong then? did they do a comp/leakdown btw?

2nd opinions...not just for Doctors.

AZP for the win, Ray and the team are always great

So what did they really say? They couldn't hear anything wrong then? did they do a comp/leakdown btw?

 

they said they did not hear anything. they said it is possible that it could be loose. but the only problem is that they cant know for sure unless they take apart the engine and look at it in the daylight. they said that its very hard to tell these noises apart, cause subaru's make a bunch of noises that sound extremely similar to a wristpin knock. however, when they changed the oil, spark plugs and did a full inspection they found no evidence that would suggest it would be loose....and since they don't do engine builds, they have can say theres not a problem with it and not be bias toward wanting $$$.

 

the leakdown and compression test will be done in 3,000miles when i change the oil again. along with an oil analysis.

Make sure you check the oil and learn how much it uses, always keep the oil topped off. Some of these cars don't use oil until after a couple 1000 miles.

I can't remember. Did you already do a comp/leakdown test right when you got the car?

I can't remember. Did you already do a comp/leakdown test right when you got the car?

No I did not

 

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i have a theory about this noise... cause its still on my mind.

i found out that this car was previously stage 2 and brought back to stock.

and after digging around on NASIOC i have a theory that this ticking noise could be one of 2 things besides a wristpin.

1: a loose alternator bearing

2: the car is still tuned on stage 2 but running stock parts, and because of this the engine is confused.

 

that second one is a wild theory but please tell me if im on to anything

Best way to find out is to start logging. You should invest in the following tool: btssm. It is an app which, combined with an appropriate OBDII device, can log and view critical live parameters, such as knock, misfire per cylinder, AFR, etc... It can help you notice things like running rich, lean, etc... IMHO, all turbo subaru owners should use such a tool or the like.

 

Oh also, as Maxcapacity keeps reminder people here, make sure your oil level is always full. And keep an eye on it (i.e. see how much this car burns oil over time/mileage).

Post a video of your engine running.

 

Subaru engines tick. It's normal, especially if a known Subaru shop hand their hands on it and said it's fine.

Here's mine from a couple years back.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x40/92Si/th_VID00022_zps9c855b80.mp4

Here's mine from a couple years back.

http://i185.photobucket.com/albums/x40/92Si/th_VID00022_zps9c855b80.mp4

 

yep! thats the noise. when you bend down into the engine that same taktaktak noise is what im hearing. is that normal or should i be concerned? ive never driven an ej25 before this one so i dont know what the proper sounds are

 

link to my engine video: