Subaru Poor reliability in US, Aus trend?

Varnish or fuel deposits on a valve stem? A change in fuel could have caused and/or cured such a problem (fuel may have changed even if you stayed with one brand.) Just one of perhaps many possibilities.

Rick

I have a 96 OB and Funny that I also get "Misfire on cylinder #4" when the engine has not warm up and I tried to push it. Or, sometimes the vibration caused by going through little ripples on the road. Looks like you ignore it and it was all okay again. I'll do the same and not worry about it.

My Legacy 95, FWD with a 2.2L engine, almost works as if it's new , with very few repairs so far after 100,000 miles. That stimulated a friend to purchase a brand new Legacy wagon 2003. Everything broke on it! Axles, differentials, transmission and now the engine. He now has a Legacy 2003 for sale, for cheap. Subaru is not what it used to be. To look good against the competition they are pushing too far the performance envelope of otherwise good designs, and the reliability suffers. I would wait for the next generation model, where they have hopefully learned from their mistakes. Felix

I don't doubt Subarus as a quality auto manufacturer, but I think like all car makers of today in an industry that is under pressure to cut costs and add more value while increase efficiency, it really makes you wonder how is it possible for high quality cars to exist?

I believe some people might be lucky in getting a reliable working machine while others might just be unlucky in getting a lemon. Despite mass production I still don't believe no two cars are made 'exactly' the same. (not counting colours and specs :D) So unless there is a complete research and independently compiled data, it is hard to judge a brand or the vehicle. (probably easier to get the data in US than in Aus)

I understand your concern about the quality etc. I mean after all who would want to buy a lemon and getting all the frustration after spending all that money. I faced the same issues when I first looked at buying my '04 OB. But in the end I took on the risk because I like the car more. People who like or treasure their possessions are often less critical of it.

Just think of it this way.

1. Subaru didn't get where they are by making unreliable cars.
2. Do you like the car and the attributes it offers? If not and you just want a reliable transport then please go to Toyota or Lexus
3. If cars are too reliable.... how in the world are the factories gonna make money to develop better models for u? :-)

If all else fails and you did get a lemon.. then just sell it and get another car. Look on the bright side you get to try out all kinds of cars within a short period.

Part of an auto manufacturer's ability to make a reliable car is their ability to design an auto that is easy to assemble. Asside from improper engineering (e.g. the first year EJ25 engine) another type of design flaw is something that it is hard to build (e.g. parts with poor yields or assemblies that require unusual amounts of skill to assemble). If something is "easy" to build, then you can get more consistent results.

What's so different in the 96 2.5l engine from later models that would warrant this statement? The one concern about this type of engine were the head gaskets, but that seems common to all generations of this engine unless rebuilt with gaskets of the latest generation.

florian

It was recently covered in a thread about a 96 AT Outback Wagon

Cripes. What did he do to the poor thing? If all that stuff broke due to defects, it should be under warranty. However, if something stimulated him to buy one, he might have been even more "stimulated" once he started driving it and tried living a WRC fantasy which would make a warranty claim harder.

I checked that FAQ and of course it refers to the introduction of the SOHC engine. The years 97 - 99 were still DOHC. The 96 DOHC differs from the 97 - 99 in that it uses pistons with longer skirts (less prone to piston slap) and hydraulic lifters. I am unaware of problems with those.

AFAIK the head gasket issue is common to all EJ25 engines -SOHC or DOHC - with the same basic cylinder block layout. So what's with the 96 in particular and could you point me to the thread you were referring to?

thx,

florian

Nothing, just that it started with the 96 engine. Look for the "Boring Legacy Outback question........" thread.