13 replies to this topic

[Seane]

Hi all,

 

Its been a while since I posted anything here but right now I've got a question/issue

 

My wife has a 2006 Imprezza 2.0R. It's currently done a genuine 92 000km (yeah,she doesn't drive all that much) and we've just had it serviced because the pulleys and belts were squealing like a banshee every time you started the car (it'd stop after a minute or so once the car had warmed up... a simple belt tightening seems to have done the trick...)

 

Anyway, the local Autobahn mechanic in Malaga Perth where we took the car said that the next full service at 100 000km would cost about $1000... As opposed to the more normal service cost which is a hell of a lot less than that.

 

So my query is...What the hell are they doing at 100k service that warrants a $1000 cost???...?! Is it really necessary?...! Does it entail 'preventative' service for things that actually aren't necessarily broke yet? Can we just go for the usual regular service (and cost) and be done with it?

 

Or is the mechanic at Autobahn just bullshitting her because she's an "ignorant woman"...? (Not that I'm much better mind, because here I am asking these questions)

 

Note that this is a woman who helped her brother back in Ukraine completely strip his Moskovitch engine down to the block and rebuild it... so she at least knows what the basic different bits of a car do if not the specific details of how to fix something that's gone wrong.

 

cheers for any help guys

 

Sean

[Niko]

100000km is a major service interval. Including timing belt change.

Your 'usual' service is oil filter and oil change + fluid checks (1.5hrs of labour).

This service will be ~5hrs labour.

$1000 is cheaper than what Subaru would charge (~$1200)

[CRUISN]

I'd suggest ring your local Subaru service centre and see what they quote... $1000 isn't bad.

[duncanm]

yup -- big time waster is the timing belt.

 

If she's handy -- its not rocket surgery. You can get a timing belt, water pump, idlers etc for a few hundred bucks.

 

You can choose not to do it - and it'll probably last till 200,000k.  Or drop the belt some time before then. Pistons and valves will try to occupy the same point in space-time.

[surge]

The Impreza should have had its 100,000km service by now. Because it should be done at either roughly 100,000km or 5 years (whichever comes first).

So really by now it should be due for the 200, 000 service.

Which yes, costs $1K unless you want to change your own timing belt and pulleys.

A genuine gates kit would be $250 on amazon or ebay.

[Seane]

Thanks guys :+)

 

Looks like we weren't being led down the garden path after all.

 

Better start saving up then!... :+(

[2.0R]

A genuine gates kit would be $250 on amazon or ebay.

I haven't seen them for less than 400AUD do you have a link for these half priced kits?

[duncanm]

I haven't seen them for less than 400AUD do you have a link for these half priced kits?

 

you didn't look very hard.

 

ebay - "subaru timing belt water pump".

 

$245

 

http://www.ebay.com....uUAAOSw44BYfx5E

[surge]

Just be mindful that gates have been putting chinese pulleys and water pumps in those kits lately.

So order your kit early enough to be able to return it if you get chinese parts inside.

[Jimbo]

And for Christs sake, make sure you check the length of the bolt on the smallest of the belt idlers. 

I got a kit ages ago and didn't realise the OEM idler had a deeper recess for the bolt as opposed to the shallower recess in the idler in the kit.

Reused the same bolt not realising and thinking it must have been the same (kit didn't come with a longer bolt), a few weeks later the idler dropped out and munched my engine.

 

[duncanm]

Just be mindful that gates have been putting chinese pulleys and water pumps in those kits lately.

So order your kit early enough to be able to return it if you get chinese parts inside.

 

Yuck. Thanks for the heads up

 

https://www.amazon.c...r/dp/B0033DMGP8

[2.0R]

 

you didn't look very hard.

 

ebay - "subaru timing belt water pump".

 

$245

 

http://www.ebay.com....uUAAOSw44BYfx5E

Are you sure that kit suits the EJ204???

[duncanm]

Are you sure that kit suits the EJ204???

 

No - that would involve more effort on my part.  Fortunately, there is no downside to me not expending this effort, as I don't have an EJ204 or need to change a timing belt at this point in time.

 

If you own an EJ204 and want a timing belt kit - in may be to your benefit to do the research yourself.

 

They're not hard to find at a significantly reduced price with very little work.  The above information regarding Chinese components in the Gates kits confuses the process a little. I would suggest OEM water pump and idlers and gates belt only.

[2.0R]

 

No - that would involve more effort on my part.  Fortunately, there is no downside to me not expending this effort, as I don't have an EJ204 or need to change a timing belt at this point in time.

 

If you own an EJ204 and want a timing belt kit - in may be to your benefit to do the research yourself.

 

 

OKAY I assume the OP, and myself, own an EJ204 hence relevance to the thread...