Oil consumption issue
Asked by GuruRWF8W Feb 04, 2020 at 07:08 PM about the 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5i
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
We have a Subaru 2013 outback and had an
oil issue from the beginning. They did the oil
consumption test at 60 000 miles and of
course no problem was detected even if we
were adding 1 to 2 quarts of oil between oil
change. Now we are adding 1 quart every 200
miles and did an other test. The car failed the
test, obviously, but Subaru doesn’t want to
cover the cost of the short block engine
because we are now out of warranty. The
issue is that we had this problem from the
beginning (engineering design issue) and have
all of our record from the dealer but yet
Subaru of America refuses to do anything. We
were wondering if a new class action was on
against Subaru for not wanted to fixe the
short block assembly even after the previous
class action of 2016? Thank you for your
input.
8 Answers
Current mileage is 140 000 and the facts are above I beleive
One or two quarts between changes would not have met Subaru's threshold for engine replacement but now your car is long past the warranty period. The best you can hope for is a good will gesture that pays part of the cost.
TheSubaruGuruBoston answered 5 years ago
I was asking for a timeline. Indeed SOA isn't going to help you with a short block at 140k...nor my daughter's '13 OB Ltd's noisy CVT at 145k. That said, my understanding is that oil consumption phenomena are bifurcated because there was (is?) a population of poorly honed blocks that consume oil quickly, confused by the fact that horizontally- opposed motors ALL drink oil anyway...ESPECIALLY the inappropriate North American 0w20 spec. 200mi/qt is of course egregious, and indicates an internal tolerance failure; but if you must live with it without SOA goodwill, I wonder how much your consumption will reduced by switching to the INTERNATIONAL Subaru spec 5w30 oil viscosity? I've sold a couple hundred 2013+ DOHC motors I've stuffed with 5w30 Mobil1, and NOT ONE has come back as an oil consumer. I know a couple of Subaru dealers who use 5w30 routinely, acknowledging that 0w20 is just too skinny to use in a horizontally- opposed motor...especially in summer. This info isn't much salve for your wounds, but if I were you...as well for my daughter...I'll even suggest switching to an even sturdier 10w40 synth to quench consumption further as a last resort before chasing a motor swap. It's a tricky call at only 7yrs age, as good motors aren't very cheap in salvage yards...nor are CVTs. Let me know what transpires. Ern TSG/B
Thank you for your detailed email and I understand perfectly your point. I will follow your advice and try thicker oil 5w30 for a couple months and see what is happening.
TheSubaruGuruBoston answered 5 years ago
Don't be afraid to switch to 10w40 for summer use. Easily done automatically by adding 10w40 as you consume some by this spring, perhaps. You need change the top-mounted filter only annually, or even less if you use the big old 4459 that fits perfectly. Ern TSG/B
Will do. Thank so much for your time. Really appreciate your help.
