2013 Valve Spring recall - modified (FI) engine thread
 

I got my valve spring recall letter last week for my 2013 BRZ. I have the Edelbrock supercharger on it, and being in California, will be forced to have this recall work performed or else I won't be able to register it.

I don't think the Subaru letter stated the policy about engine modifications, but if it's like the Toyota policy the customer will be charged for removal/re-installation of modified parts that affect the recall work (if they even agree to do it). That could cost a lot, depending on what FI system we have installed.

I'm waiting a while for my dealer to get familiar with the recall work before bringing it in, but I thought I'd start a thread for owners in a similar situation (forced induction on recall list) to share their experiences.

One of my local dealers also owns a speed shop so they’re used to seeing heavily modified Subarus. I’ll give them a call and see what they recommend. I really don’t want to uninstall my Vortech. If I’m forced to go down that path, I’m likely not going to bother putting it back in and will just take everything back to stock to prepare for a sale.

Call them first! Almost all the dealers where I'm at require back to stock (or at least no FI) as it is extra labor they should not be responsible for.

I've talked to Buena Park Toyota and they said the car has to be in stock form. I'm removing my turbo and then bringing it in. Sucks but i rather do this uninstall/reinstall than worry about the springs detonating.

This is how I feel exactly. I don't love the car enough any more to spend 2 weekends working on it to get at exactly where I am now.

That really sucks if the dealer won't do it even if we pay for it - basically forcing us to pay to get it removed/reinstalled if we can't do it ourselves. I don't have the tools to do it myself and it's not going to be cheap to remove and reinstall.

They are not "forcing" you to do anything. You chose to modify the car and that implies you accepted all responsibility when such things happen. They are only paid to do so much work and should not be expected to do more for free. I would still talk to your specific dealer and see what they have to say though. Just because some won't do it doesn't mean they all won't. Either way it is going to cost you if you can not do it yourself.

Going FI was a choice on my part, but this is a pre-existing condition that would have influenced that choice. I'm not expecting the dealer to do the additional work for free, but to at least accept the work (which I'd pay for).

I do feel like I'm being forced into a corner because in order to register the car in CA, the recall work has to be done. I don't have the option of not having the recall work done if I want to keep the car.

Yep that is why I said check with your dealer. There has to be some that would like the extra income to do the work.
I hear ya on the Ca thing. That does sort of put your back up against the wall. Would you not have to pass emissions to sell it or would that be the buyer's problem?

Smog is on the seller in California. Actually illegal to sell without a current smog cert.

Don’t know if that’s 100% true, i’ve had a recall on a work leased vehicle for years for ignition problems and it still registered fine. I can see the problem if its emissions related but this recall shouldnt have any effect on your registration.

If you read the letter, it is considered emissions related.

Ah okay then. I havent recieved mine so awaiting for it. Thanks!

Well..... I already got my car back for the valve spring recall. I have a Sprintex SC on it with out the heat exchanger installed. Yeah, they charged me a 3 hour flat fee for labor because of it. They had to pull my SC so that they could use the tapped hole up front meant to be used to pull the engine. Not to mention the back of the SC was in the way of where the chain would be attached. But you know what, so be it. I didn't have to put in any wrench time and I was complimented by the mechanic doing the job saying that I did a fine job modifying my car as it still looks stock, but obviously is more than stock.

I went to my local dealer today (Subaru Pacific in Hawthorne) and the service manager said that the car had to be returned to stock before they would perform the recall work (which was the answer I expected). They do not want to touch anything aftermarket that gets in the way of the recall work.

I did receive my 2020 registration sticker (I paid for it a month before I got the recall notice) so I have a year to get this done before I'm up for registration again.


I'm curious to see if anyone else in the same boat is able to register their vehicle some time after the recall notice went out without getting the work done, or whether we'll all be prevented from registering without showing proof that the work was done.

I have a 2013 BRZ, and I haven’t received a letter. I’m like the third or second owner, so I don’t know if that matters. Did this problem effect every car that year?

Not every car, but the best source of information would be one of the sites mentioned here where you can look up your VIN. They may not know you are the owner at this point.

https://www.subaru.com/vehicle-recalls.html/

I found this VIN search, and it says no recalls for me.

Good thing I didn't repair my car last year. I think my valve springs were out of wack 6 months ago.

How did you notice?

I'm very curious too how well this communication between the car companies, CARB, and Cal DMV works, or if it is just a bluff. It says the DMV MAY require that you supply proof that the campaign has been completed. May....


Has anyone had the work done in Cal and received a Vehicle Emissions Recall Proof of Correction Form? According to the remedy notice, you should have.





NOTE (Customers who live in the state of California)


The state of California requires the completion of Safety Recalls / Service Campaigns on emission related parts prior to vehicle registration renewal. In addition, the State requires that every vehicle must pass an emission test (SMOG Check) every two years and before it is sold. Without the completion of this FREE Safety Recall, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) will not allow your vehicle to be registered. State of California Regulations require Toyota to provide the Department of Motor Vehicles with a record of all vehicles that have not had the Safety Recall completed.






Your Toyota dealer will provide you with a Vehicle Emissions Recall Proof of Correction Form after the campaign has been completed. Please ensure you retain this form, because the DMV may require that you supply proof that the campaign has been completed during your vehicle registration renewal process.

I'm stopping by one of my local dealers to discuss the recall this afternoon. Hopefully they'll work with me, as like others, I really don't want to spend 2 weekends in-modding and modding my car.

I hear you. The shop that built my engine and installed my kit quoted me upwards of 20-25 hours to do the job. They basically told me if it was their car they didn't think it was worth 4-5k (CAD$) of preventative maintenance for a possible valve spring fault that may or may not wreck the engine if it breaks.

I don't know if I trust a dealership messing with my engine either since its so heavily modified.

I'm in a bit of a pickle but I almost think I'm just going to roll the dice on this one...

Anyone else feeling this way or am I silly to gamble on this.

Australia Toyota have a phone in number and will confirm if you need the recall. I did and do. They are quoting 10.5hrs to do the job. Called in to my dealer and he said it will take at least 6 weeks for them to prepare their shop to do the job and had no idea when letters to owners would start. Neither did the Toyota help line rep. The dealer is looking at a drop off Monday pick up Friday scenario which is shit load more than 10.5 hrs.

This is a full engine out job and for some reason once the synergy between engine, driveline, and chassis is interfered with there are squeaks, rattle and issues that weren’t there before. My car is running perfectly now after going nowhere near a Toyota Service centre since the warranty ended and I’m NOT keen on going back, but what choice do you have. As the service manager said you may never have an issue at all BUT there is always the what if I do!

Funny and at the same time a little scary, the service manager told me NOT to be in too much of a hurry to get my car done and to let them do 4 or 5 before I book mine in to give them time to get the process right! Hardly a confidence building comment.

The labour and parts to do this job would almost make it cost neutral and lot quicker to drop in a new long motor given what Subaru make them for on mass.

No, mention either of a courtesy car while yours is in pieces.. This is going to be a major pain in the arse..

Oh and on top of that 4 hours before I read about the recall here I was at Harrop HQ getting a price for their SC install.. Was very close to a break through in negotiations with the wife to get the funding. That’s definitely on hold now till this is sorted..

I'm also wondering what happens to people who live in CA who have replaced their valve springs with aftermarket ones as part of an engine build. Are they still forced to take the car in to get them swapped out for OEM ones in order to register it? There are some scenarios that haven't been addressed.

Update...

Priority Toyota agreed to do my recall and I don’t have to remove the turbo kit. They’re also replacing the spark plugs and not charging any labor. I asked about using aftermarket valve springs and they will only install the factory ones. I knew it was a long shot, but didn’t hurt to ask.

I have smooth idling but the car runs really rough when I move. I'm throwing codes for cam shaft position at the intake and exhaust side.
Before I thought it was the OCV valve. Changed that and nothing. The only other solutions was to change the ECU or timing chain from the codes. I called subie specialist shop and they think my valves are done. I'm assuming it could be the springs, or rather hoping they are.
I'm in the process of placing the car back to stock.

I'm going to have this problem; I've had my forged engine with upgraded heads/valvetrain sitting around for a while and finally decided to drop it back into my frs, and of course the recall was announced shortly after. It seems silly to be forced to bring my car to the dealer to have them replace GSC beehive springs with OEM ones, just to pull the engine all over again to replace them with the GSC beehive springs once i get the car back.

In another thread a member stated that Toyota said he didn't need to perform the recall because he replaced his '13 longblock which originally was part of the recall, with a newer engine. I'm hoping im in the same boat since the only things in my engine that are really oem 2013 are the case-halves and bare heads/cams. I've been waiting to see if anyone else has dealt with a similar situation, but looks like i'll have to give my local dealer a call after the weekend.

If you have documentation that the '13 OEM springs have already been changed out, you should be able to provide that as evidence for CA CARB purposes.

You kept the receipts, right?

Nothing is that easy in California. will need proper form I'm sure.

Hey guys, I've got the Edelbrock supercharger on my 2013 FRS. I took it into one dealership that after downloading the Edelbrock manual said it would cost me $800 dollars for the extra labor. I contacted another and he said he didn't think it would cost extra unless they had to remove a belt (that would cost $125), but he didn't do the research that the other dealership had done. Does $800 sound reasonable? And, does the second dealership who told me it wouldn't cost extra not know what he's talking about?

If anyone has access to the tech bulletin and procedures to replace valve springs, that would help us understand how extra FI hardware affects this work.

The shop manual describes disassembling of engine, which starts by removing the fronts and pulleys... but I am hoping it isn’t necessary to replace valve springs ...

The dealer removes the engine , all the front pulleys and the timing cover. the cams need to be removed to replace the springs. the timing cover gasket and valve cover gaskets are replaced in this provedure.

why dont you just remove the SC kit yourself? yes 800 is way overpriced. it should only be 1 hour of labor to remove SC items out of the way. I hate it when dealers screw people over.

while you have the engine out, consider replacing the clutch and throwout bearing.

The service rep told me it would be about 5 hours of work extra because they need to take not just the SC off but a bunch of hoses too. Smaay, I'll look through the manual and see if I think this is a job I could take on. Thanks for the reply.

My car falls under the recall 13 Brz and I was able to register with no issues and HAVE NOT DONE RECALL .


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That's great news!

Everyone keeps saying (and taking at face value) that the car "has to be stock." Has actually anyone seen this policy in writing anywhere? If so, I'd LOVE to see the source. I don't think it has a leg to stand on legally. This ain't warranty work. It's NHTSA Mandated.

https://i.imgur.com/hx9C81N.png
https://www.safercar.gov/staticfiles...ecalls-FAQ.pdf

I've got an investigation opened with the NHTSA as their literature instructs.


Not my monkeys, not my circus.

It's not NHTSA mandated, it is a voluntary recall by Subaru, and by follow-up, Toyota. There's a difference, but the net effect is the same in terms of the work.

Fair enough, although I guess the NHTSA investigation I opened will determine if Subaru is following in good faith the guidelines they set forth when issuing the "voluntary" recall.