Add another one to the oil leak list
 

First time poster and I hate coming in with a un positive post. My wife owns the car and I'm the trusty maintenance guy. We can't trust dealerships with the simplest of task locally. Brief run down, my wife like small sports cars and her past cars were a 02 Miata then her favorite 06 S2000. Miata didn't last to long she never really liked it. The S2000 was destroyed by a freak hail storm two years ago and that's when she bought the BRZ. She has enjoyed the BRZ up until two weeks ago when I was performing a routine oil and filter change. Only the 4th one since the car only has 20k miles on it. That is when I discovered the oil leak coming from the drivers side timing cover meeting point at valve cover and cyl head. It had been leaking a while as the skid pan was covered in oil and of course the bottoms side of that cyl head side.

I was also shocked to notice no coolant in the coolant tank literally dry. It was a little lows last oil change about 5 months ago didn't think anything of its.

Fast forward we took the car in to selling dealer the only Subaru dealer local. Immediately got the run around from service advisor saying I spilt oil filling the car yadda yadda. I said well the dirt and grime sure didn't waste any time sticking to that oil then. Point bring that's not what happened I'm a pretty good wrench and way better than anything they have there. Anywho he took the car in and two days later called me to inform me he cleaned all the oil mess up and topped off the coolant tank. We were to drive the car and do a follow up on the leak. Word for word of what a service bulletin on oil leaks said that I read online. So we took it home 19 miles, checked and my hand was covered in oil when I stuck it under the head. No coolant in the over flow tank again. That was on a Friday so couldn't take it back until following Monday they are çlosed on saturdays.

Took it in the following Monday and again ran my hand under the suspected leak area at timing cover/head/valve cover, hand full of oil. He didn't say much of anything just completed the work order. I could tell the whole bunch was not to happy with seeing this car back or me. Last thing I told them is its under warranty, it's leaking, fix it! We leave out of town tomorrow for 4 days so won't get an opportunity to follow up until next week. The car is paid for and we can walk away from it easy but I would/will not sell or trade a car with a major issue. It's just not right. I don't have any faith in Subaru or this dealership. I expect many more problems to crop up after this repair. My wife really doesn't have anything similar to go buy right now. She loves driving it but hates the Subaru aspect of it. We are longtime Toyota customers that's all I will drive is their trucks. Love Honda but they don't make anything but boxes with wheels now days.

Sorry for the winded entrance but ive lurked here a while and I am totally blown away by the problems these cars seem to have. Listened to a good friend that worked their for many years or I personally would never had bought this car. He couldn't sell me the time of day now.

damn, that sucks. hopefully they get it fixed. at least it's still under warranty so you don't have to pay out of pocket.

dealer gave you the run around? What a surprise! Hope it works out. Is this the common oil leak in manuals that has been posted before?

No not the same side. That leak occurs in the right side so I've read up on. This is at the front of the engine on left side (drivers side). Wish it was the plate leak on right side way easier to fix than the timing chain cover which is the entire front of the engine.

Yes dealers attitude towards us was a serious let down. She bought her S2000 back in 06 from this same dealer. You'd think they would appreciate the business but not when it came to the BRZ. I think they are sick of Subaru's the shop seems full of them. The Honda side seems empty. Just a casual observation by me. They also sell Volvo which seems to be a pos too.

Your title kind of leads people to believe it's the cam plate on the passenger side (that's where many of the early cars developed a leak). If your leak is coming from the valve cover/head then you've got a less simple fix.

The dealer probably realizes they'll have to pull the engine to fix it. Like you said though, car is under warranty, they'll get it figured out now that they know you aren't going away.

Best of luck!

If you are losing coolant, but not seeing a coolant leak, you are burning it. If you are burning it, you most likely have a head gasket problem.

What model year is the car? Are you the first owner? I have/had a similar leak, just on the passenger side. (Plus the can timing cover leak also mentioned) - I have a fairly early 2013 motor.... Was hoping the 2015s wouldn't be having this issue. Agree with your wife, the Subaru motor is horrible.

The car is a 2013 model, ordered it new right after the Honda S2000 she owned was destroyed by hail March 2013. I assume its an early 13 model we waited about 3 weeks to get it because she wanted the Limited but with a manual transmission.

I'm sorry the title of the thread is misleading but with this engine having so many leaks what else can one say. Yes I know the engines got to come out and I don't like it but nothing we can do. We certainly can't drive it leaking as its a pretty good leak. I don't expect this to really solve due to all I've read about it on the net. Subaru is the black sheep of Japan IMO. Give me a Toyota (real yota) or a Honda all day long. Won't be buying another Subaru.

I will say this she loves driving this car but the sorry engine quality has all but ruined the experience for her and me.

Yes I agree with that. I have told them I know. None in the oil at every oil change that I could tell. It's not an oil burner never used any during 5k chsnged intervals. Using Mobil 1 0w20 and Subaru oil filters. No visible leakage of coolant anywhere. The engine temp has never been above normal. This is her daily driver 38 miles a day it's never even been out of town on a trip and is garage kept.

Problems really seem to be hit or miss with these cars. Mine has been nothing but fantastic from day one and I also have a 2013 that I bought in March 2013. All these problems people have make me nervous but if anything happened to mine I would be at the Subaru dealership the next day purchasing another one.

You know what's crazy? I drove by my Honda dealer and the service bay was full. Drove by the Toyota dealer and the service bay was full. Drove by the Subaru dealer and the service bay was full. Same for the BMW dealer, Porsche dealer, Chevy dealer, Ford dealer, etc.

By your logic, I guess they're all pieces of shit, right? Or maybe they're getting oil changes.

Good luck getting your issue resolved.

Okay I'll be the one to say it. Stop.

1.) You bought one Subaru. There are millions of completely reliable Subarus on the road. My previous one almost hit 300k miles before I sold it, and other than needing the head gaskets replaced, it was probably the most reliable car on the entire planet. It says something about a car when you're taking the one with 250k miles on road trip, rather than the ones with under 100.

2.) You bought a Subaru with the first new engine design from them in a very, VERY long time. New designs have teething issues, no matter what manufacturer you buy from.

3.) The cam cover leak is a perfect example of the kinds of teething issues new cars have. You say yours isn't leaking from there. As far as I am aware, that is the only "common" oil leak this engine design has so far. If yours is leaking from the valve cover, it sounds more like an issue with your particular engine, rather than with every single "black sheep" Subaru ever built.

4.) Coming into a forum with your first post being about a problem with your new car is perfectly acceptable; even encouraged.

5.) Coming into a forum with your first post being about how this is the worst manufacturer on the planet, and how you will never buy another one, all based off of what could thus far be one defective part in your engine, and one less-than-helpful dealership is a great way to annoy a lot of people. The problem you are having has happened many millions of times over to people with Hondas, Toyotas, Audis, WV, Fords, etc...

Stick to the facts, and leave your incredibly biased viewpoint out of it and this thread won't devolve into a bunch of arguing. Because right now all I see is you continually bashing all of Subaru, calling them a disgrace to Japanese car companies, all over an oil leak, and a less-than-hekpful dealership, which we all know is *most* dealerships from every manufacturer.

Also, if your dealership sucks so much, why not take it to another one? Subarus are pretty popular on account of them being very reliable cars, so there's probably another dealership not too much further away.

^This guy is just jelly that he didn't get a Scion. He probably bought the wrong shade of WRB too. :D

He actually owns Subaru. #fact

I should never have shared this link with my troll friends, lol.

Umm... we aren't friends, bro. :lol:

Boom! Roasted.

I NEVER understand this... Dealerships that give people hassles about warranty work are DUMB. It's free money. They just charge back the costs to Corporate. AND with the common issues, the techs are well experienced w/ the process, so they'll finish the job before the book rate.

Step 1. Write up work order
Step 2. ?
Step 3. PROFIT

edit: oops... thought this was the cam plate issue, but it looks like it's not a "common" issue.

From my understanding of the warranty work process, dealers only get reimbursed for the parts they use/need...not the mechanics time. Which is worthy more than the parts any day (contrary to what they would have you believe at the parts counter...) So that's why dealers hate doing warranty work since it's really a lose lose situation for them.

Granted that doesn't excuse the shitty attitude and behavior we've all seen/hear about/dealt with, but it does provide some insight into why they act that way.

Do yourself a favor and get a sample of engine oil and have it tested for trace coolant. If you do indeed have a head gasket leak, it should be verified by 3rd party testing, not by speculation.

Your understanding is wrong.

The manufacturer will reimburse the dealer for what they deem to be "normal" hours of fixing the problem (i.e. 6 hours to pull a valve cover on a FA20, for example). However, the labor rate is usually around 60-70% of what a normal mechanic charges for labor, so to the average mechanic it's less of a money maker.

But as I tell many people: work is work. When you have a good dealer they'll find a way to make money (or generate revenue). Only the shitty dealers turn down work handed to them.

And to OP: this is not a manufacturer's problem.

-alex

If I were you, I would call Subaru Corporate, describe the problem with your wife's car, and the Service Manager's attitude. Also, share with them how much your wife loves this car.

The dealership is the problem. I have experienced your frustration, so I don't mean to take away from that. However, it's a bit premature to blame Subaru without giving them a chance to make it right. If you can take the emotion out of it, you can search and find bad experiences from every other vehicle manufacturer.

Oh, I forgot to mention... Blackstone oil analysis is good for checking your oil for contamination from coolant and fuel.

Last, our 2013 Outback Ltd. was almost dry on coolant when I checked it about 3 weeks ago. No sign of coolant burning out of the tail pipe, and no coolant in the oil. Also, no overheating problem.

I dis y cone here to argue the obvious. For the ones who can't see the forest for the trees good luck you're gonna need it.

Just do not like spending hard earned money on sub quality products no matter the brand. Some of you are just Internet guys anyway seen this all to common. One reason I hate mentioning anything on a forum positive or negative. Let's just agree to disagree.

If I feel compelled after the fix I may post up if not oh well good luck keeping oil and coolant in these things. Mean that in a good way.

Good day,

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showp...1&postcount=45

Good day indeed.

-alex

I just came here to say that my 01 celica GTS blew up at 60,200 miles as a result of a TSB that hadn't been repaired 200 miles outside of the warranty. Last Toyota I bought. My 2006 Honda Civic EX with 100,000 miles leaks 3 quarts of oil before the next oil change interval. Last Honda I bought. Just picked up a 2015 BRZ. We will see how this goes. My hopes are not that high honestly. I will gladly swap in an LSx when I begin to have issues with this motor though. The problem is that we are basing our expectations for reliability on cars these manufacturers produced a decade ago and based on price points that are vastly different to today....

"Add another one to the oil leak list"
Are there a lot of the BRZ's that are having this issue? I know Consumer Reports 2015 car buying guide said this of the BRZ and FRS,- 'Reliability is well below average, and we can't recommend the BRZ."
I figured it was due to the crickets and taillight problems.

"Honda S2000 she owned was destroyed by hail March 2013"
Must have been some hail storm.... sounds like bad luck with cars all around.

Sorry about your trouble with the car, but there's a lot of them here, Brz & Fr-s's that are getting the crap driven out of them, including me, with little or no problems. Get it fixed and give it a shot. Its a good car.

I read this too and was curious about the "below average" reliability. Any know wtf they were talking about?

I get Consumers Report magazine. They send out to all the readers a survey about any and all cars you own. Lots of questions and they base their "reliability" results on those questionnaires. I gave the car all great scores cause I've had zero problems, but I think no matter how little the problem, it begins to add up in the different areas of the car, very generalized tho. "crickets" could mean "very poor" fuel system, it's insignificant problem, I've never heard them myself. Doubt they have enough subscribers that own frs/brz to give an accurate assessment. Check out their Auto Issue in any year in April. It does have some useful info. I think most of the problems are few, but not uncommon for first year models, but now it's going on 4th year and I think most of the problems are already worked out.

http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...78#post1617278
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showt...light=oil+leak

The obvious solution, from my POV at least, is to purchase another S2000 (once this problem has been resolved).

My BRZ had disappearing coolant that I noticed within months of ownership. I bought a bottle of Subaru coolant and topped it off once or twice since and it's been fine. I wrote this off as the system not being properly burped at the initial fill (I hope!). When I change my oil I always have exactly what I put in (I use 5-quart jugs) and never noticed any visible coolant in the oil.

I agree with it being hit or miss with this car. Either the motors crap out totally, leak oil in one of two places, or have transmission issues. That can happen with a car from any manufacturer even on a model that's been around for years. I drive mine 100 miles a day 5 days a week for work and just hit 51k trouble-free miles.

This might be why you're getting trouble from the dealership. If you're coming off as aggressive and 'know-it-all' they're not going to warm to you. It's the same if someone went up to you at your job and said that you know nothing and they know more than you... but you've got to fix the issue that they couldn't despite being better than you.

If you're friendly, the vast majority of dealerships in my experience will be helpful in return. If a dealership is genuinely incompetent just change to a different one. I've had BMW(!) charge me less than quoted for work, and other dealerships squeeze me in on short notice just by letting them do their job and being friendly.

A dealership often has to go through a set diagnosis procedure to get warranty work approved. It's common in numerous industries, it's not a slight against you - it's just how it is to stop people playing the system. I'd take a deep breath, realise bad things happen to good people and just let it go. You've got an oil leak, it sucks but the dealership is fixing it for free. This might well be the only issue you have for many years to come. Better to wait and see, than lose a load of money getting rid of what's probably a solid vehicle.

You make number 9.

number 9 thread.
those were quick search results, it's likely i missed some threads.
i suggest you count people with issues rather than number of threads.

Haha bet you thought I was gone. The car was repaired, the dealership is full of morons, Subaru will never see a dime from us again. The cars paid for she chooses to continue driving this pos because she likes it. Me on the other hand wishes it were gone. 5k miles later it's not visibly leaking but you can get a film of oil on your hand just about anywhere along the drivers side timing cover location. Still won't keep coolant in the over flow tank and it's been topped off repeatedly. I give up! Most recent issue is there is a popping under the car when turning steering hard left or right backing up or pulling forward usually when the body flexes over uneven pavement. I need to carry it back in as I'm sure it's related to the engine being removed, somethings just not tight under there.

I am glad you all love this car but I'm being honest it's a terrible car as far as quality goes. Subaru is a lousy company to deal with and I wish them the worst on down the road. Now back to hating on me when you should be hating on Subaru/Toyota for allowing this pile to exist.

And yes I have been S2000 shopping but just to much wore out junk out there now days. That car has run its course unless Honda resumes building it.

I on the other hand, have not had one single issue after one year and 50K miles. Must be because mine is a Scion and is made better.
Soooo...just because you had issues does not mean the rest of us did or will. Carry on with your hatred and enjoy your quest for the perfect car.

Let me get this story straight...


You are a self confessed awesome mechanic that does all your own maintenance.


The car for all intents and purposes is an extremely reliable (nice full orange dots from CR in engine, transmission, cooling, brakes, etc essential systems) model outside of rattles, taillight leaks, cricket noises from a functional fuel pump, and stereo problems.


You bring it to the dealer saying it's leaking oil and it's out of coolant.
The dealer hasn't seen this car since they sold it 20,000 miles ago.
The dealer tops off your fluids and asks you to keep an eye on it.
There is indeed a problem and you drop the car off at the dealer.


Conclusion:
SUBARUS SUCK.
THE DEALERSHIP IS GIVING ME THE RUN AROUND.


Got it!

You're so confused let me see if I can straighten this out. Yes I am a good mechanic and wrench on my road race bike and street bikes all the time. No I do not like working on a brand new car which has been maintained by the book by me and it's a pos to begin with. So what if 5 of you here have no trouble that leaves a lot to be said about the quality of this car. The selling dealer was the only choice we had in the matter they flat out are terrible by comparison to say a local Toyota dealership. A car driven by a 52 year old women shouldn't have to have the friggin engine removed at 20k miles:iono:

Now carry on I could care less just letting the ones who care know this car is not without some serious issues and the manufacturer is a joke to deal with on any of it.