90k service
 

Hey! Coming to you all for some opinions before I make a bad/uninformed decision. I just had my 2013 in for an oil change after barely driving it during the pandemic. I am at a little over 92k miles and the dealership suggested the following:


- Fuel service ($189.99)
- long term coolant fluid exchange, no coolant in reservoir ($159.99)
- Transmission fluid exchange ($249.99)
- rear differential service ($149.99)

I can't (and am not interested in) doing any of these services myself. I'm looking to see if I really do need to do need to all of them and if you have recommendations on if I should break them up or just do all at once? I may contact the local Subaru dealership to see if their rates are a bit lower as well.

Swapping out your fluids (transmission, differential, coolant) is a good idea. I'm surprised they didn't include brake fluid in their recommendations; I'd do that, too. Find out what they actually do for the $189.99 "fuel service." If it's just dumping an additive in the fuel tank, skip it. If it includes replacing a fuel filter, then ok.

I tend towards the "do all the maintenance....it's cheap insurance" side of life, but I generally do all my own maintenance so it costs less than 1/3 of the prices you mentioned. You might check with a respected local independent shop for another quote; none of those jobs are anything beyond a good basic mechanic's capabilities.

I would suggest that you follow the recommendations in the maintenance guide that came with your car.

If your car is running OK, I'd suggest that you skip the "fuel service".

If your car is a MT, that quoted transmission service is too much.

I have no idea what the rates are in the US but all those prices seem way high. And this is coming from a Canada where we usually pay more for EVERYTHING.

Seems a bit steep but I'm not an expert at paying for service.

What a rip off. I am not sure what is in the"fuel service", if it is an MT transmission the other 3 can be done at the same time on a car lift in about an hour, if it is an AT transmission maybe another 30 minutes.

Thank you all! It's AT. I will definitely check what the fuel service includes. I'll also try a few different dealerships (including to Subaru) to see if I can price shop. I just wanted to make sure these were actually necessary.

The fuel service is very common and very necessary with direct injection engines. Since direct injection fires the fuel straight into the combustion chamber cars with those engines will get gummed up valves very quickly. This makes fuel service important.
Our cars have direct and port injection. The port injectors shoot the fuel in above the intake valve which keeps it clean. This makes "fuel system" cleanouts redundant.
Odds are they will make it sound very critical but all they actually do is dump a can of crap in to clean everything out. You could do the same for about $20 if it was needed.

Pricey as! So ok AT but $150 for the Diff. 2 bolts and $20 of parts

Meh. Fifty bucks just to put it on the lift is reasonable. I'd pay extra for a light touch but I never get a taker. I balk at being charged full time for each task when we know that they are all combined - as @NoHaveMSG mentioned.

a better question is what maintenance have you performed so far? getting to be a lot of new owners that are buying these cars at those mileages with no history from before they got it.

per this owners manual maintenance schedule from 2013, they should be recommending brake fluid replacement, cabin filter(very easy to do yourself with no tools), oil and oil filter, engine air filter, and a tire rotation.
https://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=98730

at 60k, you should've had brake fluid, spark plugs, and trans fluid, replaced, and at 75k, the fuel filter is called for replacement...

what you should be doing in this case really depends on how closely the maintenance schedule was followed so far. historically, i've bought a number of cars around 90-100k, and will always do plugs, all the fluids(just a change, never a flush), and then inspect the rest of the mechanicals for other future repairs.


definitely don't feel obligated to go to any dealer for service. independent shops are just as qualified to do all of the routine maintenance, and will be much cheaper.

and just note-- these cars use subaru super blue coolant. it should be very dark blue. if you have anyone change it, be sure to check the color when they're done.

^^^ wow! ^^^ 10/10 for bringing out the good shit. Coolant choice is a common sloppy move. Don't let them fill your reservoir with windshield washer fluid either. There are some sad stories here.

Flat rate is gonna flat rate :bonk:


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I say skip the fuel service thing if all they're gonna do is drop some sort of cleaner in there and act like they're doing you a favor.

My one curiosity is about the "no fluid in reservoir" thing tagged onto that coolant servicing quote. If they're saying there's no visible fluid in your expansion tank, that's easily fixed by going and buying a bottle of premixed coolant from Subaru. I know you said you don't want to do any of this stuff yourself, but you can definitely DIY pouring a little fluid into that plastic tank until the fluid reaches the "full" line on the tank and call it good. That aside, if the coolant has never been changed before now, it's worth getting fresh fluid in that system. Just don't let anyone try to charge you three figures just for pouring $5 worth of coolant into your system.

Trans fluid is definitely worth doing, and since you mentioned trying to get a Subaru dealer's shop to work on it, try that. If you find one willing to work on a Scion and not act like it's a whole different car that they can't touch, I think you're a lot more assured that something like the rather involved job of a proper AT fluid replacement is going to be done correctly vs. a Toyota dealer.

Diff fluid, if it hasn't been changed before, definitely needs to be changed with that much mileage on it. If it's been done before and it's been about 50k miles since it was last done, it's worth doing it again at this point.

Ya well, @lynnmichelle, it's easy for ol @Ultramaroon to say, because he has a fully equipped garage, so @Tcoat reports - :iono:

There's no room for a car in my garage. Way too much other crap. I could fit a car before my mom died. :(

Thanks! I'm the only owner and i have kept up with everything else. Spark plugs and timing belt were done during the recall. I put in reusable k&n filters and i maintain those myself. Was just double checking on the 90k since it was pricey and since i did my recall at the subaru place they were confused about a few things...

Timing Belt?

No timing belt, double chain. Will probably outlast the car.

@lynnmichelle


Regular book maintenance items are always important. I'd point out that at 90k miles there might be some items non-book related that might need refreshing. At 90k miles, I had a worn transmission mount, and also my shifter's rear-stop was sticking - fixed these with a fresh mount and a "positive shift kit" which fixed drivetrain lash. Now at 130,000 miles I'm looking at refreshing the whole drivetrain's mounts and bushings, and it is probably something I should have done at 90k miles. Also check the upgraded throw-out bearing part that came out ~2015 which is a must after the factory bearing wears out.

I'm not sure the automatic transmission has a throw-out bearing.

Attachment 202786

Lol no they do not

Sorry. I was trying not to be too critical.

Haha no worries, I thought you were being sarcastic [emoji846]

None of them are disposable.

There's an aftermarket solution to the throw out bearings. They're usually made out of stainless steel...sometimes you can find them with a gold coating, Your shifts might not be quite as smooth and tasty as they are with the throw out bearings, and it's a good idea to wash them after a day's use, but you'll create a lot less waste and keep Irace happy.