Originally Posted by SLVRSRFR
I've posted in this thread before, but not sure how long ago.
Long story short, summer 2017 at 110k km on my 2013 BRZ (June 2012 build date) I got the dreaded P0018 with CEL, "slip" light, and full limp mode. I was only 10k out of my warranty (and still within the time period), so after having the car diagnosed at my local dealer, and being told what the repair bill would cost, and being told that I would receive no coverage from the dealership, I approached Subaru Canada about the issue, not expecting them to do much for me but figuring I had nothing to lose.
After about 2 weeks of deliberation, Subaru Canada offered to cover the cost of all parts involved, and give me a discount on the labour. So what was initially thought to be a $3k repair bill, ended up being about $500 out of my pocket. Got the car back with no CEL, no limp mode, happier than a pig in shit. I was told the ECU, camshaft assembly, OCV's, and a couple of other small parts were changed. They had the car for 2 days and paid for my rental as well. Subaru Canada told me this was "goodwill" and there would be no warranty on the replaced parts.
Less than a month later, on my way back from my cottage, I'm doing about 130km/h on the highway, and the slip light flashed quickly, while the CEL stayed on solid. I absolutely panicked, knowing what I had just gone through. Hooked up to my friend's OFT the next day and got...P0351. This code had never appeared before the P0018 repair was completed.
I should mention that my engine is bone stock with the exception of a drop-in filter, and axle-back exhaust. I should ALSO mention that yes; my car does fall into the scope for the valve-spring recall, but because of the horror-stories I've heard about it, I have not had that recall performed yet, and the recall came out LONG after this light started popping up.
Well, again long story short, that light has been coming on and off sporadically for the better part of 2 years now. I tried swapping coils; code stayed on the same coil. Tried heat wrapping the head; code kept coming back. Car seems to acting completely normal otherwise; I feel no misfires, no lack of power, no hesitation or bogging, and my fuel economy appears normal. I do not abuse this car; I barely ever shift above 4k rpm, but this light seems to have a mind of its own. I will sometimes go days without it, and then other times, it will pop up over and over again every day. It seems to reset itself every 3 drive-cycles, but always eventually comes on again, whether it's days or merely hours later. The slip light always flashes quickly when the CEL first comes on, and sometimes the CEL will just stay on by itself, but other times, the slip light will turn on and off like a bloody strobe light as I'm driving along, seemingly random as well. Again, no limp mode or misfire feels present. There was one time where I had cruise control on while on the highway on a longer drive. All of a sudden the cruise kicked out as the light came on, and my cruise was no longer working. Other times, if the light comes on when I'm NOT using cruise control, the cruise control is still available and working.
I finally had the coil replaced (with a slightly used coil I will admit) a couple of weeks ago, simply for the fact that I'm tired of this stupid light coming on and off.
Less than 5 minutes after pulling out of my shop's driveway with the "new" coil...the light came back. I called the shop right away, went back, he re-scanned, and STILL got P0351. The next day, the light turned off by itself, and was off for 4 whole days before it popped up again last night on my way home from work. My car is now at around 185k km (yes I drive a lot) and really hasn't had any other engine-related issues besides the P0018, and this. I am no longer taking my car to a Subaru dealer since I am so far out of warranty, but he is a very reputable local performance shop that works on a lot of 86-chassis cars.
I am baffled by what to do next, and my shop hasn't had much experience with this issue before. What should I plan to do next? Plugs? Another coil replacement, but maybe brand-new this time? Search for potential issues with the harness?
Again, my car is driving and acting totally normal despite the light, so I haven't had much urgency in getting this fixed until the light started to genuinely bother me, but should I be worried about further potential damage or issues?
Thanks all. I have a major love/hate relationship with this car and this certainly isn't helping.
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