Engine failure - 38,000 miles

[Annahra]

Remember, my original engine ran for about 18,000 miles (and three 1500 miles in four days road trips) post accident, and the accident itself required no mechanical work at all (radiator harness was replaced and nothing else done under the hood). My engine did not shut off at the time of the accident--I could've driven it away but part of the front fender was dragging. Subaru also warrantied the engine, so they didn't see anything obviously wrong. A LOT of these cars have had cosmetic damage repaired. The more I've had time to think about it and talk to my dealer, the less I think the accident was involved. Of course, I still think it's just something that happens and not anything inherently wrong with the engine/car. It was a very early model and I bought it 2 months old with 7K miles, so for all I know it originally had the CEL/idle issue. Just for fun here's a picture; haven't passed this around yet!

@Monogram, I get what you are going for, but I feel like your list of criteria is looking for a unicorn since there aren't very many cars like you describe even WITHOUT engine failure.

[Annahra]

Originally Posted by Monogram

I disagree. The great majority of Twins on the road are unmodified vehicles.

You clearly haven't seen the Facebook group.

P.S. Don't go to the Facebook group. What is seen, cannot be unseen.

[Mr 286]

Originally Posted by Monogram

Why are the only people squawking about engine failures those who have modified or crashed their vehicles prior to the engine failure?

There has now been one post about an engine failure before a vehicle left the lot, and that is exactly where anyone would expect to find a defect in build.

These vehicles are not advertised as under warranty for abuse on a track. No automobile manufacturer warrants a vehicle used for racing.

There are thousands of these engines running around on the street, and again the only failures (with exception of the one that didn't make it off the lot) are all modified or wrecked vehicles.

I take everything posted on the internet with a grain of salt, and in every case of engine failure, I highly doubt the entire story is being published.

Why am I still in this thread? I can ask you the same question.

1. False

2. A little engineering knowledge for you: many defects are found during the post-delivery maintenance phase on a given product.

3. I never said they were advertised to be abused on a track. Nor did I say they are warrantied to be raced (You don't have to be racing to be on a track by the way). Don't put words in my mouth. I was referring to video advertisements posted on Scion's website advertising the car can be used for a "day at the track" however they intend for you to interpret that. The warranty manual disqualifies competition or abuse, neither of which are guaranteed to follow from a "day at the track"

4. Correction: the only failures you think you know about.

5. That means in the case of my post, you don't believe the whole story was posted. That's your right of opinion. It just happens to be incorrect.

6. I never asked why you are in this thread. Again, don't put words in my mouth. And to answer your question, I am the OP of this thread so I suppose it makes sense that I might stop by and post in it from time to time.

And with all that, another update from the dealer:
They are now waiting on some seals that they needed to order. I haven't called them back yet to find out what seals they need.

[Muaddib]

Because the car is not built by Toyota. Subaru has not been able to build a decently reliable vehicle since the 90's.

[Mr 286]

UPDATE: So, after all the issues with getting this car back together I decided enough was enough. Traded my FR-S back to the dealer

I really loved that car, and the looks fit my style. I have to admit that it truly has the handling and power balance to deliver all smiles to a guy like me who loves to drive sports cars, but the engine being this big of a trouble area this early is too much of a net negative for me. People at the dealer were telling me I'm not the only one, and they've been having a lot of problems with this car, even the newer ones. When I asked what kind of problems, they said the engine specifically.

So, I wasn't interested in a new FR-S. I picked up a Camry SE V6 with all the features. Now, putting the car seat in the back will be a lot easier, and my daily drive to work will be more laid back with the auto transmission. So, a loss in fun and performance for hopefully a gain in reliability. It was going to be this or a Tacoma, but I'm not quite ready to be a full-time truck guy, heh.

[HunterGreene]

Originally Posted by Mr 286

UPDATE: So, after all the issues with getting this car back together I decided enough was enough. Traded my FR-S back to the dealer

I really loved that car, and the looks fit my style. I have to admit that it truly has the handling and power balance to deliver all smiles to a guy like me who loves to drive sports cars, but the engine being this big of a trouble area this early is too much of a net negative for me. People at the dealer were telling me I'm not the only one, and they've been having a lot of problems with this car, even the newer ones. When I asked what kind of problems, they said the engine specifically.

So, I wasn't interested in a new FR-S. I picked up a Camry SE V6 with all the features. Now, putting the car seat in the back will be a lot easier, and my daily drive to work will be more laid back with the auto transmission. So, a loss in fun and performance for hopefully a gain in reliability. It was going to be this or a Tacoma, but I'm not quite ready to be a full-time truck guy, heh.

Sorry that this ended up being such a negative for you, but good on you for sticking with the brand. I would have jumped ship to Ford and gotten a Fusion

[FR-S Matt]

Originally Posted by Mr 286

UPDATE: So, after all the issues with getting this car back together I decided enough was enough. Traded my FR-S back to the dealer

I really loved that car, and the looks fit my style. I have to admit that it truly has the handling and power balance to deliver all smiles to a guy like me who loves to drive sports cars, but the engine being this big of a trouble area this early is too much of a net negative for me. People at the dealer were telling me I'm not the only one, and they've been having a lot of problems with this car, even the newer ones. When I asked what kind of problems, they said the engine specifically.

So, I wasn't interested in a new FR-S. I picked up a Camry SE V6 with all the features. Now, putting the car seat in the back will be a lot easier, and my daily drive to work will be more laid back with the auto transmission. So, a loss in fun and performance for hopefully a gain in reliability. It was going to be this or a Tacoma, but I'm not quite ready to be a full-time truck guy, heh.

So you picked up a 2015 WRX?

[Maowc]

Sad news. But hey cant go wrong with a camry for road trips!

[Gords_zenith]

Originally Posted by Mr 286

UPDATE: So, after all the issues with getting this car back together I decided enough was enough. Traded my FR-S back to the dealer

I really loved that car, and the looks fit my style. I have to admit that it truly has the handling and power balance to deliver all smiles to a guy like me who loves to drive sports cars, but the engine being this big of a trouble area this early is too much of a net negative for me. People at the dealer were telling me I'm not the only one, and they've been having a lot of problems with this car, even the newer ones. When I asked what kind of problems, they said the engine specifically.

So, I wasn't interested in a new FR-S. I picked up a Camry SE V6 with all the features. Now, putting the car seat in the back will be a lot easier, and my daily drive to work will be more laid back with the auto transmission. So, a loss in fun and performance for hopefully a gain in reliability. It was going to be this or a Tacoma, but I'm not quite ready to be a full-time truck guy, heh.

Sorry to hear this. Well I hope you don't write off the twins as all being completely unreliable. I've got 49000 km with no engine reliability issues, or any other major issue. My cars build date was 05/12. I hope your able to come back to a BRZ or FRS one day.

Granted, I've also treated mine a little better than most, only 94 octane (no tip in knock issues- that I've noticed), not winter driven, first oil change was very early @ 1800km, sprayed with a rust inhibitor that is safe for electronics to provide further rust protection (Krown), and I've used Mobil 1 for all but three oil changes.

Anyways hope you like your Camry. Thanks for sharing your experiences though.

[MTCRX]

Camry? My how low one can sink in a crisis. Anything is better than a Camry. Please tell me it isnt beige.

[billwot]

Originally Posted by MTCRX

Camry? My how low one can sink in a crisis. Anything is better than a Camry. Please tell me it isnt beige.

It was going to be this or a Tacoma, but I'm not quite ready to be a full-time truck guy, heh.

Damn, I have a Taco AND a Camry! (But at least its a RED Camry)

[AllDayJonRay]

Originally Posted by Monogram

Why are the only people squawking about engine failures those who have modified or crashed their vehicles prior to the engine failure?

You continue to ignore the fact that you are gathering information from an enthusiasts forum, where 90% or more of the owner's vehicles tend to be modified to at least some extent.

[xwd]

Originally Posted by Muaddib

Because the car is not built by Toyota. Subaru has not been able to build a decently reliable vehicle since the 90's.

Most of their vehicles are very reliable. I've owned 9 of them and I've never taken one to a dealer for anything major.

Subaru's modern Forester/Outback/Crosstrek/Legacy are usually on top when it comes to reliability scores. The WRX/STi/BRZ tend to drag their overall scores down. They are also beat on a lot more than your regular vehicle and they build them to meet a certain price point.

The only thing I've brought my BRZ to the dealer for was for the DI crickets, which was the single Toyota thing on the engine...

[Mr 286]

Originally Posted by MTCRX

Camry? My how low one can sink in a crisis. Anything is better than a Camry. Please tell me it isnt beige.

It's super white, one of my favorite colors. I hardly call losing an engine, still having a backup car and the dealer also providing a rental car a crisis. More of a big inconvenience. And I also wouldn't call ending up in a more expensive car with more features sinking lol.The Camry is a great car. Sure, it's bland and unoriginal. It's not a sports car, and there are tons of them everywhere you look; but it's got a great engine, can more comfortably transport the kids and is more chill to drive everyday in traffic than my FR-S. When you get to be my age, you'd be surprised about the kinds of cars you start thinking about wanting. Sports cars aren't the end all, be all of cars.

My plan is to keep observing the development and issues with the 86 platform. It would make more sense for me to pick one up purely as a track/weekend project car than a daily. My MR2 is aging and I want to avoid tracking it. On the other hand, I'm also interested in my next sports car being in a higher class than the 86. It's a little too entry level for me to be put up with the kind of problems I had with this one.


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