Subaru Engine reliability?

[Draco-REX]

I competitively race my WRX in SCCA RallyX. It still has the stock engine with 135,000 miles and no headgasket leaks, oil consumption, etc...

You have to remember that only people having problems are going to post about them. Noone's going to just start a post "my headgaskets are fine" because they just aren't thinking about it.

As for busted pistons, spun bearings, etc.. Most of those can be tracked back to improper modding. Like installing an intake without tuning for it.

Take care of your car and it will take care of you for a LONG time to come. Subarus are some of the most reliable cars out there.

[BioRage]

I've had a

93 legacy
03 wrx
06 forester xs (current) (n/a)

0 problems on all, foresters running strong @ 78,xxx KMs. - 91 / 94 Octane, Syntethic only.

Never had any issues, HONDA on the other hand, they gave me my 05 odyseey freaking headaches.

And hopefully a BRZ or STi or 370z soon. Or something else. >.>

Also because I'm getting 400KM per 1 tank of 94/91 -_-

[MmmHamSandwich]

For what it is worth, Subaru seems to be consistently in the top most reliable brands for Consumer Report's ratings. Guess who recently was the most reliable brand? Scion.

Plus the WRX has made their top recommendation for sporty vehicle many times and I think has always been in the top 10 since it was introduced.

All cars have problems, but between Subaru and Scion, the FR-S is coming from two divisions with a solid track record.

[blu_]

Originally Posted by MmmHamSandwich

For what it is worth, Subaru seems to be consistently in the top most reliable brands for Consumer Report's ratings. Guess who recently was the most reliable brand? Scion.

Plus the WRX has made their top recommendation for sporty vehicle many times and I think has always been in the top 10 since it was introduced.

All cars have problems, but between Subaru and Scion, the FR-S is coming from two divisions with a solid track record.

I'm pretty sure they rate Subaru as being average in reliability, but they have been topping their road test scores. In recent years their reliability has gone from below average according to them to average.

I'm not trying to trash Subaru BUT their motors can be finicky and people who say ALL issues with them are due to mods or abuse are oversimplifying things IMO. I personally think their quality control slipped for a few years but that is speculation.

[BioRage]

Originally Posted by blu_

I'm pretty sure they rate Subaru as being average in reliability, but they have been topping their road test scores. In recent years their reliability has gone from below average according to them to average.

I'm not trying to trash Subaru BUT their motors can be finicky and people who say ALL issues with them are due to mods or abuse are oversimplifying things IMO.

I think most of them are built in the US now non?

Except for some like the BRZ/STi, etc. Those are still from Japan

[blu_]

Yes, my Legacy was built in the US. My STI and of course the BRZ were built in Japan.

[OrbitalEllipses]

Bearings and oil consumption are mostly seen on turbocharged Subaru applications. The oil consumption is a given (see any turbo VW), but the rods were indeed a weak point on previous iteration 2L turbocharged engines. The tunes on the turbos, from the factory, are shit. That, along with too thin oil, and harsh driving will destroy any engine early. Subaru has a history of some of the turbo engines being weak, I'm not saying otherwise. There's just other factors that go into it.

Same generation N/A engines did have the headgasket issue, which as far as I know was never truly "resolved" as much as it was band-aid fixed.

[Fascist Fish]

i have a 96 2.2L manual impreza sedan with 215k factory miles on it, base model, no options at all. purchased at 150k from a guy whos mom passed away. it was her car and bone stock. about 3 years ago we decided to make it into our rallyx car and beat the piss out of it. only issues since then, broke both cv boots, probably from it sitting. i blew the o2 sensor out of the cat, it took the flange it screws into with it. i had a friend weld a no one on and still running great. we are planning on swapping the engine out with a lower mile one before things go wrong, but we want to stay in the stock awd class so it will have to be another 2.2L

[YukiHachiRoku]

I once took delivery of a 2004 STi, with 122 miles, ( and I knew those miles where beat to shit) and I also myself contributed to the beat down with a 155 mph test drive, and I bought the car...

So... don't sit here and tell me the engine will fail because it does not have "vtec", blah blah blah, the engines are strong even upon abuse, my last car was a 99 Gc8 L, NA (2.2 these engines are truly monster Frankenstein that last forever, with 270K mile and I beat that thing like a red-headed step child.

Enough said.....

[dnL]

I plan on doing a full engine diagnostics before it goes past the warranty.

[DoubleZero_RS]

As long as you keep up with maintenance, I'm sure it'll be fine.

Here's a thread to many high mileage N/A (EJ's though) engines:
http://www.rs25.com/forums/f135/t110...s-post-up.html