Dan F

"I'd recommend anyone going through the trouble of dropping the tank to look at the tank too. My car hasn't seen as much salt as others but the tank is leaking at the seams already." Same with mine. Had the "wax fix", 15k mi later the lines sprung a leak, dealer refused warranty fix, appealed to SOA, they also refused. So I paid my own mechanic to do it. 6 months later, leaking gas tank from a rusted seam up top. Serious bummer. Sold it for the cost of the brake repair

"i better go look at my brakes lines immediately." Tehnation-- Whatever you do, DON'T take your car to the Subaru dealer to have the lines inspected. If they aren't leaking the day you bring it in, they'll daub the lines with "anti-corrosion", will mark your car as "done" with the recall, wash their hands of you, and refuse to replace the lines if they indeed rust through later. In my case, I got all of 15k miles between the brake lines being declared "fine" and their rusting through to the point of endangering my life. And they would not replace them at that point. So a better plan may be, have your own mechanic do frequent inspections (or do so yourself). At the first sign of an actual leak, THEN bring the car to Subaru for the recall. According to the recall notice, if your lines are actually leaking when inspected, they will replace them.

An update to my post above (#203). I called SOA and got the same answer Awfulwaffle did: "Can't help." As with AWaffle, the rep inquired about the current odometer reading on my car (166k) before giving me a clear answer. I wish I had not given him that information-- how is it relevant? I bought the car new and I've taken good care of it. More relevant, I told him, was how many miles it was between the "inspection" and the brake line failing (15k), which isn't even the lifespan of a brake pad. He said that didn't enter into it-- the inspection "satisfied the recall" and there was nothing they could to do help after that point. According to his logic, if the brakes had failed even 1 mile after they "inspected" them, well, too bad, not their problem. In retrospect, I should've held off on taking my car in for the recall and just had my own mechanic keep an eye on the lines until they started leaking. THEN go present for the recall & get them replaced. Would've saved me a lot of money! Lines to be replaced by my mechanic tomorrow. I'll be writing a letter to SOA, just for the hell of it. Not pleased.

Just thought I'd add my recent experience to this thread... I have an '06 Legacy wagon that I'm very fond of (many suspension mods = fun to drive) and have taken good care of for 166k miles. Living here in Maine, I dutifully took it in about a year and a half ago (at 151k) for the brake line recall. At that time they pronounced the brake lines sound, coated them with the infamous goop, and sent me on my way. Fast forward to yesterday, had my car at my usual shop for a new wheel bearing, and he tells me the rear brake line is rusted out, leaking fairly badly, and a definite hazard to drive until fixed (estimate = $600-800.) (His exact words were, "Well, one hard stop, and your brakes will probably be gone.") So this morning I dropped by the dealership where the "safety recall" "work" was done and advocated that, really, they should replace the brake line. They disagreed. They said the recall was just a one-time inspection: if the brakes were not leaking at that moment, their job was done (oh, except the magic goop) and they had no further responsibilities. The manager on duty did say that in these situations they cover the cost of parts, but I'd have to pay for the labor (estimate: $1,200.) I argued that their "anti-corrosion" treatment was obviously not successful (what life did it add to the brakes? Maybe 5K miles??) and that if there was a known, advertised, and RECALLED FOR design and safety defect in the brake system (of all things), then it shouldn't matter when or how it finally came to the point of dangerousness, it should be addressed. They still disagreed and clearly were not going to change their minds. And obviously I can't live without brakes. So I have scheduled my mechanic to deal with this (though he doesn't have time for 2 weeks...) I figure I'll write a letter to the dealership manager, and to SOA, but I'm not optimistic and obviously I can't wait around. Happy to hear any suggestions on a better approach. BTW, I agree with some of the above comments that, hey, any car could have brake lines rust out at 166k. So I would make no deal about this at all, if it were not for the existing recall. Hell, I feel like I wasted several hours of my life two years ago going for the "inspection"-- what was the point of that, if not to ensure this eventuality (or worse) didn't befall me? Plus, this is my 3rd car to get to that milage, and the first to have a brake leak... maybe I've just been lucky, but I don't think it's a coincidence.