SuperAkuma Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 I have an 2011 Legacy 2.5i 6MT. Right now I am at 108,000 miles. I know that you need to replace it at around 105k. The dealership quoted me $1300 to do it. I have a cousin that works on cars on the side. He works mostly on Honda though. He replaced my belt on an 98 prelude and 2003 Accord. I know he knows how to do it but I am not sure if working on Subaru will be any different, or if there will be something specific to Subaru that he may not be aware of.
FLlegacy Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 You would have to judge if you want your cousin doing the work but there is some free tutorials on youtube.
creep_nu Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 the basics of changing a timing belt are the same for a Honda as for the boxer, just a different orientation and layout. if you trust the guy and he'll stand behind his work i don't see it being an issue. that said, i can't imagine there isn't a local Subaru independent shop around you that would do it for much cheaper than the dealership. i just had mine done a while ago by a former master tech from Subaru for $550, where the dealership wanted well over a grand.
dgoodhue Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 I didn't price the 2.5i components, but the GT's OEM timing belt, tensioners, idlers, water pump, supercoolant, & thermostat is ~$600 using the online Subaru parts discounters. [i have been collecting parts to do my timing belt as soon as the weather warms up]. Using list price probably makes them 25% more expensive. At 1st glance $1300 seems a little bit expensive for the work involved, but I could easily see it being a 1100-1200 job though using OEM parts at the dealer, assuming they are replacing the common wear items while they have it apart. You can buy aftermarket parts to save some money, but some of them have really poor reputations. (I would personally stay clear of Gates) IMO its not worth saving a couple $200 if you could potentially lose a motor over it. I have done timing belts before and read the service manual/watched a couple youtube videos for the Subaru timing belts. I am confident I can the job properly, but I follow the service manual and torque everything to spec. I trust my work more than I trust many mechanics.
dgoodhue Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 i just had mine done a while ago by a former master tech from Subaru for $550, where the dealership wanted well over a grand. The GT involves dropping the exhaust manifolds/Turbo or removing the downpipe (which I read is actually harder) to replace the water pump. 2.5i don't have this labor. If he used OEM parts, what did the master tech skip, because I can't buy the parts for that much and even side labor isn't free.
rgeo13 Posted March 12, 2018 Posted March 12, 2018 The SOHC (2.5i non-turboed) is supposedly a piece of cake comparatively, but it wasn't something I was willing to take a jab at personally. I found a local mechanic that specializes in Subaru and did the labor for $150...so with with belt kit, water pump, tstat, coolant, everything, I was out in under $450. I used the Aisin kit from Rockauto, that's what he recommended me, Aisin makes OEM tbelt and components for Japanese cars like Lexus and Toyota.
creep_nu Posted March 13, 2018 Posted March 13, 2018 The GT involves dropping the exhaust manifolds/Turbo or removing the downpipe (which I read is actually harder) to replace the water pump. 2.5i don't have this labor. If he used OEM parts, what did the master tech skip, because I can't buy the parts for that much and even side labor isn't free. wasn't OE parts. I believe it was gates parts...he told me, but it was 6+ months ago and I don't quite remember. i recall it being a good brand though.
SuperAkuma Posted March 15, 2018 Author Posted March 15, 2018 I talked to my cousin he said he won't have time to do anytime soon so I called up a couple of locations. The price range from $800-$1500 and the dealer was $1300! I know price will depend on what they are changing out. So before I call up more shop, what will be the thing that I should ask for or what else should I expect to replace? I know the kit includes the belt, water pump, tensioner and idler. A couple of places said I should replace the thermostat as well. At 105k, does the thermostat need to be replaced?
dgoodhue Posted March 15, 2018 Posted March 15, 2018 I am doing the thermostat when I do my timing belt//waterpump. It is less than $20 and it is attached to the water pump, so one has to remove it and replace the gasket anyways when changing the waterpump.
cseagle08 Posted March 15, 2018 Posted March 15, 2018 In case you haven't changed your accessory belts in a while - they'll have to remove them to do the timing belts, it should be free labor to reinstall with new.
cww516 Posted March 15, 2018 Posted March 15, 2018 It's a single serpentine belt on the 5th-gen, but that'd be worth at least inspecting.
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