Elxiddic Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 Hi folks, bought a black 2016 Legacy 2.5i Touring (canadian trim) a month ago at a Dodge dealer here in Montreal - it's got 79000 km and it's by far the nicest and least broken car I've ever owned! So I was wondering if I could get some tips for keeping it in top shape and learning some DIY along the way: As someone who lives a 15min walk to work I will try to avoid the temptation to do daily short trips which I understand is bad for longevity but I will use it for weekend activities/errands and also for 2-3 road-trips (over 1000km apiece) per year to visit family, so probably only 5 or 6000km a year only. I park it on the street here and winters are very snowy and cold in these parts so a frequent wash is on my to do list as well. Any other dangers caused by low mileage per year, outdoor parking and severe winters that I should watch out for? Envoyé de mon LG-M703 en utilisant Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chowser51 Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 (edited) Yes. Short trips will kill battery life. I think the 4 cyl cars use synthetic oil? Don’t go longer than one year for oil changes. I do full synthetic oil changes once a year or at 7500 miles. Whichever comes first. -- sorry, forgot my interval is for the bmw. Edited November 30, 2019 by chowser51 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeardedWon Posted November 30, 2019 Share Posted November 30, 2019 6000miles/6months is what Subaru recommends I think. Check your owners manual. Oil change for the 2.5 is simple. There are a couple YouTube videos you can watch and complete an oil change without error or issue. Was impressed at how easy it was. Prob spend $ on materials and first oil change, but every oil change after should cost you 1/5 that initial one. And definitely cheaper than a jiffy lube/dealer oil change. Get your tires rotated a few times a year. I drive a lot of highway miles, ymmv - but every other oil change id have the tires rotated. 5-10k miles. Got 90-100k miles on last 2 vehicles before getting the legacy. Not sure how car tires will work out, but the truck tires I’ve bought lasted a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elxiddic Posted December 1, 2019 Author Share Posted December 1, 2019 (edited) Awesome thanks for the tips folks- I guess I'll go for 6 months oil change as per the maintenance sched even though it could mean changing after only 2500 km lol . (1500 miles approx.) I'm also lucky enough to have a 10$/h self service community garage in the neighbourhood so I'll try to get a regular look at the undercarriage and see what kind of abuse our Montreal potholes'll have done to it. I didn't bother rustproofing it yet since it's so recent. The motor seems so far so good although the harmonic balancer does wobble a little when its running, don't know if that's bad. Envoyé de mon LG-M703 en utilisant Tapatalk Edited December 1, 2019 by Elxiddic Precision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocktman Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 My Legacy went from being a DD to mostly sitting in the garage recently. Since the car is almost 3.5 years old, I expect the battery to die one of these days. As posted in another thread, I hope to replace it with either a group 24 or 34 battery. As for oil, US spec 2.5 engines specify 0W-20 synthetic oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tr00b Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 I rotate the tires every oil change 6k mi and wax the wheels and check the caliper sliders. Needed an air cleaner at 45k mi. There is a TSB for the battery drain, taking my car in to get it done. They may be able to check your vin over the phone to see if its been done. My 2016 died at 50k and wipers. I'm tempted to have my dealer "check and advise" on the fluid in the CVT at 50k when they do the TSB on the battery drain. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Elxiddic Posted December 2, 2019 Author Share Posted December 2, 2019 Huh - so I don't have any TSBs for the battery according to subaru canada's website when I enter my VIN, only a steering column recall in December 2016 and it has a green checkmark so I'm guessing it's done. Envoyé de mon LG-M703 en utilisant Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waldguy Posted December 2, 2019 Share Posted December 2, 2019 2016 and over 60,000 km they won't replace the battery anyway. Just look to see if it's the Johnson Controls 350 Cranking Amps original or if it's already been replaced with something more robust. If you're going to let it sit a week or more then want to start it on a cold day, I'd want more battery. Lots of recommendations for batteries in the forum - Group 34 is pretty common, and fits perfectly with the 1" spacer that often comes with them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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