2011 Legacy 2.5i - 13 years old - 114,000 miles - what maintenance would you do?

[toolazyforalogin]

Title says it all but here a quick rundown

Spark plugs and drive belt and Timing Belt and tensioner done in 2019 at 87,000 miles (water pump not done).  Did front and rear differential last year so that should be good.  I do oil changes on my own and recently (4 months ago) starting getting low oil light on the dash and I have to add in half a quart between oil changes (6 month cycle probably about 6,000 miles).  I'm currently at 114,000 miles and plan to keep this car as long as possible.

Coolant and Transmission fluids have never been replaced.  I have an appointment next week at the dealer to have the coolant flushed.  Should I replace the radiator tubes and thermostat at the same time?  Other suggestions?

Also I know the transmission is stamped lifetime but I get conflicting reports from different dealers.  One is telling me to leave it alone and don't touch it since it's working.  The other is saying it's past the time to do it.  Part of me is leaning towards leaving it alone since I've had no problems.  The only problem I experience once in a while when I come to a red light is the car seems to lose power briefly and then "gets it back".  You can feel a quick 1-2 second "light shake" I guess I would describe it as.

Thoughts / suggestions?  I'm open to hear your thoughts.  Thanks in advance for your time and help.

[Falcor]

When my timing belt was replaced a couple weeks ago (115k) they replaced the upper radiator hose. We also replaced the thermostat. Not sure if it needed that, but did it since the water pump was replaced as well.

[peril]

I have 2 gen5s, 108k(2010 legacy 2.5)and 150k (2013 outback 3.6), trying to keep these things running forever; what you go after here depends on your goals, I do all fluid/ suspension/ tuning myself, and have 2 kids in college that need good but not great cars. 

change the coolant , I wouldn’t mess with the tranny until you know the engine is aok, then do that too

you need to find out where that oil is going, if it’s out the tailpipe that’s aok ( can use an additive) and just keep adding oil, check it 2x weekly, just add, don’t wait for the light. Keep it to the top of the dipstick and see how fast it’s going -  if its in the cooling system, not aok, you might need a head gasket,  also look for leaks in the engine bay from the bottom. Are you ever noticing any loss of coolant or smoking out of the tailpipe? Or is it just oil being added, can you see the oil under the engine or smell the oil when you are driving? 

for other stuff that you will need in the next 30k

Front Control arms,

struts /front / rear,

sway bar links(they wil be jammed  up ), alignment ,

brakes / caliper rebuilds /  brake fluid , 

check sway bar bushings front / rear, 

maybe rotors , if they are gouged, 

tie rods/ check inner / outer ( not fun), 

Change Oil filter, oil bolt gasket, air filter. Cabin air filter, 

check pcv ( I didn’t do this), 

check cv boots, 

check suspension bushings in the rear, 

im sure you will uncover a bearing at some point in the future , but fight that dragon later.

thsts about all that I would do, but would invest the time up front in the engine before starting in suspension and brake maintenance.

for the loss of power I would start looking for a vacuum leak but Ive not had to diagnose that on these cars yet. If it’s not throwing a code and it runs aok, I would ignore it but eventually a code will point to something obvious, ( it really depends on how bad the hesitation / pause is)

 

 

 

Edited July 29, 2023 by peril
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[toolazyforalogin]

On 7/25/2023 at 1:45 PM, Falcor said:

When my timing belt was replaced a couple weeks ago (115k) they replaced the upper radiator hose. We also replaced the thermostat. Not sure if it needed that, but did it since the water pump was replaced as well.

I'm going into the dealership on Tuesday so I will ask them to inspect (and most likely replace) the hoses.  Although I keep it garaged sometimes at work in the New York winters I'm sure the low temperatures aren't helping the hoses.  

11 hours ago, peril said:

I have 2 gen5s, 108k(2010 legacy 2.5)and 150k (2013 outback 3.6), trying to keep these things running forever; what you go after here depends on your goals, I do all fluid/ suspension/ tuning myself, and have 2 kids in college that need good but not great cars. 

change the coolant , I wouldn’t mess with the tranny until you know the engine is aok, then do that too

you need to find out where that oil is going, if it’s out the tailpipe that’s aok ( can use an additive) and just keep adding oil, check it 2x weekly, just add, don’t wait for the light. Keep it to the top of the dipstick and see how fast it’s going -  if its in the cooling system, not aok, you might need a head gasket,  also look for leaks in the engine bay from the bottom. Are you ever noticing any loss of coolant or smoking out of the tailpipe? Or is it just oil being added, can you see the oil under the engine or smell the oil when you are driving? 

for other stuff that you will need in the next 30k

Front Control arms,

struts /front / rear,

sway bar links(they wil be jammed  up ), alignment ,

brakes / caliper rebuilds /  brake fluid , 

check sway bar bushings front / rear, 

maybe rotors , if they are gouged, 

tie rods/ check inner / outer ( not fun), 

Change Oil filter, oil bolt gasket, air filter. Cabin air filter, 

check pcv ( I didn’t do this), 

check cv boots, 

check suspension bushings in the rear, 

im sure you will uncover a bearing at some point in the future , but fight that dragon later.

thsts about all that I would do, but would invest the time up front in the engine before starting in suspension and brake maintenance.

for the loss of power I would start looking for a vacuum leak but Ive not had to diagnose that on these cars yet. If it’s not throwing a code and it runs aok, I would ignore it but eventually a code will point to something obvious, ( it really depends on how bad the hesitation / pause is)

 

 

 

Thank you for such a detailed list.  I would think the coolant is low because after sitting overnight I really don't see any in the overflow.  I tried to see if there was any oil in the overflow (it is black dirty inside there but I didn't see anything that would lead me to believe it's oil).  I am praying that there is no leak in the head gasket when they replace the coolant.  I have not noticed any smoke coming out of the tail pipe although the exhaust has an unrecognized smell to it.  I use Mobil 1 5w/30 right now - should I switch to their high mileage oil?

I change my own oil and (only thing I do beside rotate my own tires) have been keeping the level to the max on the dipstick (checked after sitting overnight when cold). The front end links were changed a few years ago (they were bent I was told) and I had a wheel bearing replaced 2 years ago which from reading is normal on these vehicles.  There was a leak in the muffler and I had a shop put on new pipes from the cat back.  I replace brakes / rotors pretty often and just did this and the brake fluid a couple of months ago.  Other than that and the occasional "pause of the engine" at a stop sign or red light it's been very solid.  I do want to run this vehicle as long as possible.  

I'm definitely weary about replacing the transmission fluid and don't want to kick myself if it starts to act up afterwards for not leaving it alone when it's functioning okay.

Additional thoughts?  I really appreciate everyone's time and insight.  

[peril]

for the coolant low reference in your reply - , I was just asking where the oil was going (or if it was obvious) - if you drain the coolant into a pan you can really see (and smell) what is going on there. If you are adding coolant as well - I would say that it's probably gasket . 

The high millage oil isn't a bad thing, but may / may not help. In a past life - had a $25 vw rabbit on it's last legs - that burned a quart of oil every 2 weeks (and it wasn't a lot of miles maybe 500/ week) - but I ended up never needing to do oil changes and car lasted for 2 years until the bottom end gave out - which I'm sure was because of some oil channel that was plugged up. 

the effort that you put in really needs to match what you need to use the car for - for me - running 2 cases of oil a year was significantly cheaper for a beater car

[toolazyforalogin]

Well I went to the dealership to have the coolant changed.  I asked about replacing the radiator hoses but was told they're still in good shape.  As for the coolant it seemed to be swapped out without a problem so I guess no head gasket issue.  As for the transmission fluid I'm still on the fence....thank you for the help

[peril]

That is fantastic - now gets to the big list - do transmission last or not at all. It it probably burning oil around the rings, my  3.6 probably burns 1/2 quart every month, esp when it's driven hard in the hot; so just keep on top of it and those engines should last forever.