How do you feel of Subaru reliability?

[Detonate]

How do you feel of Subaru reliabiltiy compared to another AWD maker, Audi? I would like an AWD vechicle and on the fence between these two vehicle makers. How do you feel about the two fitment, rattles, paint, body, engine, the whole shabbang, and especially the transmission (manual of course)? I'm looking for something that will last down the road.

 

Audi's have the option of extending the warranty for a couple more years/100k miles. Does Subaru have that? Also how would you rate the service of dealers of the two. I like hassle free service.

 

Please speak from experience. Thanks you.

[Beanboy]

Subaru will last longer with less work needed on average, and much less expensive for work that does need to be done. But Audi is going to have better paint, less rattles, and feel more refined...just that everything will fail at somepoint, hehe.

 

Comparision made between friend's 2001 A4 Quattro 2.8 versus 2005 Legacy GT.

 

Have you driven both? Very different feel from behind the wheel. Audi you sit low in the car with fairly high sills, car feels heavy and solid, responses are muted and hushed. Subaru feels much lighter and feels more open with the low sill height. Responses are quicker and more lively.

[PhilT]

Please speak from experience. Thanks you.

 

Speaking from experience................, I highly recommend searching the forums, you will find enough reading material on the subject of Subaru vs. Audi to keep you busy for a month of Sundays.

[Opie]

How do you feel of Subaru reliabiltiy compared to another AWD maker, Audi? I would like an AWD vechicle and on the fence between these two vehicle makers. How do you feel about the two fitment, rattles, paint, body, engine, the whole shabbang, and especially the transmission (manual of course)? I'm looking for something that will last down the road.

 

Audi's have the option of extending the warranty for a couple more years/100k miles. Does Subaru have that? Also how would you rate the service of dealers of the two. I like hassle free service.

 

Please speak from experience. Thanks you.

 

Reliability: Subaru > Audi

Fitment & body: Subaru = Audi

Engine & Transmission: Subaru > Audi

Rattles: Subaru < Audi

Paint: Subaru < Audi

 

What will last down the road: Subaru > Audi

 

Subaru also offeres several different extended warranties and maintenance plans up to 100K that vary on cost depending on length of the warranty, deductable amount, etc.

 

I would think the service departments would both score similarly, although the Subaru will be much less expensive to maintain.

[rao]

Speaking from experience.

 

Audi - you will know the names of the service writers

Subaru - you will likely never even be at the dealer for warranty repairs

[gt_ltd]

fwiw, we have some audi converts here, but only one member who went from legacy to audi, but he got an S4.

[tintinet]

Subaru bin bery bery gud to me! I've owned 5, including current 05 MT LGT LMT wagon and 05 MT 2.5 XT OB. Previously, I owned a 93 MT LGT turbo wagon with 165K miles, 96 Legacy wagon with 100K, 02 WRX MT Cobb stage 2 sedan with 60k. Basically, I changed the oil on 'em. No problems through 8 years of Maine winters, etc.

 

My dad had a coupla Audis, they died of multi-organ/system failure at about 50K miles.

 

Dealer service: varies a lot from one to the next, both brands.

 

Transmission, MT: Had great durability in my previous Subarus, including Cobb stage 2 WRX (and I beat on that puppy every single day!!!!). Only got 2.4K on my 05 MT LGT wagon so far, at TDC stage 1, but I've had no clutch problems, so far. My dad's Audis were AT, so no terrific comparison. Those cars were not particularly quick, so not much fun to push to limits, anyway.

 

 

 

I owned a 99 Volvo XC wagon- one problem (mostly electrical, ECU issues) after another!

 

94 Mazda Miata- only driven in warm sunshine (i.e. very very little in Maine). Mint condition after 7 years, no problems.

 

87 BMW 325i- brake issues (minor), burned oil pretty fast, but every service was $$$. Nice, but not as fast and furious as the WRX or LGT.

[06Leg]

I am actually looking out my window at my new 06 Legacy and my 05.5 Audi A4 2.0T Quattro. I have also had several VW's prior to the Audi.

 

The Audi is obviously nicer, and it should be, for the price. But outside of a few KNOWN issues, Audis are in general very solid cars. Mine has had no problems. Audi's might have a few issues here and there, but nothing like head gaskets and coolant leaks. Or weak 1st and 2nd gear issues. If you look, you will find issues with all car makers.

 

I don't think you can go wrong with Audi or Subaru. But its pointless to compare them. They just don't play on the same field. Thats why its great to have BOTH in the same household, haha!

 

As far as how they drive, the Audi is more responsive throttle and brake-wise, they both handle great, and the Subaru might have a bit better slow speed steering feel. The Audi feels more solid, though not heavy (skip the V6 versions, they are too nose heavy). The Subaru feel a little lighter, but as a result, a bit less substantial. Again, the Audi has more insulation and luxury. Not sure why, but you can put a blindfold on and always tell a German car at 80mph vs. anything else at 80mph. Not that you should be driving at any speed with no vision. You know what I mean...haha.

 

If anything, the new Audi grill might scare you away. I love it, but some hate it, so it puts them out of the running.

[phuzaxeman]

audi/vw has been horrible these past years in reliabilty.

 

http://www.time.com/time/globalbusiness/article/0,9171,1101031124-543826,00.html

 

http://myvwlemon.com/

 

http://www.myaudittsucks.com/

 

http://suckercars.com/

 

to name a few....

[ilh]

Audi - you will know the names of the service writers

Subaru - you will likely never even be at the dealer for warranty repairs

Oh, how I wish this was true for me. I know my local Subaru service manager's name, personal extension by heart, he knows me by sight, etc. 15 days in the shop in 7.5 months will do that to you.

[Garandman]

How do you feel of Subaru reliabiltiy compared to another AWD maker, Audi? I would like an AWD vechicle and on the fence between these two vehicle makers. How do you feel about the two fitment, rattles, paint, body, engine, the whole shabbang, and especially the transmission (manual of course)? I'm looking for something that will last down the road.

 

Audi's have the option of extending the warranty for a couple more years/100k miles. Does Subaru have that? Also how would you rate the service of dealers of the two. I like hassle free service.

 

Please speak from experience. Thanks you.

I had an Audi and didn't have too many warranty problems, but had a lot of problems in the 70-100K range.

 

I only kept one Subaru for 87K and had zero problems of any kind. There were two recalls.

 

The second Subaru I owned - 1997 OBW - I sold in December to my sister-in-law. It had 165K miles and had had one front axle, one front wheel bearing, head gaskets, seals, and brakes.

 

She's still driving it as her 97 is still running but has some problems. It has 255K miles on it.

 

By contrast, a friend of mine who has owned three Audis just sold his fairly new (24,000 miles) A4 because it was spending too much time in the shop. He bought an Acura TL to replace it. But Audi has much prettier interiors and vastly more snob appeal.

[iyalla]

Lemons in every group. The German economy is still not doing great and it has affected the vehicles coming out of there. The Japanese on the otherhand are using American labor so thats affecting some of the vehicles coming out for them.

 

The Audi is an Autobahn burner. Its built to be stable at triple digit speeds, the steering is muted, the suspension is rock stable and you can hear a whisper with a hurricane blowing outside.

 

The Subaru feels light, very maneuverable, very reliable components, simplified AWD no gimmicks especially on the MT's. Its amazing that a japanese car feels like this but still beats or equals the Audi in crash tests. If you are keeping it out of warranty the Suby wins with cost. You can get Audi like handling relatively cheaply on the aftermarket.

 

If you are looking for AWD cars these two manufacturer should be at the top of your list because they were doing it in mass production before all the others came along.

 

BUT you need to go and test drive both, its the only way to know which one you like.

[jagcars26]

See the "consumer reports" writeups on the whole Subaru lineup,,that tells alot about the brand as a whole.

[nov26_2]

My 05 is sitting in the drive awaiting a tow truck..again. It is having some sort of electrical problem or battery issue. Won't keep a charge on the battery. Can't imagine it's the alternater, only 16 thousand miles. It also has had 2 headlights replaced, a bent rim and I have been waiting a month for the radio face plat that doesn't work(so you can't work the climate control, nice in the winter)

 

 

 

I forgot to mention the bumber body panel has lost a clip and is now hanging off and I also need to have an interior piece attached, the latch covers also break if you try to return them to their original place.

[leggtnut]

I have now owned 6 subarus so far and will make 7 any day now and one other. I have owned the following:

83 GL Sedan FWD- POS first car at 16. No issues to speak of, except for the ignition broke from years of use and heavy keys.

85 RX Sedan 4WD Turbo - Ausome car, not a single issue till it got wrecked.

83 GMC s-15 Jimmy - POS

90 Legacy Sedan L FWD - Loved that car, but the previous owners abused it really badly, Only real issue I ever had was the alternator and clutch went out.

98 Forester L - Had it till 98k on the clock and needed some work and the dealier gave us an ausome deal that we couldn't refuse.

04 Baja Trubo - Love it, but just to many issues and since it is the red headed bastard step child of subaru, there isn't any good support for it, and declared a lemon. Would get anohter if they would only just update it to the current platform.

04 Forester XT - Just picked it up 2 weeks ago and really love it so far, no complaints.

and any day now: 06 Legacy GT Limited Sedan

 

Just love our subarus.

 

And compairing them to the cars our parents have had, they are just so much better in our minds.

[The B4]

Went from a family owned 1990 Legacy with 297,000 miles to a 2005 Legacy GT

 

The 1990 Legacy never had any problems until it was mine (i'm hard on a car and my parents never fail to point this out)

2000 - 10 years old Cracked radiator (my fault)

2000 - 10 years old Tail light fuse went out

2002 - 12 years old Clip to headlight broke.

2004 - 14 years old Alternator went out (I was on my way to work!)

 

All in all besides regular maintenance... a 10-14 year old Legacy cost me about $400 in unexpected issues... $200 of it directly caused by me.

 

the 2005 has 12k miles no problems

[The B4]

Oh yeah...Consumer Reports just named Subaru 4th most reliable car brand

 

1. Lexus

2. Honda

3. Toyota

4. Subaru

 

That's really good considering most of their cars are basic transportation and not Turboed or AWD. It's a strong testament for a car more mechanically complicated (every car is AWD and a Turbo is available in everything but the Tribeca) and more likely to be beat on by enthusiasts to rank up there with automotive appliances.

[leggtnut]

You can make that #3 in my book. Lexas = Toyota.

[Skillz]

Reliability: Subaru > Audi

Fitment & body: Subaru = Audi

Engine & Transmission: Subaru > Audi

Rattles: Subaru < Audi

Paint: Subaru < Audi

 

What will last down the road: Subaru > Audi

 

Subaru also offeres several different extended warranties and maintenance plans up to 100K that vary on cost depending on length of the warranty, deductable amount, etc.

 

I would think the service departments would both score similarly, although the Subaru will be much less expensive to maintain.

 

In your experience as a dealer, could someone sell their extended warranty back to Subaru and get some of the money back?

[gt_ltd]

could someone sell their extended warranty back to Subaru and get some of the money back?

 

yes.

[SLegacy99]

I dont like either one.

[SLegacy99]

Hmm, Ill elaborate. Those who are familiar with my posts, know how many problems I have had, including with SOA.

 

As for Audi, well my dad just got new brakes in his A6. Now his car vibrates all the time. He took it back and they told him its because they dont make the wheels as strong as they used to and they bend. These are the same people who told him his brake squealing (after a tire rotation) was because the rotors get rust on them that has to be burned off everytime you use them. They still squeak everytime you hit the brakes, and what really infuriating is that they didnt squeak until the rotation.

However, after he complained about the vibrations, they asked if he was gonna buy the car off the lease. He said nope, because of these problems and that he'd already bought a 330xi. Cant wait to drive it.

[scatman]

All I can say is what I now first hand. Out of my last 5 new cars this is the first one that went in for warranty work. The dreaded "stuck fan" syndrome. How lame that I need to deal with this.

[tintinet]

Various defects occur and lemons happen to all manufacturers (e.g. my friend's Honda Odyssey).

 

With luck, you'll escape these; with a good dealer relationship, you should be able to resolve any issues readily.

[mphat]

I'm getting out of a 99 VW Passat and into a LGT - I've had a few minor problems with my Passat - fried ECU (off warranty ~$500 to replace it apparently didn't like it when I parked it to go have lunch it worked fine until I started the car and then I had a Christmas tree of lights on the dash) towed to the dealer for a repair. About a year later I'm backing out of my garage ... zippt! car dies ... hmm engine won't turn over towed to dealership timing belt broke (engine head rebuild ~$3000). This was at ~60K miles, I'd just asked the dealer when they recommended replacement and they said 80K because they've started to see some early breakage (manual says replace at 105K). Fortunately the warranty on a 99 was for 10/100 on the powertrain so it wasn't my dime. I had a complete front brake replacement at 60K ~$500 - VW Audi MB - apparently have brake design the consumes pads and rotors at about the same rate (no vibration or squealing at all no sign of a problem until I almost blew through a red light after HARD braking - which made a brake system light pop on). I've had numerous coolant leaks and I am taking it in next week for this again (I would have assumed the new head would have included new hoses etc..). My power steering fluid has a slow leak (though that seemed to stop lately). I've replaced more head light and tailight bulbs than I can count. Two pieces of interior trim fabric which line the driver side door openings near the roof have detached and hand down in the window occasionaly. Now there haven't been any rattles and the car is very quiet and rides and drives great .... when it's running. OH the cruise control goes off intermitently and won't re-engage without a restart - $300 is the estimated repair price. If the Subaru is half as bad as the VW I'll be happy. I wouldn't buy a VW/Audi for at least a year to see what kind of first year reliability issues there are - just take a look at Consumer Reports used car to avoid listing (it is littered with Passats and A4's). It's a shame to because the cars do have really nice materials in their interiors and are very stable and quiet (but my test drive experience in the LGT reminded me a great deal of the Passat - the first time I sat in one my first thought was - wow they had the Passat's interior in mind when they did this car).

 

BTW the names of the local VW/Audi service desk guys are Ernie and Chad... I come in and they call me by name... kind of like Cheers only different!