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Bought car less than a week ago, possible blown turbo


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Bought a 2005 Legacy GT (109,xxx miles) last Thursday from a used car dealer in MA. We got a 30 day/1250 mile warranty with it, and we are still under that mileage. According to the dealer, the motor was recently replaced with a used one, as well as the turbo. I asked about potential contamination in the oil lines, etc. from the previous grenading of the turbo, and was assured that there was no chance.

 

Coming home today, going up the hill to our house I noticed a large cloud of white smoke from the exhaust and a burning smell. Figuring it was the turbo, I parked it immediately in the driveway and have not started it since.

 

It's going to cost probably around $500 to have it shipped from where I live to where I bought it. Should the seller be the one to inspect the damage to the vehicle, or should I send it to the local Subaru dealership? The motor was running when it came into the driveway, and never stalled out. How probable is it (assuming blown turbo) that there was engine damage in the very short time between white smoke and shutting off the motor?

 

What should our next course of action be?

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I bought my 05 lgt in Ohio and I'm in Michigan. The turbo was blown I found out a week later and called the dealer and told them either they pay for the towing to a local dealer and replacement of a new turbo or they can come and tow this car back and keep it with a full refund and then sum for the trouble. A lawyer would back you up. So they no dout payed for everything....
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If you want it covered you likely will have to tow it back. The turbo may be blown but also the head gasket blew. Who knows.

 

Have you called the dealer?

 

Sorry about your woes. This seems to be a common theme with these cars.

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I bought my 05 lgt in Ohio and I'm in Michigan. The turbo was blown I found out a week later and called the dealer and told them either they pay for the towing to a local dealer and replacement of a new turbo or they can come and tow this car back and keep it with a full refund and then sum for the trouble. A lawyer would back you up. So they no dout payed for everything....

I would really like it if it played out like this, but he's already said that he isn't going to pay for shipping.

If you want it covered you likely will have to tow it back. The turbo may be blown but also the head gasket blew. Who knows.

 

Have you called the dealer?

 

Sorry about your woes. This seems to be a common theme with these cars.

I know what you're saying, and it's going to go back to the dealer. I was more curious if a good way to go would be to have an independent qualified mechanic give an impartial diagnosis.I'm leaning away from that now.

 

I'm assuming the worst with the turbo based on my research on this site. If the turbo went, then from what I understand there is a strong possibility of engine damage. I don't want them to replace the bare minimum only to have the same thing happen again a day after the warranty expires.

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I'm sure there is some kind of lemon law. He just needs to pay for the towing to the closest subarus dealer and repairs if not then get a lawyer involved simple as that...the cost of the lawyer would be less then the repairs you r gonna pay unless you do all the work yourself or like I said shove the car up his ass. This kind of Shit passes me off these people think they can get away with everything!
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I don't want to trash the guy yet, he hasn't put up any resistance and did mention that it's covered by the lemon law. I'm just worried about what the repairs will entail, or rather what they won't.
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Same thing happened to me with my car cept I didn't have a warranty. But I talked to the manager, told him I was extremely unhappy that this happened 5 days after buying the car, and they agreed to pay for new turbo, installation, and even the cost of towing it. I'm sure if you talk to them they will help you out. If your sales guy is unhelpful, just move it up the chain of command until someone is.
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Also MAKE SURE that they find out why it blew. Mine blew because no oil was feeding into it and I had to get new oil lines, banjo bolt filters, and gaskets as well.
That's what concerns me. If they just replaced the motor and turbo, and then the same thing happens a week after the car is sold, it doesn't inspire confidence in their willingness to do the job right. Pure speculation at this point in the process, though. I still have to get the car back to them, that cost is what hurts the most. If they're going to pay for it, it won't be of their own volition.
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  • 2 weeks later...

How did he diagnose the oil seal leakage if he wasn't able to replicate the problem?

 

Get a BNR 16g, you don't need a downpipe but you will need a tune. You can do any tuning on an Apple product by using parallels or dual booting through bootcamp with windows 7 (if you have an intel mac like a MBP or MBA or something similar).

 

I did just that... thought my turbo needed to be replaced (in fact it really could have gone for a good while without replacement)... and bought a BNR 16G and had Shamar at infamous give me a tune. I am still waiting for the base map, but he said it will be no issue at all.

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Sucks to hear about your car... if you're financially in a bad spot, I wouldn't start upgrading things... try and find a cheap stock one for the time being... you can always upgrade later. Paya's auto in Essex might have a stock turbo for cheap... or you could try Joey Kale... I'm sure he's got some stock turbo's laying around (maybe)...

 

You should try and get a stock one new from the used dealership you bought the car from first though... just tell them to get you a new turbo and you can have it installed at a local shop up here... offer to pay for shipping or something small... considering you should get a new turbo 100% free... or have the work (parts/labor) done at a shop up here, and make sure they document your mileage and date to prove your claim that the car was broken during the warranty time period... then if they don't pay the bill, threaten with lawyers (definitely a last resort though IMO)... at least you'll have a car to drive then. Goodluck with whatever you decide to do.

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Sucks to hear about your car... if you're financially in a bad spot, I wouldn't start upgrading things... try and find a cheap stock one for the time being... you can always upgrade later. Paya's auto in Essex might have a stock turbo for cheap... or you could try Joey Kale... I'm sure he's got some stock turbo's laying around (maybe)...

 

Joey(Kale) actually adapted a VF48 I bought used to work with the stock setup. Didn't take him very long, so it didn't cost a lot.

I went that route as the oem turbo doesn't have reputation for holding up over time. Even if you believe there is no problem with the stock turbo, if you are going used it is more cost effective to go with a vf 48 and have Kale's custom adapt it. He does excellent work. I found it was less expensive to find a used vf48 plus the custom work, than a used vf40 or vf46. Your mileage may vary. Obviously, the dealer figures into the equation.

In my research the least expensive new turbo option was a bnr setup at about $800. OEM vf46 was approx $1200+.

 

Regardless of what you choose to do, it is worth calling him if only to get a third party diagnosis of what is actually wrong with the car. If you are a subie owner in norther VT, best to keep his phone number handy as he tends to hoarde subie parts.

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  • 4 weeks later...

We're still not sure how much the dealer is willing to help, but the negotiations are still in the works. We're really hoping this doesn't have to go to court.

 

So for an update to this thread, the mechanic found lots of metal in the oil, and the motor needs to be rebuilt. In addition, the intercooler is shot and needs to be replaced. Obviously the turbo, too. It's going to be expensive, but I really feel like it's in good hands at Kale's.

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We're still not sure how much the dealer is willing to help, but the negotiations are still in the works. We're really hoping this doesn't have to go to court.

 

So for an update to this thread, the mechanic found lots of metal in the oil, and the motor needs to be rebuilt. In addition, the intercooler is shot and needs to be replaced. Obviously the turbo, too. It's going to be expensive, but I really feel like it's in good hands at Kale's.

 

Nice to see you have a better feeling now, hope things work out well.

 

Keep us updated.

 

FWIW, I replaced my vf40 with a new vf52.

305,600miles 5/2012 ej257 short block, 8/2011 installed VF52 turbo, @20.8psi, 280whp, 300ftlbs. (SOLD).  CHECK your oil, these cars use it.

 

Engine Build - Click Here

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