Subanoobie

I choose to change my own oil about every 3700 miles. Living in North Virginia all I have is stop and crawl traffic.

I might feel different if I had to pay the dealer their profits though.

Overkill? Probably. But I never heard of a car engine having problems from having the oil changed too often.

That is one of the nice things about the 11 Foz, oil changes are about as easy as it can get. It takes me longer to remove and replace the skid plate than it takes for the oil change. :)

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Aliens? Us? Is this one of your Earth jokes?

Strelok

I have a similar question about the suggested time intervals between maintenance. Do they really trump mileage? Are you supposed to bring your car in when the time is up, even if you don't have anything close to the mileage for that maintenance?

I have a short work commute (24 miles round trip), and I only work 15 days out of the month because I work a 12-hour swing shift. Add in errands and the occasional trip, and I'm only putting about 400-500 miles on my Forester per month. Whereas the maintenance schedule seems to assume about 1000 miles per month.

I just got an email from Subaru saying that my 2011 Forester is due for it's 7,500 mile/7.5 month maintenance, and I've only got 4,400 on it. Am I going to void the warranty or hurt the resale value if I wait until it's actually close to 7,500 before I get the work done?

literaldeluxe

That's exactly my situation and concern, Strelok. I'm just going to have the oil changed anyway. There's nothing written than provides an exception for low mileage, and losing my warranty would be too costly to take the risk.

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2011 Sage Green 2.5X 4EAT

Strelok

I guess it would help to know why a time frame is included along with a mileage point. Does oil degrade as it's sitting in car's system, any more than it would sitting in a barrel or bottle? There's also the fact that some of these service dates aren't just oil changes, but include inspections and parts replacements. Does it make sense to do those before the mileage is met?

If I follow the time schedules instead of the mileage, at the rate I'm going my Forester will be due for it's 33,000-mile service with only 17,000 miles on it, and that just seems ridiculous.

Hazmat

Everything degrades, usually from oxidation or moisture absorption. So even without mileage you would still need maintenance, especially fluid changes and rubber hose/part replacements.

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1998 Forester ATF

Keepin It Forever....

edavis6678

I've now almost had my Forester for about 2 years; after my initial questions about oil and maintenance, I've settled in on changing it every 5K miles, (not 3,750 or 7500) It seems to be working for me and haven't had any issues with it since. (knock on wood).-- It usually takes me about 4-5 months to drive that much so I don't run into the debate about hitting the time limit between changes. (that is, change it ever 3-4 months, etc..) Also, 5K is easier to remember the major work, (15K and 30K work, etc...)

I still continue to go to the dealership where I purchased the car. They seem decent enough and although a tad higher than other shops for just a simple oil change, they seem competent enough and I know that if anything, they'll be over-cautious about things and point out potential problems well in advance.

One thing I continue to refuse to change and recommend the same; do not have your in-cabin air filter changed. It's a waste of money I'm at almost 35K and still haven't changed it. (Subaru says ever 10K i think)--the filter is like $100 bucks or so.

oppywan

Hello all, I have a very quick, very general question about manufacturer's required maintenance and how it relates to warranty:

My 2010 Forester is my first-ever new car purchase, and being inexperienced in the ways of new-car ownership, my question is this-

Manufacturer's required maintenance schedules always list service milestones as mileage AND monthly increments.

I put substantially less mileage per month on my vehicle than most. I have always assumed if the maintenance schedule lists, let's say, 15,000 mi/ 15 months, it should be read as, "15,000 miles or 15 Months, whichever comes first".

As such, I schedule manufacturer's service based on linear timeline (month milestones) because my mileage is always lagging way behind... out of fear that if something goes wrong and I need warranty work, I don't want to be in a situation where the dealership tries to put the burden on me because i've missed maintenance.

The thing that makes me uncomfortable is that I have scheduled 15 month maintenance, taken the car into the dealership, and they only performed a general oil change without the other listed services as described in a 15 month service. When I asked about why they didn't perform all duties, I was told that they didn't feel it was necessary due to my low mileage. They only charged me for the oil change.

Should I be worried about this becoming an issue should I need warranty service? Could Subaru decline warranty service because I failed to have 15 month service performed? Or is this an example of great customer service, the mechanics realizing that with my low mileage the extra services were not required yet and only doing what was necessary?

Thanks for any and all input!

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Paprika Red '10 2.5X LTD

skippy1959

Here's an interesting cut and paste from an email I received this morning regarding my 11 Forester Limited:

Dear XXXXXX,

Thank you for allowing (Insert Dealership Name) to service your 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited. Our records indicate that it’s been approximately three months since you last visited our service department. Your 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5X Limited may be due for the next scheduled service and inspection.

It is recommended that you change your oil and filter every 3 months or 3,750 miles, whichever comes first. To schedule an appointment you may access our online appointment schedule by going to our website www.XXXXXX.com., or you may call us at 440-XXX-XXXX.

It is very important that you adhere to the manufacturer's recommended maintenance schedule. Your maintenance records should be retained and kept with the vehicle for any future owner. This will enhance the cash value of your vehicle and make future maintenance services easier and less costly.

Our technicians are constantly being trained to ensure that your vehicle is safe and trouble-free.

Thank you and happy motoring.

Best Regards,
The Service Team
(Dealership name omitted)

Now granted my car has only 1,300 miles on it, it seems like the Recommended Maintenance Schedule has changed. Last week I received an email reminding me to change my Cabin Filter every 6 months or 7,500 miles which ever comes first.

Think its time to call the dealership and find out what gives ? Spark Plugs at 12,000 miles ??? New Tires every 10,000 miles ?

trailangel

Well, that's poor advice at best!
https://www.logical-source.com:443/2...TER-10988.html

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TrailAngel
2010 2.5X 5MT

woodyshd

I see I'm overdue for brake fluid change, are there any DIY for this or is it a dealer item only?
2010 Forester 5MT 44000 or so miles. Love this vehicle!!!!!!!!!!

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Find some dirt if you can

dabiker68

Not sure if there is a thread for this or not - I'm looking to see if there is a listing here on how much people are paying for their scheduled maintenance jobs... For example:

I have my MY10 5MT in today for the 64000 km service. Gonna cost two arms and half a leg... The estimate they gave me for this service is $550-600... is this typical for a Canadian dealership?

(They just called me, and need to replace the rear brake pads - additional $210! OUCH!! I am not mechanically inclined so I can't replace them myself... and since it's on the hoist now I might as well get it done, even though I could probably save $50-100 to have it done at the local Canadian Tire)

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'10 2.5x Touring 5MT
'07 Honda Accord SE 5MT

crewzer

Brake pads are covered by the basic 3 year / 36K mile (~60K km) warranty in the U.S. (see 'Wear Item Limited Warranty'.) Check your Canadian warranty for possible similar coverage. Considering that your car is a '10 and is just outside the warranty period, the dealer may cut you some 'customer goodwill'.

HTH,
Jim / crewzer

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12 Forester 2.5X FB25 5MT Premium AWP PZEV
09 Forester 2.5X EJ25 5MT Premium AWP PZEV (sold 7/2011)

dabiker68

unfortunately mine is just over 67,000 (yes, a little late), so I am doubtful on it. I suppose, worth a call....

*** Just called, brake pads aren't covered here.

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'10 2.5x Touring 5MT
'07 Honda Accord SE 5MT

crewzer

Sorry,
Jim / crewzer

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12 Forester 2.5X FB25 5MT Premium AWP PZEV
09 Forester 2.5X EJ25 5MT Premium AWP PZEV (sold 7/2011)

FLdrummer

Good question. You can probably wait until month 16 or 17 to have the 15 month service and still be OK. For warranty purposes you should stick as close to the manufacturer's maintenance schedule as possible. With that said, it is unrealistic to expect people to promptly have all services performed the exact minute the maintenance schedule says to, so there is some flexibility as long as the maintenance schedule is reasonably followed.

I'm sort of in the same boat. I bought my 2004 Forester new in November 2003. It's at 99 months of life now in February 2012, so I'm close enough to the 105 month big timing belt service to start thinking about scheduling and budgeting for it. For convenience the service will probably be done in month 101. But the vehicle just turned over 37,000 miles this week. I'll be following the time schedule - not mileage - for this service.

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2004 Forester 2.5X