I have a 2006 Forester with over 123,000 miles on it. My apologies for the length of this post.
About four weeks ago it started idling rough upon start up. The tach would drop and the engine would begin to stall. The problem was intermittent at first. It finally got so bad that it would stall almost immediately on start up. I was able to get it into Drive by pressing the accelerator. I'd give it gas, the tach would rev and the car would just barely move along. On the highway I'd have the accelerator to the floor, the tach would be around 5k to 6k RPM and I'd only be doing approximately 40-50 mph. The engine would sometimes "catch" and the car would lurch forward back up to highway speed (65-70 mph).
I took it to a local shop and they were unable to reproduce the error. I picked it back up and on the way home, approximately 5 miles, the car lurched and the Check Engine light came on. I took it to a Subaru dealer who said that my catalytic converter was clogged and I had leaks on the valve cover and tube seals. They replaced the catalytic converter and the valve cover and tube seals. According to the dealer, the problem was solved and it ran fine. Total cost $2,000.00.
After taking the car home for two days, the same problem resurfaced. Car stalling on startup and no acceleration. I took it back to the same dealer and said "the same problem has reappeared." After speaking with the dealer today they are now saying that I have a burnt valve. The dealer said that it might have been the burnt valve that was causing the build up in the catalytic converter. When I asked why they had not found the burnt valve last time, I was told that after the catalytic converter was replaced the codes were cleared and it ran fine for the mechanic. He also said that they would not look in the engine at the valves to see if anything else was wrong.
My knowledge of cars is limited so I am hoping that some of the more knowledgeable people here can help.
Can someone give me some suggestions about what to ask the Dealer when they call back?
Our family has always been a fan of Subaru, but now I'm having my doubts.
Much thanks!
About four weeks ago it started idling rough upon start up. The tach would drop and the engine would begin to stall. The problem was intermittent at first. It finally got so bad that it would stall almost immediately on start up. I was able to get it into Drive by pressing the accelerator. I'd give it gas, the tach would rev and the car would just barely move along. On the highway I'd have the accelerator to the floor, the tach would be around 5k to 6k RPM and I'd only be doing approximately 40-50 mph. The engine would sometimes "catch" and the car would lurch forward back up to highway speed (65-70 mph).
I took it to a local shop and they were unable to reproduce the error. I picked it back up and on the way home, approximately 5 miles, the car lurched and the Check Engine light came on. I took it to a Subaru dealer who said that my catalytic converter was clogged and I had leaks on the valve cover and tube seals. They replaced the catalytic converter and the valve cover and tube seals. According to the dealer, the problem was solved and it ran fine. Total cost $2,000.00.
After taking the car home for two days, the same problem resurfaced. Car stalling on startup and no acceleration. I took it back to the same dealer and said "the same problem has reappeared." After speaking with the dealer today they are now saying that I have a burnt valve. The dealer said that it might have been the burnt valve that was causing the build up in the catalytic converter. When I asked why they had not found the burnt valve last time, I was told that after the catalytic converter was replaced the codes were cleared and it ran fine for the mechanic. He also said that they would not look in the engine at the valves to see if anything else was wrong.
My knowledge of cars is limited so I am hoping that some of the more knowledgeable people here can help.
Can someone give me some suggestions about what to ask the Dealer when they call back?
Our family has always been a fan of Subaru, but now I'm having my doubts.
Much thanks!
