Is it normal to need your head gaskets repaired/replaced at only 80,000 miles? Now at 100,000 it needs the tie rods replaced. Is this normal or am I being taken advantage of?

Asked by cperli Oct 25, 2018 at 12:14 PM about the 2001 Subaru Legacy L Wagon AWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2001 Subaru Legacy with 100,000 mls. It was owned by my parents,
and sat unused/unstarted about 4 yrs.  It had 30,0000 original miles when I got
it (in 2015). ( I put about 23,000 mls/ yr on it commuting to work daily.)

5 Answers

43,820

Subarus have a bad reputation for failing head gaskets and if it has that Boxer engine, there are two head gaskets. Also, at 100,000 miles the timing belt should be inspected for replacement ($1500 @ dealer). It might be cheaper at this point to replace the engine or trade it in on a non-Subaru vehicle.

4 people found this helpful.
43,820

My Jeep is way older than that with twice the miles, hard miles, and it has never let me down once. All I do is regular maintenance and feed it lots of gas. I think Detroit should melt down all those failing Subarus and build more Jeeps. No offense intended, just reporting the truth.

1 people found this helpful.
43,820

F_O_R is correct that an unusually high percentage of the 4.7, V8s experience failed head gaskets. That's the way it goes in all engines that have aluminum heads and cast iron blocks because aluminum expands and contracts three times more than the iron to which it's bolted. And overheating any engine is never a good idea. However my Jeep has the all cast iron six, a proven design that originated in the 1960's Rambler American. The only failed sixes where redesigned and cast in China a few years. That problem explains itself by saying China.

1 people found this helpful.

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