forester "03 XS 15K mile service

[Mike]

I just came back from my dealer service to have an oil change and tire
rotation done. The salesman was trying to hard sell me on a 15,000 mile
service which included transmission oil change, rear diff change, air filter
some break check and adjustment, oil change and tire rotation for $325.00
plus tax. I said that the I don't beleive the owners manual recomending
all these item at 15K miles.
Does anyone know if the dealer was just trying to rip me off or if this
should of been done. What is a typical service for a 2003 forester XS at
15K miles?

 

[Jim Stewart]

I just came back from my dealer service to have an oil change and tire
rotation done. The salesman was trying to hard sell me on a 15,000 mile
service which included transmission oil change, rear diff change, air filter
some break check and adjustment, oil change and tire rotation for $325.00
plus tax. I said that the I don't beleive the owners manual recomending
all these item at 15K miles.
Does anyone know if the dealer was just trying to rip me off or if this
should of been done. What is a typical service for a 2003 forester XS at
15K miles?

What I would do:

1. Oil change
2. Oil and air filter change
3. Check fluids
4. Check CV boots
5. Rotate tires

Shouldn't cost more than $100
for a shop to do it, or about
$35 to do it yourself with premium
sythetic oil and factory filters.

 

[lmnop]

My wife's `04 Bean recommends a COMPLETE brake fluid exchange at 15K. That's
nuts, I would take that past 100K before I would be concerned.
I think it is their way of weaseling out of warranty repair.

 

[Edward Hayes]

Your owners manual is your friend. What does it say you must/should
do? That book should go with you to the dealer with the mileage
circled with what you want done. My 2000 Forester recommended an
oil/filter change, tire rotation and all fluid levels be checked. ed

 

[lmnop]

Your owners manual is your friend. What does it say you must/should do?
That book should go with you to the dealer with the mileage circled with
what you want done. My 2000 Forester recommended an oil/filter change,
tire rotation and all fluid levels be checked. ed

 

[lmnop]

Owners manual my friend?
Are you kidding?
With the intervals suggested in the manual I obtained with my wife's 04
Bean, I come to the following conclusions:
1. You are 'ADVISED' to get to the dealer, as they want you to think it is
necessary, and have very expensive and absolutely unnecessary maintenance
done to your vehicle. The result is the support of the Subaru dealerships
that Subaru as a company does nothing more than advertise, in return for
that dealers purchase of these vehicles.
2. The maintenance that 'IS' necessary, that they suggest intervals for that
are way far and few between, result in your uneducated maintenance decisions
that subconsciously result in your disillusioned brand loyalty. Very end
result, you by posting the above are employed by Subaru in some way and
directly benefit from these sales, or you are a pawn in this silly but very
big game called the 'auto industry'.
I pay CASH for my cars, I do ALL the maintenance instructed in the owners
manual in my own driveway, AND I DO NOT VOID ANY WARRENTY BY DOING SO.

 

[Kurt C. Hack]

I think the point was that the maintenance intervals prescribed in the
owner's manual are the ones that need to be completed.

Here is what I do:
7.5k Oil & Filter Change
15k Oil & Filter Change, check boots and fluids
22.5k Oil & Filter Change
30k Oil & Filter Change, check boots and fluids, change spark plugs,
change fuel filter, and change air filter.

I use Mobil 1 Oil and Subaru parts for everything else. If you shop
around for the parts, you can actually get Subaru parts cheaper than
after market items. The most intensive (30k) service only took me about
1-2 hours to complete. My OBW has been, BY FAR, the easiest car to work
on that I have owned.

-Kurt

 

[CompUser]

I just came back from my dealer service to have an oil change and tire
rotation done. The salesman was trying to hard sell me on a 15,000 mile
service which included transmission oil change, rear diff change, air filter
some break check and adjustment, oil change and tire rotation for $325.00
plus tax. I said that the I don't beleive the owners manual recomending
all these item at 15K miles.
Does anyone know if the dealer was just trying to rip me off or if this
should of been done. What is a typical service for a 2003 forester XS at
15K miles?

There's the factory maintenance schedule,
required to keep your warranty in force, and then
there's the "dealer recommended" maintenance
schedule of things the dealer feels you need to
have done ;-)....I made up a memo listing *only*
the factory required 15K services, and gave it to
them...the ticket went down from ~$350 to
~$110...but they still managed to tack on a
charge for $3.50, for "windshield washer fluid
top-off" (which *I* had topped off the nite
before, from an 89 cent gallon jug)...gotta watch
em!

 

[Frank Logullo]

I just came back from my dealer service to have an oil change and tire
rotation done. The salesman was trying to hard sell me on a 15,000 mile
service which included transmission oil change, rear diff change, air filter
some break check and adjustment, oil change and tire rotation for $325.00
plus tax. I said that the I don't beleive the owners manual recomending
all these item at 15K miles.
Does anyone know if the dealer was just trying to rip me off or if this
should of been done. What is a typical service for a 2003 forester XS at
15K miles?

I got a little concerned as I note the maintenance schedule is not in the
owner's manual for my '03 but in a separate sheet with the dealer's name on
it. Only difference I see from my '98, where I believe the schedule was in
the manual, that brake fluid change has gone from 30k mi to 15. My 7,500 mi
service only cost about $30 as my dealer issues coupons frequently. If
dealer tries to stick you, get service elsewhere and keep records for your
warranty.
Frank

 

[Edward Hayes]

The maintained schedule is not in the owners manual but, in the
warranty and service booklet. ed