Service schedule after 100k miles?

[tenplay]

My 96 Legacy LS has 112,000 miles on it. Still running very well. Other
than oil changes, the last servicing I had was at 90k. What is an effective
service schedule for after 100k? Regular servicing would be more important
as the car gets older. Thanks for any advice.

 

[Jim Stewart]

My 96 Legacy LS has 112,000 miles on it. Still running very well. Other
than oil changes, the last servicing I had was at 90k. What is an effective
service schedule for after 100k? Regular servicing would be more important
as the car gets older. Thanks for any advice.

It's important to keep an eye on the rubber
parts as the car gets older. Check the CV
joint boots with each oil change. Catching
a torn one early will save you the cost of
a new joint. Check the hoses and belts for
cracking.

My Outback has about 90k on it and here's my
plan:

5k - change oil and filter, Mobil 1, inspect
rubber parts, check fluids including
battery.

10k - Above plus air filter and rotate tires.

40k - Above plus replace brake pads and bleed
brakes.

80k - Above plus replace timing and fan belts,
plugs, water pump, oil seals, timing belt
tensioner and coolant. Regrease aircon
belt idler pulley.

I also replace the battery every 3 years. In
my climate, I would judge that it is in hard
service and you might be able to go longer.

This is not an all-inclusive list. The handbrake
and clutch may need adjustment, the clutch will
eventually wear out, and no doubt other things
will fail. It should be a good starting point
though.

 

[tenplay]

Thanks for your plan. How did you decide on the mileage intervals? I think
a lot of Sub owners do regular oil change/lube with visual checks under the
hood like Jiffy Lube does plus repairs/replacements as needed. I am
thinking of having the 90k servicing done every 30k or so and replacing the
timing belt every 60k as preventative measures. I plan to keep my Sub for a
while.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Thanks for your plan. How did you decide on the mileage intervals?

They just make sense to me. I don't have any
documentation that it's the best plan. I wanted
a schedule where everything happened on 5k
intervals and made sense. I've always changed
syn oil every 5 thousand and replaced the air
filter every other time. The Subaru is unique
in that 10k is about right for tire rotation.

40k is a bit early for changing brake pads, but
I figure that if I change them with plenty of
meat left, there's less chance of warping a
rotor. I think Subaru recommends 30k for
bleeding brakes. I don't think it hurts to go
another 10k and do the pads too.

Subaru recommends 100k for the timing belt. At
80k, mine still looked perfect, so I think 80k
is plenty conservative. As to the other 80k
stuff, it's all apart and you might as well get
your hands really dirty. Probably next time
I'll change the radiator hoses as well if they
last that long.


I think

 

[tenplay]

Are you saying that Subaru recommends changing the timing belt at 100k or to
do it every 100k? My manual said to change it at 60k, so I just guessed
that it should be changed every 60k. That's one part that I don't want
breaking on me on a trip.

 

[Jim Stewart]

Are you saying that Subaru recommends changing the timing belt at 100k or to
do it every 100k? My manual said to change it at 60k, so I just guessed
that it should be changed every 60k. That's one part that I don't want
breaking on me on a trip.

I can't speak for your Subaru, but mine, a '99 California
Outback Legacy with a 2.5 engine calls for inspecting
it every 30 months/30,000 miles and changing it every
90 months/90,000 miles. That's right out of the original
manual I got with the car.

I'm not sure where I got the 100,000 mile number, probably
the repair guy that I talked to about changing it. As
I said, the old belt looked brand new and I'm sure it
could have gone a lot further than 100k miles. On a
mission-critical part like that, it's good to have
money in the bank.

 

[Jim Stewart]

I can't speak for your Subaru, but mine, a '99 California
Outback Legacy with a 2.5 engine calls for inspecting
it every 30 months/30,000 miles and changing it every
90 months/90,000 miles. That's right out of the original
manual I got with the car.

Ok, I missread the manual. It says replace at
105 months/105k miles. Sorry for the compounded
confusion. That's where I got the 100k number,
rounded off.

 

[ed]

By the way, there is little you can see from an inspection of timing belts,
other than if it is cracking. I've changed belts with 160,000 km (100,000 m)
and they still looked good, sometimes the printed info was still visible.
Since these belts fatigue from the constant bending of going around the
pulleys, the only thing is to change them at the specified interval. There
is no need to change them sooner, they are made to last the specified
interval. Only thing with Subaru is that this belt runs the water pump, but
with the back of the belt, so if it seizes, it will squeak and the temp
gauge will quickly go up, so you will notice it before any damage is done.
Other makes like Honda use the toothed side to run the pump, if the pump
seizes, it rips out the teeth, and usually causes instant damage. Last
Subaru T-belt I changed was on a Legacy with 180 km (150 mi), where the pump
had seized, so I wonder if it's not more efficient to change it at the first
belt change rather than wait until the 2nd one, and risk the pump seizing
up. Dealer told me they rarely change Subaru pumps, but from my experience
the small added cost of a new pump at the same time as the T-belt is cheap
insurance, especially when you're on a trip as you approach the next belt
change mileage.

Ed B.

 

[TG]

Measure the width to tell if it is time to replace the belt. This is in at
least some Subaru shop manuals. TG