As someone who really wants a WRX eventually and plans to keep it humbly stock as a daily, this bums me out. Hope you're able to find some kind of recourse though!
Don’t get discouraged; most of the posts like these omit important information. Most commonly they claim the car is stock and babied, but leave out the part where they bought it used and don’t really know if it had been tuned or hooned on.
This. There is a large portion of people who mod the wrx/sti and before they sell it they return to stock. There are usually some tells like pod marks on the dash/pillar, incorrect screws on the intercooler or airbox. I believe the dealer can tell if the ECU has been changed and altered back, but no used car place is going to check for you. It's near impossible to buy a wrx stock especially if you are coming in as the 3rd or 4th owner in it's lifetime.
Don’t be discouraged. It’s a great car, just be sure to buy new or certified pre-owned. Mine was certified pre-owned. I didn’t realize it came with a 4 year 100k mile powertrain warranty, so this has turned into a headache more than an absolute loss.
The base tune doesn't typically do any good for the car even stock if you could read dam and fkl you'd be scared even if you keep if stock id recommend a tune and quite a few other people say the same
Mine did the same at 114k, hope you have a savings account with some money in it or something you can liquidate. There’s no cheap fix for it, but once it’s fixed you’re good to go for a while. If you can do the work yourself you’ll save a few grand.
You’re going to have people in this sub that will insist it’s your fault and you shouldn’t have beat on it and lugged it and all the other things you actually didn’t do wrong, so be ready for that.
Thanks man. I really appreciate your comment.
I’m just so confused how there was zero indication anything was even wrong enough for this to have happened. No check engine. No oil light. Nothing.
Was fine the for 2/3 the trip and then just boom.
Today is going to be a lot of calls
Mine was exactly the same when it failed. No knocking, no warning. I had just turned a corner and was *gently* accelerating down a big hill, was probably at ~2500 rpm when it let go.
For such a big failure, it was kind of a letdown - I was hoping something like that would be more dramatic than a light thump and the dash lighting up.
Going up a hill 30 mph in 3rd.. idk how steep that hilll was but these cars do not like being lugged. I always downshift in hills, better to keep it revved high.
Appreciate the tip. I think since it’s under warranty I’m just gonna let the Cleveland dealership fix it and make the drive up for a no cost loaner until it’s done. Super helpful for the future though!
Mine rod knocked at 76,000.
It was maintained very carefully. Now with 40,000 on the new short block my cat converter needs replacing. I'm in California so it's $2000 for just the part.
Clutch is getting noisey... not sure if it's worth keeping.
This will be my last Subaru.
I've had 6 of them and they've gotten progressively less dependable.
Update post:
Opened talked to the dealership it was dropped off at and they told me very good news. I bought this car certified pre owned at 36k miles as the second owner I had an extended powertrain warranty 4 years 100k miles. The service tech advised me to open a case with SOA and with it be FOR REAL being 100% stock (to those who replied that information is being omitted), it’s likely covered.
The only road block I’m running into is that my local dealership I bought it at can’t give me a no cost loaner because they don’t have the car there. They can do one for 50 a day, but can’t say whether SOA with reimburse the cost that way so I might have to drive from cincy to Cleveland to grab a no cost loaner from them and then just let them do the warranty work. Waiting to hear back from my case manager before I make a decision.
Overall so far everyone has been really helpful and prompt and I’ve learned there is absolutely a benefit to certified pre-owned. Hopefully the rest of the process goes smoothly.
why would you need to open a case with SOA??? Shouldn't the dealer simply start doing the repair under warranty? That seems like the dealer is saying from their perspective they aren't willing to just warranty it and want you to convince SOA to honor the warranty.
I was told to open a case because of where it was towed, how much that cost for possible reimbursement, and because of it being at a shop in Cleveland and me living in Cincinnati, not being able to get no-cost rental, edit; or possibly find a solution to get it towed down locally so it can all just go smoothly
Ah ok. I called SOA this morning to file a case for reimbursement, last wednesday i had a sudden CEL and missing a cylinder. I'm still under powertrain. Dealer fixed it in a couple hour Friday. Turns our the oil pack on one of the cyls was half out, no retaining bolt to be found, they claim they couldn't just cover it but suggested I call SOA and was likely to get a check to cover it.
Right on. Glad to hear they got you sorted out. So far both dealerships and SOA have been great. I’m just waiting to hear from my case manager at this point, but as you were probably told as well, could take up to a couple days.
I’m sorry for your loss 🫡
As someone who really wants a WRX eventually and plans to keep it humbly stock as a daily, this bums me out. Hope you're able to find some kind of recourse though!
Don’t get discouraged; most of the posts like these omit important information. Most commonly they claim the car is stock and babied, but leave out the part where they bought it used and don’t really know if it had been tuned or hooned on.
This. There is a large portion of people who mod the wrx/sti and before they sell it they return to stock. There are usually some tells like pod marks on the dash/pillar, incorrect screws on the intercooler or airbox. I believe the dealer can tell if the ECU has been changed and altered back, but no used car place is going to check for you. It's near impossible to buy a wrx stock especially if you are coming in as the 3rd or 4th owner in it's lifetime.
you mean like the part where he didn't own this vehicle the first 36,000 miles.
Don’t be discouraged. It’s a great car, just be sure to buy new or certified pre-owned. Mine was certified pre-owned. I didn’t realize it came with a 4 year 100k mile powertrain warranty, so this has turned into a headache more than an absolute loss.
The base tune doesn't typically do any good for the car even stock if you could read dam and fkl you'd be scared even if you keep if stock id recommend a tune and quite a few other people say the same
Mine did the same at 114k, hope you have a savings account with some money in it or something you can liquidate. There’s no cheap fix for it, but once it’s fixed you’re good to go for a while. If you can do the work yourself you’ll save a few grand. You’re going to have people in this sub that will insist it’s your fault and you shouldn’t have beat on it and lugged it and all the other things you actually didn’t do wrong, so be ready for that.
Thanks man. I really appreciate your comment. I’m just so confused how there was zero indication anything was even wrong enough for this to have happened. No check engine. No oil light. Nothing. Was fine the for 2/3 the trip and then just boom. Today is going to be a lot of calls
Mine was exactly the same when it failed. No knocking, no warning. I had just turned a corner and was *gently* accelerating down a big hill, was probably at ~2500 rpm when it let go. For such a big failure, it was kind of a letdown - I was hoping something like that would be more dramatic than a light thump and the dash lighting up.
Going up a hill 30 mph in 3rd.. idk how steep that hilll was but these cars do not like being lugged. I always downshift in hills, better to keep it revved high.
If your in cincy take it to turn in concepts and they’ll get you right, some of the best guys in the industry especially for subies
Appreciate the tip. I think since it’s under warranty I’m just gonna let the Cleveland dealership fix it and make the drive up for a no cost loaner until it’s done. Super helpful for the future though!
Smart call if you have the warranty!!
Mine rod knocked at 76,000. It was maintained very carefully. Now with 40,000 on the new short block my cat converter needs replacing. I'm in California so it's $2000 for just the part. Clutch is getting noisey... not sure if it's worth keeping. This will be my last Subaru. I've had 6 of them and they've gotten progressively less dependable.
Update post: Opened talked to the dealership it was dropped off at and they told me very good news. I bought this car certified pre owned at 36k miles as the second owner I had an extended powertrain warranty 4 years 100k miles. The service tech advised me to open a case with SOA and with it be FOR REAL being 100% stock (to those who replied that information is being omitted), it’s likely covered. The only road block I’m running into is that my local dealership I bought it at can’t give me a no cost loaner because they don’t have the car there. They can do one for 50 a day, but can’t say whether SOA with reimburse the cost that way so I might have to drive from cincy to Cleveland to grab a no cost loaner from them and then just let them do the warranty work. Waiting to hear back from my case manager before I make a decision. Overall so far everyone has been really helpful and prompt and I’ve learned there is absolutely a benefit to certified pre-owned. Hopefully the rest of the process goes smoothly.
why would you need to open a case with SOA??? Shouldn't the dealer simply start doing the repair under warranty? That seems like the dealer is saying from their perspective they aren't willing to just warranty it and want you to convince SOA to honor the warranty.
I was told to open a case because of where it was towed, how much that cost for possible reimbursement, and because of it being at a shop in Cleveland and me living in Cincinnati, not being able to get no-cost rental, edit; or possibly find a solution to get it towed down locally so it can all just go smoothly
Ah ok. I called SOA this morning to file a case for reimbursement, last wednesday i had a sudden CEL and missing a cylinder. I'm still under powertrain. Dealer fixed it in a couple hour Friday. Turns our the oil pack on one of the cyls was half out, no retaining bolt to be found, they claim they couldn't just cover it but suggested I call SOA and was likely to get a check to cover it.
Right on. Glad to hear they got you sorted out. So far both dealerships and SOA have been great. I’m just waiting to hear from my case manager at this point, but as you were probably told as well, could take up to a couple days.