I would like to post on a non VW non diesel car I own.

tdihopeful

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Location
California
TDI
03 2dr 5sp Golf
Haven't found a Subaru specific forum that is any good with mechanic afficianado that can answer involved engine and transmission diagnostics type questions. Would like to post here someplace without being lynched...
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
We fix quite a few of those turds here, you can ask me, LOL. Headgaskets, more headgaskets, engines, cracked catalysts, drive axles, more engines, headgaskets on the replacement engines, wheel bearings, more headgaskets, valve bodies, CVTS, even more headgaskets (shoot, I think we ran out), and of course constant schooling on the necessity of this device called a dipstick on engines that burn through more oil than a Kuwaiti well fire.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
We have two porters that in addition to all the other stuff they do, work hard to keep it that way.
 

TurboABA

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jul 24, 2010
Location
Kitchener, ON
TDI
RIP-2010 Jetta 6spd 2014 Touareg Execline
That's the way to go.... I work with office people whos desks\cubicles look worse than my garage\driveway floor during a vehicle repair.... drives me nuts!
 

Windex

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 1, 2006
Location
Cambridge
TDI
05 B5V 01E FRF
OilHammer how are you finding the brz's frz's etc. Same issues? I have a nephew who is jonesing to buy one of them as his first car, I thought theHG issues were fixed on the newer EJ's?
 

kjclow

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Apr 26, 2003
Location
Charlotte, NC
TDI
2010 JSW TDI silver and black. 2017 Ram Ecodiesel dark red with brown and beige interior.
Isn't the brz just a rebadged toyota?
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
The BRZ is a Subaru, built by Subaru. Toyota rebadges a version (originally the Scion FR-S, then after that brand went away, the Toyota 86). Toyota owns Subaru now, or at least a sizeable chunk, as Fuji lost interest in cars. As such, Toyota did help in the BRZ development, and did help provide some bits... mainly the Advics braking system (of which Toyota is part owner), the Aisin transmissions (of which Toyota is part owner), and the Aisin rear differential and axles. They also along with Denso helped provide the GDI system on the engine. But it is an out-of-the-box Subie boxer otherwise.

The chain engines do not have the headgasket problems the belt engines did, but they have oil problems... both in burning and leaking. Seems no matter what, Subies' engines are always trying to shove the oil out of the engine in some way shape or form.

I personally think the BRZ is a neat car, but WAY too expensive for the underpowered tin can that it is. And it is not very practical. Sort of like a Miata in that regard. Good at one thing, but sucks bad at everything else because of it.

I have no fan flag to wave here, but the 2021 Mustang is about $800 cheaper than the 2021 BRZ (base price to base price), and is bigger, heavier, and faster, and actually *feels* like you are inside of a car instead of inside of a cardboard box.
 
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[486]

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Mar 1, 2014
Location
MN
TDI
02 golf ALH
those oil leaks on the chain motors are no joke, seems like its quicker to replace the heads on a belt motor than to reseal the front cover mess on a chain motor

ETA: and the catalyst is right under the timing cover so of course any leaks will smoke like hell instead of just leaving a stain on the ground
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
We service a whole fleet of Foresters (the white one in my pic above), and that's usually when the fleet decides to ditch them... when the oil leaks get to fire hazard level. That still means a whole long list of broken things. The drive axles are the ones that get me. These things are: AWD (so you'd think the torque would be such that the fronts wouldn't be taking ALL the load ALL the time), cursed with a CVT (so they have a very "cushioned" application of torque to begin with), are completely gutless to drive (the non-turbo port-injected 2.5L is a complete dog), and never, ever, split a single CV boot. Yet we CONSTANTLY deal with drive axles on these things that are not just clicking, but they sound like you are feeding ball bearings into a garbage disposal. No idea what pot-metal garbage Subaru uses for their drive axles, but they are even worse than Chaxles.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
It amazes me that the VW Vanagon guys install Subie engines in their Vans, especially without re-gearing the transmission. The popular engines they use (2.2 & 2.5) are the very ones with head gasket issues!
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
And they are worn out after pushing a Japanese tin can down the road for 100k miles.... they REALLY get worked over pushing a loaded German brick down the highway, LMAO. At least they are cheap and plentiful, though. Plus, the waterboxer parts have pretty much dried up lately.
 

AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
My uncle opened a repair shop in 1973 specializing in VWs. There was a 4-year college nearby which provided him with lots of Beetles to keep going well into the mid-to-late 1980s. The VW Diesel Rabbits as well as the gassers kept him busy too. Anyway, somewhere in there the word got out that he could/would do the Subie head gaskets. So, he basically finished off his career doing Subie head work.
 

nicklockard

Torque Dorque
Joined
Aug 15, 2004
Location
Arizona
TDI
SOLD 2010 Touareg Tdi w/factory Tow PCKG
Haven't found a Subaru specific forum that is any good with mechanic afficianado that can answer involved engine and transmission diagnostics type questions. Would like to post here someplace without being lynched...

Ahem.

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AndyBees

Top Post Dawg
Joined
May 27, 2003
Location
Southeast Kentucky
TDI
Silver 2003 Jetta TDI, Silver 2000 Jetta TDI (sold), '84 Vanagon with '02 ALH engine
The original poster (Tdihopeful), when you come back, post your questions ........
 

tdihopeful

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Location
California
TDI
03 2dr 5sp Golf
LOL-Kuwaiti well fire.

We fix quite a few of those turds here, you can ask me, LOL. Headgaskets, more headgaskets, engines, cracked catalysts, drive axles, more engines, headgaskets on the replacement engines, wheel bearings, more headgaskets, valve bodies, CVTS, even more headgaskets (shoot, I think we ran out), and of course constant schooling on the necessity of this device called a dipstick on engines that burn through more oil than a Kuwaiti well fire.
 

2004LB7

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 2, 2013
Location
California
TDI
2006 Jetta
Is that not one, not two, but three, hydraulic lifts? I'm going to ignore what looks like a 4th because I think I already hate you at 3.
I count 4 lifts also. with the cleanliness and knowledge he has I wouldn't hesitate to bring my vehicles there if I was remotely close to being near him
 

tdihopeful

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 23, 2008
Location
California
TDI
03 2dr 5sp Golf
My Transmission had bound up twice and I had towed twice. After each tow it seemed magically able to drive again. I've kept using it and got used to the feeling of it starting to get draggy or friction building in the trans and pull off the road real quick or out of the fast food drive through as it were,

several times...

I'd let the trans cool and then bam it was fine for a while. I thought and thought and figured that I had fixed synchronizing issues by jamming the shifter maybe if I coast down the steep dirt hill from my driveway and downshift into second doing like 30 that I could get away with not adjusting the gear lash the hard way. Haven't had the trans try to bind up since.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
We have a total of 10 2-post lifts (one is the heavy duty job that is holding the red Forester), and two big drive-on lifts (one is an alignment setup with a Hunter machine).

Here is my "corner" with my own spots:



Although sometimes I have the whole side :D :



Alignment rack:



Fun shot from above:



That's a 2001 Audi Allroad getting a new pair of upgraded turbochargers and some other engine resealing done.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
And this one is not only very nice still, but is stupid fast. It has a Wett reflash, the upgraded Garret turbos, and a new performance exhaust. Amazing how quick two tons of German AWD tank can get up to speed.
 
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