Do I need to have a 30,000 mile service done on my 2007 Subaru Impreza at a dealership or can a regular gargage do it? It is very expensive and wonder if all of the work is necessary at this time?
Does the Owner's manual tell you the service must be done by a dealer. As I recall, in the US the manufacturer can not require any service to be done by a dealer unless they are paying for the service.Is there an independent shop familiar with Subarus near you? Subarus have some features that are somewhat unique. You might read over the factory recommendations for the 30k service for procedures peculiar to Subarus. The AWD torque splitter comes to mind.
Is there anything unusual about the 30,000 mile service on your Impeza? If not, anyone can do it.
One of the reasons the service is so expensive is that you are authorizing a number of items that may be entirely unnecessary.
Do you really need 4-wheel alignment, for example, if your tires show even wear? And all those inspections – do you really need to pay someone to tell you that your power steering fluid is at its normal level?
The way to save money is to specify only the particular services you want. Then go to either the dealership or an independent garage for the work. Of course, this means that you need to know enough about cars to determine what’s important. And what keeps your warranty in effect. You can ask here for further advice.
I agree with Steve. We have owned three Subarus, and the first two had all their services done by a trusted independent mechanic, using standard after-market fluids and parts . I would give my mechanic a list of the items I needed to have done and explain those items I had already done.
On our 2011, my only concern is the newer ATF required for the CVT auto trans, and more research is needed on my part to determine if I need to specify Subaru only fluid or not.
Everything else is easily done by a quality mechanic. Many of the Inspections Steve referred to I did myself, because they are easy to do.
You don’t have to go to a dealership for your 30,000 maintenance or any other maintenance. And be sure you’re having the recommended maintenance that your service manual lists, not the maintenance recommendations that dealerships send out.
A $30,000 mile maintenance really shouldn’t be very expensive. It usually only involves changing some fluids and filters and checking the belts, hoses, battery and things like that.
Just make sure your independent mechanic is a Subaru specialist, and that he uses Subaru-approved coolant. They have had corrosion issues in the past, that is one place I would (and have) paid the premium to get Subaru’s factory fluid.
Go through your owner’s manual and find out exactly what is recommended. It is more expensive, some of the costs are associated with AWD maintenance. My dealer did our check, and he only had to check the alignement, much cheaper than actually doing a 4 wheel alignment.
I did my own 30K service on my Acura which included cabin filter, air filter, trans fluid change etc. I also followed the service manual precisely using only Honda parts and fluid. I would just want someone who knows what they are doing and use OEM parts and fluids period.