I have a 2001 Subaru Outback 4 cyl with 99,500 miles and it consumes oil, about 4 oz. every 1000 miles. I have read on the internet Subaru’s use oil for lubrication. Soon my 105,000 mile schedule maintenance will arrive to change the timing belt and other belts, and water pump, $800 job. I don’t know if I should get maintenance or look for another vechicle? What is the problem?
Let’s do the math:
4 oz./1000 miles = 1 quart/8000 miles
This level of oil usage is NOT a problem.
Oh, and ALL automotive engines use oil for lubrication.
We have a 2003 Subaru Outback 4 cyl with about the same mileage and just had the timing belt replaced. You’ll want to replace the thermostat and drive belts at the same time (if the drive belts haven’t already been replaced before). Either way, $800 is steep - check around. There was a recent thread posted here about this - search the topics for subaru timing belt.
And the oil use hasn’t happened for us, but doesn’t seem like a big deal to me.
dcamp; ALL cars and other mechanical equipment require maintenance and periodic replacement of components. In fact, if you bought a new car, a standard popular model, and drove it for its normal design life, say 20 years you would spend about the same amount (adjusted for inflation) on maintenance and repairs as the car cost you. That is the way it is designed, and the most economical for the owner. And if you orderd the smallest engine, it would use its own value in gas over that lifetime. That’s also by design.
So, you should budget a certain number of dollars a month, say $150-$200 and put it in a maintenance account. You can check with the AAA or other organization how much to budget for a 7 year old car to get a more precise figure. If you won a new Mercedes S series car, and drove a large number of miles, you would spend more on maintenance the first and second year than with your 7 year old Subaru.
Engineers could greatly reduce maintenance by using exotic metals and extremely durable body materials, like carbon fiber. That would probably double the cost of the car and you would still have to do all lubrication related maintenance and internal engine wear. You would not be a happy client.
So mainteance is a necessary fact of life, and although it has been greatly reduced over the years, we cannot eliminate it.
There is no problem.
All cars use oil for lubrication. All cars also need to have their timing belts and water pumps replaced regularly. It is regular maintenance. Shop around for a better price. You should be able to get this job done for less than $600.
Don’t consider selling your car just because it needs to be cared for. Treat it right and keep it.
Have you tried to develop some skills from doing some things yourself? I have found a lot of joy doing some things myeself.
“I have read on the internet Subaru’s use oil for lubrication”
Can you communicate with the author of that statement that you read on the internet? If so, you might want to ask him what other cars use for lubrication. In case you (or the author of that impressive bit of technical knowledge) was not aware of it, ALL vehicles use oil for lubrication of their engines.
As to the amount of oil that your engine is consuming, I think that a great many people would be envious of you for having an engine that consumes only 1 qt. per 8,000 miles. Most car manufacturers consider the consumption of 1 qt. every 1,500 miles to be within their norm, so you are doing quite well.
Unless you actually want a new car, I would advise you to invest in the maintenance that is required for your present car. And, try consulting web sites that are a bit more knowledgeable than the one that stated that “Subarus use oil for lubrication”.
I assume that the OP meant that his car is required to consume some oil for proper lubrication, which is a more interesting question.
However, for any car that is approaching 100k on the odometer, the consumption of approximately 1 qt. every 8,000 miles would be considered VERY good by most people’s definitions, so I fail to see where there is a problem for the OP.
I agree, his oil consumption is not a problem. I was just trying to understand his original question.