I have a 2003 Forester with less than 60,000 miles. It overheated once recently and then I took it in, early, for the 60,000 mile service. The dealership told me that the left rear headgasket is leaking oil. Once in a while, I smell hot oil. Otherwise, the car now seems to run fine. What should I do, if anything? Thanks.
Leaking HOW MUCH oil? How big a spot does it leave when you park it overnight? You can buy a whole lot of oil for the cost of this repair.
Are you SURE that they said it was a leaking head gasket? It is just as likely–if not more likely–that oil leaking onto an exhaust manifold is from a leaking valve cover gasket. I would suggest that you verify this point, as the cost and the seriousness of these two different gasket problems is drastically different. If I am correct that this is a leaking valve cover gasket, you are in for a pleasant surprise regarding the cost.
Of course, the recent overheating does suggest a bad head gasket, but I would still recommend that you verify which gasket they were referring to.
But, even if it is a head gasket, the low odometer mileage on the car should mean that Subaru corporate will pick up at least half the cost of the repair for you. However, this is dependent on whether the car has been maintained exactly in accordance with the mfr’s maintenance schedule.
It doesn’t leak enough to drip onto the floor at this point. It drips from the back left down onto the steering shaft.