What do I look for in terms of wear when changing my oil and rotating tires?
That’s what I do. Every 5k miles.
“What do I look for in terms of wear when changing my oil and rotating tires?”
Wear is not something you check with oil changes; you do it periodically per the manual. Remember to change the filter each time.
Re tires, below is one of many sites that may help:
http://www.procarcare.com/includes/content/resourcecenter/encyclopedia/ch25/25readtirewear.html
No do NOT change the PLUG itself… I think you meant to say that they change the Oil Drain PLugs Gasket… which is usually made of Copper or can sometimes be Nylon. Either way… I dont change that gasket unless I see evidence of leaking… They seem to be able to withstand at least 2 oil changes without issue… My plug in my 1.8T VW hasnt has a new plug gasket the entire time I’ve owned it… At LEAST 10 Oil changes… Same Plug…Same Gasket on the plug…to this day… so use this info as you wish.
Not sure if Subaru is still using a Sheet metal oil pan…or did they switch to Aluminum… On the Steel Pans they tend to suffer more issues… Like Rusting thru (believe it or not) or the drain plug Stripping out the flimsy piece of sheet steel that is welded on the inside of the pan to allow some threads for the plug to bite into… Those setups always strip out when Hamfisted mechanics overtighten them.
Replace the Plug Gasket as needed really… not hard to figure out when that time arrives.
Blackbird
Okay, the work was completed this morning.
He replaced the following:
• Timing belt (kit w/ components)
• Water pump (w/ gasket)
• A/C belt
• Alternator belt
• Crankshaft seal
• Camshaft seal
• Replaced coolant
When all was said and done, he charged $200 (He actually had to dig a bit further to replace the seals, so the increase in labor wasn’t a surprise.) and approximately $17 to replace the coolant. When all is said and done, it cost approximately $450 to replace everything, as opposed to Subaru charging $950 to replace the timing belt kit and water pump only.
500 saved I would think sending the mechanic a gift card to RED LOBSTER would be the thing to do.
@db4690 he left well enough alone and replaced those mentioned extra parts at 185k when the motor had a common ailment with 2.5L turbo(Forester XT/Legacy GT/Outback XT) of a burned valve($3k). He did say everything was in excellent shape including OEM turbo (4k dino changer since new).
I am now on oil change only plan now and fix what breaks.