2011 Forester Premium 38,400 ml power steering fluid hoses leak liquid and more...

65

Asked by olepolar Jan 09, 2014 at 02:32 AM about the 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5 X Premium

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Got my first Forester in September 2013 with 35,000 on it Certified at a Dealership. Oil
change tag was calling for my first oil change at 35,244. When I went to the oil change
place, I have been told that whoever changed the oil prior to that has tighten a bolt so
tight that now they are afraid if breaks it may require the oil pan to be replaced. I went
to my dealership mechanics and they confirmed it. To add to this problem I discovered
a leakage  under the hood and it came to my knowledge after the inspection that my
power steering fluid is leaking. I was told that the hose needs a replacement. Each
repair around $350 x 2= $700. Now I was stupid not to get an extended warranty at the
time of my purchase with Subaru at $1500. When I asked the manager if their certified
car should be having a problem at this point with 38,400 ml on it at this  point, I was
told the following: "It is like  going to a general doctor. He confirms that you are healthy
and 2 days later you catch a flue. We can offer you to share the cost and you pay only
$350 to repair the hose and the oil pan."  My question here is: Have I been fooled?
Should I go ahead and pay $350 from my pocket at the dealership and have these 2
problems fixed or try to find a repair elsewhere? I doubt anyone will offer me the original
parts at this price and what if the oil pan 100% will have to be replaced? But my major
concern is the honesty of the dealership. Could they have known about these
problems, sins they certify the car and need to inspect it for the leakage at least? The
car has no extended warranty and I feel like I have no power to win any arguments
about them selling  me a malfunctioned vehicle deliberately knowing of it's problems.  
Of course they tried to sell me a new car right away. They offered me a "better"
financing rate, found a car "below listed value" brand new and tried to up sell the
extended insurance for my current car. Honestly, I am lost:( What would be a sensible
thing to do? I like this  2011 Forester and frankly speaking, I do not find it better than a
new 2014 Premium sister (it has  just more bells and whistles but not that much)
Option 1: Get it fixed with this dealership and take their offer to pay $350. Get
extended insurance  about $2000 (unfortunately can;t go with Gold by Subaru
insurance anymore because I am at  38,400 ml and keep on observing how this one
will be behaving.
Option 2: get a brand new and Gold insurance for 100,000 ml for about $2000 as well.
Option 3 Try to push them to admit their fault by having an independent mechanics
inspecting the car and providing me with inspection analysis paper. Get Subaru
dealership to pay for these repairs. Never get a Subaru again at least not from this
shop.

6 Answers

10,535

Honestly, witout inspecting it myself I couldn't say on the power steering leak, seems kinda unlikely that that'd just show up. The bolt in the pan issue makes me wonder which bolt they mean, if it's one that holds the pan on the engine they shouldn't have any need to mess with it, if it is the "bolt" plug for the pan then there really shouldn't be an issue, removing those wont hurt the pan and the plugs are $5 to replace if the plug is dammaged.

1 people found this helpful.
65

Thank you so much for your answer, Nick! The bolt on the pan, is the one on the plug, yes. Should I just take it to some pro mechanic elsewhere? The power steering hose is leaking, not the pump. Wonder if 2011 car should be having this issue so early. Again, I value your opinion Nick greatly! Thank you , man.

10,535

Glad to help you. I agree, take it somewhere and else and have the plug removed. As far as the power steering hose, it probably shouldn't be leaking this early, especially not from the hose.

1 people found this helpful.
Best Answer Mark helpful
65

The can't remove the plug because it is stacked! This is someone else's negligence in my opinion and they are trying make me pay for it. The dealership mechanic rep is trying to help me all she can at the moment but I won;t get the answer until Monday. Whoever changed the oil before me should be liable for this damage, not me. That is another point. I want to see how they will handle this now, Subaru of Gwinnett in GA.

10,535

Ah, I see. Check with another shop and see what they have to say about it, your best price in this case sounds like it will probably be the dealership though. Make sure to bring up the oil leak too.

1 people found this helpful.
65

Glad to say that the maintenance department of Subaru of Gwinnett in GA agreed to pay for my repairs splitting the cost with the sales department. I am glad to hear that and will report after the actual repairs. So far they have been very helpful. Special thanks to Jill from the maintenance customer service department for that! I am enjoying my ride every day, and extending my warranty now with Subaru official.

Your Answer:

Forester

Looking for a Used Forester in your area?

CarGurus has 1,354 nationwide Forester listings starting at $3,995.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Chris W
    Reputation
    11,400
  • #2
    TheSubaruGuruBoston
    Reputation
    9,770
  • #3
    Nick Eidemiller
    Reputation
    6,220
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Subaru Outback
44 Great Deals out of 1,125 listings starting at $2,995
Used Toyota RAV4
117 Great Deals out of 3,078 listings starting at $3,900
Used Honda CR-V
193 Great Deals out of 5,012 listings starting at $440
Used Subaru Impreza
26 Great Deals out of 664 listings starting at $4,299
Used Toyota Highlander
36 Great Deals out of 790 listings starting at $7,995
Used Toyota 4Runner
25 Great Deals out of 528 listings starting at $7,990
Used Subaru Legacy
13 Great Deals out of 209 listings starting at $3,000
Used Toyota Tacoma
31 Great Deals out of 724 listings starting at $9,975
Used Toyota Camry
48 Great Deals out of 1,161 listings starting at $4,594
Used Ford Escape
140 Great Deals out of 4,011 listings starting at $3,999
Used Nissan Rogue
123 Great Deals out of 4,804 listings starting at $2,995

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.