2012 subarau outback

Asked by GuruZSVLD Nov 03, 2017 at 09:29 AM about the 2012 Subaru Outback 2.5i Premium

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

bought car 9-2012 and with ext warranty. At 95,000 they put a brand new transmission in it in June 2017. Car overheated in Aug called and they said to let it cool. The check engine light off so no code per them so they would not have know what caused the overheating. Scheduled the 105,000 maintenance even though it was not due they tried to talk me out of it. Car was going on a long distance trip out of state. Car was serviced in Sept trip was in Oct and it did the same thing overheating. Parked it and it was not used until the return home. Car got stuck in stopped traffic with accident then overheated. Parked it towed it to the dealership and it has been sitting there. I was told that there was no way to know what actually  caused the overheating to begin with. They are not going to cover the cost of the repair. Right now it is at 3200.00 I had a 2000 subaru that I traded in with over 200,000 mi so this is not what I expected. I bought the car from them and have had all the work performed by them. What I have seen on the internet is the engine has problems with overheating. I am a lady who knows nothing about how an engine works ect. I just know its important to do all the maintenance. They will eventually call me and will have to pick up my car but I feel like this overheating issue is a Subaru engine issue from what  I have seen on the internet. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

4 Answers

86,145

Find another independent Subaru specialist....get referrals and talk to your friends... Did the dealership try and talk you out of the early 105,000 miles service???? Also, what did they say caused your car to overheat?? Whatever, they should have been more forthcoming and given you answers....by the way, your car is 5 years old and it's definitely NOT Subaru's problem for overheating...the accident probably damaged the radiator! $3,200 sounds like head gaskets, radiator, thermostat, pretty much everything.. timing belt... not surprised at all.... LOOK, cheaper than buying a new car.....

86,145

At least you have a brand new transmission.....get the rest of the work done...and drive your car another 75,000 miles...then sell it... good luck.

You do not need computer codes to find what caused the over heating. They are feeding you BS. Go to another Subaru dealer or independent shop. The causes are fairly limited - low coolant level, leaks, fans not working, thermostat malfunctioning, dirty radiator etc.

48,090

Grasshopper's spewing fluff again, and FOR is correct...as usual. Check radiator flow and rear heater hoses for blockage...or even mud and leaves blocking front of radiator! Check receipts to see if a new NON-SUBARU t-stat was installed...as they have reduced flow-rate. As a rule 2010-2012 last-gen SOHC 2.5i do NOT have overheating problems, but there's still a small chance that you have a rare internal head gasket breach causing percolation...a prevalent problem on way back in 1996-1999 first-gen DOHC OBs. Get a competent indie or second dealer wrench on this soon.

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