Piston Slap: Garbage In, Garbage Out!

Stefan writes:

Dear Sajeev,

I am the last person who would want to be even peripherally involved in you losing your job or impeding that great Lincoln rebuild. I am a loyal reader of TTAC and “slavishly” read your column.

My Subie is just touching 120,000 miles. It has been a really great, reliable ride and I fortunately have a good dealer and private mechanic for the routine issues that pop up.

I want to keep the car as long as possible. I do oil changes and the roughly 60,000 mile recommended scheduled service on time. The engine sounds good, has good (for a Subie) pick-up, averages 20 to 23 miles per gallon, and still has a tight body. I anticipate the need for new shocks at some point soon and a muffler/cat replacement.

I’ve read horror stories on Subaru engine issues and internet researching has not been definitive. Can you elaborate? I know you’ve done this many times before. What ought my ownership strategy be at this juncture? What might I expect in term of my auto transmission reliability?

I am not fond of the totally boring exchangeability of current grill “styling”, the blunt front ends dictated by European regs, the insane complications in radio usage, ridiculous, distracting computerization of the simplest driving acts with endemically poor quality et al. Thank God I’ve got my 1967 MGB with all it’s British “eccentricities” to keep me in touch with what driving is all about.

Your obvious question is why the Subie is automatic. The simple answer is I buy off lease or used.

Sajeev answers:

Stefan, sorry to throw you under the bus instead of sending you a clarification request via email…

The problem is GIGO, and it’s not just a programming nerd problem. Making blanket generalizations on Subies (or anything else) are effective only to a point. Since you have a well-maintained Subie and are interested in continuing upkeep, know one thing:

You must always provide the year, model and (if applicable) the engine option of your Subaru if you wish to get a relevant answer from your research.

I can Internet Research up and down the litany of problems with Subaru engines (head gaskets, piston slap, etc.), but it’s meaningless as the manufacturer fixes problems as running changes occur and recalls/ TSBs come into play. There’s plenty of info about each motor if you plug in the character code into Google or the big name forums.

Without it? The armchair analyst or helpful concerned citizen cannot assist with any degree of relevancy. Go ahead and fix the exhaust if you have seen the problem (on a lift) for yourself. Get new shocks if the ride has deteriorated. (It has.) Don’t worry about the engine until fuel economy and power drop off significantly, or you hear anything else bad. Ditto the transmission, as 120,000 miles for a fluid servicing is a crap shoot as to the helpful/hurtful nature regarding life expectancy.

My advice is to do whatever your mechanics recommend whenever they put their trained eyes on the problem, as you trust them. And we’ll assume they won’t destroy a great working relationship just to upsell you on your next visit.

Because that could be your last visit, and neither party wants that.

[Image: Shutterstock user Kzenon]

Send your queries to sajeev@thetruthaboutcars.com. Spare no details and ask for a speedy resolution if you’re in a hurry…but be realistic, and use your make/model specific forums instead of TTAC for more timely advice.