r/subaru Mar 15 '26

Mechanical Help Please post year, model, trim level, and DTC scan results when asking for help. Thanks.

32 Upvotes

IF YOU ARE POSTING FOR MECHANICAL HELP:

Please include year/model/engine/transmission information in "Mechanical Help" posts.

If you are looking for help with warning lights on your dashboard, please include results of an error code scan. Without error codes as a starting point, no one will be able to provide meaningful help for you.

The r/subaru community is very willing to help, but there's a baseline amount of context about your car that we need you to provide. Without the very basics like what kind of car you have and what symptoms you're experiencing, no one can give you any sort of accurate assistance.

If you are posting about warning lights, most auto parts stores (NAPA, O'Reillys, AutoZone, etc.) offer code scanning for free. While reading codes is not the same thing as diagnosing a problem, knowing what error codes you have is the minimum amount of information necessary to start figuring out what's wrong with your car.

Thank you :)


r/subaru 19d ago

Announcement July 2026 Events

4 Upvotes

Here's cool Subaru things happening for the month of July:

Motorsports:

Super Taikyu

  • Round 4: Sportsland SUGO - July 4-5 - Murata, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan - ST-Q class cars are not participating for some reason?

  • Round 5: Autopolis - July 25-26 - Kamitsue, Ōita Prefecture, Japan

    • Watch team Subaru Development Engineering continue development on what is rumored to become the next WRX. The "SUBARU HiPerfX2" car competes in the ST-Q class, a sort of "manufacturer prototype" class. By specification, the car would normally fall into ST-2, for 2.4L AWD, so look for lap times to be among the ST-2 field.
    • Round 1 saw the car make what would be good pace for its class, however due to a rear axle failure, the car spent a long time in the garage. The car finished round 1, though in last place among finishing cars, 10 laps down from the car in front of it.
    • Round 2 saw the car again have good competitive times for ST-2 but again suffered a mechanical failure; after a spin the car had a transmission cooler line blow. This marks the second event where the car seems to have good pace but loses a number of laps due to repairs. Additionally, the team found some handling improvement switching to what they call "production drivetrain tune" over what they started with ("race drivetrain tune") in the post-race reports, which is curious.
    • Round 3 was a 24 hour endurance race, in which the Subaru performed extremely well, showing fantastic reliability throughout the race and setting faster-than-expected lap times throughout.
  • Live coverage should be available on the Super Taikyu Youtube page.

American Rally Association

July is a busy month!

  • Round 5: Rally Colorado - July 18-19 - Rangelee, CO, USA - National Competition

  • Susquehannock Trail Performance Rally - July 9-11 - Wellsboro, PA, USA - "Super National" competition

  • Missouri Ozark Rally - July 11 - Steelville, MO, USA - Regional Competition

  • Travis sat out round 4 for whatever reason, so they have dropped to 4th in the championship standings. His absence coupled with a stellar round 4 performance from Lia Block has put her up into first. Colorado should therefore be the first chance we get to see both drivers (and cars) at full force this season.

All-Japan Rally

SuperGT

SuperGT has no events in July, but will return August 1st from Fuji Speedway.

  • Coverage of SuperGT is a bit messy, but in the US you can watch the official broadcast via Racer+ subscription, or Subaru puts out their own coverage on their On-Tube page

Car Shows/Events/Get-Togethers:

Upcoming events:

If you know of something coming up, post it in the comments please

Auto Shows

  • Nothing interesting announced, if you know of something coming up, post it in the comments please

Upcoming events:


Something I missed? Something coming up next month? Please post below!


r/subaru 5h ago

Car Mods How to make your A/C colder for cheap!

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168 Upvotes

GUYS I DID IT!!! This is how to make your Subaru air conditioning stay just as cold as it gets hotter this summer:

Go to your local Home Depot, grab some pipe insulation and aluminum tape. Slide the insulation around your LOW pressure A/C line, and wrap it with aluminum tape.

How it works:

Subarus are notorious for not having great A/C, and that’s mostly due to the low pressure line (cold line) running over the exhaust. The line is bare metal, which heat soaks from the engine. Directly above the exhaust. By isolating that line from that heat, it can keep much much colder! And not be prone to heat soaks nearly as much!


r/subaru 2h ago

Subaru Generic Lol boobs.

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90 Upvotes

'21 Forester just hit boobs. That is all.


r/subaru 9h ago

You can't park there!

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214 Upvotes

Which one of you in Rhode Island is this?


r/subaru 4h ago

Legit 22B?

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75 Upvotes

Hi all. Spotted this legend at one of my customer's today. Is this a real 1998 22B? To me the rims look off, but I'm no expert. I would have loved to ask the owner, but the pilot I originally suspected as that person walked right by it and got in a Hyundai Elantra.

***edit I notice this is left hand drive. Thinking it's not real.


r/subaru 5h ago

Update on my high mileage Impreza GT Turbo (WRX)

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74 Upvotes

Last year I purchased a high mileage 96 GT Turbo. It had about 362 000 km on the clock and 25 previous owners, so I am proud owner number 26. First picture is the moment after purchase. I drove it 1000km home without any issues, although the car had many issues. Brakes were terrible, lots of weird noises, wheels rubbing up the rear arches, almost no travel in suspension in the front so it was a rough ride. After a week the blow off valve flew out and knocked off inner axle boot and its contents greased up the exhaust. Blow off valve was just shoved in the hose and not clamped in. So that was the first fix. I changed engine oil, filter, air filter and coolant next.

I drove it for 3 months, barely used any oil. I checked coolant 2 times in the month after changing it and it was good, didn't check it later. One day the coolant temp went up and I pulled over asap. I let it cool down, checked the coolant and it was low. No visible leaks, nothing on ground. First thought was headgaskets. Took it to a mechanic and they told me it was leaking from the water pump. So new water pump and timing belt. When I picked it up again, I couldn't even get home before the temp went up and when I took it back the second time they told me it was headgaskets, both of them. They changed the headgaskets, heads were in good condition and was put back in after machine shop. They told engine was in good condition and after I got it back engine's been great.

The car is originally pre face lift, so I also put in pre face lift grill and headlights, hood isn't easy to get cheap so haven't gotten around to it. The brakes were terrible and front springs were too, one of them were snapped. All wheel studs were cut to fit spacers. With good help from one of my friends I got to fix it by myself. Front brakes were STI Brembos and I wanted to fit 15" rims so they had to go anyway. Rear were stock brakes, very rusty and easier to just replace. Got a new set of stock brakes all around, painted them, new discs and pads. Braking is a joy compared to before. New springs in front made the car much more comfortable as well and I got more ground clearance, no wheels are rubbing anywhere.

It has clearly been through a lot and it shows. Headgaskets, water pump and timing belt kit has been costly, but the engine runs great. I was expecting it to be worse when I bought it. Really enjoying this car and now it's it for up a classic car event. As it is 30 years old now, it's a classic. The event is a long roadtrip with a big group of classic cars. Never done anything like it before and it will be fun with this car. Hopefully it won't let me down.

The plan when I bought it was to build and register it as a rally car. It is still my goal and I hope I can make it happen!


r/subaru 7h ago

Subaru Generic Saw this fun badge today

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43 Upvotes

I love seeing special/fun badges on cars :)


r/subaru 12h ago

Thoughts on My 2020 WRX Club Spec Build?

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62 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
This is my current setup.
2020 WRX Club Spec (089/150)

Performance
COBB Accessport V3
Process West CAI
GrimmSpeed Charge Pipe
Upgraded TMIC
Invidia Catted J-Pipe
AWE Turbo-Back Exhaust
GFB Respons TMS
Radium Dual Catch Can / AOS
Drivetrain
STI Group N Pitch Stop Mount
Whiteline Transmission Mount Inserts
Whiteline Positive Shift Kit
Perrin Shifter Stop
COBB Weighted Shift Knob
Handling
BC Racing Coilovers
Whiteline Strut Brace
Exterior
Aero kit
Carbon mirror caps
Carbon ducktail
Rear roof visor
Window visors
Red front and rear tow hooks
LED rear fog

Currently making 189.2kW at the wheels on 98RON.

Planned next mods:
GrimmSpeed Turbo Inlet
GrimmSpeed 3-Port EBCS
Retune

What do you guys think?


r/subaru 9h ago

Are you here?

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29 Upvotes

I had to come back around in the rain to take a photo. I am guessing it has to be your work place. 🚙
In Connecticut


r/subaru 10h ago

Subaru Summer

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24 Upvotes

Sedan Swag


r/subaru 7h ago

Q&A Insurance quotes on the same subaru outback varied way more than I expected

10 Upvotes

Just moved to a snowier area and picked up a 2022 Onyx XT. When I shopped coverage, the quotes I pulled for identical limits were hundreds of dollars apart per 6 months. Same car, same driver, same address. I knew i am supposed to compare but i didnt expect the spread to be that wide on a car with some of the best safety ratings in its class.

What are you paying ballpark and was the spread that big when you shopped too. Starting to think the car matters less than whichever zip code formula each company runs.


r/subaru 2h ago

Considering buying a 2016 Crosstrek Premium with 73,000 miles. What should I do?

4 Upvotes

Owning my 2021 Jetta has been an absolute nightmare over the past year or so and it’s just time to part ways with it. It’s been in and out of the shop, and 6 repairs later I’m just at the point now where I want a non problematic, stress free vehicle.

I’ve been shopping around and after plenty of research, I’m leaning more towards a Crosstrek. I stumbled upon a 2016 Crosstrek 2.0i premium with only 73,000 miles. It is listed at $16,480, seemingly has had regular maintenance done, and is also in the desert khaki exterior color that I want.

Am I going to regret financing this? Am I overthinking it? I’m also looking at a 2015 XV Premium with 120,000 miles for only $9,450.

Last, what should I expect before 100,000 miles maintenance wise and possible problems I may experience with it?

This would be my first Subaru, so any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Feel free to steer me in the right direction with this. I know 2016 was one of the more problematic years, but this one is very much in my budget.

Thank you in advance!


r/subaru 52m ago

2001 Legacy with 77k, worth it?

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Upvotes

Hey scoobs, saw this pop up near me and it seems like a good deal but figured I'd take it to the experts as I'm not familiar with subarus yet. Asked if it was an l or gt and which engine it had but owner didn't know and idk how to tell, no pics of engine bay either. Thoughts?


r/subaru 13h ago

Buying a manual at 40 yrs old

25 Upvotes

Should I or should I not. I’m an avid car guy but have not owned a manual in 20 years. Learned to drive on my dads Toyota T500 at 17 years old. Drove it for 2 years then had a hodgepodge of cars over all of my years. Currently own a 2016 WRX CVT as a daily. Want to go back to manual and are willing to trade in current car. Should I or should I not?


r/subaru 25m ago

Car Mods Anyone upgraded their cooling system?

Upvotes

It hit 100* where I am today. I had errands and also decided to stress-test my cooling system (2006 Legacy GT, bone stock, 123k miles).

Well…it passed, but not with flying colors. I normally run ~190-200*, but with the ambient heat and the AC cranked, I was running 206-210* today, and it looked set to climb a bit more. That was at 70mph on the highway with cruise set. In-town it was much happier, the fans could keep up and I was under 200*.

I know that leaves me with a little margin for error, but I’m also moving to a desert state next year, and I’d like to have some additional margin, doubly so because I anticipate going down desert dirt roads into the backcountry at low speeds, and down highways at high speeds. What radiator upgrades are worthwhile? What else should I be thinking about? I’ve flushed the cooling system myself once, and the shop did it again when I had my timing kit replaced. I don’t think anything is “wrong”, I just don’t think the factory setup is quite adequate for doing turbo Subaru things in really hot places.


r/subaru 34m ago

Q&A Rattling at 1500 rpm

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Upvotes

Hi!

My 2017 crosstrek does a rattling sound at exactly 1500 rpm.

Could it be this part? Is it supposed to move that much?


r/subaru 35m ago

Do I need to subscribe to Starlink to use SiriusXM in the vehicle?

Upvotes

SiriusXM is offering me$3 per month for 36 months.

2016 Subaru outback Limited with Harmon Kardon audio package. Purchased this vehicle in July 2024. I am the 3rd owner.

Do I need to subscribe to Starlink to use SiriusXM in the vehicle?


r/subaru 9h ago

When do I NEED to replace my head gaskets?

6 Upvotes

I have a 2009 Outback 2.5i with the H4, non-turbo with 160K miles on it. The head gaskets have probably been blown since I bought the thing at 117k miles. There has always been oil on the bottom of the oil filter when I go to replace.

I check the oil level regularly and really don't have to top it off that much between my regular 5K mile change intervals.

I was replacing my catalytic converter this weekend and was able to confirm drop of oil forming on the bottom side of the engine where the head meets the block.

The engine oil is always clean, no forbidden milk shake, no overheating. SO my question is: How risky is it to keep operating like this. It is my daily driver, we take it on road trips, etc. Is there a high risk of this external head gasket leak turning into an internal one? Looking for a gut check from those with anecdotal evidence. I've love this car and have put quite a bit of money and sweat equity this year with a timing belt kit, rear wheel bearings and now OEM cat. Would love to give myself a little more time to save up for a cherry picker (or potentially professional) to replace the head gaskets.


r/subaru 10h ago

Subaru transmission

6 Upvotes

I need some advice on my Subaru. Recently my check engine light came on. I took it in to Subaru and they told me I need a new transmission. I was quoted $9k…
My 2021 Subaru crosstrek sport has 90k miles and I’ve always kept up with its maintenance. Right now my car still drives fine. There’s no strange noise or slip or anything of that sort. I was able to drive it home. But now I’m considering buying a new car. I’m bummed because I really love the cool grey khaki color of my subie and I put a lot of work in it.

Edit: I’m also not under warranty anymore.


r/subaru 5h ago

Buying Advice New to Subaru, advice?

2 Upvotes

Hello everyone,

I was pursuing reddit for car buying advice and am fairly new to Subaru. I’m looking to buy a newer car soon (used, not brand new) and hear nothing but good things about Subaru. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

I’m not a “car guy” per se, but am willing to learn. I did not learn how to drive stick (yet), and am looking for a reliable daily driver with a road trip sprinkled here and there. My preference is automatic but am not opposed to manual. I’d want to have the car for a while (5+ years min)

I was looking at the WRX and really like the design, but the consensus I get is that you really should buy a manual one. Some were suggesting the GT trim for automatic.

Any suggestions?


r/subaru 2h ago

Sad Former Subaru

0 Upvotes

I lost my house in the fire. Subaru Finance wouldn't wave the charges for the key and manual.


r/subaru 1d ago

Subaru Generic My new Subaru crosstrek I love it

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118 Upvotes

Any decor ideas are welcomed I'd love to add some whimsy


r/subaru 1d ago

I finally bought the 50th year Impresa!

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70 Upvotes

I finally got this 2018 Subaru Impreza hatchback 50th year anniversary edition. I'm so happy for two reasons because this is AWD and it's a 2 liter 4 cylinder boxer. I've only had inline 4 cylinders before that were front wheel drive, so it's good to feel something new.

Due to this being a very special and limited car, with only 550 being made in America(that's just the hatchback's not the sedans included). Some people might say, oh, you should keep that thing low mileage and then sell it for big money. My response to that is hahaha ha no. The only person who own this car was my therapist and she is a travel therapist so you're gonna rack up some miles. In fact she has racked up 125,000 miles and I'm going to continue driving it till the day it dies.

One last thing is, I have thought about modding this car out to be a rally car, but due to their limited production numbers of it, I have decided not to modify it.


r/subaru 21h ago

Q&A G’day, all. Can anyone tell me what EJ engine this is from the pic? Cheers!

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27 Upvotes