So glad I got rid of mine... Lovely car but this issue just marked them for death..

 

My 08 sti ringland failure 26500 miles but 4 years old and out of warranty. Stripped and RCM omega pistons installed, then 44500 miles head gasket failure, again stripped , ARP head stud kit,machined ,bearings replaced,pegged and cosworth gaskets fitted fingers crossed ffs grrrrrrrrrr SUBARU pull your finger from your a.s.s

 

It's all just terrible. MY11's now failing.

Subaru........never again !!!

 

Ali sort you out I presume.
How much did round two cost you?

 

round two was £1500

 

Ali sort it I assume Jim?
Didn't you fancy OMA?

 

any news yet?

 

It was a decision based on time constraints to go with Ali as i needed the car back asap as both have great reps.

 

I understand they are due to strip the engine for inspection this coming week I think their Subaru mechanic was on holiday. I'm waiting for the call to go and see the damage myself. But I'll be chasing them come Tuesday if they've not been in touch... the wait is killing me
Andrew

 

out of interest, how long did it take Ali to sort it

 

So got a call today, the dealer has re-checked all the logs, done compression testing and "could find nothing wrong" they test drove it twice and on the second outing detected a hesitance at 4500 rpm. Following a discussion with Subaru the ECU was reset. On the subsequent test drive the mechanic reported improved response.

So after frightening the living daylights out of me with suspect ringland failure I now have the car back relatively unscathed, if I ignore the scratched duracon gear **** and center console it took me an hour to polish out the **** scratches... you can just imagine the comments from my other half never realised how hard it was

Anyway I'm told I have got an un identified fault, the ECU memory has been cleared an I've been asked to go back as soon as I experience any hesitance so they can check the logs. I have also been told to keep a close eye on the oil level, but I check that every week without fail so that's not a problem.

 

Dear All,
Just to update you all, the hatch has now been with the dealership since 30th June to date only a compression test has been carried out NSF 120psi, OSF 125psi, OSR 135psi, NSR 125psi which obviously points to big end failure. The engine has yet to be dismantled and the true cause identified this wont happen until the end of next week and then we have to get approval from Autoprotect for the work to be carried out. I fear its going to be a fraught few weeks ahead for me

 

Why does that ' obviously point to big end failure ' ? Not in my book it doesn't.

It suggests either ring land failure or maybe head gasket seep. The ring lands crack out on cylinders 2 & 4 which if your terminology is as l expect it to be is 120psi & 125 psi. I would usually expect to see 140 - 145 or thereabouts on that car on all cylinders.

But all cylinders are down a certain amount but that could be explained by a clumsy compression test using a hand held tester rather than a screw in the plug hole type. It also depends whether they have done it with throttle open or closed and of course how long it has been standing since it 'failed ' It isn't easy to do a hot test, so I suspect this is a cold test, in which case the figure of an average 125 ish might not be far off on an engine that has ' dried out ' whilst waiting a test. It could also be dirty exhaust valve seats leaking compression, we find that quite often too.

BUT, if it has the loud "clicking" of a big end failure, then no point in doing a comp test, as any Subaru specialist [ and some dealers ] knows the sound of a big end failure from 30 feet away.

l'll be surprised too if Autoprotect pay out, we have huge experience, as others on here will attest to, of these type of insurers and they always wriggle out. We have helped a number of customers get a successful warranty claim through and persistence is necessary, plus a dogged determination to never leave them alone.

Good luck, hopefully it can all be resolved simply and quickly for you.


David APi

 

I can definitely confirm it was a cold test as the car had been waiting to be looked at for 12 days, I take on board your comments and appreciate your time to reply to my problem. I fully expect Autoprotect to try every trick in the book to wriggle out of settling my claim, which is another reason why I’m so disappointed that the dealership has taken so long to commence the work. On an update they claim the work will probably take 20 hours to complete (if it’s the big end) which to my novice eyes seems extremely conservative.

 

All of the warranty companies insure against ' Sudden mechanical failure ' which is a very easy thing to apply and damaged pistons and failed big ends - they all consider - as 'fair wear and tear ' wrongly so, but it fits their requirements to refuse the claim.

They argue possible lack of lubricant as the reason for big end failure, or overheated oil due to shortage. In the case of a 2.5 which are known to have a problem with breaking the oil pick up pipe inside the sump, you'd have an argument for sudden mechanical [ big end ] failure, as it is beyond your control that the thing fractures.

They argue wrong fuel octane rating for piston failure, despite that ring land failure is generally well known in the business. Difficult to argue against, unless you have comprehensive copies of fuel invoices showing only 99 or super being filled for a long period of time. Even then they still wriggle.

They don't call back, they use every artifice in the book to reject the claim. Plus getting through on a freefone number is a nightmare - press one, press two. press three etc, only to be told that so and so is " on another line already, he'll call back when he is free" - yeah right........

20 hours is the [ unrealistic ] " book time" - see I C M E manual for labour times - to do the job and is the time that the warranty companies use to make their payout, so does APi if we ever have to....... They also apply an "industry standard" trade to trade warranty labour rate, which is rather less than commercial. So it is no surprise that the fitting garages cut corners, which translates as not cleaning thoroughly. We take somewhere close to 3 hours to clean the engine parts when building, before we even start assembling.

So as I said - good luck, call for a chat if I can help you get a claim authorised........

David APi

 

What did the cylinder leakage test show ??

 

with just the replacement pistons fri - Tuesday if i remember but the second time for the gasket,head studs etc 1 week

 

Thats a very good turnaround.

 

Dear All,
Update on my 2010 big end failure.
The car failed under warranty and the dealership have (after 53 days) have advised me that IM will replace the shortblock under a 3year 60k warranty.
Now what do I do? take the new standard parts with warranty or go forged?

 

did you have any mods on? software?

i guess not since they are replacing under warranty. why do you think the big end failed? do you have an exceptionally heavy right foot?

 

No heavier than most enthusiasts, I think the BE failed due to the oil pick up pipe, which the dealership have recomended replacing.

 

ok, here in SA we see the BE fail when full synthetic oil is used. summer temperatures are too high...

i wonder if your pick up pipe is blocked due to sludge build up. maybe the previous owner neglected regular services? dunno..just guessing...

 

Do a deal with the dealer to go forged, even if you have to pay for the pistons yourself.

 

the car has only 18k on the clock and has full SSH, there have been a few failures in the UK where the oil pick up pipe has fractured and failure follows

 

oh, ok.

 

Yes I have been working on this option, dealership want £700 more than my best parts quote (so would supply myself) but I'm not convinced they are up to or want the job

 

I'd bet money on a cracked pick up pipe. £700.00 for pistons is too much. But i guess the Mahle option from us with VAT is not far off at £600.00 inc VAT for the top of the range ones. But to be fitted properly, the block will need honing to match and that is probably beyond a dealers capability.

If I can help with parts or advice, call me.

David APi 01926 614522

 

Maybe you could collect the new short motor from the dealer. Take it to an engine builder, get them to re-build it with forged pistons and a set of ARP studs. Take that now forged short motor back to the dealers and have them assemble the rest of the engine and fit to the car?

 

They won't do that. Who accepts the warranty for something if it goes wrong?. For example:

If my short motor failed through dirt and debris getting into it, I'd blame the engine assembler/ fitter.

If [ won't happen ] something lets go in our short motor, the assembler / fitter will blame us.

Where does that leave piggy in the middle? In a bigger muddle than he is now.

So it has to be one or the other. Dealer way and cross your fingers - or an independent and pay up.

David

 

Just to clarify, I asked the dealer to quote me for 4032 material Mahle's Pistons, Cosworth gaskets, Manley rods,Oil pump 11mm modded prv, ARP 11mm studs and ACL main bearings he came in at £2,200 some £700 more than my best quote and TBH taking the p**s.
I think they don’t want the job as they may lack the necessary skills to do the work and they don’t want to take responsibility for their work.
I have decided to take the Subaru short block replacement with a 3 year/ 60K warranty and save my money for when I want to get the internals forged with a proper engine builder like David or Alan who will provide a service and level of skill far in advance of this particular dealership.
Obviously, should the block fail again I will be very careful which dealership I choose to use and one thing I have learnt from this experience if you have to return a car, speak to the dealership and get them to provide assurances that they are able to undertake the work under an agreed timeframe!