Diff has blown again
 

Hi Guys

A new diff was fitted by Exeter Gearbox Centre 2 weeks ago. The diff was suplpied by Swindon Subaru part no: 27011AA173.

I was driving down the A303 on Monday and after only having the car back for 120 miles the diff blew and the car came to a halt.

Subaru are blaming EGC for no oil and EGC are blaming Subaru for a faulty diff.

The diff is being sent to subaru next week to be looked at.

Either way my car is off the road and i can see a court case here. EGC say the diff was filled with oil.

£2500 down the drain.

Regards

Ian

Hi Ian,

Sorry to hear about your troubles. I really hope it all gets worked out for you.

I'm from the Exeter area too and we still come down that way sometimes, we should meet up for a beer once your car is fixed.

Please keep us updated.

Phil & Belha.

Sorry to hear it....
 

Hi Ian

Really sorry to hear this. You are getting more than your fair share of trouble with this, they are usually more reliable.

You may be well versed in this, but a couple of things to look out for;

One, check on consumer law and statutory rights. If the diff is new and guaranteed, you as a consumer must be looked after by the supplying garage in Exeter. That's the way it is here, I think English law is the same. If the unit is faulty from the manufacturer, then the garage have to chase Swindon Subaru, not you.

Two, don't let yourself get sandwiched between them as they fight about who is liable. The Gearbox centre put in a diff that did not work. It's up to them to fix the problem for you. If they start stretching out the off-road time saying they are waiting on a decision/inspection/engineer's report/legal advice or any other guff, tell them you will sue them for use of a hired vehicle while they are dragging their heels on fixing your car.

You will find if you ring the Consumer Association, I am reasonably correct on the above. If you let them drag it out, they will, as neither of those parties are going to want to foot the bill.

Best of luck with it.

Joe:)
PS Why don't you come over to JAE on the Saturday 24th, and have a chat about it with other owners?

Re: Diff has blown again
 

I recently bought a car that blew the diff, 20,000 miles after replacement. I am wondering, because I have never seen a Sub trans apart, when the diff with ring gear is replaced, do the shops take the trans apart and replace the shaft that has the pinion gear. Is it possible that the cars are repaired without a 'matching' gear set?

Game, set and Match?
 

I thought about this NFS. It is possible, but should be unlikely.

Reason I say "should be", when they order parts for your car, they quote your chassis number to ensure parts compatability. Therefore, if your car is "stock" and has never had the ratios changed during previous transmission work, the differential they order for you will be a match for the gear set in the tranny.

It is still possible to get it wrong if they order from part numbers without checking the chassis code.

I was wondering in Ian's case if the garage fitted the diff, filled it with oil, and then left the filler plug loose? This would lose the oil. Was the plug in place Ian when the diff blew?

Or did they order a diff from an Impreza, which would be a lower ratio than the box? Hard to figure. If they ordered using part numbers from SubaruParts.com, it would be wrong, because the US market SVX's have a higher overall final gear ratio than the English ones. Then the box would not match the ratio of the diff.

Joe:)

Broken diff
 

I didn't mean, mismatched ratios, I meant mismatched gears.

The ring and pinion wear in patterns. I was wondering if the new diff had a new ring, but the diff was mounted on the trans with the old pinion shaft and its wear pattern? It takes some work to change the pinion, and I'm wondering if shops look at the pinion and if the teeth are intact, they just leave it there to save them time and money.

It's like American engines built before say '86. They had flat hydralic lifters. You can't put a new cam with worn lifters, or visa versa.

I'm wondering if the diff had a new ring, and it was placed on the trans with a worn pinion? In my case, the diff lasted 20,000 miles before the teeth came off the ring. [assumed, haven't taken it apart]

Do you understand what I'm saying?

To fail in two weeks, maybe the drain plug fell out!

Ahhhhh....

Comprendo.

I did misunderstand what you meant when you said "matching"

:)

Hi all
 

HI

Thanks to evryone who has written.

The diff is being taken out as i write and will then be sent to subaru to investigate. They say it should not go in that time but the garage that fitted it say it was full of oil.

The drain plug is still present and by all accounts is tight.

This will be an interesting one.

Gonna sell it now as had enough. Shame, people like the look of it especially stuck in the drive.

I will keep everyone updated and I will sue if needs be.

Regards

Ian

Hi Ian, I underestand you, I am thinking about selling my "beast" as well, because it seems to me everything is going to hell (like my engine as a last thing...)
Peter

diff is out
 

Hi everyone.

Diff was taken out just now.

There is oil in it as it drained out when removed, however the engineer believes that the gearing was to tight and therefore the diff seized and became very hot.

So I am sending it off to Subaru this week and we shall see how well Subaru look after their customers. They are at fault for supplying a faulty part.

Wish me luck.

ps. It is Subaru in Swindon.

Hi Ian,
first of all I asume you are writting about your rear dif, not front one. I remeber that your car cought fire because of failure of rear diff. From posts above I think that other guys are writting about front diff.
As for me Subaru at Europe do not care about its customers. I mean Subaru representatives not dealerships...
Peter

The rear diff?
 

Well, I assumed front, as mine and several others were broken. Hadn't realized that the rear diffs were even prone to fail in an SVX. Absolutely no reason for a rear diff with oil to fail unless the gears weren't set up properly. Subaru should replace it and pay the labor.

Hi everyone.

Yes it was the rear diff and my mechanic as above does say that the gearing was not set up right.

I have taken loads of photos (Digital cameras are great) and so have proof.

Maybe if Subaru UK try and rip me off we all ought to mass email them. Show them that us SVX owners do not like being messed around.

I will keep everyone updated. I have to say i have gone right off Subarus and it is a real shame because the 300 miles i have done in the SVx have been wonderful. Def rides like a jag and has the performance of a Porsche 911.

Regards

Ian

Ian,
thanx and keep us informed. Most of guys here know my story with Subaru support so I am very curious how will work Subaru UK. By the way, I found mail adress for Subaru Europe, official branch of FHI with Japan managers so I will escalate my case this way.
Thanx, Peter