1996 LSi

[Huskymaniac]

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWNX%3AIT

This is the one I bought. Wondering now if I made a mistake. Nice car but surprisingly high maintenance for a Subaru.

[ensteele]

What are the problems that you are having? Is it general maintenance or stuff that shouldn't be wrong with it?

[kwren]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eB...K%3AMEWNX%3AIT

This is the one I bought. Wondering now if I made a mistake. Nice car but surprisingly high maintenance for a Subaru.

Nice looking car!

Exactly what "maintenance" have you had to do so far?

Keith

[Huskymaniac]

First there was the temp gauge thing that needed a new temp sender unit and resulted in me replacing the thermostat along the way. Now there is this power steering fluid leak that will be anything from a leaky o-ring to a bad pump. I had to buy a new master switch for the power windows. And I haven't even started to address the preventive maintenance on the tranny yet. I am leaning towards a synthetic fluid plus maybe a small external cooler.

And then I keep reading about issues with MAFs, oxygen sensors, knock sensors, TPSs, dirty throttle bodies, leaky vacuum lines, dieing AC compressors, suspension issues, corroding strut mounts and so on. Maybe people on these forums tend to drive their cars harder than I do but that seems like a lot of issues.

My maintenance may seem like nothing to you guys but I am comparing it to my 1997 Outback which had 161K miles. I think I replaced one sensor in its life. It sounds like the SVX gets multiple failed sensors every 60K or so. The Outback never had a leak as bad as this PS leak I have now with the SVX. It had a binding center diff that was fixed with a bottle of lubegard at 120K miles. The tranny was not known to blow up from overheating and didn't need special care. The hatch lock corroded but not any of the suspension components or mounts. No switches failed although the cruise control switch became sticky. The starter failed so that is one item. And then there were minor issues with the front and rear wipers. The 2.5L engine supposedly had headgasket issues but mine never did.

That car was problem free for the first 120K of its life and had relatively few issues through the other 40K miles considering the amount of road salt used here. I was hoping for the same from the SVX but it seems like it is much more problem prone. But maybe that is just my impression as message boards, while extremely helpful, do tend to be scary places with people talking about every issue that arises with their cars. But one reason for "upgrading" from my high mileage Outback for this lower mileage SVX was to spend less time bringing the car to the mechanic and searching message boards for similar issues so I know he is doing what needs to be done and doing it correctly.

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

But one reason for "upgrading" from my high mileage Outback for this lower mileage SVX was to spend less time bringing the car to the mechanic and searching message boards for similar issues so I know he is doing what needs to be done and doing it correctly.

Could be you're suffering from a variant of SVX Hypochondria, induced by reading here about everyone's troubles.

After 70,000+ miles of daily driving, I consider my cars reliable (tho' certainly not in perfect shape) and don't feel they've been particularly more troublesome or costly to maintain than anything else of similar age. Maybe I got lucky. Hopefully you got a good one that won't dollar you to death. But there will always be something.

dcb

[ZMan]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

And then I keep reading about issues with MAFs, oxygen sensors, knock sensors, TPSs, dirty throttle bodies, leaky vacuum lines, dieing AC compressors, suspension issues, corroding strut mounts and so on.

Relax, you will be just fine.

You are reading problems that COLLECTIVELY have happened to ALL the members here and thinking they will all happen to YOU. - No they won't.

As far as the tranny goes, the earlier ones had the most issues.

Yours should be fine with the routine oil changes that any car has to have.

Adding a trans oil cooler is also a good idea, but it doesn't mean your tranny will fail if you don't use one.

I have had a total of 4 of these cars and currently my wife and i each have one as our daily drivers.

We have been using them for years now with none of the issues you mentioned. - and no oil coolers - just never got around to putting them on yet.

So again, relax and enjoy your car!

[Sean486]

Originally Posted by dcarrb

Could be you're suffering from a variant of SVX Hypochondria, induced by reading here about everyone's troubles.

After 70,000+ miles of daily driving, I consider my cars reliable (tho' certainly not in perfect shape) and don't feel they've been particularly more troublesome or costly to maintain than anything else of similar age. Maybe I got lucky. Hopefully you got a good one that won't dollar you to death. But there will always be something.

dcb

+1 on the hypochondria. I know I definitely have it. You are just working through a few things that have been ignored by the previous owner. I think you will eventually find it a pretty reliable car that will need some normal maintenance periodically. Keep the faith.

[Huskymaniac]

Originally Posted by dcarrb

Could be you're suffering from a variant of SVX Hypochondria, induced by reading here about everyone's troubles.

After 70,000+ miles of daily driving, I consider my cars reliable (tho' certainly not in perfect shape) and don't feel they've been particularly more troublesome or costly to maintain than anything else of similar age. Maybe I got lucky. Hopefully you got a good one that won't dollar you to death. But there will always be something.

dcb

Hypochondria? Oh yeah, that is clearly a possibility. One has to be self-aware to not go nuts and I know that I am a negative person addicted to worry so message boards can be a bad place for me. Still, this board didn't cause a puddle of PS fluid under my car when I got home from vacation. Hopefully the board will help me help my mechanic diagnose this as an o-ring or line issue versus a pump problem.

Thanks again guys, most of the folks here seem to be very supportive and knowledgable.

[dcarrb]

Originally Posted by Huskymaniac

Still, this board didn't cause a puddle of PS fluid under my car when I got home from vacation. Hopefully the board will help me help my mechanic diagnose this as an o-ring or line issue versus a pump problem.

But remember, the likely culprit here is a loosened clamp or deteriorating hose or seal, which will afflict any car of this age.

dcb

[RojoRocket]

Husky,
I would echo what others say about needless worry, as well as admitting to sharing your pessimistic outlook. However, I would also remind you that the SVX is a much more complicated machine than your old OutBack. Everything from the auto climate controls to coil-on-plug to lock-up-torque convertor are miles ahead of the technology used on your old "mule" (not an insult! Check my signature!), so one must be prepared for a bit more maintenance hassle. On the other hand, when I pick a car to take on a long, high-speed trip with the wife, guess which one I'll choose 100% of the time!!

Glenn

[Mike621]

Dcarrb and Glenn both have very valid points.

I would like to add that you should change the hose going from the reservoir down to the cooler. This is a low pressure return line that can be replaced with universal oil cooler hose. Do yourself a favor and replace it when you have the reservoir off, along with the two clamps. Parts cost between the hose, clamps, and O ring should be <$20 easily, and can be done with the belt and pump still on!

[Rodolfo]

Originally Posted by ZMan

Relax, you will be just fine.

You are reading problems that COLLECTIVELY have happened to ALL the members here and thinking they will all happen to YOU. - No they won't.

As far as the tranny goes, the earlier ones had the most issues.

.....

We have been using them for years now with none of the issues you mentioned. - and no oil coolers - just never got around to putting them on yet.

So again, relax and enjoy your car!

I too have had a very good 12-year SVX experience with my '92. More than 100K miles without leaks. I get 3000K-mile conventional-oil changes without fail, use premium gas always, never use the "manual" trans setting, and take care of the little maintenance things that do come up. Two ~$600 tire-changes have been my biggest expenses, and two rear-wheel bearings would be my only other significant ones. I replaced the first two bulbs this year and this is what is provoking me to sell now.