But what is lost is the truth, Blue Book Value is a value used by a car dealer to establish a sale price of a car at time of advertising it for purchase.

Unless you are selling your car Blue Book Value is not relevant. What is important is how much will it cost you to buy another car, not how much a month plus insurance, but how much total will you shell out, you still have to maintain a new car, put fuel in it and it has the same chance of a tire blow out as your old car. Your car is not an investment what it is worth to sell has nothing to do with what its worth to keep, it is a important part of your life, keeping ownership costs under control is important but buying a car keeping it for 200,000 to 300,000 will keep costs down much more so than buying three new cars in the same time frame.

Somewhere along the line we have been “tuned” into thinking that there is some dollar amount that represents a stopping point into keeping your car on the road, and we should just buy a new one. That somehow buying a $20,000.00 car makes more sense financially than putting $2500.00 into the car you already own. This is and has always been a ploy to keep new car sales up. My parents had the same family car for as long as I can remember. Yes we commute further distances now but the good cars of the last decade will go three times as many miles as the cars of the 70s.

Whats worse is most people finance the $20,000,00 and don’t realize just how much more that actually costs. Payments are easy but payments on $2500.00 ends a whole lot sooner than payments on $20,000.00. If you buy a $20,000 car today it will depreciate more in value the first day than the amount you will most likely put into the car you own right now. By five years time, your shinny new car will be a mirror image of what you traded in 5 years earlier only your out of pocket will be more like $30,000. Credit has been cheap and easy and we have treated cars like a disposable item such as a paper plate and this has caused an impact to our environment and a strain on our natural resources.

As I sit and watch the proceedings in Washington concerning the Big Three and there bailout. I listen to the experts comment about why the bailout is needed and why it isn’t there fault. I have to admit they had a business model that has really imploded. They built the cars we would buy, charged crazy money for the same fuel economy my 1967 ford pick up got in High School added heated leather seats and a drop down DVD and bingo we had to have it. There was a decade long upgrade cycle going on regardless of needs.

Yes at some point your life changes, your family grows, you change jobs and it makes sense for all sorts of reasons to buy new. I am only talking about the upgrade cycle of a new car purchase.

So when trying to figure out your cars blue book value, instead think about your savings account and how much of it you will keep, by keeping your current car . What is the “total value” of keeping your car another 5 years.

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I often have conversations at the shop about oil changes.   There are a lot of different opinions and as a result a lot of confusion.   But the reality is that oil changes are a very necessary part of your Subaru’s  longevity or lack thereof if not done as often as needed or done with poor quality parts.

All car manufacturers have a normal and severe maintenance schedule, and if you’re driving habits fall into the manufactures definition of normal then maybe it makes sense to follow that schedule.  But if you use your Subaru or any other car you drive in any fashion other than starting it up getting on the freeway where you travel at freeway speeds until you reach your destination where you shut it off and then repeat this use in this fashion the majority of the time you drive it, than you do not fall into the normal maintenance schedule.   The real reason for the different maintenance schedule is to give the appearance of having lower ownership costs.

I have heard to many times that a customer thinks that changing the oil every 3000 miles is something a well known lube center dreamed up.   The marketing of the 3 month or 3000 mile oil change service was taken to new heights by the lube centers, but they sure didn’t dream up the idea. 

When I started in auto shop we learned that the hardest thing an engine goes through is the heat of the summer and the cold of the winter.   You should start the summer season with fresh engine oil and once the summer is over you should change the contaminated oil out of the engine as the excessive heat can be detrimental to the effectiveness of the oil.  Conversely the engine should start the cold of winter with good fresh oil and sometimes a thinner grade of oil should be used to help the cold oil get to the top end of the engine quicker.   Once the winter season is over the sludge that once was oil should be drained out.   There you have it, the 4 oil changes a year your car should have. 

I know there are companies out there telling you that if you use their synthetic oil you can forgo the 3000 mile thing.  I have heard customers and read forums on line talk about having an oil analysis done to prove the oil was still ok 5000, 7000 and even 10000 miles from new.   But is the oil filter still working?   Does oil that still has lubricating properties mean that it is ok?  While synthetic oil can stretch out the oil change interval the level of the oil should be monitored very closely regardless of the product used.  The other fluid levels in the car such as the coolant need to be topped off periodically as well and the tires inflated too.  If the service interval of the oil is stretched out the service of the rest of the car suffers as well.

How does the whole system work?   Oil lubricates and cools the engine; in fact the oil in your engine is about 1/3 of your engines cooling system.  As the valves open and close, the pistons move up and down it is oil that keeps the moving parts moving easier.   The engine is the hub of your car it all starts with the rotation of the engine, the easier the job the engine has of all of its parts moving freely the easier all of the parts the engine is in turn supposed to turn will move as well.   Yes slacking on oil changes poses ramifications to more than just the engine itself.

As the engine is injecting fuel into the cylinders to provide the explosion that powers the engine not all of the fuel is burnt, we do not achieve 100% combustion with the internal combustion engine.  The excess fuel slides past the piston rings and into the crankcase where it mixes with the engine oil.  Over time a lot of excess fuel can end up in the crankcase.   The fuel mixed with the oil can degrade the lubricating properties of the oil and lower the flash point of the oil as well.  Another words the longer the oil is in the engine, the more fuel it collects, and as this oil fuel mixture is used to lubricate the parts in the combustion chamber the more likely it is to burn away, out of the engine into the exhaust and out the tail pipe.  Over time the engine can burn a significant amount of engine oil.  Next fuel is a solvent that can and will eat away at seals and gaskets causing leaks that will need to be repaired.  Try pouring a thimble full of gasoline on asphalt and watch how easily the fuel eats away at the road.  Imagine what contaminated oil can do over time to the head gaskets in your Subaru.

There are systems in place designed to help remove the fuel from the engine oil, one is the positive crankcase ventilation system or PCV, the other is called the breather hose, or breather tube.  On a Subaru you will find a rubber hose attached to each valve cover gasket and then traveling up to the air intake tube. 

Here is how the system should work, once the engine oil gets up to temperature the fuel vapor and contaminates can separate themselves from the engine and this vapor can be pulled back into the intake manifold and be re burnt or introduced back into the combustion chamber.   This helps clean up the engine oil and prolongs the oils life.  

Here is the problem with this, if you get in your car and make short trips, or spend a lot of time “idle” in traffic this is never going to happen in your car.   And this is why maintaining your Subaru based on how YOU use it, is the only way to get as much value out of your car as possible.

Ask yourself if you think the car companies really want you to keep your car 10 years take care of it and have it last or buy another car every 4 years.  

Next imagine that you own a factory with rows of equipment that all needs maintenance on a regular basis or the chance of the equipment failing and costing you money and down time will greatly increase.   Do you think most informed business owners will follow a strict schedule to maintain the equipment, thus keeping profits high and replacement costs down or rather roll the dice and stretch it out.    The similarities are there.  

Except that we often get caught up in this crazy notion of blue book value dictating how much  money we should put into a car instead of looking at replacement costs or the total value of keeping what we already own in good shape so it will last, but that is another article to write at a later date.

Here are some pictures of a 1997 Subaru Outback 2.5l Engine with less than 100k on it that had engine oil leaks at every possible location.  The owner admit tingly changed the oil every 7500 and has no idea what kind of oil was used.  The sludge build up is not good at all.  Over ten years the $500.00 or so in savings by stretching out the oil changes has been more than made up in mechanical repairs.

Thanks for reading

Justin

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We came in third on King 5’s best of Seattle for the best auto repair shop in the Western Washington area.

But more importantly we finished first in votes when it comes to Independent Subaru repair and Maintenance in the greater Seattle area.

A big thank you goes out to our customers who took the time to vote for us and our commitment to you is to always make sure we are deserving of the confidence you have our work.

Thank you!

Justin & Randy

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When looking at a new to you used Subaru you really need to have it inspected before you buy any used Subaru by a Subaru expert like All Wheel Drive Auto. If you have already purchased a Subaru and still have not had it inspected post purchase you really should have it done as soon as possible.

Recently we had a customer buy a Legacy GT with only 65,000 miles on it but when we had a chance to look at the Subaru it was obvious it had a storied life. By the time we had a chance to look the car over it had come to us on a tow truck, two months after it was purchased and the repairs are extensive. This could have been avoided and the outcome much better.

I truly want our customers and my readers alike to have a pleasant automotive experience which is why I have this blog. Helping people better understand their car and how to avoid common pitfalls is part of what I feel I should do as a responsible business owner, regardless of how unpopular it may be at times.

Unfortunately there are so many disparities in the automotive world it is just impossible to know what a good deal is or just how bad one is as well. You can put two same year Subaru Outback’s with the exact same mileage next to each other and one can represent good value and one may represent a few years of frustration and several dollars of repairs.

A car purchase is an emotional one, and sometimes after the purchase, doubt may creep in. Being afraid that the car may be a lemon or over confidence that the salesperson told you the truth can lead to disaster.

At our shop we charge $85.00 to do a complete bumper to bumper inspection pre or post purchase and this is one of the best values that we offer in my opinion. How much is it worth to avoid costly repairs?

Wherever you live, there is someone that can do an inspection for you, just make sure they are familiar with your Subaru or the inspection will have no value. You can’t take your Subaru to a general repair shop and expect the same level of expertise as if you had taken to a Subaru specialist. And the last place you want to take it is the Subaru dealer.

Here are some of the reasons why.

The automotive repair industry is set up so that the technician at a dealership is going to do your inspection as quick as possible and will ignore anything that may be covered under warranty if you are looking to buy a later model Subaru. There are always exceptions to any rule but by in large this is the program at the dealership and it will never change.

Taking your Subaru to a general repair shop is really a bad idea as they really do not know what is typical for the vehicle. While they should be able to tell you if the tires are worn and the brakes are safe. They may not know that there is a service campaign on the head gaskets and that minor fluid leak is about to be a big repair in the coming months.

Likewise if you bring us a Chevrolet or Ford product for an inspection we may not offer as much value as someone who works on mostly domestic vehicle. The difference here is we can admit it because we want to specialize to offer our customers a better value.

So now you have the car it’s been inspected and given a clean bill of health. Now what?

You need to establish service history. If there are no service records and you buy a car at 61k do not assume the 60k service has been done. Know it has been done. Likewise if the mileage is close to the timing belt service interval and there are no service records stating it has been done, have the timing belt done!

In the case of the before mentioned Legacy GT this is exactly what happened. The engine had been replaced with a used one from a wrecking yard for reasons no one knows but the previous owner. The Legacy was purchased at a used car lot and there really is no way the used car lot would have known this either as it was either wholesaled from a new car dealer or bought at auction. Again without any service records in the glove box.

The timing belt broke on this Legacy GT causing the valves to bend and the repairs are now very expensive as a result. But the car only has 65,000 miles on it and the timing belt isn’t even scheduled to be replaced until the car has reached 105,000 miles. The problem is the engine that was put in it has more miles on it than the car does.

We immediately recognized the engine had been replaced, with the wrecking yard yellow marker writing on one of the intake manifold runners stating the compression was 175lbs. This is something that we see all the time and immediately know what it means and what to look for from here.

The point I am trying to make is bad things can and will happen without anyone trying to defraud you. And you will be the one stuck with the final bill and a very unfortunate buying experience.

Thanks for reading

Justin

Independent Subaru Expert.

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