Whenever I see something that I can point out to try and prevent a major repair, I will try and provide that information to my local customers and my readers where ever you are.

We have been replacing Turbo’s pretty frequently lately, and for a while I had thought it was just isolated to the 2005 models, well that no longer seems to be the case.  Below are just a couple of items that can help prolong the life of both your Turbo and your Subaru engine engine.

How to make your Subaru Turbo last and avoid costly engine repairs.

The below pertains to the 2005 and newer Subaru Legacy GT, Outback and Forester XT, while other models have some issues of their own, and some of the basics such as changing the oil still apply, the content of this article really pertains to the models listed above.

If you own a 2005 and newer Subaru with a Turbo there is a chance that you may be aware of some problems associated with the turbo becoming starved for oil and eventually failing.  In the most extreme cases taking the entire engine with it.

Pictured below is the current oil filter being used by Subaru, I’d like to point out just how small it is, regardless of the any conceptions about extending the oil change interval because you use synthetic, you must understand on this model Subaru Engine, no matter what kind of oil you use the filter itself can only filter so much before it will become restricted with matter, and go into bypass mode.

For reference I put the filter we use on all pre 2006 Subaru Non Turbo Engines next to the filter offered by Subaru to point out the size.

As the oil filter becomes restricted and goes into bypass as discussed above, there is a good chance that the filter in the bolt will become restricted.

This is a picture of what Subaru calls a union screw, but basically it is a filter installed in the oil supply line to the turbo, and if this filter is restricted there will be an oil delivery issue to the turbo, causing it to become starved for oil and overheat.

We suggest checking and if needed, replacing the oil supply bolts every 60,000 miles or so, depending on how the vehicle is being used and at the time of writing this article the list price on the bolts was $15.40, plus labor to install.  This is compared to a turbocharger replacement at $1600.00 to $1700.00, plus the possibility of engine damage occurring.

Subaru changed their policy on all Turbo models to state the oil needs to be changed every 3,750 miles, I still say if you want your engine to last, you need to maintain the vehicle based on how you use it, to get the most value out of it.  If over 5 years you save a couple hundred in maintenance dollars only to do thousands in repairs, really what did you save?

So if you are lucky enough to own a Subaru with a Turbo, make sure you take care of it.

Thanks for reading

Justin