Big difference between most shops and the Wizard is, most shops would just replace everything on the customer's list. The Wizard actually looks at everything and only does what's really needed.
There are honest shops out there, first go by google reviews and then once you've accumulated some car knowledge, you'll be able to figure out what's needed and when to see if a mechanic is pulling your leg
@@droma2366 unfortunately you wouldn't get that level of service at all of them. The wizard would not be able to monitor every shop insuring quality service. He can hire what he thinks are people who could seem as competent as he is but you really never know. Sadly is just like everything else with a higher quantity you get a lower quality.
I'm very thankful for my Honda dealer. They're just like Wizard in that respect; not replace anything unnecessary and only worry about the things that really need looking at. Except for the cabin air filter they've done every bit of maintenance to my car from day 1.
As a retired film sound recordist, if you want to record bearing sounds etc., see if you can get hold of a small PZM microphone (Pressure Zone Mic). These don't have any aperture for air vibrations to enter, the body of the mic couples acoustically with the surface (such as a bolt or metal surface) you hold them against. They may also be known as a boundary layer microphone.
Wizard you are THE MAN! My father-in-law is a super cheapskate and he hates to spend any money on auto maintenance. I once went for a ride with him and I heard a terrible grinding and scraping sound every time he put on the brakes. I asked him how long that noise had been going on and he said "Oh, about a year." I told him that he definitely needed a brake job immediately. Grudgingly he took his car in for the work and the mechanic found that the front brake pads were completely gone and the bolts used to hold the brake pads to the backing plate had ground almost all the way through the rotors. Needless to say it was vastly more expensive to repair that damage, but more importantly my father-in-law could have killed himself and his wife and his family and/or others because he didn't want to spend a few bucks for a routine brake job. I'll never understand that way of thinking.
These people feel as if ANY expense is a personal attack against them. So they respond with resistance and refusal. But as you stated, that way of thinking is tremendously expensive. Whats sad is these people “think” they are being frugal, when in reality, they are causing their car repair bills to end up costing 1-200% more than just doing normal maintenance.
@@CarWizard Thank you for responding. I love your channel and watch you all the time. You are 100% correct. It's like the people who will risk destroying a $5,000 to $10,000 engine because they don't want to spend $50 to $100 for an oil change. It makes no sense. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
@@CarWizard this is how my old boss felt when I told him that stuff on my work truck was broken. They just don't want to spend the money and he took my telling him about truck issues as an attack against his competence.
@@CarWizard it's like with engine oil and transmission fluid changes. Spend a little now for fresh fluid or spend thousands on a replacement unit a year later.
Mr. & Mrs. Wizard seem like such nice, down to earth folks. Definitely the kind of people that their customers could trust to do the right thing. A rare quantity in this day and age.
As a former Acura Service Advisor, I often cited Goss, on Goss' Garage on Motorweek on PBS, to help explain maintenance strategies, such as replacing tensioners and other such parts along with the timing belt. He was great at helping consumers understand that 'you don't want to go back into that part of the engine for another 100,000 miles...' and so forth. You are likewise performing a great service to the driver-consumer, Car Wizard, by illustrating important proactive and preventative maintenance, thus saving them time and money. Well done ! G.P.
Oh, like the car's going to last another 100,000 ... oh wait, did you say Acura? Of course! Take care of it and keeeep driving it as long as you like. Preventive maintenance kills future surprises.
I've got 230,000 miles on my 2016 Subaru Outback. Getting ready to give it a complete once over. It runs like a champ. Mr. WIZARD I really appreciate your candor.
I used to be a king of deferred maintenance, until one day, I let the brakes go so long, the grinding sound finally went away, and then a few days later, the remnants of the pad finally self ejected on my 2001 Ford Probe, and the cost to fix the damage was eye opening - that car is long gone - but my little get around 2000 Civic, gets all the love she needs and she has never let me down and barely costs me a penny other than gas.
Great advice.....if you have a mechanic you can trust. If you don't, there are enough sheisters out there who will take you to the cleaners and prey on ignorance. That's a big part of the problem. Finding a trustworthy place and building a relationship is key, but it's hard to find those places. Honest and trustworthy mechanics like the Wizard are unfortunately getting hard to find.
wheel bearings and brakes are nothing to mess around with. If you ever have a wheel bearing melt down on the highway, it's something that you will not forget.
Few will also forget when your transmission self-destructs on the highway, in my case almost exactly halfway between home and my destination (325-350 miles). I lost 2nd gear and 5th gear in rather spectacular fashion - sounded like a gunshot when it turned loose. Shockingly enough, the truck was still drivable, and I nursed it the 300+ miles to a repair shop near my destination (I have family who have lived there for years, and I leaned on them for advice - the second mechanic they use told me who he'd subcontract it out to, and I went to them). Got a Ford Motorcraft rebuilt tranny with a 3 year/100k mile warranty, and I can take it to any Aamco or Ford Dealer for warranty service.
Makes sense the customer is like this. Much like mechanical issues with cars, teeth are very similar. Using this same advice, someone would be in a way better situation with teeth if one would have the work done and paid for it earlier on. The further you let it go, the worse and more expensive it gets.
I was asked by a couple of People I go Offroading with, "why don't you ever have car issues while on the tracks". I told them it is because I do preventive maintenance, so as soon as I suspect something is not right I check it and then replace it asap if needed
Subaru is still one of the "designed to be serviced" makes (or at least was 10-15 years ago). Everything is made to be taken apart with minimal disassembly of unrelated parts. Had a 2008 Legacy, and it chewed up all it's wheel bearings within 175 thousand kilometers, but nothing was super expensive, nor took hours to do. It was a bit more maintenance heavy, than some other brands, but at least it was very doable when something needed to be changed.
I’m pleased to report my 2019 Crosstrek is still designed to be serviced. They even asked me when I bought it if I wanted to see where the oil filter and drain plug are! Most things are really easy to repair in your driveway. Any air filters (cabin or engine) take less than a minute to get to!
I enjoy popping the hood and EASILY identifying what every is. AND, when I look down, I can actually see the pavement in more than a few locations. Most cars seem to be 3-4-5 layer engine bays, while the Subaru is maybe 2 layer. Also had a wheel bearing fail at 43k miles, everything else has been oil/tires/brakes/gas, at 75k now.
A loooooong time ago, a coworker had a Ford pickup that he routinely parked backed-in outside the area I worked in. One day, I looked out the window and noticed there was a metal ring around his axle. It was what was left of his drum brake hanging there. I told him about it, and he replied, "Yeah, I thought the brakes felt a little weird."
I sell Subarus and sold a brand new 2022 Outback the other day to a customer who had to buy a new car because her 2011 Outback blew a head gasket. She maintained it meticulously from new and it only had 156K miles on it. My 2012 Corolla has 150K miles on it and has never needed any major work.
@@dwightbetten7208 Yes, that is what Subaru calls the EZ30d engine. DOHC 24 valve 3.0 liter, 217 hp. No head gasket issues and no timing belt. Most manufacturers refer to a six cylinder horizontally opposed engine as an "F6" or flat six. It even has "H6-3.0" as a badge stuck on the grill and on the hatch. Subaru always likes to be a bit different....
We have State Inspection in PA. And the garage discovers problems before they become bigger problems. If your vehicle doesn’t pass inspection it gets fixed or you don’t drive it once the sticker expires.
Maintenance and repairs are what I call really cheap insurance. Want to see all that money your saving not maintaining your vehicle evaporate? One accident will haunt you for years and cost you far more than the repair ever would have.
The very FIRST STEP is to find a mechanic who will not cheat you, play games, or sabotage your car. I have all 3 of these things happen to me over the years. They are the same as appliance repair men who have been caught on camera doing all of these things.
The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on TH-cam! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!
One of the thing I like to point out wizard is if you look at Japan’s severe duty intervals they say to change the CVT fluid every 30 K which I think for the CVT transmission is a good idea to do that on mine I have the conventional five-speed automatic and I change that fluid about every 10,000 with the oem Idemitsu fluid they also are the OEM supplier for the Honda power steering and I believe the transmission fluid as well. And also the Nissan OEM fluid
25-30K with my 18 CRV, did the break in oil at first oil change and the service writer wanted to hug me for being pro active, I'm at 107,000 now and still shifts like new, same with the rear diff, I do them both at the same time. 5k on oil changes too, 10K changes are insane
JATCO cvt transmissions are garbage. Do not put off changing the fluid on those. A friend had a Nissan Rouge and the transmission went out on her while she was on a highway. Could have killed her.
If you've been to the Grand Teton National Park, which is just south of Yellowstone, I'm sure you've been to Jackson Hole. It's the valley below the Teton range. It's also a ski area in the Tetons. I have photos of myself going off of Corbet's Couloir back in the 80's. BTW... Subarus are the official car of Jackson Hole.
I have been doing that to my 2011 chrysler 300 I bought with 135k miles. Put some suspension and got the pentastar tick fixed before massive damage happened. 171k miles now and it is running top notch still. Just replaced the last control arms for my front suspension and steering shake went away for good. Preventative maintenance is very important indeed.
I have a 2015 Subaru Forester that had a rear bearing start to make noise. I thought about doing the job myself as the procedure to replace them is pretty simple. However if you live anywhere where they put salt on the roads in the winter, it is a pain to get the old bearing out. It's fused in there with rust. After watching several TH-cam videos of people hammering/torching/swearing to get the old bearing out, I decided to let a mechanic handle it.
Right there with you. I'm doing the same on my 2016 Forester. My fear is that I'll beat the crap out of the hub assembly to the point where I can't drive on it to get it to a shop if it doesn't come off.
Subaru underbodies are magnets to rust if you don't protect them. Also older models have wheel bearings that can be an "absolute pain to replace." I specifically looked for rust on the subframe buying my Forester, which was a PNW car all it's 21 year life, and it was really clean despite the exhaust being rusty.
I ordered the stuff to do the job (on my Outback) and couldn’t get it to budge. I ended up spending $500 at a shop instead of $150 doing it myself. That hurt.
I get that coolant smell every once in a while driving around. I always suspect another car if my engine temp has not changed. Then when I go down the road a bit and the smell goes away, I know it's not my car. If it were, the smell would persist. I do a visual under my hood periodically.
"Oh look, I'm low on gas. I don't have time to fill up. Going to keep going. 'E' means "eh, I'll be fine..." Do that too many times and you can burn up your fuel pump (that can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to replace). Fuel has a dual purpose of keeping the pump from overheating. You also want to avoid sucking up sediment, although the sock filter will trap some but not all of that. Wow, the Wizard's customer is really into his window decals. I don't recommend going crazy with rear window decals - a cop might give you a ticket if it obscures your rear view.
You pay thousands for a car with a view out so you can see traffic etc...and then you put stickers on the windows and hang doodads off the interior mirror?
That "smell thing" happened to me on friday, when I was driving my 2003/04 Honda Fit! I stopped the car and then I find out that the smell came from an other car, next to me!!! LOL
I'm the same way. What people don't realize is that it will cost you 50.00 at the rime and one bill can total out the ACV (Actual Cash value) of the car. This is why I still drive a 2004 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with the Buick 231 Supercharged 3800 and is so cheap to fix and I can do most of the maintenance my self like brakes spark plugs oil change PS and brake fluid every year. The alternator cost was 69.00 for A/C Delco OEM and I did it my self took me about 20 minutes to do.
Love seeing a Subaru Outback in the shop and owned by a responsible owner. I love my Outback and I only bring it to a shop like Wizard’s and who also specialize in Subarus for everything. Only took it to the dealer once and that was for the first oil change that was free.
Also with the Subarus it's really important to maintain your diffs. I had an 08 Impreza and my center diff went out and my rear was on its way out. While the noises and driving experience were awful, the car never left me stranded.
This car is the perfect statement for a dentist or other highly skilled professional. Shows that you aren't overcharging your clients by driving a flashy new Mercedes, yet that you are a meticulous person by having a clean as hell slightly older car and can afford to keep it that way. Granted if you are somebody like a financial planner for rich people, the optics would be better if you trade in that Benz every 2-3 years.
Rotor will be smooth. No scoring. Pad thickness .like how far away the metal pad wear indicator is.you should take off wheel for this to check both pads a even.wizard is doing a half ass job bc video length matters on TH-cam
Hi Mr. Wizard. I have 2 Subarus and I have no complaints at all. 2003 Forester XS Premium and 2015 Forester XT Touring, thanks thats the noise that was heard on my wife's 2003 Forester when the rear wheel bearings needed replacement ! and we had it done .
It’s a lot easier for Mrs wizard to have concerns addressed when her husband is a mechanic with a shop, than it is for the average joe without those accommodations. For someone to say they don’t have time and or money is a realistic situation for most people.
I was quoted $1600 on my 2001 Saturn SL2 the other day. They wanted to do almost a full break job, with break fluid too I believe, and also wanted to fix the leaks they found underneath the car by replacing parts. My Saturn is less than 140k miles and has saved me a ton of money, but like I could almost buy another Saturn for the cost of those repairs. Or put that money down towards my next car. To me, it's not worth it. Maybe just the break job. I really would like to get another car when prices go down tough.
Odd thing with wheel bearings. I bought a Ford Mondeo with about 60,000 miles on it that for some reason had snow tires on it. Driving it I could feel a problem with the rear left bearing (probably kerbed) but my mechanic refused to believe me twice. I bought some good Pirelli P7's and finally he could sense it and said I wouldn't have believed it b/c they are sealed units... I use a different mechanic now. I replace parts before they become an issue and the car has never let me down.
I had a rumbling noise and took it to my local garage who diagnosed a rear wheel bearing. Two new rear wheel bearings later, the noise was still there. They then suspected front wheel bearings. Two new front wheel bearings later, the noise was still there. They then suspected the fifth drive bearing. One new drive bearing later, the noise was still there. By then it was due an MOT test and it failed on tyres. Although the tyres were only six months old with only 1,000 miles wear, the tread had gone "knobbly". Four new tyres later, the noise had gone. Don't you reckon that the same garage that gave me an MOT fail, would have noticed the tyres when the wheels came off for wheel bearings? I didn't even get compensation for my tyres that were obviously defective from the outset.
Just had a car last week like this I showed the young one in the shop a great lesson that day the tires were chopped and an inexperienced tech would think a wheel bearing was bad because it sounded just like one but it was just tires 800 later and the customer was happy jeep only had 51k miles shocks were good all around just cheap tires I always say cheap tires get cheap results
It sounds like you may have just had an alignment problem since the tires were only six months old with only 1,000 miles on them. The alignment would have cost you around $100 and still needed to be done after you paid for all the other stuff. Yikes!
Sounds like the wheel bearings being bad jacked up the tires. Makes since. When you are diagnosing something you don't jump into the obvious new tires first.
Wheel bearings are fairly easy to diagnose while driving. If you turn left and the noise goes away, you have a bad bearing on the left side. If the noise gets louder, bad bearing is on the right side. Also you can jack up the car and hold lightly on the spring while rotating the wheel. If the bearing is bad you can feel a vibration on the spring.
I drive a 2014 Toyota Camry LE, 4 CYL. I keep it up really well. I bought it for 9K in cash. Had it sience 2020 with the unemployment bonus plus some extra cash every month I was getting. The car sat for several months so I had some work to get done on it. All four tires were dry rotted, I put about 10,000 miles on them, and finally got them all done. Front passanger wheel bearing was noisy so that was fixed. Went to the dealership and had them fix the AC. Something behind the dash, and the AC compresser on the engine were bad, no leaks. Works great now. Then had the dealership do a full, FULL brake job and the rear driver side caliper boot was torn, who knows how long. That all was replaced. Just last month I had the Transmission fluid and filter done at 79K miles. The service says between 60K and 100K. Fluid was clean no metal or anything bad. Should last another 70K or so. At 100,000 miles I am planing on having them do the belts, water pump and tensioner pully.
If *ANYTHING* changes on your car -- *ANYTHING* -- that means something is wrong, and it's only going to get worse. It will never fix itself -- even if the blinking light or rough running or squeak or rattle goes away, that is only temporary. Any change of any kind is *ALWAYS* a sign that something is wrong, and could go "wronger" soon. Never *EVER* ignore what your car is telling you.
I love my Subarus, been driving them since 2004. The engines are kind of a pain to do some maintenance on (looking at you, sparkplugs) though. On my '04, the front-right wheel bearing was practically a biennial maintenance item. We never found another problem with it and I wasn't driving into curbs over going offroading, but I think I went through 5 in the 12 years I owned that one.
Wizard I believe it’s 75-90 I have a 2013 3.6 R legacy, maybe the four-cylinder 2.5 takes a different weight of differential oil? I run mobile one in the front and rear diffs, I would also check his lower control arm front lower control arm bushings the rear that are connected in the back of the arm or 10 to crack it’s the same set up Toyota has. What’s funny is I think I’m starting to lose a wheel bearing in the same area ! I’ve on my car since new I am anal on maintenance are on mobile one full synthetic 5-30, been running that oil since 3000 miles on the clock in the car. Along with the OEM black Tokay Roku Subaru oil filter.
Some shops and dealers charging $600-800 or more for 2 pads and rotors may have something to do with people trying to extend their life. Plus not everyone understands cars the way you and most of your viewers do. I purchased my NORTHSTAR 2003 Seville with 55,000 miles for $4K because it needed $1,000 in Ebay parts. Purchased and installed them myself. Seller thought it was falling apart and sold it cheap. 10 years and 100,000 miles later, the car has cost a few thousand to maintain. Luckily I got one of the good Northstar motors. Synthetic oil for its life with me. No major issues so far. EDIT: The car is a spare and mostly sits in the driveway but it always starts and runs if I need it. $42K MSRP when it was new in '03.
Shout out to Jackson Hole! Beautiful place. My extended family alternates between there and several other places on a 5 year basis and the Jackson Hole trip is always my favorite!
Wizard, please make a video for what should be checked and how, when buying a used. Perhaps checklist from front to back. This video was great but perhaps something more general and applicable to most cars.
I once had a wheel bearing suddenly go on the front of my old Chevy and it got so hot that it welded the hub to the spindle. That was an expensive mistake in auto maintenance.
I had a customer bring me his rolls royce this week and told me he was having a braking issue and I asked him for how long and he said “ for about a year now!!!!!” A year!! For the brake, the car finally had to not allow him to drive any further in order to force him to bring it in…I hate those customers lol
I have heard several people complain about the fill plugs getting confused. It would not have cost them anything extra to differentiate them. Make one a hex and one a square or allen or torx or have letters or a symbol as part of the plug casting or die. Have the drain plug match the fill plug so there is no confusion. So simple
Excellent advice, as always, Wiz 👍. It also helps to have a reliable, trustworthy mechanic who doesn't overcharge. These days, that's hard to find. Present company excepted ⭐🖖🙏🇨🇦
I'm fortunate to have a excellent shop near me. Every year for the annual state inspection I have them look over everything. They then tell me if any other items need attention and when it would need to be done
"Even if you dont have money right now, your not going to have money in the future" -Car Wizard 2022 So take your car to the mechanic even if you cant afford the repair
Ever barter with your dentist? Trade work for work? When I was in grad school and working part-time in a car stereo store (Eugene, OR) I had a bad tooth, no insurance and had a dentist next door who's slogan was "I cater to cowards." he came in one day, looking for some speakers/installed so we ended up trading a filling for a set of 6 1/2" Pioneer 2 ways plus he left me alone with the nitrous for about half an hour before hand, won't ever forget that sickly sweet smell......
That's my kind of customer. I am very much like the wizard, I hate deferred maintenance. Get it done early is always the best advice. Servicing is key if you do it early then it will cost pennies as opposed to major dollars later on when because you were a cheapskate and couldn't be bothered for a few hundred dollars. It becomes engine out & $3,000-$5,000 later. That is squarely on the customer. I have many issues in my shop which are caused by deferred maintenance.
I'm assuming Kansas is not an inspection state, but I do remember many year ago, living in Pennsylvania they had an annual state inspection, it was mandatory and it was strict. Aren't they supposed to catch those things on time while performing those? Florida used to have inspections, but for some unknown reason to me its not anymore. Boy it would be a live saver to have that here in Miami, cars don have mufflers, no fenders, tires sticking out, no brake lights, you name it
I would like to get my truck fixed as soon as I hear that something is off. I live paycheck to paycheck. I just can’t simply fix an issue right when it appears. I just have to hope and pray that when I do eventually save up for the fix, that the problem gets worse.
1) Buy a reliable/durable model to begin with. 2) Cheerfully pay for maintenance/preventive work via (DIY or) your highly valued/trusted mechanic 3) Doing this, your vehicle is going to remain reliable for tons of miles and the more common necessary repairs as the vehicle ages (ie: starter or alternator, rotors and pads, scheduled timing belt/water pump replacement) will seem like a more controlled and reasonable investment of both your time and money.
I had leased an Outback of that generation. The 2.5 in that drank oil like it was its job. Being an observant owner, I noticed it was using oil between changes. So, when I took it on a 180 mile highway trip, I made sure to top off the oil. By the time I was 15 miles from my destination, I immediately pulled over because the oil level warning lamp was lit. It had burned through several quarts by then. I immediately called the dealer who said it's fine and to top it off, don't worry about it. I was furious. After being unable to get satisfaction, I traded it in early because I just wanted out. I found out a few years later that Subaru had issues with oil consumption on these new (at the time 2.5s) and they had settled a class action lawsuit, resulting in long block and engine replacements with extended warranty coverage.
deferred maintenace happens for many reasons, i've put off many repairs in my time. None of them were because I "just didn't want to deal with them". Mostly money was the issue, shop repairs are simply too costly for many folks.
I actually had a shop try to sell me a serpentine belt on my 1991 F-350 once, said that it was bad, showed me a serpentine belt that was indeed bad. But there was on major issue, my F-350 has an old IDI diesel, with V-belts, and I called them on the bullshit, because I knew this already, and had replaced all 4 belts prior. Oh, and for those wondering, the 4th belt powers the vacuum pump, off of the alternator, diesels don't make very good vacuum.
I've always told my customers, especially if they ask if it's time to buy a new car, that 'you can pay the bank or you can pay me'. IE: Maintenance will roughly equal a loan payment. Just not on a monthly basis.
darn. 2014 and up newer Subarus 2.5 with no head gasket problem but using timing chain. I hope those are lifetime timing chains or at least as easy to replace as the older ones with timing belts
SOME things can be put off, depending on how bad they are and not likely severely increase the cost to do them later, for example, putting off doing brakes for a month if yours are simply starting to squeak. Although safety may need to be assessed, generally putting off things like that may cause you to have to buy new rotors perhaps as the squeaking gets worse, but you can find decent new rotors for about $50 each, so if you have to wait, some things can wait a little bit. Odd engine noises, I would not put off though unless you know exactly what it is and why it's happening. On my truck (before i sold it) the idler pully was going bad, but made noise for a good six months until I replaced it. Didn't actually get worse and the belt was fine, so I put it off for a while. Wheel bearings are another thing that you can sometimes let go for a little while. I mean if it's the bearing it will have to be replaced (or rather, the hub assembly) so it usually doesn't end up costing more than that if you let it go (as long as you don't let it get really bad, but if they are startging to go, you usually have a bit of time to replace them I've found).
If it’s squeaking and the brake pads and rotors are still good, it’s fine. Regardless of if it’s squeaking for any reason, make sure that you get it checked out.
Some things are overdoing it too and could be detrimental. Like the old transmission fluid change in a high mileage vehicle that never had it done. That’s not a reason to put everything else off too. I just think people are weary of getting ripped off replacing or “maintaining” every little thing that might not need it or be a cosmetic issue.
At the Subaru dealership I work at there a car in for a new motor cause the customer changed the oil 2 in 60,000 miles just cause they didn’t want to spend the money or wait for that to be done and now it’s going to cost them big time
Thanks for the the great videos car wizard! I find it frustrating that many if not all manufacturers are moving towards assemblies where you have to replace a huge part instead of just a small piece. For example the Ujoint on this Subaru. Not only is it costly for the consumer but a huge piece such as a driveshaft hadto be sent to scrap, so not great for the environment either. I am not a full blown tree hugger, but that kind of waste makes no sense to me!
Most emergencies begin as small problems. But emergencies are a lot more expensive to fix. No need to add a tow truck charge to your vehicle maintenance costs.
I've been driving 4 years with the ABS light on. Ok. My mechanic says its the ABS Pump (Ford F250) but that it will stop without it. A new one, over $900 (the truck cost me $1K used!). I found a used/pull for $200 and still...it works without it. Ok, cruise won't work but its a Hooptie for errands so... but yes, don't wait for something to fail and have it checked out.
Had a job snowball like this on my car. Noticed a torn lower control arm bushing. During LCA removal, the lower ball joint boot was shredded. Then, during sway bar link removal, they crumbled to pieces (probably factory at 250k miles). Then, during wheel speed sensor removal, it snapped off inside the knuckle. Then the CV axle took the inner bearing race with it coming out. Then the sledge took out the CV axle’s threads so the whole axle had to be replaced too. $70 to $240 in a few short days!
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq I did the labor myself, that was just parts. I assume if I brought it to a shop, i'd be looking at a bill healthily in the four figures.
Wizards absolutely right, fix the issue or it will turn into a bigger problem, I've learned the hard way, on my vehicles, cutting corners, will make things worse
I have been looking for an honest shop like Omega. Sadly i live thousands of miles away . If people like to see what happens if you don`t get things fixed in time, go look at the youtube channel 'just rolled in'
Hmm 100k and needs rear wheel bearings. Yea I don't know all the cars I've had never needed one replaced at up to 250k miles. Oh they kinda fixed the issue by 2014 with headgaskets, also another issue I've only had fail on me at 242k miles on my matrix and one that started to fail at 224k on my eclipse. It's too much for me to consider subarus nowadays, not to mention oil burning/eating from the factory.
Big difference between most shops and the Wizard is, most shops would just replace everything on the customer's list. The Wizard actually looks at everything and only does what's really needed.
OMEGA needs to be a franchise throughout the USA. Gives customers peace of mind knowing they're not scamming.
There are honest shops out there, first go by google reviews and then once you've accumulated some car knowledge, you'll be able to figure out what's needed and when to see if a mechanic is pulling your leg
@@droma2366 unfortunately you wouldn't get that level of service at all of them. The wizard would not be able to monitor every shop insuring quality service. He can hire what he thinks are people who could seem as competent as he is but you really never know. Sadly is just like everything else with a higher quantity you get a lower quality.
@@johnnysouza5601 exactly
I'm very thankful for my Honda dealer. They're just like Wizard in that respect; not replace anything unnecessary and only worry about the things that really need looking at. Except for the cabin air filter they've done every bit of maintenance to my car from day 1.
As a retired film sound recordist, if you want to record bearing sounds etc., see if you can get hold of a small PZM microphone (Pressure Zone Mic). These don't have any aperture for air vibrations to enter, the body of the mic couples acoustically with the surface (such as a bolt or metal surface) you hold them against. They may also be known as a boundary layer microphone.
Dean Markley makes a cheap contact mic
Thanks for the great service, CarWizard!!! Hoping to let this car drive me into retirement in 5-7 years!
APPRECIATE your great service!!!
Also vehicle completely silent now. Definitely had some deferred maintenance from before!
As good as you are to it I think it will, and then some.
Let the CVT transmission serve you well Sir....thats the weak point,but Wizard knows,so-its 50% win
@@jirka87 yep. Had that service done right after I purchased it. Definitely will every 50-75k.
Subys are tanks!!!
Wizard you are THE MAN! My father-in-law is a super cheapskate and he hates to spend any money on auto maintenance. I once went for a ride with him and I heard a terrible grinding and scraping sound every time he put on the brakes. I asked him how long that noise had been going on and he said "Oh, about a year." I told him that he definitely needed a brake job immediately. Grudgingly he took his car in for the work and the mechanic found that the front brake pads were completely gone and the bolts used to hold the brake pads to the backing plate had ground almost all the way through the rotors. Needless to say it was vastly more expensive to repair that damage, but more importantly my father-in-law could have killed himself and his wife and his family and/or others because he didn't want to spend a few bucks for a routine brake job. I'll never understand that way of thinking.
These people feel as if ANY expense is a personal attack against them. So they respond with resistance and refusal. But as you stated, that way of thinking is tremendously expensive. Whats sad is these people “think” they are being frugal, when in reality, they are causing their car repair bills to end up costing 1-200% more than just doing normal maintenance.
@@CarWizard Thank you for responding. I love your channel and watch you all the time. You are 100% correct. It's like the people who will risk destroying a $5,000 to $10,000 engine because they don't want to spend $50 to $100 for an oil change. It makes no sense. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure!
@@1notgilty Did he also refuse to change his oil?
@@CarWizard this is how my old boss felt when I told him that stuff on my work truck was broken. They just don't want to spend the money and he took my telling him about truck issues as an attack against his competence.
@@CarWizard it's like with engine oil and transmission fluid changes. Spend a little now for fresh fluid or spend thousands on a replacement unit a year later.
Mr. & Mrs. Wizard seem like such nice, down to earth folks. Definitely the kind of people that their customers could trust to do the right thing. A rare quantity in this day and age.
As a former Acura Service Advisor, I often cited Goss, on Goss' Garage on Motorweek on PBS, to help explain maintenance strategies, such as replacing tensioners and other such parts along with the timing belt. He was great at helping consumers understand that 'you don't want to go back into that part of the engine for another 100,000 miles...' and so forth. You are likewise performing a great service to the driver-consumer, Car Wizard, by illustrating important proactive and preventative maintenance, thus saving them time and money. Well done ! G.P.
RIP Goss
RIP Pat Goss. It was kind of a shocker when he passed.
I didnt know
Oh, like the car's going to last another 100,000 ... oh wait, did you say Acura? Of course! Take care of it and keeeep driving it as long as you like. Preventive maintenance kills future surprises.
I've got 230,000 miles on my 2016 Subaru Outback. Getting ready to give it a complete once over. It runs like a champ.
Mr. WIZARD I really appreciate your candor.
It’s a Blessing having the funds to repair a car at a moment’s notice.
Buy a cheaper car.
My dad was a mechanic for over 30 yrs . I remember him.telling someone what would you rather spend $ 200 now to fix or $2000 to fix later
"Best plastic trees in the planet ! " 🤣 Thanks for the laugh Mrs Wizard.
I used to be a king of deferred maintenance, until one day, I let the brakes go so long, the grinding sound finally went away, and then a few days later, the remnants of the pad finally self ejected on my 2001 Ford Probe, and the cost to fix the damage was eye opening - that car is long gone - but my little get around 2000 Civic, gets all the love she needs and she has never let me down and barely costs me a penny other than gas.
I hope you do check the brakes on the Civic though, as they will need replacement eventually just like the Probe. lol
Great advice.....if you have a mechanic you can trust. If you don't, there are enough sheisters out there who will take you to the cleaners and prey on ignorance. That's a big part of the problem. Finding a trustworthy place and building a relationship is key, but it's hard to find those places. Honest and trustworthy mechanics like the Wizard are unfortunately getting hard to find.
wheel bearings and brakes are nothing to mess around with. If you ever have a wheel bearing melt down on the highway, it's something that you will not forget.
Few will also forget when your transmission self-destructs on the highway, in my case almost exactly halfway between home and my destination (325-350 miles). I lost 2nd gear and 5th gear in rather spectacular fashion - sounded like a gunshot when it turned loose. Shockingly enough, the truck was still drivable, and I nursed it the 300+ miles to a repair shop near my destination (I have family who have lived there for years, and I leaned on them for advice - the second mechanic they use told me who he'd subcontract it out to, and I went to them). Got a Ford Motorcraft rebuilt tranny with a 3 year/100k mile warranty, and I can take it to any Aamco or Ford Dealer for warranty service.
Also on your trailer. They blow out every summer on boat trailers everywhere where I live in the summer. Fun weekend drive home
@@mikegreen2229 the first warm weekend in late spring is when the boat trailers with bad bearings end up on the side of the highway.
Makes sense the customer is like this. Much like mechanical issues with cars, teeth are very similar. Using this same advice, someone would be in a way better situation with teeth if one would have the work done and paid for it earlier on. The further you let it go, the worse and more expensive it gets.
I was asked by a couple of People I go Offroading with, "why don't you ever have car issues while on the tracks". I told them it is because I do preventive maintenance, so as soon as I suspect something is not right I check it and then replace it asap if needed
True. Problems don’t fix themselves and usually become worse.
I wish everyone had a camera person with the skills of Mrs. Wizard!! Always great camera work and cuts!!!
Subaru is still one of the "designed to be serviced" makes (or at least was 10-15 years ago). Everything is made to be taken apart with minimal disassembly of unrelated parts. Had a 2008 Legacy, and it chewed up all it's wheel bearings within 175 thousand kilometers, but nothing was super expensive, nor took hours to do. It was a bit more maintenance heavy, than some other brands, but at least it was very doable when something needed to be changed.
I’m pleased to report my 2019 Crosstrek is still designed to be serviced. They even asked me when I bought it if I wanted to see where the oil filter and drain plug are! Most things are really easy to repair in your driveway. Any air filters (cabin or engine) take less than a minute to get to!
I enjoy popping the hood and EASILY identifying what every is. AND, when I look down, I can actually see the pavement in more than a few locations. Most cars seem to be 3-4-5 layer engine bays, while the Subaru is maybe 2 layer. Also had a wheel bearing fail at 43k miles, everything else has been oil/tires/brakes/gas, at 75k now.
I could hear a slight roar after he increased wheel speed without the stethoscope. Good video Mr. and Mrs. Wizard 👍
Agree. Did also. Many years ago we owned a Subaru Legacy Wagon (2WD) and it had a bearing go bad on the front. Sound was very similar.
A loooooong time ago, a coworker had a Ford pickup that he routinely parked backed-in outside the area I worked in. One day, I looked out the window and noticed there was a metal ring around his axle. It was what was left of his drum brake hanging there. I told him about it, and he replied, "Yeah, I thought the brakes felt a little weird."
hahaha. great story
Another word of wisdom is for the shade tree mechanic, to know your mechanical/diagnostic limits.
Car Wizard is genuinely saving the automobile industry 1 vehicle at a time🙏🏿✊🏾
I sell Subarus and sold a brand new 2022 Outback the other day to a customer who had to buy a new car because her 2011 Outback blew a head gasket. She maintained it meticulously from new and it only had 156K miles on it. My 2012 Corolla has 150K miles on it and has never needed any major work.
Meanwhile, my 112,000 mile 2001 Subaru Outback LLBean just keeps on running and running and running....
The H6 engine RULES!
Great video!
Excellent
190k on my 2010 legacy 2.5i (CVT) - the thing is a tank! Perfect road-trip car.
H6? Does that mean Horizontally opposed 6 cylinder?
@@dwightbetten7208
Yes.
@@dwightbetten7208 Yes, that is what Subaru calls the EZ30d engine. DOHC 24 valve 3.0 liter, 217 hp. No head gasket issues and no timing belt.
Most manufacturers refer to a six cylinder horizontally opposed engine as an "F6" or flat six. It even has "H6-3.0" as a badge stuck on the grill and on the hatch. Subaru always likes to be a bit different....
We have State Inspection in PA. And the garage discovers problems before they become bigger problems. If your vehicle doesn’t pass inspection it gets fixed or you don’t drive it once the sticker expires.
Hard to find a honest mechanic that actually knows what he is doing like Mr. Wizard 👍
Maintenance and repairs are what I call really cheap insurance. Want to see all that money your saving not maintaining your vehicle evaporate? One accident will haunt you for years and cost you far more than the repair ever would have.
The very FIRST STEP is to find a mechanic who will not cheat you, play games, or sabotage your car.
I have all 3 of these things happen to me over the years.
They are the same as appliance repair men who have been caught on camera doing all of these things.
The Car Wizards has the coolest walk on TH-cam! I'd love to see a continuous loop video of him just waddling around on his stubby little legs with Pantera's WALK as the background music!
One of the thing I like to point out wizard is if you look at Japan’s severe duty intervals they say to change the CVT fluid every 30 K which I think for the CVT transmission is a good idea to do that on mine I have the conventional five-speed automatic and I change that fluid about every 10,000 with the oem Idemitsu fluid they also are the OEM supplier for the Honda power steering and I believe the transmission fluid as well. And also the Nissan OEM fluid
You're good till about 60k on Subaru CVT's... but in my area most shops won't touch them at all or not till 100k... lifetime fluid my @ss...
25-30K with my 18 CRV, did the break in oil at first oil change and the service writer wanted to hug me for being pro active, I'm at 107,000 now and still shifts like new, same with the rear diff, I do them both at the same time. 5k on oil changes too, 10K changes are insane
JATCO cvt transmissions are garbage. Do not put off changing the fluid on those. A friend had a Nissan Rouge and the transmission went out on her while she was on a highway. Could have killed her.
Nothing is lifetime.
People like this are my favorite kind of customers. :)
Wish we all could have a Car Wizard.
These are such awesome all round cars.
In the snow and ice these are pure talent.
Nice to see you keeping this one in such good condition
If you've been to the Grand Teton National Park, which is just south of Yellowstone, I'm sure you've been to Jackson Hole. It's the valley below the Teton range. It's also a ski area in the Tetons. I have photos of myself going off of Corbet's Couloir back in the 80's.
BTW... Subarus are the official car of Jackson Hole.
I have been doing that to my 2011 chrysler 300 I bought with 135k miles. Put some suspension and got the pentastar tick fixed before massive damage happened. 171k miles now and it is running top notch still. Just replaced the last control arms for my front suspension and steering shake went away for good. Preventative maintenance is very important indeed.
I have a 2015 Subaru Forester that had a rear bearing start to make noise. I thought about doing the job myself as the procedure to replace them is pretty simple. However if you live anywhere where they put salt on the roads in the winter, it is a pain to get the old bearing out. It's fused in there with rust. After watching several TH-cam videos of people hammering/torching/swearing to get the old bearing out, I decided to let a mechanic handle it.
Right there with you. I'm doing the same on my 2016 Forester. My fear is that I'll beat the crap out of the hub assembly to the point where I can't drive on it to get it to a shop if it doesn't come off.
Subaru underbodies are magnets to rust if you don't protect them. Also older models have wheel bearings that can be an "absolute pain to replace."
I specifically looked for rust on the subframe buying my Forester, which was a PNW car all it's 21 year life, and it was really clean despite the exhaust being rusty.
@@rturner4205 Subies have gotten much better in that respect. I live in New Jersey and mine has 100k miles it has very little rust.
I ordered the stuff to do the job (on my Outback) and couldn’t get it to budge. I ended up spending $500 at a shop instead of $150 doing it myself. That hurt.
I get that coolant smell every once in a while driving around. I always suspect another car if my engine temp has not changed. Then when I go down the road a bit and the smell goes away, I know it's not my car. If it were, the smell would persist. I do a visual under my hood periodically.
"Oh look, I'm low on gas. I don't have time to fill up. Going to keep going. 'E' means "eh, I'll be fine..." Do that too many times and you can burn up your fuel pump (that can cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars to replace). Fuel has a dual purpose of keeping the pump from overheating. You also want to avoid sucking up sediment, although the sock filter will trap some but not all of that.
Wow, the Wizard's customer is really into his window decals. I don't recommend going crazy with rear window decals - a cop might give you a ticket if it obscures your rear view.
You pay thousands for a car with a view out so you can see traffic etc...and then you put stickers on the windows and hang doodads off the interior mirror?
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq The view outside? What do you need that for? The "tank slit side windows" fifth and sixth generation Camaro have entered the chat.
Yep, the wheel bearing is definitely going bad. Nice inspection method! 👍🏼🔥
That "smell thing" happened to me on friday, when I was driving my 2003/04 Honda Fit! I stopped the car and then I find out that the smell came from an other car, next to me!!! LOL
I'm the same way. What people don't realize is that it will cost you 50.00 at the rime and one bill can total out the ACV (Actual Cash value) of the car. This is why I still drive a 2004 Buick Park Avenue Ultra with the Buick 231 Supercharged 3800 and is so cheap to fix and I can do most of the maintenance my self like brakes spark plugs oil change PS and brake fluid every year. The alternator cost was 69.00 for A/C Delco OEM and I did it my self took me about 20 minutes to do.
Love seeing a Subaru Outback in the shop and owned by a responsible owner. I love my Outback and I only bring it to a shop like Wizard’s and who also specialize in Subarus for everything. Only took it to the dealer once and that was for the first oil change that was free.
Also with the Subarus it's really important to maintain your diffs. I had an 08 Impreza and my center diff went out and my rear was on its way out. While the noises and driving experience were awful, the car never left me stranded.
This car is the perfect statement for a dentist or other highly skilled professional. Shows that you aren't overcharging your clients by driving a flashy new Mercedes, yet that you are a meticulous person by having a clean as hell slightly older car and can afford to keep it that way. Granted if you are somebody like a financial planner for rich people, the optics would be better if you trade in that Benz every 2-3 years.
Subaru is what the Japanese call the Pleiades star cluster. That is what the emblem is. A star cluster.
at 11:40 you say "the brakes are..." Can you show us one time what you are looking at and where to look? That would be really helpful
Rotor will be smooth. No scoring. Pad thickness .like how far away the metal pad wear indicator is.you should take off wheel for this to check both pads a even.wizard is doing a half ass job bc video length matters on TH-cam
Hi Mr. Wizard. I have 2 Subarus and I have no complaints at all. 2003 Forester XS Premium and 2015 Forester XT Touring, thanks thats the noise that was heard on my wife's 2003 Forester when the rear wheel bearings needed replacement ! and we had it done .
It’s a lot easier for Mrs wizard to have concerns addressed when her husband is a mechanic with a shop, than it is for the average joe without those accommodations. For someone to say they don’t have time and or money is a realistic situation for most people.
My struts are gone in front but other things pop up!
I was quoted $1600 on my 2001 Saturn SL2 the other day. They wanted to do almost a full break job, with break fluid too I believe, and also wanted to fix the leaks they found underneath the car by replacing parts.
My Saturn is less than 140k miles and has saved me a ton of money, but like I could almost buy another Saturn for the cost of those repairs. Or put that money down towards my next car.
To me, it's not worth it. Maybe just the break job. I really would like to get another car when prices go down tough.
Odd thing with wheel bearings. I bought a Ford Mondeo with about 60,000 miles on it that for some reason had snow tires on it. Driving it I could feel a problem with the rear left bearing (probably kerbed) but my mechanic refused to believe me twice. I bought some good Pirelli P7's and finally he could sense it and said I wouldn't have believed it b/c they are sealed units... I use a different mechanic now. I replace parts before they become an issue and the car has never let me down.
I had a rumbling noise and took it to my local garage who diagnosed a rear wheel bearing.
Two new rear wheel bearings later, the noise was still there.
They then suspected front wheel bearings.
Two new front wheel bearings later, the noise was still there.
They then suspected the fifth drive bearing.
One new drive bearing later, the noise was still there.
By then it was due an MOT test and it failed on tyres.
Although the tyres were only six months old with only 1,000 miles wear, the tread had gone "knobbly".
Four new tyres later, the noise had gone.
Don't you reckon that the same garage that gave me an MOT fail, would have noticed the tyres when the wheels came off for wheel bearings?
I didn't even get compensation for my tyres that were obviously defective from the outset.
Just had a car last week like this I showed the young one in the shop a great lesson that day the tires were chopped and an inexperienced tech would think a wheel bearing was bad because it sounded just like one but it was just tires 800 later and the customer was happy jeep only had 51k miles shocks were good all around just cheap tires I always say cheap tires get cheap results
It sounds like you may have just had an alignment problem since the tires were only six months old with only 1,000 miles on them. The alignment would have cost you around $100 and still needed to be done after you paid for all the other stuff. Yikes!
Sounds like the wheel bearings being bad jacked up the tires. Makes since. When you are diagnosing something you don't jump into the obvious new tires first.
Wheel bearings are fairly easy to diagnose while driving. If you turn left and the noise goes away, you have a bad bearing on the left side. If the noise gets louder, bad bearing is on the right side.
Also you can jack up the car and hold lightly on the spring while rotating the wheel. If the bearing is bad you can feel a vibration on the spring.
I drive a 2014 Toyota Camry LE, 4 CYL. I keep it up really well. I bought it for 9K in cash. Had it sience 2020 with the unemployment bonus plus some extra cash every month I was getting. The car sat for several months so I had some work to get done on it. All four tires were dry rotted, I put about 10,000 miles on them, and finally got them all done. Front passanger wheel bearing was noisy so that was fixed. Went to the dealership and had them fix the AC. Something behind the dash, and the AC compresser on the engine were bad, no leaks. Works great now. Then had the dealership do a full, FULL brake job and the rear driver side caliper boot was torn, who knows how long. That all was replaced. Just last month I had the Transmission fluid and filter done at 79K miles. The service says between 60K and 100K. Fluid was clean no metal or anything bad. Should last another 70K or so. At 100,000 miles I am planing on having them do the belts, water pump and tensioner pully.
If *ANYTHING* changes on your car -- *ANYTHING* -- that means something is wrong, and it's only going to get worse. It will never fix itself -- even if the blinking light or rough running or squeak or rattle goes away, that is only temporary. Any change of any kind is *ALWAYS* a sign that something is wrong, and could go "wronger" soon. Never *EVER* ignore what your car is telling you.
I use the same reasoning with my body, the slightest pain or sign I check it out and fix it.
I love my Subarus, been driving them since 2004. The engines are kind of a pain to do some maintenance on (looking at you, sparkplugs) though. On my '04, the front-right wheel bearing was practically a biennial maintenance item. We never found another problem with it and I wasn't driving into curbs over going offroading, but I think I went through 5 in the 12 years I owned that one.
Wizard I believe it’s 75-90 I have a 2013 3.6 R legacy, maybe the four-cylinder 2.5 takes a different weight of differential oil? I run mobile one in the front and rear diffs, I would also check his lower control arm front lower control arm bushings the rear that are connected in the back of the arm or 10 to crack it’s the same set up Toyota has. What’s funny is I think I’m starting to lose a wheel bearing in the same area ! I’ve on my car since new I am anal on maintenance are on mobile one full synthetic 5-30, been running that oil since 3000 miles on the clock in the car. Along with the OEM black Tokay Roku Subaru oil filter.
That's why it's called "Preventive maintenance"🤑
Some shops and dealers charging $600-800 or more for 2 pads and rotors may have something to do with people trying to extend their life. Plus not everyone understands cars the way you and most of your viewers do. I purchased my NORTHSTAR 2003 Seville with 55,000 miles for $4K because it needed $1,000 in Ebay parts. Purchased and installed them myself. Seller thought it was falling apart and sold it cheap. 10 years and 100,000 miles later, the car has cost a few thousand to maintain. Luckily I got one of the good Northstar motors. Synthetic oil for its life with me. No major issues so far. EDIT: The car is a spare and mostly sits in the driveway but it always starts and runs if I need it. $42K MSRP when it was new in '03.
Here in the UK from the Del Boy school of mechanics, that's what your radio is for?
Hear a funny noise, you turn the radio up! 😃
Shout out to Jackson Hole! Beautiful place. My extended family alternates between there and several other places on a 5 year basis and the Jackson Hole trip is always my favorite!
Wizard, please make a video for what should be checked and how, when buying a used. Perhaps checklist from front to back. This video was great but perhaps something more general and applicable to most cars.
I once had a wheel bearing suddenly go on the front of my old Chevy and it got so hot that it welded the hub to the spindle. That was an expensive mistake in auto maintenance.
First thing id do is replace that CVT fluid along with the wheel bearing. Looks like a clean cared for OB
CVT was serviced by me a few months ago
Wizard on top of even the comments :-) thanks for the reply
This makes me miss my old 2014 Outback. But I needed a bigger car for family reasons.
I had a customer bring me his rolls royce this week and told me he was having a braking issue and I asked him for how long and he said “ for about a year now!!!!!”
A year!! For the brake, the car finally had to not allow him to drive any further in order to force him to bring it in…I hate those customers lol
How does someone sit on a brake problem with a car that heavy?? 😯
@@tylerhough9124 Good question?
A rich cheapskate
I have heard several people complain about the fill plugs getting confused. It would not have cost them anything extra to differentiate them. Make one a hex and one a square or allen or torx or have letters or a symbol as part of the plug casting or die. Have the drain plug match the fill plug so there is no confusion. So simple
Excellent advice, as always, Wiz 👍. It also helps to have a reliable, trustworthy mechanic who doesn't overcharge. These days, that's hard to find. Present company excepted ⭐🖖🙏🇨🇦
I'm fortunate to have a excellent shop near me. Every year for the annual state inspection I have them look over everything. They then tell me if any other items need attention and when it would need to be done
"Even if you dont have money right now, your not going to have money in the future"
-Car Wizard 2022
So take your car to the mechanic even if you cant afford the repair
Might as well just park it then and start walking. The mechanic wants to be paid, right?
I am thinking of buying one of these, a 2013 one which looks to be the exact same spec as this! thanks for all the helpful advice. great channel
Ever barter with your dentist? Trade work for work? When I was in grad school and working part-time in a car stereo store (Eugene, OR) I had a bad tooth, no insurance and had a dentist next door who's slogan was "I cater to cowards." he came in one day, looking for some speakers/installed so we ended up trading a filling for a set of 6 1/2" Pioneer 2 ways plus he left me alone with the nitrous for about half an hour before hand, won't ever forget that sickly sweet smell......
5:03, I wouldn't say "solved", but _greatly improved._
Wheel bearings are a very common problem anything over 70,000 miles. Plus you need to check the torque converter those things go bad pre 2015
That's my kind of customer. I am very much like the wizard, I hate deferred maintenance.
Get it done early is always the best advice. Servicing is key if you do it early then it will cost pennies as opposed to major dollars later on when because you were a cheapskate and couldn't be bothered for a few hundred dollars. It becomes engine out & $3,000-$5,000 later. That is squarely on the customer. I have many issues in my shop which are caused by deferred maintenance.
I'm assuming Kansas is not an inspection state, but I do remember many year ago, living in Pennsylvania they had an annual state inspection, it was mandatory and it was strict.
Aren't they supposed to catch those things on time while performing those?
Florida used to have inspections, but for some unknown reason to me its not anymore.
Boy it would be a live saver to have that here in Miami, cars don have mufflers, no fenders, tires sticking out, no brake lights, you name it
What I do, Mr. Wizard, is lift one wheel up and check, like you did, then the other. Works.....No scope needed....
Nice to have a husband that's a mechanic.
I would like to get my truck fixed as soon as I hear that something is off. I live paycheck to paycheck. I just can’t simply fix an issue right when it appears. I just have to hope and pray that when I do eventually save up for the fix, that the problem gets worse.
What if it gets worse and now cost 5 times more?
1) Buy a reliable/durable model to begin with. 2) Cheerfully pay for maintenance/preventive work via (DIY or) your highly valued/trusted mechanic 3) Doing this, your vehicle is going to remain reliable for tons of miles and the more common necessary repairs as the vehicle ages (ie: starter or alternator, rotors and pads, scheduled timing belt/water pump replacement) will seem like a more controlled and reasonable investment of both your time and money.
I had leased an Outback of that generation. The 2.5 in that drank oil like it was its job. Being an observant owner, I noticed it was using oil between changes. So, when I took it on a 180 mile highway trip, I made sure to top off the oil. By the time I was 15 miles from my destination, I immediately pulled over because the oil level warning lamp was lit. It had burned through several quarts by then. I immediately called the dealer who said it's fine and to top it off, don't worry about it. I was furious.
After being unable to get satisfaction, I traded it in early because I just wanted out. I found out a few years later that Subaru had issues with oil consumption on these new (at the time 2.5s) and they had settled a class action lawsuit, resulting in long block and engine replacements with extended warranty coverage.
deferred maintenace happens for many reasons, i've put off many repairs in my time. None of them were because I "just didn't want to deal with them". Mostly money was the issue, shop repairs are simply too costly for many folks.
I actually had a shop try to sell me a serpentine belt on my 1991 F-350 once, said that it was bad, showed me a serpentine belt that was indeed bad. But there was on major issue, my F-350 has an old IDI diesel, with V-belts, and I called them on the bullshit, because I knew this already, and had replaced all 4 belts prior. Oh, and for those wondering, the 4th belt powers the vacuum pump, off of the alternator, diesels don't make very good vacuum.
I've always told my customers, especially if they ask if it's time to buy a new car, that 'you can pay the bank or you can pay me'. IE: Maintenance will roughly equal a loan payment. Just not on a monthly basis.
You can reward yourself
Rob yourself or punish yourself
Wizard is the kinda guy you'd like to sit and chill with, have a beer and talk cars.
Very clear with the noise. You all,do great job. Learn a lot. Thx
darn. 2014 and up newer Subarus 2.5 with no head gasket problem but using timing chain. I hope those are lifetime timing chains or at least as easy to replace as the older ones with timing belts
SOME things can be put off, depending on how bad they are and not likely severely increase the cost to do them later, for example, putting off doing brakes for a month if yours are simply starting to squeak. Although safety may need to be assessed, generally putting off things like that may cause you to have to buy new rotors perhaps as the squeaking gets worse, but you can find decent new rotors for about $50 each, so if you have to wait, some things can wait a little bit. Odd engine noises, I would not put off though unless you know exactly what it is and why it's happening. On my truck (before i sold it) the idler pully was going bad, but made noise for a good six months until I replaced it. Didn't actually get worse and the belt was fine, so I put it off for a while.
Wheel bearings are another thing that you can sometimes let go for a little while. I mean if it's the bearing it will have to be replaced (or rather, the hub assembly) so it usually doesn't end up costing more than that if you let it go (as long as you don't let it get really bad, but if they are startging to go, you usually have a bit of time to replace them I've found).
If it’s squeaking and the brake pads and rotors are still good, it’s fine. Regardless of if it’s squeaking for any reason, make sure that you get it checked out.
Some things are overdoing it too and could be detrimental. Like the old transmission fluid change in a high mileage vehicle that never had it done. That’s not a reason to put everything else off too. I just think people are weary of getting ripped off replacing or “maintaining” every little thing that might not need it or be a cosmetic issue.
Not all rotors are $50. Some are $200-1000, depending on the car. If you hear squeak, check it out right away.
At the Subaru dealership I work at there a car in for a new motor cause the customer changed the oil 2 in 60,000 miles just cause they didn’t want to spend the money or wait for that to be done and now it’s going to cost them big time
Thanks for the the great videos car wizard! I find it frustrating that many if not all manufacturers are moving towards assemblies where you have to replace a huge part instead of just a small piece. For example the Ujoint on this Subaru. Not only is it costly for the consumer but a huge piece such as a driveshaft hadto be sent to scrap, so not great for the environment either. I am not a full blown tree hugger, but that kind of waste makes no sense to me!
I agree with preventing future drastic failures.
Most emergencies begin as small problems. But emergencies are a lot more expensive to fix. No need to add a tow truck charge to your vehicle maintenance costs.
I've been driving 4 years with the ABS light on. Ok. My mechanic says its the ABS Pump (Ford F250) but that it will stop without it. A new one, over $900 (the truck cost me $1K used!). I found a used/pull for $200 and still...it works without it. Ok, cruise won't work but its a Hooptie for errands so... but yes, don't wait for something to fail and have it checked out.
Had a job snowball like this on my car. Noticed a torn lower control arm bushing. During LCA removal, the lower ball joint boot was shredded. Then, during sway bar link removal, they crumbled to pieces (probably factory at 250k miles). Then, during wheel speed sensor removal, it snapped off inside the knuckle. Then the CV axle took the inner bearing race with it coming out. Then the sledge took out the CV axle’s threads so the whole axle had to be replaced too. $70 to $240 in a few short days!
Only $240?
Can I have the name and address of that mechanic? Please?
@@JohnSmith-yv6eq I did the labor myself, that was just parts. I assume if I brought it to a shop, i'd be looking at a bill healthily in the four figures.
Subaru is good about easy access to the oil filter. My 91 legacy was not as convenient, but very convenient none the less.
all i heard was knowledge the wizard shares. Thx!
Your company as a husband has put her in a state where she is smelling coolant and God forbid shortly she will start tasting oil .😁
Wizards absolutely right, fix the issue or it will turn into a bigger problem, I've learned the hard way, on my vehicles, cutting corners, will make things worse
I have been looking for an honest shop like Omega. Sadly i live thousands of miles away . If people like to see what happens if you don`t get things fixed in time, go look at the youtube channel 'just rolled in'
Hmm 100k and needs rear wheel bearings. Yea I don't know all the cars I've had never needed one replaced at up to 250k miles. Oh they kinda fixed the issue by 2014 with headgaskets, also another issue I've only had fail on me at 242k miles on my matrix and one that started to fail at 224k on my eclipse. It's too much for me to consider subarus nowadays, not to mention oil burning/eating from the factory.
Good to know from 2014 on the head gasket issues have been resolved. That headache of head gasket replacement is why I would never buy a Subaru.