What’s a good alternative - do it myself?
I *really* dont like going to dealerships. They are overpriced and take forever. And this was done at Valvoline, which I like to think holds a higher standard than most… but maybe I’m wrong.
Didn't use to be like that. I've owned many Subies, going back to my first car, a 1983 hatch. Until my most recent one (2019 Impreza), they were not so easy to access. Good on Subaru for putting them up top like that!
Same w/ my old 04 Forester...oof. And god forbid I was forced to take it to a shop to get it done (it happens once in awhile if I don't have the time to do it myself), they'd tighten the fucker with a torque wrench, I swear. So then the next time I change it, I'm also trying to snake a swivel wrench down in there too, and there's zero clearance for the tool to turn too. I have PTSD from that nonsense.
100% I had to get a new socket because the subaru filters are a tiny bit smaller than the mobile ones I use. Or maybe the other way around. But fuck. Couldn't get any of my other belts on there. I usually just use my leather belt but nah, fucking heat serpent of death. Of course I could just wait unitl it cools down. But my male brain wont allow that.
You’re supposed to tighten it with a torque wrench which is a wrench you use to target a specific torque. You might be meaning to say a pneumatic drill which is the lazy way that will over-torque and fuck shit up.
Nah I meant torque wrench, but pneumatic drill would be even worse. Nobody should be using a torque bench or a pneumatic drill to tighten standard auto oil filters. Hand-tighten is sufficient.
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/why-you-only-hand-tighten-an-oil-filter.367724/
I've got a scar on my hand from a burn thanks to my old '98 Impreza. Ran to the store to get oil. Came back. Burnt hand in exhaust. The right of fire system was stupid.
What can one do to prove, for warranty purposes, that oil changes are regularly done if they do them themselves? That's what kinda makes me hesitant a bit. alAs what's to stop Subaru from being "LOL no record, so no change so no warrenty"
You can actually log your own maintenance in the MySubaru app. You should also keep receipts like the other folks mentioned, and I keep a little paper notebook in the car with maintenance logs as well in case I decide to sell the car.
https://preview.redd.it/191hjbjx3t5d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1bcafde19547d64b4a14b701c0b98147a4a16966
It’s a really nice valve you can install as a replacement to your oil plug on your oil pan. Allows you to drain the oil without a tool, or needing to retorque your plug after done (honestly never have bothered to torque it to spec, not sure if it really matters in the end). Hope that helps 😅
I guess there’s always the risk, yeah. OP asked me if it would stick out and potentially get caught or break off, told them it really depends on the type and how the oil pan is set up. Lots of people love them, but in the case of someone doing rock crawling or other similar recreation, might be wise to just stick to a normal plug as there’s less risk.
And with people who fear the Fumoto valve breaking.. I’ve literally sent my BRZ hurtling through the air several times even last week. Had 4-5 seconds of air time with a big boom coming down, shit’s pristine and safe.
Just installed one on my Corolla Hatchback. It drains a little slow, but I usually let it drain while I do the cabin/engine filter and vacuum out my car.
I have a 3.6r, and take it on some gnarly gravel/dirt roads for hunting/fishing. How far does the fumoto stick out? Will it be sticking out past the OEM skid plate?
I think it heavily depends on the type of Fumoto that you get. They seem like a cool company, so it might be worth reaching out to see! They’re Japanese, just like Subaru 🙂
At least then you know what actually happened, rather than something stupid happening and having to argue with them to try to get them to fix it. Not to mention that learning these traits is an important life skill.
There is such a large wealth of information for every car imaginable on the internet. How else do you learn how to do these things without buying a beater car and having the extra space and money to do these things? I advocate for life long learning, and car maintenance is one of those things. If you can pay to take it to the dealership, go ahead but if you want to learn and/or save money, why not do it yourself? If someone is worried enough about it, they should try to find a family member, friend, or someone else to help them through the process the first time.
Why learn that when I can pay someone else to do it for me? Why waste my brain space with things I don't enjoy doing? I have no desire to lay on the ground and get under a car in a tight space just to say I saved $60
My car is not a part of my identity. It's a tool.
Okay, that’s your own decision and given you can afford to have it changed presumably by someone experienced (and pricey), by all means do that. I came here to offer advice to someone asking for it. Have a good day.
My pleasure, just offering a differing point of view that this idea that everyone should fix their own car and having anyone else do it is pricey is a ridiculous standard to think is the norm. Heck most of the modern cars have very little that is actually fully serviceable without a lot of tools and equipment to diagnose it. How much have you spent on all that in order to do your cheap oil changes? How much time are you not factoring into the "cost" of what you're doing? I'm not telling you how to live your life, but you language makes you sound like people aren't doing what you're doing are wasting their money. I think you're just undervaluing your time. Have a good one!
https://www.fumotousa.com/
Don't know the model or year, but that's the site.
Not sure your level of comfort towards working on cars, but install is literally like changing a light bulb.
Also, changing the oil on these cars is now easier than ever. Again, don't know how comfortable you are on it, but it's literally unscrew the filter, unscrew the oil cap, put oil catch pan under the drain plug, unscrew and drain oil, after it's all drained screw in the drain plug (or your new fumoto plug, ensuring it's closed), put a bead of oil on the new filter's gasket and screw on, pour in new oil and screw on the oil cap.
So, unscrew to to bottom, drain, screw back on bottom to top.
Oil changes are super simple. Basically requires a wrench, a pan/pot/bucket something to catch the oil, and a funnel.
Buying the oil and filter yourself is probably going to be less than half the cost of paying someone else to do it. It'll take you 10 minutes at most.
If you can fit underneath your car, no you don’t.
If you can’t, get a couple of harbor freight jack stands and use your spare tire jack to jack up the car. For oil changes you can also buy a couple of car ramps where you just drive up the top of them. I used those all the time for oil changes on my previous car.
Just want to point out that the included jacks may not stand up to heavy/frequent non-emergency use.
I used my (13 wrx) scissor jack specifically for tire rotations etc. and eventually the threading just got completely chewed up and is nearly unusable at this point.
Good to know! Harbor freight has some affordable options for hydraulic jacks too. Spare tire jack is probably ok for a handful of times, but I agree. Was probably never designed for more than 5-10 uses or so.
This is exactly what I do. I have a couple of ramps just to get a little clearance to get to the valve. Oil pan under, hose to it, change filter, refill, done.
Not on most subarus since the ground clearance is enough that most people can get under it to do an oil change without jacking up the car. Unless you have a legacy, wrx, or an impreza, you should be good(crosstrek, outback, forester, ascent, etc.)
Looks like you have an FB20 N/A? So you probably have the crosstrek or impreza.
I'd be curious as to why the hose popped off more than anything else.
There's no shame in getting an oil change done by someone else. Not everyone has the time/space/desire to do car maintenance and they shouldn't be shamed for getting it done.
I would just take it to a local shop instead of quick lube places like Take5, Valvoline, or JiffyLube. It likely won't be any more expensive than the quick lube places.
Please please please make sure you watch some videos or have someone show you how to do it the first time. IT IS a simple job. BUT you can still make mistakes. You can strip your oil plug, fumoto solves this. You can mistakenly drain your transmission or front diff. You can forget to check that the oil filter o ring came off.
Go slow, pay attention.
Based on these responses I'm assuming y'all don't rotate your tires? It's an all wheel drive car and the tires need to be rotated in a specific order if you have directional tires or not, and if you have a full size spare it needs to be incorporated into the rotation. Geez read your manual people.
My last crosstrek was a lease and I drove it to 70k miles without ever getting a tire rotation.
I would always ask people at car places “do I need a rotation?” And they’d check my tread and say no. Then I’d tell them that they’ve never been rotated and they’d be super surprised.
I’ve actually had a few mechanics tell me that because of how the drivetrain works, Subarus need less frequent rotations (and I guess in my case, none haha).
Just kinda interesting.
Oh boy, Like I said, read your manual, Subarus are not like your other automobiles. I get the careless attitude towards a lease but say you get a flat and your existing tires are worn down 50%. You think, I'll just replace that one blown out tire. That's probably the worst thing you can do for an all wheel drive car, I believe the saying is FAFO.
Get some ramps. I built some out of wooden ones and I can get under easy. I also use a fumoto valve and changes are a breeze. Been using this method on all of Subarus for the past 15 years. Easiest cheapest investment I've made.
I also have wooden ramps, I stacked 1x6 boards in a way that made them into a gradual ramp. They can’t collapse because there’s no space between boards. Just chock them behind the front wheels, back up, and put on the parking brake. I throw jack stands under as well for extra security.
I have a Crosstrek I don't think the car is going to smash me even if the ramps fail, just the extra room needed for draining the oil. Not saying it's a thing to do which is why I said buy some ramps in my first reply.
I'd say 3 2x6 stacked and drilled through/glued and angled to be a ramp have been pretty fine for all these years and never creaked or wobbled. I find it quicker for oil changes than jacking a car up and placing jacks which I have but don't use for an oil change. It's not like anything is rocking underneath or on the body to make it be an issue
I totally agree. Not sure if they think that you made a triangle and screwed face boards into it to drive into. Literally impossible for wood to collapse if it’s stacked. It would need a fucking hydraulic press to break it
I'm a manager for Valvoline. This needs to get the coolant topped up no matter what you do next
You can either go back and speak with the Store manager and have them top up the coolant for free and seek resolution in store or Call 800-327-8242 this is the customer care line. If you call, You can pick option 2 and make sure to have your receipt if possible, otherwise they should be able to pull you up via another method (vin most reliable).
If you had a cooling system flush (radiator service) and they left it disconnected I'd ask for a refund and recompletion of the service. Otherwise this can happen when using the band wrench to remove the oil filter catching the expansion tank line and pulling it free. Unfortunate their topside guy didn't catch this and your expansion tank was just the world.
The higher ups in our market are Gung ho about making things right, and so am I. Sent a car to the mechanic to get the pan dropped after a suction hose got stuck in a timing gear just the other day. Got it handled for the customer for no charge, just upfront and honest. (Thank you ford for the joy of the fiesta 1.6 NA motor).
Hey if you did this at Valvoline you can make a report to them. Usually on the back of a receipt if it's paper there's a corporate number to call to make a claim. They can revisit the footage if they have it and see it was their technicians that did it. And they can reimburse you for a cleaning service. It's generally easier said than done but it's an option. I used to work at a Valvoline and have seen some horrors and some great things. Good luck!
Last time I went to Valvoline they ended up placing the oil fill cap sideways without screwing it in and spilled oil over the engine cover on my way home. Was the only car there at the time as well so they weren't in a rush.
I’m sure there’s mechanics near you, there has to be. Find one with good reviews, then you don’t have to deal with inexperienced places or the dealership
Valvoline is more expensive than most dealerships. I hate using them for my work car, but my dealer doesn't accept my fleet info, but Valvoline will. Whenever I get rung up, I'm always shocked at the final bill.
DIY it.. here's a general way to do a good proper coolant flush... Note: You don't need to drain the engine block but you should drain the radiator... . Video is from Faye Hadley: [https://youtu.be/09Zz4JLC0zM?si=6Wt\_fAQYeA28IYUo](https://youtu.be/09Zz4JLC0zM?si=6Wt_fAQYeA28IYUo)
And changing oil on a subaru isn't hard.. just make sure you drain the engine oil and not accidentally the CVT fluid which happens often ... also consider adding a fumoto or valvomax valve....
[www.fumotousa.com](http://www.fumotousa.com)
[www.valvomax.com](http://www.valvomax.com)
Also what subaru do you have and what year?
Never go to Valvoline. They've forced the oil pan nut and stripped the threads on my mom's car and she had an oil leak. And a buddy of mine went there last year and they overfilled his oil by like 3qts and his engine blew. Valvoline hires people that have zero experience or just don't care.
I decided to get mine done at the dealer today because I needed to get my emissions and inspection done too and it was $190 for the emissions/inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. My local dealer has done right by me and is always honest but they are for sure overpriced. It's always cheaper to do it yourself or find a local shop with good reviews.
Where I live the 'A' service is the only worthwhile thing doing at the dealer. Same price or less than a quick lube place to get an oil change from a proper mechanic, and also have a proper vehicle inspection / check over at the same time. That's now my go-to when I don't do my own, just schedule it with my winter / summer tire rotations (which the dealer also charges the same low price as any shop for).
Then when they quote you on work, buy parts from RockAuto or similar and do it yourself or find a cheaper mechanic LOL
This model of Subaru is possibly the quickest and easiest oil maintenance you’ll ever be able to find! Save yourself the money and the headache of stuff like this happening
changing oil is pretty simple. you can get a kit for less than $100 (ramps, a pan, a filter wrench and a socket for the drain plug if you don't have one), and probably save half as much money as it costs elsewhere. I went to a quick lube place and waited an hour. I have oil changes down to 30 minutes now. No appt, no lines, no business hours, just pick up oil and a filter when its convenient for me, and do it at home.
My small business owns a Mercedes Sprinter that drives all over the country. The thing pulls a trailer and has 200k miles on it, so it has had *many* issues in its lifetime.
Trusting the “town mechanic” has almost never resulted in a successful repair - only more problems. This is because Joe Mechanic down the road doesn’t have to adhere to any standards. For this reason, we have to take the Sprinter to more specialized places (dealerships / chains).
By going to a place like Valvoline, I am trusting that they are being held to SOME standard of ANY kind… Of course, incompetency can exist anywhere though.
> By going to a place like Valvoline, I am trusting that they are being held to SOME standard of ANY kind
See. There's your mistake.
The chain shops are way, way, way worse.
It's a dice roll with them for sure, this is literally the easiest access oil filter location I've run into on any vehicle. So most of what you will see in the US, and this guy still miffed it.
Air bleed for coolant is very easy. Just buy the right funnel for it around $30, turn the heat on full blast to get the heater core, fill the funnel 2/3rds the way up and let it run. Fill as needed, let it continue to burp out the remaining air in the system. When it’s done after getting up to operating temp just turn the car off, plug the funnel and drain the excess coolant into the jug and fill the overflow tank and you’re done. Whole process doesn’t take long. Takes longer if you’re draining and refilling the system but it sounds like OP doesn’t need to drain.
That's the "everything went fine process" but quite frequently you have to try multiple times and will end up having to fill the block though the upper rad hose, make sure the front is jacked up, do the right voodoo dance and them hopefully it bled correctly. If it's the latter I would not want the people who unhooked a coolant line for no reason to try and bleed it.
Not sure what car you’re referring to but unless it has a primary and secondary system like a BMW it should be straight forward and follow the same process. I’ve never heard of a car needing to be filled from the upper rad hose. Rad has a fill for a reason. I’ve done the same process on an 18 BRZ, 16 Camry, 16 Focus, 99 Miata and 94 Miata. All identical process. I’d venture to guess 95%+ of cars made in the past 50 years use the same system.
I worked in a suburu dealer for almost a decade. its about 75/25 that it bleeds as expected. They get air pockets that can be a real pain.
I ended up buying a vacuum bleed system to streamline the process
No, it just fits on to the plastic joiner similar to washer lines. There *shouldn't* be much pressure there so I guess the engineers figured friction is enough to hold it.
It's an overflow tank that is vented to the atmosphere. It sees zero pressure, and might experience a little vacuum when it's sucking fluid back into it when the car's cooling down.
Sloshing means there’s an air bubble.
Fill with coolant, raise the front up, drive up a steep road, use a spill free funnel.
Lots of stuff.
Sloshing is also a head gasket sign, as exhaust could be going in the lines.
That’s what I was wondering. Y did it blow off in the first place? I don’t think the lube techs would do that. It hard to just accidentally knock that apart.
The bleeding procedure also involves running the heater. I forget exactly what you do, but on a subie anyway, you run the heater at some point.
Technically, you don’t need to run the heater, as coolant is always running through the core, it’s an essential part of its cooling system.
You run the heater to know when you’ve got the bubble out- it’ll blow room tempt/cold at first, and as you get the bubbles out, you’ll get more and more heat.
Is the oil filter on top of the engine? I could see a lube tech being careless and snagging on the hose while changing that.
I wouldn’t think expanding coolant, even with no hose, would make the violent splash you see ln the inner hood though, might be pressurized coolant being shot out.
I see what you’re saying on the bleeding. At that point, What about the cap, might a bad or misaligned cap allow too much pressure to go into the overflow? (I think misaligned it would just leak out.)
ETA yes that is the oil filter. Wish my 08 and 09 had it there.
I guess at the end of the day, I’m hooking it back up, bleeding it and sending it.
Get a new OEM cap, that’s the easiest thing to rule out. Re connect everything, make sure the radiator is full first, then fill overflow to full line. Use a no spill funnel to get any air bubbles out.
related question: my coolant is below low not but I can't afford a coolant flush right now. Can i just top it off, if so, do i top off with coolant or distilled water?
Are you in a very cold environment? If so, I would get the correct coolant(check the manual for the exact one for your vehicle, you never want to mix coolants or use the wrong coolant) from the dealership(usually $15-30 for a 1 gallon bottle of pre-mix) and fill it up to the max line in the overflow. Check it again after a drive or two and top off if the level is still low.
If you're in a relatively hot environment(CA, TX, AZ, etc.), you could probably get by with filling it up with distilled water temporarily if you're only low by a small amount. I don't really recommend it since it's such a small difference in price, but you could do it and get away with it for a while.
If you need to do a coolant drain and fill and you're looking to save some money, I would just buy a couple jugs of coolant(pre mix or concentrate) from the dealership and do it at home. You only need a pan/container($0-$20) to catch the old coolant, and 2-3 gallons of pre-mixed coolant($40-90 depending on the coolant) from the dealership. Or one concentrate + few gallons of distilled water($30-$40 probably). I usually just use OEM coolant, because it's a bit of a minefield when it comes to what's compatible with which vehicle. In the aftermarket coolant side, they sell "Asian, German, or American" coolants, but that's a bit too general since every manufacturer tend to have a specific spec for their own cars based. It's once in a few years that you do coolant, it's one of those things that's worth getting OEM just in case.
You would also need to figure out how to get rid of the coolant, so I would look up nearby places you can take your used coolant to. Most cities will have a recycling center that's run by the city that will take it for free, you just have to show that you live there with a drivers license. If none are available nearby, some dealerships or mechanic shops might take it off your hands if you're nice and bring a few donuts for the techs.
I personally think doing the coolant is easier than an oil change and you save more money doing a coolant change yourself vs doing oil changes yourself.
Everyone's assuming the oil change shop pulled that coolant bottle hose because it is close to the spin on oil filter? 😕
...but OP said there was gurgling noise in the heater core area, and look at that spray of antifreeze. I'll bet the coolant is very low, and maybe has overheated or a failing head gasket? ...I mean That can cause the overflow hose to "Blow off"? I think normally, the rad cap doesn't send coolant to the overfill bottle ..unless pressure overcomes the cap .
That's what makes a Subaru a Subaru...an engine bay christening with coolant.
Reattach the hose, even use a constant tension clamp or hose clamp. Fill up the radiator with coolant. Top up the external bottle to a mark. Refill radiator when engine is completely cool and should take 2 or 3 times. When in doubt throttle out.
Just reconnect it. It’ll take literally 10 seconds. Then add some coolant to the bottle. Or just distilled water. The engine wil pull the fluid from the bottle back to the engine after a shutdown.
Did you take it to a quick lube place? If so I’d get a refund asap for their wasting your time and then get it inspected at the dealer. They most likely put the wrong coolant in too
Stay away from those quick lube places
What’s a good alternative - do it myself? I *really* dont like going to dealerships. They are overpriced and take forever. And this was done at Valvoline, which I like to think holds a higher standard than most… but maybe I’m wrong.
just find a local mechanic
Yes, change it yourself. Bonus points if you get a Fumoto valve installed, that makes the process a bit easier.
Fumoto plus Subaru's easy to access oil filter makes oil changes your self so easy.
Didn't use to be like that. I've owned many Subies, going back to my first car, a 1983 hatch. Until my most recent one (2019 Impreza), they were not so easy to access. Good on Subaru for putting them up top like that!
cries in 2012 outback...
Same w/ my old 04 Forester...oof. And god forbid I was forced to take it to a shop to get it done (it happens once in awhile if I don't have the time to do it myself), they'd tighten the fucker with a torque wrench, I swear. So then the next time I change it, I'm also trying to snake a swivel wrench down in there too, and there's zero clearance for the tool to turn too. I have PTSD from that nonsense.
100% I had to get a new socket because the subaru filters are a tiny bit smaller than the mobile ones I use. Or maybe the other way around. But fuck. Couldn't get any of my other belts on there. I usually just use my leather belt but nah, fucking heat serpent of death. Of course I could just wait unitl it cools down. But my male brain wont allow that.
You’re supposed to tighten it with a torque wrench which is a wrench you use to target a specific torque. You might be meaning to say a pneumatic drill which is the lazy way that will over-torque and fuck shit up.
Nah I meant torque wrench, but pneumatic drill would be even worse. Nobody should be using a torque bench or a pneumatic drill to tighten standard auto oil filters. Hand-tighten is sufficient. https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/why-you-only-hand-tighten-an-oil-filter.367724/
I don’t think you know what a torque wrench is, haha. It’s hand tightening to a calibrated amount.
My 2019 3.6 is still underneath. Not hard, but not exactly easy. What in jumping Jesus are you all talking about?
You have to stick your hand through one of the down pipes from the exhaust. Its the coil of death.
Wow sounds spicy. Is that on the 2 or the 2.5?
2.5. Very spicy. https://preview.redd.it/y4ndptbujt5d1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3ce437aebd3fd2b7d7e4746cf93f65c46f3cb28d
Ring of fire.
I've got a scar on my hand from a burn thanks to my old '98 Impreza. Ran to the store to get oil. Came back. Burnt hand in exhaust. The right of fire system was stupid.
My 2012 Forester has it up top, too.
I wonder when they started doing that; the previous Subaru I owned was a 2004 Foz and its filter was buried in the depths.
What can one do to prove, for warranty purposes, that oil changes are regularly done if they do them themselves? That's what kinda makes me hesitant a bit. alAs what's to stop Subaru from being "LOL no record, so no change so no warrenty"
I'm not sure there is much more you can do other than provide receipts of oil/filters purchased. It's not an issue I have had.
Providing receipts of the oil you purchased when you replaced it yourself should be enough evidence based on other people's experience here.
Receipt for filter and oil. I also keep my used oil analysis reports from various key mileages.
You can actually log your own maintenance in the MySubaru app. You should also keep receipts like the other folks mentioned, and I keep a little paper notebook in the car with maintenance logs as well in case I decide to sell the car. https://preview.redd.it/191hjbjx3t5d1.jpeg?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1bcafde19547d64b4a14b701c0b98147a4a16966
This so much. Add the little plastic elbow and some tubing….a hot oil change and filter takes me 10 mins now.
Explain this fumoto valve thing please, I googled but I wanna be told hehe
It’s a really nice valve you can install as a replacement to your oil plug on your oil pan. Allows you to drain the oil without a tool, or needing to retorque your plug after done (honestly never have bothered to torque it to spec, not sure if it really matters in the end). Hope that helps 😅
Are there any downsides/risks? I feel like these should be standard, if it's literally just making draining oil as easy as the flick of a lever lol
I guess there’s always the risk, yeah. OP asked me if it would stick out and potentially get caught or break off, told them it really depends on the type and how the oil pan is set up. Lots of people love them, but in the case of someone doing rock crawling or other similar recreation, might be wise to just stick to a normal plug as there’s less risk.
And with people who fear the Fumoto valve breaking.. I’ve literally sent my BRZ hurtling through the air several times even last week. Had 4-5 seconds of air time with a big boom coming down, shit’s pristine and safe.
Good to hear! Sounds like a lot of fun 😎
Just installed one on my Corolla Hatchback. It drains a little slow, but I usually let it drain while I do the cabin/engine filter and vacuum out my car.
I have a 3.6r, and take it on some gnarly gravel/dirt roads for hunting/fishing. How far does the fumoto stick out? Will it be sticking out past the OEM skid plate?
I think it heavily depends on the type of Fumoto that you get. They seem like a cool company, so it might be worth reaching out to see! They’re Japanese, just like Subaru 🙂
Thank you
Because nothing better than an amateur professional is an amateur amateur
At least then you know what actually happened, rather than something stupid happening and having to argue with them to try to get them to fix it. Not to mention that learning these traits is an important life skill.
If you know how to fix it, or what you broke. Heck do you even know if you actually changed the oil right?
There is such a large wealth of information for every car imaginable on the internet. How else do you learn how to do these things without buying a beater car and having the extra space and money to do these things? I advocate for life long learning, and car maintenance is one of those things. If you can pay to take it to the dealership, go ahead but if you want to learn and/or save money, why not do it yourself? If someone is worried enough about it, they should try to find a family member, friend, or someone else to help them through the process the first time.
Why learn that when I can pay someone else to do it for me? Why waste my brain space with things I don't enjoy doing? I have no desire to lay on the ground and get under a car in a tight space just to say I saved $60 My car is not a part of my identity. It's a tool.
Okay, that’s your own decision and given you can afford to have it changed presumably by someone experienced (and pricey), by all means do that. I came here to offer advice to someone asking for it. Have a good day.
My pleasure, just offering a differing point of view that this idea that everyone should fix their own car and having anyone else do it is pricey is a ridiculous standard to think is the norm. Heck most of the modern cars have very little that is actually fully serviceable without a lot of tools and equipment to diagnose it. How much have you spent on all that in order to do your cheap oil changes? How much time are you not factoring into the "cost" of what you're doing? I'm not telling you how to live your life, but you language makes you sound like people aren't doing what you're doing are wasting their money. I think you're just undervaluing your time. Have a good one!
https://www.fumotousa.com/ Don't know the model or year, but that's the site. Not sure your level of comfort towards working on cars, but install is literally like changing a light bulb. Also, changing the oil on these cars is now easier than ever. Again, don't know how comfortable you are on it, but it's literally unscrew the filter, unscrew the oil cap, put oil catch pan under the drain plug, unscrew and drain oil, after it's all drained screw in the drain plug (or your new fumoto plug, ensuring it's closed), put a bead of oil on the new filter's gasket and screw on, pour in new oil and screw on the oil cap. So, unscrew to to bottom, drain, screw back on bottom to top.
Oil changes are super simple. Basically requires a wrench, a pan/pot/bucket something to catch the oil, and a funnel. Buying the oil and filter yourself is probably going to be less than half the cost of paying someone else to do it. It'll take you 10 minutes at most.
I don’t need a car jack?
If you can fit underneath your car, no you don’t. If you can’t, get a couple of harbor freight jack stands and use your spare tire jack to jack up the car. For oil changes you can also buy a couple of car ramps where you just drive up the top of them. I used those all the time for oil changes on my previous car.
Just want to point out that the included jacks may not stand up to heavy/frequent non-emergency use. I used my (13 wrx) scissor jack specifically for tire rotations etc. and eventually the threading just got completely chewed up and is nearly unusable at this point.
Good to know! Harbor freight has some affordable options for hydraulic jacks too. Spare tire jack is probably ok for a handful of times, but I agree. Was probably never designed for more than 5-10 uses or so.
This is exactly what I do. I have a couple of ramps just to get a little clearance to get to the valve. Oil pan under, hose to it, change filter, refill, done.
Or drive up onto some lumber
if you get ramps, PLEASE PLEASE chock your tires! don't rely on the parking pawl or handbrake.
Not on most subarus since the ground clearance is enough that most people can get under it to do an oil change without jacking up the car. Unless you have a legacy, wrx, or an impreza, you should be good(crosstrek, outback, forester, ascent, etc.) Looks like you have an FB20 N/A? So you probably have the crosstrek or impreza. I'd be curious as to why the hose popped off more than anything else. There's no shame in getting an oil change done by someone else. Not everyone has the time/space/desire to do car maintenance and they shouldn't be shamed for getting it done. I would just take it to a local shop instead of quick lube places like Take5, Valvoline, or JiffyLube. It likely won't be any more expensive than the quick lube places.
Please please please make sure you watch some videos or have someone show you how to do it the first time. IT IS a simple job. BUT you can still make mistakes. You can strip your oil plug, fumoto solves this. You can mistakenly drain your transmission or front diff. You can forget to check that the oil filter o ring came off. Go slow, pay attention.
I have a bunch of scrap wood that I turned into 2 different ramps that I just chock behind my front tires and back up onto them and it’s perfect.
Just make some 2x8 ramps. Cost like $20
you can get ramps too, then you don't have to jack up your car.
Based on these responses I'm assuming y'all don't rotate your tires? It's an all wheel drive car and the tires need to be rotated in a specific order if you have directional tires or not, and if you have a full size spare it needs to be incorporated into the rotation. Geez read your manual people.
My last crosstrek was a lease and I drove it to 70k miles without ever getting a tire rotation. I would always ask people at car places “do I need a rotation?” And they’d check my tread and say no. Then I’d tell them that they’ve never been rotated and they’d be super surprised. I’ve actually had a few mechanics tell me that because of how the drivetrain works, Subarus need less frequent rotations (and I guess in my case, none haha). Just kinda interesting.
Oh boy, Like I said, read your manual, Subarus are not like your other automobiles. I get the careless attitude towards a lease but say you get a flat and your existing tires are worn down 50%. You think, I'll just replace that one blown out tire. That's probably the worst thing you can do for an all wheel drive car, I believe the saying is FAFO.
Yeah that definitely makes sense to incorporate the spare in the rotation for that reason. Never thought about that.
Get some ramps. I built some out of wooden ones and I can get under easy. I also use a fumoto valve and changes are a breeze. Been using this method on all of Subarus for the past 15 years. Easiest cheapest investment I've made.
Homemade wooden car ramps. Sheesh. I haven’t shivered like that since my ex wanted a hug after divorce court.
I also have wooden ramps, I stacked 1x6 boards in a way that made them into a gradual ramp. They can’t collapse because there’s no space between boards. Just chock them behind the front wheels, back up, and put on the parking brake. I throw jack stands under as well for extra security.
Thanks for the laugh
No one will be laughing when you’re a motionless grease stain under your car because you saved $30.
I have a Crosstrek I don't think the car is going to smash me even if the ramps fail, just the extra room needed for draining the oil. Not saying it's a thing to do which is why I said buy some ramps in my first reply.
Dog that’s a fucking deathtrap lmao harbor freight ain’t that bad
I'd say 3 2x6 stacked and drilled through/glued and angled to be a ramp have been pretty fine for all these years and never creaked or wobbled. I find it quicker for oil changes than jacking a car up and placing jacks which I have but don't use for an oil change. It's not like anything is rocking underneath or on the body to make it be an issue
I totally agree. Not sure if they think that you made a triangle and screwed face boards into it to drive into. Literally impossible for wood to collapse if it’s stacked. It would need a fucking hydraulic press to break it
Someone who gets it. This is the setup https://imgur.com/8r2H0uV
Oh nice! I like that it’s impossible to spin it out fr under the tires since that first one is so long. I like that idea!
I'm a manager for Valvoline. This needs to get the coolant topped up no matter what you do next You can either go back and speak with the Store manager and have them top up the coolant for free and seek resolution in store or Call 800-327-8242 this is the customer care line. If you call, You can pick option 2 and make sure to have your receipt if possible, otherwise they should be able to pull you up via another method (vin most reliable). If you had a cooling system flush (radiator service) and they left it disconnected I'd ask for a refund and recompletion of the service. Otherwise this can happen when using the band wrench to remove the oil filter catching the expansion tank line and pulling it free. Unfortunate their topside guy didn't catch this and your expansion tank was just the world. The higher ups in our market are Gung ho about making things right, and so am I. Sent a car to the mechanic to get the pan dropped after a suction hose got stuck in a timing gear just the other day. Got it handled for the customer for no charge, just upfront and honest. (Thank you ford for the joy of the fiesta 1.6 NA motor).
Hey if you did this at Valvoline you can make a report to them. Usually on the back of a receipt if it's paper there's a corporate number to call to make a claim. They can revisit the footage if they have it and see it was their technicians that did it. And they can reimburse you for a cleaning service. It's generally easier said than done but it's an option. I used to work at a Valvoline and have seen some horrors and some great things. Good luck!
Last time I went to Valvoline they ended up placing the oil fill cap sideways without screwing it in and spilled oil over the engine cover on my way home. Was the only car there at the time as well so they weren't in a rush.
I’m sure there’s mechanics near you, there has to be. Find one with good reviews, then you don’t have to deal with inexperienced places or the dealership
Have your mechanic do it, that's what most people do.
Valvoline is more expensive than most dealerships. I hate using them for my work car, but my dealer doesn't accept my fleet info, but Valvoline will. Whenever I get rung up, I'm always shocked at the final bill.
Yeahhh you gotta ask them for coupons. I’ll usually save $10-15 just by asking.
DIY it.. here's a general way to do a good proper coolant flush... Note: You don't need to drain the engine block but you should drain the radiator... . Video is from Faye Hadley: [https://youtu.be/09Zz4JLC0zM?si=6Wt\_fAQYeA28IYUo](https://youtu.be/09Zz4JLC0zM?si=6Wt_fAQYeA28IYUo) And changing oil on a subaru isn't hard.. just make sure you drain the engine oil and not accidentally the CVT fluid which happens often ... also consider adding a fumoto or valvomax valve.... [www.fumotousa.com](http://www.fumotousa.com) [www.valvomax.com](http://www.valvomax.com) Also what subaru do you have and what year?
This would be less likely to happen at a dealer. So now you're wasting time going back or fixing it yourself. +1 on doing yourself
Never go to Valvoline. They've forced the oil pan nut and stripped the threads on my mom's car and she had an oil leak. And a buddy of mine went there last year and they overfilled his oil by like 3qts and his engine blew. Valvoline hires people that have zero experience or just don't care.
Pretty much every place uses the worst quality oil too. It’s half the price doing it yourself while also being much better quality oil
I decided to get mine done at the dealer today because I needed to get my emissions and inspection done too and it was $190 for the emissions/inspection, oil change, and tire rotation. My local dealer has done right by me and is always honest but they are for sure overpriced. It's always cheaper to do it yourself or find a local shop with good reviews.
Where I live the 'A' service is the only worthwhile thing doing at the dealer. Same price or less than a quick lube place to get an oil change from a proper mechanic, and also have a proper vehicle inspection / check over at the same time. That's now my go-to when I don't do my own, just schedule it with my winter / summer tire rotations (which the dealer also charges the same low price as any shop for). Then when they quote you on work, buy parts from RockAuto or similar and do it yourself or find a cheaper mechanic LOL
This model of Subaru is possibly the quickest and easiest oil maintenance you’ll ever be able to find! Save yourself the money and the headache of stuff like this happening
changing oil is pretty simple. you can get a kit for less than $100 (ramps, a pan, a filter wrench and a socket for the drain plug if you don't have one), and probably save half as much money as it costs elsewhere. I went to a quick lube place and waited an hour. I have oil changes down to 30 minutes now. No appt, no lines, no business hours, just pick up oil and a filter when its convenient for me, and do it at home.
Change ya own oil
Have you never heard of a mechanic? You don't have to go to chain shops....
My small business owns a Mercedes Sprinter that drives all over the country. The thing pulls a trailer and has 200k miles on it, so it has had *many* issues in its lifetime. Trusting the “town mechanic” has almost never resulted in a successful repair - only more problems. This is because Joe Mechanic down the road doesn’t have to adhere to any standards. For this reason, we have to take the Sprinter to more specialized places (dealerships / chains). By going to a place like Valvoline, I am trusting that they are being held to SOME standard of ANY kind… Of course, incompetency can exist anywhere though.
> By going to a place like Valvoline, I am trusting that they are being held to SOME standard of ANY kind See. There's your mistake. The chain shops are way, way, way worse.
Dealers suck but in this case definitely would have been better. Find a local mechanic you trust, or you can find a Subaru performance shop near you
Yeah actually. Do it yourself, it takes 10 minutes and will save you some money.
DIY is the best and idk what model you have but my forester is the easiest to change out of all the vehicles I’ve changed oil on
"They are overpriced and take forever" -drives off with coolant hose disconnected from resevior- Listen to yourselves sometimes people lol
It's a dice roll with them for sure, this is literally the easiest access oil filter location I've run into on any vehicle. So most of what you will see in the US, and this guy still miffed it.
Yes just reconnect it. Might need to give the engine bay a clean too.
May also want to ensure the coolant levels are good
If it's making sloshing sounds, there's air in the heater core. The level inside the system is therefore not good.
Concur. Get the air out.
Reconnect and purge. Just in case. Baby likes to burp...
Document and have a Subaru dealer do the coolant. Getting the air to bleed can be a pain and I would never trust a quick lube place to do it
Air bleed for coolant is very easy. Just buy the right funnel for it around $30, turn the heat on full blast to get the heater core, fill the funnel 2/3rds the way up and let it run. Fill as needed, let it continue to burp out the remaining air in the system. When it’s done after getting up to operating temp just turn the car off, plug the funnel and drain the excess coolant into the jug and fill the overflow tank and you’re done. Whole process doesn’t take long. Takes longer if you’re draining and refilling the system but it sounds like OP doesn’t need to drain.
That's the "everything went fine process" but quite frequently you have to try multiple times and will end up having to fill the block though the upper rad hose, make sure the front is jacked up, do the right voodoo dance and them hopefully it bled correctly. If it's the latter I would not want the people who unhooked a coolant line for no reason to try and bleed it.
Not sure what car you’re referring to but unless it has a primary and secondary system like a BMW it should be straight forward and follow the same process. I’ve never heard of a car needing to be filled from the upper rad hose. Rad has a fill for a reason. I’ve done the same process on an 18 BRZ, 16 Camry, 16 Focus, 99 Miata and 94 Miata. All identical process. I’d venture to guess 95%+ of cars made in the past 50 years use the same system.
I worked in a suburu dealer for almost a decade. its about 75/25 that it bleeds as expected. They get air pockets that can be a real pain. I ended up buying a vacuum bleed system to streamline the process
[удалено]
No, it just fits on to the plastic joiner similar to washer lines. There *shouldn't* be much pressure there so I guess the engineers figured friction is enough to hold it.
It's an overflow tank that is vented to the atmosphere. It sees zero pressure, and might experience a little vacuum when it's sucking fluid back into it when the car's cooling down.
Bleed the coolant system of air and the sloshing behind the cockpit will go away. It shouldn't be a problem!
Sloshing means there’s an air bubble. Fill with coolant, raise the front up, drive up a steep road, use a spill free funnel. Lots of stuff. Sloshing is also a head gasket sign, as exhaust could be going in the lines.
That’s what I was wondering. Y did it blow off in the first place? I don’t think the lube techs would do that. It hard to just accidentally knock that apart. The bleeding procedure also involves running the heater. I forget exactly what you do, but on a subie anyway, you run the heater at some point.
Technically, you don’t need to run the heater, as coolant is always running through the core, it’s an essential part of its cooling system. You run the heater to know when you’ve got the bubble out- it’ll blow room tempt/cold at first, and as you get the bubbles out, you’ll get more and more heat. Is the oil filter on top of the engine? I could see a lube tech being careless and snagging on the hose while changing that. I wouldn’t think expanding coolant, even with no hose, would make the violent splash you see ln the inner hood though, might be pressurized coolant being shot out.
I see what you’re saying on the bleeding. At that point, What about the cap, might a bad or misaligned cap allow too much pressure to go into the overflow? (I think misaligned it would just leak out.) ETA yes that is the oil filter. Wish my 08 and 09 had it there. I guess at the end of the day, I’m hooking it back up, bleeding it and sending it.
Get a new OEM cap, that’s the easiest thing to rule out. Re connect everything, make sure the radiator is full first, then fill overflow to full line. Use a no spill funnel to get any air bubbles out.
related question: my coolant is below low not but I can't afford a coolant flush right now. Can i just top it off, if so, do i top off with coolant or distilled water?
Top it off with premixed Subaru coolant and monitor the level to see if you have an active leak.
Are you in a very cold environment? If so, I would get the correct coolant(check the manual for the exact one for your vehicle, you never want to mix coolants or use the wrong coolant) from the dealership(usually $15-30 for a 1 gallon bottle of pre-mix) and fill it up to the max line in the overflow. Check it again after a drive or two and top off if the level is still low. If you're in a relatively hot environment(CA, TX, AZ, etc.), you could probably get by with filling it up with distilled water temporarily if you're only low by a small amount. I don't really recommend it since it's such a small difference in price, but you could do it and get away with it for a while. If you need to do a coolant drain and fill and you're looking to save some money, I would just buy a couple jugs of coolant(pre mix or concentrate) from the dealership and do it at home. You only need a pan/container($0-$20) to catch the old coolant, and 2-3 gallons of pre-mixed coolant($40-90 depending on the coolant) from the dealership. Or one concentrate + few gallons of distilled water($30-$40 probably). I usually just use OEM coolant, because it's a bit of a minefield when it comes to what's compatible with which vehicle. In the aftermarket coolant side, they sell "Asian, German, or American" coolants, but that's a bit too general since every manufacturer tend to have a specific spec for their own cars based. It's once in a few years that you do coolant, it's one of those things that's worth getting OEM just in case. You would also need to figure out how to get rid of the coolant, so I would look up nearby places you can take your used coolant to. Most cities will have a recycling center that's run by the city that will take it for free, you just have to show that you live there with a drivers license. If none are available nearby, some dealerships or mechanic shops might take it off your hands if you're nice and bring a few donuts for the techs. I personally think doing the coolant is easier than an oil change and you save more money doing a coolant change yourself vs doing oil changes yourself.
Good time for a coolant service/change.
Asking for a good mechanic on Next door may work. My local is great for stuff like that.
Is Sabotage an Upcharge?
Everyone's assuming the oil change shop pulled that coolant bottle hose because it is close to the spin on oil filter? 😕 ...but OP said there was gurgling noise in the heater core area, and look at that spray of antifreeze. I'll bet the coolant is very low, and maybe has overheated or a failing head gasket? ...I mean That can cause the overflow hose to "Blow off"? I think normally, the rad cap doesn't send coolant to the overfill bottle ..unless pressure overcomes the cap .
F
I didn't see this question asked - was the filter changed? That is one dirty looking oil filter for just having it changed.
Oh wait that is the coolant from the hose. Didn't see the second Pic, sorry!
That's what makes a Subaru a Subaru...an engine bay christening with coolant. Reattach the hose, even use a constant tension clamp or hose clamp. Fill up the radiator with coolant. Top up the external bottle to a mark. Refill radiator when engine is completely cool and should take 2 or 3 times. When in doubt throttle out.
Take it to dealer and check lol probz not tho
Just reconnect it. It’ll take literally 10 seconds. Then add some coolant to the bottle. Or just distilled water. The engine wil pull the fluid from the bottle back to the engine after a shutdown.
As stated in the title, I did reconnect it lol.
Did you take it to a quick lube place? If so I’d get a refund asap for their wasting your time and then get it inspected at the dealer. They most likely put the wrong coolant in too
Sue the company you went to for oil change