[Wolverine12]

Just a heads up, don't buy Heri axles. Quality is beyond poor. I *believe* you 5MT folks have some aftermarket options. Even if you don't, I promise it's worth the $400 price tag to get OEM over Heri.


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Good to know,
Thanks

 

[Wolverine12]

303,000 miles and it looks like I'll be replacing the drivers side axle also. It seems that the OEM axles are good for about 280k to 300k miles which is very respectable.
I am going to bring up an issue that I have seen folks commenting / complaining about. Before I said anything I did a few experiments to verify my findings. The issue is with the power steering quiting abruptly and the steering warning light come on. In over 300,000 miles I have had the power steering cut out right at start up half a dozen times but never while I was moving. I have heard of having the control unit replaced only to have it do the same thing. Page 3-23 in the owners manual states that "If the steering wheel is operated in the following ways, the power steering system may temporarily limit the power assist in order to prevent the system components and drive motor, from overheating. ...". I have noticed that most of the time when this happens, I have either had my hand pulling on the wheel or I have been against a curb at start up, so, I have come to the conclusion that the steering sensor might be a bit too sensitive in certain situations causing the system to shut down. The GOOD NEWS is, in all instances, I have just been able to turn the engine off, wait 15 seconds and restart 'without' my hands on the wheel. Only twice have I had to do it a second time to reset the system.
Since this has never happened when I was driving I consider this more of a nuisance than a severe issue but the engineering department at Subaru definitely needs to look into this before it does become a severe issue.

 

[AWDfreak]

That might be something you should report to Subaru of America if you haven't already. Thanks for the update!

 

[Wolverine12]

That might be something you should report to Subaru of America if you haven't already. Thanks for the update!

Will do as soon as I can get 30 'awake' minutes at the house.

 

[stupidchicken03]

Do you know of any model year Crosstrek with more miles than yours?

 

[Wolverine12]

Do you know of any model year Crosstrek with more miles than yours?

None that I've heard about.

 

[Wolverine12]

Driveshaft is toast

Another one to make note of. The OEM driveshaft seems to be good for about 310,000 miles with 'normal driving', I can live with that. For the last week or so I've been getting a low resonance sound that sets up around 50-70 mph. It has been very low and felt in the floor but I just couldn't place where it was coming from. Yesterday it was loud, clunky and lots of vibration, I knew what it was then. So I guess it's time for the rubber gloves and a thorough physical again.

 

[Pastor passum]

Thanks for the update Wolverine12. As this isn't your first rodeo, just curious, so far how is the CrossTrek comparing to other cars you've owned at this stage of the game?

 

[Wolverine12]

Thanks for the update Wolverine12. As this isn't your first rodeo, just curious, so far how is the CrossTrek comparing to other cars you've owned at this stage of the game?

I have my personal likes and dislikes like anyone however, without getting too personal, I could list just a few pros and cons;

Pros;
Rugged unibody construction.
Always maintains a good driving feel
Firm but comfortable seats
Well engineered access under the hood and underbody
Symmetrical AWD is still top notch

Cons;
Not quite the fit and finish of others
Definitely could use more soundproofing
No blind spot mirror
Spark plugs are still a bear to get to

To summarize, I've had others that were more comfortable and quieter but none that I've felt more safe in nor had more fun in. I would definitely buy another today but I still have 3-1/2 years to go before I'm ready for another.

 

[AWDfreak]

The lack of a blind spot mirror is my only gripe for visibility-related complaints. The mirrors are large and make checking my sides very easy, the addition of blind spot mirrors would make the current mirrors perfect.

 

[Nanook]

@Wolverine, I can't remember but didn't you install a lift? If so, do you think that helped cause your driveshaft failure? And CV failures? Honestly, I will take the 310,000 miles with the small(ish) issues you have had ����.

 

[MN Moose]

The lack of a blind spot mirror is my only gripe for visibility-related complaints. The mirrors are large and make checking my sides very easy, the addition of blind spot mirrors would make the current mirrors perfect.

I think I have my mirrors pretty well adjusted, but there have still been a couple of near-misses when I've attempted to start a lane change only to find out there's someone already there in the blind spot. Gotta always turn the head and look! Blind spot mirrors would be nice, yes.

 

[Wolverine12]

I think I have my mirrors pretty well adjusted, but there have still been a couple of near-misses when I've attempted to start a lane change only to find out there's someone already there in the blind spot. Gotta always turn the head and look! Blind spot mirrors would be nice, yes.

Been there, done that.

 

[Wolverine12]

@Wolverine, I can't remember but didn't you install a lift? If so, do you think that helped cause your driveshaft failure? And CV failures? Honestly, I will take the 310,000 miles with the small(ish) issues you have had ����.

I've been working on vehicles all of my life and I have yet to see another driveshaft last 300k miles so I really don't think the lift kit accellerated the wear a significant amount. Now the axles are at a steeper angle than the driveshaft so Ill let you know at 600k miles? ☺

 

[Wolverine12]

307,000 mile oil analysis results

307,000 miles and still doing great. For those curious, approximately 215 running hours between oil changes.

 

[AWDfreak]

With 215 hours of engine running and 12,308 miles, that's an average speed of around 57 MPH. You have the luxury to stretch your oil changes thanks to your plentiful freeway driving. I've gotten similar TBN readings with half or even as low as a quarter the miles, so the combined city driving, mountain driving, common high-RPM use, and off-road use is just that much harder than regular-service freeway driving.

 

[stupidchicken03]

^ That seems like it would be pretty obvious.

 

[Wolverine12]

347,000 miles and all is well, except that it's time for another reverse light switch replacement. Weird but it seems that I have to replace it about every 6 months.
Still averaging 70,000 miles on a set of tires and haven't even touched my brakes (well, except to stop).

 

[AWDfreak]

Reverse light switch again?! Jeez.

Do you back into parking spots like I do? Or do you do the conventional nose-inward parking position?

 

[Wolverine12]

Reverse light switch again?! Jeez.

Do you back into parking spots like I do? Or do you do the conventional nose-inward parking position?

I nose-in whenever possible. I figured out that I have to back out an average of 5 times a day 5 times a week. That translates to about 600 engagements per switch. When you figure that a switch is around $30 and it only takes me 10 minutes to replace once every 100,000 miles, it's not too bad.