Blueprint's 2022 Crosstrek Limited

[Blueprint]

My little urban warrior turned 3 y.o. last September, and had all of 18,000 km on the odo at the time. Lifetime fuel economy at 10.1 l/100 km due to staying within the confines of the GMA.

Up until recently, it only had one highway trip: to the NH mountains when ahe was new. With lots of hills and a barely broken in drivetrain, it averaged 8.3 on that weekend escape.

At the beginning of the month my annual transportation conference was local for a change, setting up in gorgeous Quebec City. I flew Air Subaru to get some much-needed highway miles on a car that is parked near press lots every other week.

Traffic, lower speeds and a slow downhill netted an impressive 6.7 l/100 km on the way there. With some driving in town and a speedier return trip, she averaged 7.5, not bad at all.

[Blueprint]

Gotta love coincidences.

Monday leaving the office the screen stayed dark. I try reverse, camera comes on, go back to drive, still dark. After a few cycles of this it booted up and ran fine.

Got the mail after parking at home, and there's an enveloppe from Subaru. Warranty extension up to 8 years and 240,000 km for infotainment screens - guess I'm covered!

Still love the h/k audio behind this - the most kick-ass stereo in any car I've owned. Had David Gilmour's live rendition of "Sorrow" at full tilt on the drive back - you hear the strings vibrate against the pick 

[Blueprint]

I mean I knew going in that Subaru Achille's heel is maintenance cost, on top of 6 mo service intervals, but this is ridiculous. I booked my 36 month/60k service for the Holiday break (I'm at 39 mo / not quite 20k), and the cost is ... $899.95 

I will check other dealers, but usually they all match. A lot of fluids are being swapped (brakes, front and rear diffs, etc.), but still this is a new transmission kinda tab. I can expense part of it on my taxes but damn...

[Gurgie]

I mean I knew going in that Subaru Achille's heel is maintenance cost, on top of 6 mo service intervals, but this is ridiculous. I booked my 36 month/60k service for the Holiday break (I'm at 39 mo / not quite 20k), and the cost is ... $899.95 

I will check other dealers, but usually they all match. A lot of fluids are being swapped (brakes, front and rear diffs, etc.), but still this is a new transmission kinda tab. I can expense part of it on my taxes but damn...

Maybe push some of the fluid changes down the road when the mileage increases? I remember with my Passport the rear diff fluid had to be changed around 20k kms & Arctic Steve recommended it because of the clutches in there for the AWD system, so I did go ahead with that, other stuff I pushed out to the next interval. The Passport maintenance was around every 10 months based on the mileage I was putting on. CX-70 will be going in for it's first service probably in a month or so based on the mileage it's getting. Will get a little more mileage on it going down to the GTA for the holiday's & then trips to the ski hill starting in the New Year.

[Tortoise]

I mean I knew going in that Subaru Achille's heel is maintenance cost, on top of 6 mo service intervals, but this is ridiculous. I booked my 36 month/60k service for the Holiday break (I'm at 39 mo / not quite 20k), and the cost is ... $899.95 

Someone forgot to tell your CrossTrek that it's not a VW!!  That is insane.

[Blueprint]

So this is the 36 mo program found on Subaru.ca:

Replace engine oil and filter
Rotate tires (I will decline because snow tires went on last month)
Inspect tire condition and adjust all tire pressures including spare tire
Remove, inspect and service front and rear brakes (not a bad idea with all that sitting)
Inspect and adjust all fluid levels including both differentials (so just a check+top-up)
Inspect operation of all lights, wipers and washers (will be replacing the original blades)
Inspect and adjust drive belt tension if necessary
Full battery service and test (replaced last year on warranty, but doesn't appear super strong when very cold)
Inspect axle boot condition
Lubricate all latches, hinges and locks (hood, doors, fuel door and trunk lid)
Inspect all steering and suspension components
Inspect under body for damage
Test coolant, inspect hoses and clamps
Inspect engine & air cabin filters - replace if necessary
Replace brake fluid
Service fuel injectors (hopefully, not just dropping snake oil in the fuel tank)
Inspect all emission-related hoses
Inspect PCV valve - replace if necessary
Road test vehicle

Unless they replace brake components, I don't see this as a $900 job...

[Blueprint]

Edit: there's a winter and summer side bar added to that list:

Seasonal check: Winter
Engine coolant and windshield washer fluid is good for -35 C (+/- 5)
Replace windshield wipers with winter rated wipers (the oem blades are the flexible, no metal frame type)
Check winter tires and rims for good repair

[Blueprint]

Prices are the same at other dealers and I can see that, at least, the air filters and wiper blades appear to be included in the service price.

[Tortoise]

The service fuel injectors seems like a scam.

So, really it includes and oil change, brake service and a brake flush. Why not just get these done at an indie for ~$400?

[Blueprint]

The service fuel injectors seems like a scam.

So, really it includes and oil change, brake service and a brake flush. Why not just get these done at an indie for ~$400?

I'll stick with the dealers for the warranty period, but may very well look for an indie afterwards.

[GreatBigAbyss]

When I had the Tundra, I took it to the dealer for the first two free services that they gave me, after that it went to my Indy.  The CX-5 has been going to my Indy since I've owned it, but when I bought it was close to the end of factory warranty.  My next new car?  Well, I'm not sure.  I'm not convinced that there's any advantage to going to a dealer, other than the odd TSB that they may do in the background when it's in for service, but these days I doubt you get that level of service.  The manufacturer has to honour the warranty no matter who does the maintenance on the car. 

[Tortoise]

I've mostly taken the Golf to the dealer for regular maintenance and have found them to be about the same price as the VW/Audi Specialist.  They seem to be good about not trying to upsell any special services.

I could probably do a lot better by buying the oil on sale and bringing it to my shop, but changing the oil on the TDI is a pain, so I spare them.

[Bridgecity]

Our MDX has only needed one service and I took it to Honda. Oil change at Honda was $130 versus $190 at Acura. I'll be taking it to the dealer for powertrain servicing until the powertrain warranty is up. Will be interesting to see what the tranny and diff services cost.

That cost for the Subaru service is ridiculous. Remove and service brakes?  Be lucky if they pull the rubber boots back on the caliper pins to see if they are dry.

[RRocket]

The service fuel injectors seems like a scam.

So, really it includes and oil change, brake service and a brake flush. Why not just get these done at an indie for ~$400?

I'll stick with the dealers for the warranty period, but may very well look for an indie afterwards.

Why?  You think a warranty claim would be denied if you had receipts from an Indy doing such a simple service?  This isn't brain surgery...

[GreatBigAbyss]

I suppose there is an argument to be made that a dealer will 'go out to bat' for you if the manufacturer is being wishy-washy with warranty service, but only as long as you're a 'loyal customer'. 

I don't know how valid this is.  I've heard that dealers don't like doing warranty work, because it pays a lower rate than book value.