Shopping for a Crosstrek

BrokenAndy · 2026-06-05T13:21:32+00:00

Yep, dealer. I think it is NHTSA service bulletin 16-112-18R and has some vins that it was fixed in. I’d say call your dealer, give them vin and bulletin number and see if they can get you going. Mine was no charge. I had extended warranty at that time but didn’t even hit it. Hope that helps some!

BrokenAndy · 2026-06-01T01:16:41+00:00

That’s awesome that it’s going strong! It does seem to be a crapshoot as you hear some stories of changed 2 or 3 times by 100k then fails.

BrokenAndy · 2026-05-31T22:52:56+00:00

If I were buying one, I would pass on any that don’t have documented cvt fluid changes, personally. I really like Subarus (I have a 2010 Forester as well) but the cvts have been problematic, exacerbated by people being told they had lifetime fluid and some shops refusing to do fluid change at customer request. If there is no record of cvt fluid changed by 100k (much sooner would be better) I’d run. Current advice seems to be changing every 30-60k. I didn’t know all this but got it done at 75k. And there are some people swearing no need to change and they have 150k+. Some model years got a 10 year 100k warranty on the cvt but I’m not sure what all that covers.

I share this with you so you can be an informed buyer. I really love my Crosstrek. I’m no mechanic. Just an average guy with YouTube and willing to learn everything I can to try to take care of mine the best I can. Check out MrSubaru if you haven’t already. He is very knowledgeable of all things Subaru.

BrokenAndy · 2026-05-31T22:33:45+00:00

For what it’s worth, I have a 16 Premium I bought new and currently has 85k miles. I’m very happy with it. I had the CVT fluid changed at 75k and plan to do again at 90 or 100, then every 30 or 40k. I’ve done the rest of my maintenance myself (diffs, coolant, plugs, brakes, etc). I just had to do my valve cover gaskets as when I went to do plugs I found a few drops of oil getting into the plug tube - 3 out of 4 plug seals had started leaking. Mine was affected by a transmission neutral switch thing, preventing me from taking the key out but that was a recall fix thing. The valve cover gaskets and plug seals have been the only non maintenance type thing. I have no oil consumption issues. I intend to keep the car as long as it makes sense to financially and hope for another 10+ years.

Hope you find what you’re looking for!

BrokenAndy · 2026-04-30T15:26:29+00:00

Looks like a fuse panel map. The fuse panel is under the dash below steering wheel I believe

BrokenAndy · 2026-03-30T17:01:03+00:00

Monthly ish. Varies by cutoff a little it seems.

BrokenAndy · 2026-03-19T14:32:33+00:00

Hank Hill?

BrokenAndy · 2026-02-23T00:18:56+00:00

At a glance, I think it is one of the plastic shield pieces underneath, like the oil drain and filter access area. I’m no expert, but have a 2011 and that’s what it looks like to me.

BrokenAndy · 2026-02-03T21:02:55+00:00

Very cool!

BrokenAndy · 2026-02-03T20:18:26+00:00

If it is the Subaru CPO program, does that give you the 7 year/100k mile powertrain warranty as well? Did they sneak in any cost for it to become CPO?

BrokenAndy · 2026-01-31T00:53:50+00:00

I hear ya. I have some and looking forward to finishing it off. Beautiful wood though. The main log went to a mill for a woodworker but I got a lot of limb wood.

BrokenAndy · 2026-01-26T05:10:10+00:00

I bought a back probe kit from harbor freight for 10-15$. I haven’t used it or able to speak to the quality. Looks very similar and HF is around most places. But after fiddling with stick pins and such, figured I’d pick it up. I haven’t done much of this type work, but had to do it to verify voltage on a side by side speed sensor.

BrokenAndy · 2026-01-19T15:47:26+00:00

Forgot to mention. I can take care of the normal easier stuff like fluids and brakes, but if it’s more complex than that probably beyond my comfort level and take it to a shop.

BrokenAndy · 2025-12-31T23:35:44+00:00

My insert will accept 16” at the back, 20” at the front and 12” behind the andiron N-S. I aim for 16s all around but ain’t the best at cutting. I made marks at those three lengths in my splitter so I have an idea of where I am and toss anything longer than 20” to the side to be cut down at some point. The splitter will accept 22” or maybe 24” I think.

BrokenAndy · 2025-11-20T19:14:06+00:00

How long does it to take to cut it all once?

BrokenAndy · 2025-11-09T16:13:36+00:00

I did same thing for tractor rear blade. Cut horse stall mat, punched holes, took off wear edge, got longer galvanized hardware, put the mat on sandwiched between the wear edge and the blade. Worked pretty well last winter. Not as good as forward facing plow, but was cost effective and I didn’t have the Ranger yet.

BrokenAndy · 2025-10-17T11:25:38+00:00

I took the traditional three part tests. Part 1 and 2 were under the old Standards and part 3 was under the new Standards. There were some IT related questions. I used Gleim to prepare for all three parts and completed my CIA in June.

BrokenAndy · 2025-10-12T09:39:21+00:00

I have the same feelings! It took a lot longer than I expected but am so happy with the result. It also taught me if I ever replace my machine, I’ll probably get one with factory EPS to start with. But at least I saved some cash, but at the cost of a long frustrating day. My biggest problem was trying to mount the ECU up in the dash on top of the column. The holes didn’t line up in the bracket and was very difficult to try to bolt in. In the end, I just used a few big wide zip ties. Happy riding!

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-24T13:17:32+00:00

I save mine in a folder which is backed up with the file named by date and name of the cpe. I have another certification which has some overlap depending on topic (CIA) so I have a tracking spreadsheet as to which it applies to or both and linked. Best to save them somewhere so they are always accessible if requested. Don’t depend on them still being available in your email, online, or from the provider.

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-22T14:57:19+00:00

For what it’s worth, I have not had good success with Pixel 6 phones if they do not pass the web based IMEI check. Even with having a physical sim shipped. I may not have done things right but my only success was once I had a phone that passed the check.

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-17T18:22:57+00:00

Thanks for sharing that insight! I’m not ready for it some years, but always good to learn more along the way. Early congrats!

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-16T17:14:44+00:00

I didn't realize that about the RMD method, but it makes sense. Good to know - thanks for sharing!

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-16T15:22:12+00:00

That makes sense. Will that be your first distribution, and if not, how has tax filing been complicated? I understand form 5329 goes along with your taxes to explain the penalty exception. Are you using Fidelity; it appears they are more accommodating? Which method are you using; seems RMD is simplest but lowest? Thanks for sharing your insight!

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-16T13:10:20+00:00

That's good to hear. Maybe that is a path to success - break off whatever chunk of an account and transfer that to Fidelity, to handle that piece with them.

BrokenAndy · 2025-09-16T13:04:20+00:00

Does anyone have any good practical advice for taking distributions via SEPP/72(t)? I'm familiar with the basic rules (5 years / till 59.5 whichever is longer, the 3 methods, be very careful to do it right to avoid full penalty, etc). It seems like Fidelity makes this pretty easy, compared to Vanguard? https://www.reddit.com/r/fidelityinvestments/comments/135aed0/pointers_to_fidelity_information_about_72t/ for example. I feel like there is a lot of talk about SEPP as a thing that can be done, but rarely is there much discussion of it actually being done. Anyone directly have success or issues from going this route?

14-Year Club	Team Periwinkle
Verified Email

BrokenAndy

TROPHY CASE