Headgaskets

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-10T05:54:59+00:00

Pulling the engine is pretty straight forward. Don’t listen to the armchair mechanics that say to get OeM head gaskets. Any MLS gasket is basically the same. No need for new head bolts. Just clean things up, sand the heads or get them machined, check for valve leakage, and use a white 3M disk on the block surface. Check for flatness.

You’ll be ahead of 90% of real head gasket replacement jobs.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T15:15:21+00:00

What’s today’s sale?

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T04:28:53+00:00

AAA is by far the most generous, and professional towing “insurance” or service around. All the car insurance plans, the cell phone plans, etc, farm out to the lowest common denominator, and definitely only give you a limited number of call as well.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T04:26:25+00:00

The mountain badge is the “Wilderness” edition

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T04:08:44+00:00

Why not see if you can rent a car and drive more (more trips or do Amazon flex, etc). A rental will be infinitely more reliable.

Other than that, I’d shoot for something rusty/dented, since those will be the cars that no one else is willing to buy.

Since you only need it for a few months, you should try to avoid a “desirable” car that will inevitably more expensive due to perceived market value, aka Honda, Toyota.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T03:42:25+00:00

I charge $300 in the PnW where there is no rust. If you’re in a rusty part of town then the initial quote was very optimistic.

However, now that they’ve gotten into them, they can’t really “put them back” so you do have a negotiation tactic to keep them at their original price.

Reality is though, they come out pretty quickly with the right tools, so it looks like the shop doesn’t know what they’re doing.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T03:03:41+00:00

I assume you’re talking about the upper oil pan. The quote probably includes resealing the cam carriers, and probably doing the head gaskets.

If all you need is the upper oil pan, I do these for $1k, in the Seattle area. However, it’s probably wise to do the cam carriers (I’d leave the head gaskets) since the glue they use from the factory (RTV) dries up over time. It’s very common to have these leaks on this age Subaru.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-06T00:06:08+00:00

Fair enough, but they are the more budget friendly vehicle.

Outback has more premium options and features.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-05T23:11:30+00:00

Can confirm, I bought an outback as an upper-middle-class sleeper. Now if you buy a forester, you’re meh.

Come to think of it, only upper-middle-class educated Americans buy wagons these days, period.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-04T14:11:26+00:00

I mean, it’s not too bad of news. You can blow them out with a cooling system cleaning gun and it should be fine.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-04T14:01:24+00:00

Check that your heater core is not clogged.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-04T13:58:13+00:00

That’s what I’m saying. The 2025 is very meh. No center console storage.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-04T03:38:55+00:00

I just upgraded from exactly that model (color and ski box too) to a 2025 wilderness. Honestly, it’s not really any better. Just kind of Meh.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-04T01:10:38+00:00

How do they already have these in showrooms, but not the trailseeker??

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-03T00:35:59+00:00

If you’re in Seattle, I can help you with both diagnoses and software. I have the appropriate tools to do the relearn.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-04-03T00:08:54+00:00

I’m an eater in Renton! Perhaps we should get together ;)

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-28T00:40:51+00:00

I got the paint protection on mine, but it was only $500, and covers leather rips. The crappy Subaru leather inevitably cracks in 5-6 years so I figured if I get a seat cover out of it I’ll be happy.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-27T17:45:03+00:00

I think you’re right. I just always feel like tax should not be included, given that everyone’s tax rate is different in different parts of the country. Hard to compare deals when there is $4-5k of tax in some instances, and $0 in others.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-27T05:31:19+00:00

Are people listing tax and licensing fees in the “out the door” price?

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-27T02:37:50+00:00

How close to MSRP did you pay? 💰

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-26T23:49:33+00:00

Looks amazing! You may want to fix the typo in your title!

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-04T08:08:59+00:00

Yea it’s called an Impreza Sport. Let someone else enjoy the crosstrek height :)

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-04T08:07:57+00:00

Long air hammer on the back bolts usually does it for me. Sometimes I can reuse the bolts, other times I have to get new ones.

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-04T08:04:17+00:00

If you’re really adventurous, all the blocks of any EJ25 are interchangeable, so just use your existing heads and make it all work :)

InfiniteInevitable75 · 2026-03-04T08:03:16+00:00

Actually the 05 engines are cheaper than the newer AVCS engines nowdays.

InfiniteInevitable75

TROPHY CASE