legacycentral bbs

At the end of August I co-signed for my kid to buy a stock 2008 Legacy with a manual transmission, I can't remember the engine size but it is NOT turbo and it is the pzev. The vehicle had just under 42K miles and was run through the shop at the Nissan dealer we bought it from, and everything checked out fine.

Mid- November and 4500 miles later it was due for an oil change, the appointment was made, but the night before the appointment I hit a small deer. There was some front end damage, the airbags didn't deploy. I drove the car home, ins co had it towed to the Body Shop and we got the car back Dec 10th.

The 28th son was driving and noticed the car was knocking, the check engine light came on steady and the cruise control light was blinking. Took it to Advanced auto, and the car was out of oil.
The oil light NEVER came on) They cleared the codes and put 4 quarts in, but it was still knocking pretty bad. So I had it towed to the local Subaru dealer for diagnosis.

Today the dealer was taking the car apart and said it looks like he spun a rod bearing. (They are to call me with exact diagnosis and estimate tomorrow or Monday).

I am not an idiot, I know you are supposed to change the oil every 3k miles, but I know lots of people who wait `til 5k . I can NOT believe that in 4 months and less than 5k miles that this 2 year old car, with no sign of a leak, could have used enough oil to kill the engine.

What are the chances that this could be related to the deer damage?
Could it possibly be covered under powertrain warranty since he is the 2nd owner?

Thanks for your responses!

Hi,
You'll want to post this over on the USMB site, too (which appears to be down @ the moment).

No, the car shouldn't use that much oil and if you check the Owner's Manual (actually the Warranty and Maintenance Schedule) oil changes are only required every 7,500 miles on non-turbo cars - See THIS.

What specifically was damaged when you hit the deer?

If the Oil light wasn't working that's another clue, but not sure what it means.

Powertrain warranty is on the car, not the # of owners, so you're good there.

Where was the last oil change performed? Maybe they screwed up? I would 'think' that if the dealer can't figure it out and you can prove an oil change in the last 7,500 miles (and maybe even have the prior owner's maintenance history), then they'd conclude that the issue was internal and not your fault. And don't be afraid to ask for a 2nd opinion if the dealer won't cover it....get SoA (Subaru of America) involved @ the very least.

GL,
TD

It took a while to get Subaru approval for repair, almost a week to approve breaking the engine down to find the failed part.
It was the #1 cylinder rod knocking. Then another week to get approval to fix it.
The concern was a Subaru can use up to a quart of oil a month, and if the dealership we bought it from shorted a quart of oil when they did the change, then we are at fault because it was not checked.
I provided everything from a copy of the used car check the dealer we purchased from did, to the body shop repairs, and the receipts for the oil we purchased at the parts store the day the engine started knocking.
According to the dealership, the vehicle has no leaks. I contacted SOA via e-mail, (thanks) arguing the oil usage. Noting that this is not my 1st Subie, and there have been more than 1/2 dozen owned by people in my family. (No one ever needing a warranty repair for anything) As a result, they *are* paying for the repair under warranty. If my son decides to keep the car, I am making an appointment for the next oil change to be done by them the day we pick up the car, as if this is going to be an ongoing problem, I want everything documented by Subaru.
Thanks for your help!

Thanks for following up and the Good News!

Good to hear they're paying for the repair.

I'd call BS on Subaru's claim that these engines can use up to a qt of oil per month. Maybe if they're not right...but a good working engine, shouldn't use that much oil.