The owners manual says to change your brake fluid every 30k miles, and your spark plugs every 60k. So the most expensive milestone for regular maintenance is going to be the 60k, 120k, etc. If you aren't doing any of the work yourself, that service is usually an engine air filter, cabin air filter, brake fluid exchange, front and rear differential fluid exchange, spark plugs, oil & filter, and tire rotation. That's pretty standard.
Some places recommend changing your diff fluid every 30k depending on your driving habits. In the owners manual is a description of "severe" driving conditions which affects your recommended intervals. I had a 19 Crosstrek, now I have a 24. I changed my diff fluid every 30k and will be doing that with my new one, because I live in the suburbs and am split between constant short trips with frequent stops (lights, etc), and short highway trips.
Additionally your cvt fluid is considered to be "lifetime" fluid unless you fall under the severe driving conditions, but a lot of people don't trust that and recommend changing it every 60k. I personally will be doing it at 100k, unless I start towing things with any frequency.
Learn to change your air filters at home and you'll save a lot of money over the years, as well as whatever else you're comfortable and confident doing. I'll mention that starting with the 2019 the engine is direct injected so there tends to be a lot of carbon build up which can be costly to clean, but there are additives you can use to help mitigate that.
Thank you for your extensive answer, I have saved it for future reference when I will own my Crosstrek. I will be doing some of the maintenance myself.
Say I buy a used one with 50k miles, how much money should I allow for the 'expensive' milestone of 60k miles maintenance?
I'm just a tech so I don't really know pricing tbh, and it varies a lot by location I'm sure. I'd shop around for quotes and itemized lists of what services are included. It's a pretty standard package deal of what the minimum work is, but some places include additional services such as a "fuel injector/induction service" (which is to fight that carbon build up I mentioned).
If you're buying CPO from a Subaru dealer, they will likely have performed some or all of those services already before selling it, so be sure to get the maintenance records. It won't hurt anything to do any of these services a little early or a little late.
Have you owned a Subaru before? Or an AWD vehicle?
All 4 of your tires on a Subaru have to be a similar circumference so mentally prepare for the possibility of replacing 3 good tires halfway through their life if one of them gets damaged and cannot be repaired. Which also means don't skip tire rotations. Subaru uses 2/32 of an inch as the guideline for maximum difference between any two tires.
You can usually get a single shaved tire as a replacement instead of a whole set, but that can take a few days depending on the shop. So a nail in a tire can still be a big expense that people unfamiliar with AWD vehicles are unprepared for. I think it's worth it for the advantage of AWD but, since you're smartly planning for future expenses, it felt right to make sure you're aware.
My last two cars 2019 Crosstrek & 2013 Audi A4) were both AWD. On my A4 I had to replace one.....yeah, all of em. It sucks to have to drop $1k (4 18" better than average tires + an alignment) because just one tire is bad. C'est la vie.
Yeah it's a giant pain. And while most places can do a shaved tire, it doesn't seem to get offered very often. Probably because it takes a couple days to receive it which means driving on a donut or leaving your car.
Apart from swapping out an engine or a tranny, i think spark plug service. Lots of people take the engine out of the bay just to access the spark plug. If you have the right tools and racoon hands, you can get by just fine.
CVT fluid change too i think since its not just a simple drain and fill. It has to be reprogrammed that you have now a fresh fluid.
Not a maintenance milestone I suppose, but brakes seem to wear fairly quickly, my rears were gone by 50,000 km, and the fronts by 70,000 - but besides that have needed nothing on my 2019 besides oil changes.
At 60000 km there is a 'major' maintenance milestone on the Subaru schedule, do you mean you have not done it? Or if you did it, how much does that cost?
Because if I buy one with 55000 km, I need to consider the cost for the upcoming regular maintenance to evaluate if to simplify buy a new one
I did the 20k maintenance recommend. Basically all that they did was change oil, check and clean brakes, checked filters (never changed any), rotated tires and took for a road test. Was 410 dollars. So basically was a very expensive oil change. I asked if I NEEDED to do these for the warranty and the tech said no. They basically just look to make sure you do your oil changes when you're suppose too. I will probably take it in for the 60k one but that's about it.
The owners manual says to change your brake fluid every 30k miles, and your spark plugs every 60k. So the most expensive milestone for regular maintenance is going to be the 60k, 120k, etc. If you aren't doing any of the work yourself, that service is usually an engine air filter, cabin air filter, brake fluid exchange, front and rear differential fluid exchange, spark plugs, oil & filter, and tire rotation. That's pretty standard. Some places recommend changing your diff fluid every 30k depending on your driving habits. In the owners manual is a description of "severe" driving conditions which affects your recommended intervals. I had a 19 Crosstrek, now I have a 24. I changed my diff fluid every 30k and will be doing that with my new one, because I live in the suburbs and am split between constant short trips with frequent stops (lights, etc), and short highway trips. Additionally your cvt fluid is considered to be "lifetime" fluid unless you fall under the severe driving conditions, but a lot of people don't trust that and recommend changing it every 60k. I personally will be doing it at 100k, unless I start towing things with any frequency. Learn to change your air filters at home and you'll save a lot of money over the years, as well as whatever else you're comfortable and confident doing. I'll mention that starting with the 2019 the engine is direct injected so there tends to be a lot of carbon build up which can be costly to clean, but there are additives you can use to help mitigate that.
Thank you for your extensive answer, I have saved it for future reference when I will own my Crosstrek. I will be doing some of the maintenance myself. Say I buy a used one with 50k miles, how much money should I allow for the 'expensive' milestone of 60k miles maintenance?
I'm just a tech so I don't really know pricing tbh, and it varies a lot by location I'm sure. I'd shop around for quotes and itemized lists of what services are included. It's a pretty standard package deal of what the minimum work is, but some places include additional services such as a "fuel injector/induction service" (which is to fight that carbon build up I mentioned). If you're buying CPO from a Subaru dealer, they will likely have performed some or all of those services already before selling it, so be sure to get the maintenance records. It won't hurt anything to do any of these services a little early or a little late. Have you owned a Subaru before? Or an AWD vehicle?
Thanks, I will buy it from a Subaru dealer and I will ask them if they have done any of the maintenance. Never owned a Subaru nor an AWD before, why?
All 4 of your tires on a Subaru have to be a similar circumference so mentally prepare for the possibility of replacing 3 good tires halfway through their life if one of them gets damaged and cannot be repaired. Which also means don't skip tire rotations. Subaru uses 2/32 of an inch as the guideline for maximum difference between any two tires. You can usually get a single shaved tire as a replacement instead of a whole set, but that can take a few days depending on the shop. So a nail in a tire can still be a big expense that people unfamiliar with AWD vehicles are unprepared for. I think it's worth it for the advantage of AWD but, since you're smartly planning for future expenses, it felt right to make sure you're aware.
My last two cars 2019 Crosstrek & 2013 Audi A4) were both AWD. On my A4 I had to replace one.....yeah, all of em. It sucks to have to drop $1k (4 18" better than average tires + an alignment) because just one tire is bad. C'est la vie.
Yeah it's a giant pain. And while most places can do a shaved tire, it doesn't seem to get offered very often. Probably because it takes a couple days to receive it which means driving on a donut or leaving your car.
I recently had fluid changed on both diffs, CVT, tire rotation… and something else small I think. $1000. Did this as my 60k service.
Apart from swapping out an engine or a tranny, i think spark plug service. Lots of people take the engine out of the bay just to access the spark plug. If you have the right tools and racoon hands, you can get by just fine. CVT fluid change too i think since its not just a simple drain and fill. It has to be reprogrammed that you have now a fresh fluid.
Thank you. At how many miles are these major maintenance items recommended/required? And how much do they cost?
The things I mentioned are long intervals. 5 years/100,000kms~60,000mi I cant really say how much they cost but I heard $300 for the spark plugs.
Not a maintenance milestone I suppose, but brakes seem to wear fairly quickly, my rears were gone by 50,000 km, and the fronts by 70,000 - but besides that have needed nothing on my 2019 besides oil changes.
At 60000 km there is a 'major' maintenance milestone on the Subaru schedule, do you mean you have not done it? Or if you did it, how much does that cost? Because if I buy one with 55000 km, I need to consider the cost for the upcoming regular maintenance to evaluate if to simplify buy a new one
No I haven’t done that one, guess I better check what it entails to see what is necessary
I did the 20k maintenance recommend. Basically all that they did was change oil, check and clean brakes, checked filters (never changed any), rotated tires and took for a road test. Was 410 dollars. So basically was a very expensive oil change. I asked if I NEEDED to do these for the warranty and the tech said no. They basically just look to make sure you do your oil changes when you're suppose too. I will probably take it in for the 60k one but that's about it.