Coincidence

695 Views 24 Replies 8 Participants Last post by MA Subie, 9 h ago

Javan

Discussion Starter · 9 d ago

My '19 has been "Maintained" by a dealer since I bought it used in '20. This was done out of convenience and part of the sales agreement. I moved about a year later but still use a dealer as it is the closest resource to work and they offer a loaner.

All this being said, I have never seen the "Maintenance" message on the screen until a few days ago (says time for Maintenance and shows a wrench). Oddly enough I am suddenly noticing a hesiation when I accelerate from a stop. There has always been a tiny bit of lag, but not like this. My last service, was the 50K service late last year. Still on orig plugs, etc at 56K. Had the oil changed back in March.

Curious if others have seen this.

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77'911

· #2 · 8 d ago

You might consider a bottle of chevron techron concentrate in the gas and a new set of plugs at a minimum. The family's MY18 is on its second set thanks to loads of short trips. I've seen the wrench on the dash but only during a system check, never stays on. Might be worth seeing if any DTC's are stored in the ECU.

Reactions: 2

Blueredgreen

· #3 · 8 d ago (Edited)

The Maintenance Reminder turns on after reaching a preprogrammed date or mileage, at least on the 21 Crosstrek. You can access the settings via the arrow keys on the steering wheel. Check the owners manual for more detailed info.

Reactions: 2

Javan

Discussion Starter · #4 · 8 d ago

More coincidence and a correction. It actually says "Time for Inspection".. Yesterday on the way home, driving behind slow traffice with windows down, had lots of gas smell, fumes, etc. I put windows up and it went away. Drove through neighborhood slow with windows down, same smell. Got home walked around car and could smell gas. Did not see any leaks. then I thought of the gas cap. In the old '05 and '09 Foresters I had, if the cap was not full screwed on, you would get a check engine light. I checked my cap and although it was tight, it was not "clicked". I unscrewed it and screwed back on until the click. No more fumes. Now curious if the Inspection message was at all tied to that...

Reactions: 1

MA Subie

· #5 · 7 d ago

Javan said:
More coincidence and a correction. It actually says "Time for Inspection".. Yesterday on the way home, driving behind slow traffice with windows down, had lots of gas smell, fumes, etc. I put windows up and it went away. Drove through neighborhood slow with windows down, same smell. Got home walked around car and could smell gas. Did not see any leaks. then I thought of the gas cap. In the old '05 and '09 Foresters I had, if the cap was not full screwed on, you would get a check engine light. I checked my cap and although it was tight, it was not "clicked". I unscrewed it and screwed back on until the click. No more fumes. Now curious if the Inspection message was at all tied to that...

Possibly. Although I would expect the Check Engine light to come on in the case of a loose gas cap.

Reactions: 2

Javan

Discussion Starter · #6 · 7 d ago

MA Subie said:
Possibly. Although I would expect the Check Engine light to come on in the case of a loose gas cap.

I agree, as that has been my experience in the past with Foresters.

AstroKats

· #7 · 7 d ago

MA Subie said:
Possibly. Although I would expect the Check Engine light to come on in the case of a loose gas cap.

Very possibly. I've had that on Cardemort. My concern is that just tightening the gas caps and driving to see if it goes away could be doing more damage if it's not just a loose gas cap. It's a pity the warning isn't more specific than "check engine". Where in the engine do I check?

Reactions: 1

MA Subie

· #8 · 7 d ago

AstroKats said:
Very possibly. I've had that on Cardemort. My concern is that just tightening the gas caps and driving to see if it goes away could be doing more damage if it's not just a loose gas cap. It's a pity the warning isn't more specific than "check engine". Where in the engine do I check?

Well most people don't know that much about cars, so they are just told to take their car to the dealer when the CEL comes on. At the very least, it won't pass inspection here.

For the rest of us, plugging in the OBD2 tester and checking codes can reveal some things.

Reactions: 5

AstroKats

· #9 · 6 d ago

MA Subie said:
Well most people don't know that much about cars, so they are just told to take their car to the dealer when the CEL comes on. At the very least, it won't pass inspection here.

For the rest of us, plugging in the OBD2 tester and checking codes can reveal some things.

Yep, you wouldn't get a smog check here with the CEL on.

Any suggestions for an OBD scanner? I think I need one now.

Javan

Discussion Starter · #10 · 6 d ago

Totally agree with the scanner. A very useful tool. I intend to plug mine in sometime today, just trying to find time to work it into the schedule...

AstroKats

· #11 · 6 d ago

Javan said:
Totally agree with the scanner. A very useful tool. I intend to plug mine in sometime today, just trying to find time to work it into the schedule...

Which one do you have and why did you choose that one?

MA Subie

· #12 · 6 d ago

AstroKats said:
Which one do you have and why did you choose that one?

I bought one made by Innova back in 2008. At the time, I chose it because it was the one my local auto store carried. I pad around $100 at the time. There are now better ones for much cheaper.

Reactions: 1

AstroKats

· #13 · 6 d ago

MA Subie said:
I bought one made by Innova back in 2008. At the time, I chose it because it was the one my local auto store carried. I pad around $100 at the time. There are now better ones for much cheaper.

Thanks! I can't believe I waited this long to get one...

Javan

Discussion Starter · #14 · 6 d ago

LOL, I bought an Innova 3100 back in like '08 or '09. Was like $85 at Walmart. Next one up was like $150. I know now they have some that you connect wirelessly. My old '05 Forester had some issues that would pop up on my drive from the airport home late at night when I was traveling for work. So, I kept the cord connected to the port and wrapped around the sterring wheel, then just plug in the reader to clear the codes so I could use cruise control for my hour long highway drive.

Reactions: 1

AstroKats

· #15 · 6 d ago

Javan said:
LOL, I bought an Innova 3100 back in like '08 or '09. Was like $85 at Walmart. Next one up was like $150. I know now they have some that you connect wirelessly. My old '05 Forester had some issues that would pop up on my drive from the airport home late at night when I was traveling for work. So, I kept the cord connected to the port and wrapped around the sterring wheel, then just plug in the reader to clear the codes so I could use cruise control for my hour long highway drive.

I'm thinking a wireless one might be a good idea if the phone app can tell me what's wrong, besides "check engine" LOL!

MA Subie

· #16 · 6 d ago

AstroKats said:
Thanks! I can't believe I waited this long to get one...

I bought it back in 2008 when my 97 Outback was throwing misfire codes. Today's testers have way more features including the ability to see a history. All this one does is pull codes and check all the sensors to see if they're ready.

Reactions: 2

Bluefoton

· #17 · 5 d ago

AstroKats said:
Yep, you wouldn't get a smog check here with the CEL on.

Any suggestions for an OBD scanner? I think I need one now.

OBDLink MX+ and the Torque Pro app. They'll become your new best friends.

Reactions: 1

LeM

· #18 · 5 d ago

Bluefoton said:
OBDLink MX+ and the Torque Pro app. They'll become your new best friends.

Torque Pro app is excellent.

Reactions: 2

Closed Case

· #19 · 3 d ago

Outback reviews
Aout 2022 - What is the Best Subaru Outback OBD2 Scanner for the Home Mechanic?

AstroKats

· #20 · 3 d ago

Yesterday I ordered a Vetronix Mastertech with the cartridges for my car (not a Subaru).

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