[Saber11]

When I bought my 22 Limited they said it wasn’t due for the first service until 6000 miles. It has been 6 months and they are hounding me to schedule the first service. I only have 4500 miles and figure it will take another 3 months or so till I hit 6000. Should I go ahead and schedule or should I just wait?

 

[Montanan]

The recommendation is to do the service at either 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first ... so I would definitely do it now. There's no consensus in the forum about specifically when to do the first oil change, but the timeline for the first one definitely shouldn't be extended beyond the recommendation.

Note that you don't necessarily have to have the dealer do it, though. Even if you don't want to do it yourself, there are often better options out there. Just keep good records.

Great pic, by the way!

 

[Closed Case]

First off all. welcome to the forum of Crosstrek.

Secondly ^^^^^^^^ what he said.

 

[bignick]

I'd do it myself and keep good records for warranty if needed. I did my first oil change a lot sooner than that.

 

[AstroKats]

I think the first couple of services are free at the dealer so no reason not to do it.

 

[MA Subie]

Welcome to the forum, @Saber11 !

What you will most undoubtedly see soon is many different opinions about oil changes, so grab some popcorn!

 

[Pillowsplat]

Can't resist an oil thread....
Facts:
I changed mine at 1000 miles.
The oil was the darkest I have seen to date.
The bottom of the black oil plastic oil pan had noticable silver specks.
This seems to be typical for new cars and it makes sense when you think of an engine "breaking in". This will prompt some discussion.
Documenting can be done on MySubaru.com
Save your reciepts for oil and filters.
I also note what was done and date on the notes section of the owners manual.
Keep an eye on the suggested maintenance in your owners manual.
Possible fiction:
Dealers make a good profit on service. They want to you to come back, so they get you comfy with the process, free service is probably written off as a marketing expense.
Facts: 5qts oil mobil one oil cost $30 retail the Subaru filter cost $8.
Dealers get it for less.
$100 / hour labor. Takes them 30 minutes.
I have done it for years with ramps and chocks.
I Graduated to floor jack, jack stands, and Amazon special impact wrench. Say a total of $180.
I can now rotate tires, inspect and or replace brakes & lube caliper sliders, cv boots, change front and rear diff fluids. So add in a breaker bar, torque wrench, T27 socket. Another $100.
The tool payback 3 oil changes a one f&r diff oil change. The rest is money in your pocket.
Some people enjoy it. Some don't.
John

 

[AstroKats]

I'm pretty sure the free oil changes are a Subaru thing and that the dealer gets reimbursed, as they would with warranty work.

 

[Montanan]

Subaru of America has only offered the free oil change promotion in certain limited geographic areas ... basically just the sun belt states. It's definitely not a national thing.

 

[AstroKats]

Subaru of America has only offered the free oil change promotion in certain limited geographic areas ... basically just the sun belt states. It's definitely not a national thing.

That's odd. Wonder why?

 

[Montanan]

I'd guess it's just because different sales markets have different competitive pressures. You can make a case for owning a vehicle with Subaru's AWD pretty much anywhere you live, but in the snow belt that advantage is going to be more obvious, so there's less need to add incentives like free oil changes ...

 

[sas-XV]

Subaru of America has only offered the free oil change promotion in certain limited geographic areas ... basically just the sun belt states. It's definitely not a national thing.

There were no free oil changes offered in Kentucky when I bought in 2020.

 

[warmwind76]

When I bought my 22 Limited they said it wasn’t due for the first service until 6000 miles. It has been 6 months and they are hounding me to schedule the first service. I only have 4500 miles and figure it will take another 3 months or so till I hit 6000. Should I go ahead and schedule or should I just wait?

I wouldn't worry about it. I have been hounded for months now by Subie to get my 2018 Crosstrek in for the 3-year/30,000 mile wallet vacuuming. However my Crosstrek does not quite have 30,000 miles on the odo - probably in a month or two I'll pass that threshold. I have been doing my own oil changes, sundry maintenance stuff, had the recallls done. I do however need to make an appointment with the dealership anyways to get a replacement spare fob - I somewhere misplaced the spare fob. Have to take the car in so they can cut and program. Will only cost $568. {insert weeping sounds here}

 

[Blue Bendite]

When I bought my 22 Limited they said it wasn’t due for the first service until 6000 miles. It has been 6 months and they are hounding me to schedule the first service. I only have 4500 miles and figure it will take another 3 months or so till I hit 6000. Should I go ahead and schedule or should I just wait?

If you want to keep your warranty intact, you need to do the service, as already said, every 6 months or 6,000 miles, whichever comes first. That's for the first five years. Whether you go to a dealer, service shop, lube shop, or DIY, just keep all of your receipts and the mileage at each service. AFTER 5 years, you can do whatever you feel like doing (or not doing).

 

[AJR]

I think the first couple of services are free at the dealer so no reason not to do it.

Not free in MA - and prices are all over the board so it's best to shop around (most dealerships will honor competitors coupons).

 

[forestranger007]

My dealership where I bought both of our Subies have free oil change and multi-point inspections and yes I service ours every 6 months whether it's 6k or less..

 

[Joe44usa]

At 6000 miles or more is ok, for me. Filter cleans the oil. Change oil at state yearly inspection time. Less trips to dealer.

Had over 18,000 miles at the 1 oil change. As long as there is some oil in there, good to go.

 

[Libby]

My 2013 XV has 52,900 miles on it. I only do changes based on mileage. Did the same with an old Outback I had, too.

 

[peaty]

It will sometimes depend on the dealer too. We got ours used at a non subaru dealer and they offered the first oil change free. I got two cars there and the same thing on both. I think some places want to establish a routine and rapport too.

I'm old school and change my oil in new cars at 500, 1000 and then 3K, after that every 4 - 5 K. It's just the way I like to do it. It may be too much but so far I've never had a subaru that has had oil consumption issues and I've had a few subarus.

With the light weight oil it's not a good idea to go too long.

This is a long video but worth watching, he's a Toyota mechanic but it's true for most modern motors

https://youtu.be/v4JS7PybV2k

 

[MA Subie]

Not free in MA - and prices are all over the board so it's best to shop around (most dealerships will honor competitors coupons).

Are your initials really AJR? Are you familiar with these guys who go by AJR?