Subaru Repair & Maintenance Services

We are here for all of your auto repair needs, Including your trusty Subaru. You can trust our experienced technicians with all your maintenance, troubleshooting, and the best price for your Subaru repair in Bellingham.

TROUBLESHOOTING

If your Subaru is making an odd noise or otherwise running rough, the specific problem isn’t usually obvious. That’s why it’s so important to have an experienced Subaru technician at a trusted auto repair shop to diagnose the problem.

Free engine light check

When your engine light goes on, we can plug in our diagnostic scanner and scan your cars computer to help narrow down the potential problems. Even better, we offer this service for free. Once we have scanned the vehicle and we have acquired the codes, the next step is to test certain components to figure out the root of the problem.

Beware of free estimates

You might be asking yourself, “What could possibly be wrong with a free estimate?” A mechanic who isn’t charging for the time it takes to diagnose the problem with your Subaru, isn’t likely to devote much time finding the exact problem. In this situation, it’s much more profitable to just make a guess as to the most likely problem and suggest that repair. In other words, they’re diagnosing-by-guessing and you are paying for every repair (necessary or not).

Example:

Your engine light is on and you come in for a free check. The computer gives a code that points to the oxygen sensor. The first temptation is to replace that sensor and in some cases that might even be the best course of action. It’s important to understand what this code is telling us, though.

It’s not the computer saying the oxygen sensor is broken. It’s the computer showing that the reading from the oxygen sensor is outside the acceptable range. The problem is often a system being measured by the sensor and not the sensor itself.

ENGINE REPAIR

Subaru builds very reliable cars, so you’re not as likely to need major engine repairs very often. When you do, we’re here to help. Our certified mechanics can handle everything from minor to major engine repairs.

Warning signs that your engine may need repair:

• Idling high or stalling.
• Overheating (driving an overheating car is likely to do a lot more damage to the engine).
• Doesn’t start right away.
• Excessive smoke from the tailpipe.
• Odd smells.
• Burns oil (some burning of oil may be normal, but, it’s best to have this checked because it can be a sign of a major issue).
• Coolant or oil leaks.
• Making a new noise (notice when the noise happens, as that can be helpful in identifying the problem).

Known issue: Subaru head gaskets

Subaru makes fantastic and reliable vehicles. Blown head gaskets are one of the few common issues. The key to minimizing the damage (and thus the cost) of a blown head gasket is to catch the problem early. It can be the difference between just replacing the head gasket and rebuilding the whole top end of the engine.

Common symptoms of a blown head gasket include:

• Overheating engine (whether due to a head gasket or not, driving an overheating car is likely to blow the head gasket and do more damage to the engine).
• White smoke coming from the exhaust pipe.
• Bubbles in the radiator or overflow tank.
• White milky oil, or oil that smells like coolant.
• Rapid loss of coolant with no signs of leaks.

The head gasket can leak a little or a lot, so the initial symptoms aren’t always dramatic. That said, the instant it starts leaking, your engine and cooling system is being damaged. If you think your head gasket is starting to go, avoid driving your car and schedule a service as soon as possible.

TRANSMISSION SERVICING

When driving, your transmission is in almost constant use. If you start experiencing problems, you can count on MVP Subaru. Our technicians are well versed in both manual and automatic transmissions.

Below is a list of potential signs that it’s time to have your transmission serviced:

• Grinding or poor shifting
• Delayed shifting (automatic)
• Clutch pedal requires extra force, has a short release, or feels otherwise unusual
• Burning smell coming from under hood
• Transmission slips or grinds
• Transmission fluid looks cloudy or thick and/or smells foul (automatic)

Dirty transmission fluid is the cause of many automatic transmission problems. This is why Subaru recommends replacing your transmission fluid every 30,000 *.