Just had the major service done at a highly recommended independant

>>17834275
oh look, another wrx owner who doesn't know how to work on their own car

fuck you

>>17834275
>how long should set me right for?

If you're asking how long until you'll need it done again, probably around 50-100k miles unless you beat on it.

Yeah, I'd recommend learning how to work on it yourself, and take it in for things that could destroy your engine or at least be a bad time if you fuck them up (like the timing belt)

Start of changing your oil, it's pretty easy to do, I've got a nearly identical WRX, except mine is a wagon. The oil filter mounts on the bottom and you might need a tool (or just a bit of rubber and a firm grip) to get it out.

Suspension and brakes are decently easy to work on yourself, it's pretty apparent how it all goes together. Really, just try and work through it as things need repaired.

>>17834569
>someone trying to learn how to work on their own stuff. Fuck you for trying

>>17835484

at 6 month services what else should I be aiming to do besides oil changes?

>>17835491
Oil changes you'll want to aim at between 3k miles and 6k miles. I change mine at 6k because it's a pain and I drive so much (pizza delivery in the winter) I run Royal Purple and a high quality oil filter in mine. Just know that once you go purple, your car won't like going back to anything lower quality.

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/subaru_maintenance.html

Here's the subaru maintenance schedule. Look at it and understand what it means.

There's a pattern to it. There's not a lot of maintenance that these subarus require. The most important thing is the oil, because if you get bad oil going through your turbo, it's going to shorten your turbo's lifespan. That's not a good time, especially if your turbo shreds and sends bits into the engine. Then you're looking at a full engine rebuild or replacement.

It's important to keep your tire wear even. Uneven tire wear makes the differentials unhappy. Rotating your tires is something easily done at home. Make sure to keep an eye on tire wear. You want to see nice even wear across the width and radius of the tire. If your tire wear is uneven, there are guides online that can give you possible causes.

>>17835507
I don't drive that much so I think it will take me about a year or even a bit more to hit 6k miles

if I don't drive that much should I be changing my oil at least every 6 months or is it ok to wait however long it takes to hit approx 3-6k?

>>17835491
Probably brakes and AC gas.

>>17835512
If you don't drive it much, I'd say that after taking it for a drive, take out the dipstick and check the quality of the oil. Using a white cloth, new oil will look just like you put it in. about halfway through its life, while it's still in good condition, it'll look brownish. You'll want to change it once it starts wiping off dark brown or black.

The subaru maintenance page recommends oil changes every 3750 miles. I wait until 6k because I'm bad and lazy. Don't be like me.

Something else that's important for keeping your engine happy is not running the engine hard right after starting, and not stopping the engine right after hard driving. When you start up your car, you'll want to wait a few minutes *after your car has reached operating temperature* before you push it hard, because it takes time for the oil to warm up, and if the oil isn't warmed up, then it doesn't flow through the turbo properly and you shorten the life of your turbo. Same thing but in reverse with shutting off the engine. After you're done driving it hard, you want to drive it gently a bit before shutting it off. This gives the turbo time to dissipate heat and for the engine oil to cool back down. If you don't do this, then the turbo will stay hot, and cook the oil that's stuck inside it, which you don't want.

>>17835518
Also, this. check your brakes. It will be obvious when the pads need changing. You'll see very little "meat" on them. The discs are a bit different. With the discs, you'll feel when they're going bad under braking. If, when you brake, you feel vibration that you don't otherwise feel under normal driving conditions, that can be a sign that your discs are warping, or otherwise going out of spec. If you're cheap, you can have them "turned" at a machine shop, but you can only do this a few times before they're too thin to continue using, and you'll need to replace them. My advice is to just replace them with high quality discs. It doesn't cost that much (I got a set of new good-quality ceramic front brake pads and discs for around $106 USD.) and is better overall.

>>17835535
(cont.) brake discs can also be worn thin by regular braking and need replaced from that as well. I recommend having your trusted subaru specialist mechanic do a full inspection of your vehicle. They can tell you what to look out for and what will need serviced soon. My shop charged me $40 for a full inspection, and credited that $40 towards my next service. Most shops I've gone to do something similar. Might be different for you, being european.