subaru as reliable honda and toyota Layton, UT

Many recent studies show Subaru losing the battle against Honda and Toyota when it comes to reliability. As a shop owner that specializes in Subaru repair, I believe Subaru still makes a great car when it comes to safety standards but it is lacking in reliability when compared to the two giants, Honda and Toyota.

There are a few common failures that our Subaru mechanics are seeing lately that are on the higher end of costs. Here’s why Subaru doesn’t tend to be as reliable as Honda and Toyota.

#1. Subaru Head Gasket Failure

Subaru’s have been known for head gasket failures for many years. Over my years of working with my Subaru specialists, it is common to have Subaru’s come in leaking fluid from the head gasket area around the 100k – 125k mile range. Subaru head gaskets can leak engine oil or, even worse, coolant.

This is not the end of the world, but Subaru drivers should plan for a repair with a fairly high cost around this mile range. It appears that the latest engine packages offered by Subaru have solved this common problem, but only time will tell.

As an independent Subaru repair shop, it typically takes a few years for cars to come out of the factory warranty and start coming into our shops. We will be keeping a close eye out for fluid-leaking issues on the new models.

#2. CVT Transmission

In recent years, Subaru has begun utilizing a CVT style transmission in its cars. This goes the same for most manufacturers. There are emissions standards and fuel consumption standards in play, which is why a lot of manufacturers are going to this style of transmission. We are seeing a high number of failures with Subaru transmissions, and unfortunately, they are fairly high-cost replacements.

We are finding the fluid in the Subaru CVT transmissions is getting too hot and breaking down. This eventually leads to failure. In years past, we have recommended waiting 50k miles to perform your first transmission service and then every 30k miles thereafter. With the amount of heat and high number of failures, it is now our recommendation to perform your first transmission service at 30k miles and then every 15k miles thereafter.

If you keep good quality fluid in the transmission, it reduces the chance of failure exponentially.

#3. AWD system

The biggest reason why Subaru is so popular here in Utah is the fact these cars are all wheel drive. Winters here in Utah can be a lot to deal with on the roads, but an AWD Subaru makes your life a little more safe.

With the safety of the AWD also comes some components that can be damaged or worn out. Most other makes, like Honda and Toyota sedans, are front wheel drive. Subaru’s AWD system consists of a power transfer unit (transfer case), rear driveline, and rear differential, in addition to the front transaxle that most cars have. The additional parts require a couple extra services due on your Subaru every 30k miles.

The leading cause of failures we are seeing on Subaru AWD systems is when people run a mismatched set of tires. If you have an AWD or 4WD vehicle, it is very important to stay on top of tire rotations and keep the tires within 02/32 of total diameter.

Refer to this article for a better explanation: https://www.shadetreeautomotive.net/should-you-replace-all-4-tires-on-awd-cars/.

Are Subarus Good Vehicles?

Although I do not feel Subaru is making vehicles as reliable as Honda or Toyota, they are still a great vehicle for many reasons. They are one of the safest vehicles on the road, and a great vehicle for our Utah winters.

If your Subaru (or other type of vehicle!) is in need of service, swing by Shadetree Automotive located in Layton, UT. Our experienced professionals are dedicated to providing each and every customer with optimal service to keep their vehicle in the best condition possible for as long as possible. Contact us today to learn more about the different makes and models we service and what our services consist of.

In our previous blog, we answered a question that we get asked all the time in our repair shop: Is Honda Still Reliable? Based on our decades of experience as mechanics and some studies, the answer was yes.

Another common question that we get asked along those lines is whether Honda or Toyota make better cars. After all, cars are significant investments, so you want to ensure that you go with a make you can rely on for as long as possible. To answer this question, we did our own research by going into our general auto repair shop records and pulling reports from the last 10 years.

So, Honda vs Toyota, which is more reliable? Well, there are a number of factors to consider here. Here’s what you need to know from our own shop records and what we’ve noticed with these popular Japanese makes. Let’s get into it!

Disclaimer: These Reports Are Based On Northern Utah Data

So, before we get into the reports, we want to make a quick disclaimer. Our shop is based in Layton, UT. If you’re not from Utah, what this means is that Utah vehicles get used in a somewhat different way than in other parts of the United States.

Utah is subjected to super cold, snowy winters, which means there’s a lot of road salt and winter weather conditions. Utah also gets very hot and dry summers. Both the extreme heat and the extreme cold can impact tires, fluids, and more. So, keep this in mind when we talk about our reports. Bear in mind the fact too that our reports are based on what comes into our shop.

All of that being said, here’s what the reports had to say about the Honda vs Toyota debate.

What The Reports Show: Top Makes Serviced

Over the past 10 years, we’ve worked on a total of 335,223 vehicles, with an average repair order across all models of about $726.

Bear in mind with the average repair order cost that we take on a lot of the jobs that other shops don’t really like to do. Because of this, our repair order is typically about 20-25% higher than the average general repair shop, just because we do more major work than a lot of other shops do. Our services range from $75 oil changes to $20,000+ diesel engines, so that’s where we get our $726 average from.

The top four makes that we’ve serviced in regard to total volume over the last 10 years are:

Ford Trucks. We’ve worked on a total of 3939 Ford trucks, with an average repair order of $705.14. Utah loves Ford trucks, and we do a ton of fleet work.
Toyota. We’ve worked on 3657 Toyotas, with an average repair order of $621.70. Unlike Ford, Toyota doesn’t break their trucks out, so this is based on all the different Toyota models that come in. We see a ton of Toyotas here in Utah.
Honda. We’ve worked on 2957 Hondas, with an average repair order of $598.52. Again, Utah loves Honda. Like Toyotas, we see Hondas all the time, on the roads, and here at the shop.
Chevy Trucks. We’ve worked on 2405 Chevy trucks, with an average repair order of $673.15. As with Ford trucks, we service a lot of Chevy trucks that are part of fleets.

As you see, Toyota and Honda up there among our top makes serviced. While this may give you pause and make you think that neither make of car is that reliable, it’s important to note that Utahns love these types of cars. All of our top makes serviced are vehicles that you constantly see on the roads here, so if there are more of them on the road, it’s natural for them to make up the top makes serviced.

About Toyotas

Toyota owners spend about 14% less than the average car that comes in, about $104.21 less.

About Hondas

Honda owners spend about 18% less than the average car owner and 4% less than the average Toyota owner. Honda owners spend an average of $127.39 when they come in, which is about $23 less than Toyota owners.

Important Notes About Honda vs Toyota Reliability

#1. Honda Doesn’t Have Trucks

While the numbers show that Honda owners have come in less frequently and spent less money overall than Toyota owners, there is a factor that’s skewing the data. This is the fact that while Toyota has SUVs and trucks, Honda doesn’t have SUVs or trucks that get used in the same way as Toyotas. While Honda does have their Ridgeline, it doesn’t do what Toyota Tundras and Tacomas can.

Trucks and SUVs get used and abused more than the average car that you just drive around down, especially here in Utah, where people love motorsports. Because of this, they’re going to be in the shop more often.

#2. Honda And Toyota Owners Take Better Care Of Their Vehicles

Both Hondas and Toyotas have exceptional reliability and are great cars, but a great car that isn’t taken care of won’t last as long. We’ve noticed that Honda and Toyota owners generally understand what their cars need in order to maintain their reliability.

We often get unprompted phone calls like: “My Honda just hit 100,000 miles; I need to schedule it in for maintenance” and “My Toyota just hit 60,000 miles; I’m due for fluids and filters.”

This isn’t something that we see much with the average car owner. When we make recommendations to people who bring their cars into the shop, it’s often a surprise. But in general, with Honda and Toyota owners, they know what they need to be doing in order to help their vehicles maintain reliability for as long as possible. We’ve been very impressed by this.

Now, we don’t know whether this is because Honda and Toyota dealers are educating their customers better than other dealerships, or if maybe because people buy Hondas and Toyotas for their reliability, they’re more vigilant about what’s needed to keep them running. Regardless, it’s something we’ve noticed throughout the decades.

Honda Vs Toyota: Which Is Better?

Alright, the reason why you clicked on this blog: which is the better make?

We don’t have a solid answer for this question. Both Hondas and Toyotas are reliable vehicles, so buy what you like and make sure that you’re taking care of it. While neither make is as reliable as they used to be, they’re still beating the other makes out there. So, as long as you take care of your Honda or Toyota, you’ll be just fine.

Expert Auto Repair In Layton, UT

Regardless of whether you have a Honda, Toyota, or other make of car, you’ll likely need repairs at some point. Shadetree Automotive’s specialists are here to help you keep your car in good condition for as long as possible. We do inspections, diagnostics, repairs, maintenance, and more. To learn more about our services or for any questions you may have, please don’t hesitate to contact us today.

If you are wondering, “Will mechanics let me bring my own parts,” we have the answer for you.

At our auto repair shop, we very rarely allow a customer to supply their own parts. However, there are some very select situations that we will. We always want to do what is best and fair for everyone involved. Here are the main reasons why most mechanic shops (including ours) do not allow you to bring your own parts.

Warranty and Reliability of the Auto Part

When a mechanic shop is repairing your vehicle, they utilize years of experience to determine what part needs to be replaced and what the difference in quality is between different brands/ suppliers. Not all auto parts are created equal. Although you can often get a part that fits your vehicle properly from all the main suppliers like Napa, O’Reilly, AutoZone and Carquest; it is not always what is best for your vehicle or you. Using our years of experience, we have a list of parts that we trust the quality of from the top 4 suppliers in our area.

will mechanics let me bring my own parts

We have also itemized many parts that we will only trust an OE supplier to get us. It is typically less expensive, more convenient, and quicker to round up the parts needed from our local Napa supplier, so that is always our first choice. When we do decide to wait for the dealer, or one of our other OE quality suppliers, to bring us the part, it typically costs a bit more and takes a lot longer. We only do this when it is necessary to get the quality of the part we are willing to put our name behind.

When it comes to the quality of parts we will put on your vehicle, we will only install parts that we would feel comfortable having in our own car. Our theory is that if your original part made it 100k miles, the part we are installing should last just as long, if not longer. We give a minimum warranty of 3 years and 100k mile warranty on any new or remanufactured part we ever install on your vehicle.

Accountability

Believe it or not, we often get a faulty part right out of the box. Thankfully, it doesn’t happen too often, but our mechanics encounter it once or twice a month. When it does happen, it costs our mechanics a lot of time because it causes them to go back through the whole diagnostic process and verify their original diagnosis is correct.

Consider this; if you were to supply your own part in the case that the new part was faulty right out of the box, who is responsible for taking care of the mechanic’s time? It puts the mechanic, mechanic shop owner, and yourself in a difficult situation. If we supply the part and it is deemed to be defective, we make sure our mechanic’s time is taken care of.

High-quality mechanics have invested many years learning the craft and have spent thousands of dollars on tools. They deserve to be compensated fairly for the time spent working on your vehicle. Due to the volume of purchases we have with our parts suppliers, we have a good working relationship allowing us to lean on our suppliers to take care of any additional costs we may incur in that situation.

Profitability

There are a lot of expenses involved in operating a mechanic shop. Rent, utilities, tools, uniforms, support staff, supplies, etc. Due to these expenses, it is not possible to be profitable by selling labor only. All mechanic shops must order parts at our cost and apply a predetermined markup on that part. Yes, this means that buying a part from your local auto repair shop will cost you more than buying it directly from the parts supplier.

Honestly, we don’t buy parts from our suppliers at a much better price than our customers can. In order to take care of our team and keep our business open to take good care of you, we must make a fair profit on parts. If you supply your part, you must understand that is taking needed profits away from the mechanic shop and team that is helping you.

Now, in the rare situations that it makes sense for the customer to bring a part they have ordered; a part every once in a great while should not hurt the mechanic shop. However, if customers are allowed to supply their own parts often, the shop will be in trouble.

Mechanic shops utilize a parts matrix to determine how much to charge a customer for parts. The matrix is designed to get us an average profit that will cover the expenses of the business. Parts will cost a little bit of a different amount at any shop you go to because not all shops have the exact same operating costs. Our parts matrix has a higher profit margin on lower cost parts and a lower profit margin on expensive parts like engines, transmissions, and modules.

I hope this answers the question, “Will mechanics let me bring my own parts?” If not, please feel free to call one of our trusted advisers for a more in depth explanation. We believe in transparency and want to be your trusted auto repair shop in Layton, Utah. We strongly believe that in doing business with you, everyone must win. You, the customer, me, the business owner, and most importantly, our hardworking team.

Monday	8 AM - 6 PM
Tuesday	8 AM - 6 PM
Wednesday	8 AM - 6 PM
Thursday	8 AM - 6 PM
Friday	8 AM - 6 PM
Saturday	Closed
Sunday	Closed

#1. Subaru Head Gasket Failure

#2. CVT Transmission

#3. AWD system

Are Subarus Good Vehicles?

Disclaimer: These Reports Are Based On Northern Utah Data