Must-Have Maintenance Parts For Your Legacy
An easy way for Subaru Legacy owners to save loads of money is to take care of basic maintenance themselves. All they need to do is follow the Legacy maintenance schedule and stock up on a few extra parts in case one fails unexpectedly.
If you’re a Subaru Legacy owner, we have the list you need. Below, you’ll find a list of must-have maintenance parts to keep in your car or garage. Having these parts on hand will drastically reduce your Subaru Legacy maintenance costs.
Maintenance Parts To Keep In Your Car
It’s smart to stock up on extra parts in your car in case a part fails on the road. All the parts in this list are basic maintenance items that are easy to replace on the side of the road. They’re also parts that make your driving experience very difficult once they fail. That’s why we recommend keeping these parts in your Legacy’s trunk instead of your garage. That way, you can pull over and replace these parts ASAP.
1. Wiper Blades
Wiper blades last about 6-12 months. Worn out or damaged wipers can’t adequately clean the windshield. That creates a big safety issue when you’re driving in inclement weather. Often times, you won’t know that your wipers have failed until you’re driving in rainy or snowy weather again.
Driving with low visibility until you either reach your destination or find an auto parts shop is very dangerous. That’s why it’s smart to keep an extra set of wiper blades in your trunk. On a Subaru Legacy, you don’t need any tools to replace the windshield wipers. So you can pull over and replace the wipers in a jiffy.
2. Fluids
Without fluids, your Legacy can’t function well. That’s why we always suggest keeping one bottle per fluid in your trunk, and the rest in your garage. So if you need to change your fluids, you’ll have the replacement fluids ready in your garage. If you find that your Legacy is running low on something when you’re driving, you can pull over and top it off. It’s a good idea to stock up on the following fluids:
- Coolant
- Motor oil
- Transmission fluid
- Washer fluid
- Power steering fluid
- Brake fluid
3. Exterior Bulbs
A burned out headlight or taillight bulb creates two issues:
- Lower visibility, which can be quite dangerous
- Higher risk of being pulled over and getting a ticket
If you find that one of your headlight or taillight bulbs has burned out, you can replace it right away. You may need some tools for the job, but it should be a straightforward process.
4. Serpentine Belt
Once your serpentine belt gives out, your engine stops working. That can put you in quite a pickle. Without a replacement serpentine belt in your car, you’ll have to pay to have your Legacy towed to a shop. There, the shop will charge you labor to get such a simple job done.
You’ll save a lot of money if you have a replacement belt in your trunk. You’ll be able to replace it right on the side of the road.
Maintenance Parts To Store In Your Garage
Sometimes a part can fail on the road, but still somewhat function until you get home. Rather than fill up your trunk with all the maintenance items you can think of, keep some of these items in your garage. We recommend keeping the following parts in your garage in case you run into issues:
1. Engine Air Filters
You should check and replace your engine air filter every 12,000 miles or so. It’s so much easier when you already have a replacement filter waiting in your garage. You can just swap it in as soon as you notice your current air filter has gotten a bit too dirty.
2. Brake Pads And Rotors
A common problem many car owners face is driving with bad brake parts until their new parts come in. That may create a big safety issue. It also creates a risk of damaging related brake parts, which will cost you even more money. For example, worn brake pads can damage the rotors. In that situation, you’d have no choice but to replace the rotors, too.
It would be nice to be able to replace worn brake pads and/or rotors as soon as you notice them. You can do that by stocking up on replacement pads and rotors in your garage.
3. Spark Plugs
Replacing spark plugs is much easier than it sounds. Instead of bringing your Legacy to a shop when your spark plugs give out, you can replace them right at home. If you have replacement spark plugs on hand, you can start the replacement process ASAP.
4. Battery
It’s never fun when you drive somewhere and your car battery dies. If you have a replacement battery one hand, you can replace you can replace the battery soon as you notice it failing. Under normal circumstances, a car battery lasts a few years. If you think that your car battery will give out soon, you may want to order a replacement battery.