Subaru WRX: FA20DIT 2.0T Piston Ring Wear and Excessive Oil Consumption (VA WRX)

The FA20DIT direct-injection turbocharged engine introduced in the 2014 WRX (VA generation) has a widely documented oil consumption problem caused by premature piston ring gap wear. Affected engines consume oil at rates up to one litre per 1,500 km under normal conditions, often without producing visible blue smoke because the catalytic converter burns off combustion oil before it exits the exhaust. Subaru issued technical service bulletins and, in some markets, extended warranty provisions covering short-block replacement on affected engines. The fault is not always resolved by ring replacement alone — some short blocks require full assembly replacement. NZ and AU owners have reported the issue extensively and it is a key inspection point on all 2014–2018 FA20DIT WRX examples.

• Oil level dropping significantly between services — more than half a litre per 3,000 km
• Little or no visible blue exhaust smoke despite high consumption (masked by catalytic converter)
• Spark plugs fouled with oily or black carbon deposits
• Oil consumption warning or dipstick consistently reading low

1. 1

   Check oil level on the dipstick carefully and compare against the last service date — ask the seller to show receipts for oil top-ups between services.

2. 2

   Pull a spark plug if possible to check for oily or heavily carbon-fouled deposits.

3. 3

   An independent oil consumption test — driving 2,000 km then measuring the drop — is the most reliable verification method.

Parts involved: Catalytic converter.

$3,000 to $7,500 at New Zealand independent workshop rates. That is for this job on its own, not for the car.

An estimate, in NZD, for the repair as normally carried out. What a specific car costs depends on which part has failed and what it damaged on the way — treat this as the floor for a negotiation, not a quote.

• “How frequently does the oil need topping up between scheduled services?”
• “Has a Subaru dealer or independent workshop assessed the oil consumption rate formally?”
• “Has any warranty claim or Subaru TSB repair been performed on the engine?”

The failure described above is documented in published sources — owner forums, technical service bulletins, recall notices and workshop write-ups — held in our fault database. The inspection instructions and the cost estimate are KickTyres’ own interpretation of them, and it is a starting point for an inspection rather than a manufacturer statement.