home

September 2019

Subaru Service and Technical Support Line Newsletter
ARTICLES CONTAINED
IN THIS ISSUE
Click on a title below to jump to the article.
Click the date located in the footer to return to page 1.

CODE ARTICLE...............................PAGE
(00)

STIS New Releases....................8-9

(01)

QMR of the Month...................... 1-2

(01)

QMR of the Month Award
Presentations ............................. 2

(01)

Subaru Select Monitor (SM4)
Unresponsive when Connecting to
Some 2020MY Vehicles................. 2

Tech Tips Greatest Tips
(15)

HomeLink Mirror Programming
Information................................ 3

(15)

Swapping Electrical Components: The
Hardest Lessons Learned are Usually
the Most Expensive...................... 4

(15)

Telematics Subscription Error Codes
202 and 204..............................4-5

(15)

Telematics RES Feature Inoperative
and Revised B2A16 Diagnostics.....5-6

(16)

2020MY Legacy and Outback New
CVT Fluid................................... 7

(18)

Ascent Sunshade Reinitialization
Procedure Clarification.................. 7

(18)

C1532 Trouble Tree Correction........ 7

SUBARU TECHLINE HOLIDAYS
& HOURS OF OPERATION
Thanksgiving: (Closed)
Thursday, November 28, 2019
Day After Thanksgiving (10:30am-3:30pm)
Friday, November 29, 2019

Mon. - Thurs.

8:30AM - 7:30PM EST

Friday

10:30AM - 5:00PM EST

Saturday

9:00AM - 3:00PM EST

01

© 2019 Subaru of America, Inc. All rights reserved.

QMR OF THE MONTH

We are pleased to announce this month’s Winner of QMR of the Month:

Steven Zielinski from
Faulkner Subaru in Harrisburg, PA.
Steven’s winning QMR involved a 2019 Outback 3.6R with a recurring,
intermittent no start and low (or dead) battery concern. After a review of
the vehicle’s prior repair history, he began his diagnosis by connecting
the Midtronics battery charger / tester to rule out a faulty battery. Both
the battery and charging system were inspected and determined to be
fine. Steven then began investigating for an excessive voltage (dark
current) draw. His initial results showed a low .03mA current draw,
well within specifications supplied in TSB 07-85-14. The vehicle then
sat for 4 days and during that period, he continued to monitor the draw
at various times with no significant change. Another inspection the
following morning revealed the battery was dead. Steven re-charged
the battery and checked the current draw again which still measured
an acceptable .03 mA. Next, he removed the audio fuse and allowed
the vehicle to sit overnight. The battery was fine the next morning
so, he reinstalled audio fuse and performed additional circuit testing
with no problem found. The following morning, the battery was not
completely dead but, only had approximately 4 volts, nowhere near
enough to start the car. Steven charged battery yet again, let the vehicle
run for about 2 hours then shut vehicle off and re-connected his test
equipment. This time, a significant 3 amp current draw was identified.
He then began performing voltage drop tests across the fuses in the
under-hood Main fuse box (M/B). After performing extensive testing,
Steven was able to determine the BIU was intermittently “waking up”
and powering a handful of circuits which combined to create the 3.0A
draw he had verified earlier. He replaced Body Integrated Unit (BIU)
and test drove the vehicle multiple times. His confirmation testing over
the following week never produced a current draw of more than the
original .03mA identified previously. Steven’s report outlined all the
tests performed and contained detailed results for each.
In appreciation for going the extra mile and sharing his experience with
us, Steven will receive the following from his Field Service Engineer:

A $500.00 Snap-On gift card.
CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
CAUTION: VEHICLE SERVICING PERFORMED BY UNTRAINED PERSONS
COULD RESULT IN SERIOUS INJURY TO THOSE PERSONS OR TO OTHERS.

SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. IS
ISO 14001 COMPLIANT

The Subaru TechTIPS newsletter is intended for use by professional Technicians ONLY. Articles are
written to inform those Technicians of conditions that may occur in some vehicles, or to provide
information that could assist in the proper servicing of the vehicle. Properly trained Technicians
have the equipment, tools, safety instructions, and know-how to do the job correctly and safely.
If a condition is described, DO NOT assume that your vehicle has or will have that condition.
Impreza, Legacy, Justy, Loyale, Outback, Forester, Subaru SVX, WRX, WRX STI, Baja, Tribeca,
BRZ, XV Crosstrek, Ascent, Crosstrek Hybrid and “Quality Driven” are Registered Trademarks.

ISO 14001 is the international standard for
excellence in Environmental Management
Systems. Please recycle or dispose of
automotive products in a manner that is
friendly to our environment and in accordance
with all local, state and federal laws and
regulations.

September 2019 TechTIPS

Page 1 of 10

01

QMR OF THE MONTH (CONTINUED)

The other Regional winners selected from QMRs submitted during April 2019 were:
•

David Derks from Groove Subaru in Englewood, CO

•

Craig DeMeo from Granite Subaru in Hudson, NH

•

David Nichols from Morrie’s Minnetonka Subaru in Minnetonka, MN

•

Tom Mazgaj from West Herr Subaru in Orchard Park, NY

Any Subaru Technician can participate in the QMR of the Month program. See the February 2013 and
January 2016 issues of Tech TIPS for full details. You just might see your name and photo in a future issue
of Tech TIPS!

01

QMR OF THE MONTH AWARD PRESENTATIONS

As part of our “enhanced” QMR of the Month
recognition program, we will be including a photo
(whenever available) of the recipient’s award
presentation in TIPS. The winner selected from
QMR of the Month submissions received during
July 2019 was Steven Zielinski, a Technician from
Faulkner Subaru in Harrisburg, PA.
Shown, left to right: Subaru of America District Parts and
Sales Manager Dan Cassidy, Faulkner Subaru Service
Manager Joie Bollman, Technician Steven Zielinski,
Faulkner Subaru General Sales Manager Chris Carvell and
Subaru of America Field Service Engineer, Glenn Skjoldal.

Congratulations and THANK YOU to our July 2019 QMR of the Month Award recipient!

01

SUBARU SELECT MONITOR (SM4) UNRESPONSIVE WHEN CONNECTING TO SOME 2020MY
VEHICLES

When connecting the SSM to some
2020MY vehicles, the system appears
unresponsive (does not automatically
“identify” the vehicle / VIN) and displays
the screen as shown below. The Vehicle
information must be selected manually
to initialize SSM communication. This
condition will be addressed in the
January 2020 SSM Software Update
release.

September 2019 TechTIPS

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 2 of 10

This series features TechTIPS articles frequently referred to by Techline. This month’s feature is for
Homelink Mirror Programming Information from January 2014

15

HOMELINK MIRROR PROGRAMMING INFORMATION

Should you receive a customer concern of not being able to program their HomeLink mirror, the
cause may be software incompatibility between the mirror and the garage door opener. If the
customer has recently added or replaced their opener, it may not be receiving a “usable” activation
signal from the HomeLink mirror. When the opener utilizes HomeLink Version 4 software (common
in openers produced after 2011) and the HomeLink mirror utilizes HomeLink Version 3, a “signal
repeater” device is often required to complete the programming process. The HomeLink mirror part
numbers listed below all operate with HomeLink Version 4 and do not require a repeater.
• H501SFJ101 (applicable to 2012-14 Impreza, 2013-14 XV Crosstrek, 2013-14 Outback & Legacy)
• H501SAJ100 (2010-12 Outback & Legacy)
• H501SSG100 (applicable to 2014-15 Forester)
• H501SCA101 (applicable to 2013-14 BRZ*)
*BRZ HomeLink mirrors requires an adaptor.

If your customer has one of the openers listed in the HomeLink website information provided below,
they may need to purchase a repeater. They are available directly from HomeLink through their
website: https://secure.homelink.com/homelink-repeater-kit-detail and have a price of $27.95 each
plus shipping. For more information and Tech Support on HomeLink products, go to: www.homelink.
com or call: 1-800-355-3515.

September 2019 TechTIPS

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 3 of 10

15

SWAPPING ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS: THE HARDEST LESSONS LEARNED ARE USUALLY THE
MOST EXPENSIVE

As some Retailers continue to find out, swapping electronic components between
vehicles is never a good idea.
For example: NEVER swap audio head units between vehicles because there is
adequate supply of replacement and exchange units available to repair them. Breaking
the head unit serial number – VIN association will exclude that particular vehicle from
future head unit FOTA updates.
For years, the instruction has been to NOT swap DCMs between vehicles. Unfortunately, this continues
to happen during audio head unit swaps with hasty disregard for the Telematics control module bolted
to the same mounting bracket. Swapping the DCM often leads to DCM replacement in order to repair
the Telematics concerns created by the swap. When customer subscriptions are involved, repairs may
even require DCM replacement in both the donor and recipient vehicles.
The ECM should NEVER be swapped because it carries the VIN with it. Swapping an ECM into another
vehicle will cause the DCM to pull the VIN from the donor ECM. Even though this is the ECM moving,
the DCM thinks it has been swapped. Just as in a real DCM swap, the DCM in a vehicle with a swapped
ECM may also require replacement as a result.
To summarize, there are no shortcuts in today’s world of Automotive Technology. Electrical systems
become more dependent upon each other every year and any interruption or change in their operation
can ripple through the entire vehicle affecting multiple systems. When there is a question about a trouble
tree, diagnostic procedure or replacement procedure, don’t guess. Use all your available resources for
additional information and guidance. Consult STIS first and foremost, your FSE and the SOA Techline
as they are all here to help you.

15

TELEMATICS SUBSCRIPTION ERROR CODES 202 AND 204

During ongoing review of Techline cases, there have been several inquiries regarding the PDI comm
check, Error Code 202, and Error Code 204.
•

Error Code 202 essentially means the comm check signal failed to send from the DCM. It could
be a network issue or hardware problem but, the most common root cause is the comm check
has never been completed.

•

Error Code 204 occurs when the provisioning message which is returned to the DCM and writes
the VIN has not been returned. This could be a network issue or hardware problem but most
often, it is a technical issue with one of the databases which can only be resolved by opening a
TechLine case.

Error 202 and 204 are the subject of TSB 15-219-18R. This bulletin is an excellent resource for Technicians
to use when addressing these concerns. Taking the time to review this document thoroughly and having
the answers to the questions the bulletin asks before contacting Techline about either error code is
paramount to finding a quick resolution of the concern. These cases are often involve time-sensitive
situations which can impact both the sales delivery experience and customer satisfaction.
September 2019 TechTIPS

CONTINUED ON THE NEXT PAGE
Page 4 of 10

15

TELEMATICS SUBSCRIPTION ERROR CODES 202 AND 204 (CONTINUED)

An easy way to verify the comm check has been completed on any vehicle is to push the SOS button.
There can only be one of the following two results.
1. Pushing the SOS button and hearing the recorded message: “Not currently subscribed to
STARLINK. Please visit mySubaru.com to upgrade your service”. This indicates the comm check
was completed successfully.
2. Pushing the SOS button and nothing happens: this indicates there has not been a comm check
performed on the vehicle. Perform the comm check following the procedure below.
Comm Check Procedure:
Press and hold the blue i-Call (i-button) switch for 2 seconds
or more.
This will identify both the VIN (via the ECM) and the DCM
ID then transmit them to the SOA network via the AT&T 4G
LTE network. When received, subscription information will
be associated with the VIN and verified on the Subaru of
America, Inc. (SOA) servers.
REMEMBER:
•

Error Code 202 is often fixed with a comm check. The vast majority of these cases can easily be
resolved locally without any Techline or external support.

TIP: Get in the habit of using the SOS button to verify every new vehicle is comm checked before delivery.
•

Error Code 204 requires a Techline case to get the help required to resolve the concern. None
of these cases have been solved without external support.

15

TELEMATICS RES FEATURE INOPERATIVE AND REVISED B2A16 DIAGNOSTICS

The Techline has received some reports recently about DTC B2A16 on STARLINK Gen2 Telematics
equipped vehicles (2019-20 Ascent, 2019-20 Impreza, 2019-20 Crosstrek / Crosstrek Hybrid, 2019-20
Forester, and 2020 Legacy/ Outback).
Almost all cases describe the following situation:
•

When attempting to use the Remote Engine Start (RES) feature via Telematics (STARLINK / My
Subaru), the request is unsuccessful and the red Telematics lamp illuminates. All other Telematics
remote functions work normally.