Scotty, my wife has a 2014 Subaru Outback that we purchased new and it only has 60k miles on it. For several years now, it’s had trouble starting. It usually ends up starting, but it sounds like a struggle, especially in cold weather. Wasn’t historically a problem if the engine and/or weather was warm. Multiple Subaru dealers have told us they “can’t recreate the issue,” even though I show them recorded videos of it happening. In the winter of 2022, it finally wouldn’t start. Subaru dealer replaced the starter, which seemed to fix the problem; however, the issue has already started coming back, even now in warm weather. To me, it seems like the engine isn’t using the correct fuel/air mixture for the start. Subaru dealer mechanics look at me like I’m speaking greek when I ask them if that’s is the issue, “Leave it with us and we’ll get to the bottom of it.” they say, then gaslight me again saying they can’t recreate. I’ve searched forums and read about identical symptoms, but there’s never a clear solution posted. Scotty, what do you think is going on? O2 sensor?
Seeing as how that car is long out of factory warranty stay away from dealers and find a good independent mechanic that will actually diagnose the problem instead of guessing.