April 22, 1996:
Picked up my new 1996 Outback automatic tonight. Immediately noticed Initial Defect #1 - a bad seal on the passenger-side headlight lens had allowed the headlight to fill with water during the dealer prep wash. A new lens was ordered. Cost to me: $0. Cost to dealer under warrenty: $266.58.
Also asked dealer to check A/C - didn't seem to be as cold as it should. Was told that it's the new no-CFC system and that it WON'T be as cold as the old system. Wonderful... I save the atmosphere but die of heat exhaustion. It does seem to get cooler as I drive it more, though.
May 1, 1996:
Added tweeter kit ($65) and front door grips ($67); did install work myself. Also replaced stock Subaru tape deck with my Sony CD deck from my other car. Piece of cake installation; only required splicing a wiring harness.
Mentioned that gas mileage didn't seem up to par - 21 in mixed driving. Was told that 2.5l engine is notorious for long break-in periods, and I should expect to wait until at least 8k miles before seeing a difference. Hm.
Installed K&N air filter. Must make some difference because the engine computer struggled for about five minutes to determine the proper air-fuel mixture. Car idled rough and stalled twice. After about five minutes of idle, engine smoothed out and everything is fine. No other differences noticed other than a slight whistle under full throttle.
Noticed left fog light wasn't working. Entire light assembly has been broken loose in its frame, destroying the bulb and housing. Apparently caused by a pot hole next to a low concrete barrier at the end of a parking space. Dealer is extremely nice and replaces under warrenty even though obviously my fault. One reason not to piss them off when you make a deal! Also had them check out a rattle in the driver's door. Nothing found (figures...). Cost to me: $0. Cost to dealer under warrenty: ~$280.00
August, 1996:
Car has over 8k miles; still gets ~21 MPG mixed driving. Recent road trip with A/C through mountains at 75 mph in fully-loaded car gets me 23. Not terribly impressive... I'm still getting over the minimum, though.
October, 1996:
Road trip to Richmond, VA (~300 miles round trip). 75-80 MPH, light traffic, some minor slowdowns. No A/C. Got nearly 28 MPG! Secret must be to keep a light touch on the pedal, as I'm still getting 21-22 in mixed driving w/lots of stops and starts. I'm contemplating changing to synthetic oil, more for my lazyness than for any other reason.
11/23/96:
~13300 miles. Oxygenated gas causes mileage decrease again. Down to 20, minimum city rating, but I'm also playing with the car more. Put in synthetic oil this time. Engine seems a little quieter under heavy acceleration.
12/31/96:
15500 miles. It was suggested to me that I should have removed the battery cable for five minutes and let the engine computer reset itself after putting in the K&N air filter. I've done this, and my gas mileage went back up - 25 on the hwy Christmas weekend, running between 70 and 80 mph. Not enough time yet to see if city mileage is affected.
A recent small snow/ice storm let me test the AWD capabilities. I'm impressed so far - no wheelspin when starting, just gas and go. Pulling onto a major highway from a dead stop was effortless, unlike the other FWD cars around me (we stopped to push a pickup back on the road). However, on possibly slick roads, the car doesn't feel as confident at highway speeds as I could wish. This may be due to the stock tires, which seem to lose sideways traction quicker than they should.
1/20/97
16500 miles. That darned front bumper is causing more problems. Once again I caught it on a high curb and pulled off. This time it actually slightly bent the driver's side fender on the underside where it meets the bumper - looking closely there's about a 1/4 inch gap where there was half that before, and the wheel-well liner has popped out of place. 10 minutes to remove the wheel and tap things back oughta do it. However, I wish Subaru would raise that bumper a bit, or make it weaker or something...
I still get better mileage with 87 than with 93, so I think I'm going to stick with the cheap stuff from here on out. City mileage was unaffected by the computer reset, so I don't think it does much good.
ABS warning - I'm sure you all are aware of the pedal pulsing when ABS is active, but I found recently that if you have nearly zero traction the pedal also KICKS every second or so, along with pulsing. It works beautifully, just be forewarned.
We had another snowstorm recently, and I went out and had a little fun. The car handled GREAT; I stopped with the left side on ice and the right side on pavement, and floored it - a little wheelspin, but I got moving very quickly. There's something transferring power side-to-side...
2/5/97
17700 miles. Those new headlights I put in (see UNOFFICIAL ACCESSORIES) make a HUGE difference. I've run them for about two weeks, and nothing has melted yet :-) The beam pattern retains the exceptional H4 cutoff, but now everything is much brighter, especially on the high-beam settings. And no one has flashed me yet for overly-bright lights, so they don't seem to bother anyone.
The cup holder is starting to annoy me. Its location blocks the climate control while in use, so I have to feel around the cups to lower/raise the heat. For the life of me, though, I can't think of any other place they could have put it. The closed cup holder has also developed a slight rattle sometimes when extremely cold. Fortunately, being surrounded by heater ducts warms it quickly and it stops.
Another quirk that's probably just me... I feel the split rear seats are split 60/40 on the wrong side. In order to have a car seat in place, and still have use of the folding seats, the car seat must be on the driver's side, making it harder to watch the baby while driving.
I put the wheel well liner (see previous entry) back into place with minimal effort - removed the wheel, undid a pair of screws and some plastic lockers, and everything slid back nicely. With the wheel off, I think I can see some of the suspension enhancements Subaru did - things look a LOT thicker than other Legacies.
I got caught in a recent snowstorm in Western MD while skiing; the route back from the slopes was a twisty, hilly road covered with about an inch and a half of packed ice and snow. I was behind some FWD cars that were having difficulties at stop signs and around some of the turns, but not me. I could have driven probably 50% faster than I was. One of my two passengers was very impressed. The other passenger also owns an Outback...
Also - one more piece of warrenty work. I had to get a new keyless remote transmitter (keychain fob) because the buttons were breaking on the old one. Not a Subaru-made part, so it doesn't bother me. The parts were backordered, though, since Subaru is putting keyless on pretty much everything above the Brighton, whether wanted or not.
3/1/97
19800 miles. My horn is backordered, so no word yet on how the new one works. HOWEVER - I did add a front skid plate (they DO fit '96's). I also changed my diff oil to Mobil-1 synthetic. Will it make a difference? Dunno yet, but I'm willing to try. I'll probably add synth trannie fluid, too, when I change that.
This is a nice car to work on - I didn't have to jack it up to change the rear diff oil, though the plugs were in too tight for me to take out and I had to get help.
4/9/97
22500 miles. I installed a pair of Hella horns (see UNOFFICIAL ACCESSORIES page). Very simple and very loud.
Just got back from a road trip. 375 miles at 75 MPH+ yielded me 27.2 MPG - I did the whole trip on one tank of gas. Car handled like a dream at those speeds; I did notice the roof rack resonating at 90 mph. Did some mild sand and rut driving while away; no sweat for the car, and no rattling or sliding.
Driver's side door lock doesn't always unlock the other doors if door handle opened gently. Dealer suggests it's a loose actuating bar and will check it out for me.
5/16/97
24500 miles. Got my tires rotated, and now I get some low-speed binding. Dealer suggests NOT rotating tires if they've been in place for more than 15,000 miles to prevent this. Apparently tire rotation is not really *required* on most Subaru models because they tend to wear more evenly due to even weight and power distribution.
Rattle in driver's door appears to be a power window actuator that was attached using the wrong bolts (?). It's being replaced under warrenty. Dealer will look at lock actuator when doing this replacement.
Warmer weather is giving me better mileage - 23 combined using 87, 24 once using 93.
6/8/97
26300 miles. Rattle in driver's door may NOT be the window actuator. Dealer can no longer reproduce (though I can...) and saw no problem with the existing actuator. No door lock problem found, either (and it's gone away for me, too). Got a *really* bad tank of gas - car shakes at idle, and is getting LOUSY mileage.
7/15/97
28500 miles. I got tired of stone chips on my hood, so I installed the Hood Air Deflector ($45 after discount). Looks nice; hopefully it will work. It took about 10 mins to install; make sure you have silicone sealant before you start the job. Black or clear, doesn't matter. My courtesy light blew out :-( First time I've ever had to replace an interior bulb in any car that I can recall... Managed to stuff 24 cubic feet of cedar chips (in 8 bags) into the cargo area without putting the seats down. Neighbors were impressed :-)
7/28/97
29300 miles. I changed the gear oil BACK to the factory stuff. It seems to have helped the binding a bit. Also changed transmission fluid to mostly synthetic (you can't drain it all at once) and dropped oil to a synthetic 5w30. First thing I noticed was easier starting. Trans fluid seems to make no difference in ease of shifts. We're in the middle of a heat wave; I wish the AC were colder or the windows tinted more. We also got our new insurance papers - the Outback/Legacy gets a safe-car discount!
9/1/97
31000 miles. Long period of nothing important, followed by some additions and a long trip. Added the hood protector (bug deflector). $45, installed in 10 mins. Looks nice, barely visible from inside. Came loose on the first jaunt above 85 :-( The banging marked the clearcoat a bit, but did no other visible damage. Moving the location of the pressure tabs fixed the problem, and it now stays at all speeds. Took a long trip to Western Pennsylvania - at 75+ mph with the AC on, through the mountains, returned 27 mpg. The seats were up to the long (3.5 hr) trip, though a little more driver's lumbar support would be nice. The PA turnpike never seemed so driver-friendly! Even in light rain on the return trip, the car never slid or lost composure on that badly-maintained highway.
9/27/97
33500 miles. On a whim, I bought new speakers... recommended by a fellow Outback owner, the Infinity 602i's fit perfectly into the factory space (minor cutting of the rear speaker holder required) and sound incredible. Bass still not quite where I want it, but treble and midrange excellent ($145 for 4 from Crutchfield). Found a problem with the higher-wattage bulbs. The passenger side blew, and when replacing it I found that the bulb wiring harness had melted a bit and fused to the prongs on the bulb. Checked the driver's side, and the harness is still fine, so this may have happened when the bulb blew. However, I'm playing it safe and replacing the 90/100's with 80/100's. These are actually motorcycle bulbs I was able to buy from my local auto store. Almost as bright, but also not quite as hot. I don't notice a lot of difference. Still have that binding; dealer says it's a little more than normal, but still considers it not worth worrying about. >shrug<.
11/1/97
35000 miles. Nothing really new to report, good or bad. However, the Ruby Mica Outback has now been joined by a Rio Red 1997 Legacy 2.5GT. Mom says the reds clash, but I think she's just jealous :-) My wife loves the GT, and it'll give us another comparison point as to what's a real problem with one of the cars, or just an idiosyncracy. We did take the Outback into the wilds of West Virginia, on some non-maintained formerly paved roads, and found the car handles no road just as well as it handles good road. One minor irritation - a plastic screw cover keeps falling off the side of the dash. Gah... I cannot figure out how the snap mechanism works.
1/21/98
39000 miles. Still nothing new - the car has been running great, regardless of the weather. No real snow or ice to play in, unfortunately, but the winter's still young.
Now that my primary warranty is over, I thought about everything I had done under it. Conclusion: Not much. Fog light and head light, new keyless transmitter, and some checkouts of the door lock (works fine), AC (also fine, though not as cold as I'd want) and some binding (dealer never notices it. Argh!). And that appears to be it. Best warranty period I've ever had on any car.
2/23/98
41000 miles. Tires are beginning to show some wear, but should be enough tread left to get to 50k. My fun-loving wife bought me the trailer hitch for our fifth wedding anniversary (her line: "Hey - it's the anniversary of when we got hitched!"), so I put that on. Fairly easy job, though I'd not recommend doing it without a floor jack to hold it in place during the installation. Also added the woodgrain kit (I was offered one at $40 - couldn't refuse). 10 minute job at most... No additional problems or anything.
5/12/98
45500 miles. Sorry for the long time between updates. Been busy. I had to buy new tires last week, and went totally off the board. Wound up with NTB store brand, "Patriot", in their Triathalon II model. 80k mile warranty; nice, aggressive tread (excellent in the rains we've had lately); quieter than the stock XW4's. $74.99 each - about the price of the Michelins. I replaced all four, and I've noticed a little less of the binding on turns, but it's still there. I've alerted my dealer to the steering clunk fix, but he hasn't gotten Subaru's bulletin yet so he can't do anything. No other problems - the car hasn't even seen the inside of the dealership for ages.
6/20/98
47800 miles. I had to replace a brake lamp. First time I have ever had to do that... but they do make it easy to change. 30 seconds, start to finish. I've also noticed that as my car ages, I see more of a difference between running on 87 octane and running on 93 octane. I now get almost 3 MPG more using 93, and the power difference is quite noticeable, especially with the AC on. Remember, though, that I have a '96, which recommends 92+ octane. '97 and newer should not see such differences. I'm still getting low-speed binding, and I've taken the issue up with Subaru of America. No one else I know, with Outback or other Legacy, has this problem, so it cannot be normal. And I wish the AC were a little stronger, though our GT does much better (smaller greenhouse, I guess).
8/16/98
52000 miles. Been a while since I last updated. A few things have happened in that time... First, my windshield cracked. Didn't seem like a major hit, but a large crack quickly spread to about 8" in length. Got the window replaced with one from the current Legacys, which have a tint band across the top. Also, the dealer has ordered, and will be replacing, the clutch pack at the rear of the transmission/AWD unit. They *finally* are convinced that the binding I have is not normal, and has a real solution. We'll see. Minor stuff: Added the rear diff protector - simple, but again made easy with a floor jack. Also finally melted the wiring harness for my high-wattage bulbs :-( I've gotten really used to them, though, so I ordered a high-wattage wiring harness kit from Competition Limited (see Unofficial Accessories page - TBSL) and more bulbs. The kit is amazing - connect a few grounds and power leads to the chassis and battery, and plug it into one existing socket. Works like a champ. Also added the alarm and front engine protector to my wife's GT; both were simple jobs, though the alarm was time-consuming, and it apparently will NOT fit '96 MY cars :-(
10/??/98
54000 miles. There's a checklist the dealer has to follow now before replacing anything in the AWD system. They replaced the transmission fluid, the first step, and it hasn't done any good. Second step will come. Had an oil drip that was annoying but not major, so I've waited until some other service to have it looked at. Got the timing belt done because of a special - WAY too early, apparently, as the owner's manual lists 105k miles instead of the former 60k. Also got new spark plugs. These are EXPENSIVE - $15 each through Subaru, and $17 (!) each through Pep Boys. They should definitely run longer than 60k before replacement, so I'm going to wait about 100k next time (when I get my timing belt replaced next). Oil leak turns out to be one of the crank seals - since they had the covers off to do the belts, they found it and fixed it under warranty.
10/31/98
Moving this weekend (prep for same is why no updates recently). Rented a U-Haul 5x8 single-axle trailer - harness on Outback fits standard U-Haul adaptor. Car pulls like a champ - definitely overloaded the trailer, which is 900 lbs empty, on one trip, and even with no trailer brakes there was no real difficulty stopping. Starting is fine, as long as you do it gently, otherwise the slack in the towbar makes loud banging and crunching sounds.
11/7/98
56000 miles. Disaster! Came back from lunch and a co-worker notices smoke from the engine compartment. Popped the hood to find oil spraying all over the engine and dripping (not pouring, but very fast drip) onto the ground from what looks like several different places. Had the car trucked to the dealer (only 3rd time in my ~250k mile Subaru ownership when I needed a tow) and they're looking at it. Late on a Friday is not a good time to hit them with a problem, but their initial estimate is that same crank seal they replaced last month. May have been a bad seal? My first guess was the recalled oil filters, but mine is of a different lot. They're keeping the car for the weekend (aaahhhh!) and we'll see on Monday.
11/10/98
It was indeed the same seal that blew; the question is why. They've replaced it again. The seal in question is that which surrounds the oil pump (which is crankshaft-driven).
11/24/98
Oil leak AGAIN! This is getting old... dealership suspects a malformation in the oil pump housing, and has ordered a new one (along with yet another gasket - I've used the only ones they had in stock :-)
12/11/98
57500 miles. I've had the car back for a good week and a half after this last repair, which promises to be the last. The final verdict is, in the eyes of the mechanic, one of the oddest problems he's ever seen (and not something to be often encountered - Subaru is requiring a full write-up). When they dropped the oil pump to replace it, they found that four of the five screws holding the two halves together had backed out just enough for oil (under pressure from highway driving) to force its way through the edges of the pump and against the seal, pushing it out of its housing. They replaced the oil pump anyway because there was some internal scoring. At the same time, they replaced the AWD clutch pack (at their expense, apparently) to see if that helped with the low-speed binding. So far, it's about a 90% improvement (and the other 10% may be attributable to breaking in the new pack). The dealership thinks it's possible that when a nationwide oil-change chain (no names, but JL) did an oil change at 15k miles, they topped off the transmission with differential fluid by accident - the timeframe is right, and there was a viscousness to the fluid that was abnormal. This in turn may have contaminated the clutches such that even changing the fluid later didn't fix things.
2/19/99
62300 miles. In the last 5k miles, I've done a painless trip to Florida (26 mpg, loaded to the gills, 900 mile straight shot) and seen the return of the low-speed binding. I may never be able to get rid of it - if it's a contaminant in the fluid, it'll stay through changes because you cannot get rid of all of it (fluid stays in the torque converter). I'm also getting a rough idle that continues when I rev the engine lightly. May be plug wires; as that's the cheapest of the possible problems (other than bad gas), I'm replacing them soon. I've also now left the protection of any warrenty. While this is bad in some ways, it's good because I can start modifying the drivetrain. No supercharger yet, but I'm thinking :-) I still like how the car handles, and the drive to Florida was reasonably comfortable.
4/29/99
66000 miles. Finally got around to changing the plug wires. Smooth idle again. I changed them myself, and a BIG tip is to remove the washer fluid reservoir before changing the driver's side wires. Turns it from impossible to easy. Reservoir removes with two screws, two plugs, and two hoses. Be sure to have something handy to plug the hose nipples with... Also, the passenger-side window switch has stopped lowering the window. I suspect carbon buildup, though it's a bit early for that, and I'll be taking the thing apart this weekend to try and fix it. Also had to replace rear brake pads (fronts look fine, oddly enough). Parts were about $60, and I did them myself in about half an hour. The new Haynes Legacy service manual is a necessity. I've decided I hate the Triathlon replacement tires, too. They've already gotten noisy, and one of them wobbles the wheel if it's on the front.
Update: The window switch was indeed carbon-coated. The removal process took all of 15 minutes (I was being cautious) and the fix (scraping off the buildup from the contacts) and replacement took 5. Simple fix, and everything works again.
6/10/99
69000 miles. Got rear-ended a couple weeks ago. No major damage (was in the middle of a four-car chain reaction, with three of us already stopped), but needed a new rear bumper cover. Those puppies are expensive - paint, parts, and labor were almost $900. Nicely enough, my car had the least damage of any other than the car I hit (very little energy at that point). Tip: tow hitches do NASTY things to people who rear-end you :-) Found and fixed a door rattle - one of the wiring looms for the doorlocks was loose. Removed it (replaced with duct tape) and all is silent again.
9/7/99
73000 miles. My dealer got a flat on one of my tires, and replaced just one of the set. So far, no problems with the out-of-size tire. I think my suspension is getting soft; that, or I'm too used to the GT now. I've also replaced the front brakes now, though they still had some life left.
02/02/00
80500 miles. LONG time since an update, so here's a long update. Sometime in late September, I got fed up with the Triathlon II tires because they kept making the steering wheel shake at low speeds, were getting very noisy, and shook the car at high speeds. Initially, I took NTB's advice and mounted off-sized Dunlop D60-A2s. Incredible tires (we run them on the GT) but WAY mis-sized for the Outback. Speedo was way off, car looked funny, etc. Took them up on their 30-day ride guarantee and swapped for Michelin Rainforce. These tires seem tailor-made for the Outback. They're smooth; have glue-like traction in wet, dry, and snow; and look good. Moving on, I recently switched back from 5w30 oil to 10w30 because I was getting a lot of valve ticking at idle when warm. The thicker oil stopped that (and is what's recommended for my year). And we had 18" of snow, the first REAL snowfall since I got the car. I did manage to get stuck once, foolishly stopping at a snowplow-made blockage at the end of our street. By this time, I was in knee-deep snow and I had to clear a path both through part of the blockage and also from under/around the tires. However, once the car was clear in front, I put the auto in low and gave steady gas and the car just climbed right out and over - very slowly, spinning wheels the whole time, but moving. I spent most of two days in low-2, taking advantage of the 'start-in-2' feature, but found that if I starting understeering (front slides opposite the wheel) in a turn, going to 1-low and giving gas IMMEDIATELY brought the car back into line. One problem, though, is that there is very little clearance between the tires and wheel well so that area tends to fill with snow quickly and hinders driving and turning. The car hasn't seen a dealer since who-knows-when, and needed no service but oil changes.
7/22/00
86000 miles. If you think the mileage count seems low for 5 months' time, you're right. These last few months have not been good to me as an owner, with the Outback spending at least 10 weeks in the shop during that timespan (with 8 weeks being almost continuous). Most of the issues relate to the binding I've been mentioning on and off - it suddenly got so bad, the car was nearly undriveable. In addition, the AT TEMP light would occasionally flash at startup (and then go out), the car would almost stop when turning at very low speeds, and when I tried to put it in FWD mode via the fuse it wouldn't leave AWD. For at least a week, the dealer had trouble duplicating the problem (yeah, right...). Then they experienced all the symptoms at once, but couldn't get the computer to reveal what codes were set for the flashing. As this was still being handled under the original binding warranty claim, I had to bide my time as they replaced one part at a time (this is what took the most time - waiting for each part to come in... most of them were considered non-stock items and had to come, via UPS ground, from a warehouse in Indiana). So far, the dealer has replaced the TCU (transmission control unit) , the right-rear suspension (at my expense, from a curb mishap), the clutchpack/duty solenoid C assembly (this fixed most of the problem), and a couple other assorted parts. Now the flashing light is off, the car goes into FWD, and I can back up and turn without stopping - but the ORIGINAL binding is still there, and getting worse. Either my dealer is TOTALLY incompetent (I won't rule that out), or my car is jinxed. In addition, I began having some starting issues around April. Turn the key, all lights come on - but there's only a single click from the engine. A couple of key turns, and the car starts normally. Wound up replacing the battery (86k on a factory battery is pretty good), thought it was fixed, but then the problem came back. I suspect a worn spot in the starter, and have one on its way. Will report if that was the issue. Also, at about 82k miles, the brakes started pulsing - time to replace the rotors (had some emergency stops recently that probably contributed to the warping). All that said, when I borrowed my mother's Accord wagon for a 1700 mile roadtrip, it just wasn't as good as the Outback - and I still love my car and still enjoy driving it. I just wish I could get that darned binding fixed. SOA is being helpful, even authorizing me a rental car out-of-warranty (though I wound up not being able to take advantage of that). They're trying to work with the dealership. Crossed fingers... we'll see what happens.
UPDATE: It was indeed the starter; a rebuilt unit took care of the intermittent no-start problem. It's a relatively simple item to replace, though it does require putting the car on stands and working one bolt by feel.
9/15/00
Got the car back from the dealer. They've had it three months, racking up some $3000 in parts and labor. Subaru did eventually give me a rental car for the last two weeks. This *should* still be a warrenty repair as the problem started waaaay back.
10/19/00
89000 miles. Subaru tells me that they're only paying for a third of the repairs to my car, not to include a bent strut that the dealer insisted I replace before they would work on anything else. SOA is also making the dealer pay a third, but my share is still over $1400 for what SHOULD HAVE BEEN FIXED 60,000 MILES AGO. I plan to fight this further, but currently my dealer is no longer my dealer. They will no longer work on my car due to them having to eat part of this repair. I have become quite disillusioned with customer/dealer support from Subaru, and would consider getting another car (or even replacing both Legacys) except that a) I can't afford two cars now (I can barely afford the $1400 bill I'm stuck with), and b) there isn't anything near my price range that meets my needs and isn't a truck. My local ex-dealer is also a VW dealer, so if I buy a Passat I can't go there... Some lessons learned: 1. Don't get too friendly with your dealership. It may become time and effort wasted. 2. DOCUMENT EVERYTHING. Record your phone calls if necessary. There have been some communications crossups on this issue that may have affected its outcome. 3. Be pushy early. In retrospect, I should have pushed when this problem wasn't solved after the second or third visit. However, I believed the dealer's line saying that since they had record of it, they would continue to treat it as a warrenty issue no matter how long it took (even out of warrenty). NBL, is all I can say. At this point, I haven't decided whether to take SOA to court or not (any advice would be gladly appreciated), nor whether to dump my car, but I can certainly say that I am no longer a staunch Subaru proponent. I'm not sure if I will continue this web site, either.
1/14/01
92500 miles
I've gotten many requests both to continue my saga, and keep the site going, so both will happen. Thanks for the concern expressed over my problems as well. I've decided to keep the car, partly because there really isn't anything else out there like it that's affordable (though if someone wants to throw an Audi S4 Avant my way, I wouldn't say no :-) and partly because I find I still like Subaru's products (and they are actually bringing the WRX wagon over...).
Anyway, with a couple thousand more miles on the clock, cold weather has set in and I won't be able to see if the binding is actually fixed until spring. So far, so good. I have, however, found out some interesting facts about my (ex) dealer, Wootton Motors of Pasadena, MD. 1. The mechanic who used to work on my cars did not resign, as they told me. He was fired, apparently for disagreeing with their choice of new mechanics. He was picked up by Annapolis Subaru, which so far seems to be a MUCH better dealership and much more competent. 2. Wootton has lost their Subaru franchise, which means that they can no longer sell new Subarus or do warrenty work for SOA. The franchise (and unfortunately the incompetent mechanics) has been picked up by the local Buick/Isuzu dealer (kinda makes sense, given the Subaru/Isuzu factory relationship). According to the grapevine, Wootton had FAR too many service complaints and unsatisfied warrenty-work customers (sound familiar?) and was getting a lot of returned warrenty repairs. So SOA pulled the plug.
Enough of that.
Over the summer, during one of the few days I had my car from the dealer, I installed the Whiteline adjustable rear sway bar bought from Dale Teague. A few comments: Handling is improved, as expected. Even with the aging stock suspension, I can corner like never before. The car is almost totally neutral with the bar on the middle setting. However, the urethane bushings (which no doubt help handling a LOT) are *noisy*, especially in the cold. They groan and squeak over bumps until warmed up. I'd still put them on, but just be prepared for some odd looks from your passengers...
At the same time, I changed my stereo back to a factory unit, this time the 2000MY cassette deck with in-dash CD changer and subwoofer. Some notes for owners of older cars like mine - 1. The 2000+ stereos have no clock, as it's built into the dash of newer Legacys. 2. The subwoofer goes under the passenger seat, but the bracket doesn't really fit the older cars. You can bend it, but the sub will never *quite* fit where it belongs. Works well enough, though. I didn't try locating a bracket from the older style sub. 3. The CD changer is quite nice - 6 disks where they belong, at your fingertips. However, the tuner/amp has one other big problem besides the lack of clock - the volume has specific detents (ie, a finite number of settings) and I find that while one is too soft, the next one is too loud and I cannot adjust in between. Anyone know if the 2001 model is like that as well?
As age sets in, I get more rattles and squeaks from the car, especially from under the hood. Not sure if a pulley bearing is going, but I do get a repetitive squeak at idle. Also, the tailgate doesn't quite feel right when opening (I think this is an artifact of the rear-end collision from last year).
6/02/01
100600 miles
Long time, no update. Long time, no time :-(
As you can see, I've passed 100k miles. No major problems recently. I did overheat the car but didn't seem to do any damage. I put in an engine block heater (part of the CWP) and when I refilled the radiator I left a big air bubble so the coolant was low by probably two quarts or more. Drove it for a couple miles before noticing the pegged temp gauge. Not a good thing. Also in this timeperiod, I installed an underdrive pulley. The upshot of this modification is to drive accessories (PS pump, alternator, AC compressor) a bit slower so as to send a bit more power to the wheels. I've noticed a marked increase in power in second gear, if nothing else, while not finding the AC to be any cooler. The steering feel is a bit heavier, but as this is to my liking that's good.
Other recent service/mods - installed a Fumoto oil drain valve which should make life a bit easier getting to the oil drain with the skid plate on. Also, while installing the new stereo last year, apparently I messed up reinstalling the cigarette lighter and ashtray lights so that neither worked. I've fixed the lighter (there's a second hot wire that gets hooked to the lighter rather than the obvious one on the harness from the fusebox), but the ashtray and lighter ring lights still don't work.
Definitely need new struts, though that may wait a bit. I've gotten an OEM set of Legacy struts with GT springs (all non-OB's use the same struts/shocks) and will probably install them soon provided I can get a set of wheels. The stock OB wheel/tire combo rubs the standard shock seats.
Finally, a bit more news on the dealer that screwed me over. They don't exist any longer. A couple weeks ago, I drove by the place and saw it had been bought by a competing Volkswagen dealer. Don't know if the same people work there, nor do I care to find out, but it's an interesting turn of events.
10/30/01
110000 miles
Well, guess what? The leaking crank seal fairy has paid me another visit. Last week, I noticed oil spots on the driveway and smoke from under the car after highway driving, and sure enough - the front crank seal has gone again. $400 to repair it and replace the timing belt (I have a feeling I'm not once going to get a proper change interval out of that belt...). I did find out one interesting tidbit - the crank seal is on its third revision. If you look at the part numbers, the first time I had it repaired they used #806733010; the first time an acquaintance had it repaired they used #806733020, and this last time they used #806733030. Hopefully the third time is the charm because I'm not looking forward to having this done every two years or so. And is SOA sympathetic? Figure the odds...
Also, my left-front wheel bearing is on its way out. Symptoms include loud rumblings when making turns. Not a cheap job to do - the bearing is pressed onto the axle AND the hub, and because it's a drive axle there's a ton of stuff to be undone to remove the hub. I may attempt part of the work myself, taking the hub/steering knuckle to a shop to have the bearing pressed out and the new one put in.
Finally, I replaced the swaybar end links front and rear with Whiteline solid (ie, metal) links. What an amazing difference. I thought just putting the adjustable rear swaybar on made a big change, but this is even more noticeable. The car doesn't lean as much on turns, and really wants to go where I point it.
2/10/02
115000 miles
Got the wheel bearing replaced last month. Bought the part online for about $75 and had National Tire Warehouse do the work for another $75. Considering the dealer wanted $400 in labor alone, and it looked like a 5+ hour job for me, I decided not to tackle it myself.
Interesting change I've noticed. As my car ages, it has stopped liking 87 octane as much. Since the car was designed to use 93, I'm not complaining too much, but it's kinda funny that it's happening. Symptom is a very dead spot around 4000 RPM. Reset the ECU, it goes away for a week or so and then comes back. Switched to 93 and reset the ECU, and it's fine. Switched back, and the problem returned.
Also, after driving with those Whiteline solid end links, I wonder how I did without them for so long. They really improve handling - but at the price of some suspension groaning, especially in the cold.
No other problems have surfaced.
5/20/02
120250 miles
I'm getting an intermittent CEL that seems to point to something in the EGR system. I've replaced most of the components, and my mechanic friend is at a loss. Not sure if this is related to the dead spot mentioned above or not; the dead zone is intermittent as well right now, even when running 87 octane. I need to borrow an ODB-II recording scanner and see what the various sensors report while I'm driving.
I now have about 50k miles on the Michelin MXV-4 Rainforce tires and still love them. Looks like about half the tread depth left, and they still stick like crazy in wet and dry.
My right-side window switch stopped working again; it's most likely carbon buildup but I happen to have a spare switch so I'm just going to swap it out.
Driver's seat cushion foam is starting to degrade; there's what feels like a crack along the left side near where the left edge meets the seat - there's a brace or wire running under the foam at that point. Some others have reported this same issue; replacement cushions are about $75 online. It isn't noticeable yet when driving. I have the cloth seats; not sure if leather has the same issue.
No other issues.
11/28/02
129600 miles
Long time with no updates, not too much to report until now. Couple small things like a burst upper radiator hose and replacing plugs and wires (70k miles; past due by maintenance schedule). However, right now, the car is in the shop for its first REALLY big repair since the transmission issue. Around the middle of the summer, I started losing oil for no apparent reason; eventually it appeared to be leaking valve cover gaskets. Things came to a head in late August when we took the car on a trip and it lost enough oil to cause the engine to overheat when we stopped! Not good... at the last, it's been losing about a quart every two weeks. Recently, as well, I found coolant dripping from under the car and suspected a failing water pump (130k is typical for most cars, I've found). So anyway, replacing the water pump, valve cover gaskets, cam seals (NOT crank seal, I hope), and timing belt (again... oil-soaked from the cam seals) will be about $1100. As this is fairly normal maintenance, I'm not concerned (other than it coming right when Christmas bills are...).
(12/03 ADDED NOTE: did NOT replace the water pump with the above service; dealer said it looked just fine - coolant was coming from a leaking hose).
Also, the Michelin tires were not going to last through the winter. The last 10k has been pretty hard on them and they were down to about 3/32 of tread and beginning to hydroplane a bit. So I managed to get 70k from a 60k mile tire, which for me is exceptional. I found a place online (discounttire.com) that still had the Rainforce in stock in my size, so I bought another four... If I get the same performance, I can expect these to last until the car has 200k.
I still have the loss of power between 3 and 4k RPM; the dealer will be looking at it while they have the car. This is a big mystery to me still.
Finally, had to replace a couple bulbs in the climate controls (in both our Legacys). Not terribly difficult if you have good instructions... bulb replacement.
12/29/03
148600 miles
I can't believe it's been a year since I last updated this page. A number of items worth mentioning.
Since last June, though, the car has been running basically flawlessly. I have an occasional stall when the weather is very cold; this may be the cold-start solenoid that has been bothering me since the car was almost new. Not worth worrying about, though, as it only ever happens right after startup.
Oh, and last winter's "Storm of the Century"... I did manage to get the Outback stuck in the 20+ inches of snow on our street. Came out of the driveway and the front end rode up on the skid plate and lifted the front wheels off the ground. Was able to back down and get back into the driveway and go back to bed (this was 5:30 am). Came out a couple hours later, with about 30 inches on the ground, and did a rally jump out of the driveway into the snow. Big mistake... instant high-center. After helping an Expedition (which was getting stuck and blocking the street) out of the way, we cleared a path for a neighbor's Trooper (nothing special except his driveway is the only straight run down the street and has a good long run) so he could fly down and bull his way as far as possible. Then everyone descended on my Outback and cleared out the blocked snow so I was able to move forward to the Trooper's path. Then it was a cakewalk out of the community, still pushing through about 15" of snow. Unfortunately it was too late to get to work (being about 4 pm...) but next day I was able to go in. That was the first day I missed due to snow since 1996, before I bought the Outback. A humbling experience though - that Monday, one lone person made it into work. What did he drive, you ask? A Hummer? An Excursion? A Ford F-350 Duallie? Nope... a Honda Prelude with all-season radials. His claim - he grew up in Chicago and is used to driving in snow. Pfagh - there's gotta be something else! 30" of snow is NOT something you get used to, and I can't see a FWD car with 4" of clearance making it through areas that an Expedition with 4WD couldn't. Anyway...
I'll make a New Year's Resolution not to let this page languish so long between updates!
'till next time...
6/10/04
157000 miles.
Ok, only a little over 5 months since the last update. Not QUITE so bad.
Remember the wheel bearing I had replaced? Someone at NTW didn't put the axle nut on right, and it came loose in a couple months. Not loose enough to come OFF (yet), but loose enough to affect handling and cause a vibration. Problem was, I didn't know what was causing the issue so I kept driving it. Both NTW and Firestone both looked at the car (NTW even did a brake job) and saw nothing wrong with it. I happened to find the loose part purely by chance one day. So I take the car to NTW and they tighten it up. I ask if they thought any damage had been caused by my driving with it loose for so long. They said no, but bring it back if I still had problems. So over the next year, a squeak developed but they refused to believe it was related. And the nut came loose AGAIN. The squeak morphed into a grinding, grating sound, and I took it back again finally last month. The service manager swore up and down that there was no problem with the bearing, but he'd replace it for me "as a gesture of good will." To make a long story short, a four hour job turned into three days. When they pulled the hub off the axle, the bearings fell apart in the mechanic's hand, and part of one race was welded to the hub, and the hub had huge gouges in it. So they had to order a new hub as well as new bearings. $450 later, all of which they covered, not only is my car quiet again but the slight binding I was feeling on slow turns is completely gone. What an amazing difference.
My factory in-dash changer broke, and I replaced it with a changer/radio combo from a 2003+ Outback Limited. Looks and sounds MUCH nicer.
Everything else is running nicely. With an upcoming trip, I should hit 160k miles by the end of the month, which is about all I managed in daily driving on my old Subaru (it got another couple k over the next few years, but that's it). So barring anything totally unforseen, I should be good for a while longer.
11/11/04 (Happy Veterans's Day!)
167000 miles
And another 5 months and 10k miles on the nose.
Some of the electrical components are getting old. The driver's window doesn't auto-down every time, and the keyless doesn't open all doors (just the driver's door) about 50% of the time, though the lock on the door does still work them all. The driver's seat is also starting to hurt my legs on long drives - I think the padding towards the back of the seat has compressed much more than the front, so my legs are at an odd angle and pressure is applied near my knees. May have to look at getting an upholstry shop to fix them.
No real mechanical issues to speak of in the last 10k miles. The car just chugs along.
1/10/05
170700 miles
Spoke too soon on the lack of mechanical issues. Right before Christmas, the radiator sprung a leak through a crack on one of the plastic endcaps. The leak was slow enough that I could still drive the car for a week while the new radiator arrived, as long as I topped it up daily. I tried to repair it, but the plastic had gotten quite thin with age and heat and wouldn't take a patch well. New radiator cost me $248, shipped, from Lisa at Subaru of Gwinnett. Installation was pretty easy, maybe an hour, with the hardest part being disconnecting the transmission cooling lines.
My starter is also acting up again (recap: bought a $35 used one off eBay a couple years ago). It was suggested that I just replace the contacts so I'm going to try that first for about $10.
Oddly, the electrical issues I mentioned above have disappeared - the door lock hasn't skipped a beat since Thanksgiving, and the window has worked the few times I've tried it. Cold weather?
I've begun drooling over the '05 GT Wagon in black, but it's about two years too early to think about another car.
3/20/05
174150 miles
Age is making itself known in the person of loose tie-rods - need to get at least one replaced before my car can get an alignment.
Aso, this second set of Michelin Rainforce tires has not lasted anywhere near as long as the first - with 45k miles on them, two are below 3/32's and the other two are getting close. Not happy about that...
Still need to put in about a quart of oil every 1000 miles; not sure where the leak is, but again I was told that adding the oil would be cheaper than fixing it unless something else needed replacing as well.
Finally, I had to replace the struts for the liftgate. While the old ones still worked, they weren't lifting the tailgate all the way up without help. Final straw came when I conked my head while unloading groceries... Aftermarket (StrongArm) struts were about $26 each and took 10 minutes to install. Much improved.
The interior is holding up better than I expected. Except for fading seats and various cargo-related mishaps, everything still looks nice - no cracks or rattles.
6/3/05
177400 miles
The junkyard eBay starter finally died, so I replaced it with another cheap eBay special (factory refurb, this time). Also learned that the early Outbacks still used the same starter as the Loyale and older models. Since nobody is bidding on THOSE starters, it's possible to get one quite cheaply.
Also had to do tires again. Didn't even get 50k miles from the set. This time I am trying something completely different - Goodyear Assurance Triple-tread. They have the weirdest tread pattern I've ever seen, but they seem very good in the rain. They do appear to squirm a little under spirited driving, but that may also be play in the front suspension as it ages.
It's interesting to note as well that the only rust on the entire car is on the plate that surrounds the handle for the liftgate and license-plate lights. Subaru's come a LONG way from the body-cancer-plagued cars of the 80's and early 90's. I've got 10k miles more than my last Subaru, but only 1% of the rust...
7/23/05
180000 miles
Nothing new, except that I've hit another mileage milestone...
2/3/06
190000 miles.
The car survived another trip to Florida, 900+ miles of non-stop driving, though we took the AutoTrain back in order to relax at the end of the trip.
Front CV joints now need replacing, as they're making a clicking sound. The mysterious check-engine light is illuminating occasionally, but the car is running fine. Code says it's "EGR FLOW" which would seem to indicate a stuck EGR valve, but the valve works fine.
The Goodyear Triple-treads are a really great tire. With about 13k miles on them, wet traction is undiminished. Sadly, we've had very little snow this year so I haven't been able to test their winter capabilities. I can say, though, that they're the best ICE tire I've had... I don't fishtail pulling out from our community on the little patches of ice that form in the intersection.
I did have to replace the alternator a couple thousand miles ago. It went very suddenly one night, with no warning, but $125 from the dealer and about 30 mins work and it was replaced. Simple job.
Finally, I'm having an odd problem with the front differential. When it gets hot, like after highway driving, it starts to push fluid out of the overflow vent and onto the exhaust manifold, where it smokes. I've replaced the fluid, which was not over-full, and while it helps it's not solved the problem. Mechanic is clueless on this one.
9/16/06
200000 miles
The big 2.0! Didn't honestly expect to have the car this long, given its earlier problems, but the car is hanging in there and running quite well right now.
The Goodyear tires I put on 23k ago are holding up great and still providing sure-footed wet/dry traction.
I gave up on my cloth front seats, which had really started losing their padding, and bought a set of used leather Outback seats from a 97. Much more comfortable and a nice upgrade to the interior.
Only thing of importance that was done in the last 10k miles was that the transfer solenoid in the AWD system stopped working (duty solenoid C... remember that one?). Different kind of binding than I experienced 100k+ miles ago, but still binding... and eventually the AT TEMP light started flashing 16 times at startup, which is apparently the code for that solenoid. While getting that done, they also replaced the clutch packs (which are CHEAP - $21 for the set, though install labor is a lot). Cost me about $800 in parts and labor, but the car again drives like it's new. Well, that and replacing the spark plugs and wires which had about 60k on them.
Also had to replace all my locks because the keys got stolen. Let me tell you - tailgate and glovebox are easy. Doors are frustrating to get at but ultimately simple. Steering column? It's going to the shop. Airbag, steering wheel, ignition switch... and more... all need to get removed.