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We're only getting about 15 mpg city on our 2003 Legacy Special Edition Wagon. I regularly check the tire pressure to see that they properly inflated, and we don't have extra weight in it. Is there anything we can do to improve the fuel efficiency?
Thanks
Drive as smoothly as you can, in fact try to coast to a stop without having to use the brakes. Any more speed and you're wasting energy and momentum.
Think of how hard it is to push your car to get it moving yourself, how much energy you expend just pushing it a few feet forward. The engine uses the same amount of energy to get you going. Leave more distance between the car in front of you do you can slow down and not have to stop at all.
Be safe, of course, but try that.
If you're getting only fifteen, and not riding the brake, then something is wrong.
Have the wheels, brakes and transmission checked. Something has to be dragging.
Gaucho
-mike
Hope that helps.
Mark
I drive a 95 Accord back and forth to work (45 miles round trip) and consistently get 23 MPG.
-mike
RPM on Tach is constant.
Speedometer bounces some.
Needle on the Boost gauge will bounce up and down.
At idle, when the stutter occurs, the rpm stays steady and the boost gauge will bounce between -0.5 bar and -0.25 bar.
Checked all the hoses that I could visibly inspect and don't see anything out of norm.
Bad gas? Discounted that. I'm down to 1/4 tank of my last fill up.
Another thing, may not be related. My exhaust between 1000 - 2000 rpm does not sound like the STi muffler should - Low mild rumble. Now it is louder and lower pitch than when at WOT. Loud enough to chirp car alarms when I drive by.
-Dave
'03 WRX wagon
Oddly, this morning's drive to work didn't not yield any symptom. Will see how the drive home is.
Thanks
-Dave
Had it checked by the dealer, who found nothing untoward.
I understand that government mileage ratings are inflated (mine were 23 - 30mpg). It is the only bone I have to pick with the car, but unfortunately it is a big one. I thought it was only me until a friend down the block validated similar experience with an '06 Forester.
Anyway... can any of the following work have brought them close to that joint?
-- cooling system fluid replacement
-- rear diff fluid replacement
-- fuel filter replacement
-- oil change
-- front diff fluid replacement
-- auto trans fluid replacement
-- fitting sealed
Can I build any sort of case against them? I searched back in this thread and found that an axle replacement could cost between $500 and $1100!
Thanks for any help...!
Cristina
But, have someone inspect the damage as it may be possible to determine if the boot was torn or cut by artificial means. Usually if it breaks due to age or undercarriage damage (like you hit something), there will be extensive cracking or subsidiary damage around the point of failure. And.... both axles?! Sounds quite unusual.
As for price, depends on who does em. It shouldn't take more than 1hr per side and cost of the axle/boot/cv assembly runs in the $75-150 range, so you are looking at about $150-300 in parts and another $200 for labor for bother sides.
-mike
Should I go to the dealer for this? The oil change place recommends the garage next to them for axle work. It's definitely more convenient than the dealership, but I trust no one at this point...
Cristina
These boots do split on their own, though the Quickie Lube place may have been responsible. I think that you may have a hard time proving that, however.
Don't let anyone tell you to replace the driver's side axle if there is nothing wrong with it. Even if the boot does split at some time in the future, you can have it fixed at that time. No need to pay for something you don't need.
Good luck.
Len
When I realized the speedometer and odometer were also not working, I replaced the speed sensor only to find out that it was the instrument cluster which I then replaced. That fixed that problem but now the airbag light comes on intermittently. Any suggestions on that?
The other two problems that I know of that are left are the climate control is frozen (pushing the buttons has no effect) in the setting that it was in when the electrical failure happened and the cassette mechanism on the radio is operating continuously without a cassette inserted which blocks out the cd and radio functions. I'm going to replace the climate control box and the radio since I'll be able to get at both at the same time. Thank God for junkyards since all these components new would have been more than the car is worth.
After this experience I've lost faith in the reliability of Subarus. I had just put in over $3000 in service (clutch, timing belt, water pump, windshield, exhaust, eic. etc.) into this car before the electrical disaster because I thought it was reliable transportation. What a Subaru nightmare!
Rondo320
Do you know what caused the original electrical failure?
Hmm.... why is that not so surprising?! :mad:
Go with a single axle replacement if there is only one problem spot. There is very little duplication of effort by changing the axles separately vs. together, except perhaps putting the car on a lift! I replaced one of my axles on the '96 Outback at 120K miles and the other one at 144K. I had the first one done at a dealer's shop due to a lack of tools, then did the second one myself while I had the engine out of the car (boy, was that replacement a breeze!). I cannot remember the price of the single axle replacement, but I want to say it was somewhere within the $300 range including parts and labor. I could hunt it down if you were extremely curious, but that was in 2002 in Fairbanks, AK, so I am not sure how relevant it would be for your situation.
If you are quoted $400 or more for the one axle, just laugh (boisterously) and walk away. If this just happened you can probably put another 5,000 miles on the car before the axle gets really bad and must be replaced.
In my world, cause and effect are hard to argue with. If the car never made the smell before the service but made the smell right after the service, you can at least conclude the damage happened in that time interval. Whether or not the Valvoline place caused it would not be possible to conclude, but the odds are that they did, since they had possession of the vehicle in that time frame. There are dozens of horror stories here on Edmunds where quickie-lube shops messed up perfectly working vehicles, and a torn CV joint boot would be casual damage compared to some of the things people have reported here (wrecked engines, transmissions, sometimes both at the same time). It wouldn't take more than a careless move to tear a boot. Who knows, maybe they lowered your car off the lift onto a toolcart or something.
You can repair only the boot if the axle is otherwise OK. Split boots are about $30 and easy to install. I used them many years ago (on a high mileage vehicle that had the original boots rot away). The replacement boots did fine for the additional 4-5 years we owned the car. I had considered an axle replacement but the local dealer mechanic (who was an old-timer car guy) told me to give the split boot a try first.
The procedure is to remove the old boot, clean the joint thoroughly with alcohol and a paint brush to get the old grease out, repack with new grease, install the new boot over the joint, join the seam (with adhesive and/or small fasteners that come in the kit), then crimp the bands around the ends. That's it.
Obviously, if the old joint is shot or making noise, or it collected sand/grime/water because the boot was open a long time, then you may want to pursue replacement. In that case, I agree with the other guys to only replace the damaged side.
Good luck!
Craig
I wouldn't blame Subaru in general -- it sounds like the electrical system self destructed in an abnormal way. I mean to say, we don't usually hear about problems like this, or hear about problems that are this bad.
Craig
Thanks!
I would say that if they lifted the car up on a lift, this may have triggered a bad boot to crack completely. Generally when your car is on the ground it doesn't get a whole lot of suspension travel and hence not a whole lot of angle on the CV joints. However if they lifted it to do the oil change this would allow the wheels to travel down their full travel and thus may have triggered the bad boot to crack completely. So it may not have been the fault of the oil change place at all.
-mike
Thanks
The stutter do not occur on each of my 40+ mile leg to work in the morning.
Will occur each time during the commute home during 80-90+ degree F outside temps.
None during rainy or down pouring conditions.
New observation. Headlight/DRL dims when stutter occurs.
My headlights normally don't dim, except when brakes depressed.
Thoughts?
-Dave
I do not personally have them on my vehicle, but the solar heat rejection numbers looks very good and they use ceramic technology vs metallic.
I do not believe the metallic film will have any impact on the in-window antenna. The tint is applied on the inside surface of the window and will be behind the embedded antenna. If any, it probably enhance capture of signals.
-Dave
Thanks for your reply. I checked on the prices, and Huper Optic costs ($550 installed) more than double what metallic (approx $250 installed) film costs.
I don't have any fancy electronic gadgets (navigation etc) in my Forester. All I have is the AM/FM radio that came with the car, and my Sprint cellphone. From your reply it seems I can go for the metallic film without much risk of losing radio signal.
Can anyone else confirm that?
Thanks in Advance
Thanks for all your replies!
Cristina
I think the most important thing in tinting, however, is choosing a quality, experienced installer and not just the cheapest. Odds are, a shop that installs a high-end product like the ceramic tint will be used to satisfying customers that expect the best.
I wouldn't get stockers, however, Hellas are awsome driving or fog lights and I wouldn't hesitate to install them.
-mike
That would be me. I have 4 Hella 4000s on my Armada. They are however hooked up to the highbeams so they don't bother oncoming traffic.
-mike
I couldn't imagine the wiring would not be there - otherwise every car that came down the assembly line would need a different wiring harness depending on what accessories were added.
Don't know where the guy came up with charging $1000 to install... :confuse: Sounds like a major ripoff.
IIRC the switch would about ~$30.
-Dave
-mike
Any advice as to changing the plugs? Is it a 10 minute job, or 30+ minute job?
As for oil change, can one get to the drain plug and oil filter without jacking up the car?
I got the repair manual but didn't find pictures of the brake booster line or the vacuum line. Some look like they can be it but don't want to assume. Want to pour in half a can of seaform to clean up the intake etc.
The check engine line is on. Oil level looks good, and relatively clean.
Thanks