Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

locke2c

can you tell the difference? of course! but does it really matter with all-stock head unit, speakers, etc.?

 

nah. it sounds like a very clear radio station, which is fine with the maybe 7-10wrms the stock deck can put out.

 

~c

sduford

You will definitely hear the difference between the FM transmitter and the direct connection. It will about the same difference as what you hear between a good FM station and a CD, and that difference is significant.

 

BTW, wattage has absolutely nothing to do with the quality of the sound! Just ask the guys with $10,000 7 Watt mono single-ended triode tube amps.

 

Sly

locke2c

that's more like religion. no $50+ per foot cables in my car or home!

 

it's just my opinion. I have a pretty sophisticated system in my car right now, and have had stock stereos for the life of a vehicle as well... good stereo is good enough for me when the rest of the system is stock!

 

~Colin

c_hunter

can you tell the difference? of course! but does it really matter with all-stock head unit, speakers, etc.?

 

It really does -- it's like the difference between CD and FM, and that's extremely noticeable. Just the frequency response alone is a huge difference to my ears.

 

I can still remember the first time I heard a CD playing back in 1984 or so. Made a lifetime impression on me as to what "CD-quality" sound means.

 

Craig

sduford

It's more like religion, I'll grant you that. But they sound good nonetheless, which was my point!

 

Sly

rob16

Further to my question on iPod questions.

 

Can anyone tell me what kind of head unit is in the 05 Outbacks? Mine is the "non-luxury" H6 model. The reason I ask is that I'm told that some units have RCA plugs for auxiliary input on the back. I'm thinking that because it's a six CD stacker, it won't be likely, but ....

 

Incidentally, I spent a happy couple of hours reading over the various message boards connected with Subarus on this site. Learned more about Subarus and people's biases that I needed to, but interesting nevertheless. I've had my new Outback for a couple of weeks and would agree with others that the 05 is a great re-work of the last generation of Outbacks...the six is very nice to have as well. Don't have to plan ahead for overtaking on hills! I must say that the new one gives a rather disconcerting "wiggle" when hitting bumps though....my 02 Outback seemed more stable on the bumps. Anyone else care to comment? I'm actually wondering whether this "wiggle" might have something to do with running 16" rims and winter tires instead of the stock 17" ones. I only drove with the 17" rims from the dealer to the tire store, so have nothing to compare to!

 

Thanks!

toboggan

Is the activity (getting rid of the seatbelt chimes by unbuckling/buckling the seat belt 20 times after the icon stops blinking) only good for the '05 OB or can I do the same for my '98 OBW Ltd?

sduford

Hi Rob,

 

that wiggle you're experiencing is due to the rear suspension of the 05 Outbacks being underdamped. This is particulalry evident when passing over large (long period) bumps at highway speed. The same thing happens on my OBXT.

 

I'm hoping that we will have some aftermarket options for coil-overs or shocks with better damping.

 

Sly

c_hunter

Stephen,

 

Only the 05 has the new type of persistent chime (it will forever chime every few seconds until you fasten the belts). That is what gets disabled by the trick. The initial chime stays.

 

Craig

c_hunter

I didn't think there was a non-luxury H6 model!!

 

None of the 05s have RCA inputs or aux-in plugs of any kind.

 

I had an 02 LL Bean, and my 05 XT handles much better and corners a lot flatter. The suspension is a bit stiffer, however. And of course the 17" wheels/tires have a ride penalty too. However, I have not noticed any "wiggle" problems. Make sure all of your tires are properly inflated per the specs on the door jamb -- that would be something to check on. AWD cars will get tail happy if the rear pressure is too high. And of course, any side to side variations could cause a yaw effect when you hit bumps.

 

Craig

sduford

Craig, what I'm talking about cannot be caused by the tires. I'm talking about large amplitude up and down swings as if the shocks were gone.

 

This only happens on large amplitude bumps at highway speeds. I don't notice it on my daily commute, but I have noticed it on a stretch of bumpy highway nearby. This is most definitely caused by underdamped shocks.

 

I've also occasionally noticed the rear kicking out a bit when hitting a bump in the middle of a sharp curve. This however, I have only felt this twice in the 3 months I've had my car.

 

Those two issues notwithstanding, I do think the OBXT has outstanding handling for such a high car. It will run circles around an XC70 and pretty much any SUV.

 

Sly

rob16

Thanks to Craig and Sly for the feedback.

 

Knowing that there aren't any RCA plugs saves me some money in labour having the head unit removed....big thanks for this info!

 

The "wiggle" is happening at low speeds (50 km/30 mph). Good example is when going over a manhole cover....I will check tire-pressures, though.

subearu

My '00 Outback developed a Buick-like bouncy ride in the rear a couple of months after purchase. Turned out the rear struts defected (lol). Took an extra few days to get the parts (not stocked at my dealer), but they replaced them both (obviously under warranty). Was nice and firm after that.

 

Mine were also leaving tell-tale signs in the garage - a tiny drip-drip each night on both sides. My guess is that the trip on the truck was a bit too snug and damaged the rear struts.

 

-Brian

saedave

My VDC also seems a little underdamped now that it has a few (350) miles on it. I experienced a disconcerting rear wheel hop or skip in a 30+ mph turn on an asphalt street which had no noticeable bumps unless there was a manhole cover. Quite cold weather in Chicago has made the ride much less compliant. Tires, shocks or bushings? Any thoughts?

sduford

Tires, shocks and bushings! Everything gets a whole lot less compliant in cold weather.

alpha01

Automobile's Top Pick for Family Sedans is the 2005 Legacy!

 

Got this from the Toyota Pressroom, but its sweet news for the Subaristi here!

 

· All-Star Family Car: Subaru Legacy – The Legacy beat out the competition because it can be all things to all people: a refined, high-quality, comfortable freeway cruiser and a sporty back-roads car, with fine steering and brakes and a sweet shifter.

 

All the All-Stars:

http://pressroom.toyota.com/photo_library/display_release.html?id- =20041220

 

Best,

Joe

gearhead4

jay,

I agree, the seatbelt chime can be very irritating for those few times that I move the Subaru without using the seat belt. Ken and Craig are right on with their replies...but I would like to add the following. I asked my dealer to disable the chimes and was told that they legally could not disable them, but they did "accidently" leave a copy of a page from the service manual on the front seat explaining how it could be done. The repeat click/unclick of the seat belt must be completed 20 times within the first 30 seconds after the seat belt indicator stops the initial flashing.

Regarding the manuals, I can offer one solution. I purchased the complete set for my 2000 Legacy (8 manuals. They were not cheap. I am not going to do the same for my 2005 Legacy. What I will do is subscribe to Subaru's documentation web site and download the manuals. (I think the subscription is $20 per week). I would post a link, but I have been trouble reaching the complete Subaru web site since last week.

 

Good luck!

 

Jim

kens

That's great news! I think there are some Subaru fans in Automobile magazine -- as demonstrated in their Jan 2005 issue. Lots of positive Subaru comments there!

 

Ken

hilbert

DC Steve, I have purchased the security system upgrade for OBXT, and I would suspect it is the same for VDC too. $250 is way too expensive. My dealer gave this upgrade for $64.

hilbert

Hi Everybody

 

I am back from my long trip in my OBXT 2005. Power is plenty and more than I can handle, so was very satisfied at that end. The heating is great.

 

However, the car seemed a little unstable at high speeds (even 70) many a times. There were times when it cruised along smoothly at 80, but there were also many times where it seemed to do the "WIGGLE" act and did not seem surefooted (I don't know how t describe it, but it seemed as if it will 'fly off into the other lane'). The freeway did not have any noticeable bumps and therefore it was very disappointing. I checked the tire pressure to ensure that this was not because of wrong pressure. The tires had correct pressure and the left side and right side tires had at most 0.5 psi difference.

 

Please let me know if you experience anything similar. Maybe I should talk to the dealer too.

c_hunter

The only thing I have noticed is that the steering is a little too "fast" sometimes, so you have to be gentle with small adjustments. I cruise to work at 80 mph every day over some really lousy concrete highways and haven't noticed any real stability issues or wiggles. Like I said before, the 05 is a lot more stable at high speed than my 02 was. So maybe I am the wrong person to ask!!

 

Craig

orangelebaron

I read in an earlier post that there was a trick to turning on the map lights and rear dome light at the same time? Is that true?

Most cars I've ever owned or been in, there was a way to turn on all the interior lights by either turning the headlight switch all the way... or whatever.

The new Legacy/Outback doesn't appear to have this feature.

Can I change that?

dcsteve

Hilbert,

 

What is your dealer's name? I want to contact them?

 

Thanks.

 

DC Steve

c_hunter

It is a wiring modification that I came up with, and it's detailed on "another" forum that has legacygt in it's name (sorry, Edmunds won't allow us to post linke). You can set it up so that the doors turn on the map light along with the dome light. You can also set it up so that the dome comes on when the map light is switched. There are several variations. It involves soldering and running a wire from the dome light to the map light (wasy to do if you have a moonroof).

 

Craig

hilbert

I don't know whether it was the freeway or as someone else mentioned, perhaps I am the unlucky one whose car has this problem.

 

I will try driving it on the freeway here a few times again and see whether I get the same feeling and if I do, I will perhaps ask an independent mechanic to test drive it and see what he thinks. If he thinks there is some problem then I will contact the dealer.

hilbert

DC Steve:

 

I bought my car from Van Bortel Subaru. I do not know whether they will sell it to you for $64 since you did not buy the car from them, but I am almost sure they will sell it to you for less than $100.

dcsteve

Thanks, Hilbert. But will they install it for $100?

 

DC Steve

hilbert

That is a good question. I am not sure. Labor is expensive and it is possible they do that only if you have bought the car from them. But no harm in asking. Give them a call. Do you live anywhere close to them?

mesh

Any chance it could have been crosswinds? If it was gusty or you were between windbreaks on the median, strong crosswinds can seem to come out of no where. This might account for the intermittent nature of the problem.

timo1745

Mesh-

 

I was going to suggest the same thing. I find my '05 OBXTL-5MT extremely steady at highway speeds...even above 90+mph...until you hit some cross winds. Having been driving an Expedition and old, boxy-era BMWs the last serveral years (both which succumb easily to cross winds at highway speeds), and I still find the OB more than acceptible, and better than what I'm used to.

 

And I'm with Sly re: the rear shock dampening issue; I'm 6'3" and 210 lbs, and with nothing/no one else in the car, I can go over some slight/moderate rises and feel the rear suspension compressing/bottoming out as if I had the car loaded to the hilt. This is not a good thing, and I have no interest in spending thousands for a coil-over upgrade to correct it. Is this issue specific to the OB's only?

 

Tim G.

 

ps: got to try my RE-92A's in the slippery stuff on Sunday...DEATH TRAPS. They will be changed out for the winter months--mark my words!

hilbert

Crosswinds was the first reason that came to my mind. In fact, it was quite windy. My first thought was they should not have made the car lighter. But then I thought it is still quite heavy and that much wind should not cause trouble.

That makes me feel a little better. At least that means I may NOT have not a defective car.

 

Is there a simple way this can be tested? Is asking an independent mechanic to drive it on the freeway the best thing?

 

Thanks.

sduford

Yes the OB being a tall wagon, it is certainly not immune to cross-winds!

 

Sly

slade99

Is there a way to change the stock radio to an aftermarket one? Crutchfield says that you can not remove the factory radio because the digital climate controls are built into the radio. Has anyone been able to put an aftermarket head unit in Subaru Legacy 2005? I am really interested in purchasing the car, but I have to have an mp3 player, otherwise I won't buy the car.

Thanks.

qbrozen

A talented installer could do anything you want, I'm sure. Money is probably the only limitation.

tickman

You might want to think twice about downloading the manual. I tried it and downloaded just those sections I might be interested in. 626 separate downloads, and you can only download 20 files per hour. I'd guess that the whole manual is over 800 files, and a great number are nearly blank references to other pages.

kens

Could the "wiggle" also be coming from grooved pavement and tramlining? Try adjusting tire pressures upwards -- it makes a difference in handling and steering feel.

 

In Japan, there is apparently a replacement "face plate" that lets one use an aftermarket stereo but retains climate controls. We just may need to keep asking Subaru to bring it over to the US.

 

Ken

c_hunter

Unfortunately, the JDM faceplate is for cars with manual climate control, which is only on the 2.5i models here in the US. Won't help us folks with aut climate control.

 

My Outback does wiggle slightly on grooved pavement, if that's what you guys are referring to. It's more a function of the tires than the car.

 

Craig

c_hunter

If you want to play MP3 CDs, the radio that comes in the Outback VDC (and maybe LL Bean) can do it. Some people have sucessfully installed the radio in the Legacy -- it's a direct swap. I believe the radio costs about $600 and comes with the integrated climate controls.

 

If you want to hook up an MP3 player (like an iPod) to the radio, there is a direct line-in hack for the brave, or you can use an FM modulator or FM transmitter. I listed these in order of decreasing sound quality.

 

Craig

c_hunter

Hilbert, if it was really windy, then I would bet crosswinds were "a" cause. They certainly affect cars like the Outback with high ground clearance and a large "sail" area.

 

Craig

hilbert

Thanks. I guess I will try driving it on the freeway some day when it is not windy.

sduford

I think Craig should become Subaru's official "Premier Support" and get paid boat loads of money for it

 

Sure would beat the hords of clueless phone operators they currently employ.

 

Sly

kens

Craig's got my vote!

 

Ken

c_hunter

Sounds like a tough job!

 

Craig

hilbert

We have full confidence in you.

rsholland

rsholland

All-Star Family Car:

The Legacy beat out the competition because it can be all things to all people: a refined, high-quality, comfortable freeway cruiser and a sporty back-roads car, with fine steering and brakes and a sweet shifter.

 

http://autodeadline.com/detail?source=Toyota&mid=TOY20041220&- amp;mime=ASC

 

Bob

spieldawg

I'm going to be getting a legacy ltd within the next month or so, and I'm very interesting in finding out about this line in hack. I do lots of circuitry and wiring work, so hopefully I would be able to accomplish it. Do you have/know where I could get instructions on this?

 

Thans!

slade99

Thanks for the response Craig,

You mentioned that there is a mp3 cd player that you can put in that has those climate controls integrated and it costs $600. Which one are you talking about? Is it an aftermarket one, or something that you would request at the dealership?

Thanks again

kens

Craig's talking about the stock stereo system used in the H6 Outbacks (LL Bean, VDC models). The CD player in these units can play back MP3s.

 

Ken

beansly1

The LLBean doesnt get the mp3 capabilities. The VDC gets subies top of the line system as stock only. It also has one or two more speakers.