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Comments
Greg
I think the brake design can't handle the weight of the car (3700+lbs.). (We had the rotors re-surfaced at 10K.) I'm thinking about going the Midas route - in fact, that's what the service manager advised last year when the rotors were re-surfaced. He claims the EPA-mandated composition of the pads doesn't last long - for all cars, not just Subarus.
Interested in what they are going to say now at 22.5K. The original rear brakes on my 1992 Camry still had plenty of life left on them when I sold the car at 161K miles!!
Class action lawsuit??
BTW, this is the only problem we have had - car has been flawless otherwise. We love our little black tank.
Sorry for the rambling,
Greg
It leads me to think it is the security system...or maybe a failing security system. Has anyone else had that trouble? I don't think it is that the car gets too hot - this happened in the dead of winter too. I have had the starter replaced in the past year as well.
Does anyone have any experience with a problem like this? Is there a trick to making the car believe one is not stealing it? I would appreciate any responses. Thanks so much.
On the upside, there was a brand new 03 Forester on display - see comments in Forester forum.
Greg
Thanks,
Greg
-juice
-mike
They grind and pulse. Someone in the general Outback thread has the same problem.
Ralph
I've had the techs tell me it was CV boot leaks, but now that they've replaced both of them, the smell remains. I'm about ready to take my car in for the third time on this problem. There are no TSBs or recalls regarding the smell.
Has anyone successfully resolved the issue?
thx!
/PB
Regarding that smell, has any oil spilled on the block? The undercoating burns off slowly and the stench lasts for months, FWIW.
-juice
Let me know how your dealer is handling your situation.
Good Luck
In December of 2001, we developed a burning smell from the front of the car. When describing the symptoms over the phone the dealer correctly diagnosed the problems as a leaking front engine crank oil seal. He told me this was quite common and after replacement we could expect the seal to last 100,000 miles or more because the dealer installed seal lasts longer than the factory seal. Immediately following this work we heard a constant squeal from the engine, which was diagnosed as a defective alternator. Having just spent over $400.00 on the car, I now faced spending another $250.00.
What I anticipated from Subaru was well over 100K trouble free miles. The replacement alternator, a factory authorized rebuilt was defective from Day One. The squeal was worse than the original. Once again, I brought the car back in for more service. Again the diagnosis was the alternator, which was replaced under the parts warranty. Within a week the car died in traffic on a very busy highway stranding me with an out of town guest. We had it towed to the dealer: diagnosis- defective alternator cable.
I had 57,000 trouble free miles. The warranty is 60,000 miles. At 63,000 miles the car began to fall apart. I exceeded the Subaru recommended service interval by 100%.
In the first 70,000 miles I changed the oil 18 times.
Not one month later while on a vacation trip, the car stopped running stranding my wife on the left shoulder on a very busy 75 MPH interstate at 11:00 PM 500 miles from home. Taken to a local dealer the diagnosis was a rod through the block. Destroyed engine.
Needless to say, I am not happy. I had anticipated reliability equivalent to my 30 years of experience with similar vehicles. What I have is a car that has cost me $3,300.00 in repairs when I consider it to be barely broken in. I selected this car based on its reputation for reliability. Myth: A fiction or half-truth, especially one that forms part of an ideology. A popular belief or story that has become associated with a person, institution, or occurrence, especially one considered to illustrate a cultural ideal
Looking at the Edmunds website, I see numerous mentions of the odor that presaged the complete failure of my engine. I hope I can warn those Subaru owners before they learn the same expensive lesson I learned.
Also, please be aware that spam is a direct violation of our Town Hall Guidelines. I've removed several of your duplicate messages from our Town Hall discussions. People will be able to read it here and in a couple of the discussions where it still remains. Feel free to send me an email if you have any questions or comments about this. Good luck.
Revka
Host
Hatchbacks & Station Wagons Boards
I have been waiting to return to the dealer until I got some information from this site. Was the repair covered under warranty? Did you have to pay anything? I only have about 1500 miles on the car.
Sounds fishy but, they should receive the part overnight and possibly have it repaired by tomorrow afternoon. This is after dropping the car off on Monday afternoon, hopefully they started on it on Tuesday morning.
Repair should be under warranty, and they provided me a rental from Enterprise. Boy now I now why I don't buy Chevys, The Impala is a dog.
I will post a more detail description off the worksheet after all is completed.
If your service advisor can't seem to realize what the problem is tell them to call Jim Burke in Birmingham AL.
Good Luck.
Own a forester now, need more room and want a bit more torque. Love the awd of subaru but 4wd and traction looks appealing on 4 runner.
Any advice??
-mike
This guy is a troll because he has not had a 2nd, follow-up post in any topic so far.
Cliff: try a Legacy GT, they are geared 7% shorter (tires) and therefore a little quicker plus lighter than Outbacks. Or try the H6.
-juice
The outback will handled better, run quieter, out brake, accelerate and corner the new 4runner.
The 4 runner's awd system has some quirks with the interaction with traction control at low speeds. It's not quite as seemless as the Subaru, but is far better for off-road duty. 4 runner has a taller cargo area too for the odd time you have a piece of furniture in there.
Maintenance and gas cost and insurance on the 4Runner are going to be higher.
BTW, had Costco install these. The guy who installed them did a good job, however, the manager that checks the bolts had no clue what to do. Therefore, removed and reinstalled them myself when I got home.
Greg
Heather
Greg
Last week: Brought the car in for its free 22,500 service (oil, tire rotation). Brakes were back to how they felt at 10,337 miles. Walked over to the mechanic as he was working on the front brakes...."I'm replacing your front rotors and front pads. Your rotors were re-surfaced back at 10,000 miles, so they need to be replaced. They had "hot spots" = areas in the rotor where the pads get stuck. It's all covered."
So, here I thought I'd have to fight or make a stink. No problems. Subaru must be aware of the problem (silent recall?)?
I'm a happy camper, for now. Still wondering if it is an engineering flaw = brakes can't handle the weight of the car. Will have to wait and see (hopefully before 36,000 miles, if it is a design flaw.)
Otherwise, car has been flawless...
Ralph
Greg
I haven't heard of lots of problems like that, but maybe there was a TSB on it.
Rotors got 0.7" bigger in 2001 or 2002, I can't remember exactly when.
-juice
Free this time, but after 36,000 miles...
I still think the brakes can't handle the weight of the car. Only time will tell... My 92 Camry LE 4 cyl. had the same problem (maybe Japanese engineering schools don't teach brake design theory well :-o ).
Otherwise, the rest of the car is flawless...so, no complaints here! We love the car and the service we are getting from Curry Subaru.
Can't wait for the 2005 Outback w/ even larger front brakes, side curtain and front knee airbags, monotone paint, DVD rear passenger entertainment unit,.... LOL!
Ralph
Greg
Was it in regard to a specific problem that you are having? .... or a general notice?
Were there any details in the letter regarding its purpose?
Thanks for your help.
Curry is the dealer that I'm NOT happy with! (extra $45 for Mobil 1 on an oil change, under hood fluids not checked/replaced and tire pressure not checked on the same 7500 mile service). Their parts dept also told me that I'd have to replace the entire right mirror assembly even though the mirror was the only broken part -- there was no way to only replace the mirror.
I've heard iffy reports of Smith-Cairns in Brewster, although my daughter is happy with service at the Mt. Kisco location. And her bill for the comparable service that Curry charged me $122 for was $55! Too bad that they don't sell Surbarus at the Mt. Kisco location.
Incidently, the mirror replacement kit has arrived. It does appear to be the correct kit, complete with mirror, heating grid, hard plastic backing, sticky pads, etc. Are you and Steve (fibber2) still game for a lunchtime mirror repair and tailgate party?
Lyn
Braking distances for the WRX and the Forester are class-leading. The Outback is a tad heavier, FWIW.
You should see the tiny rotors on my Miata, of course that's a light weight.
-juice
YetAnotherDave
As far as the brakes on the LLBean, I think I need to start slowing down BEFORE I exit the parkway. Approaching the exit lane at 75-80mph isn't healthy (for me or the car)...
I haven't received a letter from Subaru and haven't had any problems, so I probably won't let them touch my ECU!
Weird though, I received an e-mail from Subaru.com yesterday - don't know where they got my address, or why they waited 1 1/2 yrs. to contact me? I filled out the mySubaru stuff.
Ralph
Greg
What OBW models/years did the letter mention? I haven't seen a letter nor have CEL problems, but the hesitation problem exists so this is of interest.
--jay
Greg
I've had mine for over a year now without checking the filters, I'd better take a look myself!
Steve
Thanks,
JMC
-mike
You could try an ECU reset. Pull the negative battery terminal, wait 20 minutes, reconnect, start her up and let her idle for 2-3 minutes.
See if that smoothes it out - it worked for at least one Forester owner.
-juice
-Dave
-mike
This seems very wrong to me. Help!
-mike