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Comments
Stanton
Stanton
I believe the full answer is:
Front = open on all
Rear = limited slip on all '02 Outbacks, open on Legacy L, optional (?) limited slip on GT (?)
Center = limited slip on all, but engagement is different depending on the tranny (mechanical on MT, electronic on AT)
Steve
It is limited-slip. A change in axle speeds will heat up and sheer the fluid inside the coupling, locking the two axles together temporarily.
-juice
Also, thanks to those advising about the brake pad change; like many things on the Subie, it was really easy. Surprisingly, the rear pads were nearly down to the scrapers, but fronts were only halfway worn.
Stanton
I've encountered the same on my 3 previous Subarus.
DaveM
Me too (or is it "Me three").
Jim
I've got a 98 Legacy Outback and have a fairly significant hesitation at slow speeds and slight throttle application. Tooling around a parking lot is the prime example. I've not done anything yet (such as spark plugs, air filter) and am running regular unleaded. Any ideas?
D
There's a lengthy thread on ultimatesubaru.net on changing speakers. As suggested there, I bought Infinity Kappas. Crutchfield doesn't seem to know anything about Subarus and was 30% more than I paid elsewhere.
I wanted CD and Cassette, and wound up buying a new Outback AM/FM/Cassette/CD/weatherband unit on eBay for $159.
The Sube now has 91K, and am thinking about getting a new one, although this car still runs great. I test drove the '05 GT Limited Wagon with auto. and WOW! I can't believe how fast it is. Only disadvantage I can see is that you need Premium gas for the twin turbo. About the same gas mileage rating as my '97.
As for the Premium gas, if your willing to pay the price premium for the Turbo, the gas is not that big of a deal. I figure it's costing me an extra $300 per year or so. I look at it as my amusement tax, well worth the price!
Sly
Good point you make about the "amusement" charge... After driving the '05, I can appreciate that!
Craig
Joe
Garandman,
Does this unit have MP3 compatilibility on the CD player?
Does any one else here feel the 05 brakes are too weak? I should email Subaru.
Another thing... is it normal for the tranny to act funny for the first few blocks on a cold morning (jerky shifting)?
As far as the brakes go, you should be able to invoke ABS immediately in almost any situation if you press down hard enough (in other words, what would be a wheel lock without ABS). It sounds like you were not in that situation. Normally, you can make some pretty hard stops without ABS -- it's only the imminent/actual lockup conditions that cause it to kick in. Regardless, the brakes have more than enough power to invoke ABS if you press hard enough at almost any speed, so they can't really improve the braking beyond that point. Going to larger brakes would improve fade resistance but ultimately ABS is going to be the determining factor in stopping power.
Subaru brakes have a little mush at the top of the pedal travel, but bite very hard once you push further. I have been very satisfied with the brakes on my 05 Outback XT.
Craig
Look in the manual -- I believe they would discuss the override feature if it exists on your car.
Craig
If I understand this correctly, there is a interlock between the brake and the shift lever that will not allow an inadvertant shift without the brake being engaged.
Bill
-juice
I hear of this issue on other forums where people switch to different instrument clusters. Some are honest about it, some not. As long as Subaru has a record of it, I think you're OK in this case.
Craig
It does affect your vehicle's value; unless I really got this wrong, your car becomes True Mileage Unknown (TMU) as soon as the odometer reading does not accurately reflect the mileage.
Same thing if you imported a Canadian vehicle.
Now, the mileage won't be "unknown" at all, so you might convince a private owner that it's no big deal. Best thing to do is hop on over to "Any Questions for a Car Dealer" on "Smart Shopper" and ask for advice on how to do this. It's one of those sticky things where nothing's wrong with the car, but it throws up a red flag and questions need to be answered... so at the auction, a lot of people will move on to the next car. CarFax will show it as "possible odometer rollback", cuz it's just a stupid computer program... dunno if you can do anything about THAT.
It's got to be done, but document it tight, and don't take my word for it, ask the pros.
This TMU business can take away $500 from your car's value, or $5,000... depending on how it's presented and what you can "prove".
Good luck,
-Mathias
Reply
Your messages describe exactly what happened with our new Outback this week. So, apparently, your car's failure (and ours) is not an isolated incident. We bought our 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback 2.5 XT Ltd. (5-speed manual) on Dec. 30, 2004 and less than 3 weeks later on Jan. 18, 2005, when the temperatures had fallen to the teens, the car would not start (same problem that you described). As the first snow of the season hit northern Virginia, there I was yesterday on Jan. 19, 2005 riding in a flatbed tow truck to take our brand new Subaru back to the dealer. We were shocked when this new Subaru wouldn't start. This is the third Subaru we've owned since purchasing our first Subaru in 1982 when we lived "out West"; we kept that 1982 Subaru for almost 20 years, trading it in for a 2001 model, and then just trading in that car for a 2005 turbo-charged model. Our previous confidence in the dependability of Subarus is sorely shaken by this experience, especially after talking with another owner at the dealer yesterday who had experienced a series of electrical problems with his 2005 Subaru and then finding your messages. We read your subsequent messages and are going through a similar process with the dealer. Please keep us updated on your experiences, and we'll post an update after we hear from our dealer. Thanks.
The dealer has the actual mileage recorded in their records. When they do oil changes, the little sticker on the windshield always reflects the actual mileage for the next service. Maintenance records for the VIN on this car in mysubaru.com also reflects the actual mileage.
Rob M.
I believe this is not the case if it's done through SOA as a warranty repair on the failed cluster.
Craig
Craig
Look in your owner's manual - the procedure for unlocking the shifter is detailed there.
Second, Subaru's response to the problem has been very cavalier...nothing can be done; simply replace the circuit board and accept the zeroed-out odometer. This bothers me quite a bit. Why isn't the chip that stores the odometer memory replaceable, or at least programmable? Seems like poor engineering to me. They should be able to program a memory chip with the appropriate mileage and have the dealer install it. The other thing that bothers me is the fact that the VDC is Subaru's highend vehicle (at least until the Tribeca comes to market this year) yet I feel that nobody is going out of their way to fix the speedo/tach in a way that will possibly avoid a future problem for me (selling the vehicle). Subaru wants to go upscale with the Tribeca, which I am clearly in the market for, yet this experience is really beginning to cloud my view of Subaru. Would this happen at a Lexus or Acura dealership?
Bill
What milage do you want on your car ? - would be the sales slogan for the equipment.
Krzys
PS As far as I can tell they try to serve you well.
Steve
-juice
Maybe check at the local SPCA too. :-D
DaveM
-juice
Bill
Just thought I'd pass this along, because it indicates that at least some part of the clutch judder is not in the clutch mechanism itself, but in the under-dash linkage pivots. VERY easy fix.
Stanton
If it is the real judder issue, I would recommend calling the Subaru 1-800 number and seeing if they can cover the repair for you. My parent's got a runaround from the dealer and regional rep because they were out of the 3/36 warranty. But, they called SOA directly and pushed for the repair under the 5/60 warranty. SOA did the right thing and covered the repair. The car has been fine since.
Craig
BTW, thanks to the advice of several on this group, I bought a new subwoofer this morning on eBay for $125 including shipping.
It's good engineering. Most states have a provision in the title for recording an odometer reading which is different from actual mileage. It is not so uncommon since mechanical speedometers did break or wear out.
One way "Iron Merchants" make money on used cars is to twiddle the odometer. They can build in up to $2,000 in profits. New car dealer operations would never risk this but it's not hard to uncover.
You could have a bad shift cable (~cost=$100 for part). Was it getting harder and harder to shift between gears before this happened? If that were the case the shift cable is a likely cause. Winter conditions (salt/sand/ice/snow) do contribute to excessive corrosion, and prolonged exposure to those conditions tend to take a toll.
Your problem sounds a bit like what is mentioned elsewhere. I found the following in the Chrysler Sebring Owners: Problems & Solutions forum. What you see below may be of help to you.
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#165 of 182 car won't shift out of park on cold days by chitra Dec 19, 2004 (12:46 pm)
Bookmark | Reply We have a 2004 Sebring Convertible GTC that will not shift out of park on cold days. The only consistency we could find is that it locks when the temperature has a sharp drop overnight. Then it will lock up in the mornings and by the time it warms up in the afternoon, it works. We have had it repaired once already. Now two months later it is broke again (or never fixed properly). The dealer replaced the shifter (?). Has anyone else experienced this problem? Any ideas?
#167 of 182 Same as #165 by danbrown Dec 22, 2004 (11:03 am)
Bookmark | Reply I am having the same problem as chitra in message #165. My car is a 2001 Sebring LX1 with 21000. My dealer thinks it is in the ignition to shifter cable (auto on floor). They say the adjustment is OK. We have also had a problem with not being able to get the key out on cold days (interior still cold), but when interior is warmed up all seems to be OK. Any Ideas?
#168 of 182 Re: car won't shift out of park on cold days [chitra] by danbrown Dec 24, 2004 (9:56 am)
Bookmark | Reply My Question is #167. The dealer told me yesterday that the lock-out cable from switch to shifter was shot. They didn't have one in stock but are getting one by Dec. 29 to install. They disconnected mine and it works but you can shift out of park with-out the key. They first told me that they couldn't see any problem with it but now they say it is bad. My car is an automatic on the floor. By then it is going to warm up some so will have to wait for cold weather again. Also there were times that I couldn't get the key out until the car warmed up. I live in Iowa.
#171 of 182 Re: car won't shift out of park on cold days [chitra] by chitra Dec 27, 2004 (8:36 am)
Bookmark | Reply Update: This time the dealer replaced the "interlock cable". We'll see if this lasts. But, as was our experience prior, it was an utter nightmare getting it repaired. They "lost" our car. Afte 45 minutes of phone calls between us, the dealer and the tow company, we were told to fill out a police report as our car was missing. So we drive tot he dealership and find our car in 5 seconds, right outside their shop.