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Comments
What you described sound far more like hydroplaning than brake problems. The grinding noise is probably the ABS operating when there was no effective contact between the tyre and the road.
Simple rule. When you first detect hydroplaning, its a warning that you are driving dramatically too fast for weather conditions and must slow down. All tyres are designed to clear water from the road tyre interface, but if the volume of water is too great, either through being deeper than the tyre designer intended or you driving so fast that the channels cannot displace it quickly enough, the water builds up as a wedge under the tyre. If you are that enthusiastic about driving on water, buy a hovercraft.
If you do start to aquaplane, the rule is to back off gently. Do not touch the brakes and do not make violent steering corrections. You can check if you are aquaplaning by easing off the accelerator. In extreme situations, you will see the engine speed suddenly drop to idle, until tyre road contact is re-established.
Changing tyres may result in differing aquaplaning sppeds but comes with other trade offs. Wet weather tyres are usually biased toward preventing aquaplaning as part of their design.
Cheers
Graham
Steve
On snow/ice, the first thing I do in a skid situation if I *really* want to re-grip the road is jam on those brakes to engage the ABS. That sucker grips the road like superglue with the ABS. I only do that when a ditching is emminent though. Most of the time I just steer it because I wanted to slide in the first place. I find I have to work a bit at losing my grip on the road - it doesn't typically happen by accident as long as one drives with a smooth and steady hand. Quick movements of those front wheels or quick, heavy stomps on the accelerator are the surest way to break loose. The other common option is uneven tire resistance - say when one drives through a puddle that is deeper on one side of the vehicle than the other or in snow that is deeper or denser on one side than the other. That's what makes slush so trecherous.
And we find the Nokian RSI's resistant to hydroplaning and just bought another set for my Outback 3.0 - even though the same dealer carries the X-Ice at a lower price.
There is a message on the CR forums asking how they come up with their Ratings, with the following response by a CR person(emphasis added):
Overall score is a weighted average of all the rating categories (including some that are not publiched (sic)). Braking, handling, hydroplaning resistance, and winter grip are more heavily weighted than other items. Ratings represent a number in a range. For instance, "Good" represents a 3, and that can fall between 2.51 to 3.49. That range will impact overall score....The cars used last year were a Chevy Malibu (all season tires), Toyota Camry (winter tires), and Chevy Silverado (all terrain tires).
In summary CR uses categories not published to give Ratings; does not give out the raw data; and doesn't explain how meaningful the differences in their scores are for the real world.
One might add that they make some peculiar choices for which tires to test. For example, they tested the Hankook W404, which is designed to be studded, but not the W300, which is more directly competitive to the X-Ice or RSI, and has a reputation for offering excellent winter tire perfomance at a low price.
Looking at tire tests done by car magazines and others where the data is available, and reading user reviews like those at Tire Rack seems to be a lot more reliable method of selecting tires. Tire Rack does not sell Nokian (Nokian does not allow mail order sales of their tires) but you can get many, many first person recommendations from folks who drive a great deal on snow and ice.
It is a very precise line, and, liking precision, I like it.
Bob
Bottom line check your spare tire well now and then.
I'd insist on proper diagnosis/verification of the problem before dropping that much money, rather than a sight-unseen opinion. Either that or a second opinion froma different shop!
Cheers!
Paul
I got E-codes for my Miata, as opposed to the sealed beams it came with. The old sealed beams were dim and broadcast a weak light with litte/no aim or focus. The E-codes have that sharp cutoff and really focus the light down on to the road. Sooooo much better.
You can see them here side-by-side. As you might imagine the light on the left is the E-code. The difference is rather incredible.
-juice
1 - On hilly terrain the road is often above that sharp cutoff.
2 - On hilly terrain you are sometimes shining too much light at oncomming drivers.
But the biggest issue is:
3 - The headlights throw so much light on the road surface close to the car, this causes your pupels to constrict making it harder to see further down the road (though you think you are seeing farther since you are seeing more closer things better).
In city/suburban driving this in not an issue, but it seems better to just use the daytime running lights + parking lights when in a remote area, you can see further (though since this is illegal I would never do this).
The rebuilder also told me that the same automatic transmission is used in the Nissan Pathfinder and they have the same problem with the seals.
That was 9 months ago.....it seems to be working fine, however I think that I will trade it in after the winter.
Maybe for a Toyota Matrix AWD !!
Matrix makes more sense in FWD, with less weight and more power. You need more than 123hp with AWD.
-juice
You might be getting an even less capable version of the same Japanese trans. Some Subaru auto transmissions are standard japanese product with a Subaru case. I believe the guts are similar to Toyota units which come in various torque ratings....and the Matrix is bottom end.
Get a manual.
-juice
The first time I noticed this I'd just had an oil change. I assumed they put too much oil in went back and they drained and refilled with the same result. And sure enough the oil has always read too high.
I spoke to my dealer who said it is not an issue just the way the dipstick reads. According to him when you get near the top of the dipstick just a few ounces of oil will move the reading by a couple of inches. I can only guess that the dipstick is the wrong length or perhaps has the full indicator in the wrong place.
Has anyone seen this? It doesn't seem to be an issue the engine has 80k on it and runs fine.
Too high is not good if the crankshaft contacts the oil as it will 'whip in up' getting air bubbles in the oil which will make your oil pump less effective.
Reasons for the high reading can be a incorrect length dipstick, too much oil, something taking the place of the oil, like a big-ol' dent on the oil pan. Also checking the oil on a unlevel surface gives a crapshoot reading, make sure you are on level ground.
Krzys
PS My 2005 Legacy GT has two sets of min and max. cold and worm engine levels (unless I am mistaken) ;-)
Len
Is it acceptable for Subaru automatic transmission fail because they are not the only car company to use this automatic transmission?
It is a know fact that this automatic transmission fails......
I don't own a Nissan with this automatic transmission, but I feel sorry for those who do......
I own a Subaru with this faulty automatic transmission!!!
Subaru have done nothing to correct this problem and do not even acknowledge that there is a problem!! however, they offer a rebuilt automatic transmission at an inflated cost.......
My question is.....Subaru, what happened to customer satisfaction????? and what happened to the bulletproof Subaru engineering reputation????
I think this will be the last Subaru I buy.....is it time to buy another reliable Toyota Camry?
My wonderful 2000 OB Ltd wagon is now 6 yrs old and (unfortunately) needed its first 'unscheduled' maintenance: a new Oxygen sensor. It was replaced (ka-ching!), but she also needs new rear brake pads (still original) and the battery test failed (reading: 14.1 (volts?)). Anyhow, here's my questions:
- Dealer price for the brakes was over $300 (SF Bay area). I'm thinking of taking it to Midas, hoping it would be cheaper. Comments pls?
- Can I replace the battery myself? Recommendations on what battery to get?
Thanks!
:confuse:
(2000 OB / 2002 Forester)
But it sounds like 6 years is alot to ask of a battery and it should be changed now because of that. And yes you 'should' be able to do it yourself, but if you do it wrong, well lets say very wrong you could cause some damage.
Midas should be cheaper, but will use aftermarket parts which may not be as good, and may wear faster (then again they might be better parts, but I doubt it)
My 99 Outback.....had 85K and was 64 months old (5yrs 4 months, however, I started to complain about trannie problems at 72K and 54 months old......still in warranty.....but because Subaru had "never heard of a known trannie problem" it wasnt fixed under warranty.
The transmission filter and fluid were changed at 72K service by the dealer, when I told them of my transmission problems, later I was told that this was normal....now I know it was...........the dealer did try to get Subaru to honor the warranty, because I had the problem documented by the dealer. They also found me a transmission rebuilder at half the cost of Subaru.
Once again I am not sure why it is acceptable for the Subaru transmissions to fail, just because other car companies have worse transmission....my point is that none of these transmissions should fail....and that a known problem (with a tech bulletin) to a transmission shop is unknown by Subaru and is not repaired under warranty. However, Subaru were quick to send out a leaflet saying they had a factory rebuilt transmission of more than twice the cost of a Transmission shop with a no better warranty.
I have owner both Honda Civic and Toyota Camry and had over 200K without a transmission fail and even a old Dodge with 260K miles....I expected no less from Subaru.
I guess I should just lower my expectations
Another thread mentioned the importance of tightening the lugnuts with the appropriate torque to prevent brake-rotor-warping?
Any sites/books that illustrate brake pad replacement?
Thanks!
:surprise:
I quickly moved the shifter into 'manumatic' mode 2nd gear from the 'normal' drive position to help out a bit and made it up.
Now I go to turn the car around, then the ABS light and Check engine light came on together. In my old car the ABS light might come on if a wheel is slipping too much, so I though it might be that, but the check engine light :confuse:
I shut off the car then re-start it, abs light is now off, but check engine is stil on and I notice the Cruse control light is flashing. I took the car down the block to see if it would go away (assuming it was due to the slipping), but no dice. I noticed that the CC will not work either.
I have a 2 yr old code reader which I hooked up but got no trouble codes, it did seem to take longer to read however.
Called the dealer, he told me that:
1 - When the check engine light comes on the cruse light flashes and won't work :confuse:
2 - That the skidding should not cause the Check engine light to light.
3 - ABS light is most likely a seperate issue, perhaps related to the skidding.
4 - My code reader most likely does not do dealer (manufacturer) specfic codes.
Anyone out there have and suggestions or have had a simular trouble?
There is a hair crack in windshield.
Right lower corner going toward center up. Lovely sight.
I will be visiting dealer on Monday.
Krzys
PS In MA windshield is covered by insurance so if Subaru says that it is not warranty then it will be insurance. By the way there is no sign of impact near the crack.
-juice
unfortunately things do fail, some things more often than others and some manufacturers more than others, getting 200K out of any car is fantastic regardless of the make but even Honda with its minivans have had lots of problems with trannies recently and Toyota with its engine sludge.
I think no matter what the manufacturer says, new pads have to be broken in (basically lightly riding your brakes and no sudden stops if possiable for the 1st few miles). If it is not needed all it will do is wear them a tad, if it is it will set them up nicely till they need to be changed.
If you have started cutting into the rotor and the rotors have not been replaced or resurfaced that could cause the grinding noise, Also I have heard of some buildup causing it, but don't really recall how that happens, perhaps the pads become contaiminated w/ leaking brake fluid.
Rust can also cause a grinding noise and wil happen if your car is stored outdoors and not driven every day, but usually the rust comes off after a few brake applications.
Have you ever done any hard stops in this car? If not, if you are a habitually gentle braker, you may not have ever pushed them hard enough to "bed" the pads to the rotors. There are several procedures for doing this, but all of them involve some routine of one or more hard stops (not quite hard enough for the ABS to kick in , but HARD) from high speed (70 mph or so) down to a NEAR stop, but not quite stopping, and then driving on until the rotors COOL WHILE MOVING. Then repeat as needed. In all of this, safety is a concern: don't try it under slippery conditions, and don't do it when anyone might be behind you and panic or run into you. A deserted road under good conditions is perfect.
What happens is that a thin, even coating of the brake pad material is deposited on the steel rotors under the very high heat involved, and thereafter the brakes stop better (more friction between the pads and the thin coating than between the pad and the bare, smooth steel rotor), and they also last much longer.
Most companies that sell racing brakes describe procedures for doing this in their literature or on their websites, but new car manufacturers don't bother with it. It not only improves brake performance, it also increases durability (strangely enough), but since the durability benefits would not show up for several years, car makers don't bother with it. For most people, normal driving in traffic yields adequate brake performance, and I bet the car companies don't want to tell a new customer that their brakes would last longer and stop better if the owner went out and did this. And certainly some yoyo would try it on an icy road and crash and sue, and the lawyers would all get rich...
For more info on this procedure, do a Google search on "brake bedding" and see what some of the racing brake mfgrs tell you.
We bought our Legacy used, with 57,000 miles and excellent brakes, so I didn't bother with this; but when our 2001 Honda Accord developed a brake pulsation after about 25,000 miles, I bedded the brakes (three hard stops from 75 mph, as above) rather than have the rotors turned. The problem went away immediately, and brake performance thereafter was flawless.
Hope this helps.
Stanton
Got a 420 code - and the engine hesitates when accelerating in the lower range of any gear in any way other than gently.
Wonder if it's an O2 sensor and if so, which one? Is there an electronic test one can do on the sensors themselves? Would like to avoid getting raped at the dealer.......if sensors check out ok I guess the cat(s) might be the problem...?
--have done the obvious: plugs, wires, fuel filter, (it was time for those) and dry gas...thanks
The dealer could not make the trannie problem happen, as it was intermittent at that time(at 72000kms). By the time the trannie problem became solid, my Outback was out of warranty.
I am aware that things do fail, if I were the only person to have had trannie problems with my Subaru Outback, I too would have put it down to bad luck and that would have been the end of the story.
However; my point is that this was a known problem by Subaru, therefore Subaru should have done something about it.
Subaru have done nothing.....except send out a leaflet offering a rebuilt transmission at an inflated price.
Subaru Automatic Transmissions before 1998 did not have a problem and there are many Subaru's with well over 200K kms still running with the orginal Trannies.
I have not heard of any transmission probems on 2003 to 2006, but that maybe because they are still under warranty.