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Comments
-mike
time for more research and a different dealer for questions.
(Dis)-Service History:
The first time, they said it was an ECM and replaced it. This was after they said they couldn't find the problem and my friend got in the car and stalled 30 feet from their driveway. Seriously!
The second time, after driving it hundreds of miles, they said it was a bent tong in the fuse box. Seriously! :mad:
My friend has driven the car for a few weeks so far and all is good but he doesn't have much confidence. A bent tong? How did it get bent? This sound familiar to anyone? :confuse:
If the dealer fixed it on the 2nd attempt, that's not too bad, actually.
Lemon Laws usually call for 3 strikes for the same problem in the first year.
Hopefully your friend will look back at this anomaly and laugh.
We have brought it into Subaru dealers on 3 occasions-- the first time, they couldn't replicate it, and it was clear that they didn't believe that it was occurring. The second time we took it to a different dealer, where they actually got the shuddering replicated, and after communicating with Subaru of America they tried swapping out a part of the emissions system called the knock sensor. This worked-- but only for about 5 days-- then went right back to the shop. The regional technician got involved, and sent diagnostics to Japan's engineers at Subaru (so I'm told). This third time they've held onto the car for longer than 19 days and have been trying to swap out various parts.
Today, we were told that they have now gotten reports that this has been occurring and reported from others recently. They also told us that this is not considered a safety issue, but rather called it a "communication glitch" between the "computer logic" and the controlling unit of the transmission. They also are asking us to take back the car while they work on a solution.
Because we live in Washington State, which has very protective lemon laws, and because the car has been in the shop for more than 30 days (with less than 6000 miles and less than 5 months), we intend to fight back on this and demand replacement or reimbursement. I certainly don't consider stalling on an onramp of a freeway to be a trivial issue that is not safety related, and have ample documentation to back us up.
However, I wanted to let others know of this issue, and that this is apparently no longer isolated to our car alone, in case others were struggling to find evidence that this problem exists.
JC
Mez
I'm surprised because the 2.5T has been around for 3 model years now, and it's not like a lot of people here are reporting stalling.
Still, they fine-tune things all the time, and SI drive is new, so maybe that had some effect?
My main concern is that the returned car will have depreciated value, and that it might end up expensive to pay much of the cost difference for the new one. We paid completely for our car, and as I see it, this trade would only make sense if they paid for a significant portion (most) of the cost difference between the trade in and new exchanged car.
Any advice? :confuse:
Had Subrau rebuild the transmission...it works fine now.
Cost $1385....used car insurance paid a little under half.
I'm not unhappy.......it is a very nice car.
Obviously they want to help. Still, they're going to take a big hit buying that car back. If they absorb half or more of the new car depreciation, I say go for it.
What I usually tell people is that a car loses 10% of its value the minute you drive off the lot. After that it's about 10% per year, or per 10k miles. So calculate how much it's depreciated, and see if Subaru will make up half of that.
Example. You have 8k miles, so by my rule-of-thumb formula the car has lost 18% of its original value. If Subaru agrees to cover at least 9% of that cost with a trade subsidy, IMHO I'd take it.
Sounds like a raw deal?
Not really. You'll have a newer car with fewer miles. It will be worth more later when you trade. Plus you can leave the headaches behind you. Odds of getting a 2nd lemon are slim to none, i.e. they say lightning never strikes twice.
Good luck.
Regarding lemon law, if the problem is life threatening, then 2 occurrences can be acceptable, or so one judged declared. I can't find the link right now but it is not black and white. The fact that Subaru wants to make a settlement though indicates they recognize the severity of the risk. Thank you for your comments.
08s are just arriving so tell your friend to work a favorable deal on an 07 left over or demo. The key here is to take a long test drive and make sure the 07 is perfect, because you just know Subaru isn't going to make that offer twice.
I've visited Edmund's off-and-on over the years, but have never posted before. I have a problem with my '02 OB Ltd (MT, 76K miles) that I'm hoping you can help me with.
I started smelling a burning smell a couple of days ago. It appears to be coming from under the car, so I assumed something like oil dripping onto the exhaust. But, I checked under the car after it had been parked there for several hours and didn't see any puddles. I took it in for an oil change yesterday (not to a Sub dealer) and they didn't see any leaks (nor anything like a plastic bag melted to the exhaust). I let the car idle in the driveway this morning w/o going anywhere and the smell was there - ruling out brakes and transmission-related problems (I assume).
I'm guessing it is a leaking gasket or hose, but wouldn't that produce a puddle on the ground?
Help?!? and Thanks!!
Flyos
-mike
I'm taking it in on Tue night for repair; any risk (i.e. CV joint damage) in driving the car with the boot torn until then? I felt inside the boot and the CV joint felt plenty greasy, but I don't know how much grease a CV joint needs without incurring damage.
Thanks!
You could drive it for maybe 1000 miles like that it'll start to "click" before it gives out totally.
-mike
If you have any more info, please let me know.
Sounds like you may have the same problem, although when I was doing my research on bad transmissions it seemed to be common between the 99 - 2001 years. The problem generally occurred when shifting back to drive from reverse, wherein it would take anywhere from a few seconds to a half a minute or so for the trans to engage. In short, after I wrote to Subaru and referenced the on-line forums filled with people with the same problem, and threatened to contact the Dept. of consumer affairs, they were very helpful! I received a new trans / installation for a grand - or half the price of a rebuilt. Since then (knock wood) it runs like a top. Remember - the squeaky wheel..........
I assume by "dash tickers" you mean the odometer and trip counter. I don't think anything is mechanical; it is probably all electronic and you'll need either a new module, or there is software that can be switched from one to the other. But likely not easily done unless you are a dealer.
I am looking at Autozone repair manual for 96 legacy.
http://www.autozone.com/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1e/75/81/0900823d801e7581/repai- rInfoPages.htm
Though it is not for 02 model, it said use C clamp to push the cylinder back in.
Thanks for your answer.
Alland
I gave up and bought one of these tools, MUCH EASIER. Cheap, too, so no reason not to get one.
I replaced a rear brake pads on 88 Nissan Maxima one time. If I recalled correctly, the piston needs to be rotated back in rather than using the C clamp to push the piston back in since emergency brake is part of the rear brake system.
Replacing rear brake pad with separate emergency brake is easier in the Outback case.
Alland
I'm wondering if any others have noticed this phenomenon?
Look at a Corvette's 6 speed - the V8 lets is hum along at under 2000 rpm on the highway.
Yours is geared appropriately for a 4 cylinder, and you can probably accelerate on the highway without shifting.
Look at a Corvette's 6 speed - the V8 lets is hum along at under 2000 rpm on the highway.
Yours is geared appropriately for a 4 cylinder, and you can probably accelerate on the highway without shifting.
Yup, my Armada turns 1800 at 65mph on the highway in 5th on the AT. That's even pulling the 10,000lb boat trailer to boot.
-mike
Thanks in advance for any insight.
I had a small amount of oil one time, and that's what it was for me.
New spark plugs have new crush washers. Make sure you crush them, but don't overdo it - they need to seal properly. Use a torque wrench but make sure they crush, even if you have to exert a little extra force.
I failed to mention in my original post that I had changed the oil the same day, so I was wondering if having run the engine just 15 minutes before pulling the plug left some oil sitting up there around the boot somehow, and by pulling the boot I let it escape. That's my only theory!
-mike