Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

phil2000 · July 2009

I get static on my car radio (AM stations only) that changes with speed and is more evident when the blower motor is on. Is this an indication of something tied to the misfire?

Also, the garage that inspected the car says that I am allowed one not ready. I think I am going to focus on the P0420 code. I replaced the upstream O2 sensor. Next payday, I will do the downstream.

hammerhead · July 2009

You're hearing alternator whine and static that varies depending on blower motor speed?

Bad ground on the radio. Has nothing to do with the misfire.

Cheers!
Paul

colin_l · July 2009

Phil, I glanced at your profile and saw a 2000 Forester and what looks like high mileage per year.

P0420 is catalyst efficiency. That's caused by the rear o2 sensor only, never the front, so your front o2 sensor was a waste I'm afraid.

It's also likely the catalyst itself and not the sensor, if you have a lot of miles. Call some muffler shops and find out how much they want for a new catalyst and installation. Should be around $250-300.

phil2000 · July 2009

Around 200K in March of 2006 I replaced the Cat. In previous post (March of 2009) I explained that some antifreeze got into the cylinders. It is my feeling that the O2 sensors got fouled.

I can get a Cat off the Internet for about $260. And since I removed the head myself, the Cat is a piece of cake.

colin_l · July 2009

I see, Phil. I had the heads off my '99 Impreza RS twice, and got quite a bit of antifreeze in the exhaust both times-- some oil, too, but less. No problems with trouble codes or driveability, other than burning off the stuff when firing up the car afterwards.

I'll concede that my car had much fewer miles, roughly 30k-40k, but I don't think this would harm the oxygen sensors. They could be due for replacement anyway though, of course!

If you've driven a lot of miles since March 2006, your cat could be bad (again?). Unfortunately, I've seen P0420 caused by misfires and other stuff that really doesn't have much to do with catalyst efficiency, in my personal opinion. So there is some risk that you're going to replace all these things that make logical sense, and still not have your solution.

What's the answer? I dunno, how much for a complete engine from a salvage yard?

phil2000 · July 2009

I do not know if you read my posts from the start (Nov 07) that so much junk went through the exhaust with the bad valves. That the sensor needs replacing. I am going to give it a shoot. I need to get the car to appoint that it can be inspected. I have been blessed that I have only gotten pulled over twice for the window sticker(over the pass 18 months).

colin_l · July 2009

Phil-- nope, sure didn't. But I'm more confident in your path now.

sharlene32 · July 2009

I was so excited last year when I bought my very first new car, but, ever since 3000 miles I have this god awful rattle when I accelerate low rpm's. I have had it in 4 times. The first 2 times they said they didn't hear it and that I wasn't used to having a subaru. Then I took the mech for a test drive and he said that it wasn't normal. Could be gas or exhaust. The last 2 times they had it for 2 weeks and still now not fixed. They did an engine clean and told me it was a hickup!! Are you joking? I feel like they are giving me the run around, and I shouldn't have this inconsistent noise for a brand new car. It does it in between 20-40, if I let off the gas then lightly press the gas again. It normally does it when its hot or I have been driving around all day. Its spiratic which is why I know something isn't right. If I new this I would have went for a toyota!! My bf just got an impreza 09 hes just about at 3000 and his just too started making the same rattle. Everyone that has heard it outside of the dealership has said it sounds like a valve rattle. Subaru says no, but can't seem to find a problem. All they keep saying is that i need to use Conoco plus gas, and Ive been doing that and its still making the noise.......I want this noise to go away. People look my way when it does it. I feel like I am driving around with a lemon, and the dealership thinks just because Im a girl, I don't know what I am talking about. HELP :confuse:

fendertweed · July 2009

I don't know what the noise is and I appreciate the frustration, but please, before folks start tossing terms like "lemon" around, do a little research into what really constitutes a "lemon" under various state laws.

In addition to federal law (the Magnuson-Moss warranty act) and the Uniform Commercial Code, there are state "lemon laws." Most state lemon laws specify that a manufacturer must provide a refund or replacement for a defective new vehicle when a substantial defect cannot be fixed in four attempts, a safety defect within two attempts or if the vehicle is out of service for 30 days within the first 12,000 to 18,000 miles or 12 to 24 months.

I'm sure it's annoying to you. It may be an "anamoly" of certain Subarus. But that doesn't make a car a "lemon." So far we don't even know it's a "defect", let alone a substantial one or a safety defect.

Sorry if I seem overly technical or unsympathetic, I am not unsympathetic.

Unfortunately my experience is that virtually no car maker today makes cars that don't have an Achilles heel or 2 or 3. I'm reading about brand new Hondas with all kinds of issues. Our '05 Matrix has gone through 3 belt tensioners, a water pump and a power steering pump in 18 months so I'm certainly not going to assume that a Toyota would do any better than your Subie.

Good luck figuring it out, I'll be curious to hear if others have the same issue and if anyone has found a cause or fix.

colin_l · July 2009

I'm not so sure about an Achilles heel, I think you might have been trying to express that no manufacturer or individual car model is perfect.

About the noise -- Is it detonation? Have you tried premium fuel (91-93 octane)?

I'm not sure what engine is in your Outback,but I'm guessing that some of them available require premium, or strongly suggest it which is the same as require.

fendertweed · July 2009

...both actually (Achilles heel & non-perfection) ... for example, as anyone who's owned Audis recently (like me for 12 yrs.) can tell, there are elements of non-perfection in otherwise great driving cars, and there are also Achilles heel type of issues (failing control arms, coil packs, etc.) that still don't make a car a "lemon" per se... just an infuriating car to own.

... or the serially failing belt tensioners in our Toyota Matrix (all under warranty, not costing us $ but they destroy the myth of unfailing Toyota reliability).

Jon

cptplt · July 2009

>(all under warranty, not costing us $ but they destroy the myth of unfailing Toyota reliability).

like our new tranny at 45 K in our 06 Sienna! just like in our 95 Windstar and 00 windstar which is why we bought a toyota in 06! at least our 00 venture went 130K with no tranny problems!

fendertweed · July 2009

and I just read yesterday about a TSB on '08 Honda Civics for cracked engine blocks (!) ... at least they are replacing them, but yikes.

tim3 · July 2009

Colin

I appreciate your ideas, but I can eliminate all of them except the fuel pump.

- My dealer changed out (or should have) the fuel filter at the 90K service though it wouldn't hurt to replace it again just in case.
- I put a bottle of Techron in every oil change.
-The dealer found the #3 spark plug wire was "burnt and carbonize" when I took it in two weeks ago and replaced the entire set as a result. It didn't help.

But here's the weird thing. I did a 3,300 mile road trip last week and the car ran flawlessly. But once I got home and did a lot of around town driving, the bucking returned.

So, why does it only do it after extensive city driving and not on the highway? It seems like if it were the fuel pump it would do it all the time.

What do you all think of a computer re-flash? The car is now at 101K.

Thank you!

colin_l · July 2009

The major thing that changes between city and highway driving is throttle input, load and heat. Especially heat, in the summer.

Heat won't affect your fuel pump much, though. How's your coolant temp? Does your engine get hot in town?

However, you could definitely generate way more load and throttle % in town than on the highway-- assuming you are cruising on relatively flat ground. If you're passing people a lot or driving in the mountains, then that's a different story.

tim3 · July 2009

Thanks for feedback and interesting observations...I think I understand what you're saying, but it's still pretty unclear to me what the problem could be.

Since day one, the temp gauge always stays planted in the same spot just below the middle no matter what kind of driving I'm doing.

But I live in Tucson so it's definitely a hot climate, and the problem is for sure worse in the summer. What could that mean?

As far as the highway driving, we went from Tucson to northwest Montana with a few side trips up and back. There was plenty of mountain driving on a variety of roads, interstate cruising at speeds between 65 and 80 in 100 degree heat at times, and even 150 miles of some worse off-road driving I've ever done (the car barely made it) and still no issues whatsoever.

On another forester forum, there was an extensive discussion of a similar problem many people were having and the fixed seemed to be a computer re-flash. The service advisor at my dealer knew of the fix and looked it up, but said it was for later models.

So...????

saedave · July 2009

But I live in Tucson so it's definitely a hot climate, and the problem is for sure worse in the summer. What could that mean?

Just an odd thought...I wonder if localized hot spots are causing pre-ignition. The wrong heat range plug used to cause such problems. With emission controlled engines running extra hot to control smog, there is not much margin for error. Even if cooling is ok at cruising speed, water flow might not be quite adequate at low rpm. Just because the temperature gauge is happy doesn't necessarily mean every cylinder is adequately cooled: Note the cooling redesign on the new 3.6 liter versus the 3.0 liter engines to fix that problem so as to permit lower octane fuel. Does substituting 91 or 92 octane fuel fix it?

colin_l · July 2009

Since day one, the temp gauge always stays planted in the same spot just below the middle no matter what kind of driving I'm doing.

That was my recollection of Subarus, too. I was asking because even though your temp gauge doesn't move, it probably is a 'harder' environment in city driving in the summer than cruising on the highway.

Your bucking is a little weird. It's a severe problem, but somewhat unusual that it's relatively hard to duplicate. I would think that a Subaru dealer could plug in their OBDII scan tool and generate logs or watch in realtime to aid in the diagnostics. However, going with my original fuel pump theory, fuel pressure is not reported to OBDII. But if you were seeing a lot of knock sensor activity, I think that would be a good clue.

Regarding what would a re-flash possibly do?

- It definitely will reset learned tables for timing and fuel, even if they flashed the same code you are currently running. This would be the same as resetting the ECU either with a OBDII tool or by unplugging the battery for 1hr+.

- They could change the fuel and ignition advance maps, and possibly the knock sensor responsiveness. I don't want to jump to conclusions, but I remember some older Subarus had a hyperactive knock sensor which caused problems until reflashed. (Some owners/hobbyists, however, didn't wait and instead used their own repairs, like a rubber washer under it. That's scary-- don't do it!)

BTW, I'm not talking out of my butt about the OBDII stuff.

I have an Accessport for my Evo, and tuned the car with it, read diagnostic logs and realtime performance (while someone else was driving of course). I don't know what capabilities the Subaru dealerships have with their tool, but in general you could do a lot with OBDII monitoring.

oldladydriver · July 2009

I have an 08 Impreza 2.5i auto trans, and have had the same problem since the car was nearly new (after 1000 mi, have 14k on the car now). I am sure it is engine ping, some kind of uneven combustion problem. High octane gas makes no difference. Have had it to the dealer three times; they claimed they couldn't replicate the problem (and I do feel I'm being talked down to as a female). I finally called Subaru of America, and I am dealing with the regional rep. My car pings accelerating up a hill, shifting between 2nd and 3rd, 3rd and 4th, pulling away from a dead stop, etc. etc. - and yes it is worse in warm weather. A new car SHOULD NOT be pinging. These are made to run on 87 octane. I encourage you to stick to your story, and get Subaru of America customer service involved if the dealer won't acknowledge a problem.

actionjackson · July 2009

My 2005 Outback Wagon will run very rough for 3-5 miles while traveling on thruway at 70 MPH then it seems to be ok. It happens about once a week. The average mph displays goes to ----(dashes) then appears with approx. 26mpg and slowly increases. Any ideas?

tim3 · July 2009

That's an interesting thought. But gasoline brand and octane rating have no impact on the problem.

tim3 · July 2009

I know the dealer did a scan and it apparently came up completely clean. I was under the impression that they did it in realtime, but I could be wrong about that part.

So, is reflashing the ECU really the same as resetting it by disconnecting the battery? I tried this a long time ago and it didn't have any effect. I thought a reflash was something the dealer had to do.

I don't know if this is at all related to the knock sensor, but the car does ping at highway speeds in the summer with the A/C on unless I put a higher octane fuel in it.

I think posted earlier that I used to regularly overfill the gas tank

and it would buck badly as I was pulling away from the gas station until I stopped, turned the car off and restarted it immediately. Then it would run just fine. I keep wondering if maybe I damaged some aspect of the emission control system by regularly overfilling it and this is now causing the problem. It's the same bucking and lurching just under different circumstances now.

colin_l · July 2009

I have to admit, I'm a bit mystified as to what exactly could be the problem-- it's the sporadic nature of it that leaves me without a good answer. I can answer more about the ECU though, so that sounds good right now.

There's 3 things that can be done to an OBDII ECU:

- Reflash. Totally resets all parameters including idle speed. Even if you reflash the same code (ecu map), you will remove any learned parameters.

- Realtime. This is what the ecu has done on its own to learn your detonation, idle quality, engine load, etc. You can also tweak some parameters here if you have the right tools, but not all of them like in a Reflash.

- Reset. This is in fact the same as removing the battery for a sufficient amount of time. The realtime parameters are discarded, and you are back to the base map. (Whatever was reflashed last.)

tim3 · July 2009

Now, I get it. I think. It sounds like it would be worth it to try resetting the ECU again. The last time I removed the negative battery cable it was just for a minute or two. It sounds like I should do it for longer -- like an hour or more?

I don't have the tools or the knowledge to do a real time on my own, so I'll leave that to the dealer if it gets to that.

This is a very mystifying problem for sure. My brother who has been a mechanic (mostly Ford and GM) for 30 years as no idea either.

fendertweed · July 2009

I assume you haven't gotten a CEL (Check Engine Light) from this ... may be worth having a shop check for trouble codes to see if anything comes up tho' I'd expect the CEL to be on if there are any stored trouble codes.

picachu · July 2009

Took the car to the dealer over the weekend and it was hooked up to the ac machine. Of course there was a different manager on duty this time and everything checked out ok. This tech says the temp got down to 40 degrees in the shop and the cycling is normal so the system will work more efficiently. Sounds like a bunch of bull but we'll see after I hit 10k on the car.

I have also been hearing a noise after backing up and driving forward. The tech heard the noise and says its the antilock brakes performing a self test. If the car sits for more than 15 minutes and then is put into reverse and then drive a self test is performed. The tech said most people don't hear the noise.

aveski · July 2009

I have a 08 Legacy 2.5 special Edition with almost 59k. Just has an oil & filter change today at the dealer.
The technician stated that the rear trailing arm bushings are worn and will need to be replaced in order to get an inspection sticker. Will also need a four-wheel alignment.
Driving is 75% on interstate and 25% local and secondary roads in Maine.
I have a few questions.
Is this early, mileage wise, for the bushings to wear? Anyone else have the same situation?
What is/should be the average cost to repair?
Thanks for your help.

ateixeira · July 2009

Never heard that before, so I guess it does seem early.

It's just a rubber bushing, though, right? Can't cost much to replace.

To be honest my concern would be what caused that premature wear? Alignment maybe?

forester_incv · July 2009

In my state (Virginia), the amount of fraud associated with the safety inspection program is pretty remarkable. I think it's unlikely those bushings are worn out. I think it's quite likely that in this recession the dealer's new car sales are down, maybe way down. Guess where they might try and make up the slack.

Have you noticed any clunks, noises, changes in handling? Why not get down there and look yourself? Or ask the mechanic to point out the bushings and explain the evaluation of wear. (and be prepared for a creative explanation).

Maybe there is no fraud in your neighborhood on inspections, but in my area it's the norm. Especially in this economy.

girlcarbuilder · July 2009

Yeah right! If this is true, Subaru quality has really sunk lately to a very low. Time to poke your head underneath and look at the "bad components." You are looking for cracked decomposing rubber parts that are made into the metal parts of the suspension.

I can never stress this loud enough to any car owner. Even if you do not work on your own car. Get a shop manual from the auto parts store and learn where parts are and how to determine if they are bad. When your mechanic is feeding you a line, fire him!

I seriously doubt you have a problem. We have units kissing 300K and all of these bushings are in good shape so far. But as I said, LOOK AT Them and see for yourself. Not sure, take it to a well known independent alignment shop and ask for a wheel alignment. Oh, I also seriously doubt you will fail inspection with this problem unless you have extremely worn tires or a steering wheel pulling big time! Don't have that problem do you. That makes me question this dealer that much more.

Another note. We just bought a new Toyota and it will stay in my shop for repairs! If jobbed out, it goes to a carefully screened shop out there! Dealers are well known for claiming stuff going wrong when nothing is. I had a laugh recently when I saw the first service for the new Toyota costing $200. Check/adjust the front and rear brakes, change the oil and rotate tires. Who do they think they are kidding? Yet, people continue to pay that kind of money for nothing! Guess it pays to be dishonest!

One final note. On an 87 Mitshibishi years ago, I caught a bad bushing when I had raised the rear end for inspection. I had begun shaking each part side to side and front to back looking for play. I caught one bad bushing when the whole wheel assembly moved about 3/4 of an inch from front to back. Shake on these things, push on them looking for anything that is loose or making noise. Grounded that vehicle on the spot.

colin_l · July 2009

59k on a '08-- wow!

You drive a lot, and I feel that it's technically possible for there to be a bushing issue-- but I agree with the others that fraud is more likely. They're fishing for revenue.

My state doesn't have inspections and occasionally, yes, this does result in some clunkers on the road that shouldn't be. But it does mitigate a lot of bogus 'repairs' in the name of safety or emissions.

forester_incv · July 2009

I bet we could start a thread on "BS Inspection Horror Stories". Here's mine for the week, thanks to a coworker I've been slowly educating on car stuff for a few years.

Takes his late model Volvo in to the dealer this week, passes inspection just fine, except for "weak headlights". Won't pass without two new "headlight assemblies" for only $800. Now his lights are fine and he knows it, so he takes off the failed sticker (which describes the problem) and goes to another shop, non dealer. Headlights are fine of course, but they do find a "worn brake line", but that's only $250 to fix and you can only take so much time off from work to mess with this stuff, and $250 is lots less than $800, so he lets them do it. Who knows, maybe that brake hose did have a scuff on it. I should probably get down and at least see if it looks like a new line, but what's the point. Damage done, and in my local this is simply the norm.

For us guys that grew up with Gus' Model Garage this stuff is murder.

OK, next?.....

phil2000 · July 2009

Okay everybody. At 15:21 (3:21 eastern daylight time) on the 30th of July 2009 at mile marker 19.1 on the Atlantic City Expressway, New Jersey. NORTH latitude 39 degrees 32 minutes 05.59 seconds by WEST longitude 74 degrees 42 minutes 48.9 seconds.

I reached 300,000 miles on my 2000 Forester.

mr_jmt · July 2009

picachu, Thanks for the update. I've been traveling for work and have not yet been back to the dealer. Planned to last night, but had meetings until 7:30 pm. The a/c issue is somewhat annoying, but I have gotten used to it, but will still report it when I go in. Same with the noise. The only other issue I am having is the rough idling. Otherwise, I really love the car. Rides very smooth, is very quiet and gets 28+ mpg on the highway. Since this is my first Subaru, I will keep a close eye on how things go as the car ages.

colin_l · July 2009

Wow, greater than 30,000 miles per year. Congrats!

I average 16,000 miles per year and I feel like that's too much.

ateixeira · July 2009

Congrats!

And on the original Rear trailing arm bushings, no less!

forester_incv · July 2009

Cool, have you posted a 300K mile repair history anywhere?

(Still loving my 2006 Forester, with all of 22K)

fendertweed · July 2009

where in VA are you with these crooks? In 20+ yrs. I've had no such problems in No. VA at a couple of different inspection places/garages.

forester_incv · August 2009

In beautiful Charlottesville, really a very nice town. But we're dominated by academics and students, yuppies and "more money than sense" folks, imo. And local tradition. If basically every local shop is corrupt, what is your alternative? Mine is to take at least part of a day off work, drive over to the valley, have my wife follow me to drive me home, leave the car for a day or two, maybe catch a ride with a coworker and go pick up the car. All this because the State of VA mandates a program but does nothing to enforce it's integrity. And yes, I always try to give the shop at least an oil change or some minor job to help compensate for the too low fee ($18) that the state allows for inspection. Gov. Kaine tried to at least change the law for new vehicles this past year, making the first inspection due after two years on brand new vehicles. The auto lobby convinced everybody this would cause thousands of accidents and deaths, the change went nowhere.

Some of my inspection stories are pretty damn comical, at least they would be if they didn't end up costing me money, time, and 20 blood pressure points :-) Bottom line, if you don't know anything about cars then it's just fine, the mechanic fixed my dim headlights for just $800, everybody needs two new tie rod ends at 30K miles, that brake light that worked an hour ago really did need to be replaced for just $25, and you really can't just replace the halfway worn brake pads, gotta have new rotors and calibers, dontcha know?

fendertweed · August 2009

sorry to hear about your bizarro universe there, I know Cville well, my br-in-law lives there.

... they do, however, do some compliance checkups in VA, I know because even my honest & thorough local inspector here (a Sunoco station) who I get all my inspections from got nicked by the state on something minor when they sent an inspector by, "undercover" (and even though I've never had any service done there, they have never even once dinged me on an inspection and suggested or required any work).

kafen · August 2009

I have exactly the same problem for my 09 Impreza. I purchased it last December and started noticing this rattling sound a couple of months ago. It seems that it only happens when accelerating from 40 mph or so. Softer accelerating seems to be easier to trigger this noise. I should pay attention to the engine rpm. After some internet search, it seems the source of this noise is the heat sheilds of the exhaust and it is a quite common problem for subaru. You may ask your dealer to check whether the heat shield is loose and you can take it off to see whether the noise is gone. I will do this in my next oil change. Hopefully this is helpful.

phil2000 · August 2009

Well everyone,

It passed inspection. Well, the garage got it to pass. They cleared the code, then drove it until they got ready signals from all the sensors and before misfire of P0420 showed up. Now I have two years to run down those problems.

I still get P0301 and P0420 (with new up/downstream sensors). I will try the cat sometime in the spring.

oldladydriver · August 2009

Have you taken your Impreza back to the dealer to confirm this is a heat shield, and not engine ping (improper combustion)? My 08 Impreza (2.5i, auto trans) is going back to the dealer tomorrow, 4th time in a year. I had to contact Subaru of America on this. I have asked them to reflash the engine control module and transmission module all the way back to factory setting just to see what happens.

The engine ping on this car happens with softer acceleration too, (as well as others) when I am telling the engine to deliver power, and it can't seem to get with the program. Up hills as well. Slow to downshift to deliver power. No one has said anything about rattling heat shield - and this sounds vaguely like a tambourine.

SOA rep is saying something like the problem is caused by the engine detuning plus ethanol gas, and that it is not harmful. Not so sure about this. In reading the WRX forums, I have seen various comments that the factory tuning that comes with these cars is really poor (causing them to run lean and therefore cause engine ping). And what I read on the internet is that true engine ping is likely to cause engine damage over the long haul.

I would encourage you to confirm what the noise is one way or another. My dealer service center claimed they couldn't replicate the noise the first 3 times I had the car in.

forester_incv · August 2009

re compliance checks: My impression is that every now and then an inspector checker might make the rounds with a known problem or two. If the shop doesn't find those problems, they are cited. Finding 3 or 4 other "problems" is not an issue, just have to find the "real" problem (bald tires, brake pads near zero, etc.) Also, I'd bet the shop can spot an inspector 90% of the time, just the way things work in the real world.

Does your bros. in law have a shop he likes here? I've had decent luck actually with Airport Auto, just depends some on the mechanic you get.

Overall though, my coworkers experience with "dim headlights, $800" (shop 1) morphing into "worn brake line, while we're at it we should replace both $350" (shop 2) is the norm here. Kinda reminds me of when we first moved here. Wife called me at work, our 1995 Caravan wouldn't crank. The woman next door had the identical van, same problem, assured my wife it would only be $1000 for a new starter, new alternator, new cables, new battery. I guess just maybe she did need all that, but I cleaned my battery clamps and jumped it, seemed to do just fine for exactly $0.00.....

Now, please don't get me started on dentists.....

xwesx · August 2009

That is good news! I cannot figure what is causing the P0301. Regarding P0420, maybe, though, with the outrageous number of miles on your car, the cat converter really is running out of steam....

phil2000 · August 2009

I replaced the CAT at about 200K in the spring of 06. And since, drove with 8 bad valves for fifteen months, who knows what's going on in the converter.

As for the P0301, I still think the wear on the spokes of the crankshaft sprocket are causing intermittent readings on the pickup sensor.

mr_jmt · August 2009

Update...I took my car in to have my short list looked at. As all have told me, the a/c is what it is. When the compressor is engaged, cold as ice. Unfortunately, that is only 20% of the time. As my car is dark gray, it will never get cool enough for me. A/C was check and I was told it is working to specifications. Rough idle is from PZEV, or at least that is what I was told. Though it did not idle rough the first 3 weeks I had th car. The noise underneath that I hear when I first move forward...I am told it is all-wheel engaging. Not sure I buy that story, as others in this forum have stated it was an antilock brake system check. Still really love the car, and if I hyper-drive, I can get 29+ mpg on the highway.

phil2000 · August 2009

Where is the trailing arm bushings exactly? I see a lot of rubber sleeves with bolts going through them on several parts for the rear wheels. Some look like they are part of suspension.

kwunschel · August 2009

I too have an 08 OBW with an identical issue. I haven't had it into the dealer yet. Any updates from the dealer or SOA rep on how to fix your problem?

oldladydriver · August 2009

I had the car at the dealer on Monday, and I specifically told the SOA rep I wanted them to reset both the engine control module and transmission control module back to the original factory settings - and then let's see what happens. What I'm being told is that this mostly has something to do with the way the car adapts to my driving habits. Well, I don't think a car should adapt to the point that it exhibits this kind of problem at 15k (actually it started after 1000 mi.) So -- if this is true, I assume the car will perform more as it did when I first had it, without pinging, and then slide back into the pinging/sluggish behavior after about 1000 mi.

They also ran some kind of solvent in the engine to dissolve any carbon that might have built up that would have contributed to higher than normal compression. I really don't think there should be carbon buildup at 15k - especially since I don't use junk gas. If there's carbon - I wonder if it's because the fuel isn't combusting properly.

So - I am reserving judgement on all this until I drive the car a few days. I have read on the NASIOC forum that the 2008s were tuned "lean" - which, as I understand it, can lead to engine ping. I'm not an auto expert - but I've sure learned more than I ever wanted to know in the last year with this car.

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