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Comments
I've got a burnt out light in the instrument panel of my '00 Outback wagon, right behind the fuel gage. I took the bottom cowling off the dash under the steering wheel to try and get at the bulb....no luck.
Any suggestions on how to r/r this bulb?
ndtommy
In my situation, even a $130 machine with a limited useful life is better than waiting. There are no local shops (of which I know) that offer free diagnostic services, so each time I take my car in for a readout, it is about $85. And, since my car's "MIL" is almost always on, I usually only have the readout done once per year. It's a good cost-saving measure on the diagnostic side, but assuming there really is a problem, it is probably not the best policy to run a car for 20K miles between readouts..... An OBDII reader will pay for itself with two uses (for me).
Look at it this way, it's just $45 more than going to a dealer one single time.
-juice
That is just my situation, though. I can completely understand Steve's thought process too. Considering that places like... Auto Zone was it?.... provide diagnostics free of additional charge, if such a business is nearby then it is probably a better idea to use the service.
-juice
-Brian
Read the reviews on TireRack for them, they rip them to shreads. Your delaer already knows this but doesnt want to tell you its the tires.
Get the Conti's ExtremeContact's they are OEM on Audi A4's/A6's
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/CompareMostPop.jsp?autoYear=2005&autoMake=Subaru&autoModel=F- orester%202.5%20X&autoModClar=&sortCode=45400&width=215/&ratio=60%20&diameter=16&minSpeedR- ating=S&minLoad=S&search=mostpop&vehicleSearch=true&speed_rating=SR&speed_rating=TR&speed_- rating=UR&speed_rating=HR&speed_rating=VR&speed_rating=WR&speed_rating=YR&speed_rating=ZR&-
You have to take the Tirerack customer surveys with a big grain of salt. For one thing, they have no way to separate car/suspension factors from tire factors. Secondly, these are subjective ratings with zero objective information. I can think of several tires I have had that Tire Rack customers rated different than my experience by a long shot. Just because it's on the internet doesn't make it the truth!
So, I would encourage everyone to evaluate the tires for themselves and keep the hysterics to a minimum.
Craig
The only data I pay attention to at Tire Rack are their own tests that they conduct in a controlled method.
Ken
Second, the rear passenger side seatbelt piece that is connected to the C-Frame in my '02 WRX is rattling. I know this is a common problem for Subarus, and was wondering if there is an easy fix, and if there is a TSB on this. If there is a TSB on this, can I still have my car fixed under it? The problem has been noticeable for quite some time, but I am approaching 60K miles on the car. Besides the seatbelt rattle and a couple of other rattles, the car has been very reliable. :-)
BTW, it is still a blast to drive (upgraded tires to 225x17"s.
Because the dealer balanced them (twice) doesn't mean they are in balance. You might consider having them balanced at a tire shop. I know the last time the dealer balanced/rotated my tires, I was down at the local tire shop a week later because of a vibration on the highway that was never there before. Two tires were out of balance, and the car rides fine now. Rob M.
-Frank
Second that.
Correct me if I'm wrong. Tires are balanced at a simulated 40mph by most balancer.
-Dave
Cheers Pat.
Thanks
Had all 4 tires balanced at a tire shop and the car still vibrates over 70mph. The steering wheel consistently shakes back and forth. This seems like it started in the last 3000 miles or so.
Craig
I don't know if I can post this or not but here goes:
http://128.242.141.111/pub/search/FindGSP9700.cfm
Good luck.
Also, your tires may be flat-spotting - try increasing the tire pressure by about 3-4 PSI above spec - see if that helps.
Since the first oil change is now due on my used '02 Forester since I bought it, I'm inclined to have a dealer do it and take a looksee at a couple of other things as well. I was wondering if any of y'all had experience -- good or bad -- with either of the establishments above.
Advance thanks! And greetings to all (new member).
But their service is good. Al Briggs is the manager there, and he's a friend of Patti's just in case something creeps up.
-juice
Thanks!
-Sandy
..her presence here was worth so, so much!!
..ez
-juice
Chuck
I have the same problem with a 2004 Forester -- same conditions as you report, same dealer reply. Do you also get a strong odor of sulphur after this happens? Again, my dealer said "normal" and blamed it on the gas sold in the Pacific Northwest. My car is at about 11,000 miles. I'm going to contact Subaru directly if it persists, because so much ping is not "normal" for any car -- it leads to piston damage (no doubt AFTER the warranty expires!).
If it was me, I would get it fixed.
John
Brasco
But my full thanks to AutoZone for outstanding customer service.
Steve
Subaru-specific comments: All Subies are sensitive to road surface, tilt/angle, and other road conditions, even when perfectly aligned. The factory recommended alignment is 0 degrees toe in and that setting, along with normal AWD tendencies and other factors, is going to cause that kind of sensitivity. You shouldn't be getting shoved around by every little road imperfection, but it is not unusual for the car to drift a bit to the right when the road leans to the right.
Get a full front and rear alignment done for peace of mind, and then drive the car so that you know what "normal" feels like for your Forester.
Cheers,
-wdb
I don't drive my wife's car very often, but the last time I did, it pulled so much, it was practically making a right turn. Took it straight (relative term) in for an alignment.
Jim
the dealer said they drove it and weren't able to find a problem. I got back into my car and had the same problem as before.
any ideas?
Turned out it was a bad belt in one front tire.
This is easy to check by rotating the tires to see if it makes any difference.
Doug
We recently bought a used 2001 Forester(65K on car) from a non Subaru car dealer. Everything appeared to work when we left the dealer. The next day I was driving around(30 miles later) and the service engine light came on and we also noticed that the indicator light on the fog light switch no longer illuminated when the button was pushed in. I went home and called the dealer we purchased from and also called the local subaru dealer. It turns out that the O2 sensor was shot and the switch for the fog light was blown and a fog light was burnt out. This was all fixed by the dealer. Less then a week later I noticed that the 4 way hazard switch and the rear defroster switch and the two seat heater switches no longer illuminate when the lights come are on(at night). They work just don't illuminate. So back to the dealer who said that all these are switches(as opposed to a bulb) that need to be replaced for a cost of $156 to make them illuminate. I'm not concerned about the seat heaters switch as much. I've also just noticed that the passenger seat no longer heats. The local subaru dealer says the never heard of a subaru with this problem and neither has the non subaru dealer that we bought the car from heard of anything of this type.
So my question is this. Has anyone else heard of this? Is it a coincidence or do has anyone else heard of this problem. Is it electrical?