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Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You realize September is going to feel like the longest month in your life?
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    and so was the last half of August and likely October as well!! :-)
    I can't understand why the dealer says he doesn't get a definite date till they are almost delivered! whatever! I'm saving on my car insurance as I got rid of my 98 legacy already though with the insurance company having tripled the rate on one car as we put our 16year old on, it doesn't make too much difference in the end! at least its a girl and not a boy, probably quadruple or quintuple if it were a boy! can't wait till next year when the oldest boy is 16 too!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The speedos are set to the size of the tire that is delivered on the car. Larger diameter tires will result in a lower milage, smaller diamter will result in more milage.

    -mike
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    hmmm, so I guess I should not go with the 225-60-16 even though thats the "old" OB size.
    thanks mike.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You should have kept the 98 Legacy as a beater, and put only liability insurance on it, for your daughter to drive. Your insurance rate may actually drop.
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    the comprehensive was only about 40 bucks or something for the year for the 98.
    she actually drives a windstar if she drives anything regularly as she helps take the other kids to their music lessons and they have lots of musical instruments to cart around.

    the 08 Outback LTD came into the dealer last night and I just picked it up!! there is even a PZEV logo on the tailagte!

    just saw Tirerack are advertising TPMS sensors for subes for their winter packages for about 40 bucks, so maybe I won't just use black tape over the light on the dashboard after all!
    can you just add a TPMS sensor to any sort of wheel? I was going to use my 16in WRX wheels for winter. I still will have to pay the dealer to reprogram the sensors but it beats the 100+ bucks the parts dept said the sensors were.
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    shoot, looks like Tirerack will only sell the sensors with a wheel! :mad:

    back to the black tape, is electrical tape or duct tape more aesthetic on the dashboard?? :D
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Try Ebay. I bet that you can find the sensors pretty cheaply there.

    -mike
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    only thing I can find there is a whole new system, not just the sensors.
    anyone know the manufacturer of the Subaru sensors?
  • kyfdxkyfdx Moderator Posts: 236,559
    Have you tried calling them? I know they sell the BMW sensors ala carte..

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  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    I should do that, maybe I can beg them given the extra set of wheels I have were purchased from them several years ago!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    On ebay I see the Nissan ones up there all the time :(

    -mike
  • cptpltcptplt Member Posts: 1,075
    well they did let me order the sensors without wheels (having been a repeat customer many times probably didn't hurt) .They did have to do some checking to see if they would fit my WRX wheels. I also got tires in a size which isn't their recommended ones after showing how a Revo 225/60-16 is the same diameter as a 215/65-16 whereas every other tire has a difference of 0.4in or more - how did Bridgestone manage that one??. Though I went for the X-ice,( again because I have those on the wife's Sienna already).
    Sensors are 42 bucks a piece (sensor and retaining nut or something). Dealer will charge half hour labor to reprogram.
    Meantime I have found for the first time in my life that I can actually slouch and "lounge" in the seat of this 08 with my head up comfortably against the headrest and drive safely at the same time. Unfortunately this only happens after my daughter has adjusted the seats for her and I make a minor adjustment. If I try to do it on my own I never get it quite right for some reason and my back hurts! Wish they had memory seats! In fact they are too comfortable. Probably going to end up dozing off one day!!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Well I finally had a free track day and took out the 05 LGT Wagon 5MT... Excellent car on track, in the super advanced/instructor group I held my own, considering it's size and weight. Only mods I'm running are:
    Factory STi Short Shifter
    17x7.5 Rota Rims
    235-45-17 Yokohama Advan Tires from an EVO
    Hawk HPs Brake Pads all around
    20% tint all around
    Rally Armor Mud Flaps

    By the end of the sessions I had the tires fairly greasy and the brakes were literally smokin but she did well. I could have used a bit better brake pads and perhaps SS Lines to make it perfect. I wore out a set of HPs Pads in 8 sessions + about 4000 street miles.

    I went out in the group right below the instructors and held my own and when I went out in the novice group I lapped everyone, with a wagon. It's a humbling experience for a lot of the HPDE drivers to see a wagon rolling them in their fancy high HP cars. Most of the instructors tell them, see you have a LONG way to go!

    -mike
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    By the end of the sessions I had the tires fairly greasy and the brakes were literally smokin but she did well. I could have used a bit better brake pads and perhaps SS Lines to make it perfect. I wore out a set of HPs Pads in 8 sessions + about 4000 street miles.

    When I was tracking the Contour, I didn't have an issue until I went from the 205mm SP4000s to the 225mm Comp TA R1s.

    I went out in the group right below the instructors and held my own and when I went out in the novice group I lapped everyone, with a wagon. It's a humbling experience for a lot of the HPDE drivers to see a wagon rolling them in their fancy high HP cars. Most of the instructors tell them, see you have a LONG way to go!

    Its all about confidence, it took me a little while to start passing in my run group. The other thing is the Novice group can be kind of scary because the learning curve is so steep. I pretty much tried to just stay away from everyone else and run open until I went up a couple categories.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah I'm used to running with coilovers, R-compounds, and at a minimum HP+ pads in my race cars, however they have no power. This has plenty of power though.

    By the Glen I'll have the SPT exhaust on it so I can at least hear the car!

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Must be humbling for them, funny for you. Fun story, mike.
  • shrinermonkeyshrinermonkey Member Posts: 58
    Were a forum member on PassatWorld?
    I traded in my 2001 VW Passat 1.8T on a 2006 Legacy 2.5i Wagon. My in laws just bought a 2008 Outback 2.5i.
  • jeffmcjeffmc Member Posts: 1,742
    You'll have to get one of those "you just got beat by a wagon" decals.
  • feilofeilo Member Posts: 128
    Were a forum member on PassatWorld?

    Still am (same handle as on this forum), for now ... ;)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    We used to have one on my Impreza L racecar:

    "You were just passed by a fat man, with an automtic transmission"

    -mike
  • jeffmcjeffmc Member Posts: 1,742
    heh heh :D
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    I might end up tugging a relatively small pop-up trailer around a bit with the Legacy wagon. The trailer is supposedly less than 1800# dripping wet. The trailer has electric brakes. I was wondering if there were any BTDT installing a brake controller in a Legacy.
    The Prodigy and the Vally both came recommended, and they both look like they are about $100. I have no idea how much the thing is supposed to cost.

    As an update to previous questions, I'm going with Yakima Rider clamp things w/crossbars. I think one newer fork mount will go on each car, and one older (my bike has discs and my wife has v-brakes, so we need one new mount on each car to support the disc bike).
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The install on a non-brakecontroller ready vehicle (all subies) can be tricky, you need to run power to the controller, as well as to the hitch area.

    -mike
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Yeah, I saw the instructions with the wiring harness. The power part doesn't bother me so much, I am going to end up having to do it for the trailer light harness anyway because of the number of lights. I am worried about where to pull the brake signal, etc. for the controller.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I used the brake lights in the rear for the brake signal, but you could also use the switch for the brake light by the brake pedal.

    -mike
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Cool, what controller were you using? It seems like there are some that are like $50-70 and then some right around $100.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I have the tekonisha (sp?) in my Armada, that plugged in directly to the wiring harness. I had a cheaper one in my Trooper that didn't have the builtin wiring harness (like the Subies) but that one was not an inursure unit, the Tekonisha was inursure activated and it's much better than the other one.

    -mike
  • lilengineerboylilengineerboy Member Posts: 4,116
    Cool, thats what I was thinking of too. Its kind of silly, the trailer is light enough and the terrain is flat enough so that I don't really need it to have brakes at all, but it already does so I might as well us 'em.
    The other guy tows it with a Focus wagon...
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Personally? on an 1800lb trailer I wouldn't bother with the hassle of hookin them up, it's a royal PITA to run the wires front to back, etc.

    -mike
  • mfortenberrymfortenberry Member Posts: 6
    I was playing a DVD from a portable player in my '07 Legacy the other day and had an idea to plug it into the aux. port and play the sound through the car speakers. My player has a mini plug output, but when I plug it up, I cannot get any sound out of the car speakers. If I turn the volume up all the way, I can barely hear the audio track from the DVD player. Is there an adaptor required to play anything other than an IPOD using the aux. port? (I have no signal specs from the DVD player.)

    Anybody tried to do this?
  • snowbeltersnowbelter Member Posts: 288
    When my son plays his ipod through the aux port, he has to turn the volume way up on the ipod so he can hear it through the car's speakers. You may just need to turn up the volume on your DVD player.

    You also need to "turn on" the aux in the car by pressing the aux botton.

    Martin
  • mfortenberrymfortenberry Member Posts: 6
    I'll try that with the volume. I forgot to mention, but I was switching on AUX from the car stereo.

    Thanks,

    Mike
  • smittynycsmittynyc Member Posts: 289
    Khallock,

    Almost guarantee it is the evaporator drain line for the AC. A known issue with the 2005+ Legacy model, multiple folks have had the trouble, usually after a fall/spring cycle of parking outdoors. How close are trees/shrubs to the car where you park? Debris builds up in the line and clogs, letting water overflow and drip into the passenger footwell.

    Water should be coming from the top left corner of the passenger footwell. If you look you can see the black drain line in that corner, which runs through the firewall and dumps out the water near the front suspension lower arm/exhaust.

    No real solution, all the dealer does is run compressed air through the line to clean it out.

    Why a Subaru, which portrays an outdoor image, can flood the passenger footwell from parking outside is beyond me.

    It could be as others have suggested as well, but I'd say they are far less common than the evap drain line issue. Let us know what it was!

    -B

    I know this was posted a year and a half ago, but I wanted to thank beanboy for his diagnosis and recommendation. My 07 Legacy wagon has the exact same leak, and my dealer's service department is very familiar with the problem. They say it's a quick ten-minute fix, so I'm bringing it in on Saturday.

    Cheers!
  • mfortenberrymfortenberry Member Posts: 6
    I was making this harder than it needed to be. I was trying to use the "coaxial" output from the DVD player. All I needed to do was use the headphone output, turn the volume up and switch to AUX and the signal matches beautifully. BTW, the kids think it is great to have the audio through the car speakers. It doesn't bother me much for shorter trips to listen to Scooby, Dora, Shrek, Nemo, etc. since I know all of the dialogue from memory. :)

    Mike F.
  • feilofeilo Member Posts: 128
    Greetings,

    Finally, after lurking on this board since 2000, I am formally an OB noobie - got a white 08 2.5i with 5MT over the weekend, ending a very happy (almost) 5 years with a chipped and lowered 1.8T Passat wagon. Its got the mats (they all seem to do), Conv Grp 2B, dimmer/compass/HL and short shifter (dealer install - still waiting got parts to show up).

    Been enjoying "real" motoring again with the 5MT after nearly 10 years with slush boxes and it takes a bit of getting used to especially here in the Chicagoland area. I have to say I'm really glad I got the 5MT as I have driven rental OBs with the 4ATs and frankly, I wouldn't pay $1k+ for a lesser driving experience.

    Well, I am looking for my 2nd mod (1st being a Momo knob I have from my Passat) which may well be a stiffer rear sway bar to cut the roll down.

    Be "seeing" you all here some more!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Congrats! :shades:
  • stantontstantont Member Posts: 148
    Well, I've been lusting after a LGT since they came out in '05. I was about ready to buy something, but since the 08 wagons are all Outbacks, I wasn't very interested. Finally test drove an '08 OB XT 5MT last week, and fell in love. I expected it to handle pretty sloppy since it is jacked up about 2.5 inches over the LGT, but not so. Rather an amazing balance of ride, handling, road clearance; and big dips at speed are just gobbled up. Highway noise is in the Camry/Lexus range; you really NEED a cruise control to avoid tickets: 80 mph feels and sounds like 55.

    The driveline in my '02 Legacy L 5MT had a fair bit of rubber-banding, making it hard to drive smoothly at creeping traffic-jam speeds, but this thing must have hydraulic dampers in the motor mounts. Clutch takeup and off-idle are smooth as silk. My passengers would think I had an automatic.

    The car has just 550 miles, so no hard runs to redline yet; and mileage seems to be much better second tankful than the first. Though I don't expect to see credible numbers until maybe 5,000-10,000 miles.

    Question 1: the '08 car has 243 hp; I recall the '05's had 250. Anyone know when/why/how it was downrated? Maybe a smaller turbo to reduce lag? Maybe it's the new SI-drive system, but in Sport-sharp mode there seems to be no lag at all.

    Question 2: I assume the XT has its own suspension, different from the 2.5i or the H6 3.0. Is that so?

    If these questions have been addressed before, I apologize.

    Absolutely awesome car!!!!!
  • stantontstantont Member Posts: 148
    Correction: Q2 meant to ask whether the XT had different suspension tuning (springs, shocks, sway bars) than the 2.5i or H6 3.0.
  • feilofeilo Member Posts: 128
    The SS was installed yesterday at the dealer and its definitely a better shifting feel with it. Tranny still feels a little "spongy" but I am sure this will get better once I put more miles on the clock. Up to 200 miles since Saturday and am really enjoying the 5MT experience :)
  • krzysskrzyss Member Posts: 849
    the SAE changed methodology of engine output measurement hence the change. Some variables were left undefined is my understanding. New spec is clearer, supposedly.

    Krzys
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Actual power is the same, they just changed the way it's measured. Who cares, it's plenty quick! :shades:

    Congrats.
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    I guess tonight could be our Crew World Series party since last night's game makes me think there's a slim chance the Series might not last until next Thursday! :P

    The Subaru Crew Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule
  • rchmdsbrrchmdsbr Member Posts: 1
    May: 24 KM service - replaced the air filter
    July: 30 KM service
    September: 36 KM service - replaced the air filter

    When I got a 36 KM service, I forgot I had had the air filter replaced in May (24 KM service).

    So, I had the air filter replaced twice in just 4 months (12,000 KMs or 7,500 miles).

    Is it a feasible case? I'm wondering if the engine system is faulty or the air filter wasn't replaced properly in May.

    FYI, I've used only regular oil and gas. I drive 6,000 KMs or 3,750 miles every month (70% highway + 30% city).
  • saintvipersaintviper Member Posts: 177
    I've had my 05 LGT Limited Wagon for two years now. I still get tons of compliments when people sit in it for the first time. They are always amazed when the realize it's a Subaru. The gigantic sunroof is another source of constant amazement.

    Edmunds just did a shootout between all the latest luxury sports sedans from all the upscale manufacturers. I'm not sure how a Legacy driving dynamics would fair against these models, but just looking at the interior pics, I think the Legacy interior and dash look as good or better than any of them. The materials may not be BMW/Audi quality, but mine is holding up great and looks as good as any German interior I've seen.
  • bat1161bat1161 Member Posts: 1,784
    For the most part I would agree with you. However, when I got into my 06 LL Bean OBW this Sunday I noticed the very edge where the top and side of the leather meet, it looked worn and faded. The rest of the seats are in great condition - it's just that one annoying area. I am going to try some Maguires Leather cleaner to see if that helps.

    Mark
  • rebel71rebel71 Member Posts: 87
    The outback is an automatic with 8,000 miles and a little over a year old now. I noticed the diffential fluid was almost near the low mark. Has anyone else noticed this?
    Today the dealer added 1/4 pint to bring the level up. They said there weren't any leaks. Hmm.. I find the loss suspect.
    Will keep eye on it.
  • rebel71rebel71 Member Posts: 87
    I have the option to purchase the extended warranty from Subaru, is it worth it?
  • plim77plim77 Member Posts: 46
    It depends on what you think...

    I bought my 2005 Subaru Outback used with 8800 miles on it in Oct of 2006. At the time, there was only 1 year remaining on the factory warranty (it was purchased new in 10/04, leaving the warranty to expire 10/07). So to be safe, I purchased the 6 year/60k Subaru Added Security plan. The $800+ was financed into my car payments.

    When we bought my wife's 2006 Subaru Legacy, we did not purchase Subaru Added Security because we didn't want a bigger car payment, and I knew we would be able to purchase Subaru Added Security later. It would also give us the time to determine which plan we needed if we decided to buy it later.

    If buying the car new, then getting the warranty isn't bad because you can finance it into your payments. This doesn't sound like your case, though.

    I have two recommendations:
    If you can, put aside the amount you would spend on the warranty into a high yield savings account. Then if your Subaru needs expensive maintenance work, then withdraw the appropriate amount. This way if 4 more years go by and you don't use the warranty, then you haven't wasted your money.

    If you decide to purchase Subaru Added Security, then do NOT purchase it through the offer you got in the mail. The product price is negotiable. In fact, there was a Subaru dealership in New Hampshire that was selling Subaru Added Security at the lowest prices I've seen, plus they don't charge sales tax which could save you 7% or so depending on where you live.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I bought the extended warranty on my 05 LGT. I went for the 5/100k since I'm a high milage driver.

    -mike
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