Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

locke2c · September 2005

the connector surely has a release clip. usually you push on it and open like a jaw (or clothespin, perhaps). sometimes you do have to pry something.

but it's usually not very complicated and very typical for automotive electrical connectors.

~Colin

c_hunter · September 2005

Colin is right, the sub has a stadard plug with a release tab. Look a little closer at the connector and you will see it. I have installed/removed a couple of these subs and never ran into a problem getting the harness disconnected.

Craig

woodshop28 · September 2005

Probably 60% hwy. If I drive longer on the highway, with little city, it seems to get a bit over 30. I suspect it may even get better after a couple thousand more miles.
The computer-calculated MPG seems to be within 1 MPG of what I calculate manually.
I am pleased with the mileage.

sumvis0 · September 2005

Does anyone know whether there is an auxilliary input for the 05 Outback 2.5XT stock stereo and if so, how easy/difficult it is to access? I purchased a Lowrance iWay 500 GPS/MP3 player and want to hook it up to the aux input to get voice directions and MP3's through the stereo.

mazda6s · September 2005

06 Legacy GT will be Unlimited only. No more standard Legacy GT with cloth, so if you want a GT it will have to be leather. It's off my short list.

ateixeira · September 2005

Shop for a bargain left over '05.

-juice

platypus · September 2005

Owners of the '05 XT with cloth seating: What color is it exactly? The Subaru website just says "tweed flat woven" and the only pictures they show are with the Limited trim. The tiny color sample makes it look like a medium to dark gray, but when I do an inventory search at my dealer, the interior color comes up as black. So which is it? More of a black or more of a gray? Thanks.

saedave · September 2005

If it is the same as the GT, it is black.....and quite good looking.

cirdan · September 2005

I know the upscale trims have the radio integrated with climate control, making it difficult to upgrade with an aftermarket product. Does anyone know if the base model (2.5i) radio is easily upgraded?

raybear · September 2005

I haven't seen one done yet on either model.

ateixeira · September 2005

I heard that it is possible, that the radio is not integrated with the climate control, but I too have not seen it done yet.

-juice

bigeyebri · September 2005

Saw a guy on craigslist.org in the SF bay area that's selling his 17 inch rims off of his OBXT 2005 for $450. Says he pulled them off the day he bought the car. Maybe you might be able to pick those up for your winter tires. My buddy does the same with his 2001 WRX, snow\mud tires for winter (going to Tahoe) on one set of wheels and regular tires on another set. I'll probably just keep my snow/mud tires on my 2005 Outback XT, as I live in a wet portion of the bay area, and will drive to Tahoe and Sacramento (wet in the winter) often to see my P's.

jazzymt · September 2005

Unfortunately, I don't think the AC controls associated with the 2.5i base are compatible with the complicated electronics of higher ACC+radio options, but you could buy a radio from a junk yard & give it a try. They run around $275-350 at the few junkyards I've called. On the upside, since your AC & radio are separate, you can buy or have someone fab a replacement bezel for the AC controls and just put any old aftermarket stereo in its place. Oh yea, for '05 models you'll also need a metra adapter for the non-standard antenna plug, but that's pretty easy to get.

As far as aux-ins for the radio itself. There are boards people are making that allow you to piggy back onto the line level outs for the CD player. You have to play a silent CD so you don't hear two things at once, but it's clean audio (not FM modulated junk) and I'm pretty sure they work with 1CD, 6CD & 6CD+MP3 radios...although no one has tested the 1CD yet...could be wrong there, but they definitely work on 6CD & 6CD+MP3 in both 2005 and 2006 models.

Wish I could tell ya more, but rules are rules eh...

tshandonay · September 2005

I apoligize if this topic has been beat to death already....

Has anyone successfully replaced the factory fogs on an 05 Outback with Hella 500s?

Thanks for the input.

northeontsuby · September 2005

Apparently Subaru is selling the '06 Legacy 2.5i with Yokohama Advan A82A (P205/50 R17 88V) tires according to subaru.ca. Can't find any info on these tires and they're not even on Yokohama's web site.
Would appreciate any feedback / user experience on these tires. Thanks.

rsq798 · September 2005

First a disclaimer...I know this sounds ridiculous.

I have had a few problems with my 05 GT LTD, now at 33k miles, starting with a ghost in the volume adjuster for my stereo, then the neutral lockout switch on my cruise, and then a not rough, but violent idle where the entire car was shaking. For this, they replaced the O2 sensor and cam pulley (wrong tension causing the engine to misfire), and the problem went away. One week later, the check engine light came on, which was diagnosed as the camshaft position sensor. I don't know if the violent idle and the cam sensor are related.

While I was in looking at extended warranties, the salesperson mentioned that another GT had been brought in, also with a violent shake. He said that they fixed it by replacing the synthetic with regular oil. I assume it is not mine about which he was speaking, since they didn't tell me they replaced the oil, but rather other parts instead.

So I walk back to the service desk, where the person tells me that SoA is recommending to its dealers not to put in synthetic oil, because "they don't know what the effects are." So at this point, I am thoroughly confused. I know alot of people put synthetic oil in, and I don't know why it would make any difference like this, much less cause the violent idle/shaking. I also don't know if the SoA bit is true.

I do know that I am seriously bothered by having all this happen in the first 33k miles. I was planning on having this car for 5-10 years. Now I am wondering what will the next 33k miles will bring...

Anybody have an opinion?

qbrozen · September 2005

Most manufacturers won't openly support the use of synthetic for liability reasons. Like they stated in this case, they just don't know what will happen. The car was not tested long-term with synthetic, so they can't say its ok to use it.

platypus · September 2005

Any Outback owners care to chime in on whether the center armrest extension is a must-have accessory? Getting close to taking the plunge and trying to decide if I should get this thing or not? Thanks.

poisson · September 2005

Unequivocally - YES. I put it in about 6 months ago. This past weekend I had a loaner Outback w/out the center armrest extension and it was very uncomfortable. This should be standard in my opinion.

platypus · September 2005

Thanks fish. I'll negotiate it as part of the deal. Anything else I should consider as a must have? The car I'm looking at ('05 XT, 5-spd, non-Limited trim) is pretty much a stripper with the only options being the auto-dimming mirror w/ compass and floor mats.

kens · September 2005

That sounds totally ridiculous. I'm sure that without the owner telling them, a dealer would not be able to tell the difference between conventional and synthetic motor oil simply by looking at it.

The only specifications that Subaru gives pertaining to oil is the SAE weight and GL number. As long as an oil meets these specs, and which synthetics do, then they really have no argument against synthetics.

Sorry to hear about all the problems you've had with your GT so far. Sometimes problems come all at once but then things smooth out.

Ken

passnthru · September 2005

Syn' oil can't cause that kind of problem. I've run amsoil in my last two Sub's and my current one and they all purred like kittens. The only way they would know it was syn' oil is if you use the purple stuff. Now that you mention it, the throw out bearing went out on my GT, with 140K miles of syn' oil and I'll bet that is why! Too much extra power from the engine because of that synthetic oil!!!! 8^) If they did say that was what caused it, they're grasping at straws because they haven't a clue!

Your problem definitely sounds like a timing issue.

poisson · September 2005

If you live where you get inclement weather, the all-weather mats are quite good too. The XT is fantastic and you should be able to get a good deal on an '05. Note that for '06, they've added some new colors. I particularly like the monochrome Atltantic Blue which was not available on the '05.

itsed · September 2005

I wouldn't waste my money on the "pop up" armrest extention that Subaru USA offers. I waited and mail ordered the JDM version which actually has extra storage in a second compartment. Also it actually cost me less than the dealer wanted for the stock one. Just another option to think about.

platypus · September 2005

Hmmm... Can you tell me more about this JDM part? Where can I go to check it out (online)?

I put down a deposit on the car this afternoon. Planning to pick it up this weekend. It does have the all weather mats, so I'm good to go as far as that's concerned.

The dealer has offered to sell me the OEM armrest for $144 (list price I think) un-installed. I figured I could save the labor and just do the install myself, as he told me it was very straight-forward. However, if there is a better, cheaper armrest out there, I'm definitely up for looking at it.

I didn't really consider the 06's due to the incentives and deals being offered on the 05's. Plus, I'm trying to keep my costs of entry as low as possible (was originally planning on a Forester XT), and I really wanted the XT engine, meaning that an '06 with leather and moonroof would have run me at least another $2K in equipment costs alone. After the $1500 rebate, ended up paying $24,158 (ex. armrest) before tax, license, and doc fees. Seems like a pretty good deal, no? Color is Brilliant Silver, a close second to my first choice of Atlantic Blue. In fact, I found a similar car in AB, but it was at a different dealer, and he wanted $25,500 for it. Although I do like AB a bit better, it wasn't worth the extra $1400 or so to me.

itsed · September 2005

I got the jdm part from AVO turbo world. I also ordered a DIN sized bezel to replace the cubby from them and have had no problems either time ordering from them. They won't let me post a link here but a google search should turn them up. Look under their online store and click on subaru. Took all of 10 minutes to install and I love it. Nice extra storage for shades, wallet, etc. Total including shipping was about 150. Depends on the exchange rate.

c_hunter · September 2005

That sounds like a fantastic deal, congratulations!

Craig

ateixeira · September 2005

Almost seems like they are stalling, telling you to wait until the next oil change and then trying something not very likely to make any difference at all.

-juice

cap70 · September 2005

Hi I have a liberty 2.5i which is the aussie version of your legacy and after sum searching found that in japan they sell a consol replacement panel which has a 2din opening and the a/c controls the part number is H621AG902SC this is an original subaru part so you may be able to order it from your local dealer. The only problem i could see with this is that in japan as in australia their cars are right hand drive and so the temp control will be on the opposite side to what you have currently, so if you dont mind that you could get the panel and put whatever radio you like in

ssminton · September 2005

Interesting on the "violent idle"... My 05 VDC has a similar trait, not always but becoming more often. My VDC has 32K miles. I would say that the idle has always been a bit rough, but over the past 5K miles, I have noticed a significant increase in the idle problems. I had always just brushed it off in that my car was sensitive to gas and thought that I had either accidently put something other than 93 in the car, or had just gotten bad fuel. Since the increase in problems has coincided with the fuel supply problems due to the hurricane, I thought that the change in some of the refining processes may be exacerbating the problem. I will definitely bring it to the attention of the service guy the next time that I take it in. Let me know what you find out?

dsattler · September 2005

Definitely install it yourself: five minutes, tops. Only tool needed is a screwdriver.

platypus · October 2005

So I picked up my new '05, Brilliant Silver / Black Cloth, 5-spd manual Outback XT yesterday. 29 miles on it at purchase, and 250 already. I like this car!

Bought it in Monterey CA and drove it back over Highway 17 (a twisty mountain highway for those not familiar with the area) to San Francisco. Maintaining the revs below 4k will not be easy, but given that I drive 100+ miles a day to work, I'll reach break-in in less than two weeks. Averaged 24.6 mpg according to the digital readout with speeds between 50-85 mph.

The car is very smooth. I am (or was) a BMW owner and must say that Subaru has done an outstanding job with this vehicle. The interior is first rate at this price point, the exterior is attractive given its purpose, and the car's handling dynamics are quite good despite the fairly high COG. Seats are firm and supportive and the lumbar adjustment is great. The car felt fairly tight through the twisties but did seem to wallow a bit when pushed hard. It's definitely not my M3 or even my former 330i for that matter, but in the end, I'll take the trade-off because I can do so many other things with this vehicle. FWIW, I bet a Legacy GT wagon would more closely resemble a bimmer's handling characteristics. Regarding the powerplant, this is my first turbo, and so far, I gotta say that's it's pretty sweeeet! The engine is just begging to be pushed, and the steering feels nice and tight. The manual tranny has a short throw while the clutch isn't too sloppy, although it doesn't feel quite as heavy as the Forester XT which I was also looking at.

So after Day 1 of ownership, I'm a very satisfied customer.

A few things that I think could be improved upon with respect to everyday usability:

- I don't like the divided up glove compartment. It limits you to really small items, e.g., I can't even put my soft-sided 24-CD case in there.

- I know I asked the forum about this before purchase, but the center armrest extension should really be standard. I ended up not buying it from the dealer and during the whole drive home, I kept feeling for an imaginary armrest that should have been there.

- Steering wheel controls for the radio would be nice. Not a must-have, but a nice-to-have. Had them in my 330i, and they are currently in our Honda Odyssey.

- Mini-input jack on the radio for an iPod. Who doesn't have one these days? FM modulators are garbage, and since there's no tape deck, I can't even used the old-fashioned cassette adapter.

- A second sunglass holder a la Forester would be nice.

Other than that, so far, so good. Patiently awaiting break-in and those trips up to Tahoe in the snow this winter and also some light off-roading planned for the Truckee area to explore some of the region's beautiful mountain lakes with the family.

itsed · October 2005

Congrats on the new OBXT. I have the same car and color here out in the east bay(Brentwood). I agree with you about the armrest should be standard, but again, I think you would be happier with the JDM version anyways as I am. The extra storage is nice.

As far as the ipod input goes, I agree it should be standard these days as well. You can even get in on the new civic. However, I just installed JazzyMt's aux in circuit this weekend. Took less than 2 hours to install and that was hooking up my ipod AND my sirius starbase unit to it. If your not afraid of getting into your new car, his instructions are super easy and the sound quality is great. I can't steer you to him as we are not allowed to post other web links on edmunds, but you could try replying to him directly as he posts on this board as well.

Again, congrtats, you will love it on Donner in the winter!

c_hunter · October 2005

Awesome! I agree with your observations. Thing about the glove-box, the lower section is the normal glovebox. The slot on the top (which swallows the owners manual packet nicely) is for the navigation system on cars so equipped. So in reality, the glovebox is just small, and you got a bonus nook for your owners manual!

Over the last couple years, I have driven my Outback into some heavy snow dumps on the way to skiing in West Virginia, where I cross several Appalachian mountain ranges on the way. Last year, I arrived at the ski resort with about 20" in the parking lot! The OB XT was simply awesome for the trip. About the only thing I want to add for this winter are some aux. driving lights that come on with the high beams. It would really help driving out there in the pitch dark mountains.

Craig

ateixeira · October 2005

Congrats. Join the Subaru Crew threads as well, under Owners Clubs.

Also, we chat every Thursday night.

-juice

platypus · October 2005

Thanks for the comments guys.

itsed - any chance you're ever in San Jose or in SF? Would like to check out this JDM armrest in person if possible. BTW, but what does JDM stand for?

I noticed on my drive to work this morning that the foot clearance on the car doesn't accomodate my size 12 feet very well, at least not with the oxfords I'm wearing today. I had to adjust my right heel position so that it was removed from the base of the accelerator, otherwise the front of my shoe would encounter resistance from the underside of the panel above the pedals when I would shift it to brake pedal. Guess I didn't notice this when I drove the car home on Sunday since I wore loafers which are typically more streamlined. Never had a problem with this on any of my other cars, regardless of what shoes I wore and have always driven with the base of my heel pretty much right up against the base of the accelerator.

Anyone else notice this? Surely I can't be the only Outback driver with big feet... :surprise:

robr2 · October 2005

BTW, but what does JDM stand for?

Japanese Domestic Market - aka all the good stuff we don't get here.

rkru · October 2005

I bought a new Champagne VDC in July & had the arm rest put in as part of the package after reading various comments on the subject in this forum. While I like the car, I do have one compaint which is the gas milage.

I realize that my engine is still new at 2.6k km's (about 1.6k miles), but I'm guzzling 18.6 litres/100km (13 mpg by my calculations) which strikes me as being more than "thirsty" as some of the H6 owners have indicated. I'd be interested in some real world driving experiences that any one might wish to share. I should note that my daily commute is 10 miles and is all city driving.

saedave · October 2005

With a ten mile city drive I usually get 14 mpg or more with about 3600 miles on the odometer of my VDC. On road trips at 70 mph about 22+ mpg. A previous Subaru needed over 4,000 miles for break in.

khallock · October 2005

I have an 05 LLBean that has the H6 engine. When I got it last September I was only getting 17-18 MPG. then I put snow tires on it and the mileage went down to about 15-16 MPG. This spring I took the snows off and have been getting 21-22 mpg driving mostly too and from work. Thats a 9 mile trip on roads where the speed limit is 35-40. I dont have too many traffic lights, etc.. to go thru.

Once I took it on a trip to Boston (I live in Burlington, VT) and I was getting 25-26 mpg. That was going 75 or so.

mwhitt · October 2005

Moving toward a buy decision on Outback Limited 3.0. Mentioned it to a couple of friends and they reacted pretty violently about head gasket blow. Had two vehicles with same problem, most recent was '02 model.

I did a little search here and saw the problem mentioned by some. Seems to be early 2000 models. Is this a thing of the past - or something I should consider as a high prob....for an '06....

c_hunter · October 2005

I believe they have licked the problem, which only affected the 2.5 H4 motors.

Thankfully, the problem never affected the 3.0 H6 motors, such as the model you are considering.

Craig

meg4 · October 2005

Bob, I do regret the recent purchase of a 2005 Subaru Legacy Outback, reason being it is unsafe to drive it at night on dark and hilly roads. The projector style headlamps provide a very limiting view of the road with what I term a black window shade. Driving on a downgrade, the view in obscured so that you cannot see more than 50 feet in front of you! I wrote to SOA, but they said the headlights are working as designed. I also registered a complaint with the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Admin, who have 15 other such complaints on the 2005 models. In speaking with my dealer and regional rep, they acknowledge the poor visibility but cannot offer any solutions.

What about you? Any information that would help is appreciated.

rsholland · October 2005

We have an '01 Forester, which also has headlights that have a very sharp cutoff, like what you described. We also live in the country and drive hilly, dark, curvy roads every day; so I know what you mean. If I have one big complaint, it's the headlights, for the very reasons you stated.

Having said that, I suspect Subaru is not alone in this respect. I do think the headlights are very good on highways, however. It's just the country roads in which it's very easy to "over drive" the lights, depending on the terrain.

Bob

dougb10 · October 2005

We have an '05 Outback Limited with leather seats. The driver's seat is power adjustable for height. The passenger seat adjusts only manually....forward, back and recline....there is no adjustment for height.

We find the passenger seat is simply too low.

Is there a way to raise it? Can some kind of shim be placed under the seat track?

I have not talked to the Subaru dealer service folks yet...thought that I might be lucky and get some prior knowledge from someone who may have done this.

I appreciate any suggestions.

Thanks, Doug

xwesx · October 2005

Easy solution for those solitary, dark drives: get a set of Lightforce 140 or 170s. I'd recommend mounting them at bumper level on a light bar (for sake of appearance), but they can also be roof mounted on the factory cross bars (I did this with mine to prevent mashing the lights the next time I plow through a snow burm). You can adjust them to a very narrow beam that shines up to 1/2 mile down the road, or simply turn the casing (it screws out from the base) a crank or two to diffuse the light and give you mock daylight that will nearly render your stock headlights pointless. Lightforce sells both high and low mount units - the ones on mine are the high mounts (not much choice as I got them from a friend for a good discount!). You can see it here: mine is the "beater" on the left, with an '05 2.5i to the right.

Granted, this is only a high-beam solution, but there's no good answer to low beams unless you mount add'l fog lights under the bumper and are sure to adjust them so as to be considerate to other drivers. In general though, I prefer to have great lighting when I can use my highbeams. Oncoming lights tend to render low beams rather useless anyway... at least for seeing any great distance from the car. Driving lights are not for everyone, but this is the first set I've mounted on a car and I will never own another vehicle without installing a set at this point.

c_hunter · October 2005

The 05 leg/OB were the first Subarus (that I know of) to use projector beams and they have a noticeable cutoff -- practically a line. About the only thing I can say is that all the new cars with projector beams are the same way -- my wife's Acura TSX and my Honda S2K both have projector HIDs and do the same thing as the non-HID projectors on my Outback XT (actually, HIDs are worse). That said, I don't feel it's a hazard on any of the vehicles once you get used to it. I drove my Outback many many miles through the mountains of West Va last winter, in the dark, and the lights worked fine for me. About the only thing I want to add are some driving lights to augment the high beams (it is dark as can be out there).

meg4 -- a simple solution would be to aim the headlights up slightly -- have you considered that? Also, have the lights been checked to verify that the aim was correct in the first place?? You can aim the passenger side light up as desired, but keep the drivers side light close to spec as it can blind oncoming traffic if too high.

By the way, older non-projector lights don't have a sharp cutoff, but the light fades rapidly off center. So you get light beyond the cutoff line but it's not useful light. All the projectors do is focus the light so it's more usable.

Craig

rsholland · October 2005

Craig, high beams are not a problem, it's the low beams.

Bob

c_hunter · October 2005

I was talking about the low beams -- they are the projectors. The high beams are regular old reflectors.

Craig

samiam_68 · October 2005

I miss the old sealed beams - they were great!

Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

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