Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

xwesx · October 2014

Well, I can't guarantee it for accuracy, shopdog, but this PDF lists the torquing procedure on the H6 on page 45 of the PDF (74 of the document).

Good luck to your friend!

jfl · October 2014

Wow! shopdog is right. My Haynes manual only has 4cyl torque values and my Subaru manual doesn't even address the procedure!

xwesx · October 2014

jfl said:
Wow! shopdog is right. My Haynes manual only has 4cyl torque values and my Subaru manual doesn't even address the procedure!

Yeah, I noted the same for my Haynes (and I don't have the official shop manual). The document linked above is the closest I can find. A complicated procedure, to be sure... even more so than for the EJ25.

shopdog97 · October 2014

Thank you so much, xwesx for ths info. I'll give the printout to Al tonight and I'm sure he's gonna be real happy!

sgloon · October 2014

Thanks, JFL! Your comment on wheel/tire size definitely saved me some money. Lowering the vehicle height and cost of tires was the main reason to switch, but if I'm not going to save anything on vehicle height, then tire savings would probably not be worth the cost of new wheels. Glad you knew that!

Xwesx, yes, where I live I need definitely need all season tires as the weather can change so dramatically from day to day, especially considering I can drive up into the snow, and then leave it to come home to dry roads many times. And, the dirt roads can turn to mud here in a heartbeat. Loving this fall change of season. We already have had some of the high roads closed for a bit until they plowed them.

xwesx · October 2014

sgloon said:
where I live I need definitely need all season tires as the weather can change so dramatically from day to day, especially considering I can drive up into the snow, and then leave it to come home to dry roads many times. And, the dirt roads can turn to mud here in a heartbeat. Loving this fall change of season. We already have had some of the high roads closed for a bit until they plowed them.

I completely understand that! I used to swear by good all-seasons before we bought the Forester. At that point, I gave my wife the choice of immediately replacing the stock tires with a good set or buying a set of dedicated winter tires and only using the stock tires during the "warmer six months." She chose the dedicated set, and I was able to find a set of used stock 16" Subaru rims for cheap ($200 for five, with tires, less $60 back by selling the four tires off the rims I needed for winter tires), so the total investement in the UGIs was only ~$650, mounted, at the time.

After using them a year, I was sold on the practice. However, I live in a very starkly contrasting climate where winter means six months of consistently slick roads (although the degree of slick varies). As such, the investment is sound and I don't have to worry about wearing them down on dry roads for the majority of the winter season!

The Nokian is a great tire. Many folks use them here (in Fairbanks and Alaska in general). Kurtamaxxguy, who lives in Portland, OR, and has a Forester XT (well, he's on his second one now!), also swears by them.

sgloon · October 2014

Yes, Xwesx, Alaska is a whole different ball game for weather. I'm gonna price out those Nokians. I think you are the 3rd person to mention them. I've never tried them before, but good recommendations are worth their weight in gold.

kurtamaxxxguy · October 2014

Just wondering if any knows a technique for increasing microphone sensitivity for the '14 Forester voice recognition system? Mine does an incredibly bad job of sensing voices, yet the dealer tech did not seem to have any technique for further calibrating system.

saedave · October 2014

When my 2014 XT's Bluetooth was being set up, if I remember correctly, the tech set the volume for the instructions through the speaker using the controls on the steering wheel. It is possible that the microphone sensitivity might be interrelated. I'm hard of hearing so it had to be set high enough for me to hear as well as the tech.

The dealer techs don't seem to understand this system: When later my Bluetooth connection was inexplicably lost, the tech spent over an hour to get it back!

I think Subaru had good reason to change suppliers for the audio equipment.

gmginsfo · January 2015

Happy 2015, fellow Subarites! At 62K, my 2010 Outback 4/CVT is doing just fine, even after being rear-ended at a stoplight, and front-ended in a parking lot. BUT there's one nagging problem that I've had from Day One and I'd like to know if anyone has any input: the front tires consistently lose a few pounds of air every 10 days or so. This happened w/ both the original tires and the replacement Michelins I bought at about 45K. The problem's not in the tires; they consistently show no leaks, holes, etc. It's not a question of air v. nitrogen, as the problem persists w/ either. The only time it stopped was after Costco installed the Michelins, but it reappeared w/in a week of my first dealer service about 5K afterwards, during which they rotated the tires. I think the problem's in the air pressure sensor, but the dealer checked that and it's fine. The problem is a real annoyance on long road trips, especially now that gas stations make you pay a buck for air, and even that can be hard to find in the back country I like to explore. Any thoughts?

saedave · January 2015

I have no ideas on the source of the leak, but you can reduce the annoyance with purchase of an inexpensive 12V. air pump. I have carried one for many years.

snowbelter · January 2015

Wheels are †πµß are where I've had problems over the years.

1. 04 Outback. Tire started losing air after the dealer rebalanced the tires and replaced the older type of lead weights attached to the rim with newer stick-on weights. The corrosion where the older weights were attached didn't allow the tire to seal to the rim properly.

2. 07 Outback with metal valve stems. Leak came from a failed tiny gasket where the metal valve stem attached to the TPMS monitor. Tire guy told me if the wrong gaskets had been installed they would corrode and fail.

Same car. Road salt caused corrosion on metal stems and then a small leak. After three different metal stems leaked, I switched to a system with rubber-stemed TPMS.

If your car has rubber valve stems now, I'd ask a tire guy to reseal all the tires on the rims with some special goop. That's what is done where I am in a high salt use area. I also had one tire guy grind all the corrosion off a rim, but that only worked for a while. Sealing worked best.

Good luck. I also carried a 12V tire pump for a while when I was getting leaks.

xwesx · January 2015

All really great tips to know!

I'm lucky on my cars and have zero issues. I visually check them regularly, but I only adjust pressures in the spring and fall, when I do my semi-annual tire change-outs. Or, on my low-use rigs, I tend to adjust their pressures annually at the beginning of each summer (or beginning of winter in the case of the plow truck).

Usually, pressures are off by no more than 5 PSI from where I set them the prior year, which I view as leak-free.

gmginsfo · January 2015

Thanks, guys! Your comments are keepers!

stever · January 2015

Kind of like gasbuddy for your tires:

Free air.

Won't help in the backcountry but free is free.

gmginsfo · February 2015

Thanks, Stever; very helpful, as I'm a biker, too!

stever · February 2015

Helpful when you go on road trips you mean? Since you're in San Diego, gas stations in CA (and CT) are required by law to give free air. I bet a lot don't though. Know the Hob Knob? Good breakfast joint there, or was - been too many years.

oftendrive · March 2015

Approaching the 6 month mark with my 2015 Forester and have a few issues. Cabin blower chirps/squeeks when cold (very cold), windshield cracked and creaks when going over moderate bumps, scrapes have formed all over the vehicle caused by, I suspect, my snow brush. It's seems as if there is a clear coat which never hardened properly. Any comment would be appreciated.

xwesx · March 2015

The blower noise is definitely of concern, and I would have that replaced under warranty. I've had four Subarus, including a '10 Forester, and while they do have their share of internal squeaks and rattles, the blower fans have never done so even when colder than -50F. If yours does, that's a problem and probably a sign that it isn't gonna last for the long haul anyway.

Yeah, cracked windshield; that's a Forester haulmark, sadly! I'm not so sure about the creaking over bumps, though. That's odd. I'll sometimes hear noise from my moonroof over heavily uneven terrain, but not the windshield.

And, I think I would have to see those "scrapes" to figure whether they're normal or not. Paint isn't durable like it used to be. I look at the myriad of micro-scratches that cover all my newer cars as part of the aging process. One time washing one and you're set on that front.

stever · March 2015

Too bad there's not some car forums around from the 70s and 80s. They'd be full of people complaining about their lousy paint and wishing for a can of Japan Black to paint their fenders with. I think paint's a whole lot better than it used to be, even with all the VOC regs. For example, Popular Mechanics, 1989:

You could talk to your dealer @oftendrive ("open up a case") in the event this develops into a common problem. Clearcoat can be tricky to apply, but the factory should have a good handle on applying it and baking it in.

kurtamaxxxguy · March 2015

My earlier '09 Forester also had an HVAC blower squeak whenever I turned the vehicle to the left. Turned out to be a defective blower motor, replaced under warranty.

xwesx · March 2015

kurtamaxxxguy said:
My earlier '09 Forester also had an HVAC blower squeak whenever I turned the vehicle to the left.

LOL; that's an odd connection, Kurt! I'm glad you were able to catch it under warranty, though.

How's your "new" XT treating you?

kurtamaxxxguy · March 2015

'14 XT feels more substantial than '09 (less rattling) and rear end's much more controlled going over speed bumps. Ride's a bit jittery but handles potholes well. Seats are kinda hard for long trips. MPG's 24 or so for my mixed driving, 2 mpg better than '09.

xwesx · March 2015

I never noticed the jumpiness of the rear end when mine had the stock suspension, but I sure do now with the HD King springs! It definitely feels like it could "get away from you" under the right conditions. That said, 4-6" of wet snow or a few inches of slush on the highway doesn't do it. I barreled through that stuff for the majority of 330 miles on Saturday for six hours without issue. There were, however, a few frost heaved areas that offered up some butterflies.

gsemike · April 2015

New 2014 Outback owner here

I just bought an 2014 Outback 2.5i with 10k miles. It's my first Subie but so far, I really like it. Going for an i instead of a Premium, I gave up a few things but I couldn't pass on the idea of a 6 year/90k warranty with the CPO.

I've got a question. The i only has a 4 speaker stereo, whereas the Premium has 6. The i still has 6 speaker grilles, with the dash tweeters being dummies. Anyone have any insight into how easily I could get those tweeters in? They're pretty cheap, so I'm wondering if the head unit will accept them and how much surgery to get them in and wired.

xwesx · April 2015

Congrats, Mike!

I really don't know about the tweeters. I do know that the base speaker system is pretty tinny though. If it turns out to be a fair bit of work on the tweeters, maybe you could make it worthwhile by just upgrading the whole set of speakers at once!

I used to really like the base sound system in the Subaru, but now that I use my Fiesta most of the time, I have a hard time tolerating just how bad the Forester's sound really is.

jfl · April 2015

Mike, congrats on the new subie.

You might check online about subaru tweeter installation. Back in 2000, my Legacy was pre-wired for the tweeters. I ordered the tweeters from 1stsubaruparts.com, popped off the covers, connected the wires, and installed the tweeters in place of the covers.

It's more efficient to use the same wiring harness for all models than to have 4 or 5 different wiring harnesses in inventory.

gsemike · April 2015

Another question: this one on warranty.
I've got the CPO warranty and 2 years left of bumper to bumper. I declined additional warranty coverage figuring the powertrain will be enough. But now looking at the enhanced level, I might like it to get coverage for things like axles and the AC system.
Does anyone know if Subie is in the practice of sending offers when the bumper to bumper expires?

xwesx · April 2015

No, I haven't seen that they do. Actually, you have to get extended warranty coverage *before* B2B expires in order to be eligible for it (this is the Subaru Gold Plus, etc.).

I picked one up for my Forester at 35,899 miles. LOL But, I'm glad I did. First, I paid with Subaru Bucks (I miss those things!), and second, we had an issue with the oil pump at about 64,000 miles as well as a current issue with the transaxle (at 82K).... neither of which would have been under coverage otherwise.

That was $1,500 of not-real money well spent!

gsemike · April 2015

xwesx said:
No, I haven't seen that they do. Actually, you have to get extended warranty coverage *before* B2B expires in order to be eligible for it (this is the Subaru Gold Plus, etc.).

I picked one up for my Forester at 35,899 miles. LOL But, I'm glad I did. First, I paid with Subaru Bucks (I miss those things!), and second, we had an issue with the oil pump at about 64,000 miles as well as a current issue with the transaxle (at 82K).... neither of which would have been under coverage otherwise.

That was $1,500 of not-real money well spent!

Thanks. Since I have CPO. I have powertrain warranty through 100k miles. That would cover something like the oil pump. It's interesting that by buying CPO with only 10k, I get a longer powertrain warranty than if I bought the car brand new. The powertrain warranty doesn't cover some things like AC, water pump, axles and suspension so it would be nice to be covered all around. I'll look into it in a bit and see what I can get.

xwesx · April 2015

If you can get a Gold policy on a CPO, there are at least a couple dealerships that sell them for very reasonable rates. The $1,500 I spent was for a 7/100 zero deductible. The "retail" price on that, if I recall correctly, is about $2,400, and many dealerships aren't willing to negotiate much on them.

I purchased mine through Mastria Subaru in Raynham, MA. It was a simple process and buying with the Bucks (even though I had to physically mail them) didn't present any complications at all.

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