Subaru Legacy/Outback

lark6

Dave - it looks as well as it goes! What kind of tires were they?

Guess I'm gonna have to bite the bullet and join you guys soon.

Ed

paisan

Come on Aug 18 to the next NASA event!

There are also the following NASA events left:
August 18 GIANTS STADIUM
September 8 GIANTS STADIUM
October 26 GIANTS STADIUM
November 9 GIANTS STADIUM
November 11 Lime Rock HPDE AND TIME TRIAL
November 23 GIANTS STADIUM

It's $40 for non members $30 for members. Guaranteed 8 timed runs. We also do fun runs afterward members $1 non-members 2/$5. The other nice thing is that usually the subaru group does a BBQ after each event and hang out til sunset just shooting the breeze and relaxing after a long day!

-mike

lark6

Mike, you don't have to sell me - I just have to stop making excuses! ;-)

Ed

paisan

I figured the food aspect might get you there! hee hee.

-mike

lark6

Yes, I do need to trim down a little; if anything it would improve my times!

As for barbecue, I suspect I could show the NY/NJers a thing or two.

Ed

paisan

Can't wait Ed. We are not real good at BBQ, except for Hypov's Chicken it's been the usual dogs and burgers.

-mike

lark6

...and away from auto-x and barbecue (I'll take that to Events forum).

I saw my first '03 Legacy on Saturday. An L Special Edition. It looks to be a good value for money. It also wears the alloy wheels from the last two generations of Legacy GTs. I wonder if that's SoA's effort to clear inventory as the new GTs get new wheels?

Speaking of GTs, I see that the '03s get the cold weather package standard, and all ATs get the Sportshift and VTD. That's an interesting package - and I WILL have to test drive one - but it still needs power on the order of the H6 OBs.

Ed

ateixeira

Nice plaque!

Who's your daddy?! Show me one Audi allroad quattro or one Volvo XC with an award like that. Doubt it!

-juice

paisan

He pulled a 52.560 v. my 50.908

Other cars that the OB beat include:

2.5RS
Neon RT
WRX
Civic SI
MR2 Spyder
300 ZX
Lotus Esprit
Porsche 914



-mike

ateixeira

Gee, and I was kinda joking. You smoked him, big time!

You beat an MR2 Spyder? Now I'm impressed.

-juice

kens

Nice going, Mike!

Ken

hypov

lark6 Jul 23, 2002 9:21am

Ed-
The wheel/tire combo was commandeered (sp) from someone's RS, IIRC they were 215/45/17 Firehawks.
How the wheels/Tires got on the OB was kinda spur of the moment thing. mike and I were going to experiment with his R-compounds on 14" but the brake ports got in the way. As I was going to get the OEM wheels, mike saw the P1s and when "Hmmmmm". ;-)

-Dave

ateixeira

That's cool that the owner was willing to share. You gotta love the tight-knit community Subaru owners enjoy.

So you basically ran GT-diameter tires, for 7% shorter gearing, effectively. But still, it had the raised suspension. Nice driving!

-juice

paisan

Funny thing was the owner of the tires and rims didn't even know until 10pm that night that I used em! Long story behind it but his P1s were on anohter RS temporarily, and that owner was using the P1 owner's R compounds for Auto-x, so we snagged the P1s. Later on I called him to thank him

-mike

mrk610

paisan

Racing outbacks is great!

-mike

bat1161

Dave/Mike,

Looks like you guys had a great time! Congrats on coming in 2nd! What time do you guys usually head out? I'm asking because I have a play on 8/17, so depending on what time, I may try to visit.

Mark

paisan

From 7:30->5pmish

The 18th we'll be doing a BBQ again so we'll probably be there after 5pm for sure. It's good fun to hang out and shoot the breeze.

-mike

kamots

I am in a quandry over which vehicle to buy.

The SportTrac has better seating and the versatility of the open bed in back.

The Outback gets much better gas mileage, is available in a stick shift, but only average seating comfort and restricted cargo space.

Or I can wait and try to get my hands on a Baja.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

paisan

I sat in the back of a sport trac and felt way way more cramped than in a Baja or Outback.

-mike

paisan

You get the great Ford Reliability with the Sport Trac.

-mike

dcab

I've noticed condensation inside my driver's side headlight. Any ideas how much of a concern it is and how to remove it if it is a serious concern would be appreciated.

rsholland

You sat in a Baja?? NOT!

BTW, the rear seat in the Baja is for two people, not three, like the Outback.

Bob

subirss

Any comments on the effectivenss of the rear bumper corner moldings on an Outback? How are they attached to the bumper cover and are they easy to self install? Can they be attached to the front bumper as well?

I have also seen some Outbacks with a black rubber strip all across the front and rear bumpers. Where can one get hold of those and what is the price one is likely to pay for them?

TIA
subir

hypov

subir-
I had those black rubber strip (3M) installed by the dealer when I first bought my OB. Costed me a leg though; IIRC ~$230 for front and rear.
I could say those strips (end-to-end) had spared the bumper from scrapes for the last 4 years until recently. I thought they were worth it.

-Dave

dassub

I purchased the Subaru rear corner moldings from my dealer for my Outback, and installed them two weeks ago. By the way, although they're always listed as 'rear corner moldings,' they come as a set of four, with instructions for installation on the front as well as the rear.

The moldings attach to the bumper cover with a very strong adhesive that is exposed when you pull a protective strip off. Putting them on is a snap, as long as you're willing to be meticulous and patient in measuring and marking the mounting locations (they recommend marking with masking tape, which I found worked very well). If you don't make sure they're even and level when you mount them, the result would be unattractive, so this is where all the effort is put in. Prepare the surface first by making sure it's clean and wax-free.

I was only going to put the rear ones on, but my wife insisted that the front ones go on as well (since we already paid for them!). They also look good, but due to the particular shape of the front bumper, I don't believe that as protective devices they'll be as effective as the rear moldings.

subirss

Thanks for the info, Dave and dassub.

subir

goosegog

Our new 2000 OB came with the roof rack cross bars, locks, tool, etc in a cerdboard box. Also in the box were 2 (or maybe 3 I can't remember) long rubber self-adhesive strips. I had no idea what they were for as the roof already has about 5 of these things on it. Anyway they aren't as long as the roof ones, being only about 4 ft. Perhaps they are for the rear part of the roof if the sunroof is installed but I think they'd be too long for that. They would work on the bumpers but are not long enough to go round the corners as well. But I never bothered 'cos I think black bits on a "titanium" bumper looks messy.

corellian58

Does anyone know if there exists a diecast or plastic model of an Outback? I like to keep a little gallery of my current and previous cars for remembrances (fond and otherwise). I went to a model car show over the weekend with my husband and son and did snag a previous model Legacy GT wagon in a plastic model, but I would like to have a closer representation of my Outback. I realize the OB is not exactly a foreign or exotic sports car or an oldie but goodie from the 50s but some of the other cars that had models available were very obscure. I find it hard to imagine that people are pining for models of Chevy Astro vans or Honda Odysseys’, for heaven's sake. My husband and son think I am loony to think I can find an OB model but given the strong love people develop for their Subies, I wouldn't be surprised. Anyone have any tips? Thanks.

ccampbell4

I'm just back from my annual trip to Colorado. This was our first year with the Subaru. It did pretty well in the mountains for a 4 cylinder, keeping up with traffic pretty well. I was a little disappointed when I tried to test it on a steep rocky road on the way up Bald Mountain. I had four adults in the car and got to a point where it would not go any farther. I tried slipping the clutch and using much higher rpm's but it just wouldn't move forward - I maxed out its power and it would die every time. The problem was that I had to move really slow to avoid damage on the rocks and the power just wasn't there at the low end. I did find a couple of other fun things to do, though. I will try to attach a couple of photos of us on Boreas Pass and also in some loose rock near abandoned mines. Hope they work. One interesting thing I noticed on the trip - it seems the harder you drive it on the highway the better the gas mileage. On the way home I was doing 80-85 much of the way and was getting near 400 miles to a tank, as compared to 280 or so in town. Pretty dramatic.

http://12.28.11.69/clients/pageschrisc.html

rsholland

<< I tried slipping the clutch and using much higher rpm's but it just wouldn't move forward - I maxed out its power and it would die every time. >>

It would have been nice in this situation to have the dual-range 5-speed found on Outbacks the world over, except in North America...

Bob

20llbean

My LLbean is a little over a year now and pretty much has everything in it that Subaru offers. However, I am looking at accessories for the exterior. Right now I have the roof rack with cargo net so that's taken care of. But I thought that the following might be worth the cost:

Front plastic deflector
Rear differential protector
rear and front side bumper guards (seems to be favored)
Trailer hitch

Any opinions out there? Thanks all.

ateixeira

I got headlight condensation in a Mirage (my wife owned). It eventually rusted and turned an ugly brown. See if you can drain it and then re-seal it.

Campbell: you could have used a Hill Holder, like in the new Forester! :-)

Baja or Sport Trac? Well, I say definitely drive both, because my guess is they'll feel different enough that you'll have a strong preference one way or the other.

Ford says it's the most car-like crew cab on the market, so far, and they may be right, but I'm sure the Baja will take that feeling a lot further.

-juice

ffsteve

Hey 20llbean, you asked for opinions.

I think we got our Beans at about the same time, you might have preceeded me by a couple of weeks perhaps.

Yes, the basic model has just about everything I need, but I would add window-tinting to your list. It's visible from the exterior, so I think it qualifies. Keeps interior cool and private, and prevents high beams from the rear from being intrusive (although renders the auto-dimming mirror useless and unnecessary).

For your list, I might go for the differential protector, but the bumper guards and front deflector do nothing for me.

I would definitely get a trailer hitch, but only if I had a need for a trailer. At the moment I don't, so wouldn't consider one just for the sake of accessorising my car.

Regards,
Steve

originalbitman

I agree with the window tint. Single best thing I did to my GT wagon.

bit

wendyn

Steve & bit,
I have a 2001 llBean and have considered getting window tint for a while. Since Subie doesn't do it and my dealer won't reccommend anyone...how do I go about picking a place, type of tint, etc? I have heard so many horror stories about purple windows...

Wendy
P.S. LOVE LOVE LOVE my Subie. No problems at all in 1.5 years (only 15,000 miles).

originalbitman

Tinting definitely reduces interior temps and generally cuts UV by about 95% (not sure what the glass does by itself). You can get anything for 50% to 5% tint with the 5% being the darkest. There are basically 2 kinds of material.. dyed and metalized and some combinations of both. Metalized (not necessarily reflective) is most expensive and is usually warranted for life against fading where as dyed is less expensive and may fade or turn purple over time. All states vary in what they allow. Check out local shops and ask for referrals as the application is everything. Clean your windows and your car before your tint application as dust and dirt can and will get under the tint. When tint it applied it is usually cut and fit on the outside of the window before being applied to the inside of the glass so clean the outside of your windows too. Once applied you will not be able to lower the windows for 3-5 days as the tint cures. Prices vary a lot but a rule of thumb is somewhere between $25 and $50 a window with less per window the more windows you have done. The tint is hard to remove once cured so be sure you make the right choice. Visit a shop or two and look at some of the cars they are tinting or better yet if you see a tinted car you like ask the driver where they had it done and if they like the tint job.

Some useful sites


http://autowindowtintings.com/main.cfm?action=home


http://www.tintdude.com/

bit

subaru_team

Howdy! I did find your case. From what I'm reading, it looks like we have everything ready to help when you can bring it into the dealership in the Fall (when it can be duplicated).

I'm sure everyone will do their best once the car goes in. Your case is still pending, so just let us know!

Thanks!

Patti

20llbean

Thanks to all the subie owners for the inputs. The reason I had for the trailer hitch is to get the bike rack on the back since I use the roof rack for luggage on long trips. But the cost of this accessory is just too high for me, I think it's about $250.00 for it and that doesn't include the bike rack that attaches to it.

taddison

If you plan to keep your car a long time then definitely go for a tint with a lifetime warranty.

I have 20% tint (3M was the manufacturer, I believe, but I don't know if it's dye or metallic). It didn't fade but it did start to blister after 7 years and they replaced it, no questions asked.

The only downside to this was that removing the old film also pulled off a couple of the defroster elements which are printed onto the rear glass (they warned me this might happen). Fortunately I live in Texas and never use the defroster. With a 'Bean this might also harm the radio antenna which I believe is printed onto a side window.

My black interior has not faded one bit in 15 years, and I'm sure much of the credit for that goes to the tinting.

ffsteve

Wendy, I'll echo commments made by originalbitman and taddison above. I've tinted windows on my last 4 cars, and swear by the results. Best bet for locating a competent shop is to find a car with tinted windows and ask the owner for a recommendation. If you're in San Diego, I'll not hesitate to recommend the shop I used. Post your city, and I'm sure that someone will be able to recommend a shop for you.

20llbean - what kind of luggage box do you use? I have been looking at getting a Yakima SpaceBox or SpaceCadet (or similar name) to fit between my two bikes on the roof. I am more than pleased with carting the bikes on top, although there have been many opinions expressed here to the contrary. But the lift is really not as bad as you might think, although no question it requires more effort than using a hitch or trunk rack.

Here is one of my favorite pictures of my Bean with tinted windows, and bikes on top.

Steve

dassub

Goosegog - if the strips you found were 4 feet long, they weren't the standard corner moldings, which are less than half that length. You can only go so far in arguing aesthetics, which really just come down to a matter of taste, but I like the way they look. If you're looking for elegance, no, they don't add that. I would never put the black corner moldings on a Passat or Audi wagon, which do have a more elegant look. The Outback, however, has a more rugged image, and I think that these enhance it. (By the way, I noticed that Passat wagons do come with corner moldings already, but they're color-matched to the car, and that makes sense.)

dassub

20llbean - The rear gate bar has proven to be a very functional accessory on my 2002 LLBean. I didn't have it the first few weeks after buying the car, and I found that it was necessary to close the hatch by pushing down on the exterior. My wife would push down on the plastic reflector trim that stretches across the back. It's much simpler and feels more natural (both opening and closing) with the gate bar, and I don't have to worry about fingerprints or scratches! And, I think it looks pretty nice, too.

mfsb

I second dassub on the rear gate bar. After getting use to it I would hate to give it up. Makes holding a bag of groceries and closing the gate a snap.

wendyn

Thanks to everyone for advice on window tinting. I live in northern NJ so it is really not critical (and I can only do it on the back windows) but it sure would be helpful to my daughter on long trips not to have the sun in her face!

I will ask around for references and check out some local shops.

Wendy

ccampbell4

My wife had the oil changed in my 02 Outback yesterday at an independent service station and I double checked the level on the dipstick when I got home from work. It's a little high - maybe a quarter inch or so over the expansion notch. I called the Subaru dealership this morning and they said it would be fine - that there was an acceptable overage range. Does that sound okay?

paisan

You need to check it on an almost perfectly level surface, the Boxer engine can cause it to appear to be off if it's not perfectly level.

-mike

originalbitman

Ditto on what Mike said. Plus the level changes considerably with how hot the engine is and how much time it has to drain down not to mention how fast you pull the dipstick out. I had a significant overfill at a dealer once but much more than what you are seeing.

bit

dwebb2

Yesterday I backed my 2000 Outback into another car in a parking lot. The side of our bumpers just scraped each other a bit, leaving mine with a large area (maybe 6 X 12 in) where the paint and/or finish is scuffed and scraped. The scraped area is now black in color. Is there anything I can do to cosmetically repair the scrapes, short of buying a new bumper? About how much would we be talking for a new bumper?

Thanks.
-Dennis Webb

ccampbell4

Dennis,
I'm about to have my bumper replaced because of a hit and run. I don't have the estimate in front of me, but I seem to remember it being several hundred dollars. Also, it comes unpainted and must be color matched.