Subaru Legacy/Outback

cptplt

while I'm sure its dealer dependent, with my Subaru Gold warranty, they did maybe 200 bucks of work they didn't need to - replace burnt out bulbs in HVAC controls, replaced timing belt (I was going to pay for that portion specific to that but most of the labor was done under warranty for a leaking crank seal) as they said the leaking oil had "damaged" it!!
Some of this stuff wasn't necessary to keep the car running and I may not have had it carried out if I had to pay myself - eg bad radio antenna but OCD types like to keep their car in 100% condition!!
Plus its not so much powertrain stuff I worry about, its stuff like the ac etc. Lots of people worry about the AWD going bad, after 3 Legacies I've never had a problem with it! Plus the powertrain stuff when it does go goes after 60K, thats what happened to my 92 with an ext warranty I never used. It was my mother in laws car primarily and she just drove it to our place to get into our minivan to take the kids everywhere so I figured how much mileage could she put on. So I only took the 60K limit and sure enough everything happened after 60K! (Several bad engine sensors and 2 oil leaks)

ateixeira

Yeah, if I was told that bulb would cost $65 (the min. 1 hour of labor) to fix, I'd probably live with it. But if the warranty covered it, I'd get it fixed, too.

-juice

mrk610

Ok here we go .I was turning onto a side street making a left hand turn. I'm accelerating up to speed . I hit 50 mph and the car felt I applied the brakes . Stayed at 50 did'nt shift into 4th gear. The more I stepped on the gas the higher the rpms would go but the car wouldn't. The rpms went from 2900 to about 3300 but the car didn't pick up any speed . I let of the gas to pull over and there was loud thud and the car jerked into 4th gear . Pulled over raised the hood and checked the tranny fluid. The fluid was full and smelled fine but it there was some air bubbles on the dip stick. The car has run fine since then . I have also noticed and maybe it is me but it seems to take longer to shift into drive . Ok should I take it in to have it checked out . Is there a way to read the codes in the tranny or are there no codes to read . No check engine lite or tranny temp lite came on .Its a my 02 outback 2.5 4eat 15k miles . Any suggestions .

Thanks in advance

mike k

fibber2

Ouch! Run, don't walk to the dealership and get this on record. Sounds like a stuck port in the valve body resulting in major confusion about gear change protocol, converter lock, etc.

Steve

hashman

Sounds like you may a something floating in the trany fluid that won't show on the dip stick. That (what ever it is) is locking a clutch pak from hitting 4 gear...temporarily. I'd take it in and explain to service what you've just experienced. The least you've made it known and on record. He may just drop the trany pan and do a fluid change to see if anything falls out or caught in the filter. Make it known. Just my opinion. Any others?

hashman

Is there a relationship between the limited slip differential to speed or gear of the transmission? Thoughts? or just thinking too hard.

hashman

Tires starting to look weary (Firestone Wilderness) at 37K. Beginning to look for a good set. I read somewhere here Michelins XT were a good bet.

ateixeira

Have it checked anyway, but I bet the ECU indeed had a brain fart and that it was purely the electronics.

-juice

mn_pat

did you just start the car when this occurred? Was it cold outside?

In my Legacy, the tranny wont shift into forth gear until it warms up. When its really cold outside, I have to drive 2-3 miles before it will shift to forth gear.

mrk610

I am going to make an appointment to get it looked at . The temp was about 50 rainy and the car was fully warmed up . I was at the end of my errands for the day .

dude

MN_Pat, mine does the same thing, I think that all automatics don't shift to 4th untill the car warms up. My Geo Prizm does exactly the same.

mn_pat

I'm not saying its abnormal or a sign of anything bad, it just very noticable in my Legacy.

hammersley

mrk: Document, document, document! Take it in! Even if the dealer "can't replicate the problem", you at least have a paper trail in case it happens again, especially for a warranty item, and an expensive one, at that!

Cheers!
Paul

cptplt

Me thinks you mean Pilot XGT H4!

mmullin

Time for some new tires. A new set of the original Firestones or ??? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks!

bat1161

I've taken the same route as some others have here- Dunlop Sport A2s. They ride nice both wet and dry, plus theyy received a good review from Consumers (as someone else here posted- can't remember who).

Happy Halloween.

Mark

bravadajon

My 2003 LL Bean Outback is smooth and quiet but on pavement irregularities like bridge expansion joints the Outback definitely lets me know. I thought maybe the struts were strapped down for shipment...no. I have Bridgestone Prot...something tires. I will check the air pressure in the tires, but the tires had these glow green stickers indicating proper tire psi from dealer/factory.

I don't mind the reality ride....I know I am connected to the road in the Outback, but I don't recall these hard bumps in the Forrester and GL Wagons I owned previously...maybe it is me...my bones are older now.

I prefer Michelin tires...I think they are the best.

subearu

Do check the tire pressures. Cars these days come with tires overinflated to prevent flatspotting from sitting on dealer lots for extended periods of time. It's quite often that the dealer prep guys forget to air 'em down. 5psi can make a LOT of difference.

-Brian

paisan

The tranny not shifting into 4th until warm is completely normal. My XT6 and SVX owners manuals actually document it and tell you until the fluid hits 35 degrees it will not go into 4th. I think they leave this documentation out of later models though.

-mike

mrk610

Ok I called the dealer and I'm bringing it in on monday but I have to leave it . I hate to do that ,I'd rather be there when they test drive it . My dealer seemed very interested in my problem . Makes me wonder if this is something subaru is looking out for . I'll keep you all up to date . When I take my outback in I'm also going to have my cold start noise documented again since its getting cold here.

thanks mike k

ateixeira

Jon: maybe when it's time for new struts, you could look at the ones from the new Outbacks. They're supposedly smoother. At least one person here drove a 2002 and 2003 back-to-back and noticed a difference.

I checked the air pressure on my tires yesterday, both cars, and while the Forester was fine, the Miata was about 2psi low at each corner, and 10psi low on the spare!

Don't forget to check the spare.

-juice

cptplt

the following seem to have a "following" on this board! not necessarily in any order

Dunlop Sport A2
Michelin Pilot XGT H4
Bridgestone Potenza RE950 (to paraphrase the Olds advert, this is not your stock (RE92) Potenza, its a new generation of Bridgestone!)
Michelin X one (but not sure if it comes in size for 00 and later OB and also only T rated)
Yokohama Avid H4

The Dunlop gets rave reviews from Consumer Reports. Tirerack rates the RE950 as a little better handling than the XGT H4. If you don't drive aggressively, the X One is very good. I had it on a 92 Legacy. Could barely tell difference from XGT H4 on my 98 Legacy.

Any others I'm forgetting?

bravadajon

Hello Juice,

I hope I don't need new struts....I have only had the 2003 Outback for a month.

Will check tire psi and report back...I have this manuever scheduled for this weekend... a simple thing I know, but I have quite a list.

kens

Don't forget the Dunlop SP5000s.

Ken

vincer2

Last week I replaced the original 16" Firestone Wilderness tires on my 2000 OB with Dunlop Sport A2s. Purchased them from Tire Rack for $80 each plus $31 shipping. Mounting/balancing cost an additional $15 per wheel.

Decided on the A2s because of a Consumer Reports article and because of previous posts on this forum. The tires appear to be quieter on concrete road surfaces then the Wilderness tires but I've driven <100 miles with them to form any definitive opinions.

Last year I purchased Yokohama Aegis tires for my wife's Camry, also because of a CR tire review. The Aegis model tires are the noisiest tires I've ever purchased. My wife doesn't mind the noise but if I had to drive her car every day I would replace them. Tire merchant told me the excessive road noise comes from the tires extra gripping capability on wet roads.

Vince

xccoachlou

Folks,

Is the new Outback design coming out in the Fall of 2004 as a 2005 model? Or can we expect to see it earlier?

I've pretty much settled on a "green-gray opal" Legacy Special Edition, 5 Speed. Unless there is a sweet deal on a Forester, I just can't envision paying the extra bucks for it. The main problem is what to do with my old car, a 1999 Ford Contour. And since I was offered less than KBB for the car, I declined to do business.

If they had met my price, they would have made $2k on the used car as per KBB, received their holdback, and a slight profit of $100. Plus I probably would have bought an extended warranty contract. Oh well, I can wait...

rsholland

Everything so far points to an '05 model. As to when it will debut, who knows...

Bob

mrk610

Just got back from the dealer Had to pay 140.00 for the transmission flush not drain service. The guy at my dealer said that the transmission fluid looked dirty. he called SOA and got a case # for me , but i thought he said it would be covered under b-b warranty. Well it isn't because it is a regular service item . He said since the car had 15k on it it falls under the severe service maintaince. I said i was not happy having to pay for this . he tried to call back the DSR but he was gone for the day.He said that I will have to have the fluid changed every 15k . On a good note the car shifts so good now you don't even feel it .

Mike k

idahodoug

Seems to me if you took your covered vehicle in for a problem (abrupt or delayed shifting), and the dealer chose the remedy (a tranny flush) that the work would be covered. Unless you told him to flush the tranny, or specifically came in for it, this would be the case. I think you should immediately contact the dealer and clarify this, ask for your money back and get that case number with SOA.

IdahoDoug

idahodoug

I've probably read a dozen owner's manuals from vehicles I've owned, another 50 from vehicle's I've evaluated, and even written a half dozen as part of my career. But never have I seen a sentance like this. From my Subaru's section on getting unstuck: "Keep light pressure on the accelerator pedal while shifting from R to D and back to rock the vehicle." Incredible faith in their drivetrain design to actually advocate shifting with the gas applied! I've never, ever seen that before and it indicates Subaru has designed the drivetrain to be stout enough for what other manufacturers would consider abuse.

IdahoDoug

fibber2

I read your post with mixed feelings. I agree that fluid should not be that contaminated at the 15k mile point on a relatively new vehicle. But it fits with what I surmised - that the tiny moving parts in the valve body are not moving freely and are actuating more than one function at a time. Flushing did the job - that is the good news. So now the real question is why did it get this bad so fast, and who's responsibility is it to rectify it?

Excessive heat is the killer of tranny fluid. It only takes a single engine overheating to coke (partially carbonize) the tranny fluid (as they share a common heat exchanger). Do you tow? Ever get stuck in snow (as Doug mentioned, rocking will kill many a tranny due to overheating)? If you can indeed answer no to the above, I would call Subaru and push for further investigation as to why this happened. There could be an obstruction in the radiator cooler, or other malfunction.

Steve

ateixeira

Mike: 15k is a little early, but it's money well spent if you ask me.

I changed the gear oil on my Miata at 26k miles. That was actually not bad. Then I changed the differential oil. HOLY COW! The stuff looked like chocolate milk! With just 26k miles, too. So I can see how even 15k miles with severe use may be the limit.

Plus - in this case "severe use" was a school teacher with a 3 mile commute. The car was never abused because even 14k miles later it's running wonderfully.

You have it documented, so if there is an internal failure later you should be covered.

One Odyssey owners spent $6 grand on a new transmission. I bet he wished they had pushed a $140 flush on him.

-juice

david35

I have a motorhome and wish to tow my 2K Subaru Outback. I know from Subaru that I can tow it with all four wheels on the ground however; I do not want to rack up a bunch of miles on the car when it isn&#146;t really being driven so I would like to somehow disconnect the odometer. Is this possible or even legal? The other option is to put it on a trailer and tow it. Of course this is more work and I have to buy a trailer. Any help?

ateixeira

I doubt it's legal to tamper with the odo. And if you do, I'm sure it'll break some seal and they could trace it.

-juice

david35

I have a motorhome and wish to tow my 2K Subaru Outback. I know from Subaru that I can tow it with all four wheels on the ground however; I do not want to rack up a bunch of miles on the car when it isn&#146;t really being driven so I would like to somehow disconnect the odometer. Is this possible or even legal? The other option is to put it on a trailer and tow it. Of course this is more work and I have to buy a trailer. Any help?

hammersley

I tow my 97 OB behind my motorhome as well... mine is a manual transmission, which can, indeed be towed "wheels down" with no mods. If yours is an AT, then a trailer is your only option.

The odometer on my OB doesn't accumulate mileage while being towed. I think it's electric/tronic rather than mechanical, thus if the ignition isn't on, it won't spin.

Cheers!
Paul

hodgson2

I own a 2000 Outback and absolutely love it. It has 97,500 miles on it (mostly highway, salesperson) and I am replacing the head gasket and timing belt. I've been looking into purchasing a new 2003 outback. Anyone out there have experience with putting more than 100,000 miles on an outback? What would I expect to replace if I kept it?

rob999

What type/make of towbar do you use for pulling your OB? Does it mount on the subframe, somehow?

ateixeira

You love the 2000, why not keep it?

Having done the head gasket and timing belt, those are the biggies, so you're probably good for another chunk of miles with no major expenses.

-juice

mrk610

Well to answer questions .No never been stuck ,towed with it . I always checked it faithfully everyweek all fluids. I have talked to my subie DSR yesterday a couple of times and I'm stuck paying for it . He again said it is a regular maintanince item ,and since it falls under 15k severe service I am s,o,l.I do have the case # on the work order so if I have more problems its documented. I talked to my service rep at dealer and he also told me that they used a cleaner when the flushed it . I asked if he dropped the pan and he said they don't have to on tranny flushes due to the pressure of the flush. Btw the only tannny flush service SOA endorses is the one made by BGM. I guess its just another quirk of subaru's .I did notice that my rpm's at 75mph dropped about 100 to 2900 rpm's .Drove home from work last nite in heavy rain and I love how you feel the traction of all 4 wheels working .

Mike k

paisan

He has a point that the manual states at 15K intervals it should be done. Not much room for arguement there IMHO.

-mike

mrk610

Oh well I will just make a point ot have it changed every 15k now.

mike k

mn_pat

is there a tranny filter that needs to be changed or a screen that should be cleaned. I have a 96 l wagon. The local service station said there is no such thing in my car. My civic had one

I didnt have a power flush done, just a drain and fill.

ateixeira

I think the automatics do have one. Not sure about the interval to change it, though.

-juice

mn_pat

is there a tranny filter that needs to be changed or a screen that should be cleaned? I have a 96 l wagon, 106k. The local service station said there is no such thing in my car. My civic had had some sort of filter

I didnt have a power flush done, just a drain and fill.

david35

That is great news about the odometer not rolling when the car is being towed. Mine is a manual tranny so I can tow with 4 wheels down. I will try to find a dealer that knows the specifics on how the odometer works and what exactly I can expect to wear while towing (tires, bearing, etc).

Thanks,
David

mrk610

I don't know about pre my00 outbacks. My outback my 02 has an external tranny filter on the drivers side of the tranny case .It might be the same for older model auto trannys. Not hard to notice it when you get down to look. It looks just like a oil filter and even says oil filter on it . It is as per my service rep and owners manual a non service filter. Meaning it nevers needs replacement. This is the filter I have heard horror stories about on other boards . They take there cars to those quick change places and they change this filter instead of the actual oil filter. So they get to much oil in crankcase and they don't have enough in the tranny. If you are going to change your fluid remember that your tranny dipstick is on the drivers side of the engine . Your front diff stick is on the pass side .

Mike k

hammersley

My tow bar is a TowMaster or a StowMaster (?) - it's out in the shed. I'll go look in a bit to see for sure. Mounting to the Subaru required cutting a couple small holes just inboard of the foglights, and mounting of 2 trailer-hitch type receivers to the frame rails. The mounts for the tow bar slide into and are pin-locked into these receivers, and the tow bar sits on those mounts. The tow bar itself folds up & rides on the mounts when not actually towing, or it unlocks & can be removed in less than a minute. Any RV center can help you pick out the right one & install it. You'll need to wire the tail & brake lights from the MH to the Subaru as well.

Wear & tear? Haven't noticed any. The front wheels follow the path of the motorhome (you leave the key in the ignition in "unlock" position, but not "on"), so there's no rubber srubbing taking place. Just don't forget the Subaru is back there when you're driving the RV... you don't want to put yourself in a position where you have to back up if you can avoid it, you're a bit longer around corners, and braking distances will be affected as well.

Glad I could help. Feel free to pester me more as needed.

Cheers!
Paul

mgk

I am a very new subaru 99 outback ltd buyer. Finally got the car that i had been wanting for a long time. I read through a lot of discussions on Townhall and that helped me finally purchase my car.

Have a question about tires for 99 outback limited. Have followed a few threads about tires, however have very specific questions for this model/year:
1. Is the Dunlop SP A2 good? I have read that is a great tire, however does someone have them on their 99 outback.
2. Can i fit non-OEM size on this car? The dunlop i am planning to buy is
215/65/15 and the car OEM size is 205/70/15.
3. Could someone recommend other tires for this car?

Would appreciate any information.

Thx in advance

uffdaole

MGK, If you live in snow country I would not go to larger size tire as the OB is notorious for snow and ice buildup in wheelwells, thus larger size a NO-NO.I Too am looking to replace tires on 98OB and sport a2s not available in 205/70-15. After all the posts on a2s, what are you people using on 98-99 OBs?