Subaru Legacy/Outback

taoman

I had the same problem on my 2003 Outback the first time I took the car out for a test drive.
The steering wheel would start shaking at around 65 mph. The dealer re-balanced the tires before my second test drive of the Outback and the shaking problem was corrected.

Neil

taoman

I spent some time this weekend visiting the local bike shops researching my options for a bike rack with a 3-4 bike capacity for my 2003 Outback. Yakima has a 4 bike capacity rack that fits a 1 1/4" hitch, the ROC 4 1 1/4 (#02585). Saris also has a 3 bike capacity rack
(expandable to 4 bikes) that fits a 1 1/4 " hitch, the 999Q B.A.T. Rack. I haven't decided which one I'll get yet. An advantage of the SARIS is that I won't need to use a crossbar adaptor to load a woman's bike on the rack. I decided against getting a rack designed for a 2" hitch and using an adaptor because I was told that using the adaptor will cause some sway when the bikes are loaded.

Neil

sebberry

...on glass

I have discovered, after being attacked by the dust and stone spray of an 18 wheeler on the highway, many fine pits and scratches on the windshield.

Is there any way to fill or otherwise remove these?

Not only a cosmetic eyesore, but when the sun shines on the window, it does impede visibility.

Any input would be great.

Thanks.

pathtomax

Hello again,

I wanted to thank everyone for the "balance your tires" recommendation. I just had them done and it is smooth sailing on the highway!

I purchased my 2001 Subaru last week and they did not include a maintenance manual. I have requested one but wanted to get an understading of the following from everyone. I drive about 24,000 highway miles/yr.

- Oil changes- how often?
- Tire rotation- how often?
- Tune-ups?

Thanks as usual!
-Michael

ateixeira

Since they're highway miles, you could go on the 7500 mile interval, I think it's called schedule B. I'd change the oil every 7500 miles, rotate tires every 15k, and do a tune-up every 30k.

If you do a lot of city driving, short trips, or lots of idling, I'd cut the intervals in half.

-juice

rob999

Did you get an Owner's Manual?

If not, there's one online at http://www.my.subaru.com

stever

Check The Edmunds Maintenance Guide for other scheduled stuff. And sign up for my.subaru.com. (beat me to it, Rob <g>).

Steve, Host

tidester

You should visit a local windshield repair service. I cannot say whether their repair process will be satisfactory since I've never personally tried them but I do know that the outfits here seem to be thriving.

tidester, host

pathtomax

I tried to register and it said that I needed a PIN Code? Any ideas?

jlemole

Pathtomax: Normally, when you buy a new subaru, SoA sends you the pin # a few weeks later. You could probably request one by phone. They'll need the VIN and may want to see proof of ownership (title, bill of sale).

Jon

stever

I don't remember how long it took now, but I registered my VIN for a used OB I got back in April and Subaru emailed me a pin. After completing the registration process with the pin, you just logon after that with your user name and password, just like Town Hall.

They didn't ask for proof of ownership; in fact, I joined Mysubaru.com before I paid for and registered the Outback.

Steve, Host

paisan

Can someone verify for me if you need to do the plugs at 30K on a WRX? According to the subaru site you do but somone said the manual said otherwise.

-mike

hypov

I wasn't that someone

Anyway, I checked.
3.0l & Turbo replace @ 60k and 120k miles
Sparkplug replacement @ 30k is for all others.

-Dave

ateixeira

Call 800-SUBARU3 to get a PIN.

-juice

mrk610

Well I was finally able to get the District Service Rep from SOA and my car together. I have had the piston slap issue since 6k miles ,I now have 27k on her . Left the car overnight so It would be cold start in the morning . Yes I have the dreaded SLAP but no as bad as some he has heard .He gave me a service tech bulletin from SOA saying the same as we have all heard. Does no internal damage as long as it goes away when engine is fully warm. He said that SOA has changed short blocks in the past for the phase 1 engine that had the noise all the time . He said he has heard of some phase 2 engines with the noise but they are not fixing them. My response was you say now that there is no damage but what about 5-6 years from now . So after about 2hours of going around and around about this he offered my a 7year/100k no deductible Subaru gold warrany.I feel a little better now that I will be able to drive my baby for years and miles to come without having to worry about the cost of a major repair.

Mike
02 obw 4eat

ateixeira

That's great Mike, sounds like he's really standing behind his belief that it won't be a problem in the long-term. If he's wrong they pay. Sounds more than fair to me!

Hmm, I'll have to listen a little harder for piston slap, I could use that warranty! LOL

-juice

fibber2

That's great news!

Steve

sosborne301

Hi,

I'm considering an Outback and am hoping someone can help me with a question. I live in DC and park on the street. People are always bumping my bumpers when they park, which can really scratch the bumpers. Is the bumber paint durable? Is it a thin layer...Does the core bumper material match the paint? I'm not sure what to buy. I don't want an SUV, but I want something that will hold up to urban warfare.

ateixeira

In that case a Subaru Forester X will save you lots of head aches.

Some call it a wagon, others call it an SUV. It's a car per every federal agency and meets all car standards (it has to).

The unpainted bumpers are like teflon. They take abuse and keep looking good. You don't have to wax them, either, so no getting on your hands and knees to wash or wax the painted cladding. Just hose it off, that's all it takes.

Drive one to see if you like it, it's very low maintenance. I wish more Subies had unpainted cladding like that.

-juice

jlemole

Sosborne: My Outback is in NYC every day. The cladding paint has actually proved pretty durable, but it is black plastic underneath (don't ask how I found this out, but it invloved more than a mere parallel parking tap). I think with any car, however, eventually the bumbers are going to show wear if you're parking on city streets every day.

Jon

nygreg

Subaru has rubber strips you can purchase to help protect the bumper. They are usually installed on the corners, but, since they are just glued on, you can place them on the back bumper. JaT

Greg

hypov

Bumper moldings are available if you don't want it just at the corners. I've seen somewhere that they're available in variety of colors.

Pics of bumper moulding [on dearly departed].



-Dave

idahodoug

Find an installer of "clear bras" in your area that uses the 3M films. They can put this on the faces of painted bumpers to protect against parking lot scuffing. It will eventually get torn up as well, but cheaper to replace a strip every 2 years than a single repaint.

IdahoDoug

francophile

Not to drift off-topic too much but an acquaintance of mine turned me on to a very sweet idea for a city vehicle; a Jeep Wrangler with a hardtop. It's compact to fit those tight spaces, the beefy tires swallow up potholes with aplomb, the big windows in the hardtop make the corners of the vehicle are easy as pie to see from the driver's seat, the seating position is good for city work, and the bumpers are good old-fashioned steel :-)

Cheers,
-wdb

ateixeira

Perfect to drive in the urban jungle. I'm not sure you could call DC streets "paved". ;-)

-juice

nematode

according to my wife she never scraped the wall with the corner of the left rear bumper....the wall jumped out and attacked the bumper. Thats her story and she is sticking to it.

sosborne301

I really appreciate the bumper advice. It sounds silly, but the bumpers are going to be a major part of my decision making. I'll look at the Forrester, but will probabaly try for a dealer installed bumper protection device for the Outback. It amazes me that bumbers are not made to withstand small bumps without showing paint damage...bumpers should be made to withstand small bumps while parking. If I were Subaru, I'd fix this problem and Market it like crazy.

ateixeira

Go to the Forester topic and read back a bit, you'll find stories about magical bumpers that pop back into shape. Seriously.

Here is a good reference if you care about what fender bender will cause in terms of damage:

http://www.highwaysafety.org/vehicle_ratings/low_speed.htm

Forester is best in class, and the best Subie.

-juice

ncvol

I used to have a Jeep Cherokee with those black plastic bumper covers on the corners, and more than a few times I crunched them in backing up, and they popped right back out. They're really a pretty good idea.

ncvol

J.D. Power has just come out with their Vehicle Dependability Study:

http://www.jdpower.com/news/releases/pressrelease.asp?ID=2003050

Subaru falls above the industry average in overall problems during the first three years, but isn't as close to the top as you might think. The good news is that they have the smallest decline in quality from their initial level measured at 90 days after purchase, meaning that any bugs tend to get worked out and fixed early (under warranty).

The Euros, as a group, showed a steady decline, with the exceptions of Porsche, Saab, Jaguar and BMW. Surprisingly (at least to me) was that Buick came in #3 as a brand behind the well-known reliability stalwarts Lexus and Infiniti

rsholland

I'm convinced the average 65-year old Buick owner drives their cars at 2/10 at most, barely testing the vehicles capabilities. So, if you never push the vehicle, yeah sure, it won't likely break.

Also, Buick builds what their market segment wants, 4-wheeled pillows. So, if that's what their customer wants, and they build it, don't expect them to complain.

Bob

martijnh

Hi,

I own a 2000 Outback Ltd Wagon. I've driven almost 50k on the original tires (Firestone Wilderness) and need to replace them. Any experiences to share as to what are good replacements? I live in Northern California, drive quite a few highway miles, encounter snow on about 5-8 annual trips to the mountains. I drive the occassional gravel/dirt road to get to trailheads, etc. I would prefer a tire that handles adequately, decent gas mileage, quiet and can handle the occassional snow/dirt. Thanks!

nygreg

I have Dunlop Sport A2s. Can't recommend them because of noise. Many like the Michelins - MXV4, Pilot XGT. I am looking also since the Dunlops are shot at 20K miles. Check out Tirerack.com for advice.

Greg

nygreg

Don't know Bob. I think constant short trips are harder on a vehicle. Buick probably deserves the credit, but their vehicles do nothing for me.

Greg

jlemole

I believe a few people here have been happy with Nokian NRW as a great all season tire, especially for snow. Check out their website at Nokian.com.

Jon

vpotluri

I am in the market for a new vehicle in October. Is the 2004 model going to be out by then? I heard the Outback Wagon is going to be undergoing a transformation. Any sites where I can read about it? Thanks.

rsholland

Try Subdriven.com for Legacy info. They're both due here next spring, as '05 models.

Bob

carmadness

ateixeira

Bob - they could only improve the scores if the pillows fluffed themselves, LOL. But I fully agree. Why is Buick so far ahead of Olds?

-juice

slickdog

...my wife and I got a local Subaru dealer down real close to $16K on a base '01 Outback wagon with 32K miles, which is nearly immaculate and has a few months of the Subaru bumper-to-bumper warranty left. According to Edmunds, dealer retail is only $16K, but everyone in my area is asking high $17's and not willing to come down much from that (offers below $16K weren't taken seriously by anyone). What do you current owners think? Keep it, or throw it back?!? We're thinking that we probably can't do much better than this, at least not around here, and we've pretty much decided the Legacy/Outback wagon is the car for us.

stever

When I got my "immaculate" '97 OB Ltd. last April with 34,000 miles on it, I checked with Terry over on Real-World Trade-In Values.

He repeated "and it's AWD" about six times, and his price was $100 lower than TMV suggested.

I bit, but I also knew the car and owner. Idahodoug found his by asking older couples in parking lots if they were thinking of trading for a new Subaru - one couple was!

Decisions, decisions :-)

Steve, Host

idahodoug

There's no shortage of clean used Subarus out there. I'd keep looking. I track these things as part of my job, and there is currently a glut of used cars that has never been equalled out there. They're piling up everywhere, and Subaru's not immune particularly since they joined the incentive game and lots of Sube owners are trading up. I'd get more aggressive and also consider talking to private owners with the "parking lot method". Bought two super clean incredibly low mile Subarus that way last year. Heh.

IdahoDoug

ptrekker

I don't know where you live but try Bill Kolb Subaru in Rockland County, NY. They typically have a huge supply of off-rentals. In 02/03, I bought an 02 Outback with 15k for $17k and change.

raybear

Due later this month, they're already at port.

The B4 Legacy will be a 2005 model, sometime next year, they aren't making any promises.

rsholland

I thought all US-spec models were all built in Indiana??

Bob

ladywclass

doug .. I don't know where he's looking for a used Sube, but Subarus aren't ALL over the country .... that in itself can make a huge difference ...

but I LIKE your parking lot method ... a LOT !!!

raybear

The port is the central dispatch.

slickdog

...almost willing to go for it. We've settled just below $16K with my (nearly worthless) trade in, but haven't signed anything yet. I'm tempted to seal the deal next week for the following reasons:

- The car we're replacing is developing some new problems. It has already had some nasty mechanical failures in the last few months!
- I already had to find a dealer nearly an hour away that had any decent '00/'01 models in my price range, and I have very little time to go driving all over the countryside as it is.
- There may be a glut of used cars overall, but there most certainly is not a surplus of used Outbacks around here. Many we've looked at are high miles and look pretty beat. They have been moving off the lots too, as we started looking casually back in early spring, and most of the potential candidates we had in mind from back then are long gone.
- Winter can be fairly nasty around here, so the Outback is pretty popular in my area. I'm thinking that they will only disappear from the lots even faster if we wait until late summer/early fall, unless too many trade-ins hit the dealers as a result of all the Subaru incentives. Since I don't work in the local auto industry or know anyone who does, it's tough for me to know how the used Subaru market is around here!

Perhaps I'll take Steve's advice and ask that Terry fellow if we're way out of the ballpark on the price. Thanks for your input, everyone! I'll let you know how things work out.

steine13

Learned Friends,

I live 1/2 mile from the Subie dealer, and it occurred to me that their older trade-ins might be a good source for play cars. Sure enough, here's one:

'98 base Outback in "no-sale blue", as Terry calls it.
Manual transmission (of course)
Ok tires, a few scratches here and there, and a bunch of them on the rr quarter panel above the cladding, but looks okay overall. Body panels all have good alignment, let's assume no accidents. Nothing obviously leaking, no rust (not a given here in MI), dry black soot in the tail pipe, and quite a bit of it, which makes me wonder how well the O2 sensor and injectors are doing their job.

Haven't sat in it, popped the hood, or driven it yet, but:
- What should i look out for? What should I tell my mechanic if and when he looks it over?
- Is the 2.5 of these years the preferred engine, or is the 2.2 the better engine for high miles? I don't really care about Outback vs. Legacy.
- What do y'all think it's worth, provided it's in decent shape?

And maybe raybear can answer this one: what's the best way to convince the used-car manager that I understand the definition of "as-is"? This dealership (VW/Audi/Sub) is pretty hoitie-toitie with their used cars, mostly $15-$25k cars on their small used lot.

Anyway, please enlighten me, and thanks in advance!
-Mathias
East Lansing, MI

woodwanusa

I recently purchased a new 2003 Outback Wagon. Can someone give me some advice about turning off the daytime running lights. Nothing is mentioned in the owners manuel.
Thx