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It was recommended to me by other forum users that I post my situation to you in this forum. I would be extremely appreciative of any information that you can offer. Please see below for the letter that I posted earlier.
Thanks,
Jake
Hi, I was wondering if anyone had any advice about a 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5 XSi. The dealer described it as a vehicle with all of the "X" features with the power moonroof and leather interior of the "XS".
It is a new car (less than 30 miles on it). I asked whether or not it had any flood damage, they told me "no" (do they legally have to disclose this if asked?). They have 5 of these on their lot.
The XSi is a "Test-Market Vehicle" as described by the dealer. According to him, Subaru wants to find out whether or not customers will go for a package such as this. This vehicle also has the same warranty as any other Subaru vehicle.
2 things make me skeptical:
1. Does it have the same parts as the X or XS. What I mean is, if the engine, brakes, timing belt, etc... need to be repaired, will I be told that because my car is a "test-market vehicle" my parts are harder to come by and would therefore be much more expensive. (in fairness, he did say that if I needed the power moonroof or leather interior repaired, he suggested only bringing it to their dealership, since it's the only one in the area selling these XSi's)
2. The price that they're charging is only $16 over the "X" invoice price and appox. $500 less that the TMV price on Edumunds. I don't want to be the "sucker that is born every minute".
Any insight and expertise that you can provide would be extremely appreciated. Thank you very much.
But now, I am really unhappy that the gas tank is leaking at the seam. There is no visible rust. Independent repair shops tell me that the tank can be repaired safely with expoxy, but my Subaru dealer insists on replacement. Since the replacement involves removing the exhaust system to get at the tank, they further inform me that because the flange that attaches the muffler is corroded, it will likely break and that the entire rear muffler assembly must also be replaced. Cost: $1400. This is a huge amount of money for a tank and muffler. I am especially unhappy because Subarus have stainless steel mufflers that never wear out, but the pipe and flange that attaches them is made of plain steel that does. This certainly seems illogical. Is there any alternative to these expensive repairs? Would it be unsafe to repair the tank with epoxy?
I would not have it repaired, I'd have it replaced, but since it's such a high milage, why not just have a local shop replace it?
As for the exhaust, you can probably have that replaced for about $200.
As for SS exhaust, all cars today have "ss exhaust" but as you noted it's only the can itself.
-mike
It's always a good idea to check something out if you have doubts!
Patti
Patti
Thanks so much for your time and help.
Jake
Compare this car to a real "XS" (with the factory moonroof and leather) and you should be able to tell right away.
Aftermarket accesories like this are usually pretty decent, but they will look different than the factory parts, especially the moonroof. For one thing, the controls will look different -- instead of being integrated into the overhead console, the controls will most likely have their own little pod in the headliner.
Craig
A rusted exhaust flange is not a big deal -- they all rust. Since the flange is a thick piece of metal, rust is not usually an issue -- it would take many decades for rust to be a problem. At worst, it might be tough to get the bolts loose and you might need a $3 gasket. If the dealer is telling you that the rusted flange neccesitates a whole new rear muffler, than they are probably trying to rip you off. I would go somewhere else to get the tank repaired. Try the epoxy repair first, it's a fairly common thing.
CRaig
-mike
I hear that there are invites being put out in the Tri-States.
Can we play too?
-Dave
I have my car back and its running well again. They had to replace the head gaskets on both sides, plus they found that the oil seal around the oil pump was leaking. The new oil seal and o-ring were installed along with a new timing belt (probably due to being oil-fouled). The labor charges on the HG repair were the killer.
The other thing that I want to mention to you is that I had the same oil seal and o-ring replaced by them a year and a half ago (20,000 miles). They were absolutely wonderful then and repaired these under 'dealer good will' and just charged me for the new timing belt. I'm just hoping that this time these seals will last and I don't have to go through this expense again in another 20K.
Case #674149
Thanks,
Alan
98 OBW Ltd
-Frank
Reading everyone's well intentioned (and I'm very appreciative for it) advice makes me a bit nervous that, assuming the moonroof is an after-market add-on, the work done on it may not be the best of the best. I don't want water in the car's interior every time it rains or snows. Does anyone have any experience with anything like this?
Jake
-Brian
Reading everyone's well intentioned (and I'm very appreciative for it) advice makes me a bit nervous that, assuming the moonroof is an after-market add-on, the work done on it may not be the best of the best. I don't want water in the car's interior every time it rains or snows. Does anyone have any experience with anything like this?
Jake
-Frank
Thanks!
Patti
Patti
-mike
Bob
Patti
Patti
Patti
-Dave
Bob <who was trying to Photoshop a Subaru logo onto the front of that truck>
Then I can tow my SUBARU RACE CAR with it
-mike
Dealer specials are common, just keep in mind residuals aren't so good. People like factory stuff because it's backed by the manufacturer.
-juice
Thanks again!
Patti
-Frank
The Ride&Drive was fun though Michael was not allowed to ride along, and we were rushed through the courses; because of this, we didnt get to test the Volvo through the handling course, and I didnt get to test the Legacy through the performance course; this is what I was looking forward to, and it seems to defeat the whole purpose of comparison tests. Susan seemed to have a real knack for driving fast through all the courses...those quiet accountant types!
For Michael though, it turned out OK; one of the test drivers was John Paul Jr., former Indycar, IMSA, and LeMans driver... http://www.johnpauljr.com/
Very nice guy who spent a lot of Michael's time talking to him about driving techniques and racing... Anyway, speak to y'all soon.
Serge
Craig
-mike
Patti
Patti
1) whistling from the mirrors on legacy and Outback models, sedan and wagon -- some people have fixed this by cramming some weatherstripping in the hingeline gap of the mirrors.
2) humming tires on the Outback models with 17" wheels. At least 2-3 people on another forum have replaced their OE RE-92A tires with another brand/model to get rid of the hum. I am thinking about replacing mine too, it's a real annoyance in an otherwise silent car.
Craig
Patti
Bad - they already have enough of a "cross-section" selected to participate.
Curious - there was other "criteria" used along with being a Subaru owner. Something about other vehicles considered, etc. I'm curious to how they obtained that information, but I think it must be from the OLP surveys. Not confirmed yet.
Sorry I couldn't get y'all into one, but you do get a voice by posting suggestions on these boards. I send them to Product Planning on a regular basis. Not as much fun, but the information is shared anyway.
Patti
-Dave
Monday and Tues of next week.
-mike
The mirror whistling doesn't bother me so much, but the tire hum is really annoying, especially since I am looking at a $600 set of new tires as the only cure! My previous 02 Outback with OE 16" RE-92 tires did not have this problem; it seems to be unique to the 17" RE-92A on the 05 models. The noise appears to be related to vibration of the tire/wheel, not rolling. The hum is monotone, and gets louder with speed but the frequency does not change with speed (as it would if you were driving over a singing bridge or had a bad wheel bearing). If you lightly bounce a wheel/tire or bonk the tire with a hammer you can hear the vibration noise, and this appears to be the mechanism for the noise when driving. Over bumps and dips, the noise gets punctuated.
As for experimentation -- a guy on another forum replaced his OE tires with Michelin Pilot A/S tires ($800) and got rid of the noise. I actually swapped the wheels and tires between my Subarus and the noise followed the OB wheel/tire combo to the other car.
I should note that I had the balance checked and all 4 wheels were right on the money, so it does not appear to be a static or dynamic imbalance type of noise.
For diagnosis -- I imagine anybody could take an Outback XT onto the highway with the windows up and stereo off, get up to about 65-75mph, and you will hear the humming (it starts as low as 25mph for me). People who have gone to even higher speeds say it's really annoying. The noise seems to come and go, as the hums from the 4 wheels add/cancel out (known as a beating effect). Sort of a warbling hum. Different highway surfaces make it better or worse, but it always seems to be there.
I hope this info helps!
thanks,
Craig
Serge