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Comments
What a bummer.
Bob
bit
Juice: First, I am glad that you are alright after the crash. Second, thank you for your offer of sitting in your Forester and letting you sit in my Forester to compare. I actually thought of doing that but I did not know how to approach you with such a proposal (I lost your e-mail address because I recently changed job). Your e-mail messages were sent to my e-mail account in my former employer's computer. I thought of telling my wife to look up your phone number in the directory of the organization you work. Could you give me your e-mail address (e.g. by sending me an e-mail to my wife's e-mail address at work)? My silver Forester is parked in the B2 level today. However, the easier thing would be for me to drive my Forester to where you live in a weekend that you and I are free. I live in Gaithersburg. Thanks.
I've tried adjusting the seat belt, I've tried holding it, I've tried lowering the rear window, etc. Nothing seems to work. Any ideas what might cause it and how to stop it? I'm sure it's caused by vibration, because it only comes on for songs that have heavy bass (another CD that does it is the new Radiohead disc, another great one).
I was thinking that if the rest of the paint on the miata is less than perfect you may be able to cut a deal with the bodyshop to paint the rest of the car for very little money, this way you avoid colour match problems and some parts of the paint looking newer than other parts.
Body shops are usually amenable to this sort of deal as they making up a batch of paint anyway and there is not much more preparation on a little car like the Miata, just a thought.
Cheers Pat.
Take care Juiceman
A high pitched noise...I'm wondering if it might be some kind of feedback noise that your car speakers might be picking up. My friend who owns a 2000 Forester was getting signal noise from the tweeters. It turned out that the shielding on one of the wires was faulty.
I've never heard that AWD vehicles run noisier than 2WD vehicles. Any difference you would hear is probably due to other factors such as soundproofing, aerodynamics and tire tread.
The CR-V is much noisier than the Forester because it only has a 2.0L engine that needs to work quite hard to move roughly the same amount of weight. The RX300 on the other hand, is going to ride a lot quieter. Not only does it have a 6-cylinder engine, it also has quite a bit of sound-deadening material since 'comfort' is one of it's selling points.
Ken
Thank you for your comments. My Forester has the speaker upgrade, but it does not have the tweeters. On my way home tonight, I will compare the high-pitch noise level with and without the radio or CD on. I will keep you posted on the result.
Regarding your comment on the noise in Honda CRV, I am not refering to engine noise because the noise I am concerned about in my Forester is a high-pitch noise which shows up in addition to the engine noise and the wind noise when the vehicle runs at a highway speed.
Jayhawk
I know on my OBS with K&N filter, when I accelerate hard, it produces a turbine noise like a jet. I love it. Sounds almost like a supercharger. Whhhhheeeeeee!!!!
Of course my Borla cat back growls so loud that it drowns out anything and everything. hahahahah...
Craig
Craig: I have not compared the whining noise before and after lifting the throttle. I will try that the next time I am on a highway. Similary, I have not tried to put my Forester at neutral when I cruise at a highway speed. If I put the car at neutral after it has reached a stable highway speed, would it damage the car, e.g. the tranmission, when I put the transmission back to D at a highway speed?
Folks: Having to replace the rear differential in my new Forester (of course done under warranty, so it was free in terms of money but it still took two trips to the dealer's service department) at less than 1000 miles, I wonder whether I should buy the Subaru's extended protection plan to prepare for potential repairs in the future. Currently, I have Subaru's gold plan protection for 3 years or 45,000 miles (the manufacturer's original warranty on the drivetrains of new Foresters is 3 years or 36,000 miles, but the dealer gave me the gold plan of 3 years or 9,000 miles over the warranty of 36,000 miles free of charge when I purchased my Forester). At the rate I am driving my Forester, it would reach 45,000 miles in 3 years. Any idea from anybody out there? I remember someone stated in this chatroom that he always got his money worth on buyer's extended protection plans. But I am thinking that I already have 45,000 miles of coverage. If I buy Subaru's gold plan for up to 80,000 miles, I would be paying for 35,000 miles of coverage. Would it be worth the money? It would be difficult to predict what repair would be needed.
Jayhawk
The axle was covered under the powertrain warranty and she paid about $120 including parts & labor to have everything else fixed. A lot cheaper than we expected. Yeah, it is difficult to predict problems and if the warranties are worth it. Peace of mind I suppose.
Dennis
-mike
Good idea with the paint. I'll ask. Crystal White is the WORST paint color Mazda had - most Miata.netter are surprised mine hasn't already peeled.
Four O2 sensors? Give Patti a call.
Jayhawk: e-mail me at ateixeira@ifc.org. I was out yesterday, but I'm at work today. I could run it over to Clara Barton for a quick highway jaunt and still be back in half hour.
If you prefer, we can do it tonight or tomorrow AM. Let me know (off line).
-juice
I took it to the shop this morning and they didn't think the vibration was unusual. I am terribly dissapointed. This is not what I expected from my new car.
I am hoping that it is caused by a *very* stiff suspension and that it works itself out. I am not convinced, though.
- Jan
Cheers Pat.
-juice
I'd also like to add that in the US, you can buy an extended warranty at any time while the manufacturer's original warranty is still valid. My advice to people has always been to wait until the last minute to decide. You don't get any benefit in buying the extended warranty early. In fact, all you're doing is loosing out on what other investments you could have spent your money on in the interim.
Ken
I own a 95 Legacy Wagon (FWD), and the past few weeks I've had a vibration while braking. When I apply the brakes, as I slow from 40 to 35mph, the car shimmies. At all other speeds the brakes are smooth. I've already had the front rotors replaced, and my tires have been balanced. Has anyone else experienced this? Could it be my rear brakes or a wheel bearing? Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks
Kris
-juice
-Tony
Cheers Pat.
If you are feeling a pulsation in the brake pedal when this "vibration" is occurring your rotors may be warped, even if you have new ones. Whoever installed them may not have measured them properly to assure that they were not wobbling.
I am suppose to go on a 6 hr. road trip tomarrow and wanted to take my new car. It is sunday and there aren't any subaru service centers open on sunday that I am aware of.
Is this just a normal gas cap adventure? Or could this be serious? I'm trying to reset the computer by diconnecting the battery overnight. The car has a full tank of gas, for my trip...
Any advice out there? Will I do serious damage if the light is just steady and not blinking? If it blinks for 30 sec. and then goes steady is it still ok to try to drive for a long ride and see if it goes out by itself? I don't want to do any damage to my 350 mile young engine.
Please advise,
subaruman1
This is my third subaru, the second one was a lemon experience that I ended up trading in and eating the loss because the dealership sucked... Ira in Danvers, MA. I only owned the car for 3 months when I asked for a new one because of all the problems it was having....three months later still problems and I was losing my mind and time. No I didn't get a new car, instead they wanted 7000 more to get me a new one. It is a waste of anyones time to have to visit the dealership 8 times for repairs within the first 6 months on a new car.
So I think I lost 2-3k dollars on the trade in for what I felt would be a fair deal. But what gets me mad is there should have been no need for a deal just a trade because of the newness of the car.
I did not buy again from them but instead went back to where I got my first subaru.
Regards,
subaruman1
non-blinking = emissions stuff, which is drivable
Don't forget this is a new engine, so it's not out of the question that there are some gremlins in it.
-mike
Thanks
Jason
-mike
I agree with paisan on the CEL. Try the battery trick - disconnect the negative when it's cold, wait 30 minutes, reconnect, then start and let it idle for 15 minutes.
If the CEL's blinking, park and call for the free roadside assistance that's included with all new Subies now.
Jason: I'd change the oil and filter ASAP. You could have a clogged filter, or an oil meant for summer temps. 10w30 is usually OK, but try something thinner (like 5w) if it's bone-chilling cold.
Get an OE filter from your dealer, or e-mail qsubaru@aol.com, and make sure to install the gasket on the drain plug.
-juice
I finally left my 2000 OB (AT) overnight with the dealer's service manager a couple of weeks ago. He started it the next morning and diagnosed the cause of the problem as being the timing belt tensioner. He ordered a new one, which took a couple of days to come in. After replacing the part, he showed me the old one. It had a broken internal piece, which made a small rattle sound in his hand when he shook it, but which he said could make a loud sound in the engine compartment. I asked him how he diagnosed it, given that the part itself is not visible, let alone the broken piece inside it. He said that they used a stethoscope, and that they have seen a few other cases of the same problem. The service writeup called it something like a "timing belt pulley".
It's been about 10 days since the part was replaced and I haven't heard the rattle since then.
Stan
Worked like a charm!
-juice
Having an oil pressure check is not an expensive test and could save you an expensive engine rebuild. It is possible for the oil light to flicker when the RPMs. are low and the oil is extremely hot but this is hardly likely to be a problem in the dead cold of a Canadian winter the problem is usually to get the oil to operating temperature when the oil is thick the pressure is higher.
It is for this reason the first thing I install in any car I aquire is an oil pressure gauge usually when the idiot light comes on the damage is already done, when you have an oil pressure gauge you get used to the operating pressure under all conditions and can instantly see when something is not right, anyway in conclusion I would get it checked right away in this case guessing could be very expensive good luck I know from earlier posts that you have had a lot of grief with this particular vehicle.
Cheers Pat.
That was a Fram filter. After that incident and talking to the mechanic that diagnosed the problem, I refuse to use Fram products again. But that's just my opinion.
Stan - had my tensioner replaced last month during a routine check and oil seal fix - seems to have fixed the rattle problem on mine too!
We have an S-Plus (2001) where the left rear door can't be opened from the inside.
Pulling the interior handle won't open the door, you have to use the outside handle.
Since we rarely have anyone in the back, this may have been a latent problem since we
purchased in May 2000. She's due for inspection soon, anyone experience this before ?
The right rear door works fine.
Thanks,
Bill Kok
-juice
Cheers Pat.
Cheers Pat.
Thanks
Guess the lesson is to clean the undercarriage when you get the chance. I use my pressure washer to do this and it's great. If you don't own one, try a gas station that has one - you can usually wash the whole car for 5 bucks or so.
-juice
PS The catch is you want temps above freezing
Cheers Pat.
A local stop & rob/gas/drycleaner/car wash outlet here has special nozzles in the floor of the car wash... I splurge every spring & run it through, just to clear all the accumulated winter crud from the dirty side. No sense doing it til then - we get so many freeze/thaw cycles here that everything underneath gets rinsed just driving!
Cheers!
Paul
Took it to Subaru, say it needs a new EGR valve.
I think that is what he called it. It is the valve connected to the emissions system that closes when you come to a complete stop and then opens when you start. Mine was just staying open. The loss of pressure when I start is the cause of the delay in power. But then is fine when you are moving. So hopefully it is just a bad valve and me and my LL Bean will be happy on the road again. The part will be here on Wed.
Anybody else have this happen?
Regards,
Subaruman1
Don
-mike