Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

andmoon

You can usually tell if the boot was torn by an object or wear by looking at the boot.
If it was road debris, Take a good look at the parts inside the boot before replacing just the boot.
Don

joybell

When first starting the car it always idles high for maybe a minute but that is normal. Then it slowly settles now to a quiet idle. When I had the problem with the rough idle at startup, the rough idle came back as soon as I let the engine idle again, even after a long road trip. The RPMs climbed to around 1000, then dropped to around 500, then it shook/rumbled, I heard a click/ding (sometimes), and then it rose up again to around 1000....this cyle lasted about 15 seconds before it would repeat itself. Now it is idling somewhere around 600 and it is staying there quietly.

mchin

Thanks for the info. I wanted to make sure that I did not have the same symptoms. Glad everything is running fine.

vetmats

My '04 Outback seems to have a much easier time starting up and settling down to a low idle more quickly since I switched to a full sunthetic engine oil.
My 0.02.

brainlessbozo

Love my 03 Forester XS Premium. However, I also have an 02 Passat AWD. Understandably, there will be a difference in ride. Is it still possible to make a few "inexpensive" changes that would give my Subie a little softer ride and body roll? I recently rented a truck and there is an uncanny resemblance to the ride. Can't change the wheel base, but what about shocks?

BB

joybell

Sigh....I think the solution was a little short-lived. The idle is not as bad as before but RPMs are fluctuating again. It's only up and down between 500 and about 750 so not as obvious as before, but still not as it should be which is steady and quiet. It also stalled again this morning after startup. Maybe, as you posted, it is the 02 sensor. Is that a common problem? So it's back to the dealer again (trip 3), which won't be anytime soon because we are busy and it takes a half day.

p0926

Wow that's a first! I don't think anyone has ever accused the Forester of a truck-like ride before much less want to make the ride softer and increase the body roll! The cheapest way I suppose would be to switch to 15" wheels and 205/70 tires. The taller tires should soften the ride. Just be sure you keep the stock wheels in case you ever want to sell.

-Frank

dcm61

switch to 15" wheels and 205/70 tires

Pretty sure 15" wheels won't clear the front brake calipers on an '03 Forester.

DaveM

brainlessbozo

Sorry about the confusion.... I feel there is greater body roll around turns, and would like to decrease that. Logistics would imply that 17" wheels with lower aspect ratio of tires might help, but thats a bit too expensive an option..... and out of question. The ride may become a bit too harsh. Mind you, I switch between a Passat and a Subie, so there WILL be a difference. I'm looking to make the difference less significant.

I had another thought... might just wait for these useless Yokohama Geolanders to wear out, and then change to Continental Contact Premiers or BFG Tracttion T/A tires. I had to get Blizzaks for my 1st winter here in SD.

Please keep your thinking caps on....BB

edunnett

When I wanted to reduce that feeling going around turns the comments I got back most often were to upgrade the rear sway bar from the stock 18mm to perhaps a 21mm (cusco, hotchkis and whiteline are some brand names). After that if you still seek a tighter turn and higher performance ride you might go after the related suspension springs and struts and like you mention - don't forget the tires - low profile performance types which might look goofy on a forester. Personally, I'm waiting until my warranty runs out to do any of that stuff. -elissa

p0926

Now that BB has clarified what he is hoping to accomplish, I agree that upgrading the rear sway bar would be a cheap but effective way to reduce body roll. However, I believe that the stock bar is 13mm and 18mm is what you want to upgrade to.

-Frank

brainlessbozo

Thanks a bunch. How much does upgrading the sway bar cost, esp. in terms of labor? I don't think I'm going to go for the low profile tires. And I agree with the idea of waiting out the warranty. Who knows, by then I might be considering a Legacy GT (used '05) or similar outback.

BB

ateixeira

john: probably some debris got kicked up in there. Bummer, but it is just a rubber boot, a sharp rock can tear it.

BB: first thing I'd look at is tires - the all terrains you have are hardly ideal for sporting road driving. Try a good touring or all season performance tire.

Sway bars help and trade-off very little. Stock is pretty thin so try an 18mm or 21mm bar, or even an adjustable one. You're talking about $80-150 in parts and less than one hour of labor. It's basically 4 bolts and any handy person could manage the installation.

-juice

njswamplands

ateixeira

Ask, not much, I'm sure. An hour of labor or less.

-juice

njswamplands

brainlessbozo

Thanx, Juice. You are right about the tires, though. I'm going to have to wait till these Yoko Geo are worn down some more. I think that will improve the drive...... any one has suggestions? I see Continentals (Contact Premiere) and BFG Traction T/As have pretty good reviews on Tirerack. What have most of you changed your tires to? And, were you happy with your decision/ choice?

BB

ateixeira

Vulcantire.com has Falken 512s for $49 each in the Forester's size. They'll be my next tires. I have a set on the Miata already.

Add shipping and mounting and you're probably around $280 for the set.

-juice

gherman131313

At 30,000 checkup for my '03 Forester 2.5X, I asked about my front disc brakes and was told 'no problem, plenty of pad left'.

So during oil change and tire rotation last week (at 36,700 miles, just over the warranty!), was told 'just 10 percent of front pads left, must replace immediately. They also want to 'clean' the rear drum brakes (is this really necessary)

My beef is, if i had been told back at 30,000 miles that pads were down to 30%, I would have had them replaced under the warranty before I passed 36,000.

I am light-footed when it comes to braking, can't believe they are already gone at 36,700. I'm trying to get the dealership to do the job under warranty.

Thoughts?

once_for_all

I am positive that brake wear is a non-warranty item, so you did not lose out on anything.

Not sure that cleaning rear drums is really needed. Funny thing, I can distinctly remember my auto shop teacher HOLLERING at me for taking an air gun to my drum brake to blow off the "dust". LOL the things we learn about asbestos management.

John

p0926

I'm trying to get the dealership to do the job under warranty.

That ain't gonna happen (even if you only had 20k miles on the car). Brake pads are just like tires in that they're normal wear items that aren't covered under the vehicle warranty. And no Subaru doesn't use cheap pads that wear out particuarly fast either. There was pleny of wear left on the pads of my 01 Forester when I traded it at 65k. But those were mostly hwy miles, the constant stop-&-go of city driving is harder on brakes.

-Frank

dcm61

brake pads are covered under the 3/36 warranty.

From cars101: 3year/36,000 mile Wear Item Warranty covers keyless remote battery, brake pad/shoe linings, clutch disc lining, wiper blades

DaveM

P.S. Patti has mentioned this warranty on several occasions but it still may be YMMV.

snowbelter

on the SOA website and pads are covered as were mine at 18k. Martin

p0926

Well slap me on the head and call me stupid! :-)That's awfully generous of Subaru to include brake pads in the 3/36 warranty.

-Frank

dcm61

<slaps Frank on head>

Someone else can call him stupid. ;-)

DaveM

ateixeira

Nah, I just can't. Because I'm a bit shocked, too.

People that have been to Summit Point joke about having 10,000 miles of brake dust on their rims after a day of hot laps. I can easily see going through a set in a single season.

-juice

once_for_all

I wonder now what my Subaru Gold extended warranty (80k) says about wear items.

John

subaru_team

slap you upside your head?? You gave us a chance to share some good stuff! But your post did make me laugh!

Patti

subaru_team

Sorry - that doesn't cover brake pads, clutch disc, or wiper blades. That being said, it does cover some wear.

Many aftermarket extended service agreements do not cover engine issues that they say are caused by "normal wear", i.e. lack of compression on high mileage vehicles, etc. Added Security does cover that kind of wear. In fact, I remember reading a write up about extended service agreements and it mentioned ours as being one of the best for that reason.

Sorry about the brake pads though!

Patti

ice1

I have a 99 right rear wheel bearing went took it to the dealership no charge for it I was over 100000km may be a secret warranty. In the 4.5 years I have the car this was the only problem.

once_for_all

Good of Subaru to stand behind a known problem even when it has exceeded the warranty period. These are the "little" big things that keeps us loyal. That, and Patti lol.

John

mimas

I am new to this forum. I own a 2002 Subaru Forester-L(A/T) with ~45000 miles. Lately I have been hearing a rattling noise when accelerating. I took it to my dealer for inspection. The service manager hinted that the "heat shield" might be loose and it will cost me $39.00 to fix it. I have 7yr/100,000mi gold plus warranty with $0 deductible. The service manager says this problem is not covered under that warranty. Can someone please tell me where the heat shield is located on a 2002 Forester? I would like to fix it myself if the part is easily accessible. To me, $39.00 sounds exorbitant to tighten a few nuts/screws.

Thanks for your help!

ateixeira

I'm shocked they wouldn't cover it. For that little, just to establish a little good will to a Gold customer.

Call 800-SUBARU3 to report the issue. I don't think you should pay anything.

-juice

lucien2

AAArrrrgh!!! I need to change the front rotors on the OB, but the caliper bolts are siezed. I've just spent over an hour struggling with the ones on the passenger side, including half a can of WD40. I'm spent. Before I give up and hand the thing over to someone with impact tools, does anyone have any other potential home remedies for stuck bolts? &$#@!&! 2 friggin bolts is all that stand between me and a 15 minute job.

p0926

I agree with Juice, when you shell out big bucks for an extended warranty you expect stuff like that to be covered.

-Frank

locke2c

propane torch. if the bolt gets white hot, replace it due to the possibility of it loosing temper. otherwise you're good to go and put it back in when done.

torches are a must on components that regularly get hot, like exhaust and brakes.

ps, WD-40 is a total waste of time.

~Colin

rob_m

I had the 100k warrantee. My 99 GT had the heat shields tightened 4 times in the last 5 months. I paid $35.00 the first time, and no charge for the rest.

zman3

Can you actually "tighten" a heat shield? Mine was welded when it started to rattle.

ateixeira

Never done that job (yet) otherwise I'd drive up today and help out!

We'll actually be at the Inner Harbor tomorrow to go for a ride in a friend's boat.

-juice

kens

"torches are a must on components that regularly get hot, like exhaust and brakes."

Sounds so obvious, but I would have never guessed that!

Ken

lucien2

but it makes me nervous. Impossible to see the flame cone in the daylight. FWIW the overnight WD40 soak did work; passenger side completely done, driver side pads done, bottom caliper bolt off. Top bolt refusing to budge, so I'm going to have a go at this torch.

lucien2

took some work, even with the torch, but it's all done, bedded and everything. One note: when working in the hot sun, it might not cross one's sun baked mind that applying propane flame to a part previously sprayed with WD40 a half hour earlier will result in a wheel well fire. :-)

locke2c

hehehe

I only laugh because it sounds like you didn't catch the car on fire-- but yes, I didn't even think about warning you to make sure you've rinsed off the WD-40 with water.

good job!

~c

jfl

I didn't think of it when I read Colin's post last night but we used to put something cold (ice cubes or freon!?) to shrink the part after heating.

I've only had to do this with plumbing, never with a car...does it mean I don't drive and brake hard enough???

Jim

lucien2

Jim- This ol' Outback has seen 4 track days at Summit Point and 2 rallycrosses in its life, so yea the brake parts have gotten hotter than they would have on the street....that's how I learned that DOT 3 brake fluid is no good. ;-)

alyosha73

Everything you describe is exactly what happened with my other car - Ford Focus SVT (sorry not Subaru, this one is new and was perfect so far). The check engine light didnt come on for a year, and the dealer kept saying that SVT (if you know it is a high rpm tuned 2.0liter ZETEC,cosworth technology, but beyond the point) is tuned for racing, so rough idle is how it is supposed to be and so on. It was not severe and went away every time the car warmed up. When the CEL came on (after the problem persisted for a year), the dealer replaced under warranty "heated O2 sensor" and "catalyst monitor" sensor. At that time all of the rough idling dissapeared. Without CEL, I dont know what the dealer can do and how they can test the sensors otherwise, in the end they are just following procedures, they see light, they read it, they replace the part, reset CEL. Unless it is something big, like obvious damage to the part, they will just feed you BS about how it is within specs, or make up some - visual inspection, quick fix thing.
So to summarize, I dont know if it is common to Subarus (my guess it is not); and I dont know wy the CEL didnt come on for so long- could be that tghe sensor doesnt fail right away and works marginally within specs for a while; could be the way the CEL algorythm is programmed to disregard problems until they become too severe (to weed out falses, and possibly to extend the problem beyond the warranty period, sorry for conspiracy crap). In any case, maybe someone here can come up with a battle plan for you at the dealers, you have to be persistent. I am on the ford board now asking for suggestions on how to escalate solution to my AC problem, which dealer doesnt want to fix under warranty, cause it is possibly result of other mechanic neglegence when they fixed it before (didnt tighten compressor unit and it had been flopping around and losing coolant. They first said that it has damage on it as if from collision, when I asked to show me, they retracted statement that it is just not affixed right.)

joybell

Thanks for giving me your experiences with this problem. I will continue to try to get the dealer to finally fix it. As I posted before, the dealer is not close to me and it takes a good half day to get there and back. As for dealer giving excuses...yes, I have been accused of not driving my Forester enough and of buying a "high perfomance engine" (as if there was an engine choice available!). It is frustrating when you buy a new vehicle and a few weeks later have a problem that still persists a year later.

nygreg

Your better than me. I snapped the bolt off of my passenger side caliper last month. I think I'll buy a torch now...and rinse off the WD40 (although I instantly thought "FIRE" when you mentioned the torch right after WD40). BTW - how much do you heat the bolt??

Greg

vtcleo

a little venting here...

the local subaru dealer is apparently completely incompetent and unscrupulous...

this i find out AFTER a frustrating trip (that turned into 3 trips - issues still not resolved $1300 later) to the dealer. they try to repair stuff that isn't broken, can't find problems that the local tire guy can find (and charge $40 to not find them), etc

everyone i mention this to has a different story (some allege that they put USED parts on cars and sell them as new)- people living next door to this shop are driving 1.5 hours to another dealer. i wonder how they stay in business??? - i think it is because everyone drives subarus around here, the dealer is located in a college (read - new people who don't know any better) town, and the next closest dealer is 1.5 hours.

doesn't subaru have some sort of quality control on their dealers? customer service?

thanks for the vent - makes me want to become a mechanic on my own - and yea, i am a chick!

ateixeira

Yes, vent, and also call 800-SUBARU3 to lodge a complaint.

In the future, call the same 800 number for each problem if you want SoA to track your problem and ensure that the dealer is doing every thing it can.

Finally, stick around so your problems (and hopefully the resolutions to them) are shared publicly.

-juice