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Comments
I don't know about your 82, but one of my friends had one of those VW diesel pickups, and most of the door interior was painted metal! Only the center section had a small panel (wood) with some vinyl covering.
Craig
..my '82 LX has imitation leather(vinyl)seats, door panels and headliner...
((...appreciate the sans upholstery crack: pretty quick/funny.....)) ez
Nicely padded fabrics look and feel a lot better but won't stand up to dog paws for long.
Pick your poison.
arturs: Try this junk yard. maybe:
http://www.fsautoparts.com/
-juice
Craig
3/5/05 Sacramento Bee: two X's for "$4k off MSRP"...."offer good thru 3-6-05".
MSRP = $21870 (dest charge included)
Circa $17870 (plus tax/license/doc fee)
..this may drain heavily on my Naval Reserve pay..
...ez
Check if all hoses a secured.
-Dave
Cheers Pat.
..my last automatic was a '57 Ford Sunliner....
...I've never seen anything close to what you describe............and I drive in LA traffic every now and then.........
IMHO, clutch facing material (currently an asbestos-like substitute) has a low burn probability.
I'd seek additional info (LA area must have some bright folks) on this situation..........
best wishes (for smokeless journeys) ez
Which begs the question why don't they off road hazard policies with new car purchases?
IRT the "sissy upholstery", IMO the vinyl material is more durable than the old velour fabric (where you could tell that I rested my left arm on the window sill). Although my black lab is a regular (and enthusiastic) passenger in the back and is constantly hanging his head out the rear passenger windows, he hasn't left any marks (other than nose prints of course!). Do you clip your dog's nails?
Contrary to "cheapening" their cars, I think that Subaru has only improved the quality of the materials in the new Foresters.
-Frank
-juice
-juice
Any chance the floormat was interfering with the gas pedal (or anything else, shoes, etc...) ?
Were your brakes functioning OK at the time?
Craig
Other than that, I'm leaning towards the questions
Craig posed.
-Dave
I don't think it was bitman, though, wasn't it one of the various Daves (middle name)? I forget his screen name.
-juice
-Dave
IMHO you would have to be moving at a pretty good clip to do that much damage.
Cheers Pat.
In my wife's case she said she was able to accelerate from a standing stop (she's one of the rare MA drivers that actually stops at a stop sign) w/o putting per foot on the gas, just releasing the brake. Said she was cruising around 50 on the highway.
I wasn't there to see that. What I did see was
1) a look of panic on her face when she pulled into the dealership, foot firmly riding the brake.
2) the engine idling in park at about 2000-2200 rpm's
3) in drive the engine held 1600 rpms give or take.
4) When it was in park she definitely had neither foot on any pedal. I even asked her to pull her feet totally away from them
5) There wasn't anyone from the dealership around, so I popped the hood, I didn't see an obvious problem with either cable, so I opened and closed the throttle quickly at the intake and the problem cleared.
6) I brought this up to the dealership and it looks like they adjusted/replaced one of the cables. Originally I thought accelerator, but I haven't bothered to trace it back to be sure. BTW - they said no problem found on the repair order.
Problem hasn't been back yet.
HTH
Larry
Sounds like what the cruise control would do, except it isn't supposed to.
When I put my '03 WRX on cruise control, it will accelerate or decelerate to the set speed depending on the terrain. On braking, the cruise disengages. IIRC [have to play with it again] when you set the lever to RESUME, the vehicle will recommence acceleration [even with your foot off the gas].
So, I'm thinking there might be a gremlin in your cruise control. Something about the vehicle may be thinking it is on Cruise Control Mode.
Does your wife use the cruise often?
-Dave
Definitely odd behavior.....
As I said, the problem cleared when I jerked the throttle valve open and closed. I probably should have left it revving until someone from the dealership showed up.
Given the way the engine is chewing aluminum, would have helped it along.......
Larry
-juice
Don't worry, cats have 9 lives...
-juice
Cheers Pat.
Soon after I purchased the car, I noticed that the friction point seemed to change on different shifts. It is inconsistent, but seems like it changes with the weather, with how long the car has been driven, and which gear I'm shifting from and to. Sometimes the clutch begins to allow the gears to engage while the pedal is about 1/2 inch from the floor. Other times it can wait to engage until it is almost to the top of the travel distance. I may not have the right words here, but sometimes the friction point appears to be about 1/2 inch of clutch pedal travel and at other times almost the entire distance (3 to 4 inches). It is driving me nuts.
The dealer can never find anything wrong and they look at me like I'm an idiot and can't drive a clutch. I usually manage to get at least 150,000 miles out of a clutch. I drive a number of different types of vehicles at work and at most it takes me two shifts, from neutral to first, and first to second to know how the clutch works on any car or truck. I know it isn't my lack of ability to drive a stick shift. This car has never been consistent. I have had it in to the dealer many times.
At about 20,000 miles the clutch began to shudder after shifting occasionally, just like others are describing. Now at 26,000 miles, it seems like the car wants to shake itself apart.
I'm going to make another attempt at the dealer, armed with the TSB everyone has referred to. Does anyone have any other suggestions?
Thanks,
Elise
I know all about the lives of a cat. My last one, rest her devious little soul, used up 7 distinctly separate lives before I finally cut her short of going for 8/9 by euthanizing. I felt terrible about it since I had raised her from a bottle at 2 weeks old, but enough is enough! I had to laugh the other day because I read a "national headline" about a cat who rode 10 miles on the top of his owner's car. I thought, "Hell, that made national news?! My cat could be famous right now!" hehe.
Anyhow. Poor cat. Yadda yadda.
I am happy to report that my head gasket, at 180,000 miles (well, 7 miles short) is NOT leaking! Yay! But, something sure is; it is coming from the left (driver) side of the radiator area, but darned if I can pinpoint it. I've tried many fixes, but while they all seem to slow the leak, none have stopped it. The worst part is that I cannot really tell if it is a mix of tranny and coolant, or just coolant, or just tranny. This is infuriating! I am almost to the point of replacing the radiator, but I don't even know if that is the problem. I'm sure it would slow the leak, but would it fix it? ;-D
Sounds like your car is behaving much like mine was...I feel for you.
Brian
I suspect my local guy is just hosing me (no fee a month ago, now suddenly the color I want comes with this fee. But the ugly one they can't move magically doesn't have the fee attached.) but I just want to make sure.
I'm ready to buy the car. Their quote is very competitive, with the exception of this fee.
If this is the wrong forum, please feel free to move elsewhere. Thanks for any info.
if its the best out the door take it, if not deal some more.
I agree, who cares about the actual breakdown. I'm just looking for ammo.
OTD is OTD. Not OTD + $275! Dealers are always thinking up new a creative ways to convince you that you "can't" negotiate such and such fee. The truth is that everything is negotiable when it comes to buying a car.
FYI some areas of the country (New England is one) do have a regionally imposed ad fee. In which case the dealer can be expected to try and pass that cost on to the customer. However, in your case, since it's not on every car, it sounds suspiciously like yet another way to separate you from your money.
-Frank
After three pedal covers wore out, I replaced the set with metal covers. But I had to quickly remove the clutch pedal cover because at times, I could not depress the pedal far enough to get it to disengage. This seems to be a common problem that has not yet been completely resolved after 7 years. There is no sense in replacing the clutch again if the problem is going to recur again. I am not sure now that I want another Subaru when I replace this one next year.
-juice
Today, my husband spoke to the mechanic and he was told I should be using 87 octane gas.
I am frustrated, which gas should i use? The long cranks have occured with both premium and regular. If i use 87 my car hesitates. It does seem like all these problems are normal for outbacks.
Any ideas on the long cranks?
Thanks, susie
Craig
First of all, yes, you should be using premium fuel, as mentioned in the owners manual (and there may even be a sticker on the gas door/cap).
I had an 02 H6 wagon that was also finicky to start on ocassion. But, if you allow the fuel pump to pressurize the system before cranking the starter, it will start perfectly 100% of the time. I learned to make this my habit. Many other cars are the same way.
These are the steps: 1) turn the key to on, 2) wait a few seconds -- you will hear a whirring noise from the back of the car as the fuel pump pressurizes the fuel injection system, 3) when the whir stops, turn the key to start and the engine will fire right up.
Using this procedure, my H6 was bullet proof!!
I can only assume something about the fuel plumbing causes fuel to drain back into the tank (could even be part of the fuel vapor reduction system) and then makes the engine difficult to start in some cases.
Try this simple fix, and I would bet you money it will solve the problem.
Good luck!
Craig
While OBDII came into being in the mid '90's, it isn't completely universal in how it is executed. How the data is logged, and how it is read out and interpreted is referred to as the protocol. Manufacturers have a lot of leeway here, and the systems continue to evolve with new protocols being introduced and adopted.
Most of the tools support OBDII protocols commonly used in US vehicles prior to 2004: VPW (General Motors), PWM (Ford), ISO9141 (Chrysler, Asian, and European), and ISO 14230 (also called Keyword 2000). The newest system, CAN (controlled area network) looks like it will be a major problem for most of the consumer grade tools. Ford/Mazda/Volvo are already using it, as are many of the new or revamped models introduced in '04/'05 from Toyota, GM, Chryco, Audi & Saab. I am sure that SoA will be headed there as well, so consider many of today's sub $200 tools as having a dead end unless they can be upgraded in the field (maybe downloadable ROM code change).
There is a standard set of DTC's (Diagnostic Trouble Code), or "P0" codes, but just as many (or more, depending on the mfgr), proprietary codes. Reading them out is step one, finding exactly what the P1/P2/P3 codes might mean could take some work. My Subi shop manual lists them, and some of the sites list some of the mfgrs proprietary codes as well.
Error codes can be stored that don't trigger the CEL (Check Engine Light), more properly called the MIL (Malfunction Indicator Lamp). These 'pending' or 'monitor' situation codes occur when something is out of spec, but not yet serious enough to warrant service. But they will probably cause you to fail an emissions test that requires reading out the stored data.
DTC's that cause the MIL to illuminate show the more serious situations - 'static on' when a fault code is stored that meets a certain criteria, or flashing to indicate impending doom, like an overheating catalytic.
A stored code (whether or not it illuminates the MIL) will stay forever if the fault remains, or immediately return if you attempt to clear it using the tool, or disconnect the battery. But a one time event will often clear itself, if it was a low level problem, after a certain number of start & warm-up cycles. The minimum number is three, but some situations will hang around for as much as 40. Mine was gone on the 4th trip - occurred after an abrupt maneuver on Tuesday evening, gone on Thursday. It may have backfired after a quick on/off/on throttle situation, triggering the light.
So yes, I would like to own one, but I will probably wait for CAN compliance to become part of the package to insure the most useful life from my investment.
Steve
-Frank