Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

hypov

The 05s' HU should have the plug for an external CD changer like the previous MYs' In-Dash 6 CD players, except instead of an oblong plug it is circular.

.... you still have to DIY the connect.

-Dave

ateixeira

It's an inside thing, those are Subaru's rally colors so we "get it".

-juice

doughawley

A month I got an email offering 3yr/36 mo free maintenance on 2005 Outback. Got a price of about 22.5k for stripper with compass / mirror dimmer / security and $9400 trade in for 2000 Outback with 85k on odo + 1.9% financing. I calculate the maintenance and 1.9% (against 5% guaranteed I can earn) are worth more or less $500 each. Plus I had $500 in Subaru bucks. Didn't see a downside.

Impressions from 500 miles almost all good. Downsides - still no stand alone moonroof option or ability to mount chains, coin holder and keyholes for passenger door and hatch gone compared to 2000. To the good - immediately 22mpg around town (as other note, computer is optimistic); all the stuff not on my 2000 - security / compass / dimmer rear view, trip computer (if I don't have and accident playing with it), heated seats (will use if I ever drive to Alaska), interval wipers, sideview etc. deicer, CD player, fixed tray in cargo area, map holder on back of seat, clutch that seems to work (after 40+ years of being shifty, service guys told me that my problems with stick were my fault on 2000). Don't want to pay for nav, DVD, or weird radio stuff so I certainly don't miss them.

c_hunter

Cool. That is a real good deal -- about what I paid for my 00 wagon! Thanks for the report.

Craig

khallock

bringing it to the dealership is such a hassle. Yesterday I took it in for an oil change and to get the snow tires taken off. It has 8300 miles on it. My husband has also noticed a brake smell on the interstate so they were going to look at that and I posted here before about a crack on the inside of the rear window that had to have happened during installation.

So I pick up my car yesterday and I almost died when they told me the tires cost $99! I only had them do it because I had a coupon that said it cost $36 to have it done. But I didnt read the fine print that said low-profile tires cost more. Plus he says it costs more because my Outback has the low-pressure monitoring system. He says any other shop would be the same price. SO I tell him Tire Kingdom only charged me $65 to get the snows put on. Then he says that they probably weren't aware of the monitoring system and that it has to be reset when you switch tires. Uh, ok....So I go to drive to work this morning and guess what light is on? Yep, the low pressure monitoring system. K, I bring it to tire kingdom, pay $65 and have no problems. Bring it to the dealership, pay $99 and they can't do it right? Now I have to go back today so they can fix it.

They didnt find anything wrong with my brakes on the interstate, so thats done with. They are going to replace my back window though. Even though I told them that I read (here) that I am better off keeping the factory glass and not having them replace it, the lady insisted I should have it done since its under warranty.

I still love the Outback, but I paid $11K for my last car a Corolla and I never had to bring it back to the dealer and it never saw the inside of a auto shop either. I miss that!

saedave

Do I understand that a 2.5i is offered with VDC in Sweden?

Only the 3.0R has that option in the U.S.

kyfdx

You really should buy a set of wheels for your winter tires.. $130/yr to swap out is a lot... My winter tires are on separate wheels, and my independent tire dealer swaps them out for free, since I bought the tires from him.. Even if I didn't, he only charges $16, as there is no mounting/remounting involved.. Also, it is hard on the tire bead to mount and re-mount the tire each season..

regards,
kyfdx

khallock

Yes, I'm aware of that. We plan on buying another set of rims but I have to find a time when I have $400+ laying around to buy them. The LLBean has 17" rims I think and those babies aren't cheap.

When we do go that route I will have to find out how to deal with the tire-pressure monitoring system because it needs to be reset each time you take the tires on and off anyways. At least thats what the dealer told me yesterday. Those instructions are not in the manual, at least we havent been able to find them.

bat1161

Check out the current issue of DRIVE. It has an article explaining the tire pressure system, including suggested pressures to maintain. I believe the article also mentions having to reset the system each time you rotate or change tires.

Mark

kens

Is anyone here using Mobil 1 5W40 in their GT or OBXT? Just curious what folks impressions were given that this particular oil seems to get very favorable UOA results. I'm coming up to another oil change soon and was considering what to use.

Ken

subearu

Only 5w-40 I see at Mobil is this one: http://mobil1.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_Truck_SUV_5W-40.aspx

FWIW, I put in 10w-30 M1 in my F-XT, probably will put in 5w-30 M1 before winter.

-Brian

dcab

Any idea how the system is reset, and is this something that we could easily do ourselves or does it have to be done by the dealer?

c_hunter

I would think 40 weight is too heavy, synthetic or not. You'll likely get better performance and efficiency out of a synthetic 30 weight oil (which is already better than the dino 30 weight that Subaru recommends).

I used M1 10W-30 year-round in my WRX. It flowed as well as dino 5W-30 in the cold, and was better for the summer months. Keep in mind it doesn't go much below 15F here in the winter at the coldest point.

CRaig

kens

Mobil 1 10W30 would be one choice, but I've been reading on how it tends to be on the thin side of a 30 weight oil. 10W40 is also an approved oil weight listed in the Owner's Manual so I thought a fully synthetic 5W40 would work just as well.

Mobil 1's 5W40 Truck & SUV formula is supposedly a re-marketed version of their heavy duty Delvac oil. It's supposed to be very shear resistant and have a very good additive package.

Ken

khallock

I dont know but thats what I want to find out. Because my husband wanted to buy a 2nd set of rims and then just change the tires himself every winter/spring. But now the dealer is saying the system needs to be reset and I haven;t found any instructions on how to do that.

dcab

It looks like you'd need to have a second set of sensors on the second set of rims which would then have to be reprogrammed or the warning light would stay on the dash. Wonder how much they cost? I'm considering the same thing, but am not enthusiastic about the possible inconvenience and expense of having to have the dealer do the changeover every fall and spring.

I did find some information on reprogramming a Cadillac system on-line. The information was a couple of years old but it may be the same GM direct system that Subaru is using. Reprogramming the Cadillac system involves pressing both the lock and unlock buttons on the remote and holding a type of magnet over the value stem which forces the sensor to transmit the information to the receiver. Each wheel had to be done in no more than a minute and all four wheels had to be completed in no more than five. The mechanic was then supposed to verify that the tire pressures were being recorded, I assume with the diagnostic system.

saintviper

It's kind of interesting, but one of the things that drew me to getting my Legacy was a lack of some of these high end electronic features. Tire pressure sensors are a safety item, so I don't really mean those, but when I was cross shopping the Volvo S60R/V70R I came across a number of issues with such things as the auto-leveling headlights. In failure mode, they point down about 5 feet in front of the car. Also lots of issues that required ECU updates. Mercedes, BMW, Audi, and Cadillac are all having problems with their complicated electronics.

I think Subaru has found a nice medium point where they have added some nice electronic features that add to the ownership experience of the car. On the other hand, they haven't added some features that may add just a little bit more, but are heavily outweighed by the drawbacks of having to get it fixed or upgraded because the complexity involved make it likely to fail.

They aren't perfect. They need some kind of decent satellite radio solution.. And disabling the cruise control because of a CEL is lame, but at least I don't have to take my car to the dealer because a microchip got confused and now my headlights don't work.

ateixeira

They are certainly not "bleeding edge".

I do wish they were closer to the leading edge, though. Things like traction and stability control are now common place.

-juice

sweet_subie

that's right.
most people think subaru is slow to respond to market changes. I always think they are slow but if they do something they are sure.

khallock

If the tire pressure system is just an added extra would it hurt it to get a 2nd set of rims and just ignore the system for the winter months?

BTW, my tire light went off yesterday when I was driving home for lunch so I never did go back to the dealer to get it looked at. When I called he asked me if I was parked on grass because then the car can sink a bit and it would trigger the system. My driveway is gravel and has a bunch of sink spots where we park our cars so I think that might have been the problem with the system triggering.

hondafriek

Seems to me that the tire monitoring system is more bloody trouble than it is worth. I have gotten by for over 40 years without it, I think I would pass or have it disconnected.

Cheers Pat.

kyfdx

You aren't going to have a choice much longer.. Mandated by the year 2008. Every passenger car will have a tire pressure monitoring system..

khallock

My thoughts exactly! I dont see the system as crucial and having to go to the dealer to get your tires switched over seems like overkill to me.

locke2c

pfft ya right. someone will build a bypass box. hell-- I will.

btw he's in canada, NHTSA, NIIS and DOT don't rule the roost there.

francophile

You aren't going to have a choice much longer.. Mandated by the year 2008. Every passenger car will have a tire pressure monitoring system..

Another handy little unfunded mandate from your Friendly Local Feds, for which you can thank the SUV craze. More specifically, you can thank the whole Ford/Firestone/Explorer tire debacle.

Makes no sense to me. If people want to drive too fast in poorly outfitted vehicles that are too far off the ground while having too little air in their tires, I (and Darwin) think they should have every right! Hey man, this is America!

-wdb

ateixeira

but those same people might crash into the car my family is occupying and harm us. :sick:

I'm not necessarily pro-TPMS, just playing Devil's Advocate.

-juice

locke2c

for some reason when I read this post the first time, I thought paisan had written it.

no offense wdb... or paisan. :P

~c

ateixeira

No, paisan would've somehow slipped in a comment about how diesels with tons of torque would be exceptions to that rule.

-juice

francophile

I see my dry sense of humor once again did not translate well into the online realm. Ah well.

-wdb

locke2c

ya, I read it like you were geniunely ranting and pissed off about it.

that's why I made the original connection.. the one that was wrong.

~c

xwesx

Nah. I appreciated it fully but did not have a witty response so figured it was best to let it lie.

Side note: It is 54 degrees (F) here (Fairbanks, AK) today! First time we have seen a +50 temperature in close to 8 months! The snow is really melting today.... a few more days of these temperatures and it will all be gone (except the mountains piled from road clearing - those last into June).

-Wes-

ateixeira

I knew what you meant, but still had to call you on it.

-juice

ssminton

Has anyone noticed somewhat of a "hissing" noise coming from the passenger dash area? The noise seems to be independent of ventilation settings and occurs anytime the engine is on. I noticed some time ago, but it seems to be more noticeable now.

bruce3

I switched to Quaker Synthetic 5W-30 as recommended in the owners manual at the 7500 mi oil change. Seems to have increased the mileage in my 5-sd GT. I drove up into the Sierras and back down to the same elevation getting 27 mpg (28 on the trip computer), while driving 70 to 80 the whole way. About 50 miles was non-freeway. Certainly seems to boost mileage. Just switched to a K&N airfilter, maybe I'll even do better. Pretty good for all that horsepower. If I lived in the central valley of CA I might be looking for 5W-40, but where I live it rarely goes over 100 F.

Bruce

bat1161

Not sure if anyone saw this, but I thought it was pretty nice.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/04/22/automobiles/22auto.html?ex=1115179200&en=a44f90f2a6134ab- - 1&ei=5070

Hope the link works; it's from yesterday's NY Times.

Mark

ateixeira

I read a little bit about Buddhism and find the concept of following the right "path" intriguing. How appropriate that a Subaru takes him on his path.

-juice

paisan

I'm not a fan of it since I offroad and air-down a lot. But I'm not worried about it on the Armada, we'll see what happens when I rotate the tires....

-mike

dannyka

Well, I can certainly vouch that 'at least one Subaru in the driveway' must be a regulation. Plenty of Subarus here in Utah to keep my Forester company.

--Dan

sweet_subie

http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?print_page=y&section_id=31&article_id=1589&page_nu- mber=1

doug1

Just as an FYI, thought you might be interested in this air filter test page:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/airfilter/airtest1.htm

doug1

Thanks for posting that. I also have a red XT with the tan interior. They seem to be very rare. The only other one I've seen so far was in Atlanta. I couldn't even find one to buy in Portland, OR (with six area dealerships, including what is supposedly the largest in the nation). Had to go to Seattle.

Doug

zimmer

I did notice the difference. Also, noticed that they offer a 4cy. LL Bean version which I would have bought had it been offered in the US. Anybody know why its not offered and whether or not it will be?

zimmer

Just looked at the Japan Subaru site and noticed a Bean edition offered with a 4 cyl. It would seem that Subaru in the US would offer the same now that gas is approaching 3.00 per gallon. Also, would love to have bought my 2.5 in the medium blue or gray with tan interior which is only available in the 6 cyl. Bean editon. Does anyone know if Subaru plans to bring a 4cyl Bean in for 06?

krzyss

October 2004

You are 6 months late.

Krzys

rsholland

The only LL Beans with 4-cylinder engines are the Forester LL Beans, which are available here as well as in Japan.

Bob

sweet_subie

both the cars are still current models.

ateixeira

Did the same comparo and picked the TSX. So it may be just a matter of tastes and priorities.

Interesting read about the filters, I like this conclusion:

both the cotton gauze type (K&N) and foam filters (Amsoil & Jackson Racing) showed the same levels of filtration. Both performed poorly compared to the fiberous or paper filters (Napa, Baldwin, and Mazda).

Proof you don't get something for nothing. Both did have slightly better air flow but not a noticeable difference.

-juice

jam05

Hi all, we've got a new '05 LL Bean and love the car... BUT! The wood lamination on the steering wheel is chipping off at an alarming rate. Anyone else having this problem?? One of the things I liked about the cars interior style was this nice looked no-maintenance steering wheel. It looks terrible. Any advise? Who should I talk to at Subaru Corporate? The dealer is not the most service oriented... thanks

bigelm

Defect under warranty. Take it back!

sweet_subie

call subaru before taking to dealer. have them call the dealer before you go