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Comments
Peeling and bubbling tint jobs are almost always due to DIY installations. Professionally installed tint jobs are guaranteed for the lifetime of the vehicle. If you check your local yellow pages, you should find many shops that specialize in tinting.
While I'm not 100% familiar with the application technique, it does take about 1/2 day to complete a vehicle. Tint films from major brands like 3M, Madico, Lumlar (sp?) all perform very well and have warranties against defects including bubbling and peeling.
The only drawback of aftermarket tint is that it's a film applied to the inside of your windows. Unlike tinted glass, the film can be scratched and damaged. Also once applied, tint film is very difficult to remove from glass -- it needs to be steamed off. It costs almost as much to remove it as it does to apply it.
Prices will vary based on the grade of the film and your local market. I used a relatively high-quality metallized film from Madico. The five windows in my wagon cost me $225.
IMO, tinting a wagon is well worth it since there is so much glass. Not only do you make it more comfortable for your passengers, but you gain privacy, protect your upholstery and improve your driving vision day and night. Also when it comes time to sell your vehicle, tinting increases the value of your car.
Ken
I asked what he was looking at he said, "Your tint". He asked if one of their guys did it and I said no, it was a buddy of mine at azpinstalls.com. He was really impressed with the quality. They use Madico as well.
-Dennis
His impressions:
- Liked the interior especially the center console and dash. He thought it was better designed than that in his TSX. (BTW, he's an interior designer)
- Very impressed at how much more low-mid end torque was available. Made it a much more drivable car.
- From a handling standpoint, he noted the TSX feels snappier. But he also noted that the GT despite feeling heavier still manages to respond quite well. He liked the weighting of the GT steering better.
- He thought the overall looks of the GT wagon were great except the longish front end.
- Couldn't believe how big that moonroof was!
Ken
Bob
Ken: please share over in the TSX vs. L-GT vs. TL thread, sounds informative.
-juice
Yeah, my mom was complaining how when they drive around NY, all he does is point out cars and explains the significance of each one.
juice:
I was considering it, but it was kind of light on the comparo.
Ken
It's hilarious, these two magazines are owned by the same company, yet they come to the opposite conclusion based largely upon - the tires!
So I have a theory. C&D put the RE92s on the Legacy, but R&T secretly switched them to the TSX! LOL
Seriously, though, the Legacy is ahead in lateral grip and slalom despite the tire handicap (as I perceive it), so to me that shows the benefit of AWD neutralizing the handling a bit.
TSX' 0-60 time is competitive with the Legacy 2.5i. In fact torque is identical at 166 lb-ft yet the Subie actually peaks sooner.
-juice
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The Mini manages but look at the size and practicality - move the seats back for comfort and there are no rear seats!
Also, torque + FWD = torque steer. 166 lb-ft may explain why the TSX doesn't have that issue, but then again which engine would you rather have pulling a full 850 lb payload up a mountain?
-juice
-Dave
So.. Me and the wife finally drove both the Outback XT and the Outback LL Bean wagons.. WOW!! We were both blown away with the engineering of these cars, and how well crafted the interior is.. Reminded me of Volkswagen or Audi.. Here is my dilemma.. LL Bean, or XT wagon??? Looking at www.fitzmall.com in my area shows only a few hundred dollar difference between the XT Limited and the LL Bean.. Here are my impressions:
XT Limited: Fast, but did not feel as fast as my Altima SE (240HP). This is probably just the feel of the turbo and the fact that I was not pushing the car since it was not broken in yet. I could definitely feel the difference in torque between the XT and LL Bean, however. I like the look of the hood scoop, and the interior is gorgeous..
LL Bean: Wow, the interior is a little more refined, and I liked the audio controls on the steering wheel. I also felt the V6 was very responsive and it did not seem to hesitate as the XT did..
So, I am a little torn.. All of the reviews that I have read swear that the XT is much more fun to drive that the H6, but this was not quite my experience... I think that once the XT was broken in, I would be happier with it but the LL Bean's interior is a little nicer..
Thoughts?? Impressions?? I would love to hear from both XT and LL Bean owners...
I was actually planning on getting a Legacy GT wagon, but went with the XT for the ground clearance (comes in handy when I ski or kayak). The XT is definitely more sporty than the Bean; in my opinion it's a great alternative to the GT wagon.
At one point I also owned an 03 WRX, but it was impractical to have 2 cars. I feel like the XT replaces both my LL Bean Outback and my WRX, so it was the perfect choice. I agree that the 05 Bean is a bit more refined, but not by much (in fact the 05 XT is more refined than my 02 Bean was). In constrast, the XT is loads of fun to drive and it is wicked fast. It makes my commute a lot of fun, and is a nice change from my previous LL Bean. It's also faster than my WRX was in a practical everyday way (WRX would be faster in a race, but when can you do that safely on public roads??).
If you prefer the black interior like I do, there's one reason to get the XT, since the Bean only comes with the taupe interior. I thought taupe was too light; though it look great, several taupe cars I test drove were already scuffed up on the inside. Black shows dust but so far it's been real tolerant of wear and tear. My 02 had a light-dirt colored interior that was about the perfect color.
Other benefits of the XT include the shifter buttons on the steering wheel (I initially thought these were a gimmick but love them now), the electroluminescent gauges shared with the GT, and the sport seat shape (also shared with the GT).
Craig
-mike
I love the jack-rabbit response of the XT 5M but I only drive a few miles to work and enjoy it on the weekends when there's less city traffic and out in the coutryside. Having lived with it for a few weeks, I can definitely see how it could seem almost too jumpy if you had to drive it in congested conditions on a regular basis and might prefer the smoother V6.
Avi
What I think is happening is that at temperature settings above 65, the vents are mixing in some amount of heat to achieve the desired inlet temperature. When the A/C is shut off, the system simply keeps mixing in the heat and therefore the fresh air becomes warmed.
My GT wagon is the first vehicle I've owned with automatic climate control. While it does to seem to have some quirks, I generally like it. I've come to the conclusion that it works best when you keep it in AUTO mode and let it do it's thing -- even when it's too cool outside to have AC on.
The only time I take manual control is when I first start driving after having parked my vehicle for an entire day in the sun. With AUTO mode, the AC blasts too high for my tastes so I manually adjust the fan speed. Once it starts feeling comfortable, I switch back to AUTO and let it do it's thing. It's actually very good at maintaining steady state temperatures for long drives.
Ken
Ken
My impression was that the H6 (not V6 -- Subarus use a horizontal engine design) is smooth but beyond the initial tip-in, it didn't have the response the H4 turbo did. Once you past the 3K RPM mark, there's simply no contest. Also, the transmissions will break in after the first few thousand miles and greatly improve responsiveness for both engines.
While the H6 is a great engine, I'm convinced Subaru brought it to the US simply to get over the more cylinders is better bias here. There's really not much the H6 has to offer over the H4 turbo other than helping justify a higher price tag for a vehicle with more creature comforts.
Ken
Ken has it exactly right. It was the same on my 02 Bean and my wife's Forester XS. If you want true unheated ambient air, you need to crank the temp knobs down to 65 first.
My routine on the Bean to get the "vent" mode was turn temp knob to 65, push off, and then push mode to get panel or bi-level.
This analagous to the manual climate control scenario of turning fan off, turn temp to minimum, and then choosing the mode. If you failed to turn the temp down to minimum on a manual system, you'd also get heated air.
Craig
Ken
I can't drive other cars anymore! What was adequate in the past has become just too slow! It feels like it takes forever to get on a freeway in other cars, and it is too easy to exceed the speed limit unless i'm careful. ;-)
Maybe I should've bought the H6. Maybe I should've bought the 2.5i. Maybe I should've bought a camry. . .
Power corrupts. I'm convinced. This is not a good daily driver- the power spoils you and makes it harder to drive slower cars. ;-)
Maybe we could start a support group. Does anyone else have the same problems?
I still love this car!
I think I need another car to drive on a daily basis though. ;-)
tom
Krzys
;-)
-juice
-juice
Own an 05XT5A - white exterior, grey trim,
Have ~1k on it so far. It is beginning to loosen up, which is good, I want to start driving it!
Anyway, did my first oil change and was lazying around at work, googled up this test and I thought it might be of interest to fellow Suby owners. Although, it is applicable to all "other" makes.
neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/interval.html
Gas mileage is about the same. My guess is a turbo owner that stays off boost (low revs) will fare better than with an H6, but one that drives hard will fare worse. Call that a draw.
Not sure about insurance but you should call your agent and ask.
The turbo may need a rebuild in, what, 120-160k miles? Even the old Legacy turbos would last at 120k miles or more, and technology has only made turbos better.
Both prefer premium fuel, but especially the turbo.
The H6 has been extremely reliable, while the turbo is unproven but looks good so far.
So I don't see any significant differences besides the original price paid, to be honest.
-juice
It' a big decision between the turbo and normally aspirated engines. One is adequate, one is fast, and one is addictingly very fast!
Now to get something noticeably faster is going to cost a lot more than I can afford! ;-)
Good luck, all, in making your decisions. But your decision has consequences. . . ;-)
tom
I just checked with my insurance agent and replacing a 2001 Nissan Sentra with a 2005 Subaru Outback Limtited or LL Bean actually reduces my monthly rate by $5!!!! I was expecting an increase.. Wow.. That is even more reason to ditch the Sentra...
Thanks!
Sorry but you have to ship it one way until we determine the cause, which we estimate will take about, oh, 7 years to find.
But don't worry, you could always step down into something slower, like a Porsche Cayenne S or a V10 Touareg.
-juice
Has the first oil change at 3K miles (vs. 7.5K for the turbo).
Does not require a camshaft belt change (it uses chains).
Other than that, they're identical.
Ken
But that still won't offset the higher cost of the H6.
-juice
-mike
I'm really looking forward to finally getting this car in my garage. The H-6 really impressed me with it's combination of smooth acceleration and performance.
I have a Volvo V70 R and while the turbo provides some nice power on demand, it also has resulted in more engine wear due to the heat generated by the turbo engine, etc. So, based on my turbo experience, I opted for the long-term reliability reliability and smooth performance of the H-6 over the XT.
If not already, the dealer should have the VIN identified. That's another way to check if they really do have one on it's way. Call and let them know you need it for an insurance quote.
Ken
Bob
I'm in the greater Milwaukee area.
Bad news, though. The local dealer service manager was able to recreate the problem on his own with their cars. He spoke with the SOA engineers who basically told him that it's going to work that way. They're trying to get good gas mileage and running lean. When you advance the throttle it doesn't richen it up in time. Per other posts it sure sounds like confirmation that it's a chip programming issue. Unfortunately it sounded like they won't fix it unless there're enough dissatisfied owners. I'm going back to my service manager and ask that he make my dissatisfaction known.
That said, I still do really like the car.
DM
Craig
Craig
Leo