I am thinking of trading my 1999 Outback for a 2001. Will my snow tires for my 99 work on the 2000/2001. The 2001 comes with 225/60R16 and the snows are 205/70R15. I calculate that the overall diameter of the tire is about 1/4 inch different. I also notice that the brakes are 11.4 and 11.3 inches on the 2001 vs. 10.7 and 10.3 on the 1999.
I am thinking of trading my 1999 Outback for a 2001. Will my snow tires for my 99 work on the 2000/2001. The 2001 comes with 225/60R16 and the snows are 205/70R15. I calculate that the overall diameter of the tire is about 1/4 inch different. I also notice that the brakes are 11.4 and 11.3 inches on the 2001 vs. 10.7 and 10.3 on the 1999.
how will that 1/4" difference affect your gearing, gas mileage and performance? Will the vehicle be cruising at a higher (or lower) RPM at say, 60 mph? Will it be slower (or faster) to accelerate?
Thank you for the info. I figure the diameter difference is well within normal variance caused by inflation and tread wear. Does anyone know if the rims will fit properly?
No matter how careful you are at parking your car, there is ALWAYS some idiot next to you that has to swing his/her door WIDE open!!! My two week old 2001 Forester has a little ding on the right side now... I wish I knew who did it. Anyways, does anyone know if it is possible for a body shop to pound small dings out? If so, how much does it cost?
If it makes you feel any better: I am still anal-retentive about parking my car away from others (I still shudder if I have to parallel park between two people), kind of like the VW Jetta commercial where the guy runs back out just in time to intercept an errant parking cart! I haven't had any dings. OK, I know you're asking how this makes you feel better...here goes. About a week ago, someone nearly took my passenger mirror off of my OB Ltd while it was parked in front of my house. Smashed the glass in the mirror, popped the panel so that it was hanging by wires, and took a big chunk out of the housing. Of course, my deductible is $300 for uninsured motorists (including hit & run cowardly idiots). Anyhow, ordered the parts from Darlene at QSubaru for $100 and am debating whether to install myself or have the dealer do it. Hope this makes you feel a little better.
Dent Pro (here in the bay area) does a great job on little dents without hammering, sanding, bondo or paint. Couldn't believe it till I saw it first hand on my wife's Honda... right in our driveway. They go in through door panels and window openings with long handled "spoons" and massage the dent out. The metal on cars is so thin these days. Very nice result. If the paint is cracked or damaged in any way then that's another story. I know there are other franchises in other areas that do the same... big with hail storm damage. Ask your dealer.
I park a moderate distance away from other cars, with no other cars on other side - but what irks me is that someone comes along and will decide to park right next to me in the middle of no where. Like, come on, don't you see all that parking space?!
People seem to like to be close to each other, have you ever noticed the way one or two lines will be so long at toll booths? They could have eight or nine booths open and one or two booths will have long lines while the rest have 1-3 cars in them.
Do as many of these as possible. Numbers 1 and 2 are most important.
1) Park at an edge (end of row, landscape island, next to disabled space grid, etc.) so that only one car can park next to you - reduction in risk of 50%.
2) Park at an edge such that if another car parks next to you, its driver-side door will be away from you (cannot guarantee that someone won't pull-through though!). Corollary: Don't pull through if it will bring a driver's door into potential contact.
3) Park next to expensive new cars that look well maintained.
4) Avoid large vehicles with massive doors. But see #5.
5) Minivans with sliding doors are more safe (but watch that front passenger door).
6) Don't drive too far forward - some people use their bumpers to determine when to stop.
7) Prepare to park a long way away. Take an umbrella.
By following this path, you will be without any dings my son.
Juice, I've been casually shopping for torque wrenches. Can you give me an idea of what I should look for. They seem to run the full range of prices and features. Any thoughts? Greg
Mine cost $60, from Sears. It's the type that you turn the bottom of the handle to dial-in the torque desired. Works like a charm - clicks when you reach the measured torque. Get a long shaft for leverage. Worth every penny, I had over-torqued many a bolt.
There are more expensive digital ones, and cheaper dial-type, but I'd avoid both. The dials are hard to read, and the digitals are pricey and I'm not convinced they'd be as accurate.
Hmm, will the brakes fit, that's tough. The 2001 got even bigger brakes than the 2000s.
The diameter is close enough, but keep in mind you'll lose ground clearance, and for snow tires that's a no-no.
The rims probably have the same offset and bolt pattern, but I'd consider 215/70R15 or even 205/75R15 snow tires. And there's still the brake issue.
Loved the rules of parking! You thought of several things that never came to my mind. I shall obey!
I have a 99 Outback wagon that has developed an intermittent problem. When the vehicle is started up there is a terrible knocking/clunking coming from the engine. This has happened 3 times in a month and seems to happen when the vehicle has been sitting for several hours. I decide to check the fluid levels and the only one that needed attention was the Automatic Transmission fluid. The level was at the low end, I raised to the proper level. Do you think this low transmission fluid level could have caused the noise heard. Any and all suggestions/theory's would be appreciated.
OK, you guys will love this. Start here for photos and instructions of all kinds of scheduled maintenance.
I did the 30k service myself and took photos, so you'll see tips for an oil change, fuel filter swap, air filter replacement, fuel additive, and radiator flush.
There are other links too, but I'll save those for the Mods topic.
Anyone out there know of or have instructions to do the air-to non-air suspension conversion? I know that Darlene @ QSubaru did it. I need to know if it's a direct bolt in replacement, or if there is something else I need to do. Also which model/year/part # did you use or do you use for the replacements... Any info would help.
Came home just 15 minutes ago. My girlfriend is occupying the garage with her woodworking so my Outback has been parked out front for the last several days. Anyways, walking up to the townhouse, there's a nice dent clearly visible in the top rear quarter. No way it's a car, because it's right under the window.
There are kids skateboarding around outside, so I'm sure one of them slipped and used the Outback as a fall breaker. If I had caught them, god knows what I'd do.
Anyway, it's not like a crease in the metal - it appears a section got pushed in by hand. I'm guessing it should be hammered out easily. After I get it fixed that car is going to stay in the garage when parked.
It always hurts though to have damage done to a car.
Good Morning! I ran your question by one of our Technical guru's. He indicated that the concern with your situation would not necessarily be the tire diameter, but with the brake rotor size difference. From what he explained, the larger brake rotor is going to move the brake caliper outward and that will most likely interference with the wheels on your 1999 Subaru. There is NO way you can modify the wheel/brake assembly to eliminate this possible interference. I hope this helps!
I received in the mail today a coupon from my dealership for a "Complete Detail" for $125.00 which includes complete cleaning and polishing, high power vacuum, vinyl dressing, and shampoo carpets.
Is this a good deal? Also, on the front left bumper, I have some scratches from when I "hit" a car several weeks ago...just some tiny black marks showing the plastic underneath.
Would this complete detail include the necessary cleaning of the bumper, dya think? Should I pay for it anyway?
Looking for any help or info... Since I got my Legacy 6 months ago the fuel gauge has never been accurate. When the tank is full it reads full but quickly drops down to near empty. My dealer not only quoted over $300, which I thought was quite a lot, but seemed to be totally uninterested in doing the work. I did some research on alldatadiy.com and found that there are actually 2 gauges in the tank of the AWD cars due to the saddle bag shape needed to fit over the rear drive shaft. Plus, there is a sending unit on top of the tank and of course the readout on the dash. I have no idea which of these is the culprit. Has anybody had or seen this problem?
amishra: It's a 2001 Forester. Yes, I take care of it. Haven't vacuumed yet, but I wash it. Good point, though.
Also, this letter from Subaru says I should have the 3750 mile service. Considering when the car was just in, the 3000 mile service was done, the 3750 isn't necessary, right? And to wait for 7500?
1100 miles on my 00 GT wagon and leaving on the road trip in a week so I did an oil change. I must say it was easy... especially compared to my wife's Civic si. Easy access to the drain plug and the cover hiding the filter slides off with the pulling of 3 plastic plugs. I did the whole thing with out raising the car. Only problem was an extra snug drain plug. Had to use a 1/2 inch breaker bar to crack it loose. Used Havoline 5/30w per Subaru spec as this is so close to break in. Also used Subaru filters which handily come with washers.
Guxx- A $12.00 Deluxe Car Wash will have your car looking every bit as good as the $125.00 detailing the dealer is offering. Detailing is only worth it if your vehicle is several years old and you've never done anything to maintain it nor clean the interior and you getting ready to sell it or turn it in at the end of it's lease.
Ash is right....you need touchup paint for the bumper.
Right.....your 3K service took the place of the 3750 one. When your next one is due is a personal decision and will depend in part on the type of driving you do. Some owners change their oil every 3K while others wait and do it every 7500. There's a fair amount of evidence indicating that changing the oil more frequently than every 7500 miles is a waste of money while the 3K crowd argues that, for the small price of an oil change, the additional peace of mind is worth it. Personally, I split the difference and change mine every 5-6K. Of course, frequent stop and go driving or driving in severe conditions requires more frequent oil changes.
Ouch. I change mine at least every 3K. I guess if I did 100% highway milage in cool climate with no hills I'd let it go to 7500. The most reccomended i've heard from a manufacturer is 5K in light conditions, and 3K in normal to heavy usage conditions...
Mike- Most owner's manuals list 7500 for normal driving conditions. It's not the manufacturers but the dealers and Jiffy Lubes of the world who recommend you change it every 3000. And why is that? Maybe cause the manufacturers don't make any money off of oil changes while it is in the financial best interests of the others for you to change your oil as frequently as possible.
I agree with Frank on this one -- I think anything beyond what is recommended in the owner's manual is an overkill as long as you use the recommended interval for the relevant driving conditions you experience (regular or severe).
Consumers started to complain about too-frequent service intervals, so now 7.5k and even 10k intervals are not unheard of.
I know paisan tows people that are stuck regularly so it's no wonder he follows the heavy duty-use schedule, as he should.
I follow a 7.5k schedule and my fuel efficiency keeps improving, so I'll stick to my guns.
Robert: I would not mess with the fuel gauge, just because a leak can be devastating (I also don't do my plumbing at home). I'd pay the $300 or ignore the faulty gauge and use the trip odo instead.
It's not actually bad, but it's more "non-linear" that I'd like to see. The fuel gauge on my old Loyale is very linear, that is, it drops down proportionally to the mileage on the odo.
On the Forester, I noticed that gauge sits too long (up to 75 mi) on the "full" point, then skips all the middle section over next 150 mi, then sits again at the bottom until about 320 mi. Then light comes on. I wish it was more "linear". I use 2nd trip odo for mileage anyway, but still...
I recall seeing one really bad gauge in the rental Pontiac: it was sitting at the "Full" point for about 7/8 of tank, than dropped down withing next 10-20 miles to the "E" point. Maybe it was a marketing trick, to fool people on the test-drive that the car has amazing fuel economy?
Hey do what you want about oil changes, but for $20, I find it to be a pretty easy way to protect your engine. Leaving it in longer doesn't help it have less friction....
I'm actually thinking of switching to Mobil 1, any thoughts on that?
Using that line of reasoning....why not change it every 1500 miles? Or for that matter, every time you fill up? I feel that enough research has been done to show that anything more frequent than the manufacturer's recommendation is just throwing your $20 away (statistically speaking).
The filter will be accumulating some nasty stuff by then. Since it is impossible-- or at least very impractical-- to change the filter without changing the oil on a bottom-mount filter like Subaru you don't have a choice.
Some exotic oils like Redline and AMSOil quote very high change intervals as being acceptable. Sure the oil might still be fine at 10,000 or even 15,000 miles but the filter is LONG overdue for a change. I think 4,000-5,000 miles is fine. If someone wants to change the oil more often that's their choice.
I appreciate your answer re: oil changes and intervals. At this stage of life, I do not put that many miles on per year anymore. Learning that filters do need replacement due to contamination makes frequent "changes", in addition to oil breakdown, seem a pretty cheap way to maintain the engine.
Yeah, the oil is not the problem, it's the grit and gunk it picks up inside the engine that's bad. Were it not for the contamination, the oil could last a pretty long time. For lubrication, all the oil is really doing is providing a thin layer of fluid between engine parts and surfaces, and you can do that with most any fluid. Add some grit, though, and bad things happen: the flowing properties deteriorate, and the fluid can wear engine parts.
To add another wrinkle into the discussion, my last car (a Honda) had 7500 mile oil change intervals, but you only changed the filter every 15000 miles. This confirms some data I had seen in a magazine years earlier saying that most oil filters could last through 2-3 changes on a clean running engine. To me, the main benefit was that every other oil change was a real quickie.
It wasn't planned, it just kinda happened that way. It's catchy, though, and people always remember it.
I want to get every gadget there is. I'd looking at a rear dust deflector next.
-juice
PS They're not only on my vehicle, either. I have a Subaru hat, two T-shirts (Subaru Lifestyle Sports and the SCOA shirt), a Casio Forester watch, and a Subaru fanny pack. Any suggestions to complete the wardrobe?
Comments
Bob
http://www.subaru.com/intro.html
There is a "contact" area on the site, or perhaps Pattie, our resident from SOA, could help.
Bob
Thanks,
Richard
Stephen
Bitman
ash
1) Park at an edge (end of row, landscape island, next to disabled space grid, etc.) so that only one car can park next to you - reduction in risk of 50%.
2) Park at an edge such that if another car parks next to you, its driver-side door will be away from you (cannot guarantee that someone won't pull-through though!). Corollary: Don't pull through if it will bring a driver's door into potential contact.
3) Park next to expensive new cars that look well maintained.
4) Avoid large vehicles with massive doors. But see #5.
5) Minivans with sliding doors are more safe (but watch that front passenger door).
6) Don't drive too far forward - some people use their bumpers to determine when to stop.
7) Prepare to park a long way away. Take an umbrella.
By following this path, you will be without any dings my son.
I've been casually shopping for torque wrenches. Can you give me an idea of what I should look for. They seem to run the full range of prices and features. Any thoughts?
Greg
There are more expensive digital ones, and cheaper dial-type, but I'd avoid both. The dials are hard to read, and the digitals are pricey and I'm not convinced they'd be as accurate.
Hmm, will the brakes fit, that's tough. The 2001 got even bigger brakes than the 2000s.
The diameter is close enough, but keep in mind you'll lose ground clearance, and for snow tires that's a no-no.
The rims probably have the same offset and bolt pattern, but I'd consider 215/70R15 or even 205/75R15 snow tires. And there's still the brake issue.
Loved the rules of parking! You thought of several things that never came to my mind. I shall obey!
-juice
Craig
I'd bring it into the dealer but my first guess would be a belt tensioner. Not epidemic, but an infrequent Subaru problem of late.
-Colin
I did the 30k service myself and took photos, so you'll see tips for an oil change, fuel filter swap, air filter replacement, fuel additive, and radiator flush.
There are other links too, but I'll save those for the Mods topic.
-juice
ash
-mike
-Colin
$300+ each corner for the parts alone....
-mike
Not to mention good parts prices.
-juice
There are kids skateboarding around outside, so I'm sure one of them slipped and used the Outback as a fall breaker. If I had caught them, god knows what I'd do.
Anyway, it's not like a crease in the metal - it appears a section got pushed in by hand. I'm guessing it should be hammered out easily. After I get it fixed that car is going to stay in the garage when parked.
It always hurts though to have damage done to a car.
-- frustrated in Canada,
Ash
-Colin
There is NO way you can modify the wheel/brake assembly to eliminate this possible interference. I hope this helps!
Doggon-it!
Is this a good deal? Also, on the front left bumper, I have some scratches from when I "hit" a car several weeks ago...just some tiny black marks showing the plastic underneath.
Would this complete detail include the necessary cleaning of the bumper, dya think? Should I pay for it anyway?
Thx!
The black marks are from paint being taken off the bumper likely. Cleaning it won't fix it. You need touchup paint.
Sorry I think we need more info..
Since I got my Legacy 6 months ago the fuel gauge has never been accurate. When the tank is full it reads full but quickly drops down to near empty. My dealer not only quoted over $300, which I thought was quite a lot, but seemed to be totally uninterested in doing the work. I did some research on alldatadiy.com and found that there are actually 2 gauges in the tank of the AWD cars due to the saddle bag shape needed to fit over the rear drive shaft. Plus, there is a sending unit on top of the tank and of course the readout on the dash. I have no idea which of these is the culprit. Has anybody had or seen this problem?
Also, this letter from Subaru says I should have the 3750 mile service. Considering when the car was just in, the 3000 mile service was done, the 3750 isn't necessary, right? And to wait for 7500?
Bit
Bit
Ash is right....you need touchup paint for the bumper.
Right.....your 3K service took the place of the 3750 one. When your next one is due is a personal decision and will depend in part on the type of driving you do. Some owners change their oil every 3K while others wait and do it every 7500. There's a fair amount of evidence indicating that changing the oil more frequently than every 7500 miles is a waste of money while the 3K crowd argues that, for the small price of an oil change, the additional peace of mind is worth it. Personally, I split the difference and change mine every 5-6K. Of course, frequent stop and go driving or driving in severe conditions requires more frequent oil changes.
-Frank P.
-mike
-Frank P.
Craig
I know paisan tows people that are stuck regularly
I follow a 7.5k schedule and my fuel efficiency keeps improving, so I'll stick to my guns.
Robert: I would not mess with the fuel gauge, just because a leak can be devastating (I also don't do my plumbing at home). I'd pay the $300 or ignore the faulty gauge and use the trip odo instead.
-juice
On the Forester, I noticed that gauge sits too long (up to 75 mi) on the "full" point, then skips all the middle section over next 150 mi, then sits again at the bottom until about 320 mi. Then light comes on. I wish it was more "linear". I use 2nd trip odo for mileage anyway, but still...
I recall seeing one really bad gauge in the rental Pontiac: it was sitting at the "Full" point for about 7/8 of tank, than dropped down withing next 10-20 miles to the "E" point. Maybe it was a marketing trick, to fool people on the test-drive that the car has amazing fuel economy?
I'm actually thinking of switching to Mobil 1, any thoughts on that?
-mike
-Frank P.
This is what I've been told. Is this pure hype or is there substance to this thought?
Thanks for the help.
Don
The filter will be accumulating some nasty stuff by then. Since it is impossible-- or at least very impractical-- to change the filter without changing the oil on a bottom-mount filter like Subaru you don't have a choice.
Some exotic oils like Redline and AMSOil quote very high change intervals as being acceptable. Sure the oil might still be fine at 10,000 or even 15,000 miles but the filter is LONG overdue for a change. I think 4,000-5,000 miles is fine. If someone wants to change the oil more often that's their choice.
-Colin
Thanks,
Don
To add another wrinkle into the discussion, my last car (a Honda) had 7500 mile oil change intervals, but you only changed the filter every 15000 miles. This confirms some data I had seen in a magazine years earlier saying that most oil filters could last through 2-3 changes on a clean running engine. To me, the main benefit was that every other oil change was a real quickie.
Craig
Maybe next time I'll cut the filter apart and take some photos. That could be interesting.
-juice
Craig
Also...is there some significance to "Juice"?
It wasn't planned, it just kinda happened that way. It's catchy, though, and people always remember it.
I want to get every gadget there is. I'd looking at a rear dust deflector next.
-juice
PS They're not only on my vehicle, either. I have a Subaru hat, two T-shirts (Subaru Lifestyle Sports and the SCOA shirt), a Casio Forester watch, and a Subaru fanny pack. Any suggestions to complete the wardrobe?
-mike