Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

rob_m

Hi Steve_ (and everyone else)! It's been a while since I checked in. Busy with work, the upcoming holidays and the all-encompassing, never-ending Mustang Restoration Project.

Not sure where I left off, but ... after four months of negotiation with the Insurance Company, locating most of the parts, and settling on a body shop, my Mustang damaged last February left via flatbed on July 2nd with promise of being completed in ... August ... September ... October ... well, it's halfway through December, and I'm now thinking that storage this Winter will definitely not be an issue

I delt with all sorts of problems and delays in getting correct and decent parts (quite the story there - thanks Todd ) then having to start over and locate and purchase the right parts out-of-pocket from other sources. The damage to the roof became an issue (oh yeah, by now the insurance money is now totally depleted), and a decision was made to 'skin' and replace the entire roof panel. Not a bad thing, because I had toyed with the idea of losing the aftermarket sunroof and going back to the original solid roof when it eventually got repainted for its 30th birthday.

When the subject of cutting the new roof for the existing sunroof came up, and I thought of a better solution ... what about ... a factory sunroof? And as crazy as that idea sounds, Christmas came early for me yesterday as I placed the huge piece of glass that just arrived from B.C., Canada into the transplanted roof panel of another donor vehicle and instantly knew I made the right decision. Now I need to find a headliner panel, interior lighting, new retaining clips ... it never ends.

Well, enough about me ... I hope everyone is well and healthy, and best wishes for the new year! Rob M.

ladywclass

wishing you all safe, peaceful, and happy holidays during this season ...

I am "celebrating" with a new starter and complete brake job on my Subaru ... lol (and trying to remember to be thankful that it's paid for ... )

PF_Flyer

Yea.. Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, enjoy your Festivus, or whatever else gets your party started!

ateixeira

... to those who celebrate.

Toyota got me a ... recall letter for the spare tire cable that can rust. Nice timing.

I thought about getting the wife a nicer GPS device, but I'm holding out until Garmin puts in a built-in backup cam like the one Nextar now markets.

fibber2

So it did turn out to be the starter?

stever

Now that the holidays are about over, the GPS sales will probably dry up too. But I think I'll try a Garmin next too.

In other news, I got stuck today. Tried to do a U-Turn and swung too wide onto the far shoulder - which just happened to be groomed as a snowmobile trail it turned out. Tried rocking it out a few times and then said the heck with it and shoveled a yard of snow away from the back of each wheel. Wasn't especially deep, just soft and wet.

volkov

So I had my first true Subie failure just before Xmas. The vehicle would surge and glide under moderate acceleration as if I was tapping and releasing the accelerator. Noticed it to be very subtle at first and had thought it to be a traction issue given our standard mix of ice/traction gravel/dry pavement everywhere. Within a couple of days it was more obvious.
I had wondered if it was an ECU problem, a turbo leak or even a software problem with the electronic throttle ( I recall BMW or MB had an issue with their early throttle by wire design). Also considered an injector issue of some kind. Took it in for a check and the shop guys did a data dump which confirmed it was alternating between lean and rich, but they didn't know why. Sent the data off to SOC who instructed them to swap the AF sensor.
After 5 days of driving like a 16 year old in their first MT vehicle, I took it back in and everything is fixed. I made a point of staying off boost at all times and never threw a cel, so it didn't get to the point of detonation. At the end it was getting pretty bad though, and it was hilarious to watch the instantaneous fuel economy readout having fits.
So there it is, my first Subaru warranty claim.

ateixeira

I took it back in and everything is fixed

No symptoms now, at all? Hope so.

p0926

Hi Crew, just wanted to let you know that I'll be heading overseas sometime next month for a year so you’ll probably be seeing even less of me (I’ve been in training for the last 3 months getting ready to deploy).

In preperation for being gone, I sold the SLK back in September (rather than have it sit for over a year) and Laura will drive the Forester probably once a week to keep it in good running order. And you never know, I may be in the market for a new car after I get back (depending on what the manual trans options are at the time).

So anyways... you guys take care and sleep well knowing that your freedom is being well guarded

-Frank

rsholland

Frank, where are you headed (if that's something you can talk about)?

In any event, best of luck, and stay safe. We'll catch up when you return.

Bob

lilbluewgn02

Frank, the best of luck on your deployment and thanks for keeping an eye out for all of us.
Serge

p0926

Can't get into specifics of where I'm going but it's cold there with lots of mountains...

stever

Maybe you can have someone knit you an afghan for warmth.

Have a safe deployment!

fibber2

Assuming it's courtesy of the US armed forces, be safe!

ateixeira

That's a Forester turbo manual, correct?

I would have taken care of it for ya! I mean, what are friends for!? LOL

Was about to invite you to join me and Bob at the DC Auto Show (starts Jan 28). Sounds like you would have left by then.

PF_Flyer

p0926

Juice- Re DC auto show, yeah I should be long gone by then. But hey, I'm sure to see some interesting vehicles where I'm headed

ateixeira

You just can't talk about them, else you'd have to kill us, right? LOL

:shades:

tsy

Wow, gone a week an a half and people pick up and move away for a year!

Be safe Frank- thank you for your service!

tom

PS I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have a safe New Years!

paisan

Thanks Frank! Keep up the good work. I truely appreciate your work!

-mike

ateixeira

mikeeee....

Rumor has it you got a special model that ends with an "I", starts with an "S", and has a "T" in the middle.

paisan

Yup, SOA replaced my motor in the LGT 5MT Wagon in Aug. So I decided to capitalize on the new motor and sell it while it had some value.

Slid into a 2011 STi DGM Hatch 1600 miles on it so far!

Tinted the windows 20%, installed the homelink/dimming mirror, Rotas w/Michelin Alpine 3 Snows, DDM Tuning 55w HID High Beams

Working on getting a double-din head unit for it shortly.

-mike

ateixeira

What head units are you shopping? Navi equipped? DVD playback?

I figure you'll get something pretty cool.

paisan

I had put an Eclipse AVN726E in my 05 LGT (with the JDM HVAC Controls because the OEM is integrated in the stock stereo) and I really like the GPS unit on that one. Eclipse is stopping business in NA so I ended up picking up one on a good discount for this car. If I don't like it I'll end up getting a Kenwood 9960 since it has the Garmin GPS in it. I think both units will play DVDs too.

I was shooting for something with BT-Phone, BT-Audio (for pandora) and a 7" GPS screen.

I should have it early next week so we'll see how it goes, the GPS in the eclipse is nice because it shows elevations and you can adjust the 3-D view in terms of perspective and angle whereas the others I don't think you can do that.

-mike

ateixeira

Sweet. CNET loves your old one:

http://cnettv.cnet.com/eclipse-avn726e-dvd-navigation-receiver/9742-1_53-5007331- 2.html?tag=api

You rarely see a review that good from them, they whine about any little thing.

Nice thing about the Kenwood (to me) is I could copy over my Favorites.

paisan

Yup, I use a Garmin as my portable GPS so I do like their setup and can install all the coop POIs etc. In all likeliness the Eclipse will go in the Armada and the Kenwood in the STi but I didn't want to drop 1K just yet on the stereo.

-mike

volkov

What happened to the LGT power plant? No warranty grief that it had been to a track? I know Mitsu had a bad rep for cancelling warranty on anything that had been driven off a city street.

paisan

Nah they didn't ask any questions. My driveline was 100% stock so there really was nothing they could say to me about it. Despite the 8k in suspension and brakes I kept the engine stock.

About 2 years ago I had a #4 ringland failure so they replaced my rings and pistons, unfortunately they didn't hone down my cylinder walls, so about 20k miles later I started to get bad compression across the board and consuming oil again.

SOA agreed to do a full shortblock replacement under my extended warranty. This is why I buy the SOA Extended Added Security plan, even though I own a shop and could do it myself!

-mike

ateixeira

Speaking of added security, have you heard from Patti? I haven't heard from her in ages. E-mail me if you prefer to keep it private.

paisan

Yeah I spoke to her yesterday. She is doing well. We are working on some special treats for the folks doing the 10th Annual 48hrs this year. Too bad you guys can't make it. We are going to Headquarters and then off to Indiana to get a plant tour!

I'm contemplating next year routing a southern route if you guys think that you might make it. One idea I'm tossing around is Cherry Hill to VA Beach via Cape May Ferry and the Bay Bridge, then on Day 2 out to West Virginia near the PA border and Day 3 up to Central NJ via central PA.

-mike

ateixeira

That would be a beautiful itinerary, the catch is it's nicer in the summer, when it's warm.

ladywclass

I don't know where Graham lives ... anyone know if the floods are affecting his family at all?

xwesx

How about an Alaska route, Mike? I would definitely join that! :P

fibber2

I was thinking about him today as well. The clips shown on the Weather Channel of the Queensland flooding is quite unbelievable.

robr2

I don't know where Graham lives ... anyone know if the floods are affecting his family at all?

IIRC, he's in New Zealand. The weather there hasn't been bad.

rsholland

No, He's in Australia; Melbourne area, I think.

Bob

fibber2

I assume everyone else is seeing the text-only site?

paisan

I thought it was my IE6 at work!

-mike

ateixeira

It was bad all morning but it looks like they fixed it now.

ladywclass

I was pretty sure it was Australia but didn't know if he was anywhere near the area affected by the floods ... I know Australia is a big country but it's a BIG flood!

lilbluewgn02

How about Cherry Hill to Coconut Creek FL!
I would drive up to VA for part of it next year...sounds like a good idea.

KCRam

Hamsters got too expensive, so we switched to Whac-A-Moles. One of them forgot to pop up.

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

ateixeira

You must've lit a fire under them because they're all behaving now.

volkov

and teenage drivers. Another big dump overnight to wake up to. Second this week and they didn't plow the first one, so the carnage in the neighbourhood was pretty bad. No problemo for the WRX, but stopped to help a car stuck 50ft from it's driveway. Ended up having to push it out of 3 different spots in a span of 20ft. Kept spinning one wheel down to ice whenever she slowed down. Also not very receptive to instructions to GENTLY apply the gas.
OTOH, my "Tow truck in a box" traction plates worked like a charm. Picked them up on sale 2 autumns ago and first time I used them. Put in place in seconds (actually took longer to find them afterwards than put them down), and car just pulled away like it was on dry pavement, only to get stuck 4-5 feet farther. Wound up 45 minutes late for work. Once you start helping, you can't just walk away....but we eventually got her to clear road.

ateixeira

I remember one blizzard we had a Corolla and a 626 were getting stuck - GET OFF THE ROAD!

I mean, what were they thinking in the first place?

By helping them I'm not sure if I'm a good samaritan or an enabler!

ladywclass

I know someone who has a pet quail named .. "Dan" ... anyone else find that hilarious?

Along the same lines, another friend has a beagle named "Bob Barker" ...

colin_l

A pet quail? That's odd for sure, and good for a chuckle.

I'm going quail hunting tomorrow and find them rather tasty.

ateixeira

Our dog was named before we (transfer) adopted him, but his name is odd, I'll admit.

Wish us luck - he has his obedience school test tonight! He's very smart and should pass with flying colors, I hope!

xwesx

Just don't let him know he is being tested and he will do fine; dogs tend to get a little jumpy under pressure. :P

ladywclass

We had a small amount of snow on Thur and Fri but it started heavily yesterday afternoon and still hasn't stopped. By this morning we had over 2 feet of snow in our driveway and it's still snowing now. My husband worked last night and had a difficult time getting home this morning. They were digging their cars out and pushing them around to get going, then had obstacles to get around on the way home. It took him about a bit over an hour to make the usual 20 min trip. Daughter was at her b/f's house last night and started home a bit before 8:00. She was even closer but took her about 2 hours to get home. She drives a manual transmission HHR and got stuck more than once in the snow. She finally pulled into a grocery store to buy a few things and wait to see if a plow would get through. Even after she came on home, she got stuck again. The only way she made it into our cul de sac is because shortly before she got here a neighbor's relative brought a private plow in and did some plowing on our street. The South Bend mayor declared a state of emergency and I was trying to remember if that had been done since I moved here in 2000. I know that the snowfall is more than I have seen in one "storm" since I moved here. This morning was comparable to a few of the ones that first winter I was here, but it hasn't stopped yet ....

Supposed to get more until about 8 or so tomorrow morning ....