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http://www.epa.gov/obd/420f09048.htm#b
Here are the highlights from EPA website:
There are three specified major emission control components, covered for the first 8 years or 80,000 miles of vehicle use (whichever first occurs) on 1995 and newer vehicles:
* Catalytic converters.
* The electronic emissions control unit or computer (ECU).
* The onboard emissions diagnostic device or computer (OBD).
Hope this will help.
Thank you
Of course you bleed brake fluid. There is a certain order to follow, but it's a very routine service.
I've insisted that it be done, but you can see it from their standpoint why they don't want to do it. It has to be a major source of customer complaints. If they break one off, who pays? If they get even a little air in the line, the customer returns with spongy brakes demanding it be done again. At best, it ties up two guys in the shop, and nobody wants to deal with unbillable hours. Net is that it's a service they'd probably like to avoid.
Brakes not holding and going to the floor? I would be shocked by this in a new(er) car, but sounds like a bad master cylinder to me. I have had this symptom in two vehicles (both now 41 years old) and each time the problem progressively worsened - the solution in each case was a new master cylinder as the internal diaphragm leaked.
That said, I have no idea how new systems are built.... do they still use master cylinders?
I think many of us would agree. I upgraded my front rotors and pads, but still find it to be underwhelming. The car is just too heavy for the grade and size of the components.
I never felt the brakes were sub-par in the '05 Legacy wagon, although at 56k, they are about done. Still scrambling on what pads to get, leaning towards the Hawk HPS pads (street based compound with more initial bite, still rotor friendly).
I was planing on using a miti-vac tool to bleed/change the brake fluid when I do the brake job, I just want to get a real repair manual to see if there is any wierdness in the procedure.
The HPS pads & new rotors are an improvement, but the brake feel is still not what I think it should be. And they are not great when stone cold. It takes a stop or two before they bite with any confidence. I'll bet our '02 Honda Odyssey could outstop my Outback.
It is tough to find an older Subaru wagon up here that is not beat to heck, let alone one that is mechanically sound. And, regardless of how ratty the car is, they always seem to sell at or above the $5K mark. Sad, really.
That was basically my plan as well, maybe price shopping slightly.
The HPS pads & new rotors are an improvement, but the brake feel is still not what I think it should be. And they are not great when stone cold. It takes a stop or two before they bite with any confidence.
That is my biggest fear. When its snowing or very cold out, and the brakes are stone cold, I want that lady I married who drives my kids around to be able to stop effectively.
I never had an issue with the '05 brakes though, even when towing a 5x8 u-haul trailer or a small pop-up. Michigan is very flat (at least where I've been driving), and I don't think I would be as excited about dragging a trailer up and down the mtns even on highways like 101.
I had a lot of competition at $4000 where I live. Maybe in a snowy region, this would not apply. And for $6,000 I saw some really splendid ones for sale.
Frankly, if you aren't having an issue now, your system is probably 'right sized', and the upgrade should only bring extra stopping power. I'm living a compromise. My reordered '01 brake pads were pathetically small compared to the '02 pads that wouldn't fit the carrier. If I was really smart, I'd have redone the whole system with REAL '02 components.
All I can hope is that they learned their lesson. :P
Just be sure that you are really on a flat surface when making that cold measurement and that you aren't actually low on oil.
I find with the boxer engine that if the oil is actually low (more than 1 quart, which is the "low" mark on the dipstick), the engine will make lifter noise (a clack-clack-clack sound) when it is first started and, often, that noise will continue while the engine is in operation. If you hear this, it is high time to add oil!
Dynamic or spin balancing gets the tire up to speed and a computer monitors the wobble and calculates the weight & placement to be added to the inside and outside.
Roadforce adds a roller against the tread to monitor roundness of the tire. Remember that you can 'balance' a square assembly spinning in the air so that it spins true, but it won't drive down the road without a thumping! The Roadforce arrangement might help dynamic balancing some, but maybe more important it tells you if a rim or tire non-uniformity makes the effort a waste of time!
Weights can be rim edge clips or stick on. In any case, the best procedure is to strip off all weights and balance fresh each time. Otherwise you are adding weight to overcome a problem with prior weights. After a few such exercises, you can have a half lb of lead stuck on there! Many shops skip this step in an effort to save time and money (an extra weight to trim an imbalance is cheaper than starting fresh).
Net is your service adviser is BSing you yet again.
Also look in your owner's manual for more info. On my car, which is not a Subaru, there is a button and a procedure to shut the light off once tire pressure is corrected.
There must be a way for this process to be completed without the need for a dealer. If not, I sure do feel (extra) justified in not installing the silly things in my second set of rims!
I'm sticking my neck out here, and I'm sure someone could say that I'm peddling bad advice. But unless you are a taxi driver, I don't think there is much abuse to the system, and thus little degradation to the fluid. If you see it go milky or grey, then I agree. Change it and look for why. If it is still a nice shade of red, skip it.
You can use a turkey baster (DON'T TELL THE WIFE!) and suction out the old fluid, then replace as much as you can with new stuff. Save the receipt for the fluids you purchased.
After getting the car back I had intermittent loss of power, felt like a momentary short. Especially happened under load.
I brought the car in and they replaced the spark plug wires, but the problem persisted.
Eventually engine completely failed, and I took it to a different shop -- the dealer, and they fixed the problem with a crank sensor.
My questions is, does shop that did the gasket/belt work owe me anything? After their work I found myself with this new problem, and I suspect that they damaged the crank sensor during that job, although this is hard to really prove. However, the fact that they gave the car back to me twice with a crank sensor problem irks me. They didnt sufficiently check car, even when I brought the car in a second time.
What says y'all? I had the car towed, rented a car for several days while dealing with this.
If compensation is due, is there a set method for negotiation? Threaten to contact their certification association (ASE)?
Thanks!
You could *try* Small Claims court, and claim that shop #1 couldn't fix the car and you were *forced* to go to shop #2----it's worth a shot I guess but don't get your hopes up. When you engage a second party on a problem (which you sometimes have to do), you sort of let party #1 off the hook.
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I'll admit this question is more about my `01 Nissan Sentra, but I imagine it could be useful for my Legacy in the future (and I have had very helpful replies on this forum previously).
Cloudy headlights on my `01 Nissan Sentra. I used the $8 TurtleWax Headlight Restoration kit with a little bit of success, but never really got all the cloudiness out.
I recently purchased Mother's Powerball 4 Headlights off Amazon (Link) and am waiting for it to arrive (should be Monday 5/3). Have heard nice things about it, will post back when finished.
Anyone used this product before? Seems like they recommend to use the polisher (powerball) first for around 10 minutes per headlight, then use the sandpaper afterwards if you "need" more.
As we know nothing about mechanic stuff, how do we know the dealer has replaced with a new engine? How do we know if the new engine is a Subaru one but not something else? Please advise.
Sounds like you have a good plan. Start less aggressive, and progress only if needed.
These are all different, and often carelessly interchanged.
I spent about an hour or so doing them today. The first time I did it, they were absolutely see-through except for a small horizontal bar near the bottom of the plastic that seemed to be extremely oxidized. This is the same area I had trouble with before when I tried using the TurtleWax kit I mentioned in my first post.
It seems you're right - the grit starts at 800, 1200, 1600, and 2000. They recommend using the ball first, which I did, and the sandpaper applications really couldn't be easier.
Except I suppose my arms got a little tired as I progressed through the sandpaper stages (they say to do it a little bit longer on each step), so as a result, while I have some pretty clear looking headlights right now, I most certainly need to have another go with the 1600 and 2000 grit pad in the next day or two.
All and all a good purchase, and I would recommend it. Just make sure you actually spend enough time with the higher grits otherwise you'll end up doing a second application like I'm going to have to do to get rid of some scratch marks in the plastic.
The 800 grit (coarse) pad melted the oxidation away almost instantly, so I didn't spend much time with that pad. Perhaps if you're trying something similar you might want to start with Pad #2 (1200 grit, I think).
Engine light comes on, and several other lights came on or started blinking. Called sales at dealer since the service was closed. I was told most likely it would be caused by loose gas cap. I then added more gas and tightened the cap. After several trips, short and long, the light are still on or blinking!!
I got really frustrated now! :mad: :mad: What should I do except for having the car
checked at the dealer tomorrow? To file a complaint? Anything else I can do?
Next: with only 270 miles underneath the car, filing a complaint is way premature. Call the dealer first thing Monday morning, explain the situation, and allow them to deal with the problem. Obviously something is amiss, and it could be something relatively easy to mitigate. Give them a chance.
Cheers!
Paul
Thanks for sharing.