Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

bluesubie · November 2004

It was a little chilly this morning, so I turned the fan control clockwise to make the heat come on in manual mode. Nothing happened. Tried turning it counter-clockwise and it came on at "1", but could not be adjusted any higher.

I had to hit "Auto" mode and then put it into manual. If this continues, hopefully my dealer will not be able to fix it and I'll need a new climate control system. If it's a direct swap and a color match, I would highly consider the manual system from the "X". :-)

-Dennis

[Deleted User] · November 2004

That's definitely NOT a stupid question. You've stumbled onto a hotly contested debate, and everyone has a different opinion. In your situation, with a new car, the only opinion that should matter is that of the manufacturer. They're the one with the ability to deny warranty claims for not following the recommended maintenance schedule.

To play it safe I would recommend following the "severe" schedule even if you don't drive in severe conditions. It costs very little extra money and keeps you well within the warranty requirements. If it's easier for you to keep using the 3,000-mile oil change warranty you're accustomed, then by all means, keep going with it.

-Ty

lark6 · November 2004

Retrofit an '05 ACC system?

Ed

sduford · November 2004

I have an 05 OBXT and the ACC totally sucks. I would go to a plain jane manual system if I could.

lark6 · November 2004

Funny, I have an '05 FXT and have had no problems with its ACC yet.

Ed

subearu · November 2004

I've been realizing that, for the most part, I use manual mode in my F-XT as well. Only on a recent trip for a wedding did I try AUTO mode, but only after the vehicle was warmed up and we were on our way. Didn't experience any anomolies...at least with this trial in AUTO mode.

I think I've also noticed some of the same delay in temperature adjustment while in full MANUAL mode that some have experienced in AUTO mode. It seems at least initially that if I set the temp to 75, things warm up quickly, but then I'll back it down to 67 or so. However, it still shoots out hot air until I set it to 65 for a bit and then adjust back up. Nothing scientific to prove it, just my observations.

As others have concluded, I'm thinking that the position of the sensor is just wrong in the F-XT, even in manual mode. For instance, if your keys are cold, it'll pick that up as they are right in front of the sensor.

I think Samiam's resolution really seems to address the issue as it increases airflow to the sensor. I know his fix addresses the AUTO mode behavior. I might just order one to determine if it address the MANUAL mode operation as well (as I expect it to do).

-Brian

p0926 · November 2004

Hmmm... when in MANUAL mode, is the temp sensor even used by the system? I was under the impression that in MANUAL the temp guage works the old fashion way.

-Frank

bluesubie · November 2004

Yeah, but how's your gas mileage? ;-p

-Dennis

subearu · November 2004

I thought that too, but at least it's not appearing that way on mine. I know I'm in full MANUAL mode, as AUTO is off and moving the temp or other selectors doesn't cause the system to change another setting on it's own.

-Brian

lark6 · November 2004

Yeah, but how's your gas mileage? ;-p

To paraphrase the Beatles, "it's getting better all the time." It's back up to 20.0 last tank.

;-p yourself. ;-P

Ed

sciguy · November 2004

I bought my daughter an '04 Impreza Outback Sport (OBS) from Irvine (CA) Subaru in July as a college graduation present. The car was fine until a week ago when she moved from Irvine to Mammoth Lakes, CA (elev 7000'). The car now has trouble starting almost every morning where the outside temp is in the 20's. The engine turns over (weakly?) and sometimes starts but then dies. When she leaves work (a few miles away - same elev or higher) in the late afternoon (temp in the 40's) the car starts fine. The oil was changed in October at 3,000 mi and I specifically asked the dealer to use 5W-30 as recommended by the manual.

Are there any known issues with the '04 OBS that could account for this behavior? I'm suspecting a defective battery. The nearest dealer is in Reno, NV, a 3 hr drive.

troop2shos · November 2004

Definitely sounds like a bad cell in the battery.

edunnett · November 2004

Ugh. The wind noise problem. If you have more than 36K on the car then yes, you are out of warranty for this problem. The window gusset is the thing that's torn. I think the cost of replacing it is only $50 and someone on this forum has replaced it himself in his wife's WRX. He has instructions and photos available if I'm not mistaken... Try searching the forum for window gusset replacement. Would likely be an hour of labor to pay someone to do it for you.
Elissa

bluesubie · November 2004

Question about the '05 ACC.
When your cabin temp regulates, does your fan ever come down to "1"?
Mine doesn't and I prefer to have the fan on "1".

With my luck, the dealer will probably just fix HAL back to his normal eccentric self.

-Dennis

lark6 · November 2004

My fan comes down to the lowest setting, yes. There is no "1" on the '05 ACC, however.

Ed

ateixeira · November 2004

3000 miles is easier to remember, that's the practical advantage of that interval.

For that gusset, maybe you could find one from a wrecked car, try these folks:

http://www.fsautoparts.com/

-juice

fibber2 · November 2004

Would you like to adopt me? I could use a new car... (just kidding)...

Steve

okcutim · November 2004

I bought my first Subaru,' 05 Legacy GT, last July. It was a Subaru's special lease that included free maintenance. When my car's first scheduled oil change was performed, I was asked to pay $35. Pay for a deal was suppose to be free?. Service and sales departments told there was no such a thing as free oil change. I contacted the dealer where I had made the purchase, who promised to resolve the issue but weeks later there is still no conclusion. I contacted Subaru America who acknowledge the offer but very slow to address my concern. They do not even know who and how should I be reimbursed for the oil change I paid for.
Subaru cars are going for the entry level luxury market customers but their dealers and themselves are not ready to serve accordingly. If they are to target Volvo, Acura and Audi buyers, they have a long way to improve themselves beyond just producing good cars.

My car's second service is due in a month, I will have to pay for this as well. It was a mistake building free maintenance into cost reduction.

Regards,
Timur

ateixeira · November 2004

Call 800-SUBARU3 and be polite but persistent.

Some people got coupon books, but that might have been for the other offer, not the lease deal.

This is new to Subaru so maybe they're having some growing pains.

-juice

c_hunter · November 2004

If it's a lease with that deal, then your dealer should not have charged you. It is up to the selling dealer to take care of this for you and enforce it for you since they are the ones who set up the lease agreement.

I hope someone else with a lease can comment on how the free maintenance works. I have never had a lease myself.

I got the free maintenace deal on a purchase, and they sent me a coupon book with coupons for each scheduled service. I assume the lease deal is similar, and that your selling dealer should have done the paperwork so you'd get the coupon book.

Craig

perezc1 · November 2004

Everyone has been helpful in the past, so heres a new problem in need of a diagnosis.
My wifes Subaru Forester S (manual) seems to be losing power when driving in the rain (with puddles on the roadway). When she steps on the gas, there is a delay or hesitation  almost like its going to stop, then the power will kick in, then out, etc. She has replaced the idle control value and the MAF sensor (2x) in the recent past 12 months and says the feeling is very similar to when those were malfunctioning  but without the CEL.

For my two cents, when she goes through a puddle (even a very shallow, typical rain-type) and the hesitation starts, it feels more like slipping out of gear or loss of power to the rear diff, which then catches up. Its hard to tell for me whether its a fuel/O2 related problem or transmission  somewhere in between? But for now, it only happens in the rain. Any thoughts?

locke2c · November 2004

park the car and set the handbrake. get out and lay down next the the car on the side.

any exhaust noise up front? listen for leaking type sounds from the catalyst area forward to the headers. have your wife rev lightly if needed, but if there is a leak you should be able to hear it while idling.

~Colin

fibber2 · November 2004

I very much doubt that anything that is purely mechanical is being affected by the change in humidity / being wet. It is far more likely to be an electrical component. A bad connector or insulation breakdown is causing a leakage to ground, and a loss of proper functionality. You might try looking under the hood in the dark on a wet day, maybe even spray some parts (ignition wires, etc.) with a water mister, and look for the glow of arcing.

Steve

rob_m · November 2004

I would pop the plug wires from the ignition coil, and check for corrosion/arcing.

I had chronic problems with this on my 99 GT. I would get a vibration and power loss on a long hill when the engine was cold, and the conditions were wet. It was enough to shake the coffee out of the cup in the cupholder. The dealer would not do anything because it never set off a CEL or store a code. I just kept cleaning the contacts with steel wool until I paid to replace the coil and wires.

anthony_cheng · November 2004

I have something rolling in the bottom of my drivers seat. I need to take apart the panel on the left hand side (where the seat position controls are).

My question is: how do I do it?

There seems to be a screw that secures the panel, but it is in a position where a screwdriver cannot get to unless I completely remove the seat.

Here is a picture of the panel that I want to remove.

home.comcast.net/~anthonycheng/seat.jpg

c_hunter · November 2004

I have a very critical question -- what do the RPMs do when this happens???

Craig

p0926 · November 2004

Welcome and congratulations on your new Forester. There are a number forums that you might be interested in:

- one for discussing just the Forester
- one for discussing all things Subaru
- this one for help resolving problems with Subarus
- one for future Subaru models
- one for making suggestions to Subaru
- and finally, one to get in touch with a Subaru Rep (Patti)

There are others but these are a good sampling.

As far as resolving problems, you can always post here and see if anyone readily knows the answer (there's a fair bit of technical expertise here) but your dealer will normally be your first option. If you don't get satisfaction there, then escalating the problem to SOA by calling 1-800-SUBARU3 is your next step. And finally as a really last resort, you can ask Patti to look into your case (first preference being to make the system work).

Finally a word of advice, human nature is to only post when you have a problem so by reading these posts, things like leaky head gaskets or early brake wear seem to be more prevalent than they really are. The flip side is that there are plenty of satisfied Subaru owners who never have cause to post about a problem (don't expect your brake pads to last 120k though!). Subaru has a pretty good reputation for building reliable cars so I recommend you simply enjoy your new Forester and please join us as a full-fledged member of the Subaru Crew!

-Frank

xwesx · November 2004

I am not sure how deep that screw is set into the panel, but I have had moderate success when working in tight areas like this to just take a phillips bit (like one you would insert into a cordless screwdriver/drill) and operate it with a set of channel locks / vice grips (or similar). The locks have a good enough grip that you can use one hand to apply pressure to the bit and the other hand (gripping the locks) to turn the screw out. Just looking at it from the photo, there's probably either add'l screws or anchors under the two caps that will need to be removed as well.

The seat is probably an easy removal too. Usually just 4 accessible bolts and viola...

baydrive · November 2004

Thanks for the info Frank. I do know what you mean about the posts. These forums do give you alot of information but it did make it hard to pick a car to buy. With every car that I was considering many problems were posted. I started feeling that no car was well built.It was almost too much information. The nice thing about the Subaru folks is that I did feel that overall they were happy with their cars and that the company was somewhat responsive if there was a problem.

As I am settling into owning my Forester I have had time to see how I am really feeling about it. I drive alot and already have 1000 miles on it (in 2 weeks). The car is smooth, responsive, quiet and fun. Oh, and looks good too.

It is good to know that if problems arise there is a whole support system here at Edmunds. I have been having fun reading new posts to the forums.

hypov · November 2004

rangner Nov 1, 2004 3:18pm

If the squeal sounds like birds chirping away that gets livelier as speed progresses and it's coming from the wheel area, it might be the wheel seal.

-Dave

hypov · November 2004

Tweeter Bird strikes again?

hypov "Subaru Crew: Problems & Solutions" Nov 6, 2004 7:40pm

-Dave

c_hunter · November 2004

http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/gusset/

johnlse · November 2004

Thanks for the link. I'll try them and see what they have.

mikelittle · November 2004

hello from Cape Breton NS Canada-
bought a used 2000 Forester L automatic-
never ending CE lite problems!; how can
I find out what parts/service was done on this
rig before I bought it used!!!!
thanks Mike Little

ateixeira · November 2004

Ignition is distriburtorless, so that's not it. My wife's old Mirage had that problem.

So my money's on the plug wires. Happens on Miatas often.

-juice

ateixeira · November 2004

Call 800-SUBARU3. Ask them for a history of repairs.

Also, can't hurt, ask if they'll cover it this one time for you.

-juice

p0926 · November 2004

You Juice, you wouldn't think that someone from Brazil living in th US would need a geography lesson but... hello from Cape Breton NS Canada is clearly not in the US so calling SOA's customer service wouldn't accomplish much :-P

-Frank

ateixeira · November 2004

You can find out if they traveled to the USA and had any work done by US dealers. ;-)

My bad!

-juice

xwesx · November 2004

Well, "Subaru of America" could just as easily be "North" America as "United States of" America. :P

p0926 · November 2004

Well, "Subaru of America" could just as easily be "North" America as "United States of" America. :P

If only! I'm pretty sure that our northen neighbors would love it if SOA took care of all North America since SOC doesn't have nearly the reputation for customer service that SOA does :-)

-Frank

ateixeira · November 2004

I'd say we have better/more dealers, better pricing, and better service. Plus Patti.

The canucks get better special edition models and extra content for many trim levels.

I'd love to see them combined, give us the goodies we've been missing.

-juice

xwesx · November 2004

Hahahaha! Yeah, if only they were just lines on a map. Just out of curiosity, are warranties, customer service, etc, based on where the vehicle was purchased, or where the owner resides? My guess here is that Subaru tracks the vehicles.

mikelittle · November 2004

hi-from Cape Breton Canada, are you the same person
who posted a reply to 'Re-program ECU on
Feb 19th 2003:??? I have problems with my CEL and
think the ECU might be the problem.
I had both O2 sensors and cats replaced.
thanks Mike Little

mikelittle · November 2004

Hi from Cape breton---I am having CEL problems also;

questions I would like to solve.
history: 2000 Subaru Forester L with Dynastar package- 89,000km; AWD automatic;
new to me in March 2004 with 79,000 kms. Dealer has replaced rear
catalystic converters
[believed it had failed; and was causing rear O2 sensor to indicate a fault].
Since then the Check Engine Lite [CEL] comes on and off at random; for no
apparent
driving condition change. No apparent change in car-gas economy or performance.
1]-sometimes when I turn the ignition key-all indicator lites come on-BUT
sometimes the
CEL will NOT light!- in this test mode; and if I continue turning the key
and the start the
car the CEL will be off. But on other days when I turn the key to the Test
mode-the
CEL is lite along with all the other indicator lights-and yes when I turn
the car on
the CEL is lit. So why is the CEL Not lit All the time in the 'Test
mode'. I am making
arrangements to take the Car in again to have the computer codes read.
2]-what sort of test meter does one need to read these codes;
3]-if one does read these codes manually-do I end up clearing off the error
memory.

thanks for listening to my questions; great list of members all over the world.

Retired Stationary Engineer / 61 /married / 4 grown kids-all moved on /
Car used for local driving conditions /Maritime winters / gravel roads /
asphalt heaves / potholes / etc. OFF / ON -Road- Normal for us!!!!

Strange to hear of a gas tank sensor?? New
twist to an old story!
Mike & Marg LITTLE www.cbchoices.com

subulu · November 2004

Hey, I need some help...and direction, please. I have been driving a standard transmission for over 30 years, various makes. My subaru is the worst...it's almost no fun to drive...very sad. This is the problem. 1st gear. pulling away, the car feels like it's being driven by someone that hasn't yet learned to handle a standard. It bucks, just doesn't seem to "catch". I have to play with the clutch and gas to get the car into the road...
I've had dealer service check it out. Hot or cold, left standing overnite...I get the same response, "WEll, it doesn't do that for us. It's fine". Only one time did the service tech note that there might be a problem. The Service guy suggested I leave the car overnite to check again. I did that.Got the usual, "It didn't do it this time". I inquired about "adjusting Clutch", was told that it can't be done, would have to be replaced...big job, big cost (car will be out of warranty Jan 05!!!!!) can you help me? Do all standard forresters shift like this? No trouble in other gears. *except trying to get into reverse after car sits for awhile. I have to put it in 1st, pull forward and then reverse gear ...like it's stuck. This, they tell me is "a Subaru thing"...I'm really missing my Volkswagon!!!

ozman62 · November 2004

The most common cause of a CEL is an improperly tightened gas cap. Make sure that it 'clicks' a few times when you tighten it up. However, with the intermittent nature of the CEL illumination on startup, it would seem like your problem may be more that that. For what it's worth, every time the CEL light goes on, it should store a code that the dealer could read, even if it's gone back out when you get there. Also, the ECU is part of the emission system, and it should still be under warrantee on your car if it's bad. Do you have the option of taking your car to another dealer? If your current dealer is just replacing parts willy-nilly (at your expense) without solving the problem, I would be leaning towards a second opinion. Another thing, there has been discussions about 'bad' batches of O2 sensors....
Hope this helps,
Owen

ateixeira · November 2004

SoA services a car you buy anywhere at any Subaru dealer. You don't have to service it where you buy it. I don't, for instance.

subulu: you have clutch chatter. Call 800-SUBARU3 and ask then to open up a case number. Inform them of the dealer that will be looking at yours.

-juice

samiam_68 · November 2004

I think Subaru has a service bulletin for clutch shudder. Call their 800 number and open a case.

c_hunter · November 2004

Yes, the bulletin is for "clutch judder". They will fix it under warranty. The bulletin is # 03-51-02R. I have a copy of it here:

http://members.cox.net/craig.hunter/03-51-02R.pdf

I hope Subaru of America gives your dealer a big dope slap for not handling the situation very well.

BTW, the reverse gear fussiness is normal.

Craig

ateixeira · November 2004

If reverse is stubborn to engage, first engage 1st gear. Why? Because they are right next to each other on the tranny.

-juice

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