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I ended up doing lemon law and got $$ from mfg to get another car. They had offered to buy the car back. At the time, it was better financially to get another car than to have them buy it back. The bad thing was it took 5 months of negotiation to have that happen, so I just got sicker & sicker.
Praying this new car won't have the same problems, but was told this has a different heater box in it. We'll see.
I wish your friend good luck!!!
So far the glass is perfectly clear, and we use the defrost at all times when the car is running.
I still have under 2k on m new one, so haven't been driving it much yet. A long drive with the defrost on will be a good test. Going into the shop tomorrow for the first warranty work.
For snow, the UGI perform very well due to their open block design - in this regard, I expect they perform better than the Blizzak WS-60 or X-Ice2, but both those are also excellent choices for ice.
For handling, I don't think any of those three will be your best choice. There are several winter performance tires recommended on Tire Rack that are good choices. Nokian makes a few performance tires that are excellent as well. It all depends on how much you want to spend....
I noticed:
1- a slight unbalanced-like vibration as soon as I started driving after they were installed.
2- a more than slight burning rubber smell during a quick stop after 200 miles on a highway.
3- mileage dropped 4mpg from usual all season tire driving.
Please advise.
Thanks.
As for the out-of-balance situation, you will likely have to take that up with Tire Rack.
If you live in an area with only occasional snow/ice conditions, I would recommend keeping them off the car as much as possible when they are not needed. You will also get a lot more life out of the tires, as they wear quickly on dry roads. Oh, and that may also be why you smell burning. Again, the compound is soft and is designed for cold conditions. If you are driving in a situation that combines warm temperatures with dry roads, they will wear very quickly (even burn?). Once the first 50% of the tread is gone, though, they are just regular all-seasons and should not affect your fuel economy like that nor wear nearly as fast. Of course, then you no longer have winter tires, either....
Any comments on the smell? Is it just normal wear smell?
-Wes-
Yep! Snow is taking its time to come to Central New York. I often drive to Vermont, and they were very useful on my Mazda Protege. In the past I changed them once I had already spun a couple of times, and I did not want this to happen driving my brand new Forester.
I appreciate your advice.
Thanks.
Roberto.
A lady who parks in the same lot as me purchased the same car (color and everything!) a week later, but did not opt to put winter tires on it. About a month ago, she came to work with a sizable crease in one of her front fenders. Two days later, there were Blizzaks on it. I asked her about the crease, and she said she hit a tree in her driveway when the car failed to shift direction as she tried to negotiate a curve. That changed her mind about the winter tires....
Snow is falling now, and I'll be driving to VT this weekend again. Looking forward to it!
I just noticed that you are in Alaska... building your own house...
Architect, Vermonter-wannabe here, dreaming of building my own house...
Good luck!
By the way, the actual ground clearance (except for some minor protruding aspects) of the regular Impreza hatchback was 7.5 inches, and the Outback Sport was 8 inches. The reason why the manufacture does not use those figures is because they measure from the ground to the lowest aspect of the chassis, which is usually a bolt or an articulation of the drive train.
I hope this helps.
I hope that you do end up building your dream and, if you can, do it yourself (or substantially so)! It is quite an experience and a joy (most of the time!). We finally put windows in the house this summer, which was seven years after we started building.
Regarding the burning smell from the tires, it may be a good idea to ask a Tire Rack rep about it if it continues for more than the first thousand miles or so.
My problem now seems to be the heater. I don't know if it is my imagination, but the heater seems very hot. It was freezing today and I had to drive with the heater position in the beginning of the hot range. I seem to recall that I always used to have the setting well into the red range. I don't know if this indicative of a problem or not I also notice that the dial turns easily at times and at other times it is harder to turn.
Any feedback will be appreciated
So yesterday morning at a stop light, the OB died. all the idiot lights came on, I cranked it and it fired right back up. Then on the way home from work, the car died as I was approaching a red light at about 30mph. I believe I did have the clutch in and was coasting in. All the idiot lights came on...while coasting, I cranked it and she fired right back up again. Battery time? It is cold here all the sudden.
Have the battery load tested (usually free), and if it's bad just replace that.
If it's OK, could be the alternator.
We lucked out this morning, it was only 11° F this morning vs -8° F yesterday morning. Winter is here. More snow tomorrow and Monday.
Should this be the case, it is an early warning that your water pump is going to fail. I had this on a '96 Outback, but did not realize or heed that warning. 25,000 miles later, the pump failed at 0200 on a Sunday morning in January, at twenty degrees below zero. It was not all that fun; I should have heeded the warning.
Since my keyless fob still opens the doors I know it isn't in need of a change of batteries. What could cause it to only "half" work?
Thanks for any help you can give me.
I did not realize that the STi had a different bolt pattern for a while; that is odd, but no more so than other manufacturers that also carry multiple patterns between their various models.
Here's to hoping they do have the correct pattern. As for tires, I do not know as I have no experience with performance tires.
If the car repeatedly dies at idle, the battery is not involved. And if the car starts OK cold, and starts OK each time it dies at idle, the battery and charging system appear to be strong.
I think the problem may be in the fuel or ignition systems. Yet you do not mention seeing a CEL light when the engine is running, so the problem comes on suddenly.
Check the hose clamps. People have reported that after a few years they can be tightened some more. There are many small hoses in the system, and some of the clamps are hard to even see, much less reach.
In hot weather the hoses have enough softness to continue to seal under the loose clamps, but when they are very cold on winter nights, they get hard and don't seal as well. There will be a few drops at night, then when the engine is hot, there is nothing to see.
Cheers!
Paul
Maybe I'll try to get the car over to AndrewTech while I'm away at the end of the month. At this age, I don't trust my local grease monkeys with it, and prefer to have Subaru lovers work on it. Too bad they're an hour away though.
I ask because the higher wattage lights do not last as long. They run hot.
I got only 12 months out of a set of higher output bulbs.
When they blew, I put the OE bulbs back in, and they lasted until I sold the Subaru at 9 years+ of age.
Also, while under the car I noticed a drop of antifreeze hanging off of a steel line on the drivers side. Also the cover underneath the engine has an oily film on it. I have not noticed any oil or antifreeze on the garage floor. Did not see any oil in the antifreeze or signs of antifreeze in the oil. The coolant level was just a bit low. I put about a 1/2 pint in. I wiped the antifreeze off the line but have not had a chance to crawl under the car to see it if re appeared. I have regular service done at the dealer. With all the discussions here about head gaskets, I'm afraid I already know the answer. I have seen these signs before on Chrysler products I owned. That is why I now have a Subaru. Is Subaru taking care of this in a recall or a case by case basis? If I have to shell out a lot of money, this will be my last Subaru. I had a 93 Legacy that never gave me a days trouble. I also have Toyotas in the family, again with no problems. I love the Forester but if the head gaskets are leaking I am not going to be a happy camper.
Thanks for hearing me out and letting me vent.
Today we got 20 inches of snow here in Jersey. I am going to just drive over the snow in my driveway (no shoveling). Let the Forester do the work for me.
AWD is a wonderful thing.
LOVE being able to get around, even when my neighbor's Audi allroad quattro can't. Not enough clearance to get by our unplowed road.
It's OK, I'm getting milk for him.
Some of the bushings are. The manual says the rear bushings of the transverse link are grease-filled. Maybe your bushing is, too.
"... I have regular service done at the dealer... the cover underneath the engine has an oily film on it... "
Me, too, and I ramp the front and crawl under to check after every oil change. Every time they leave oil on the sump, the filter and on the cover under the engine.
To see oil from a head gasket leak, you have to completely remove the cover and look up at the underside of the heads.
Cleared that only to get hung up by the mound left at the end of my driveway by the snow plows.
Some more work and shortening the life of my clutch by about 20K miles and I was out. Winter tires would have been nice.
Or shovel or snow plow. 24" of snow gets HEAVY pretty fast. I had to shovel in 3 "layers".