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Comments
Would it be smart and be proactive to replace the battery as winter approaches. We don't want to be stranded with a dead battery. Any advice?
Thanks....Doug
When the car's engine and drivetrain are cold (not driven for long enough so everything is cooled down to ambient temperature), it makes a very noticeable thrubbing/thrumming noise, with a low level vibration, seemingly from the drivetrain, when accelerating from a stop and continues while driving. As speed increases, the frequency of the sound and vibration increases but the loudness and vibration decreases. While continuing driving, this phenomena progressively decreases in intensity until everything is at operating temperature. Even then, the thrubbing/thrumming noise is there but much less noticeable.
I also notice that at first, the car is very sluggish, like something is holding back acceleration, until everything is at operating temperature.
Although this may not have anything to do with the problem, this problem appeared to begin shortly after I had the last scheduled service done at the dealership, which was an oil change, fluid top-up.
I have taken this Impreza into a Subaru dealer but they couldn't hear or feel anything wrong. The car had been sitting for 4 hours before the dealer road tested it. I was not there when this was done. They told me to come back when the weather is a lot colder and leave the car overnight so it could be road tested when it is stone cold.
Does anyone know what the problem is? It would really help me when I go back to the dealer. I don't want to be a victim of dealership service "see no problem, hear no problem, feel not problem, therefore there is no problem" syndrome. I plan to be there when my Impreza is taken out for the next road test.
P.S.
This is the second Subaru Impreza I have owned. The first one MY2002, purchased March 2002, was a lemon and after continuous attempts to fix it, and problems with being taken seriously by Subaru head office until I filed an arbitration request, Subaru refunded my money but, because I generally liked the Impreza, I waited until the MY2003 was available, September 2002, and bought another one. I still generally like this car but the problems, although different, are surfacing again.
I would like to be able to drive my Impreza for a long time so any constructive help is greatly appreciated.
Thanks....Doug
It has been a while. In the middle of this recent snow storm the windshield in my 01 outback cracked....for no apparent reason. No rocks or anything like that hit the car. At first I thought it was the ice. Sure enough, I have a cracked windshield. I just got over the 36K miles so am sure the dealer will tell me, no warranty. What should I do? It seems a defected windshield. Can someone give me the SOA number if that is what I should do.
Thanks all.
I have no idea if windshield cracks are covered by the regular warranty -- I would bet that they are like brakes and tires and not covered. The best bet is to have a zero deductible on your comprehensive insurance. Windshields are usually in the $200 - 300 range (at least they were the last time I paid any attention) so if you have a $250 or $500 deductible you will have to pay. However, the cost between a $250 deductible and zero deductible comprehensive is surprisingly little -- probably less than $25 or so per year. At that rate it will take you 10 years or so to cover just one broken windshield. Since I've done six, I'm good for sixty years!
Anyway, replacing the windshield is a pretty simple, quick job. Many glass places will even come right to your home or office and do the job there. Good luck!
--K9Leader
2000 OB Ltd wagon (43K miles, my daily driver)
1998 Toyota Sienna (93K miles, wife's ride)
1994 Lincoln Mark VIII (103K miles, my weekend sunny-day fun car)
On that TS, make sure you give the fuel pump time to prime up the pressure before you start her up. Turn the key to the On position, listen for the "whirr", then start it.
My comprehensive insurance covers windshields, does yours? My wife replaced hers twice when she had the 626.
-juice
"Glorified 'D' cell" would be more like it... 320 CCA stock ? You're kidding, right ?
It's almost impossible to find a group 35 battery that's capable and affordable. Unfortunately, the battery tray is so small that no other size fits, even group 75 is too long. You can't upgrade to a bigger class, the air conditioning lines are in the way.
Does it matter ? Well practically speaking, probably not - my Forester has always started without complaint, but we also live where the avg daytime high in January is 43F. It's a small thing, but a slightly wider battery tray would be nice. I wouldn't trust the OEM battery in the mountains overnight.
I just replaced the OEM battery at 42 months with a Nascar Select 35-84, the only group 35 battery recommended by CR. 570 CCA. You can get group 75 up to 730 CCA. Now THAT'S a battery. Other classes run much larger, but would be overkill on a 4-cylinder.
In our case, the OEM battery had a cell going down, causing the remaining cells to overcharge and "weep". Had to clean up the spilled battery acid while I was at it.
Where I come from, less than 400 CCA is a joke. 500 and some is reasonable, but nothing to write home about.
-brianV, who's thankful that these are the "issues" on his mind regarding Subaru
a li'l expensive, but I had very good experiences with them.
http://www.optimabatteries.com/products/pdf/34_78.pdf
-Dave
A little more space would be a better alternative, without going to exotic battery technologies.
-brianV
Ed
<Edit>
I got curious and called Sears. Diehard Gold North in group 35 has CCA = 640.
CA figure is always a lot higher. Price about the same as what I spent ~$80. Sounds like a good value.
-brianV
Ed
I received SOA's answer late last week. Same as the dealer: "...the car is not being driven enough." Of course, instead of suggesting a trickle-charger this time, they suggested (quote from their voicemail) "...crank the car every other day and let it run anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour, to let it idle, especially during our cold temperatures." Oh yeah, I'm going to back my car out of the heated garage and idle it in the driveway 30-60 minutes. And I thought plugging it in every night was unacceptable!!!
Am I starting to sound a little upset? I am. I'm back to "what can I do?" I read here--and hear from all my other sources--that there is something wrong with my car. But since Subaru can't find the problem, they blame me. Right now I'm not sure whether to spend some serious money on an independent mechanic or an attorney.
Are there any other tips for getting action out of SOA? (Or any dealer or manufacturer in general?) Do I need to be a very squeaky wheel? I'm willing to take my problem to a lot more websites and authorities. Does cost work? I'm planning to have my Forester towed in every time it fails to start until my warranty runs out. What else can I do? Being polite and following process hasn't gotten me anywhere but blamed.
Sign me, Upset in Alaska
I won't bother trying to fake my way through an explanation as to why this may be the cause, but it kind of makes sense to me since you wouldn't want the security system draining your battery if left armed for an extended period. I don't know why it would drain more power unarmed however.
Try arming your security system in the garage and see if it makes any difference. You won't be out anything by trying it.
If the ammeter test doesshow that some device is drawing too much current, then (with the ammeter still connected as above) it can be isolated and identified by pulling fuses, one at a time, until the offending circuit is found (the ammeter reading will drop significantly with the fuse for the current-draining circuit out, and jump again with the fuse in).
If the ammeter test does not show any excessive curent drain from the various gizmos (clock, radio, security system, etc), then there aren't that many other possibilities: (1) weak battery (which I gather you've already replaced several times), (2) corroded or loose battery cable connectors that aren't establishing a clean contact, (3) insufficient charge from your alternator while driving, (4) a defective starter motor with partially-shorted windings which requires more starting current than it should to turn the engine over, or (5) a defective starter solenoid that's failing to engage the starter at anything less than maximum full-charge voltage.
If you continue to get nowhere with Subaru, I'd suggest finding a good independent auto electrical shop in your area and asking them to quote a fee to diagnose the problem.
I'd asked before but you did not enlighten.
What Electrical and/or Electronic gadgets [OEM AND After-Market] do you have and use in your Forester L, or is it the Legacy, when it is driven?
I'd asked because-
Each time you crank the battery's charge will fall and will be recharged by the alternator. The vehicle in OEM form will then draw additional power to operate, but no more than what the alternator can replenish. If you have additional gadgets used which might exceed the alternators replenishment rate, you'll end up depleting the battery; hence, at the end of your drive you have a battery with even lesser charge than you started off with. Leave it over night or so, the passive electronics (i.e. alarm) will drain it some more and come the next time you crank... DEAD.
-Dave
Given the bad luck with the OE battery, I'd make the cheap investment in the Sears battery mentioned above.
Then, if you felt like it, try to seek partial reimbursement.
-juice
Even in night driving with headlamps blazing, at anything above idle speed, a properly-operating alternator will have sufficient capacity to carry all the loads and stillprovide at least a small recharge flow to the battery if needed.
In daytime driving with lights off (including, in my case, disabling the stupid daytime running lights), the alternator should be able to produce substantial surplus current for battery recharging.
Either Cheryl's alternator isn't up to par, or something on her vehicle is draining above-spec current flows while her car is parked.
I know because I have the performance gauge pack with a volt meter.
On the other hand, if you're running 4 electric heaters (mirrors, rear window, and wipers) the dash fan, and main lights, like I was yesterday, the battery's being tapped at idle (meter reads 12.5 volts, battery's charged to 14.5 at full charge).
With an eye on the volt meter, I abstained from running my seat heater... Another reason for running a bigger battery than stock.
The alternator can handle normal loads (without all the electric heaters), including my electric trailer brakes (large extended draw), without even breathing hard.
I don't understand Cheryl's problem either. This shouldn't be THAT hard to isolate and fix, as described above. And frankly, telling a customer to run their car at idle every few days is a bit over the top, IMO.
-hypov: He must have had a boat load of electronics on board.
-brianV
-Dave
BrianV - yup, IIRC, a boat load
Some folks have pretty strong opinions on them, haven't ever really figured out why.
We drive with our normal low beams on all the time. I can't see how it would blind anyone when it's light out - afterall, your eyes are adjusted to a reasonable light level already.
<shrug>
They definately help when the sun is blinding though, no question.
-brianV
2. I would have to see much more rigorous and all-other-variable-controlled analysis before I'll believe that headlamps on during the daytime have more than a negligible (or even coincidental) effect on actual accident rates. I turn my lights on whenever I think visibility might be an issue. I'll make that decision myself, thankyouverymuch, I don't need a big-brother carmaker or (even worse) government agency to make it for me.
3. I've installed Philips Vision Plus bulbs for their better illumination. Famous pennypincher that I am, I don't want them squandering their costlier and finite lives by needlessly burning during broad daylight.
4. The benefit from these sorts of well-intentioned but questionably-effective ideas tends to show up (if at all!) in the beginning (when they're "new") and then fade. Has anyone seen any recent rigorous studies that clearly establish that the now ubiquitous high-mounted-brakelight gadget is still actually saving any lives or preventing any collisions? That initial "startle" factor that accompanied the first ones is now long gone.
Give me real lifesaving and/or accident-avoidance technology, like lap-and-shoulder belts and disk brakes and sensors to wake a drowsing driver. Keep drunks and street racers behind bars. That sort of thing. I'm not interested in the frou-frou stuff.
John
One sure way to eliminate the battery drain from the equation is to install a battery "switch". These devices go in series with the positive feed to the battery. This does require opening and closing the hood to engage/disengage.
I'm certainly not recommending you use this as a permanent solution, but one to buy you some time while you "negotiate" with the dealer. It will certainly isolate the battery from anything that will drain it.
Have you in fact had a stronger battery insalled?
My battery in my 04 cranks the car awfully slow when the temp is in the low teens for a few mornings in a row, and I run mine daily back and forth to work (6 miles each way). I plan on dumping it in favor of a Sears / WalMart brand shortly.
HTH
Larry
I have been driving cars with DTRL's since 1990...a total of 6 cars in that time. I have never had to replace one light in any of those cars. In Canada, these lights are mandatory on new cars...you get used to them and it sometimes causes me problems when drivers do not turn their lights on at dusk or in the rain. These cars do not have DTRL's...either the cars are pre 1990 or are from the U.S., from States that do not require them.
At least with DTRL's, I might have a chance to see the drunk coming down the street....fat chance he would have the sense to turn his lights on if he doesn't have them.
I honestly don't believe a vehicle in broad daylight that has its DTRLs on is any more visible to me than one without. They don't blink, they don't swivel, they're static. They're also tiny, compared to the size of the vehicle. If I can't see the vehicle in daylight, I'm not much more likely to see its headlights, washed-out as they are in bright sunlight.
If lights-on on the front works so well, why leave the rear unlit? Wouldn't 24-hour taillights be equally important? And what about the unlit sides? Why not install sideways-aimed headlights and turn them on round-the-clock, too?
Sorry. The arguments just don't persuade. And the weakest one is that this or that nation has made them mandatory, so we should follow along like so many sheep.
Turning DTRs into some kind of conspiracy theory, human rights thing, personal freedom issue ...
give me a break.
Without getting deeper into the formal studies, I can attest to the fact that motor bicycle drivers in Europe were using them all the time 30+ years ago, without any kind of government(s) input. One would think, they being a part of very vulnerable population on the road, might know why.
K
bit
sorry that this is pretty far off topic of 'forester problems & solutions so i'll not continue after this post. the above obtained by doing a google search on 'daytime running lights safety' one can also check out www.lightsout.org - apparently an organization designed around eliminating this vehicle feature. so draw your own conclusions about the effectiveness of DRLs. My opinion is they don't bother me and infact they help me see/identify other cars on the road. (maybe i'll strap a lighthouse to the roof...)
Don't do that. Consumers' Union or Ralph Nader will do a rollover test and drive Subaru out of business because your topheavy rig failed.
I guess this is just one other topic that we "can agree to disagree". There is a whole ton of folks out there who also think it is against their civil rights to force them to buckle up...while the rest of us pay through the nose with increased medical costs after they get thrown from the vehicle and are mangled.
Oh well, as my 90 year old mother always said..."to each his own".
Happy Holidays.
Doug
For the Loyale, easy, just replace all the rubber hoses. They're 11 years old and by now they are dry rotted, brittle, and basically spent. These are cheap and easy to replace, so just swap 'em out. Change all the rubber belts if you haven't already, or if they seem worn upon inspection.
Leak sounds like it's the O-ring on the front main seal, to the oil pump. Access is not entirely easy, but parts are cheap. If you change the timing belt, labor is paid for.
Electrical is not my game at all, I'll let someone else chime in.
-juice
While I think DTRLs border on silly (especially if there ever forms a movement to mandate them), in no way does that mean I'm anti-safety. I installed lap belts myself, for all positions, beginning in 1960 on my first car and every one since until they started showing up as standard equipment. I resisted airbags for awhile, mainly because their original rationale was to protect people too lazy or stupid to buckle up. Let Darwin's theory weed 'em out, I used to say. I still feel that way about morons who don't buckle up, and I have always favored mandatory-seatbelt laws. I've seen several crashes where the airbags clearly worked together with the belts to reduce the forces involved and minimize the mayhem.
'04 FXT
'00 Troop