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Comments
I have a 99 Forester L that was owned by a lady I know who kept up with all maintenance. I bought it from her and have kept it up very well. It has 98k all highway and has never overheated etc..At 90k I replaced the timing belt (way ahead of schedule) and at that time replaced the water and oil pumps as preventative maintenance. I always take care of my cars that way and use OEM parts. The tech who did the work specializes in Subarus and has had his own shop for several years after several at a dealer. I had begun to smell coolant but with no increase in operating temp. etc. I took it in and he said one of the head gaskets is leaking. I have owned VW's, Ford, Mazda's and an old Volvo and have never had this problem. And these cars were much older than 99 and had many more miles. I was ready to purchase a new car fairly soon but I must say this, along with some things I hear about on this site have put me off Subaru. My wife loved the functionality of the car and the looks, but her frugality always wins in the end. I have friends who have gotten 300K out of their Subarus with fewer problems than I have had(o2 sensor, ram air flow sensor etc...) Please advise.
With 98k miles, I doubt you'll get much help. Call 800-SUBARU3 and open up a case anyway. See if SoA will at least pay for part of the repair, maybe just the parts or something.
-juice
www.tintdude.com has a good write up about how to remove tint and I think I can apply that to a small 2x2 area - if I'm careful. heh.
thx
Mark
-mike
They have info on bedding techniques, proper braking downhill and in turns. They end the letter by saying that it's better to replace brakes than to overwork your tranny and engine.
-Dennis
paisan: is your dad's an auto?
I'm always in 2nd for a 90 degree turn, 3rd for highway ramps, but I don't abuse the tranny or anything.
-juice
-mike
I just ordered factory pads for my 2000 Legacy. The original pads have 55k on them. Based on Mark's comment, I wonder how many miles I'll get on the replacements.
Yesterday, I purchased Anco wiper blades from Sears. They were the same price as a Trico refill (only) from the Kragen/Schenk/Checker chain!
Jim
-mike
-juice
bit
I just drained and filled. I'm sure I didn't get 100% of the coolant out, but I'll do it again this year.
-juice
Given your track record, I expect no less. ;-)
-juice
I think it takes the thermostat a little while to fully open giving the temp gauge a brief spike.
Jim
I filled it up, then turned facing up hill, and topped it off. For the next couple of days, I topped it off again. You should probably "burp" the system with that valve we discussed, though, to get it done quicker.
-juice
cheers Pat.
OTOH, I had work done at Meineke and it was complete junk (the service, the manager and the work). Their warranty was 90 days on the labor and they hosed up my rotors (problem surfaced in 4 months). They didn't even know how to remove the wheel covers on my OBS and each cover is marked with "rotate this way ----> " or something like that. They ended up ruining one without telling me and I made them replace it.
In the future, I would only use OEM brakes or maybe performance brakes on the WRX.
-Dennis
They extracted the broken stud, but I ended up spending 3 hrs repairing the parking brake system in my driveway that night. Never again!!
Steve
Jim
The camshaft seals are important, because oil can get on the timing belt, but the others you mentioned are not very important, worst that will happen is you will get some oil on your driveway.
Oil seals wear out on all engines in all cars - this is not a Subaru-specific problem.
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I believe this engine and year is among the worst Subaru engines ever for oil seal integrity and from what I know your engine will continue to have this problem. It has been discussed on these boards a bit. Apparently, the 2.5 you have was fixed in subsequent model years.
IdahoDoug
I tend to go this way as on some engine bays the working room for access to the pump is so poor, you put more at risk (as well as the cost) than if you just left it alone and took your chances. I have never done a Subaru, so I cannot comment on what is required (only Toyota). So far I have won, but your luck could always change. You could then face the joy of getting to do it all again!!
Steve (the other)
-mike
(Good morning, Mike!)
Steve
-mike
Jim
-mike
Of course on my last car I did the belt at 60k, and skipped the water pump. It was totalled at 107k and the water pump never failed, so it would have been a waste of money. But would it have lasted until 120k, the next timing belt change? Who knows.
-juice
That does occur on the Phase I DOHC 2.5l once in a while, though most are fine (including mine). The Phase II SOHC design arrived in 1999 on Foresters and Imprezas, and in 2000 on Outbacks and Legacys.
Keep your oil change intervals short - 3000 miles. Also, do NOT switch to synthetic at this point - it flows better and hence leaks sooner. Stick with dino oil, 10w30 or 10w40, nothing thinner than that.
With new seals and everything torqued down properly, the odds of it happening again are low. Generally I suggest that people change the seals when the timing belt is swapped, since labor is paid for.
-juice
If it only happened in snow/ice, I'd guess you were getting ice stuck in the wheels, increasing unsprung weight a lot, which affects handling and balance.
Did you get new OE struts? I wonder if they are too soft for your springs.
Beyond that, are you the original owner? If not, you may have a bent frame. Hope not, though.
-juice
When My 30K seal leaked, I had been using synthetic for about 18 months. Went all over. In your case I would avoid synthetic like a plague. Go with a High Mileage oil like Valvoline Maxlife. They are high quality oils and have special additives to maintain the seals better. Change frequently to keep the seal additive levels up. (Say 4 instead of every 5 thousand miles.)
Don't buy a seal sweller. That softens them too much.
Engine-RX has been known by some to stop small pinhole leaks.
And, Yes, at least in the older models, engine seals replacement is not unusual, according to my Subaru specialist mechanic. The only major weakness in the engine IMO.
Jim
The service manager came out and told me that the transmission has a definite "glich" and that Subaru is going to replace the transmission. While I am happy they are going to do this, I am somewhat taken aback that my beautiful, new wintergreen wagon requires such a major operation!
I researched and test drove many SUVs and wagons and the decision came down to either a 2003 Forester or an Outback Wagon. I finally chose the Outback and am very happy with it overall. I just hope I didn't make a mistake. Does anyone know if Subaru puts in a new or remanufactured transmission in a case like this. I neglected to ask, and am hoping it is new and has the "park-rod" revision already addressed.
Romy
What size tires do you have on it?
Original Subaru wheels?
How long have you owned it?
IdahoDoug
Had a waterpump bearing fail on an old Honda Civic. It cost less than $50. But replacing it required removing the main pulley, timing chain, covers, and other parts. An absolute nightmare. (And I'm a former Fiat owner!)
Jim
She is very concerned with the min. distance she should be from steering wheel (internet posted is 10"; is that correct?).
She has owned a '97 Loyale wagon for 12 years and never had this problem on long trips. Likewise with rental cars prior to buying this new vehicle.
She contacted the dealership purchased from and the service manager was quite abrupt and rude to her bringing her to tears, and not listening to her problem. The service manager even insinuated that she was yelling at him (so others in the office would hear him say it such that they would attest to it) but she NEVER raised her voice, and was very polite, etc. She got the feeling that the service manager knew exactly what she was talking about and said she was handicapped and didn't know what she was talking about.
< She had researched and found on the internet that the newer Outback wagons were not suitable for SHORT people because they need to be right against steering wheel thus a safety hazard if airbag deployed. In addition, she has back problems and due to a slight bulge in the middle console nearest gas pedal, her right leg is slanted such that after long trips (1 hr +) she has extreme back pains.
The dealership would not help her, despite the fact that she WAS a customer of this dealership for more than 12 years, doing all recommended service and spending 1000's of dollars in repairs on her '90 Suabru Loyale. They said the NEW car needed to be handicapped modified. She is reluctant to do this possibly spending $1000 or more, so she asked them to "buy back" the car and she would take the substantial loss in value depreciation. They never got back to her. She summizes that if they bought the car back they would be admitting guilt and the fact that they knew about this problem but never told her.
Now, she either has to
a.) Find an appropriate company in the Boston/north shore area to retrofit the gas and brake pedals, or
b.) trade car in for a NON-SUBARU product. She insists on having a WHITE car for safety reasons, and the Forrester does not come in white. She also needs a wagon (she is considering a Saturn).
If anyone in the community knows of a bonded/insured company that can quote retrofitting the vehicle for bringing brake and gas pedal closer to seat, please e-mail me at bchap5280@aol.com. If a SUBARU representative can contact me with some help, that would be great.
(I too am a Subaru Outback owner, purchased my car from the sale dealership, and will NOT take my car back to this dealer for service in protest of the dealership's rudeness and insensitivity to my friend).
Very sorry for this long post, however it has been an extremely upsetting ordeal for my friend after spending $25K on a new car.
Regards,
Brad
Where on the internet did she find information that newer Outbacks are not suitable for short people? I must have missed that one in my extensive research before buying my 2002 Outback. I'm 5'4" so would like to know.
The Forester does come in white. When I was looking this past summer there were several 2003 white Foresters on my dealers lot, they had already been sold to a local TV station. Both the Forester X and XS with the premium package are available in white.
It's not that I don't sympathize with your friend, but not all cars are comfortable for all people. If she is comfortable in a Forester, perhaps the dealer could cut her some slack and let her trade for a Forester. Especially since she has been a loyal customer for 12 years.
This seems like a classic case of buyer's remorse.
-juice
Romy: we own almost the same car (2002 Wintergreen, but 5 speed). That's not a common problem so I imagine that the replacement tranny should be fine. Besides a recent hiccup and recall that affected 800 units, they are very robust.
Brad: there is no excuse for treating a customer rudely, so I'd boycott them, too.
There are pedal extenders, though. I'd try a local auto parts store like Trak Auto, NAPA, or Pep Boys. If that fails ask your mechanic to build a custom solution, maybe with spacers or something.
Romy is absolutely correct, you can get a Forester X in Aspen White with the slate lower cladding, or a Premium that is monotone white (with cloth or leather). The only model not offered in white is the XS without the premium package.
-juice
The Honda was just a pain for mere waterpump.
Will continue with the 60k tune-up on the Subie in the next couple of weeks. That was a really good checklist juice posted here some time ago.
Jim