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Comments
I have what I think is the same whine, but mine is very quiet (having the radio on, even at "can only just hear it" level, drowns it out) and mostly appears when decelerating from 65 mph, e.g., to exit the freeway. I reported it when I had the original check engine light ("MAF sensor", code P0107) checked out -- at that time (March 2000) they found nothing wrong and simply recorded the check-engine event and my report on the slight whine. I did notice that the whine got quieter when I had the tires rotated, but only for a little while.
Still have not replaced my air filter either (but am still below 15k miles),
Chris
Thank you for some of your comments. I would report the result in this chatroom after the dealer replaces the rear differential. Hopefully the replacement would remove the low-volume whining noise.
Old Jayhawk
Cheers Pat.
-Frank P.
Anyway, we do have a lot of QC checks in place. What you experienced is not the norm and I do apologize for it. If you want us to follow-up on it, give us a call. In the meantime, I'll make sure our QC team is made aware of it.
Thanks!
Thank you for your response. I appreciate if you can follow up on my whining noise problem. I took my '01 Forester S into Fitzgerald Subaru on January 3, 2001. The service manager of the Yellow Team that took my service request was Ron (last name Cowles?). The dealer's phone number is 301-230-9000.
I assume that any problem that requires the replacement of a rear differential in a Forester having only about 700 miles is relatively rare because the dealer appeared to not carry any new rear differential in stock (otherwise the dealer would not have to special order a rear differential for my Forester). However, the fact the Fitzgeral Subaru did not carry the part means that I have to take my Forester into Fitzgerald Subaru a second time. Having to take the car in twice before the problem can be worked on also did not make me a happy camper. My busy work schedule is the reason why I did not take my Forester into Fitzgerald in the first few days after I bought the car when I began to notice the whining noise. I waited 4 weeks before finding time to take my Forester in for the dealer to look at (the holidays made my tight schedule even worse). I hope when the new rear differential does arrive, the replacement of the rear differential by Fitzgerald Subaru would indeed solve the whining noise problem in my Forester.
Folks:
I learned three lessons from this problem that I would like to pass along to auto consumers out there.
(1) Buy a car in stock instead of ordering a car as much as possible. When there are several cars in the dealer's lot, you can test drive each of them and listen to any peculier noise objectively (without being influenced by your excitement on the car's arrival if you did order the car). From the several choices in the dealer's lot, you can pick the best car. Chances are, your selection made under such a leisure atmosphere would be the best.
(2) Don't buy a car in the two weeks before Christmas or before your vacation trip because the holidays or out-of-town trip gives you less time to take the car back to the dealer in the event any mechanical problem is discovered after you took delivery of the car. Remember Murphy's Law.
(3) If you hear a low-volume high pitch whining noise (sounds like a jet engine running), it could mean a bad rear differential.
Jay
2) I have seen the posts in the past regarding the Firestones outfitted on the OB and basically decided as long as I keep inflation pressures where they should be, I wasn't going to worry about it. Based upon last night's "Dateline" on NBC where they found defective tires coming out of North Carolina, I'm beginning to have second thoughts. Are my concerns warranted?
Thanks!
Ron
the lift gate bar requires two holes in the tail gate, so if you remove the bar they'll show.
Jay: I'd add taking a long test drive to your list of advice.
-juice
Try 20mm, and if that's too big, a 3/4 inch socket, which is juuuuust barely bigger than 19mm.
The catch is once you step up above 19mm, you need a bigger drive too. Make sure you have a torque wrench.
-juice
Ron
I personally think there is nothing wrong with the tires that are on the Forester and if you replace them do so because you want more traction, a different size, whatever. Do not replace them due to noise generated by Dateline or any other sensationalist trash. Just my 2 cents. ;-)
-Colin
-juice
Craig
Sounds like paper, rock, scissors, don't it?
-juice
-mike
http://jgilbert.duluth.com/placed/story/01-03-2001Snowtires.html
-mike
She measures the reliability of her OB to her previous (you'll like this paisan) 95 Rodeo. She had a 4 year lease with that and only had to have the battery replaced and the rear hatch latch adjusted (after 3 years, 10 months).
Dennis
-mike
Dennis: electrical gremlines are tricky. I'd leave that up to the dealer.
-juice
In my present honda I have an oil pressure gauge and a volt meter mounted in pod on the a pillar my wife does not like it here as she says it causes her some obstruction it does not bother me but if I can get something that would mount in centre of dash when I eventually get my outback I would go for that.
Cheers Pat,
-juice
My Miata is set manually, and it you advance the timing too much it tends to ping (and requires premium).
It's worth asking. Try the i Club.
-juice
Cheers Pat.
I pulled a 1/2" sheet metal screw out of a tire on my last car with no effect, and even looked inside the tire to see if there was a dimple or puncture. Nada. The tire was fine. I think the Firestones on the OB are just made cheap.
Craig
-mike
OE tires are always a mainstream compromise. I've never replaced an OE tire with the same tire.
-juice
If the auto tranny isn't shifting smoothly, I'd flush the ATF. I would actually do this every 30k miles regardless.
-juice
Ken
unfortunately the decisions as to what is installed at time of assembly are made by the bean counters and the bottom line is the God Almighty dollar, a dollar or two saved on a $25,000 car may not seem like much but multiplied by the number of cars made it is a fortune. however and this is not a plug for Honda because I have owned hondas for many years, on the 2,000 model Accord they install michilin MXV4 tires,I needed tires in the fall and I knew I would be selling the car come spring so I did want to lay out a lot of money on tires, I found a set of MXV4 at a really good price I would recommend these tires to anybody wet grip is phenomenal smooth and quiet on the highway and pretty impressive in snow they are not a high performance tire they are h rated but perfectly adequate for what most of us use our cars for.
Cheers Pat.
Some Tauri use Ameri-GS something or other. Now those are cheap!
-juice
-mike
I did this myself for under $100 in supplies from QSubaru. My tranny is a manual, though. I did the fuel filter, air filter, oil and oil filter, PCV valve, fuel additive, but not the plugs or plug wires.
At 60k, I'll probably change the manual trans fluid, the rear diffy fluid, and get an alignment and tune-up (besides the obvious stuff). I'll still probably do all except the alignment myself.
I'm on the 7.5k mile oil change interval, and mine's been running fine.
-juice
-Colin
any way over the years i have lost count of the styles of wheels and tires on this car. I have no experience with the SO2s but I did with firehawks first set the belts shifted after about 10,000 kilometres replaced under warranty 2nd.setrubber separates on sidewall 2tires one on left front other on right rear after this swore off firestone forever.this car is strictly a summer car so I always run summer tires I have been well pleased with good year eagle GTs, at present I have pirelli 6,000 sport veloce 205 55 VR15 on American Eagle Rims and I am well plesed in terms of performance and price, Michelin pilots are highly rated but expensive and more suited to more exotic machinery than what I own.
Cheers Pat
Dennis
My local Subaru dealer (Libertyville, IL) charges $535 for all 30k interval services. A few non-book items are included in this price such as replacing windshield wiper inserts and use of a rental car while the service is being done. I think the hourly rate at the dealership is $68.
Hope this helps.
Don
Elliot
60k is probably fine, but if any odd symptoms pop up, I'd do it sooner.
-juice
-Dan
There are all kinds of hoses that need to seal to keep gas vapors from polluting the air. They're under the hood, even under the passenger side rear, underneath where you pump in gas.
Make sure they check all these seals, and ask them to replace the hoses if necessary.
FWIW, a leak in that system will not harm performance or your engine, so the CEL in this case is just trying to prevent pollution (OBDII).
-juice