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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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Comments

  • danac4danac4 Member Posts: 4
    I have one of those "bathtub handle" looking chrome lift bars on the rear of my preowned 96 Outback wagon and was wondering if it can be removed or replaced with something sportier looking. Though handy at times it just doesn't look right (what were the designers thinking!?).If not removable has anyone done something to it to jazz it up? Thanks for any input. D
  • torektorek Member Posts: 92
    The "A/F RATIO" "SENSOR ASSY" is the part that was replaced on my 2000 Forester just last month. I described it in this very topic ("maintenance & repair II").

    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
  • oldjayhawkoldjayhawk Member Posts: 36
    Folks:

    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
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Hi Dana the lift bar is an accessory not a factory install and should be easy to remove.
    Cheers Pat.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Chris- Thanks for responding. I thought it sounded familiar but didn't want to search thru 1500 old posts 20 at a time (Edmunds are you listening?)

    -Frank P.
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    that you had a problem to start with. Our warranty is there for problems like this. Through the years with Subaru, I have found that "noises" are really challenging. Something that you hear, may not be heard by someone else at the dealer. In fact, there is a tool called "ears" that technicians use to isolate noises that are difficult to discern.

    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!
  • oldjayhawkoldjayhawk Member Posts: 36
    Patti:

    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
  • rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
    1)Does anyone know what size socket to purchase for the wheels on a 2000MY OB LTD? (Based upon posts in the past, I'm going to make sure I use a torque wrench when rotating tires.)
    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
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ron: those are still the all terrain tires used on trucks, not the passenger car tires the Outback gets. While I don't think Firestone makes the best tires, yours are at least safe.

    D: 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
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ron: I think they are supposed to be 19mm sockets, but oddly enough I found those did not fit.

    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
  • rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
    Thanks Juice!
    Ron
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    19mm is correct, and you want to torque them to around 65lb-ft for alloy wheels, maybe 80-85 for steel. If something is really tight you might want to use a breaker bar instead of a ratchet to remove it, your ratchet will last a lot longer. (Yes, Husky and Craftsman are lifetime warrantied.)

    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
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Outback, you mean. Foresters use Bridgestones and Yokohamas.

    -juice
  • rangerron7rangerron7 Member Posts: 317
    Thanks Gentlemen! I always appreciate the good advice and expertise that I get here with the Crew. I'll make sure to let you guys know when it's time to retire my '92 Saturn (probably another year or two). I'm torn between the Impreza, OB Sedan and GT Ltd.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Last week, the right rear Firestone tire on my OB went flat, and I had to repair it. Upon examination, I pulled a 3/8" long PIECE OF PLASTIC from the tire (looked like a piece of plastic chrome trim). I found it a little bothersome that plastic could pierce the tire, let alone a short piece. The tread blocks are at least 1/4" deep, so that means there was less than 1/8" of tire past that point. Seems a little thin to me.

    Craig
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    It's just rubber, and plastic is harder than rubber for sure.

    Sounds like paper, rock, scissors, don't it?

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Believe it or not, it can be harder than metal. Basically anything sharp is gonna cut your tire, that's why I always buy the road hazzard warranty, especially here in NYC.

    -mike
  • fandcfandc Member Posts: 51
  • dalelynndalelynn Member Posts: 28
    I recently took my 3 month old Forester 2001 plus in to have the gauge pack replaced because several of the dials were fogging up. Imagine my shock when I discovered that the dealer installed replacement has white dials and green illuminated numbers. The original had black dials and white numbers which nicely matched the rest of the dashboard and other dials such as speedometer, gas gauge, etc. The dealer told me it was upgraded for the imprezza which has all white dials. Where does that leave me as a Forester owner who purchased the gauge pack with the vehicle as an option right from the get go? What about a replacement gauge pack that blends in with MY dash like THE ORIGINAL THAT I BOUGHT!!! Subaru, What is going on? Did my dealer make a mistake? Am I going to have to live with this thing jumping out at me from the dash? I wouldn't mind so much if they replaced the other dials to match too, but right now I'm stuck with it looking like a miss-match. What are my options here? Anyone with suggestions? Help!
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Probably a lazy dealer! They probably didn't have the Black one in stock so they just tossed that one in. I'd personally lobby to get the white-faced guages on the rest of the dash! :) (at no cost to yourself)

    -mike
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    Is it Murphy's Law that when a warranty expires, things go wrong on a car? My wife has been saying she wants to buy her car next year at the end of the lease. Now she's having second thoughts because of some weird problems. The dome light, glove box light, and gear shift light (on the shifter) work intermittently. The clock stopped working but the radio is fine. This morning, maybe because of ice, the power antenna only went up about a foot. She also smelled something buring. Antenna motor perhaps? She has an appointment with the dealer this Saturday, but I was wondering if anyone had any ideas or comments.
    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
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    This why I tend to buy extended warranties... So far, extended warranties paid off for me for camcorders, VCRs, TVs, washer/dryers, even cell phone when it went wrong on me. The only instance I lost money on extended warranty was for my old Subaru Loyale'92. That damn thing never broke or malfunctioned... another example of Murphy's law I guess.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I had a '97 Rodeo, it went 120,000 miles, never went to the dealer, except when I returned it. I replaced a battery 1/2 way through the 3 years I had it, and did oil changes ever 3K miles. :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I like the white-faced gauges too. You're more likely to have the center gauge pod replaced, though.

    Dennis: electrical gremlines are tricky. I'd leave that up to the dealer.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Does anyone know if the imprezzia gauge pack could be grafted onto the outback dash without looking too tacky, I know all things are possible if you are determined enough I know I have managed to make some pretty strange applications work in other cars I have owned, I always add oil and volt gauges as I believe idiot lights were designed by idiots for idiots, I have not seen this gauge back and I do not want to spend a bunch of money to find out it would not remotely work.
    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,
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'm sure it could fit with enough custom work. My concern would be the squeeks and rattles you may end up with, though.

    -juice
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    Anybody out there heard anything about a solution to the pinging in the 00 Phase II Subaru engine. My Outback is still pinging unless I use super unleaded. I spoke with the dealer today and they still don't have a TSB from Subaru. (The regional service rep. drove it in September.) I'd rather not pay extra for the super, but I don't want to cause any long-term engine damage. Just curious if anyone has heard of a solution to this problem.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I wonder if the timing is manually adjustable? Or does the computer set it automatically?

    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
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I may be out in left field but I was under the impression that the obd11 in conjunction with the ecu was supposed to compensate gas quality albeit at the expense of performance I would also imagine that the timing could be manually adjusted but just defeats the whole purpose.
    Cheers Pat.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    It's not critical that plastic is "harder" than rubber -- for instance, the metal used in bullets is obviously "harder" than the kevlar fabric used in bullet-proof vests, and yet the vests work fine. Since a tire is a layered composite structure (like a vest), it's the sum of the parts (rubber, steel belts, nylon cords, plys, etc) that adds up to its strength. In my book, a good tire ought to withstand a 1/8" inch deep puncture from a piece of plastic!

    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
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't forget, just like every bridge you drive over on the highway, the company that made the tires or the bridge is the one who was the lowest bidder! Scarry thought isn't it :)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I'm sure there are other factors, like noise, tread life, bribe money, etc. ;o)

    OE tires are always a mainstream compromise. I've never replaced an OE tire with the same tire.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You can reset the ECU by letting the engine cool first, then disconnecting the negative battery terminal for about half hour. When you restart let it idle for a minute, too.

    If the auto tranny isn't shifting smoothly, I'd flush the ATF. I would actually do this every 30k miles regardless.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    You can simply disconnect the negative battery terminal for 30 minutes to reset the ECU, but I'm not sure if that will do anything to the shift points on the 4EAT. I'm going to guess that part of when it shifts is determined by a preset map that's in some type of non-volatile memory that won't be affected by a fuse/battery reset.

    Ken
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I agree that by and large oem tires are a compromise, sometimes worse than that they are about the cheapest circle of rubber they can find to hold air.
    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.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Fair enough, but Firestone tires aren't exactly the cheapest. They're about mid-pack.

    Some Tauri use Ameri-GS something or other. Now those are cheap!

    -juice
  • subie1subie1 Member Posts: 4
    I bought a 2001 Outback 5 weeks ago and am really happy with the car. Driving through the coldest and snowiest New England winter I can remember for some time, I am glad that I choose this AWD wagon over a Passat. The car is incredibly sure footed on snow and ice, reminding me of my old '86 Toyota 4X4 pickup but without the awful ride, spartan amenities, and uncomfortable seats. I am wondering, however, about the routine service schedule. I checked Subaru's web site and the owners manual and the service which is described is fairly typical of Japanese designed vehicles, fluids, plugs, inspections, timing belt at around 90,000 (a bit longer than Honda and the rest). There is a dealer located across the street from where I work and I was shocked to see that his service pricing was right up there in BMW league. Does $585 at 30K and 60K and $850 at 90K (timing belt) sound out of line, or are these reasonable charges? When I asked the service manager why so high he told me that they recommend changing the AFT every 30K. I did not see this in the factory schedule, only a brake fluid flush.
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    never did like firestone tire after the infamous firestone 500 junk of some years ago and I don;t think they learned anything from that experience their tires are still junk.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Pat, what do you think of the SO2s? I have some firehawks on my XT6 which are decent.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Depends on what they do at the 30k service.

    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
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Definitely better inspect the timing belt at 60k. Can be done in half an hour... less than 10 minutes with air tools.

    -Colin
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Mike I own an 89 Accord lxi lowered one and half inchs now going to my daughter but thats another story.
    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
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    can vary from dealer to dealer as well. Ask them to do only what the manual advises. My former dealer charged $425 for the 30k because of unnecessary add-ons. I found another dealer that charges $315 because they go "by the book".
    Dennis
  • yellowbikedonyellowbikedon Member Posts: 228
    Elliot:

    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
  • texsubarutexsubaru Member Posts: 242
    I'd have to look up my receipt, but I know I paid nowhere near $585 for the 30K service at the dealership for my Forester. It did seem quite steep to me, though, so it was over $100; I'm thinking it was probably somewhere in the $200-$300 range.
  • subie1subie1 Member Posts: 4
    Thanks for all of the responses. Sounds like the dealer is padding the bill by adding a lot of stuff. Does anyone know how often the Automatic Transmission Fluid should be changed? This dealer recommended every 30K which sounds extreme. I would guess 60 or 90K, depending on the type of driving.

    Elliot
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    How's the tranny performing? Are shifts smooth, or do you feel a clunk? Any slipping?

    60k is probably fine, but if any odd symptoms pop up, I'd do it sooner.

    -juice
  • dannykadannyka Member Posts: 115
    My dealer said they went "by the book" and charged $295.

    -Dan
  • clarence8clarence8 Member Posts: 1
    i have a 2001 subaru forester L. have 2600 miles on it in 4 months of ownership. i have been to the dealer on 3 occasions since new, each time because the cel has come on. each time they said code p0440,(leak in evap system)plus on the last visit found vent control solenoid for evap system bad. they replacedsolenoid and cleared codes. light back on again today. any suggestions? have another appointment tomorrow. vehicle runs fine but going to the dealer every two to three weeks is a real pain.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That is a pain.

    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
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