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Comments
Could it be frozen?
Sly
tom
Tim G.
Of course, we're not as civilized as our neighbors to the north! ;-P!
tom
~c
In relation to the fuel gauge, I have another question. It seems that the first quarter of the tank on the gauge is more than the other three quarters - I can go about 110 miles before I hit 3/4 tank but then I'm around 180-190 by half a tank. This was the case on my old outback as well. Is this just the way subaru does it or are other fuel gauges on other cars similar?
Thanks,
Nate
As for the turbo on/off switch - it's located in your right foot.
I'd recommend using a complete engine management system that ties into the factory boost solenoid and use a fuel economy map-- or have one made if none exists, I'm not sure what Cobb and Vishnu are up to these days.
-- OR --
just watch what you do with your right foot..
-- OR --
live with lower fuel economy. you have 250 HP!
~c
Another way to think of a turbocharged engine is that it's already saving you gas by not always being in boost. Enjoy the 250HP!
Ken
Ken
I have an abnormally high number of rattles/squeaks in my OBXTL with the onset of cold weather. My 2000 OB was very silent, even during the winter months.
Cheers,
Jay.
~c
No squeeks or rattles to report in my '05 OBXT Ltd.
Bob
I took the side trim pieces off the center console, put clear vinyl tape over all the contact areas, and reinstalled them. All the center console crackles disappeared.
The glove box crackles are new since it got cold here in Seattle- seems to improve once the car warms up. I haven't had time to take it apart yet and fix those squeaks though.
I just chalked it up to first year production woes.
tom
Where did you get your clear vinyl tape? I have looked for some, but I don't think that I really know what I'm looking for.
Thanks.
Goodyear Assurance Triple-Tread
Vehicle - 2004 2.5I Subaru Outback Wagon, 5MT
Disclaimer: This is a Tire Report, NOT a tire recommendation.
After reading many discouraging reports from Subaru Outback owners, and other car owners whose vehicles came equipped with OEM Bridgestone Potenza RE92 tires, I decided, with winter approaching, to buy new tires for my car. Although my tires had only 4500 miles on them, and handled acceptably on dry pavement, I knew about the hydroplaning issues and the feeling that they were dangerous in winter driving (snow and ice) conditions.
I am already familiar with Blizzak WS50 tires because I have them on a RWD 6MT, 95 Pontiac Trans Am, and I have other Blizzak studless ice tires on a 92 Ford Explorer, I considered those tires at the top of my list of winter tires. However, because buying tires for the AWD Outback requires 4 tires, and because I did not want to buy 4 new tires and still have to deal with hydroplaning and poor tire wear when summer returned, I also looked for a “better” All Season tire as a possible replacement for the RE92s.
I considered the BF Goodrich Traction H tire which got very good reviews for snow traction on the TireRack tire review section. However, I noted that they also had some negative comments, such as “excessive tire cupping” at early mileage, and possibly some alignment issues. I also considered the Turanza and the Michelin tires.
However, while reading the survey results, I read several reports of this new Goodyear Triple Tread tire which (on the surface) seemed to be all things to all seasons, and to fill all needs (dry weather, rain, and winter conditions). In addition, it had several unique features: 1) It had a 30 day “trial period”, 2) It had a rebate, making it cheap, and 3) It had an 80,000 mile wear rating (740?). On the down side, they are only “T” speed rated. I decided on the basis of the owner’s reviews, to buy a set.
I ordered a set of 4, in size 225X60TR16 from Discount Tire.com (because the TireRack was out of them) for $105ea ($420.00 to my door, with no tax and no shipping they were slightly cheaper than the TireRack at $104ea + shipping), minus the $50.00 rebate. Most people seemed to think they were great in snow, in spite of the fact that there had been little or no snow at that time (I bought mine at Thanksgiving). However, there were a few negative comments that seemed to indicate a possible “tramlining” problem on some cars. Also, some people felt they rode harsher, and some felt they were noisy (and were quicker steering).
My experience:
I had my tires mounted at a local tire store for $11.00/tire, mounted and balanced (hand torqued). Where my Blizzak tires gave a very “mushy” handling feeling, these Triple Tread tires give a very crisp handling feeling on dry or wet surface roads. I now have 6700 miles, and thus about 2200 miles of mostly winter miles here in the northwest (Washington state). We have had a late winter this year, so I have had no “deep” snow to drive in (yet). However, we had about 2” here in the Tri-Cities, and I have been on two ski trips; one to Mt. Hood and to Mt. Bachelor in Oregon, and one to Schweitzer Resort near Sandpoint, Idaho (I90 has ruts due to studded tire wear). In all cases, I had fresh snow on pavement, fresh snow over ice, and old hardpacked, rutted snow to drive on as well as ice covered parking lots. I can report that I have had absolutely NO problems whatsoever. The tires are quieter on most surfaces than the Bridgestones (however, some rough pavement results in high relative noise levels). The tires provide very quick steering, and high levels of lateral acceleration (grip) wet or dry. When they reach their limits, they provide a very gradual breakaway. My car has only 165HP, so I can’t induce “power oversteer” in wet or dry conditions, however, on snow or ice, my limited slip differential can provide power oversteer (steering with the throttle) in 1st and 2nd gear, in spite of the AWD. At higher speeds and in higher gears, the limit usually results in understeer (the front end pushes). This is easily modulated by easing the throttle, resulting in the rear wheels following the front wheels (neutral steering). The tires are completely free from wander, tramlining and instability at ANY speed, and provide a feel of confidence in all weather. I have not had deep water to try them for hydroplaning, however, I can report that in inches of “slush” they provide adequate steering feel. In fact, the sole caveat that I can think of to pass on to prospective buyers is that they do not turn well on snow or ice.....that is they don’t turn AS well as studless ice tires. Therefore, (particularly on downhill turns) get all of your speed modulation (acceleration or braking) done in a straight line, and THEN begin turning from a safe speed. The rule should be “In slow, Out fast”. These tires provide outstanding grip on most any surface, including backing uphill out of an ice covered parking spot, and a standing start on ice. TURNING on ice should be approached the same way as WALKING on ice (and at the same speed). I have not yet had a chance to test the wear factor (obviously) but will be happy if I get half of the promised 80,000 miles. I like these tires. However, consider your vehicle and tire manufacture’s directions prior to deciding on a replacement tire.
Colin: No, this is my first leather. I have a few consistent squeaks/rattles do not seem to be coming from any of the leather surfaces, although I understand how the leather could be noisy when rubbing against itself or plastic trim, especially when cold.
Cheers,
Jay.
You should be able to get some from your local hardware store. I'm sure if you're careful black tape would work too.
tom
~Colin
has to deal with this a lot with a big stereo
Thank you for such a detailed, well written review of the Goodyear tires. I really appreciate you taking the time.
Bob
Long Island
tom
Some dealers use foam weatherstripping to chase down rattles.
Ken
Craig
Anyway, I'll post more later once I've had a chance to try these WinterForce tires out a little, especially in the snow/ice.
G'night, all...
Tim G.
'05 OBXTL-5MT
ps: Nicely done review, 63Corvette! Thanks for the info.
was pressured to purchased the Manufacturers
Maintenance program for 1200.00 for 12 oil change,
15k service, 30k service, and 45k service on my
new car. I thought it was a BIG rip off but the
guy said that if I didn't do it I could VOID my
new car warranty against any defect. He also said
that if someone else was doing the maintenance,
all the parts had to be of Subaru make? Is this
true? This is my first time purchasing a new car
and need some advice. I can still call to cancel
the prepay maintenance program but need advice on
how to get the dealer to honor the warranty if
something should happen? Thanks in advance. Any
opinion is greatly appreciated.
Sounds to me like the dealer is using unethical sales tactics, I would consider going somewhere else for your maintenance if you already bought the car.
Sly
new car warranty against any defect" is an outright lie. The dealer will honor the warranty unless they can tell that the scheduled maintenance was not followed. Many people do their own oil changes and never have a problem as long as you document what was done.
Speak to the sales manager (I assume it was not him/her that pressured you) and I would also consider calling SOA and reporting the pressure tactic you dealt with.
Such behavior is uncalled for.
Cancel immediately and save the receipts for your maintenance, which hopefully you'll have performed elsewhere.
Frankly, I'd look over the rest of the deal as well if they're capable of that.
In the 30k miles I've put on my WRX, it's never been to the dealer for any service (I've done them myself) but I have all my receipts for the parts (oil filters, oil, etc) handy in case I ever needed them. Save yourself the $1200 -- it's a total ripoff -- and be sure to call 1-800-subaru-3 to report that shady dealer.
Brian
That is also a lie. While I personally use Subaru parts, the manufacturer cannot make that a requirement unless they supply the parts for FREE.
DaveM
It's up to the dealer to prove that something the owner did to the vehicle resulted in damage/failure. Only then can they deny you warranty work. If you are following typical maintenance work (either at a Subaru dealership or an independent shop) there should be no reason why warranty work would be denied to you.
For your peace of mind, call Subaru of America a call at 1-800-SUBARU3 and explain to them the situation and verify that your warranty will hold. It might be nice to have the facts from a trusted source.
Ken
I spend $10-20 per oil change (depending on whether I do it or the dealer does it). When doing the 30K maintenance on our Subarus, I usually spend $60-80 on parts, fluids, etc, and 3-4 hours of labor. So my estimates peg 45K worth of maintenance at roughly $160 for a do-it-yourselfer or $400-500 for dealer servicing.
Like the other guys, I would caution you to carefully look over the deal, as these guys may be trying to rip you off in other ways. You should be paying approximately invoice price for the car, which is anywhere from $2K to $3K under sticker. The Edmunds pricing guides can give you more details on MSRP and invoice pricing. Hope that helps!
Craig
BTW, heads up. The brake light housing in my rear spoiler was loose and rattled a bit. It seems that after checking a few other Soobs on the lot, the dealer found it to be a common problem. It turns out that the entire spoiler assembly was not tightened as much as it should have been. They tightened everything up.
Cheers,
Jay
A couple questions:
1. Has any body else had the rear gate rub or window switch problem?
2. I read the thread about the vinyl tape reducing the squeak and would like to try it: How do you get the paneling off the center console?
3. I had modified my last car to move the seats aft 4” and would like to do this again. I was thinking of doing this at the floor / seat interface. Has anyone had their seat out and seen how much room is down there / the bolt pattern, etc, thought about this or tried this?
A side note: Went to the local mountains yesterday to ski (in someone else’s FWD car) where it was snowing mildly throughout the day. Posted signs read ‘4WD with snow tires OK, carry chains’. Road was completely covered with fresh snow, compacted snow, and ice. Out of the 25 or so Subarus (WRX, OB, For), only one ‘05 wrx had cables on the front. Do you all carry cables and use them in emergencies or just not carry them at all?
-jer
‘05 OBXT-5MT
5100 mi
The response from Subaru Canada via dealer is that it is not abnormal and it is within specs. What a cop out. It may not be "abnormal" for the Subaru turbos, but its not normal for any car to hesitate like this...period. I can't blame the dealer...they have no fix and there is only so much they can do without Subaru Canada. I hope the hesitation settles down with more mileage, and hope that Subaru Canada/America get their heads out of the sand and provide a fix. But, I'm not holding my breath.
Subaru's denial or refusal to act is only hurting their own reputation. A friend who was seriously considering an OB XT is now steering clear (sorry for the pun) of Subaru because he finds the hesitation annoying and is not impressed by Subaru's lack of action on the matter.
Great dealer....not so great customer service from Corporate Subaru.
Cheers,
Jay
For the 5MT, pull up the trim bezel around the shifter along with the boot. Apparently, you can reach under the edge of the shifter opening to pull the trim piece up (not sure about this as I have 5EAT and the procedure is different).
Once that bezel is out of the way, you will see a screw at the rear of each side trim piece. Remove the screws, and then pull the trim pieces off (start at the rear and work forward). There are 3-4 clips along the length of the trim. You can use tape to line the mating surfaces of the trim, and the clips too, then reassemble everything.
CRaig
As Craig described, it's pretty easy (the 5MT is not much different than the AT). The entire trim with the shift knob and boot can come off as one piece. I just unscrewed my shift knob (leaving it connected to the boot) and if you pull the center console piece (with the ashtray) on the back/bottom of the shifter boot it will pop right off. Remove the screws and carefully pop off the side trim pieces (there are clips at the level of the radio, HVAC controls, and at about the level of the ashtray).
Just be careful when you pop it back in, you can scrape your parking brake boot. (I learned this the hard way). The second time I put it back together I used a small thin credit card piece of plastic (like a calling card) to protect the leather/vinyl boot which worked well.
Good luck!
tom
CRaig
If it were truly required, Subaru OE parts that is, then by law Subaru would have to give it to you for free! So tell him he needs to either renegotiate the price down the ZERO or you want your money back.
Peeves me like nothing else...
-juice
Just kidding...
But, mentioning Magnusso-Moss, holdback, invoice, etc, etc.. will only help you vent your frustration, not get anything accomplished...
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I'd bail and find another dealer nearby. Complain to the managers and say why they lost your business, too.
He didn't get the refund yet, that's why I mentioned the Magnussen Moss Act.
-juice
But, I agree... get your money and get out..
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Demand a refund, and service your car elsewhere.
-juice