Justwanted to post this up to reinforce juice's comment I have seen in some places that you can buy a stand for a portable gps in your car. so if u really want to have one that is most like an in dash on so that you don't have to be picking it up to use it, and you can as juice said, install one (stand) in each vehicle u own, and just keeep switching the unit
-teddy_b P.S. BTW, i am juice's brother, Jose (newbie) (bet your thinking, "no wonder he is on juice's side!!"
I have the same problem with my wife's '95 Impreza. It works when the tank is completely full, but rapidly drops to empty within about 30 miles. Any suggestions? Thanks.
I have an intermittent "clunking / rattling / creaking" noise in the "rear" of my 00 OB, that my dealer has not been able to diagnose after 4 tries since early May. The dealer has lubed the strut tower, rubber bumpers on hatch, hatch catch, hinges, and taken apart the rear suspension to lube bushings(?). I personally have taken apart and lubed the spring loaded "rest pads" for the hatch as read about here at Edmonds, tightened hatch catch, & trimmed sheet metal muffler shield that was touching trailer hitch.
I have searched most of the Edmond's Subaru boards and have found posts by bkok, david35, andyt, babaoriley, luck11, and vince14 who seem to have similiar sounding noises in their OBs & Forresters. Wondering if any of you still have the noise in your car, or has it been fixed (hopefully) and what was the problem?
This noise has gradually gotten louder and more often, but with no pattern as to when & how loud the noise is - such as hot, cold, on start up, etc. My brother-in-law, employer, wife, & myself have come to believe the noise is coming from a body flex movement and not in the driveline or suspension (just like bkok was thinking).
I have another appt. with the dealer & Subaru regional rep. Larry Tanzer Mon. Aug 21 (last chance for Subaru to fix before I file for a replacement under the Lemon Law) Tanzer has already listened to the noise back in May, and said it was probably the Uhaul trailer hitch. They removed it & the noise was still there. What really bugs me the most, is that they (Larry Tanzer and Subaru USA senior rep Dene Witt) will not acknowledge anyone else having a similiar problem anywhere in the country.
I really like this car and the way it drives & handles, but this annoying noise is "just loud enough and often enough to make the car feel cheap" (quote by vince14). I really hope there is someone out there who can help us stop this noise.
Please respond here or email me at dougstor@msn.com. Thank you.
Try spraying the rear door seal with silicone spray? I had a problem in one of my older SUVs and spraying the door seal cleared it up for about 6 months at at a time.... Just a thought.
this morning. It looks like Larry and Dene have a lot of people involved trying to resolve this issue. I know it can be frustrating to hear them relate that they are unfamiliar with similar noises. Try to keep in mind that all noises are different, so for them to say that they are not familiar with this, is the truth. It looks like they have looked at sources of noise that other Sube's have had and eliminated them as possibilities. From what your case indicates, your dealer is working with Larry, Dene and our Technical group. I hope that they will have some information for you very soon. One thing you can be sure of, they will treat you right, no matter what their findings. I have personally worked with both of these folks for a lot of years and I know that they are committed to our customers. I'll give Dene a call this morning to discuss your dissatisfaction. I appreciate your patience.
Way to go Patti! Nice to see you're on top of things. Why heck, if I didn't already own one, I'd be tempted to buy a Subaru just knowing that there's a SOA rep so actively involved monitoring these topics and answering questions.
with Patti on board, I'm thinking more and more often about trading husband's Accord for a Soob... but first I had to give him my Forester to try, and I just cannot :-)
Sorry I can't be of help. The noises in my OB come from the dash (creaking) and the front suspension when traveling over bumps slowly (which has been explained previously, although I still don't like it). The rear end is not making any clunking noises at this stage. With Patti involved, it seems like you should have this resolved.
LOL Kate, that's just the way my wife feels about her Legacy GT when I "borrow" it! (and don't think she ever lets me forget whose ride it is and who insisted on the GT over the L)
I notice that the Subaru team monitors this site, well if you run across this message I need some help and advice for my wife's 99 Forester 'L'. From day one we have had quirky problems that have beset this vehicle. Less than two weeks after we purchased it we had to have the auto transmission and differential repaired because of a bad seal and from that day on our problems have started. The engine suffers from severe pinging not only from accelerating but more when we remove our foot from the gas and de-accelerate, sounds like a coffee can with coins in it. And the gas mileage has been horrible. Averaging about 14 -17 city driving and 17 -19 for highway driving. Believe me we do not have a lead foot. I've had the vehicle in for service but the answer is always the same, can't duplicate it, its not registering on the computer etc. etc.. I was even told when I called SOA that as far as the mileage goes "I live in New England(Connecticut)so I shouldn't expect any better and for the pinging well we just might have to live with it". Believe me I was disappointed with this response. Do you have any suggestions as to what I can do next. I know that I am not a happy Subie customer and at this point I wouldn't recommend one to any one I know.
I checked your case on our system. It looks like we last heard from you in November, 1999. At that time, one of our Representatives, Tom, suggested that you schedule an appointment with your dealer to test drive with them. In March, 1999, Tom followed up with the dealer and they had not heard from you. Then, it looks like you were in for some repairs earlier this month. Did the dealer test drive the car with you? Do you have a copy of a fuel consumption log that you could send me? Please give us a call back. I made some notes in your case that may help us get this resolved.
Just received my '01 Forester L last saturday. It has a whopping 200 mi so far. I really like the car and am starting to really enjoy the drive, but I experience a front-end vibration (fairly severe) over some sections of highway I drive each day. Previous car did not vibrate over these sections. Speeds don't matter as 60 mph produces the same vibration as 70mph.
I don't think it's a wheel balance problem as most stretches produce no vibrations at the same speeds.
Is it normal for some road surfaces to produce this? Is this a result of the stiff shock/soft spring setup?
All tire pressures are a bit high (about 36lbs cold)from the dealer. I'm going to try lowering it to subaru specs to see if this improves the situation.
Check tire pressure first, then wheel balance and finally alignment.
What was the previous car? Subarus do have a pretty long travel strut suspension, and its tuning is considerably different than domestic cars. The Subaru way is soft springs compiled with linear or even progressive damped struts. This allows them to actually make use of the long travel but still handle decent and not bottom out over big bumps-- jumps, even.
Whoops, didn't finish that thought. Anyway, the Subaru suspension is damped much more firmly than most cars and it will feel a bit choppy if you're used to wallowing in a Buick. (or Camry-- shame on Honda.)
I have a small but annoying problem. I'm on the second oil change on our 01 Forester L. After each of the changes, a small amount of oil drips from the drain plug after the vehicle is run. I use sube filters and install the crush washer and tighten securely. No problem with our 97 OB with 47K miles using the same procedure. Any ideas??
I just replaced the battery on my 98 forester and now the lights are blinking on and off even when the car is off. I have disconnected the battery but what is going on? Help?!!!! pam
Tony -- are the vibrations intermittent or constant? If they only happen over certain stretches of highway, it probably is what Colin was describing.
pamcran -- Do you have a keyless remote? If so, the unplugging of the battery will cause this. I believe you can reset it by hitting the button located under the steering column or holding "unlock" -- check the manual to be sure.
>>I experience a front-end vibration (fairly severe)over some sections of highway I drive each day. <<
I experienced something similar when I got my 00 Legacy L Wagon. Some stretches of highway caused a humming or rumbling sound that could also be felt. I realized when I read your post that the vibration had disappeared after a week or two. I can't remember hearing it or feeling it for a long time. Unless I just got used to it, buy I don't think so. Maybe the rubber in the tires softens up, or the suspension breaks in?
Thanks alot for reviewing our file. Without going into all the details, I am starting to feel like I WILL be treated right after meeting yesterday afternoon (Tues) with our service manager and the lead service tech who has been trying to diagnose the "noise" . Larry had the dealer buy an "electronic ear" last week - headphones, 4 wire leads, etc. to try to pinpoint the cause of the clunking. Even though the "electro ear" has not been able to hear what we can hear, I really appreciate the attempt to zero in on the problem. Dan, the lead tech, looked as frustrated as I have felt at times, during the past 4 months.
Then to my suprise, Dene called me this morning at work, said she had just got back from a Subaru road trip, and that she would call me back in a couple days after she confers with Larry and others.
Patti, I do hope that I truly end up believing that the Subaru commitment to their customers is alive and well here in the great Northwest.
I'll be talking to Dene this morning. I'm sure you are going to be happy if you can just hang in their for a little bit for us to check some things out. I know you were disappointed that the "ears" did not help. I think everyone was counting on that. But, all is not lost. . . you've got a good group working on this.
Problem is intermittent, but will occur (so far it seems over the same stretches of highway) for a 1/4 mile or so, smoothen out, then starts up again. Previous car was a Ford Probe GT with a very stiff suspension.
It does feel like a tire out of balance, but the fact that it smoothens out completely has me concerned. Slowing down does seem to reduce the effect and I've never felt it at less than 55mph (but on different roads).
Thanks, I'll try some experimenting with tire pressure and speed.
Tony: stick with Colin's advice. I'm guessing it's the alignment, which is tricky to get right.
Dave: do you wipe the area surrounding the drain plug after draining the oil? The only thing I can think of is that the oil pan gets hot, and any oil left will get thinner and then drip off.
Then I'd try a new drain plug. I think it's a 17mm bolt, but check first.
Pam: let us know how you resolve the battery issue. I don't have the alarm, does yours?
An unbalanced tire/wheel can exhibit the exact sort of intermittant behavior you're describing. I had a wheel go out of balance on my Prelude, and it was only noticeable on certain roads or at certain speeds. It might vibrate on a particular stretch of road, or between 40-50 mph, for instance. Until I got the wheels re-balanced, I could basically predict when the vibration would start and end on my daily commute -- it was that repeatable.
From my experience with a new OB, and from what I've gleaned here in the past 2 months, it's not entirely uncommon for a new Subaru to come from the factory with wheels out of balance. My dealer had to re-balance all four wheels on my OB -- it had some serious shakes at about 65mph. Thankfully, that did the trick.
My 00 GT wagon had a vibration when I picked it up (didn't notice it on the test drives). It was noticeable between 62 and 68 or so mph. Concerned me a lot but was one tire out of balance.
I've made an appointment to bring the car in next Tuesday. Glad to hear that it could be just a wheel balance or alignment problem - I was thinking big: drivtrain, lock-up torque converter...
I've had wheel balance problems before on other cars, but it never was this severe or as intermittant.
Juice I'll try a new plug from the dealer. I'm careful to wipe everything clean after the change. Not much to go wrong there, threads, seating surfaces between plug and pan, or worst case a hairline crack in the pan. I think a crack in the pan would leak more than I'm seeing.
If you want, why don't you bring it into the dealer for an oil change (I'll spring for it) and have them check it out. If there is a crimp in the pan where the drain plug is located, it may be causing the drip. If that is the case, have the dealer give me a call so we can straighten it out. If you want to take me up on the offer, call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 and I'll try to get it set up for you.
Uh, yeah, um, Patti, I have this problem with, um, washing and waxing my Outback, and think it might be a, oh, uh, defective surface finish control unit. Maybe you could, um, have the dealer take a shot at, uh, fixing it for me?
Patti, I visited my dealer, Madison Square Subaru in Madison, AL today. I explained my problem and made arrangements for them to look it over this Tuesday. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks. Dave in AL
I have a sube w/o a tach. What's the best way to get one? Sube tach or aftermarket? Does any body know what kind of ignition 99 2.2L subs have so I can get the correct tach
At this speed I get a slight whine...almost like a bearing that needs lubrication. I have checked out all of the wind noise possibilities and have ruled this out.. It seems to be coming from the right side. More noticeable on smooth surface, again only at the above speed range. (17K miles)
Since it is speed-dependent, it could be a wheel/tire out of balance -- you may not always notice a vibration (especially if it's a rear wheel), but instead just hear a pulsing tread-noise sounding whine. This would definitely change with varying road surfaces, and you might hear it change over bumps or in curves (which both deform the tires).
I get a similar noise in this speed range as well. For me, it's coming from the crossbars on the roof. My car is a '01 Forester.
Also, drivetrain whine is normal for these vehicles, but it occurs at all speeds.
Did your car (now with 17k miles) always do this, or did it just start? I've heard of problems with wheel bearings in Subarus (mostly on pre-'01 Foresters) due to a mfg problem.
It has done this from the start (Oct.99) Never considered the roof rack but it might be a good possibility, if so, what does one do...it looks good and I need it to secure my bike rack (which is only used when I am taking my bikes somewhere).
Paint sealant or not, waxing doesn't hurt... I presently use a "Clay Magic" product to clean the surface, then follow up with Eagle1 Carnauba. Use a "Dry-wash-and-guard" spray-on wax occasionally, but it doesn't last like real wax.
My dealer suggests oil changes about every 2500 miles - additives normally in the oil are used up by then, or so they say (they use a Sunoco/Kendall oil) & OE Subaru filter). Only 20 bucks for the change, and they wash the car, so what the heck!
It may be only $20 a pop but you'll end up changing it 40 times in a 100k vs 13.3 times if you changed it every 7500 instead. That comes out to an extra $533 per 100k. To me, that seems like a lot to pay for something that has no measurable benefit.
I still can't believe people actually take that long to change their oil. I guess I'm just used to the city hard driving, cause even the most negligent car owners I know in NYC feel they should change it ever 3K (some don't, but they know they are over due) Also on a light use vehicle you are supposed to change it every 3 month anyway, so I don't see how one could get to 7500 miles w/o changing it. As people mentioned before the filter is the part tbat really needs the changing, but you can't do that w/o changing the oil.
Bo: that may not be as easy as it sounds. You'll probably need a whole new dash, and it'll be a lot of work. You may be better off trading up for a slightly used L model.
Jerry: try removing the cross bars, see if the noise goes away. If not, I'd have the wheels balanced, then the alignment checked, then the suspension inspected by a dealer, in that order.
paisan: in light/highway use the schedule is actually every 6 months (or 7.5k miles).
I always follow the owner's manual recommendation, choosing the correct service schedule (normal or severe) based on my driving routine. Only the auto manufacturer really knows how oil interacts with their engine, and when it needs to be replaced. The only groups advocating shorter service intervals seem to be in the oil or oil change business, which should speak for itself!
Paul, based on the dealer's recommendation, you'd be changing the oil 3 times for every 1 recommended change on the normal service schedule! I doubt the filter even gets dirty in that short amount of time!
Mike, I have seen evidence that oil filters can last through several oil changes (sorry, can't remember where). Many new cars only require a filter replacement every other oil change. Where did you hear about the 3 month intervals for light use? Is this an issue with the engine? I know oil routinely sits on the shelf for months before being sold, so it can't be an issue with the oil itself.
Most of you know that I love my 2000 OB. Or used to anyway.
However, I'm in the process of ridding myself of this car, after the 2nd time now it has left me stranded in the middle of nowhere.
In April, a fuel injector failed on cylinder 1 with only 20,000 KMs on the car (12,500 miles).
Over this labor day weekend, the fuel injector on cylinder 3 failed with only 28,000 kms on the car (17,500 miles).
When these injectors fail, it basically means they are sticking, which causes the engine to run rich and vibrate heavily at all speeds. Needless to say, not driveable.
I am not very happy with my 2000 OB. It might be just my car, but I've owned 4 other cars before this (including 2 GMs), and not one has ever left me stranded in under 100,000 miles.
Then there's the issue of the dealer who redefines the word "rude".
I will not buy a Subaru again, and I definitely do not consider them reliable. For the money, you can buy a vehicle with more ameneties, more power, and reliability for thousands less.
Comments
Lots of times people try too hard to get things into their cars, when truly portable units are more versatile.
For example, you could have a single unit for the family, and use it in your whole fleet.
A while back one of our staff looked into these, and it was a few hundred bucks or so. I'll ask him if he ended up buying it and get back to you.
-juice
I have seen in some places that you can buy a stand for a portable gps in your car. so if u really want to have one that is most like an in dash on so that you don't have to be picking it up to use it, and you can as juice said, install one (stand) in each vehicle u own, and just keeep switching the unit
-teddy_b
P.S. BTW, i am juice's brother, Jose (newbie)
(bet your thinking, "no wonder he is on juice's side!!"
-mike
-Bryan
-mike
that my dealer has not been able to diagnose after 4 tries since early May.
The dealer has lubed the strut tower, rubber bumpers on hatch, hatch catch, hinges,
and taken apart the rear suspension to lube bushings(?). I personally have taken apart
and lubed the spring loaded "rest pads" for the hatch as read about here at Edmonds,
tightened hatch catch, & trimmed sheet metal muffler shield that was touching trailer hitch.
I have searched most of the Edmond's Subaru boards and have found posts by bkok, david35,
andyt, babaoriley, luck11, and vince14 who seem to have similiar sounding noises in their
OBs & Forresters. Wondering if any of you still have the noise in your car, or has it been
fixed (hopefully) and what was the problem?
This noise has gradually gotten louder and more often, but with no pattern as to when
& how loud the noise is - such as hot, cold, on start up, etc. My brother-in-law,
employer, wife, & myself have come to believe the noise is coming from a body flex
movement and not in the driveline or suspension (just like bkok was thinking).
I have another appt. with the dealer & Subaru regional rep. Larry Tanzer Mon. Aug 21
(last chance for Subaru to fix before I file for a replacement under the Lemon Law)
Tanzer has already listened to the noise back in May, and said it was probably
the Uhaul trailer hitch. They removed it & the noise was still there.
What really bugs me the most, is that they (Larry Tanzer and Subaru
USA senior rep Dene Witt) will not acknowledge anyone else having a similiar problem
anywhere in the country.
I really like this car and the way it drives & handles, but this annoying noise
is "just loud enough and often enough to make the car feel cheap" (quote by vince14).
I really hope there is someone out there who can help us stop this noise.
Please respond here or email me at dougstor@msn.com. Thank you.
Doug
-mike
-Frank P.
Brett
..Mike
..Mike
-mike
Maybe if the WRX is out in March, I'll get her a surprise birthday gift. Something tells me 230 horses would convince her better than I could!
-juice
Thanks!
I don't think it's a wheel balance problem as most stretches produce no vibrations at the same speeds.
Is it normal for some road surfaces to produce this? Is this a result of the stiff shock/soft spring setup?
All tire pressures are a bit high (about 36lbs cold)from the dealer. I'm going to try lowering it to subaru specs to see if this improves the situation.
Thanks,
-Tony
What was the previous car? Subarus do have a pretty long travel strut suspension, and its tuning is considerably different than domestic cars. The Subaru way is soft springs compiled with linear or even progressive damped struts. This allows them to actually make use of the long travel but still handle decent and not bottom out over big bumps-- jumps, even.
-Colin
-Colin
Dave in N. Alabama
pamcran -- Do you have a keyless remote? If so, the unplugging of the battery will cause this. I believe you can reset it by hitting the button located under the steering column or holding "unlock" -- check the manual to be sure.
I experienced something similar when I got my 00 Legacy L Wagon. Some stretches of highway caused a humming or rumbling sound that could also be felt. I realized when I read your post that the vibration had disappeared after a week or two. I can't remember hearing it or feeling it for a long time. Unless I just got used to it, buy I don't think so. Maybe the rubber in the tires softens up, or the suspension breaks in?
Dave B
Then to my suprise, Dene called me this morning at work, said she had just got back from a Subaru road trip, and that she would call me back in a couple days after she confers with Larry and others.
Patti, I do hope that I truly end up believing that the Subaru commitment to their customers is alive and well here in the great Northwest.
Thanks again,
Doug
It does feel like a tire out of balance, but the fact that it smoothens out completely has me concerned. Slowing down does seem to reduce the effect and I've never felt it at less than 55mph (but on different roads).
Thanks, I'll try some experimenting with tire pressure and speed.
-Tony
-Frank P.
Dave: do you wipe the area surrounding the drain plug after draining the oil? The only thing I can think of is that the oil pan gets hot, and any oil left will get thinner and then drip off.
Then I'd try a new drain plug. I think it's a 17mm bolt, but check first.
Pam: let us know how you resolve the battery issue. I don't have the alarm, does yours?
-juice
From my experience with a new OB, and from what I've gleaned here in the past 2 months, it's not entirely uncommon for a new Subaru to come from the factory with wheels out of balance. My dealer had to re-balance all four wheels on my OB -- it had some serious shakes at about 65mph. Thankfully, that did the trick.
Craig
Bit
I've had wheel balance problems before on other cars, but it never was this severe or as intermittant.
-Tony
I'll try a new plug from the dealer. I'm careful to wipe everything clean after the change. Not much to go wrong there, threads, seating surfaces between plug and pan, or worst case a hairline crack in the pan. I think a crack in the pan would leak more than I'm seeing.
Dave in AL
Thanks!
-juice
Uh, yeah, um, Patti, I have this problem with, um, washing and waxing my Outback, and think it might be a, oh, uh, defective surface finish control unit. Maybe you could, um, have the dealer take a shot at, uh, fixing it for me?
:-)
Craig
Can you make it appear again?
-juice
I visited my dealer, Madison Square Subaru in Madison, AL today. I explained my problem and made arrangements for them to look it over this Tuesday. I'll let you know how it works out. Thanks.
Dave in AL
Any thoughts?
Jerry
Craig
Also, drivetrain whine is normal for these vehicles, but it occurs at all speeds.
Did your car (now with 17k miles) always do this,
or did it just start? I've heard of problems with wheel bearings in Subarus (mostly on pre-'01 Foresters) due to a mfg problem.
-Tony
Jerry
My dealer suggests oil changes about every 2500 miles - additives normally in the oil are used up by then, or so they say (they use a Sunoco/Kendall oil) & OE Subaru filter). Only 20 bucks for the change, and they wash the car, so what the heck!
Cheers!
Paul
-Frank P.
-mike
Jerry: try removing the cross bars, see if the noise goes away. If not, I'd have the wheels balanced, then the alignment checked, then the suspension inspected by a dealer, in that order.
paisan: in light/highway use the schedule is actually every 6 months (or 7.5k miles).
-juice
Paul, based on the dealer's recommendation, you'd be changing the oil 3 times for every 1 recommended change on the normal service schedule! I doubt the filter even gets dirty in that short amount of time!
Mike, I have seen evidence that oil filters can last through several oil changes (sorry, can't remember where). Many new cars only require a filter replacement every other oil change. Where did you hear about the 3 month intervals for light use? Is this an issue with the engine? I know oil routinely sits on the shelf for months before being sold, so it can't be an issue with the oil itself.
Craig
However, I'm in the process of ridding myself of this car, after the 2nd time now it has left me stranded in the middle of nowhere.
In April, a fuel injector failed on cylinder 1 with only 20,000 KMs on the car (12,500 miles).
Over this labor day weekend, the fuel injector on cylinder 3 failed with only 28,000 kms on the car (17,500 miles).
When these injectors fail, it basically means they are sticking, which causes the engine to run rich and vibrate heavily at all speeds. Needless to say, not driveable.
I am not very happy with my 2000 OB. It might be just my car, but I've owned 4 other cars before this (including 2 GMs), and not one has ever left me stranded in under 100,000 miles.
Then there's the issue of the dealer who redefines the word "rude".
I will not buy a Subaru again, and I definitely do not consider them reliable. For the money, you can buy a vehicle with more ameneties, more power, and reliability for thousands less.
Ash Mishra
I know you're in Canada, but maybe our SOA rep Patti can recommend someone from SOC to look into your problem (and spank the rude dealer)?
I know you must feel very disappointed, and I cannot blame you. But I'd give Subaru a chance to make it up to you.
FWIW,
-- Kate