Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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Comments

  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    I was thinking how much I like my Specialized Rockhopper with the grip shifts! To each his own, I guess. Rob M.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Have you noticed the cheap, ugly, wheels that are on the new outbacks. I wouldn"t be seen with those wheels on a expensive car. I have an 01 Bean and the wheels are beautiful they make the car. What's up with the cheap ugly wheels? It's stopping me from buying a new Bean.

    You must be joking!! I had an 02 Bean and hated those wheels -- they looked like 90s Chrysler wheels with all the dang spokes and the gold accents. They were a pain to keep clean too.

    I like the new 05 wheels a lot -- they are a modern 5 spoke design and they look great to me. I guess we have different tastes! BTW, the LL Bean wheels are same as on the OB XT, just a darker shade of silver paint (not quite gunmetal).

    Craig
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    386 e-mails to respond to in the office! I got lucky this time! I hate trying to get caught up here so if anything needs immediate attention, can you please point me in the right direction? And Ken - - congratuations! I saw that you got your new Subaru and I'm thrilled for you! Ask Erina to join the chat tonight to share her impressions. I love the way she chats!

    Patti
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I think the rapid fire shifter I had on my old Mongoose bike was made by Shimano. I still miss that, it was stolen from a Subway stop in broad daylight, lock and all.

    WB Patti, how was the shore? Hope your weather was as good as ours, we only got rain on 1 day.

    BTW, I tricked mother nature. I cleaned my Subaru - but only inside. Detailed the plastics, the carpets, even the seat fabrics. Put in the new floor mats I had bought a while back, and she looks great now.

    Of course it proceeded to thunderstorm as soon as I finished, but at least this was the inside so it's still clean!

    -juice
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    Juice, the 2003 I mentioned in the chat was a 5 speed wr blue that the local dealer (my best friends you know) had offered me as the alternative to the YWRX. They wanted a lot more for it: 17" chrome (yuk) wheels, leather interior and silver flames on the side for $30k. Last time I saw it (last week when I drove by) the chrome wheels were gone but it had an STi wing.

    No wonder they have had it for 2 years.

    TWRX
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Patti! -- Welcome back!

    Sorry I couldn't make the chat. I was visiting my brother at the hospital -- he came down with a case of Meckel's Diverticulitis.

    I'll try to make it next week with Erina! She's loving the huge moonroof on our new Legacy GT!

    Ken
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    hope your brother recovers quickly, Ken.

    ps for everyone else going *what?*--
    http://www.merck.com/mrkshared/mmanual_home2/sec23/ch275/ch275g.j- sp

    ~c
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,399
    Kens - hope your brother's doing better.

    Colin - thanks for the link!

    juice - so how did you prevent others from tracking water and mud into your OCD clean interior? 8~O

    Jim
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    I have the trigger shifts on my Giant. Only thing is that my right thumb steps the gears down while my left shifts up. Gets confusing when trying the shift quickly.

    Speaking of weather, I am very disappointed this year as it has been a cold summer - particularly since we had a pool installed this past spring! Argh, I knew this was going to happen. They are talking 70F this weekend!

    Greg
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I'll trade you our 90F and humidity for your 70F any day! Heck this time of year it rarely cools down to 70F even at night.

    -Frank

    P.S. Patti- Welcome back you beach bum you!
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Rob- I also like the grip shifters on my Fisher but then I haven't ridden a MB with trigger shifters. I guess part of it may be what you're use to.

    -Frank
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Ken: I hope your brother gets well soon.

    Colin: Thanks for the link.

    Patti: Welcome back! Which Jersey beach do you vacation at?

    Chat: Sorry I didn't make it. Unfortunately I had work to do. :(

    Bob
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    No sympathy here! It's been 85-95F in Virginia with wonderful humidity. I do perceive it as being a cooler summer than some I remember, but not cool enough for this former New Englander! Someday I am going to drag my wife kicking and screaming and move back to the Northeast, probably Maine. I absolutely love the summer weather up there!

    My wife's family has a cabin on the James River down here. By this time of year, the river feels like bath water -- almost no relief from the heat. The thought of diving into a cold pool is pretty refreshing! As a kid, I was able to spend hours in 55F water off the Maine/NH coastlines when we vacationed. I don't think I could do it for hours anymore, but it still sounds good....

    Craig
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Yeah but those wonderful Maine summers come at a price... Maine winters! Of course the best of both worlds is to become a "snow bird" (summer house in the north and winter one in the south).

    -Frank
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Oh yeah, I probably should have defined what Meckel's Diverticulitis was. Thanks, Colin. :-)

    Symptoms were just like appendicitis and that's what the doctor's orginally thought. They did take out his appendix anyway to be safe.

    My brother's doing well, thanks. He was discharged last night and is recovering at home.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Thanks Colin, I definitely said *what?* when I heard that.

    Hope your brother recovers quickly, Ken. I'm sure he will.

    Jim: I remind them to clean their shoes before they step in, but I still get more than the normal amount of wear and tear.

    I even vacuumed the cargo area. Plus used tape to remove dog hair and lint. It's spotless, but I'm sure that'll last a day.

    Craig: the wife keeps telling me how she misses New England summers, how the air is "Crisp" and all. We'll see, we leave tomorrow afternoon.

    Dunno, potato chips are crisp. The air? We'll see. ;-)

    -juice
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Ken- I'm sure your brother will be up and about in no time. Make sure he eats well (promotes tissue healing) and gets plenty of rest. Oh yeah, have someone go to the local pharmacy for some anti-constipation drugs (ok, stool softeners- sorry everyone!) - very common and uncomfortable with pain medications. The pharmacist should be able to suggest something- most of them are over the counter. Take him for a ride in your new car- he'll be so impressed it'll take his mind off of the pain from the surgery for a while. ;-)

    Patti- hope you had a nice time at the beach! It was 95 here in Seattle today- I wish there was a beach nearby to go to!

    Juice- I spent many summers in New England- "Crisp" is what I'd call air when it's freezing outside in the winter where you can see your breath freeze. In the summer it's heavy and muggy and you can feel it on your skin.
    Have fun! ;-) I do miss New England at times, though.

    Colin- where do you find all this information? It's very helpful! It's much easier than trying to describe it in 50 words or less!

    I'm going to have to make it to one of these Chat's sometime. Someone will have to talk me through it, though! Had to take my kids to a baseball game so I couldn't make it.
    BTW, what do you "chat" about?

    Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

    I unfortunately have to visit LA. Hope I make it back! (if not, someone will have to teach my wife to drive stick!) ;-)

    tom
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    New England weather is definitely unique. If anything, there is a lack of consistency and predictability. Last summer we had 17 days in a row at or above 90. This summer, only 4 days have cracked 80. Last winter, all the snow was in December, and a record number of days below 0 in January and February, but not much snow. The winter before, it snowed 4 - 6 inches every other day. We have had days where there was sun, snow and thunder - all within 10 minutes. It certainly keeps life interesting! Rob M.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    BTW, what do you "chat" about?

    Besides Subies, just about anything. It's fun, so yes, please do join us. :)

    Bob
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    BTW, what do you "chat" about?

    Food :) LOL!
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Colin- where do you find all this information? It's very helpful! It's much easier than trying to describe it in 50 words or less!

    I remember a lot of things-- especially useless random stuff, but also sometimes good things by accident. ;)

    When I don't know about something, usually I can find it by searching Google. In this case, I went through a lot of links before I found one that described the problem well with pictures. Total time: about 10 minutes.

    ~Colin
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    Quit griping about the weather, all you wusses...just spend a typical summer day here in South Florida...the 7-day weather forcast on the evening news:
    Sat. 93 degrees,high humidity and showers;
    Sun. 93 degrees,high humidity and showers;
    Mon. 92 degrees,high humidity and showers;
    Tue. 93 degrees,high humidity and showers;
    Wed. 92 degrees,high humidity and showers;
    Thu. 93 degrees,high humidity and showers;
    Fri. Temps Plunging to 91 degrees,high humidity and showers;

    :{ Schvitzy in FL
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    I am so far behind at this point and I don't like using this computer to navigate ...
    we had a huge thunderstorm here on Wednesday night, and since then I can't get MY computer to connect to either the cable modem or the home network ... when I connect directly I get indications that I'm online and that the modem is working correctly .. that my network card is functioning correctly, but my computer can't find that it's online ...

    HIS computer will connect directly but not through the router .. we're not sure what happened ... one would think that if the lightning fried the router and something with my network connection, that MORE of it would have been fried as well since it's all connected together !!!

    it's frustrating .. we've tried just about everything we can think of ... next step might be switching out the card and seeing if that helps ... not sure why it would since my computer INSISTS that it's functioning correctly ... argggghhhh

    we've had a houseful of company .. more this week and then a week til the daughter's family arrives ... at least summer school is over for now ... i'm still trying to paint 2 rooms upstairs (that I've been working at for the last 6 weeks around everything else!)

    ok .. I'll catch up with posts later, I hope everyone is ok and having a great summer ... took me quite awhile to remember the passwork so that I could log on b/f's computer ...
    Bren
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    Hey Brenda! Welcome back. Due to your absence, the food portion of the chat has been temporarily reassigned ...
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    HEY ... most of the chats I am NOT the first person to mention food ....
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Damage from lightning strike may be quite subtle. Whilst the general principles of lightning strikes are fairly well known, the actual damage they cause and how that arises can be quite complicated and often runs counter to what electrical experts intuitively believe to be correct. Much of this comes about because the charge may not dissipate immediately and some building electrical systems change characteristics, effectively becomimg a huge capacitor for a very short time. This is not good for devices connected to the system.

    If you get a direct strike, you tend to know about it as there are multiple cooked components. Sniffing the cabinets of damaged items usually shows up a strange offensive smell of burnt plastic, oil or aluminium and an inspection of circuit boards often shows burn marks of cooked components.

    Other damage to the house or surrounds gives a pretty clear indication of a lightning strike. Look for strike damage to high points, particualrly TV aerials and similar. However, this is not conclusive. Damage can be variable and is affected by multiple factors. One key issue is the quality of the earth bonding of the electrical system to the ground earth. Ideally, the massive charge from the lightning should be capable of dissipating quickly to earth outside the building. That's why you see big lightning conductors on tall churches.

    In many countries the in-house earthing is achieved by connecting the electical earth to metal waterpipes that are supposed to dissipate to earth because they pass through the soil. If the soil is dry or non conductive (some soil types are less conductive than others) the effectiveness of this earth is reduced and the lightning strike may take different paths to earth. If your computer, or TV is in that path, it gets fried.

    Our home was struck by lightning many years ago, the strike earthing through the TV (which shot a spectacular tongue of flame across the lounge from the exploding volume control) and the 240V system. On inspection the TV damage was restricted to the volume control and a couple of other components and it is still working 28 years later. The house cabling fared less well, the electrician who replaced it commenting that most houses did not have two black wires!

    More difficult though is the damage from induced currents. Where a cable runs parallel to a conduction path from the lightning stike to earth, the cable may suffer an induced current. The most impressive I saw was an old building in Twickenham, West London, where the lightning struck a chimney and passed to earth through the waterpipes running through the roof. Unfortunately, the network cables for most of the extensive IT system were bundled and clipped to this water pipe for about 15 metres. Every device that was commmunicating at the time of the incident was fried from the network card side. Bizarrely, devices that were not communicating at the time were unaffected.

    Phone lines are also problematic for the same reason.

    Uneven failure of devices may reflect that one device was closer to tolerance than others. Even within a device, you can often see two components, apparently identical and which should, based on circuit design, be at similar risk, behave entirely diffferently.

    I would suggest swapping out the network card as a first step. Examination under a strong light may show physical damage. Network cabling may also be worh swapping out as it can be fried. Then move onto the more expensive bits.

    Kind regards

    Graham
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    Interesting post (as always) ... figured we'd start with the card .. the cabling is not the problem (at least not the full problem) because we swapped the cable that worked with b/f's computer to mine and I still had the same problems ... we'll keep working on it, but in the meantime it's a pain in the butt to use his computer without my 'favorites' etc ... and we like things set up way differently which is one reason we HAVE our own computers .. lol
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    No joke. A few years ago I was almost struck by lightning. I was standing out on the lot of Sport Chevrolet in Silver Spring, MD (a car dealer of course!) and I noticed a storm was approaching, but it hadn't yet started to rain.

    So I continued checking out the cars, when all of a sudden a huge clap of thunder occurred. For a moment I was blinded, as everything went absolutely white, and I felt a tingling through the bottom of my shoes.

    Needless to say I hauled [non-permissible content removed] out of there.

    Bob
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    When all your hair on your body starts to stand on end,... haul [non-permissible content removed] away from where you're standing.

    -Dave
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    we are blaming this one on the friend who was visiting from Texas .. I always tell him that I want to be FAR AWAY from him when lightning strikes because ya never know when God is going to be after him for all his 'evildoing' ... lol
  • volkovvolkov Member Posts: 1,306
    I had a strike about 15-20' feet away from me out on a mountain bike ride. Hilarious part was my reaction - I got off my bike deliberately and slowly as if I was dealing with a wild animal or something and didn't want to attract attention or spook it. Then I crouched in a ball in a little gully like I've read you should. I guess in the instantaneous panic, I got my "what to do if" instructions cross-wired, or maybe I just switched to survival mode, and around here, that's typically because of a wildlife encounter.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Wow, Bob. That sounds like it was close!

    The interesting thing about lightning is that it doesn't simply strike from the clouds to the earth. The lightning "bolt" from the sky is actually met part way by a "bolt" rising from the ground.

    Ken
  • Karen_SKaren_S Member Posts: 5,092
    ...and brought a cold home for a souvenir. Oh well. Bob asked where I was going, so I'll tell. Spent the week at Hilton Head with my mom, my two sisters, and my daughter. My son could have gone, but he didn't think his eyes could handle the strain of seeing his close female relatives in bathing suits.

    Re: lightening strikes - We've had some close calls in the past, so as soon as it begins to get threatening outside I shut down and unplug just about everything, even though all of our computers and most of our major appliances are on surge protectors.

    I'm off to start going thru the couple thousand of messages posted during my absence.
  • bluesubiebluesubie Member Posts: 3,497
    First, started heading to SC (near Myrtle Beach) on July 10th. We decided to take my wife's OB since she can't drive stick. ;-) About an hour and a half into the trip we stopped at the last service area in NJ and the car was smoking. Right away I knew it was the tranny since it's been to the dealer twice before over the years. We drove back home and switched to my car. Made it to SC without any problems (took 301 to avoid Baltimore and D.C.). Had a great time in SC despite the heat.

    Headed home on July 16th and re-packed to go to Cape Cod on the 17th. Drove the OB to the dealer and dropped it off, then left for the Cape from there. We stayed in Truro.

    Cape Cod considers the Element to be more off-road capable than the Forester. I had planned to get an off-road permit for the beach, but read on-line that the minimum tire ratio is 70. Saw an Element and a Tribute on the beach while we were there.

    Saw my first GT (white sedan) on the road in Cape Cod. Also saw a black Baja with the cap that was posted a few weeks ago. Very nice! I think there were about 7,000 Subaru's on Cape Cod. :)

    Before the trip, I switched to all synthetic. M1 5W30 in the engine (M1 5W is too thin for 99 deg. F!), Redline in the rear and Amsoil in the front. I managed to hit 25 mpg+ with a loaded Thule cargo box driving to SC (Central & Southern VA and NC).

    We took our Sport Comfort bikes to the Cape. I ended up installing a hitch and buying a new bike carrier because the hatch mount didn't fit the Forester properly due to the spoiler. All of the weight was on the top straps and I now have some minor dents on top.

    Even with the hitch mounted rack, three bikes and a loaded cargo box (including the old hatch bike rack) I still managed 24 mpg in MA, RI and part of CT. Drove to the dealer and picked up the OB. $350 for a tranny pan reseal (it was resealed under warranty at a different dealer when it was only a couple of years old).

    -Dennis
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Wow, Bob. That sounds like it was close!

    Yes indeed! The moment I felt the tingling in my feet I jumped for the sky! I guess when lighting strikes the ground, it must spread out and dissipate in a circular pattern. If so, that's what I was feeling. In any event, that was way too close for comfort!

    Bob
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Dennis: Welcome back. See my post in the XT thread re my FXT dilemma.

    Lightning strikes: I was struck by lightning in 1971. To be accurate, the lightning struck the pressed tin roof of a farmhouse I was in, ran through the wiring of the house, then through me as I was flipping a light switch in the living room of that house. I had small burn marks on my finger and my heel afterwards.

    Sometimes I wonder whether it had any long-term effects on me. One thing is certain: when I get in a bad mood, down on myself and the world in general, all I have to do is remember that event and put things in proper perspective. If I consider that every day for the last 33 years has been a gift, then whatever is bothering me pales in comparison.

    On a lighter note, when people learn that about me they often suggest I play the lottery. I've never won, although the winning ticket for the last huge Powerball payout was sold in the next town north of me.

    Ed
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    our friends from Texas who were here last week came in an Element ... he is a 56 year old contractor who owns his own business and has about 3 big trucks for his business and bought the Element almost as a "toy" although he can use it to go from job site to job site to check on things and not worry since it's AWD .. they had the back seats out and just the two front seats left in ..all their traveling gear in the back .. they love it ...

    as he says .. he is "in his element" ...
  • lucien2lucien2 Member Posts: 2,984
    http://money.cnn.com/2004/07/27/pf/autos/saturn_investigation/ind- ex.htm?cnn=yes

    seems the left rear wheel collapses during accident avoidance.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Wow, that's scary!

    Ken
  • njswamplandsnjswamplands Member Posts: 1,760
    now that is a defect......
  • twrxtwrx Member Posts: 647
    The one Saturn I thought could be a winner (because of the Honda engine and transmission) and the GM mechanicals doom it.
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    I've been trying to catch up here- it's been a few days- I survived a few days in LA, didn't get shot, mugged, or hit by a wreckless driver (sure saw a lot of them, though!)

    I would think a 4wd vehicle would have a stronger suspension- you would also think GM would have put it through this kind of testing! Would suspension failure in an accident avoidance test make it 'unacceptable' to consumer reports? ;-) Sad, I kinda like Saturns.

    twrx- Maybe the car was doomed from the start, Honda's having problems with that transmission.

    tom
  • hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Ken-
    did you give away your free maintenance coupon?
    Shoot me an e-mail hypov at iace dot com

    -Dave
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    I, also have an OB/Legacy maintenance coupon. I have no intention of buying an '05 (unless I hit the Lotto) If there's an '05 in your future...

    hammerhead at spocom dot com

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    not for Forester '05, right?
  • hammerheadhammerhead Member Posts: 907
    Mine's OB or Legacy only, good 'til 9/30/04, "Added Security Plan".
    It can be implemented with up to 7500 miles onthe clock.

    Cheers!
    Paul
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    chat - I'll keep trying for a bit, so bear with me! Patti
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Just got back from a trip and was getting caught up with the Crew topics when I realized what night it is ;-)

    -Frnak
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    I missed the chat too. Got a new toy to play with from work. A VP didn't like the Siemens SX56 Pocket PC/phone, so I get a run with it. Was busy getting it setup and sync'd.

    -Brian
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