Subaru Crew - Meet The Members II

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  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    I'm not sure there's ever much to be gained from trying to "make sense of" circumstances like these ... just like we know that someone can roll a double six twice in a row even though the probability is 1 in 36 ...

    wow, that sounds fatalistic, doesn't it?
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    I got a reality check this weekend, first I saw a 1998 BD model wagon with the both rear wheel wells completely rusted out, most of the rear quarters were rusted out as well/

    Then yesterday I saw a 2002 VDC Outback with well established surface rust on the right rear quarter, looks to be creeping up from behind the bumper. Car is origional paint and no accident only has 53000 Kilos. on the odometer. This is unacceptable in a 3 year old car that cost new in excess of 45K dollars CDN.

    So much for the false security of double galvanised panels.

    Cheers Pat.
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    As I said in my reply, I truly believe it wasn't your parents' time. I read an article down her and noticed they live in Concordia. That's 5 minutes from my brother in Encore, and my mom in Rossmoor.
    Our thoughts go out to your parents and their loss of many friends.
    Serge
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Thank God your parents are ok, Steve. Hope they're getting over the shock.

    tom
  • jfljfl Member Posts: 1,399
    Steve,

    Glad your parents are safe. Although it will take time to heal emotionally.

    Jim
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    I think it is the "six degrees of separation" that has us all a bit thrown by the event.

    It will take time for all involved.

    Steve
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    Pat,

    In the States there are separate warranties for rust-- it's 5yr/60k miles for Subaru. I think if you never washed off the road salt it would be possible to rust out a car like that.

    ~Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Ken: yeah, it would only run on the Green Line. :D

    Pat: strange, I wonder how it was used?

    I saw a photo of a relatively new Toyota pickup on a lift, and the rear half of the vehicle basically folded over, frame rails and all. It had been used as a salt truck, though, so the frame rails rusted all the way through.

    I've seen some rust on early 90s Legacys, but that's about it. The Loyales had more rust issues. And they do use salt on the roads around here.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Admittedly I don't know anything about the 98 just saw it in a parking lot. But the VDC outback was well cared for, washed weekly without fail, Subaru isn't about to do anything either, since they say it is surface rust. The warranty is for perforation.

    This is a cop out, since surface rust left to it's own devices will become a perforation.

    Cheers Pat.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I wonder if those are original or replacement panels.

    I recall CR did a test of aftermarket panels for collision repair, and they put small surface scratches on them and then sprayed them with a salt/chemical mix. The aftermarket ones rusted, but the OE ones did not.

    I also wonder if the panels were ever repainted?

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    juice, like I said I don't know anything about the 98 model, but the 2002 VDC is all origional, no acidents was washed every week since new, like I say it sucks to have a 3 year old car with low milage needing to have a quarter repaired and painted through no fault of yours.

    Cheers Pat.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    A week ago I installed the Honda Hitch Kit on my 4 year old Odyssey. My main problem? Rust.... The 6 tapped holes in the subframe (12 x 1.25 mm) were so corroded that I couldn't even get the bolt to grab the first thread let alone screw in. It cost me over 2 hours with a tap (extremely limited working space with the exhaust in place) to rethread them. I had the bumper cover off and was quite shocked at how much weld and seam damage has occured. I am in a high salt area, but my cars are garaged and I wash them several times during the winter.

    Rust never sleeps....

    Steve
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    My 99 Legacy had a huge rust spot on the bottom of the front passenger door. I was the original owner, and it had the original paint. Best I could tell, the door panel weld failed and water got in behind it.

    The wife's 96 Outback did not have a single spot of rust when we traded it. At the time, this car was 7 years old and had almost 90k.

    Both cars were subjected to some pretty bad New England weather, with a high salt diet. I do hand wash them as the weather permits.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Pretty wild...

    I put a hitch on my Forester, but it wasn't that old. The nice thing was it used holes used for the exhaust hangers, so they were sealed up and rust-free.

    My friend bought a brand-new Wrangler and we looked at the under carriage only to reveal several rusty bolts - on a brand new Jeep! He was so disappointed.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Is your garage heated Steve? Apparently if your garage is above freezing then the salt just eats the hell out of it.

    Cheers Pat.
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Attached and insulated, Southern exposure with windows, but not heated. If we are careful with the garage doors (we have a separate entry door between them), it will stay considerably warmer than the outside, and the cars will dry off if they come in wet. But I am sure that the undersides stay wet and cool.

    Steve
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I got to try one of these recently, at a trade show here in DC. It was pretty interesting.

    They take a while to get used to. At firts you hop on and it feels totally awkward, like it's hard to keep your balance and stay still.

    You get used to it after only a minute or two, and then you can get around pretty well. It's actually kinda "fun to drive", I guess.

    I still don't see many of them around, but if you get a chance, try one out, it's definitely memorable.

    To bring the topic back to cars, I wonder if the technology could be used to assist a disabled person in driving. Basically you're using your feet to accelerate, brake, and turn left and right. Your hands only help you keep your balance.

    We're so used to two (or three) foot pedals and a steering wheel, but I wonder if a little out-of-the-box thinking could benefit folks with limited use of their arms. Just a thought.

    Anyone else ever try one?

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Pat: found that pic for you.

    -juice
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Neat. I still have yet to try one. I thought that the Segway was controlled simply by shifting your weight towards the direction you wanted to go?

    Interesting idea about applying it to a handicap situation. I wonder how difficult it would be to send the same control input from a seated position.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    You shift your weight, but it's the position of your feet that ultimately move the thing. It's really strange at first and you have to focus on keeping your balance, but then it quickly becomes intuitive.

    -juice
  • hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    Now that would give you a surprise.Imagine getting in an accident with that. Good job it folded where it did.

    Cheers Pat.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Yeah, but look at the off-road articulation you get!

    Subaru Crew chat is open!

    Steve, Host
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I forgot about the chat totally, but I was driving up to Bob's to pick up his trailer.

    I'm moving some beds back and forth from the beach condo to the house. Should be a good test of long-range towing since it's about a 3 hour drive.

    He also gave me a set of snow tires for the Forester, just in time for spring. :P

    Just teasing. I'll put them to good use next winter. Probably early December they'll be mounted.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Chat: yeah I too fogot about it. It's all juice's fault. ;)

    Bob
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    We live in a mobile wireless world and you guys can't even chat while on the road! :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sure, if my 3- or 6-year old can drive! :surprise:

    -juice
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    By the time I got to the chat there were 4 people, but at least I could follow all the conversations! :)

    tom
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I guess that means Brenda (fastest fingers) missed it as well. :P



    -juice
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Bren was there, although she left a bit early!
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    So I take a walk on the George Washington University campus, and bump right into a big Subaru marketing event! Hilarious!

    It was geared towards students, so they had a WRX TR and an Outback Sport SE opened up for people to crawl in and out of. The cars seemed to be getting plenty of attention.

    They handed out stickers for the Impreza Challenge (I had plenty of those), frisbees, cups, and pens, all with the logo. They were all out of brochures, but they said it would mostly be an e-mail campaign anyway.

    I signed up for the raffle ($100 or something), it was funny when they asked what school I went to. University of Maryland, um, more than a decade ago! ;)

    They even had free food, though I was a bit late for that. Burgers, chips, and Red Bull. I guess they co-market, but the funny thing was the Red Bull vehicle was a old Chevy Tracker.

    They also had a Twister area and some badminton courts.

    Any how, good to see them out there getting the word out. They were GWU students, too, so Subaru must be pretty smart about getting help with these events.

    -juice
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Beth had a class on Thurs/Fri, so I stayed home and played Mr. Mom. Got some planting done, put out the hammock, tuned up the bikes and took the kids riding each day. Nothing looks better than bikes on the back of a Subaru, Annie's trailer in the cargo area. 70-75'F in the Mid-Hudson Valley the past two days. Perfect!

    I did get a hard time from a friend about tempting the gods, however, as I put away the snowblower earlier in the week. So when we get that foot in early April, I'm to blame.

    Tonight I took them to see Ice Age (Meltdown). Very funny for adults as well as kids.

    Steve
  • toboggantoboggan Member Posts: 283
    Just to let you'all know, new summer tires were installed today. BFG Traction T/A's. Found the tires are directional - arrow on the sidewall showing which way they should rotate. Could only get T rated tires for the 205/70-15's for the '98 OBW. I'll post notes on how they're working over the summer.

    The Blizzaks have one more winter season left. Still plenty of tread depth.

    MNSteve
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Just received the news that Subaru will merge with Russian automaker AutoVAZ, and the joint venture will produce AWD cars on the base of AutoVAZ' flagship model "LADA" (which in turn is based on FIAT model of 1966), with patented Subaru H4 and H6 engines. The new line of cars will be marketed under a new brand name Ladaru.

    Subaru, a subsidiary of Fiji Heavy Industries, commented on the merger that it would help Japanese automakers to penetrate a lucrative Russian auto market. "Notoriously bad Russian roads will help us to improve rallying qualities of our cars" - said one of the highly placed Fiji executives who preferred to remain unnamed.

    AutoVAZ officials were not immediately available for comment as they were celebrating the closing of the deal in an undisclosed location.
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    April Fools! :)

    Bob
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Very creative, Kate! "Ladaru" huh? I especially like the quote from the "Fiji" executive and improving the rally cars! :D

    No car buying story from Juice this year? ;)

    tom
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Sounds like the Brat, er, Baja has some real competition.

    Steve, Host
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    Seeing Steve's note, makes me very aware of the differences in the seasons between North and South sides of the world. April 1st brought the first flush of snow (okay, not very much) to the ski slopes near us. I was bringing in the pool toys as the temperature is dropping enough to make it unlikely any kids will use the pool for the rest of the season. I even turned on the central heating for the first time this year. This heralds the dog moving from guarding warm sofas, to looking after a central heating duct where she drapes her front paws and nose. The kids claims she is "Toasting her Toes".
  • ladywclassladywclass Member Posts: 1,713
    officially i'm on spring break ...

    spring break ...

    temps were in 60's yesterday, and in 40's today ... 60 tomorrow and 25 monday night ... what a mess ...

    we did go wander around a home show at the joyce center (notre dame) ... that was 'fun', although we saw too many things we can't afford but would be nice to have ...
    the thing i probably drooled over the most was a digital piano with all the bells and whistles .. even with the 'show price' it was about $10,000 .... lol

    i have work to do on our tutoring business ... a power point presentation to prepare for the informational open houses ...

    23 more IEP's to write for kids on my caseload so we can have conferences (about an hour each) ... and clean up the paperwork on the 6 we already had ...

    and a funeral to attend .. probably on wed ... DH's uncle ... in just over 3 years, his dad has lost a daughter, a mother-in-law, his mother (last summer), and now his younger brother ... sad ...

    at least i'm out of school to do this stuff this week!

    see ya down the road ...
  • tsytsy Member Posts: 1,551
    Lotus F1.50 pickup truck! At least these Edmunds guys have a sense of humor too! I think I liked Kate's April fools writeup better! :D

    tom
  • fibber2fibber2 Member Posts: 3,786
    Undisclosed location, eh? They found Dick Cheney's secret hiding spot behind the couch?

    Happy April 1st!!

    Steve
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My kids loved the first one so I'll take them to see that as well. They play the video games on-line. Scrat Jump is hysterical, the 3 year old busts out laughing every time he wipes out.

    MNSteve: I did the opposite - picked up a pair of snows from Bob. Someone had given him some for his wife's Forester, but she never drives in the snow. I do, all the time actually, so I hope to put them to good use next winter.

    They're Dunlop Graspics. The tread is so soft it's unbelievable!

    Kate: thanks for filling in for me, I was out of town at the beach! 70 degrees and we were outta here. :shades:

    I'm glad to see IL has a sense of humor. Elise pickup, LOL! :D

    -juice
  • locke2clocke2c Member Posts: 5,038
    I had my summer tires mounted too, the original equipment Yokohama A046. They only have about 6,000 miles on them, the rest of ticks on my odometer, 27,000 or so, were on my Dunlop WinterSport M3 because I got lazy and left them on all last summer. So it's been a good long while since I drove my Evo with the proper tires on it and, wow, it's quite a difference.

    I still have tread depth left on my winter tires but I think they will only be effective for one more year. If I get two out of them, that second year might be a bit sketchy towards the end. Not sure what I'm going with next for winter tires, but at $245 each for the OE summer tires I'm pretty sure I'll be going a different route on those!

    ~Colin
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    A-ha! I told you that was the catch with getting 2 sets of tires. You should be ashamed of yourself! :P ;)

    I liked the price I paid: free. Zip. Nada. Zero cents per mile. :)

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    We had a working weekend at the beach. Basically moved furniture back and forth between home and the condo.

    Bob's trailer came in handy. We loaded up 2 single beds plus their frames and a few other things in the 5'x8' trailer and drove all the way to Ocean City, about 3 hours driving.

    The Forester handled it very well, the temp guage never even moved and you only noticed there was a trailer back there due to slower acceleration and longer braking distances.

    Coming back, we loaded up a queen bed, the frame, plus two single bed headboards and a couple of extra rails we had there.

    Again, Sandy didn't complain at all, got us home safely and managed 21 mpg carrying all that weight plus 4 people and a dog. That was even with the A/C on, since it got a bit hot.

    I took some pics but they're still in the camera at home, so I'll try to remember to upload them tonight.

    -juice
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    Again, Sandy didn't complain at all, got us home safely and managed 21 mpg carrying all that weight plus 4 people and a dog. That was even with the A/C on, since it got a bit hot.

    juice...when did you get a dog???
    (j/k)...how is Hadji?
    Dina just turned 8 a couple of weeks ago...had her annual and shots; the vet said she is very, very healthy..alway good news.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Oddly, Hadji just hissed when I told him you said that. :shades:

    The old pup is 13, that's 91 in dog years!

    -juice
  • lilbluewgn02lilbluewgn02 Member Posts: 1,089
    Dina's Birthday Portrait
    image
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I should take a more recent photo of Hadji, he has that same gray hair around the nose and eyebrow.

    -juice
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Our Legacy was hit yesterday by a hub cap that flew off a big truck. It slammed into the passenger side front door, the lower portion, and put a good sized dent as well as some scratches down the side skirts.

    Bummer. Wifey got the license plates, so we called our insurance company to help locate the truck owner. She said the driver probably didn't even realize it happened. I suppose it could have been worse.

    -juice
  • PF_FlyerPF_Flyer Member Posts: 9,372
    Well, at least you have the hope of tracking him down! We can have a group GROAN for you tonight at the chat! ;)

    PF Flyer
    Host
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