Subaru Legacy/Outback

mtnshopper · May 2001

Thanks for all the good info and opinions on hood deflectors. I decided to have the invisible hood and headlight protectors installed by a local window tinting company that uses the 3M product. My friend has a 1 year old Audi and she's already got rock chips on the hood and lost one headlight which is costing more than 300 bucks to replace.

Becky

ateixeira · May 2001

Elizabeth: Bob did a good job addressing your questions, so I'll just add my 2 cents' worth.

For the type of driving you describe, an Outback or Forester would be best. I have the rear diffy protector and I do recommend it for your type of trails.

I recommend a '97 or later Outback, since it got 165hp and runs on 87 octane (earlier ones needed premium). The seats do fold, and they are fine cars. My cousin has one, and even with 3 kids she refuses to get rid of it.

An alternative would be the '98 or newer Forester. They were cheaper when new, so prices would be lower than the same year Outback. They have the same 2.5l engine with 165hp running on 87 octane, averaging 25.1mpg in my case. The seats recline back and split to fold flat, without having to mess with the bottom cushion. It's lighter and so a bit quicker, too, but slightly shorter and has less passenger room.

My cousin bought her '99 Outback after I bought my '98 Forester. Then my dad joined the club and bought a 2001 Outback Limited. As you can see, these are fine vehicles with lots of repeat buyers.

-juice

theob · May 2001

Anyone have a Subaru dog guard? Any trouble with it loosening on bumpy roads? Someone reported that problem on carReview.com by a Kevin Adams. Wondering how widespread the problem was or if he just didn't put it in right. Here in Colorado we have more than our share of bumpy roads :-o

We had the hood deflector put on at the factory. Driving up to the ski areas around here is like driving in a gravel storm. :-o Chose the deflector because it's relatively easily removed/replaced, doesn't rub on the paint, deflects a little bit of the bugs off the windshield, etc.

FWIW, Theo

rsholland · May 2001

Subaru owners are not unlike many owners of Swedish vehicles. That is, they tend to hold on to them until it's just not worth repairing anymore. I sense you're like that, given that you've been driving an ancient Volvo.

Having said that, and especially since you live in Vermont where many of the roads are less than ideal, I would have a good mechanic go over your prospective purchase with a fine tooth comb.

I also agree with juice, in that I would recommend either an Outback or Forester (given your history) over a Legacy. Why? Larger and beefier tires, more ground clearance, and a HD suspension.

One more thing: the 2.5L vehicles have a longer life-cycle for replacing the timing belt, at 105,000 miles. 2.2L vehicles need to have it done every 60,000 miles.

Bob

jah7 · May 2001

I recently purchased an LL Bean outback and had a trailer hitch installed at the time of delivery. The car subsequently developed a loud metallic vibration noise when turning. I was on vacation and had another dealer inspect the car and found they had not installed a subaru hitch. The aftermarket hitch makes contact with the exhaust system and causes the noise. I wanted to know if anyone has had problems with subaru's hitch or if it is just the aftermarket one that the dealer installed.Thanks.

gjsmithmd · May 2001

I just picked up up an Outback Ltd Wagon, and was quite surprised to find multiple warnings in the owner's manual against using the cigarette lighter plug as a power outlet for items such as cell phones. Since I have the seat warmers, there is no outlet in the center console, and I don't think it's reasonable to crawl into the cargo area to access the only other outlet, which is well hidden behind the jack storage compartment cover.

Has anyone ever heard of any real problems with using the lighter socket, or is this some sort of strange liability issue created by the Subaru legal department? Since this car is built in Indiana, you would think that some minor concessions would be made to accommodate American driving habits.

mtnshopper · May 2001

I'm very curious about this too. What could happen if a cell phone is plugged into the cig. lighter? This is a big concern to me. I carry a cell phone in the car for emergencies and want to be able to plug it into the cig lighter on long road trips.
Becky

ateixeira · May 2001

I actually have a cell phone cradle and plug mine in at all time, every single time I drive, for over a year now. Never had a problem.

However, I also have a notebook PC with a car charger and it works fine until I start the car. The ignition interferes with the charger some how, and I've had the notebook crash. Nothing a good 3 finger salute can't fix!

Jamie: I have the OE hitch and it never caused a rattle. The dealer that installed yours can probably either tighten it or install washers as spacers to move the hitch down or up a bit.

-juice

jeffsaxe · May 2001

After months of lurking on this board, I'm finally posting because we went ahead and bought a lovely new Timberline Green Outback Limited 5-speed wagon. We were initially attracted to the Passat sedans and wagons, especially after driving my sister-in-law's, but reliability complaints soured me on VW. (I've been driving a 1983 Volvo turbo sedan for a few years now, and I can't stand a company that uses clearly inferior instruments, wiring, controls, etc. that don't last the life of the car. Ridiculous! I'm ready to get rid of it!) Of course the lively and positive nature of the posts here has made us feel more comfortable buying the Subaru -- nothing like the grousing about other makes and models elsewhere on Town Hall (including the Passat).

We just picked up the car Monday evening, and it's wonderful. (Frank Smith at Staunton Nissan-Subaru in Staunton, Virginia helped us out; over the phone, he matched a quote at straight dealer invoice I had been negotiating with a dealer in Northern Virginia. They did sneak in a $119 "documentation / processing fee" under my nose, though.) It has enough power to easily come back over Afton Mountain, accelerating in 5th gear with the A/C on -- not possible in our Nissan Sentra. Seats are very comfortable, although no long trips yet; the seat warmers work. :-) Plenty of room for humans and cargo, the 3-year-old's car seat fit in just fine. Sound system sounds a little odd to my ears -- I had to cut down the midrange and boost the treble a touch to have it sound natural. And popping up the sunroof or opening windows at 65mph highway speed yields quite a lot of wind noise -- perhaps the aerodynamic profile is not as svelte as the Sentra's. Around town, though the fresh air options are appreciated.

Suspension and the powertrain in general are really nice! Maybe I haven't driven a wide variety of cars lately, but I think it's a superb blend of bump absorption with connectedness to the road. And everyone loves the color.

Well, just wanted to chime in as a happy camper. I fully expect this Subaru to be as reliable as previous ones in our family have been, so I expect to own it for a good long time.

-- Jeff

originalbitman · May 2001

Congrats Jeff... glad you like your Ltd. As for the moonroofs (you have 2 correct?) If you open the front one and then crack the rear one about 2 inches or so you get great ventilation and no buffeting and reduced noise.

Of course I have also removed my cross bars.

bit

david35 · May 2001

I remember this coming up on this board about a year ago. It seems to be a problem with the BB (at least the 00 BB). As was posted, if the gas cap is not on all the way, the light will come on. If it doesn't disappear after a couple of tanks, take it to the dealer. When it happened to me it turned out to be a bad O2 sensor. I think several other people that were on this board had the same issue then.

david35 · May 2001

Yes, my dog guard comes loose on my 00 OB too. I, being a typical dude, just torqued it down more. This deformed my plastic nicely and it still vibrates loose. The pads at the base of the dog guard bracket that are designed to protect the plastic from being scarred up are glued with an adhesive that melts in the heat. It is a poor design all around. I haven't figured out a way to keep it from vibrating loose and falling on my dogs yet (boy, does that scare the heck out of them). Maybe a second nut added to the screw stems to act as a locking nut would help.

It would have been nice if they had designed a more stout solution like they did for the various baby seat hooks (they are there if you need them or not). There are probably as many Soobie owners with dogs as there are with kids. Most probably have both:)
...maybe in the next model. Heck it took 4 years to get a decent cup holder.

subearu · May 2001

as a rule of thumb, just give the gas cap a few extra clicks (5 or so sounds good). I believe it takes 3 cycles (on/run/off) for the code to clear.

If the CE light is steady, it's not a serious problem - usually emissions related. A blinking CE light is bad - means the engine is misfiring or other bad problems.

-Brian

outbacksuw · May 2001

Good evening... just wanted to say hi to you all. I'm on my third Outback Ltd. '98, '00, '01

Overall these cars are great!

Someone had inquired about a check engine light problem...I believe there has been a recall on this item. My '00 came on 8x or so within the first year. Faulty sensors is what they called it.

My '01 is having an idling problem especially at start up. The rpm's shoot up and down for some reason? It also doesn't idle correctly in general. The dealer states that they don't know how to fix the problem? Anyone else having this problem?

Thanks for your help... Paul

mtnshopper · May 2001

I took my dog for her first ride in the OB this weekend and found that the 3 head rests on the back seat do a good job of keeping her confined to the cargo area. But she did slobber a little on the back seat. I think that was separation anxiety. She was a little whiney about being way back there in the cargo area. She'll adjust.

I had trouble starting the car this morning. It was exactly 40 degrees in my garage. The only time I've had trouble starting it is first thing in the morning when the temp is 40 or less. I wonder what it will be like next winter when the temp dips to zero. Trouble starting on chilly mornings is unacceptable.
Becky

andyt · May 2001

I do not drive un unusually rough terrain, so my dog guard takes longer to loosen up...but it does eventually. How about applying a little loctite to the threads? Just a thought.

Another thought...I thought I heard somewhere that while you start the engine, it stops sending power to all the electric sucking sources in the car? This may be why Juice's notebook occasionally crashes. An example that we can all relate to would be how the radio stops playing when you start the engine. (Note that if this is true, then I will be proud of myself all weekend for being able to offer Juice some new knowledge.)

BTW: I have been runnign my radar detector through the lighter outlet, and sometimes my phone, and never had a problem.

Finally, why is it that Subaru states emphatically that this outlet can only be used for a lighter, but then they do not provide one with the vehicle?

nygreg · May 2001

Congrats on your new OB. We just purchased a base OB in Winestone. The one problem - my wife really loves the car. :-o OK, so maybe we can get rid of the minivan and get his and her OBs. Our 3 kids can still fit in the back, or, just take both OBs when we go somewhere.

-Greg

francophile · May 2001

While I do not exactly live in the snow belt, I do live near enough to it to justifiably own a snowblower ;-) My '00 Legacy GT likes to have just a couple of seconds pause between turning the ignition ON and turning it the rest of the way over to START, otherwise it takes a few extra cranks before it fires. But it has never given me anything remotely resembling trouble starting, even on 10 degree F days. If the problem persists have your dealer look at it, because it is not normal.

Cheers,
-wdb

originalbitman · May 2001

I also noticed if I let the fuel pump work a few seconds (you can hear it wen you turn the key... then it stops) I get fire the first turn to start.

bit

subearu · May 2001

cold starts: I live in SE Wisconsin - we had a couple of days (I think it was actually several) of below zero temps back in December and January. Our '00 Outback started fine. Sure it started slower due to the colder battery (as did every other car outside), but it started nonetheless.

I also typically wait for the fuel pump to cycle before I actually crank the engine. I don't think about doing it - it just happens. I guess I've been doing that on every car I've ever owned - so it's habit (a good one, IMHO).

There was a discussion about some early H6's having trouble starting, but I thought they were taken care of(or in the process of). Your dealer should be able to help resolve it - if not, Patti (our Subaru rep here in Town Hall) would be able to help you. You may want to post in the Subaru Crew - Meet the Members topic to be sure she see's your post.

power outlet: I've used ours for our cell phones without a problem. Others in the Subaru Crew have also, even radar detectors. One even used a laptop with DVD-ROM! As always, YMMV.

-Brian

mtnshopper · May 2001

When you say you let the fuel pump cycle before cranking the engine, how do you do that? I'd like to give it a try. I plan to mention the problem when I take the car in for its first service. I was told it had the new ECM, but I'm a little doubtful now.
Thanks, Becky

drgordo · May 2001

Our 2K OB started this winter without fail, including several nights at -22 degrees in rural North Dakota. It cranked much slower but started at about the same point. Letting the fuel pump pressurize the fuel system probably helps but I would suspect the pressure accumulates rather quickly. I don't know the nature of Subaru's fuel pressure accumulator and in cold weather there is probably a loss of pressure as the fuel and engine cool. Starting at temps above 20 degrees or so should not be a problem and hard starting at 40 degrees would seem to be symptomatic of a problem.

Our only winter casualty was a crack in the windsheld that appeared spontaneously while sitting at a red light on a -15 degree day. I assume the defroster running at full tilt against the cold window with the vehicle not moving to dissipate heat resulted in excessive stress. There was a very audible snap when it went. No sign of impact and the crack originated under the moulding on the outside glass laminate. The inside laminate is not cracked. The crack has now progressed about 1/4 of the way across the window and about 8 inches up from the base. Bummer (:-(

subearu · May 2001

If you turn your key to the ON position (not directly to START), you should hear a faint motor buzz for a second or so. (may be easier to hear it with a window down) This is the fuel pump re-pressurizing the system.

Whether or not this will help your cold engine starts, I don't know. I wonder if an ECU reset is in order? I've heard you can disconnect the negative battery terminal for 30 minutes to reset the ECU. (I think I also heard you could do this overnight too.) Again, whether or not this will help, I don't know. It's simple enough that it's worth a shot!

-Brian

jgugelm · May 2001

Hello Everyone. My wife and I just purchased (about a month ago) an '01 cutback with ALP, manual transmission. About a week after I got it home we had a spring snowstorm roll through (we live in CO). All geared up to try out the WAD, we loaded up the parents and the dog to go for a drive. When I got in and turned the key it made an awful noise. It sounded like when someone turns the ignition when the car is already running. It did this two more times and it finally turned over. Since then it has occurred on and off again every time the hemp. dips below about 40F. So I take it to our dealer to get looked at. They agree that it needs a new starter. Unfortunately he tells me at first it will be several weeks to get one. Weeks! I think he saw my reaction so he said he'd call around to see what he could do.' Then I get told he could get one on next Tuesday, which was three days away. How it went from weeks to three days was beyond me. So I called on Wed. and they told me Thursday. I called back again today (Friday) and they told me Mon. He acknowledged that Subaru is having supply problems currently and he didn't know what else he could do.

So I have two questions: 1. Has anyone else heard of the starter/supplier problems? 2. Is it out of bounds for me to ask them to pull a starter off one of the cars on the lot and give it to me until they get the new one. We had big weekend trips to the mountains planned with this car and now we're hesitant because we don't know if we'll be able to get home.

Any help much appreciated.

jgugelm · May 2001

That should be AWP instead of ALP and AWD instead of WAD. That's what I get for letting the spell checker do its thing.

grahampeters · May 2001

G'day

I am well out of the USA (in Australia) but one of the recurrent themes through these pages has been the ecxcellent service you get from most dealers but occassional glitches have appeared. Your problem sounds like one of them.

Subaru (the manufacturer) support their product far better than most and it is worthwhile calling them direct to expedite this sort of problem. A representative from Subaru (Patti Mickel) posts regularly on the Subaru Crew - Meet the Members pages. Try looking through some of those pages and see just how determined Subaru is to support its product.

All new products must have an occassional problem. If they can be fixed promptly, you should have no concern. If their is a delay, it damages the ownership experience for you.

Hope the repair is done soon.

By the way, most regular posters to these pages abandon the spell checker. Translating poor typing is a lot easier than untangling the spell checker's "corrections".

Cheers

Graham

kturner1 · May 2001

Spell checkers are a handy thing and they can be taught new words. How about our hosts teach ours the words "Outback," "OB," "AWD," "ECU" and some of the other commonly used terms in this site?

originalbitman · May 2001

Sorry I can't help you with your problem but I am sure SOA will come to the rescue.

However I must thank for adding a little humor to the board with spell checker. "try out the WAD" and "every time the hemp. dips below about 40F" are too hilarious for words.

Thanks!

bit

goosegog · May 2001

We have an 00 Outback. The light has appeared 4 times in a year. The first time it was simply reset by the dealer with the advice to make sure the gas cap was on securely. The second time it was reset by a Subaru dealer in Prince George and explained as an evap system problem, code P0440, but we were on our BC road trip and didn't want to be delayed, so took no further action. The third time the dealer in Vancouver came up with the same code and found a loose hose on a plastic box behind the right rear wheel.

A few weeks ago we were notified of a recall of the Engine Control Module (WXV79) for a cold starting problem. We have not experienced such a problem, but it didn't get much below freezing last winter. Then a week ago the damned light came on again. So when we took the car in for 12,000km service two days ago they were asked to fix it. The ECM was replaced and we were told that it was also the cause of the light being on.

We will see.

BTW, two articles about the Impreza WRX in today's Vancouver Sun; one a rave review and the other about Pat Richard, a 28 year old who just sold his Vancouver software company Xcert Int'l for US$67 million to RSA Security, and rallys a Subaru sponsored Impreza with great success. Check him out in the Rim of the World Rally this weekend in northern California.

parimal · May 2001

Hello,

I am looking for advise on fixing slightly leaky rack & Pinion. Leak is just around the actual box & steering shaft. Are there any re-conditioning kits or servicable parts. The steering rack are not worn. Appreciate any advice.

-Parimal

pocahontas · May 2001

Thanks! I have submitted your list to the Edmunds.com management/technical department. It may take a few days to get it into the system. ;-)

Pocahontas

Host

Hatchbacks / Station Wagons Message Boards

mtnshopper · May 2001

I tried recycling the fuel pump and it seemed to help. It was 38F in the garage this morning and the car started better than it did yesterday morning at 40F. I will still mention it when I go in for service because I suspect I have a bad ECM.

It's cold and snowy here today. "Springtime in the Rockies" as they say around here. Love those seat heaters!!

dle01 · May 2001

I'd like to thank those of you who replyed to my post about the transmission failure in my 1995 Legacy at 91,000 miles (see post 1212 for the full story). I suppose what I've gotten out of this is what everyone told me at the time: 91k is alot of miles, and while it is unusual for such a serious problem in a Subaru it is not unheard of in a car that has been driven hard. I may have had a car with a unique flaw in an internal bearing that showed up after 5 years of driving.

Some specific replys:

Peterson10 -- Yes, David is my real name. We have alot in common in that we both lost the transmissions in our Subarus, but at least your failed while under warranty. At the time I was very down on Subaru, and swore I would never own another. I've settled down now, and after reading the posts on this list I'm secure in knowing that they are generally good cars. The WRX sport wagon has already caught my attention - I wonder what the insurance is on one of those things?

Ateixeira -- As you note, 91k is alot of miles. But I've known many cars to go many more miles without such a failure. My father owns a construction company with a fleet of large domestic vans and pickups, and rarely replaces transmissions before 150k, even though they are used in the most severe circumstances. I drove my car hard, but not THAT hard. . .

Francofile -- Your diagnosis of the input bearing sounds right on. However, the transmission shop noted a similar noise in 3 of the other gears so there were other problems too. It was not a $6000 job. $6000 was for a brand new transmission, direct from Japan or wherever they are made. The repair job would have cost an estimated $2000.

Other thoughts:

Reliability -- The tone of this site seems to be an almost fanatical devotion to the brand. One other poster mentioned Saturn as having a similar devotion. However, no car is perfect, nor should we assume that every car will be completely trouble free. My 95 Legacy was the most reliable car I've owned so far, but I'm comparing it to a Chevy Blazer and a Ford Taurus. The repair and maintenance items started really cropping up after the 50k mile mark and included, among other things: A crank sensor which failed, rendering the car unstartable (later recalled, Subaru reimbursed me for the repair); two oxygen sensors which caused the check engine light to appear ($100+ each time); the fuel gauge failed, and was repaired by replacing 2 sensors, one of which was near the gas tank and required the removal of the rear seat ($300+); a nasty oil leak at about 80k miles that required the dealer to remove the tranmission (it took them over a week to fix this because they ordered the wrong parts, and to compensate for my inconvenience pretty much charged me $100 for a $600 repair and gave me a loaner car to drive); and the mass airflow sensor failed rendering the car undrivable ($300+).

After writing all of that, I wonder if I didn't get some kind of Subaru lemon that was started Friday afternoon and finished Monday. It was the first year for that body style. Again, compared to my domestic cars this experience is acceptable, but then again it did not leave me jumping up and down about how little trouble Subaru's are compared to any other car.

Regardless, I do not hesitate to recommend Subarus to other people, and may in fact own one again some day.

Legacy vs. Outback -- somebody recently wrote in with some questions about buying a used Legacy for use on bad roads in Vermont. I would strongly recommend buying the Outback over the Legacy. I was always disappointed with the suspension and ground clearance of my Legacy. The small tires and weak struts were easily overcome by rough roads and off road use. Initially, I thought that the Outback was just an appearance package with "tough" looking fog lights and big tires. But I have since had the chance to drive several of them owned by friends and have found the suspension to be far superior. They ride better too!

Also, as per the room in the back of the Legacy / Outback -- the seats fold down and the amount of cargo space rivals many small and mid sized SUVs. My wife used to have a Pathfinder at the time when we also owned the Legacy. We would use the Legacy to haul stuff because the cargo area was larger and more accessible.

Enough ranting for a Saturday morning. Thanks again to all who replied, and for those of you who have not yet read my post 1212 give it a look and let me know what you think.

David

cgd1 · May 2001

Has anybody recently purchased a 2001 outback sedan? I'm wondering what kind of discounts I should expect--does invoice or below sound unreasonable?? We have 2 outback wagons ('96 5-speed and '97 automatic) that we love! Haven't found anything negative yet about the new outback sedan--could this be the "perfect" car??

rsholland · May 2001

Nothing wrong with the Outback sedan, that a little extra horsepower couldn't cure. With that thought in mind, you may want to wait till later this summer when the '02 Outback sedan will also be available with the H-6 and VDC.

Bob

nematode · May 2001

My 1990 Taurus gave all that it could but finally became too expensive to maintain. All in the same week it lost the AC and radiator. I looked at the Impreza among other things but I got the Mazda Protege ES 2.0. I needed a commuter that would be super easy to pay for. At under $15k with all the rebates ($900 total) AND 1.9%......I could not pass up the ES. I dont know about reliability but the ES feels like a BMW 325 minus some grunt. My brother who just got an Subaru RS was torn between the two and I can see why. I also had a pretty good offer on the RS too but UNDER $15k for the ES was just too good to pass up.

powderfinger77 · May 2001

Hi all,

Just turned 3,000 miles and loving it. Any recommendations on the best bike rack for the wagon?

Thanks

Caleb

spacegrass76 · May 2001

Hey all, Just got a 95 legacy wagon--which is great, by the way--but it's got the factory racks on it. I'd like to put some Thule bars on it, but am not finding any good options for less than $180...any ideas out there? I'd like bars to carry skis, canoe and bike (not at the same time though). thanks for any help...

59er · May 2001

Hi, I am considering an Outback Limited. I heard that Suburu has had a problem with their manual drive cars-- something about a burning smell. Has this problem been corrected? How do owners of 2001 vehicles like their manual shifters?

subyaudidude · May 2001

Okay, here's the dealio - my mom's got a 2001 OB Ltd. wagon. Today she had me look at her driver's side window, and there was this big hunk of black goop at the bottom of the window. It was so big and sticky, it prevented the window from going down. I started picking at it. I sprayed some citrus degreaser on it, which loosened it. Yet, the more I got out the more there seemed to be, deeper down between the window and the door panel. I stopped picking at the stuff, fearing that I might have been pulling out some important insulation. It feels a lot like tar, but it seemed like an awfully big chunk to have gotten down as far as it did. I'm considering taking off the inside door panel to investigate more, so that my parents don't have to pay a dealer if it is actually tar. Anyways, my questions are these: (1) does this sound like just tar, or is it some sort of insulation? and (2) how do I take the door panel off? TIA.

originalbitman · May 2001

I had a 2000 and now have a 2001 GT wagon. Both manual transmissions. I love this tranny and never had a problem... smell or otherwise. It shifts great especially after it is broken in a little. I would never trade it for an auto.

bit

jurek2 · May 2001

I have 2000 outback wagon and I found 4 rusty bubbles on the front edge of the hood,just under
hood defector which I took off for cleaning.
Is here anybody who experienced this problem ?
Thanks for any info. Jurek

pattim3 · May 2001

Good Mornin'! It appears that your dealer was ordering the starter as part of their regular stock order instead of a priority order. Call us at 1-800-SUBARU3 and we can check into it for you right away.

We usually do not have a supplier problem. Last year, we had some concerns, but it was more related to a conversion of our databases to be 2k compliant.

NOTE TO ALL: If your Sube has a problem and your dealer says you have to wait for parts, please call us. We can use a number of channels to get things moving.

Thanks!

Patti

ateixeira · May 2001

Seth: I was thinking undercoating, but inside the door panel? I'd have the dealer look at it. That should be sealed so I imagine it had to be sprayed in at the factory.

Caleb: if you also wanted a trailer hitch, the hitch bike rack keeps the bikes from touching the car and are an easy lift to load. Plus it tilts back so you can even open the hatch with the bikes on. Here are photos:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=1400062&a=12183762&p=44297052&f=0

Some people prefer roof mounting, but I need the roof for my cargo carrier. The hitch is like bonus space you didn't know you had.

-juice

nygreg · May 2001

My Camry had a plastic sheet in the door that was held in place by a tar like substance. I suspect that this stuff is good for soundproofing too. Since it is a new car, I would have the dealer look at it if you can afford the time. I would not worry about it though.

-Greg

nygreg · May 2001

Did you get green bikes to match the car???

-Greg

cosmookie · May 2001

caleb: I added a Draw-Tite 1.25" hitch ($130 + $30 installation) to my 00' OB ltd. wagon, then purchased a Thule express-way bike rack ($175). My OB hauled 4 bikes along with 4 large sized adults through the mountains of W. Virginia with no problem.

I have just over 30K miles on the OB so far, with no major problems. My mileage has improved slightly over the last year, now about 25 mpg. I switched to Amsoil syn. oil at 3K, and also added a K&N air filter. Not sure if this makes a difference or not to mpg effeciency.

ateixeira · May 2001

Coincidentally, yes, both bikes are green. Well, my wife's is aqua, but close enough.

The OE rack is meant for 2 bikes, but I've strapped on 3 and it was no problem. We took the 3 bikes all the way up to Gettysburg PA for a Subaru meet SCOA organized.

-juice

paulsgt · May 2001

Hi,
I would like to hear from those that have had their H6 (VDC or LLB) for a while (5,000 miles?). What kind of gas mileage are you getting. My commute is pretty typical 18 mile freeway rush-hour commute. My current vehicle ('99 Honda Odyssey) gets around 18 to 19 mpg on the average. What am I likely to get with the H6?

Thanks for the replies...

Paul Sergeant
Twin Cities (Minnesota).

sing4me · May 2001

To dle01, rsholland, ateixeira and all who post such informative and helpful information, and who've been promoting the OB over the Legacy because of another inch of clearance on "bad Vermont roads". Just a gentle clarification: please, dirt roads are not synonymous with bad roads, nor with off-road. I drive on dirt roads in Vermont because my house is on one, as are the homes of many friends. Most town road crews do a pretty good job of grading, gravelling, and applying chloride (to keep the dust down). In some Vermont towns 90% of the roadways are dirt. Keeping the roads clear and reasonably smooth is a matter of pride for many Vermont road supervisors, thank heaven. I've driven my Aged Volvo on these roads for years now. Never lost a tailpipe, only bottomed out once, and that during Mud Season. Driving on dirt roads isn't quite as bad as it sounds. Does get the car filthy, though.

Keep the posts coming, I'm building quite a file of things to remember when shopping for and test-driving a (ta daah) Subaru.

Elizabeth

Subaru Legacy/Outback

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