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Anyway, Elsie, I had an experience with bad Dealer service in fixing an elusive 'chirp'. After numerous back and forth I realized that I didn't have a bad vehicle - I just got bad (terrible) service. Took it to another Dealer service and it was fixed in two tries versus close to 0 for 10 with the other guys. In fact to date I still strongly suspect the chirp arose from shorty work by the first dealer service.
Wish you good luck and all things for the better
Bob
I know that feeling all too well... :-)
One other possible culprit which may not have been looked into - the security system. I'm not familiar with the Subaru's system, but general setup should be the same where all doors are monitored.
If your security system have the following features test them out:
1 - Passive Arming - Alarm will not arm if it sense a door unclosed.
2 - Door Not Close Alert - Door left unclosed after arming, system chirps/horns after say five seconds.
3 - Intrusion Alert Code - LED flashes after disarming indicating there may have been an attempt.
If it (1) Arms or doesn't (2) chirps/horns after 5 sec. or (3) flash LED, then it couldn't be the latch.
These features could help determine whether the fault stems between latch and alarm or alarm to console display.
Good Luck
of a 320 round trip. The mpg was 37 for the total trip. What's the best mileage, anyone, using
cruise control in the OB?
Steve
Outback station wagon's roof rack? I am looking for one which is the cradle type to carry my two person ocean kayak in a horizontal position. I saw one mounted on a Jeep and it was either a Tule or a Yakima, don't remember which.
Thanks.
Steve
I just thought I would share our comments about purchasing our first Subaru. We did a lot of research: Consumer Reports reviews, test drives of several models (Taurus, Accord, Explorer, Escape and of course Subaru) and read many of the posts from this message board. We contacted several of the local Subaru dealers in the area before purchasing the vehicle from Fitzgerald in White Flint, MD. This dealer is 2.5 hours south of us and has been mentioned previously on this board.
The overall experience of the purchase went relatively smooth. My wife had been viewing a particular car using their online inventory for about six weeks. We finally decided to make the plunge and called the salesman that Saturday morning. Everything was good to go he said. Well, we got down there after battling thundershowers and heavy traffic and the first thing he said after introducing himself was the car is no longer available. Although it was on the lot for six weeks and was available this morning it now has been sold. He was determined to do what he could for us though and found a similar vehicle with the color and options we wanted at a dealer an hour away. They gave us a rental car for the weekend as we did purchase this unseen vehicle and traded in the Explorer that we drove down in. He delivered the car that Monday himself and all was fine.
That was six weeks and 2,500 miles ago. We purchased from a local dealer the bug deflector and the cargo net for $81 total. We installed both ourselves in about thirty minutes. The deflector was very simple to attach and really looks good. The cargo net is an excellent item to have (see Jeff's post #1938 for a great summary of this item). If you do plan on installing the net yourself, you will have to drill two holes in your beautiful new car for the top anchors.
The car drives and handles excellent. The ride is smooth and comfortable. We average 25 to 26 MPG. So far I would definitely recommend the vehicle.
Comments/Suggestions:
I did have to fix the windshield spray for the passenger side - it wasn't aligned properly. Once I opened the hood I found that the small plastic elbow that connects the fluid line to the hood sprayer had an arrow on it to allow the installer to align it properly. I just looked at the driver's side sprayer for the correct orientation. You would think something as obvious as fluid hitting the windshield would be apparent - I guess not.
My wife noticed after the first washing that there were minor defects in the hood's paint job. It isn't something noticeable, but you can definitely see that the hood was not prepped properly before painting. I checked into it and the local dealer would repaint it, but there's no way I'm going to let someone repaint just one item - just isn't worth the risks - not matching or being done worse.
I change my vehicle's oil and noticed that the Outback has a fiberglass panel that is screwed on the underside and needs to be removed every time. Does anyone know the purpose of this fiberglass panel - dirt blocker? Not only does the panel have to be removed to allow access to the oil filter, it causes the engine heat to exit behind the front wheels and you can really feel it on your legs if you step outside the car in shorts while the car is still running.
The last comments is for Subaru and is just my personal wish list: put the AT shifter back on the column and give me more room - either more storage compartments, more and bigger cup holders or a nice armrest. Also, drive a new GM vehicle and use their concept of day time running lights and allow the radio and power windows to operate even after turning off the engine at least until the car doors are opened as in the Ford Explorer.
Thanks and good driving.
If we decide to sell it down the road (3-15 years), I plan to create a multimedia website to enhance our marketing campaign. How
can I get:
1) TV commericals
2) Magazine ADs
3) Trade Magazine Reviews
4) Comparison charts showing the differences between Outbacks from
1999, 2000, 2001, 2002?
Thanks,
wrote about the same problem we experienced 24 hours of Outback ownership.
The chipping of the gold "titanium" paint from our rear bumper.
The back bumper is made from black plastic (not metal). Therefore, the paint is easily chipped. The painted bumper extends one inch from the back door putting this area at high risk of getting chipped and scratched over and over again through normal use.
I am looking for something that will protect this area.
Photos:
Close up of Paint Chip.
Medium shot of Paint Chip area.
Detail of paint chip area:
a) Inside Outback. Rubber mat
b) Plactic ledge extending out an inch from inside the Outback
c) Bumber
d) Plastic molding to prevent contact
- the radio antenna is embedded in the rear pane of the driver's side glass like the Limited
- variable intermittent wipers have replaced the single speed intermittent wipers
- the dash mounted cupholder is gone, replaced by two cupholders in a revised console
- the woodgrain window switches were standard (no woodgrain kit listed on sticker)
- the tires were Bridgestone Potenzas
- it appears that there is a lighted ring around the ignition so that it will be easier to see where to put the key
- the base price did not change, but the freight was $535. This could be because the dealer was not located within the South Jersey distributor's territory. The sticker where I got my Subaru has always listed freight at $495.
I did not see the new "red" color, but they did have a GT Wagon in Silver, which looked very sharp.
I'm in the market for an Outback wagon. The two closest dealers in my area (Connecticut) are Dan Perkins Subaru in Milford and Premiere Subaru in Branford.
I'm looking for some feedback (both positive or negative) from people who've bought at either of these dealers.
There are also quite a few other subaru dealers in CT, and I'm interested in hearing about experiences at those dealers as well.
I'm also looking for feedback on prices on 2001 OBs. So far I'm looking at around 22,500 for the OB Wagon with some minor options (automatic transmission, CD player, Autodim mirror). Would you consider this a good deal?
Thanks,
Paul
Greg
Paul: Welcome to the group. Lots of good information from good people here, and a positive attitude not found on some other boards.
FWIW, I'm not sure an automatic transmission qualifies as a "minor" option... several hundred dollars!
Cheers!
Paul
The black rubbing strip or molding all around your bumper looks useful...my 2000 does not have that and the only accessory I've seen is a short (12" or so) corner strip...yours seems to go in the same place but all the way across. Is that an integral part of the 2001 or an accessory? Maybe some after market stick-on thing would work, but it'd be nice if it matched the bumper. Oh, I've just remembered the roof rack kit came with a couple of stick-on rubbing strips that I didn't use because I had no idea what they were for. Hmmm.
I've also got a chip out of the titanium just below the driver's door; caused by a shoe I think as it is on the upper edge. Guess it's hard to make paint stick to plastic.
bit
Chris, how do you get your wife to wash the car? Or does she just check it after you've done it?
However, I was reading some of the older posts in this forum, and the topic of "Documentation Fees" was discussed. I didn't realize that this isn't a standard fee, but rather a hidden markup that the dealer tries to sneak past the buyer.
With the markup that they want to charge ($189), I'm looking at about $40 over invoice now. That still dosn't seem too bad, except as mentioned earlier, the new 2002s are out now.
Also, the financial person at the dealer said that because I was getting such a "great deal" they wouldn't be able to give me the Subaru 4.9%/48 month financing, but rather something in the range of 6 to 6.5 pecent. That works out to about $625 over the period of the loan.
They did, however, give me a decent trade-in on my '93 Saturn SL2. I could have gotten more (maybe $500 more) from a private party, but doing the trade-in saves me some time and aggravation which has its own inherent worth.
Also, they will have to do a dealer trade to get the car in the color I want.
Should I just take it, and be happy that I'm paying just a tiny bit over invoice with decent, if not spectacular, financing, or should I haggle over the docs fees (and maybe the financing) some more?
Opinions and feedback are appreciated.
Thanks,
Paul
1) Get an "out the door" price in writing. This includes your trade, ANY charges/fees, and finance rates. You must leave after you get this information no matter how good the deal sounds (unless its free). The documentation fees should be included in the final price. Really it does not matter where the markup some from...you still have to account for it.
2) Either call another dealer (I prefer to get at leasts 3 quotes before I begin) or go there in person to see if they can match the price under the same terms.
3) MOST IMPORTANT!!!!!! I dont think that the finance rate is something the dealer sets. In your case, SOA sets the rate based on your credit rating. You should be able to get the low finance rate no matter the price you agreed on. I could be wrong but.....sounds like the dealer is blowing some smoke or getting a kick back from somewhere. I would call SOA and ask being sure to mention the same of the dealer and the sales person that gave you that information. Again, I could be wrong but it sounds fishy to me.
Patti
Thanks for your patience. It appears that the District Manager was able to isolate the problem and you should not have any further problems with your dash indicator.
Patti
I wouldn't try THAT much, but I do think the limits are a bit conservative.
Phil: excellent list of changes for 2002. Now, I won't show those to my dad or he'll know what he missed out on (his is a 2001).
But they dropped the intermittent wipers? Really?
Steve: 37mpg? THIRTY-SEVEN? Was that a typo? If not, that's got to be a record.
-juice
Paul5 or 6? - This was done at Colonial as I mentioned earlier. As for doc fees, they charged me some fee that they claimed was coming from the state of CT. I know others that were charged the same fee. I negotiated an out the door price. As for the loan, I completely agree with nematode. SOA sets the rate. Don't compromise on this. Also, check a local credit union. You can usually get good rates there and some will give you a further cut if you have the payments taken out of an account automatically. Still, SOA probably has the best rates. Good luck and by the way - I love the sapphire blue and its the only one with grey interior.
Greg
We look at other cars and settled on Subaru. Those others were Volvo V70 and VW passat wagon. Didn't look at the Volvo V40 (seemed seriously under powered) and Fords/Mercury will never be purchased by me again. In fact, I was leery of the Volvo V70 now that Ford has their hands on Volvo. We love the Sub OB so far. Good luck.
I hope that wasn't your first service. The first scheduled oil change is at 3000 miles, the 2nd at 7500 miles, and then every 7500 miles thereafter. So you should've had at least two changes by now, even on the longer maintenance schedule.
-juice
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/aw-cgi/
eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=593435803
I'm not terribly upset as the price we were talking was still below invoice, and better than other quotes in the area. I considered going the "Fitzmall" route, but I'm sure they wouldn't have given me as much on my trade-in, so it would have been the same as far as money goes.
I've haggled in a few extra accessories (e.g., acrylic hood deflector) at invoice cost.
The rate the dealer got me from a local bank was actually pretty competitive - 6.24% for either 48 months or 60 months (no fees, no early payment penalties, etc.).
Anyhow, the long and the short of it is that I decided to make a refundable down payment, and had them do the dealer swap for the car in the color I wanted (Sapphire Blue).
The car arrived late this afternoon and my wife and I went to check it out. I did a thorough inspection of the whole car and took it for a good long test drive. They still have to install a few of the options I requested (CD player, Cargo Net), and get it cleaned up and detailed.
We'll head back next week to give it another once over after they've done the cleaning and detailing. Assuming that everything is up to spec we'll close the deal next friday.
My '93 Saturn SL2 has served me well, but I'm looking forward to the extra room, the quieter ride, and the AWD. I'm hoping that my new vehicle lives up to the Subaru reputation of reliability.
--Paul
Does anybody know "How to switch Outback Wagon 2001 thermometer between Fahrenheit and Celsius?"
bit
Greg
Now the hard part - waiting 9 days.
-juice
I'm talking rotes, wheel bearings, power antenna and alarm control panels I don't want to remember the rest.
Any comments on what I should do.
Haven't seen the display in the '01 Outback, but every car I've had with an ambient temperature readout had a toggle switch/button somewhere near the actual display. You might want to check the owner's manual, too, or just hunt around with a flashlight. It's probably a pretty small, obscure button (how often would you use it?).
Yet another reason to convert to the metric system! (Let's see now, water freezes at 32 and boils at 212 - that makes a lot of sense!)
Cheers!
Ken M.
In our case...brakes, door, leaky seals, door again, leaky seal on another door, check engine light, brakes again, radio, CD changer, and a few other annoying things.
AND now we have dash rattle, another engine rattle, and the coolant is getting lower for some reason to make it 11 when I take it in.
See if the sympathetic dealer will give you a good trade-in value, at least.
What is a "rote" though?
-juice
Connecticut deals are now invoice less the $750 rebate on the 2001s in lieu of low interest financing - so what can compete ? Not anything from Germany; I tried.
I note that Subaru has gone to Bridgestones over the Firestones for '02- obvious marketing adjustment but any improvement in performance.
Was wondering if anybody out there is replacing tires and what the tire of choice is. I am leaning towards the Dunlop 5000 sports for both the Subie and my VW 01.5 Passat GLX. My driving habits tend toward sporting/fast and the OE rubber is not close to measuring up. Any recs ?
I have some high idle problems with my 99 Outback wagon (which has about 30K miles on it). When I start car (either first start in the morning or already start before), sometimes, the idle rpm will kick up to as high as 2000 rpm dramatically right after I turned my key and stayed at the usual rpm for couple seconds while the car is in park mode. At that time, you can hear the noise and feel the vibration when it is cranking up to 2000 rpm. Usually, after few seconds, it will come back down. The strange thing is, its occurance appears to be purely random...It can occur at anytime of the day and can be fine for few days before acting up again 4 days in a roll.
When I first observed this problem (mentioned above) few months back, I brought it to the dealership. They checked the car and replaced the air filter, the fuel injector, reflashed/reloaded the computer code for me. They mentioned that there was also some drop/loss at the gas intake pressure to the engine and they fixed it for me also.
After all these fixes, my car was running great and problem free for a month but now the problem comes back again.
Does anybody have this problem on their Subaru before or does any of you know what may be causing the problem? I appreciate your advice in advance. Thanks.
Mike
I stronly considered the VW 4 Motion Variant - either GLX or GLS with leather and luxury package. VW has done a great job with the new Passat.
Subaru has done a great job with the update of the Outback and I wanted an H6.
Side by side the Bean and Passat are comparable except in price. The VW dealer would not negotiate much on an 2002 model which I demanded due to the new warranty. After I told him I had a deal on a Bean they came $2,000 off sticker. This was still $3,000 more ( for a GLX) than my Outback deal at invoice less $750. Money talks.
This board nit picks every measurable inch but the one concern I had was front legroom. I don't care what the manuals or reviews say, the Passat has more front legroom or a design that lets you "seem" to have more front legroom - I know this is the case between my Bean and GLX sedan. This was my compromise since I'll only spend about 20% of my time in this car.
Neither car is a sports car. I was trying to convince my wife to go for the Legacy GT but the wagon does not offer leather and there is no H6 engine - 2 strikes your out.
Our lifestyle, which includes cycling and skiing, makes the Bean an appropriate choice for us. Diferent people may have other criteria but we were so familiar with both cars that it came down to a few dollars and very small pluses and minuses between the two.
Enjoy whatever car you buy - they're both excellent and far ahead of any other competition at the $30,000 price point.
Dry traction: super.
Wet traction: fair overall. With AWD it may not be as much of a concern. Compared with other performance tires they are very good.
Road noise: fair. Due to their aggressive tread pattern they will sometimes sing on older roads at higher speeds.
Wear: Dont know. I have only been beating on them for 3k miles. The published wear rating is pretty good.
Price: It think they may be best deal out there.
As soon as the Firestones are done my wifes OB is getting them.
Taxman: I'm running Nitto NT460s (225/60R16), if you like a quiet tire that's better in wet/dry than in the snow. It works for mild climates, and wears well.
Compared to my dad's Firestones, it should last longer (460 vs. ???), resists heat better (A vs.
Just 2 strikes? Tough umpire!
Mike: since the dealer fixed it the first time, I'd go back to him again. It's probably the ECU.
-juice
I'm roaming the VWvortex board frequently and have seen the Dunlops are a best seller at tirerack for high performance all season use on VWs. Expect I'd see a quantum leap on the Beaner vs. the stock Firestones with just about anything. I need four season rubber but thanks for the Nitto comment, ateixeria.
Anyone need four 'stones ??
My comment re. the 2 strikes - well, my wife is a tough umpire. You should see her good cop bad cop act when it comes to dealer "conveyance, AKA overhead, fees".
Another thing that kept me in the Subaru fold was a generous trade in on my 96 Oback.
Last, I did this via the Subaru website where the dealer contacts you in 24 hours. The invoice less rebate offer was e-mailed (OK,in 48 hours but who's keeping score) to me -no hassle at all.
Good experience
For example on July 5,2001 with only 4,000 miles on the car my check engine light came on and when I called I was told the first service appt I could make was 2 weeks away and it was nothing to worry about(not what the owners manual advises!) On my way home that night the check engine light began blinking which really concerned me and I called back and was again told they was nothing to worry about, at this point I insisted on a appt the next day and finally I was given one. But only after becoming the nasty customer.
Well now the fuel sensor which was the problem with check in light came in to the dealer. I live and work in the city about 25 mins away from Van Bortel and need a later afternoon appt and was told the repair is too time extensive to be completed with a late day appt I must leave the car. But the next available day I can have a loaner would be Aug. 8th!
With any other car I have owned it has been much easier to obtain servicing. And these wait times just seem excessive to me.
Anybody have any feedback?
Thanks