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Comments
They do have that cassette adaptor, but the new FM sender is even neater, and it's *tiny*, hard to believe. That would be wireless so you could put the iPod in the center console, where it also wouldn't attract thieves.
Very neat.
-juice
Saints preserve us!
Cheers!
Paul
Still strugling with which Subaru to purchase. Can anyone tell me how the gated shifter on the automatic works. I mean, how are you supposed to use it while you drive? I only drive automatics when we rent, so I'm not really sure about these things. Can I just drive it like a 4-speed without a clutch?
Thanks,
Tamara
You can get automatics that allow for a pseudo-manual shifting experience (so called "manumatics"), but the only Subaru in the US lineup to have one of these is the 2002 Legacy 2.5GT. It happens to have a regular style shifter with a lockout button (ie, non-gated).
Craig
lol ..
Brenda who has no intention of driving a stick ...
I personally like it -- clicking back the shifter one notch and having the engine kick in is kind of nice.
Ken
Greg
Just thought I'd check in & let those of you who may remember me know that I'm still loving the '02 Wintergreen Bean, & so did the houseguests who were driving it while I was in Australia last month. I looked for Outbacks while there, and saw more than a few, but I saw even more WRX's! A definite percentage reversal from here.
14K miles & ticking along - need to make an appt. for the recall work & trying to make time to get it over to Marin Subaru so I don't have deal with the closer, but annoying, Albany Ford/Subaru :-Þ
One of these days I'll catch up with all these posts....
Jillian & the Bean
Jim
Well, I am glad that we have been spreading the word on how to speak Australian far and wide. We offer extra tuition in "good-on-ya-mate" and "beaudy".
It's certainly true that there are a lot of WRX's down under but they have been available for years wheras you have only had them for a year or two. Still Subaru enjoys 3.5% of the market for passenger vehicles down under, rather more than in the US
Cheers
Graham
1= 1st gear only
2= 2nd gear only (starts in 2nd for snowy weather)
3= 1, 2, 3 gears
4= 1-4 gears
I have been driving ATs for a while, and generally my rule of thumb is this:
D= Highway and normal driving
3= For "spirited" driving, and if the AT jumps from 3->4 too often
2= For "extra-spirited" driving and snow driving.
1= for Extra snowy driving
Generally though D works and 3 is good for offramps and twisties.
-mike
You can put the gated shifter in "2" to start in 2nd gear when it's snowing. That reduces power so you're less likely to slip.
Graham: yeah, US market share is about 1.1%, so I guess you see 3 times as many Subies on any given day.
-juice
I guess what happens is that I know *nothing* about driving an auto. except to put it in "D". I'm trying to figure out how these extra gears help, and if they could make driving an automatic feel more like driving a stick.
Thanks,
Tamara
Putting it in 3 for offramps helps keep the revs up and apply some engine braking, and during sprited driving it doesn't shift as often in 3 so it will keep the ATF temp down.
3 is a perfectly acceptable gear to be in at any speed (that people would normally drive)
For instance my SVX under heavy acceleration wil shift from 1->2 @ 50mph, 2->3 @ 92, 3->4 @ 126.
3rd gear is good to about 110-120 on most ATs. 4th is your overdrive gear and helps save gas milage.
-mike
D = gears 1,2,3 & 4 (& 5 if you have 5-speed automatic)
3 = locks out the top gear (4). So, at highway speeds you can use 3, but you will be turning more RPMs, than if you were using D. The engine makes more power at higher RPMs, than at lower RPMs, therefore the car is quicker. The down side is you use more gas at higher RPMs.
Bob
Once I was on the highway doing 80mph and noticed this really sweet sounding engine. Definitely a boxer I thought. Must be a Porsche around me somewhere. After looking around, and seeing no Porsches, I realized it was me and I was in 3rd gear. Music!
Greg
-juice
Thanks
Maybe there's a short circuit in the wiring?
-juice
Craig
Where I am going with this?... haven't got a clue. Hope it's just the antenna plug not plugged in.
-Dave
Only do this on a closed course with a professional driver <grin>.
Steve in Minnesota
Where I am going with this?... haven't got a clue. >>
Thanks, Dave. I needed a good laugh. I have had a customer here all day for FIB chip repair on a very difficult microprocessor circuit, and something to break the tension was very much appreciated!!!!
Steve
Thanks for your ideas
Nothing like Punching the gas at 80, downshifting to 2nd til 95 then upto 3rd at 7000rpms, up to 126mph and then turning 4600rpms at 140
-mike
I think the main differentiation between H4 and H6 remains performance, refinement, and cost.
Craig
Greg
Mike k
Greg
Can anybody tell me if the McIntosh stereo in the VDC is available as an aftermarket add-on for the non VDC model?
Secondly, where can I find information on the connections on the back of the stock head unit? I would like to add an amplifier and better speakers, but don't want to change the head unit to some aftermarket one with disco lights all over it.
Thanks
So if we buy a 2002 OB wagon with the radio/WB/cassette, we will want to add a cd player. First, does the unit from the WRX have weatherband on it? I'd really prefer to keep that, if possible. I've been looking at the Subaru cd players (thinking we could buy our own and install it ourselves). They have one at http://www.subaruparts.com/catalog/?section=129 and another one at http://www.subaru-parts.com/php/subarusearch.php?model=outback&am- p;category=sound systems The question is, which one would be the one for the Outback? (the one at the first link has the standard buttons for forward/reverse, etc, the one at the second link only has an eject button).
As irrational as it sounds, we'd like to stick with the OEM parts. We've put in two stereos in our previous cars, and they never fit as well as the radio that we've removed. The trim that hides the crack between the radio and the surrounding dash typically doesn't go back on. We want something that looks like it belongs in the car, and to us that means OEM stuff.
Anyway, I'm sorry to keep asking questions, but I appreciate all your answers.
Tamara
They'll all fit.
The WRX unit does not have the Weather Band, or the clock.
If you're looking for multi cd player, you could still get them after market and mount it under the driver seat.
-Dave
Mike k
The real problem is, if the clatter ever continues when the engine is at full temps.How can you sell a car that has constant noise? What will the knock sensor do to the ignition timing?
I'm still happy with the car and it seems very well built. Other than the engine noise everything else has been excellent. The factory CD player also plays CD-R's which was a surprise to me.
I looked at a 96 Legacy with 60k miles and it had a constant loud knock sound at idle, which we thought was piston/wrist pin type noise. Dumped in some mobil1, but no diff. Not good. Who would buy that car? Probably no one.
-B.
Re: the tensioner, the sounds does come from the loose timing belt slapping the plastic cover. You can feel it on the cover if that's truly the problem. It can be worse when cold.
Craig
> the VDC is available as an aftermarket add-on
> for the non VDC model?
You could probably order some of the parts, but it would be hard to create the full system since it is quite different than the other audio systems in the Outback line (speakers, insulation, wiring, etc). It would likely be easier/cheaper to build your own custom system.
> Secondly, where can I find information on the
> connections on the back of the stock head unit?
> I would like to add an amplifier and better
> speakers, but don't want to change the head unit
> to some aftermarket one with disco lights all
> over it.
I have looked for info on the connectors before, but never found anything useful. One thing you could do is buy an adapter harness from Crutchfield, and then use that to back out what pin does what.
If you do add an amp to the factory radio, it will need to have speaker-level inputs. In my experience, this never sounds as good as a setup using line-level inputs. The reason is that any distortion generated by the radio's amp gets passed along to your add-on amp. You can get good results by upgrading the speakers with aftermarket units (the upgraded speaker package from Subaru sounds pretty good too).
I have been surprised by the system in my LL Bean, which has the upgraded speaker package with 8 speakers. It's actually quite good and has tight, clean bass. If you want really deep bass, you can add the Subaru subwoofer/amp module. My wife has it in her Forester and it really fills in the low end, but adds some "mud".
Craig
I think your second posted link showed it for $290. As expensive as it sounds for a single disk player, that is an excellent price for this unit.
BTW: Don't be afraid to ask questions! On some other brand boards maybe, but the Subi people here don't bite! (nibble maybe, but rarely bite...)
Steve
Saturday afternoon we became the new owners of a 2002 Outback Wagon - Wintergreen Metallic/Titanium Pearl, automatic transmission, 10,000 miles on it. But really, it looks and runs like new.
Then, as if on cue, this morning when we woke up there were 2 inches of snow on the ground, and it has continued to snow into the early afternoon here. The roads early this morning were snow covered and slick looking. But the Outback performed just as advertised and we had no problems. What a great way to enjoy our new car!
Thanks to everyone for your patience, answering all sorts of questions over and over. You've all been a big help!
Happy in NW Arkansas,
Tamara
enjoy the car!!!
Cheers!
Paul
Congratulations Tamara!!!
Wintergreen is a great and favored choice for color.
10,000 miles, the car is barely broken in.
Many many more miles of happy motoring.
-Dave
Be sure to ask if you have any questions about your new car.
Enjoy!
Craig
We are expecting another 3-5 inches tomorrow. Wife will most likely have the OB.
Greg
Romy
Our Legacy is Wintergreen, beautiful color and always looks clean. You'll love it.
So what stereo does it have? Did you get everything you wanted?
The only issue with the H6 is the coolant reservoir may be a bit small, but the level seems to stabilize for owners here and it hasn't been a problem. So no real issues have been identified so far.
-juice
It comes with just the radio/tape player. Thanks to this group, we looked over the directions for installing the cd player and decided we could do it ourselves. So we'll do that soon, probably next month. Strange as it may sound, but the tape player was a really important feature for us.
It has the automatic transmission, which is a little strange. I keep reaching over to shift it, but I guess I'll get used to that after a while. Fayetteville is pretty hilly, and we drove it up and down several hills before we bought it, just to make sure it had enough power. We had no problems.
One thing we were amazed at was just how smooth the ride is. We also have a Camry, and I think the ride in the Outback is smoother, and possibly quieter. It is a really nice car.
The color was a tough decision. We were split over red and green. But the green ran smoother, and just seemed to be calling our name somehow.
But, and this is terrible, we've only owned the car for two days, we have a small scratch on it. It happened yesterday when we went to the mall. When we came out, there was the scratch. I am 99% certain it wasn't there when we bought it. I checked it over pretty well, and there were no scratches. So, snif, I guess I better go get some touch-up paint and try to take care of that. Doggone it!
Tamara
We lied! Were only nice to you because you were an outsider! Now that you have joined the ranks, we can return to our mean old selves and begin nibbling and biting.... ;-)
Steve
I was actually commenting on the H6 for the person that asked about it earlier.
You might get lucky and find the add-on single CD player on E-bay or NASIOC. Try a search. I still have tapes, too. Our toddler's music is on tape, plus you can use a tape adaptor to plug in an iPod, which fits 1000+ songs vs. 120 or so for 6 CD-Rs in a 6CD changer.
Don't worry about the scratch, just clean it and touch it up (use as little paint as possible). The steel is galvanized and shouldn't rust anyway.
-juice
if it isn't a deep scratch, touch-up paint won't be necessary. Usually a coat of wax will even it out. Me, I use 'Finish First' polish which will over time [coats] smooth out the fine scratch.
http://www.finishfirstpolish.com/GoCart/enter.asp
-Dave