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Comments
They were a little noisy at first, but they have great grip on dry and wet roads (don't know about snow).
Plus they have that run flat technology thing going for them. I havda screw in one of my front tires and I drove some distance to get the thing removed. Tire pressure was zero, but sidewalls won't collapse. The tire held up fine the entire way and is showing no ill effects after 10K more miles since run flat.
Also I remember some old posts about the A/C indicator light and the auto setting on the climate control but can't locate them. Our A/C light is always on when the climate control is set to auto. Does this mean the compressor is running? I'm curious because we drove Phoenix to San Diego over presidents day and it was a comfortable dry 70ish degrees and if I set the climate control to auto the A/C light was illuminated.
By the way the car drove fantastically!
I have a Subaru Gold, cool thing is you even get roadside assistance for the full term.
-juice
Jon
If you hit the auto button twice, it will go into ECON mode which runs the AC less (even if the AC indicator is on).
Craig
Should I try some polishing compound?
Should I try some Subaru touch up paint in the cut and try to blend it in?
Should I just leave it alone?
thanks,
jon
In the rear, you can probably get away with buffing it as long as the paint has not been scraped away (ie, no dark plastic showing).
Craig
Viscosity was at 57.9, well within the range of 54 - 61.
The oil flashpoint was 15 deg lower than it should have been - 350 vs 365. Fuel was at 0.8% which was under the max of 2%. I assume the fuel is the reason the flashpoint was lower?
I'm assuming the next numbers are in ppm.
Aluminum was 2.5 times average at 10 vs 4, Silicon was 40% high at 14 vs 10
Interestingly, molybdenum was way low, 20 vs 47.
Also, magnesium was 14 vs 169.
Antifreeze and water were at 0.
The lab's comment was that the engine is still breaking in, which accounted for the higher aluminum and silicon readings.
Any gearheads / oil experts out there with a feel for numbers have a comment? Does the lab's comment re: slow break-in make sense for an engine using synthetic oil?
They (Blackstone) recommended I continue with a 3k change interval. I was hoping they'd push it out to 4k.
BTW - I contacted SOA when I originally switched to synthetic and received a response of "anytime after the first 1K".
Comments welcome
TIA
Larry
Thanks for the report on your oil analysis. I am glad to see that there are more people like me who pay close attention to their engines even when new.
I don't claim to be a metallugist or chemist, but I would like to offer the following perpectives.
I used to sell Amsoil synthetic oil. Amsoil recommended giving the engine some time to break-in before switching to their synthetic (I think it was at least 3000 miles). So, your engine may still be breaking in.
The aluminum casting always has some amount of flash that will gradually break away and appear in the oil. The silicon is probably residue from the casting process as well. So, Blackstone's comments sound good to me.
The slightly lower flashpoint I think is normal deviation and within factory tolerances. But Quaker State doesn't have the history of producing synthetics like Mobil. Switching to Mobil 1 may give you slightly better results.
If you continue analyzing your oil, I am curious to see what the next report shows.
Jim W
Alland
Performed by Blackstone on a 99 OB.
"Oil use interval: 3,875
Oil type & Grade: Castrol GTX 10W30
Make-up oil added: 0
Miles on unit: 70,848
Air filter: K&N
Oil filter: OEM (Purolator)
Aluminum 3 [3]
Chromium 0 [1]
Iron 4 [8]
Copper [2] [4]
Lead 4 [3]
Tin 0 [1]
Molybdenum 41 [45]
Nickel 0 [0]
Maganese 1 [1]
Silver 0 [0]
Titanium 0 [0]
Potassium 0 [0]
Boron 15 [41]
Silicon 11 [9]
Sodium 4 [10]
Calcium 2562 [2108]
Magnesium 5 [226]
Phosphorous 794 [738]
Zinc 900 [878]
Barium 0 [0]
Properties
SUS Viscosity @ 210F: 60.3 (Should be 59-65)
Flashpoint: 365F (>360)
Fuel %: .5 (<2.0)
Antifreeze: 0 (0)
Water: 0 (<.1)
Insolubules: .4 (<.6)
Dennis: Everything looks very good in the initial sample from this engine. All wear read well below average, which is a good indication of normal wearing parts and careful operation. The universal averages show normal wear after about 3,500 miles on the oil. Insolubules (oil oxidation due to heat, use and blowby) were low at 0.4%, showing good oil filtration. No fuel dilution or anti-freeze was found. Silicon was not excessive at 11 ppm, so we think your air filtration is still getting the job done. At 70,848 total miles, this engine appears to be doing well."
-Dennis
Thanks.
-juice
Craig
Post 9666 (10 Feb) described the new tires I put on my OB just before a trip to Bend (OR) - total trip ran a bit over 1K miles, so I got to run the tires on Interstate, 2-lanes, mountain access roads - in dry conditions, heavy rain, heavy snow, old slop, and a bit (not much) of ice. Tires performed very well - quiet and stable at speed, both dry and wet, confidence-inspiring in packed snow, fresh snow, rutty ice, slop, and some mud (boy, did the OB look like hell at the end of this trip!). So my initial impression is very positive - I'll let you know how they hold up over time/mileage.
One fun exercise involved my 17-year-old daughter with her first snow driving (too dangerous to practice in metro Seattle). Mt Bachelor has a huge (I'd guess 10-20 acres), flat parking lot at the main lodge. With no on-site lodging or night skiing and the lifts closing at 4, it empties out by 5 (still light until 5:30 on a typically sunny day). With about 8 inches of fresh powder over at least a couple of feet of packed snow, I let her have at it. She was impressed by how the car would dig in and launch after being snowed in all day, and she learned the limits of steering (ca. 20-25 mph) and how turning the wheel beyond a certain point has no effect (the hazards of over-controlling). Ditto with braking - both straight ahead and while in a turn. All in all, lots of fun and good (safe) lessons learned. Oh yeah, she heads to the Air Force Academy in July, and hopes to fly fighters after graduation (then grow up and go to med school). Wonder where she got those ideas!?
Cheers from (nearly springtime) Seattle,
Ken M.
Congrats to your daughter! Years ago I went on a tour of the Academy when I was trying to get in. I had the nomination but not the grades. It's funny, I was too "dumb" for the Air Force, but not West Point:-) Unfortunately I was never that athletically inclined (polite way of saying I stunk at team sports) so I never made it. THe campus (at that time) was fantastic.
And to keep it on topic- you'll see a ton of Subaru's out there.
Mark
I installed Goodyear Eagle GT-HRs - same size as the original Firestones.
Ken in Seattle
I want to get a second set of wheels for my '97 Legacy L Wagon so I don't have to keep paying to get my tires mounted twice a year. I did a used parts search online and it came up with a salvage yard that had 14x6 alloy wheels from a '95 Legacy LS Wagon at a decent price. Before I sping for these, I'm hoping someone on this forum that's wise in the ways of subaru wagons can confirm that this '95 wagon's wheels should be interchangeable with the ones that came with my car. Also, any tips or warnings I should consider before purchasing online from a salvage yard would be welcomed too.
Thanks!
Luke
I have one steelie from a 2002 Legacy, also 14"x6", if it turns out you need one more (or to put in a full size spare).
-juice
-mike
-juice
-mike
-Brian
Here's one example:
2004 Subaru Legacy
Body: L 35th 5spd S/W Color: Seamist Green Stock #: S301449
Delivered Internet Price: $18,198
Factory Invoice: $20,852
MSRP: $22,629
Craig
-juice
On Fitz Mall the lowest auto 04 legacy is $19472 plus I live in Ohio will Fitz ship the car to me for Free?? if not add the shipping to that.
Craig
Just got my 2004 Consumer Reports Auto Issue. Overall, Subaru did very well, but there was one glaring exception. The 2003 Baja was the LAST on the list in terms of reliability!!! I am very surprised by this, as the Baja is really just an Outback with no back. I assume that all the mechanicals and underpinings are the same, correct? Any insights into the dismal showing for this vehicle?
Matt
-juice
Steve
-mike
Greg
-juice
Matt
-juice
Still, I'm looking into the Subaru (Forester or Outback) for the next family wagon rather than the Passat or the Volvo (now owned by Ford).
Zman
-juice
Will I notice any performance difference?
Thanks
That's 20k miles, so you're still at a point where you could switch and benefit.
They recommended *not* switching on a high mileage engine because they thought it might compromise the seals.
-juice
what is considered high mileage? just picked up a 2000 outback with 44k, next oil change is sched for 47 but I can change it now no biggie. though I guess with a used car it's tough to know if they used synthetic in it or not, except I'm sure when the dealer did it they didn't use synthetic. previous owners may have though. the car is super clean and well taken care of, I'd like to keep it a long time.
High mileage is probably in the range of 60-75k miles and over. But I would also consider age. I wouldn't switch to synth on an older car, even though it has lower mileage for fear of leaking the seals. 44k miles on a 4 year old car, you're probably still o.k., but at that point the added benefits might not outwiegh the added costs over the long haul.
Jon
-juice
Synthetics have additives these days to condition your seals. Around here when the temp is 30 below farenheit, it sure is nice to have sythetic which actually flows at that temp. Nice at the other extreme too - going over 80 on a day when the temp is near 110 into a 40 mph headwind with the A/C on full and the car loaded with family and luggage. Done both in SD, and synthetic helps w/ a little peace of mind.
The added benefits are slightly extended drain intervals (I change every 5k miles w/ synthetic), and slightly better gas mileage. Don't expect a big jump in gas mileage it is usually only 2 to 5% better. If you drive an Echo that may register as a couple of mpg, but if you are getting 2O mpg or so it will probably be less than a 1 mpg improvement.
My Integra has had synthetic for all but the first 3k of its 171,000 miles, and the cams still look brand new.
If you plan on keeping the car a long time, I would switch at any time and at any miles; synthetic oil is just better.
Mike