otis

you raise a good point but it will be a tough burden on my part to say the dealer is negligent. they did what I asked them to do- change a timing belt. I think they would be a "good" dealer for recommending the idler, but not doing so doesn't make them negligent (just means they're an overpaid bunch of techs and not true "advisors" as they claim.) the challenge then becomes I have to be my own best advocate. sites like this are great, but things fall through the cracks when it comes to me absorbing and processing it all. to be quite honest, I'd love to be ignorant and have the trust to rely on my mechanic to do right. the car is at another dealer (just because it happened to break down by them). I don't trust them to be a good advisor either after their stong recommendation was to pay $1000 to find out how much more it would cost to fix. but what can those of us that are not tight with trusted mechanics do?

I talked to the owner and he was very helpful. He's going to sell me a rebuilt engine. If I were in MI, it would be pretty easy for him to do the swap. I ended up hiring the dealer to do the swap. It's more expensive obviously, but it also comes down to not knowing a local shop. All the shops I called just quoted me the standard "shop hours" to do the swap and a lot ended up being more expensive than the dealer. Some were cheaper, even considering I had to pay for another tow, but I decided to bite the bullet and pay extra for the convenience of already having it at the dealer. In the end, I'm paying less than the original dealer "best case scenario" of $3700 but paying $1000 more than what it should have cost to begin with. Oh well.

Holy moly John! I may owe you a dollar. I don't know which pulley failed, but it was a dealer that did the hg/timing belt work. As for the $1000 to pull apart the engine, that must be par for the course. I don't know what their shop rate is, but eyeballing their price chart for brakes and oil changes, I bet they're pricey. Unfortunately, I think I broke down in an expensive suburb of Minneapolis. I'm asking every one around about Indy shops.

I'm in the Minneapolis area. The car is ok otherwise. In fact I had the timing belt changed ~115k miles when I had to replace the HG for a 2nd time. There are some minor issues I can live with. Just got off with the dealer and he's giving me some estimates ranging from $3700 and up. Of course I realize I'm paying dealer rates. I would love to explore the indy shop route, but my problem is I dont know any. I got a couple of recomendations from friends, but they're not interested in doing it. The dealer just priced himself out as an option.

like the title says, I screwed up my car, a 2000 Forester with 140k miles. It's at the dealer now. They are saying at a minimum, I need new valves, but, more likely, more. For $1000, they will take apart the engine and tell me how much more pain I have in store. I suppose it didn't help that I tried to keep starting the engine after the pulley failure and having things smash together. Dealer mechanic also said he could only turn the crank so far without hitting "metal." I told him I didn't see the point of spending $1000 to tell me I need thousands of dollars worth of repairs if the car is only worth $2-3k (when running). I told him I'd think about it. I called another indy shop and asked about it and the possibility of just swapping the engine. He was ball parking about 2-3k to replace valves and recommended against getting a new engine. His thought was you don't really know what you're getting when you get these replacement engines. I don't mind spending a little more than what the car is worth to get it running again. THe car is in reasonable shape otherwise. But once I start hitting the $4k repair mark, I start to think that money gets me into some other car options. What are the odds that the repair will go that high? Dealer won't tell me unless I spend the $1000 to pull apart the engine (I don't think they're trying to be crooked, they just can't see what needs to be replaced it seems). Any thoughts or advice?

A couple of years ago a CEL came on (p0328- knock sensor). I always said I would change it myself and never did. So finally after 2 years, I just had the dealer do it last week. The first thing I noticed when I got the car back, was a slight sputtering when I was stopped at a light. A couple of days later, the CEL came on again. I went to Autozone and the codes came as follows: P0328- knock sensor P0127- throttle position sensor (although another reference said air too hot) P0171- fuel too lean P0130- O2 sensor fault I guess my question is this... Did the dealer do something wrong? Or did all these other problems occur during the 2 years of my putting off any repairs? (I never read the code in the 2 years, so if there were other codes before my dealer visit, I wouldn't have known.)

Here's my "anecdotal" tale.... I've bought batteries from whatever store was convenient to where I've lived or worked or happened to be on sale. so far I have yet to notice a difference.

there's always the anecdotal tale the salesguy will tell you where he knew of a guy who bought the extended warrenty and came across some catastrophic problem which would have cost him thousands of dollars. while there are certainly true tales like that, there seem to be MORE anecdotal stories where: a) the extended warrenty company goes out of business the warrenty company finds a way do deny your claim (I was told headgaskets are "wear" items, like brake pads, and therefore not covered) c) nothing "catastophic" goes wrong within the first 7 yr/100k miles. Here's my anecdotal tale. We bought a warrenty on our first subaru. we paid about $1000 and got about $200 worth of repairs. we would have gotten another $150 worth of repairs had the warrenty not expired the week before we were aware of the last problem.

I think it's ok... hard to tell unless you see/drive it. I did notice it had a "start/stop" button. I just don't get this trend. There are some cars where you just leave the key in your pocket and you just press the start button (pretty cool). But then most cars I see with this feature, you have to insert your key, then press the start button- kinda stupid if you ask me. It just makes starting your car just a little more cumbersome. Other than the "gee-whiz" factor, what function/convenience does adding a start button offer?

no, I think you missed my point about the for sale ads (although I suppose this proves data can be interpreted based on the observer). My point was that if a car can't even last 200k miles, it will head to the scrap yard. meanwhile cars that continually last will be passed along- maybe even sold on sites like cars.com. I was only trying to show cars with HIGH odometer readings do exist. In contrast, there are virtually no audi's out there that can last >200k miles in comparison. I came to my (apparently) not so scientific study because I saw a ford festiva on the road and was surprised it even ran. also I remember seeing quite a few of those cars around during the early 90's, but until I saw that one, I didn't think they existed anymore. My (questionable) conclusion was that those cars were junk and by some miracle, one car did not make it to the scrap yard. So, I should have been more clear, but my earlier post was to show that Subarus DO HAVE high mileage expectancy.

this is by no means scientific, but just for kicks, I went on a cars.com and searched for all subarus from 1990-1995 with over 200k miles and came up with 17. meanwhile honda had just over 100. I don't have any numbers of how many cars each company sold during that period, but I bet honda sold at least 6x the cars subaru did. now a few things to keep in mind: a. past performance is not any indication of future performance. b. these are 2 very different population sizes, so a comaprison isn't really fair. c. cars for sale is not the be-all-end-all indication of reliablity. but all that said, I think I can anecdotaly say subarus can hold up with some of the other "reliable" brands. PS. only 1 audi showed up under the same criteria.

In my experience, increasing the tire pressure gives a slight or negligible increase in gas mileage opposed to decreasing the tire pressure which gives a noticable decrease in gas mileage. I guess what I'm saying is you can blow your tires up to 44 psi and you won't see that much of an improvement in gas mileage. of course YMMV (hey a literal interpretation of that expression). this is after the fact, but you may consider getting low rolling resistance tires next time if mileage is a concern.

The HG will cost $850 or so and the timing belt would be changed for the price of the parts only. So, it makes sense to do it if I was already going to change the timing belt anyway. My question is specific to the water pump and some of the other "recomended" work that should be done at this age/mileage. what is the marginal cost of getting the water pump changed if I am getting the HG done? in other words, how much more money will I have to spend? Then as a separate question, how much would it cost to replace the water pump as a SEPARATE job. What I'm getting at is that I am trying to be cheap this month. In doing so, am I missing out on the opportunity to get "free labor" while the engine is apart for the HG job? EDIT: apparently I can't read and after re-reading nipper's post, I see I may have to pay for labor all over again if I elect not to change some of these additional items now.

So, our 00 forester is at 110k and we have our 2nd HG leak in 3 yrs. Since it's due for the timing belt, we're having the dealer replace that while they are doing HG. now i'm going back and looking at some older posts and folks recomend doing water pump and an assortment of seals. I understand the concept of preventative maintenance, and under normal circumstances, I might go ahead and do the whole kit an kaboodle. But $$ is tight this month, and I'm already upset enough about having to do the HG again. Here's my Q: what will it cost me to replace some of these items at a later time? in other words, is a lot of the labor redundant (as in the case of timing belt while doing HG)? so what would be the marginal cost of getting some of these items replaced now while the engine was apart vs. what it would cost to do this on a separate visit. thanks.

I once took someone to small claims court and won my judgement. Well that was great except I never saw a dime. Winning is one thing while collecting is another. if the guy didn't have insurance, I have a feeling he wasn't rolling in the dough. Like I said before, it's best just to file a claim against your insurance company then they will go after the other guy (if they think it's even worth it)

Noody likes to pay for repairs, and let's be honest, as cars age, the likelihood of paying for repairs increases. But that said, how do you like paying for depreciation and interest? Without knowing your specifics, I'm going to make up #'s 00 Forester- worth $6000 today. In 3 yrs, let's say it's worth $3000 so depreciation is $3k. you said you had a loan, so you'll be paying about $500 in interest over the next 2.5 years. Repairs- lets say you have a lemon and spend $1000/yr- so $3k So in 3 yrs, you'll spend $6500 Now lets say you trade in and buy that "prized" late model forester- let's say an '04- costs $14k. In 3 yrs, it may be worth $8k. so depreciation is $6k. Interest in the loan will be about $1500, and let's just say repairs are $0. So your total is $7500 for the newer car. Keep in mind, I was "generous" with your newer car, (good depreciation and low interest loan, and no repairs). Now imagine how the scales tip if you have an "unexpected" repair on the newer car and actually have no or fewer repairs on your current car. also keep in mind that if you extend this model out another 3 years, the #'s look worse for the newer car since there's more depreciation and interest. By trading in your car now, I think you're missing the forest(er) for a few trees.

That's pretty cool. Now all you have to do is get a smart phone and tether it to your computer for internet access on the road!

Just a little off topic, but I was helping someone as he was testing a system to make biodiesel. He was running these tests and taking samples (maybe 8 oz or so) to analyze later. after we were done with the "run", I helped him dispose of the biodiesel- since it was technically "waste product." Over the course of a week or so, we must have filled two 55 gallon barrels worth of "waste." Too bad I don't have a diesel car or I would have asked if I could "alleviate" some of his waste disposal issues. anyway back on topic... I don't know a lot about the issues of running ethanol, but I gotta think it's like smoking... it's gonna catch up to you one of these days.

We can all clap and cheer for this car, but if it were to come out, I can hear the criticism now.... "Subaru is forgetting it's core customers and they are going upscale trying to compete against the likes of BMW and Audi" "$40k (or potentially higher) for a subaru... forget it. what were they thinking??" anyway my point is, there were similar rants when the tribeca came out. now that subaru is fixing a few things (notably the nose), people hear are saying what a good job subaru is doing. It's just a little funny how we criticize Subaru for not being bold enough and bringing us more options and when they do, we criticize them for deviating from their "former glory days" whatever that was.

I have had this exact same problem with our 00 forester. After the car has been sitting outside in the cold for a few hours, something freezes up. when I step on the brakes, I can hear a faint click of (what I presume to be) the solenoid. But the shifter button won't press (as if I never stepped on the brakes). After 5 minutes, I'm guessing the car warms up, and everything is fine. This was very annoying up until a couple of years ago. That's when we moved into a house with a garage. But we just moved up to minnesota and the temps have recently dropped and now I'm worried the problem will return if we are out somewhere. I understand that the problem could be the solenoid. but if it was "failing" 2 years ago, it has certainly taken its time getting to the grave since the brake/shifter have been fine for the last 2 years (and I honestly have no idea how these things fail).

I'm a little confused after reading these posts as well. IF {when all 4 wheels are off the ground AND there is no free play in the wheel } THEN I have a wheel bearing problem? also, assuming I do, what does this mean in terms of cost?

I also made the same claim so let me take a shot. Remember one of my FIRST claims- that a sample size of 1 does not represent a population. I never said (and neither did cookie) that bmws were more reliable than subarus... my only point was that I have spent the same amount of money for the 7 years I've owned a bmw than the 3 years for the subaru. For whatever reason, i had a great bmw dealer and a lousy subaru dealer and the bmw dealer went out of his way to get bmw to pay for various repairs after warrenty. and also mine was an apple/orange comparison (the bmw had warrenty and free maintenance for 3 yrs- I'm just counting the last 4 yrs vs the last 3 for the subaru). my point was that just because a car has a certain reputation for quality, doesn't translate into how much you will spend (ie subaru has a better reputation, yet I spent more on the subaru. 6 out of 10 bmw/subaru owners may find the opposite true. My "bad" experience with subaru would not stop me from buying another sub. Truthfully, I probably will not buy another bmw either. Unlike some people, I don't let ONE experience ENTIRELY dictate my future decisions.

I don't know the situation, but from what xoomer writes, I don't think he's got anything to worry about seeing as the guy who fell asleep looks to be liable for all the subsequent damages. Although Juan brings up a good point- why not just file a claim and buy 4 new tires and rims? while you are waiting for the rims to come in, you can rent a Hummer while your car is out of commision?

Just my luck, I get the lemon of the group... 2nd HG for me. I think we have to get a little perspective here. going back to the OP, a sample size of 1 does not represent the entire population. It's about as ludicrous as seeing someone on tv who buys a lottery ticket then wins the jackpot and think that if you buy a ticket, you'll win too. I have had my bmw for 7 yrs and while it's far from perfect, it really hasn't given me any major problems (aside from depreciation, that car has been cheaper to maintain/repair than my subaru). yet I have heard of a number of problems with that car (the worst is probably the sub-frame cracking which seems to be pretty rampant). Did I get lucky? are the stories overblown? who knows- you just roll the dice sometimes. You can buy another car like honda and toyota and chances are good you will have a good experience. But then again, you can buy another subaru, and I'm willing to bet you'll also have a good experience. But I will also say this- if you buy a used car out of warrenty, I'm about 99% sure no manufacturer (even the great honda or toyota) will pay for your repairs if you have a problem. As a consumer and a capitalist, you have to do what you think is right. If that means severing ties with subaru, that's fine. But as an amateur statistician, don't correlate consumer sastisfaction with brand loyalty/disloyalty- in my observations, there is no correlation.

Maybe the HG should last the life of the car. Maybe the HG design is flawed. And maybe SOA should provide goodwill. But let's keep in mind that Subaru's obligation to fix any defects expire after 60k miles- sometimes after 100k miles for this HG issue. When you buy a used car, the burden is on the buyer to fix any problems (with rare exception). If you want a manufacturer to "stand" behind its product, buy new. If you buy a used honda or toyota, they are no more likely to stand behind their cars after the warrenty expires. To Subaru's credit, they've done a good job keeping the HG issue quiet. my guess would be the only people who know about it are people who visit sites like this. (no mention of HG at edmunds, MSN auto, CR etc...) So this plays well for them- this HG "issue" won't affect future sales. Bad news for us who have HG problems because we make up such a small population, that we will never get the "word" out that there is a HG issue which would give us leverage to force subaru to fix it. besides, as far as I understand it, the newer models don't have this issue so it wouldn't be an issue for future car sales anyway. This kinda reminds me with an issue I had with a cell phone carrier. I got fed up, canceled and signed with a differnt carrier, only to get fed up with their problems. What's a consumer to do? I guess just bend over and grin. ahh, I guess this is what we (as consumers) get when we make low price our only selection criteria for purchases. Bottom line, I'm upset with my subaru as my forester has gotten it's 2nd HG leak (now at 108k), but what can I do?? If I jump ship, who is to say I won't have a different issue with another brand. (beleive me, I've heard plenty of "horror" stories from every other brand) Subaru is nothing out of the ordinary- they are just keeping up with the "bar."