mikkl

Have you recently changed the air cleaner? Here in lovely southern Ohio, I have seen up to 5 mpg of drop in six months (on many different cars) due to a clogged air cleaner. And no, the element does not look dirty to my eye, but the mileage comes right back to expected levels after the change. mikkl

I have had similar problems with mud on the inside of a wheel after a good round of rally drivin. The temperature difference could well affect the mounting bushing that you mention in another post. Cold weather will make the rubber shrink and become more stiff, potentially highlighting a new problem. If you leave the car out in the cold and then drive it, is the noise worse than when you start out from your warm garage? If so, some piece of rubber somewhere may very well be a part of the problem. mikkl

It must be something about 2003 vehicles. ;-) My 2003 Toyota Sienna van has the same problem. You look at the thing cross-eyed and you get a new dent or ding. It is three years old and looks like I've been hitting it with the edge of a 2X4. One of the reasons I did not spend much time looking at Toyotas when I was shopping new vehicles in September. mikkl

I went the the Tirerack.com and did some browsing. My guess is that these are the current generation Forester wheels based on the images there. Also, Subaruparts.com lists the wheels which match your photo for Foresters from 2003 up. At this point, I'd carry one to your local dealer and do a side-by-side, I think their current model wheels. HTH, mikkl

Not answering any of your questions, but asking another. Why consider the just the Legacy GT and not the Legacy 2.5I or Limited? I find that the base 2.5 has plenty of power and torque with significantly better fuel mileage than the GT. Also, if I recall correctly, the GT requires premium fuel. If economics are a part of the decision, I would road test both the GT and the base versions. The GT will cost you real money with every tank. As for your other questions, I believe the Subaru.com site can answer many of them--at least as regards features. mikkl

My first winter with my new 2005 Legacy sedan and I've got a cold weather rattle/squeek in the dash. It is on both the driver and passenger side of the dashboard where the dash meets the defroster vents, near the A-pillars. I'm thinking there are clips that attaches the dash to the structure and these are getting loose with the temperature difference you get across the dash between the cold windshield and the warm interior. I think it is temperature related as it is not there when you first get in the car, but appears after about 30 minutes or so of driving, once the interior becomes uniformly warm. Does anyone have similar symptoms? Does anyone have pictures on how the dash is attached? I suspect a piece of felt between the dash and the mounting structure would fix the problem--if I can figure out how to get the dash off. My wife says to get used to it--welcome to the idiosyncrasies of your new car. I'm thinking of taking it to the dealer, but squeaks and noises are difficult (and expensive) to diagnose. Anyways--any opinions would be appreciated, mikkl

The only caution I would give is to check local laws and see what restrictions they have about using them when it is NOT foggy. Having been in Europe behind folks with their rear fogs enabled on a clear night, I can tell you it makes it quite difficult to drive. You certainly do not tailgate! In sloppy weather, however, rear fogs are quite nice and I miss the option. mikkl

My 2005 Legacy is just the same way. In real-time mileage mode, you see the instantaneous average. My display updates about every second so I figure I am seeing the average of 1 second of distance traveled divided by one second of fuel consumption. As you are seeing, it can and will bounce around, especially as you go off throttle and are using almost no fuel in that one second interval. The one thing I have noticed is that the Average fuel mileage rating is always optimistic, by 1-1.5 miles per gallon. I base this conclusion by dividing the trip mileage between tanks by the number of gallons put in and comparing the answer to the average shown in the trip computer. The trip computer is always high, which is not particularly surprising given the accuracies involved, but worth noting. mikkl

From '99-'03, I lived in Europe with $4/gal fuel prices. That did affect our lives and the decision we made on both the cars we would drive and the trips we would take. IMHO, the US would be better off with taxes that drive the price of fuel higher and force folks to decide that it is better to drive smaller vehicles and to walk. The net benefits to our country would be far higher than the costs. I would rather see high fuel prices through taxes than the current situation of high gas prices due to high oil prices. Can you imagine the inflation if everything made of plastic reflected the increase in the price of a barrel of oil?? What is our economy going to do when we can't afford to make products out of plastic??? mikkl

I just purchased a 2005 Legacy 2.5i sedan after test driving every model of Subaru and not a few Toyotas (of which I've owned several), including the Matrix. Here is my comparison of the Legacy sedan and the Matrix RS, both with manual transmissions and at the same $20,000 price point. I would not expect the addition of AWD to modify these impressions. The Legacy sedan is a sports sedan, the Matrix is a Corolla. You sit in the Legacy. You sit on the Matrix. (Don't know how else to describe it) In the Legacy you have a simple interior that feels solid and works. A stiff chassis and double seals on the doors that give a very quiet ride. When the windows are open, there is no booming or buffeting. Also, the rear seat window line is low enough for children to see out. In the Matrix, you are confronted with a video arcade display and a plethora of bells and whistles for features. The road noise is significantly higher than the Legacy and opening the windows while driving results in either a buffeting wind from the front windows or a loud booming from the rear windows. My (smallish) 11 year old daughter could not see out of the back windows. On the plus side, the hatch of the Matrix is much larger than trunk of the Legacy and designed for utility. The trunk of the Legacy is smaller than the trunk on my 1995 Corolla yet comes with better under-deck storage. I went with the Legacy. It was just a peppy, if not better, than the hot Matrix, quieter, more solid, more mature-feeling and more comfortable for myself and my family. The one caution I would give is to give the front seats a good long test drive. I originally wanted an Impreza but found the that seat bolsters dug into my thighs quite painfully. They were just too narrow for my narrow bottom. In the Legacy, this effect is much less noticeable but still there to some degree. I'm 2000 miles on the car and the bolsters are softening a bit and the seats are becoming quite comfortable--but it has taken some time. And I may still end up with some sort of seating pad for long drives. As for looking at the outback versions, for my purposes I did not need the extra ground clearance, the body cladding, or the additional cost. As for durability, I'm looking forward to seeing how long I can keep this one running. My Toyota Corolla started coming apart at 85,000 miles and I just sold it at 103K after putting in far too many parts -- and it was begging for more. I would not expect the Matrix to be any different. HTH, mikkl

I would send an email to the folks here and see if they could help you: https://www.subarugenuineparts.com/index.php You may also find some good information here; http://www.autoanything.com/shopping_guides/floor_mats_floor_liners/makes/shopping_guide_subaru.aspx?se=subaru_floor_mats_car_mats or using a shorter link: http://tinyurl.com/7mklr HTH, mikkl

If you are into sheepskin, you may want to check here: http://www.sheepskin.com/catalog/index.cfm?category=seatcovers The B9 is so new that it may take a while before custom covers are available. mikkl

I do not believe that they make a Class I hitch for the legacy. They do make Class I hitches for the Impreza, so they are still being made. mikkl

I can't blame you for looking at those. I will probably be using one on my wife's Toyota. Since I had to drill holes in my bumper, I had a fairly large range of options regarding the location. mikkl

Well, I found a bracket. It is the bracket for the current generation of Chevy Cavalier, Pontiac Sunfire, and Saturn Ion. (Part number 22714457) $13 on ebay. It attaches with three pop-rivets (which means that I did have to drill holes in the bumper.) It provides secure attachment and a neat edge to the plate while protecting the paint. It is hard to take a picture of a black plastic frame on a black car with a bright white plate, but here goes: Thanks again for the comments and recommendations, mikkl

It certainly does, which is on of the reasons I purchased it. (I miss the cars that I used to drive when I lived in Europe) Not to mention it rides like a Lexus with the security of AWD. mikkl

Boy-oh-boy does that bring back memories. That was the day, when my father was competing and I was working crew in Pro Rallys across the mideast. Yes, Hakkas were the king. Good to hear that they have not lost their quality. mikkl

I've seen Suby, Sooby, and others. Is there a preffered nickname within the Subaru community? mikkl

We followed similar approaches. For this exercise I: performed a two bucket car wash and dry clayed the entire surface polished with Meguiar's Deep Crytal #2 applied two coats of Meguiar's nxt Tech Wax Since it was a new finish I did not have any scratches that needed working out. If I did, I would have added an elbow-grease heavy application of Deep Crystal #1 prior to the DC #2. mikkl

The black beauty of mine was done entirely with elbow grease. If I count correctly, between appying and removing, I rubbed that car's entire surface nine (10) times. Yes, my shoulder is tired... mikkl

I just spent a few hours Meguiar-ing my new Legacy. I think it looks pretty good: It took a bit of time but the results speak for themselves. I'll be interested to see how long the finish lasts before I have to do it again. mikkl

I too have been asking the same question for my new black Legacy. The forums at Meguiar's website are extremely helpful and full of wonderful information on how to detail a car. Their home page is at http://meguiars.com/ You can find the link to the forums from there. After you register, try out the Detailing 101 forum for ideas and instructions. A box full of products arrive tomorrow and I'm off to a weekend of detailing... mikkl

@capewaveride: Thanks for the update. I was hoping you would come back with news like this. I just purchased a 2005 Legacy Sedan and am hoping that the head gasket problem is a problem of the past! mikkl

I would stay with what has been used in the new car. After all these miles on standard oil, a switch to synthetic oil may cause your oil consumption to increase. Rubber seals swell in the presence of oil and after many years will begin to loose the ability to change size, permanently deforming and relying on the swell for sealing. Changing oils, particularly to synthetic, can signficantly reduce the swell, permitting leaks and additional consumption past the valve seals. I had a car with 80K miles that I switched to a synthetic oil. My consumption went from one quart in 2000 miles to 4 quarts in 400. Switching back to conventional oils returned the engine to the earlier level of oil consumption. In my experience, a switch to synthetic oils should be made when the engine is new. By the way, I've also seen changes in oil consumption by changing brands of standard oils. Once the seals have accomodated to a given base package of additives (a specific manufacturer), they will work best if they stay with the same oil--at least in my experience. mikkl

Does the manufacturer of your tires provide a recommendation for your car? If not, I would start with the pressures recommended on the car's sticker and keep a close eye on the treadwear. If the corners start wearing faster than in the center of the tread, put in a bit more air. If the center wears more quickly, let some air out. If the tread wears evenly, you got it right. It may also depend on how heavily you load the car. When I was in Europe, my cars had two ratings for the tires--the normal one driver commuter setting and the fully loaded on vacation setting. The vacation setting was typically a couple of psi higher. There may be something similar in the owner's manual. Tirerack has some interesting articles that talk about tire pressure and driving styles. You may find them of interest. http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=1 HTH, mikkl