diesel_travis

Thanks Mark. I live in Irondequoit and work in the city, so Avon would be kind of out of the way. I was going to take my car to Piehler (on Lake Ave & 104) since they're much closer to me than Van Bortel. I'll definitely post if I find a good shop though.

Is the noise similar to this?: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=388153&postcount=5

My '99 Outback had something similar to this happen twice. The first time it was the rear brakes and the noise went away when I pressed on the pedal. The second time it was the front brakes and it was louder when I pressed the pedal. For me it was louder in reverse. The rear brakes made a chirping/squeaking noise that made me think it was a bearing. It would happen randomly at highway speeds too and would go away (or grow louder) depending on whether I was turning or not. Both times when this happened the wheels would get much warmer than normal, and both times the repair was very expensive (~$800 for the front).

I just experienced this problem recently, but then it magically went away after my car warmed up and hasn't happened since. Is there a place online I can check my VIN or is calling the dealer the only option? Thanks!

I've yet to find a trustworthy mechanic near me so chances of them knowing me would be pretty slim, but maybe I can talk whoever I get to fix my exhaust to have a look at them.

That definitely sounds better than removing them altogether, although I think the first deep snow I drove through would probably bend them back. I'll give it a whirl in the springtime if the noise is still there though. Thanks!

I agree, I was very aggravated at the dealer about this. They finally agreed about the oil pump problem when I dropped the car off after <3K mi and the oil was well below the low line on the dipstick. Not to mention every warranty service costs $50. They are great about the selling process, but as far as maintenance and repairs go, they're pretty bad. They did have $8/day loaner cars, but I'd have to schedule the repairs a month in advance.

They told me that they "tightened" them. I assume that just means re-torquing all the nuts/bolts that hold them. Currently I can't hear them buzzing over the exhaust and even if my exhaust were fixed, I usually just turn up the stereo anyways. If they get really bad I'll just try to remove them myself.

I'm new here and I thought I'd say hi. My car is a 1999 Legacy Outback wagon, 5spd, 108K mi., grey/silver. I bought it at Van Bortel Subaru in Victor, NY, and would definitely buy from them again. I dislike haggling on prices, so I'm pretty much limited to buying a Saturn or a car from Van Bortel (Subarus, Fords, or whatever else is on their lots). I've owned it since October of 2001 (~70K mi.) and I have until October of 2006 to keep making payments on it. Some maintenance/repair history: vibrating driver-side mirror serviced under warranty three times (never fixed, given the option of replacing entire thing for additional fee) heat-shield rattle/buzz serviced under warranty twice, noise still exists, given the option of having them removed for an additional fee I opted to live with the buzz faulty driver-side door lock switch replaced after 2nd complaint, under warranty $50 faulty rear brake assembly replaced under partial warranty coverage $250 brake pads to meet inspection in spring '02 (included in asseblies above) faulty oil pump replaced after 3rd complaint of burning oil, under warranty $50 K&N air filter installed window tint installed car broken into summer '03, tint scratched, stereo ripped out, center console gutted, recieved $15 (after $500 deduct), hooray for comprehensive :-( I've replaced the stereo, and several of the smaller parts, but it isn't anywhere near 100% yet got some great & cheap snow tires from Dunn (the cheapest they had), can't recommend them enough. I'm using them for the 2nd winter now. I think their Nitrogen doesn't do anything for mileage though. I've noticed no gain whatsoever. ~$300 faulty front brake assemblies replaced, ~$800(!) car wouldn't start for 3 days in a row, started up fine on 4th day. Has started fine since, I haven't done anything to fix it. regular ~3500mi oil changes Here's some pending repairs: exhaust is venting before catalytic converter, it sounds nice but smells horrible timing belt is due to be replaced (I'll be sure to have the water pump done as well) I'm not sure of the cost of the exhaust repair or the the timing belt service, but I know they are going to be time-consuming and expensive so I'm not exactly looking forward to it. A few pics: http://www.flickr.com/photos/diesel_travis/sets/165298/ I only get around 23mpg (less in the winter of course) so I wish that were better. The car is the most expensive and has had the most maintenance of any that I've owned ('93 Toyota Tercel, '86 Volvo 740 wagon), but as far as drivability is concerned though, I love the car. It would be difficult to own a non-AWD car now. I'd probably buy another when this one becomes too expensive to own (or kicks the bucket), since Subaru currently has the cheapest (and best) AWD per dollar. Hopefully they come out with an alternative fuel vehicle in my price range.