DMc-DE

Matt Slap Subaru in Newark has a guy that only paints bumpers. Can't be too expensive as I know they keep him quite busy fixing cars in the lot. Rex's Auto Body in Newark off Cleveland Ave near Herman's Meat Market recently did some body work on my 2004 Outback. Did a good job. Guaging from what they did on my car for $550, I could not image them charging more than $200 to repaint a bumper. Take the bumper cover off the car and take it to Matt Slap. They can do it off the car. Same for Rex's.

I read a lot about piston slap in this forum. I have a 2004 Outback Wagon with the 4 cyl engine. (wanted a 5 speed trans). Can I expect this car to piston slap or have they changed design to prevent this in the 2004 model? Also, while I am asking...I read about head gasket problems. Has Subaru fixed this problem for the 2004 models? Dave

Just an FYI...I had to have some body work done on a 2004 Outback, Seamist Green color. DuPont's Spies Hecker® brand has a perfect match for this color. The shop did not really have to overspray into the adjacent panels if they did not want to.

Does anyone know what brand of paint Subaru uses at the factory in Indiana for Outbacks? (DuPont ?, Sherwin Williams ?, etc.) I need to get a qtr panel repainted. Instead of just letting the body shop use whatever paint they happen to carry, I'd prefer to have them use the same brand and type that they put on at the factory. The car has only 350 miles on it and unfortunately needs a new qtr panel. Would like to keep it as close to factory new as possible, including the paint. Any insight is welcome.

By the way, our local Subaru dealer does not have a body shop. If I went to a Subaru dealer with a body shop, would they be able to match the paint better (by using the same paint the factory uses) than an independent shop?

I picked up my SeaMist Green Pearl 2004 Outback last week. With 350 miles on it, a deer decides to skid into the front quarter panel near the wheel and put a nice dent in it. Bummer !! No other damage...hood is fine, bumper is fine, driver door is fine, headlight assembly is untouched. All seams line up fine. I only need to have the quarter panel replaced... One shop quoted $550 using a new Subaru panel and they will paint it and blend the paint into the adjacent door. Then clear coat both. He said he will not need to blend the paint onto the hood since it is on a different plane and will reflect the light differently so any color mismatch would not be noticed. Another shop quoted $1350 and will do the same but also wanted to blend the paint spray onto the hood. I also noticed from their quote that they included a long list of parts they will need to swap out the qtr panel. The first shop just needs the qtr panel and a few clips, he said. I asked the first shop if they could simply paint the new qtr panel off the car and then install. They said "we cannot match the paint perfectly and it will look bad unless we blend the paint into the adjacent panel...Only a hack would paint the panel off the car." I am a mechanical engineer and work in a technical field but know little about paint or body work. To me, it seems that they should be able to get a paint mix formula from Subaru, paint and clear coat the qtr panel, and install it...And it will match. What's with this overspraying into the adjacent panel on a car that has no fading or wash swirls or even a scratch. I haven't even put my first tank of gas in let alone wash the car yet. Is paint match technology that far behind the rest of industry? I welcome advice on what to have done. I plan on keeping this car and don't want it to look painted 5 years from now.

I was looking to decode the VIN knowing that eventually I would need details like touch-up paint code, engine type info, etc. The fates stepped in and expedited my need for the paint code (which I did pull off the label under the hood)... With 450 miles on this new 2004 car, a deer decides to run right into my front qtr panel. Big ole dent. What bummer. $550 to replace qtr panel. Luckily no other damage. Body work always bugs me. It never seems to be the same as factory. Paint blending, rattles, etc never seem just right. Oh well, that's life.

In response to Jim Martin's post... It seems that others in this forum have a better handle on the 2005 Outback. I based my opinion solely on the following photos and did not take into consideration any mechanical upgrades: http://www.automobilemag.com/auto_shows/2003_fms_outback/ http://www.velocityjrnl.com/jrnl/2005/vmd10478ml.html http://www.jipemania.com/newsd/0307/Subaru%20Outback%202005.htm To me, it does not look as "tough" albeit it does look more "refined". Refined is good but I already have a luxury sport sedan for that. I wanted my Outback to be a camping, skiiing, put-my-bike-on-top, go-to-Home-Depot-to-buy-bags-of-mulch, type of car. I do take care of it and don't use it like you see in the Nissan Xterra commercials where it is sitting on top of a cliff with ropes tied to it and all muddy, but that's just me taking care of my stuff in-general.

I guess I got a decent deal. Got it at dealer invoice + $300 and 0% financing. I probably could have done better but I was not a hardnosed negotiator. He met my bottom line number that I had in-mind so I went with it. Pretty simple.

Sorry to say that I did not sleep in it. I like it though. It's a base model Outback, manual tranny, light green color, tan interior. Drives about the same as the 1998. Subaru claims that there are mechanical improvements but I cannot really notice them yet in the driveability. The 2004 interior is nicer than the 1998. Radio not so hot. I think 1998 radio sounds better. Also, not a big deal but...floor mats in the 2004 are kind of cheesy looking...they don't even match the interior that well. It'ls like they were an afterthought using some carpet that Subaru got a good deal on.

I have seen photos on the internet of the 2005 Outback. Very nice, however not what I would want so I went ahead and bought the 2004. The 2005 has a more refined style versus 2004 sport-utility style. I already had the roof rack accessories from my 1998 Outback that fit my 2004. From the looks of the 2005 I did not think the rack accessories would fit it so it made getting the 2004 a bit easier. The Subaru dealer told me that the 2005 wiill be more expensive and that they would be probably offering great deals on the 2004 Outbacks as they get closer to the May/June/July timeframe when they will get the 2005 Outbacks.

How do I decode the VIN on a 2004 Outback? For now, it is simple curiousity. I did notice somewhere online that sold touch-up paint for Subarus that they asked for a VIN. This got me thinking about how details like this were coded into the VIN for my future reference.

Probably a combo of things...I probably am babying it. We get crappy snow around here (slush, ice, snow combo). Live on "barely could call it a hill" and Jag just spins its wheels with its new Michelin Pilot Sport A/S tires. Should have gotten traction control on Jag. Now on to look for a tweeter kit on EBay...

2nd car with OEM Alpine stereo is a 1996 Jaguar XJ6. Nice car. Not driveable anywhere near snow. Wife's car has an OEM Bose stereo system. That sounds better than stock Outback Panasonic also. It's in a Mazda Millenia S. Quick car. fun to drive. I do realize that sedans typically have better acoustics than station wagons however Outback Panasonic system could use a bit more "crispness" and "punch" nonetheless.

I'm on my second day with the 2004 Outback. It has the basic stock stereo which I am told is a Panasonic. Sounds a bit bland. (adjusted the bass and treble already.) Does the tweeter kit improve the sound? It is cheap enough and simple to install so I will consider if I get comments that others have experienced improved sound with the tweeter kit. (I am not an audiophile, but my other car has a OEM stock Alpine system with an OEM amp so even I hear the difference between the two cars. Maybe that make me an audiophile now?)

The owner of the dealership called within 20 minutes of my sending the fax expressing my opinion about drilling holes in my bumper. He said simply "bring the car in and we'll make it right." We are going to discuss options to do so when I get there.

The dealer followed my instructions to a "T"... I told them to not put the decal on the back as I would just take it off. They got that right. It was my mistake to not notice that the front bumper was not factory drilled for a license plate. All of the cars on the lot had front "ad plates". Frankly it did not even dawn on me to think they would drill a hole in the bumper to install the ad plate.

(names X'd out...) I'll post how the dealer handles the issue. Dear (owner of the dealership): Thank you for facilitating the purchase of my new Outback and for the nice chat discovering common acquaintances. XX sold me on the Outback in 1998 and did equally well in 2004. Hat’s off to XX. I am sure I will enjoy this one as much as I did that last Outback. I have a question for you… When you bought your house, did the realtor drill two holes in your new front door and hang their nameplate on the house? Didn’t think so. When you get your next brand new car, bring it over to my house so I can drill two holes that you don’t want in your flawless front bumper. I can deal with the “XX(dealer name)” rear license plate surround advert. Even the “XX(dealer name)” sticker on the back is OK because it can be easily removed by the customer if they so choose. However, drilling holes in my new car to install a placard to roam around town as your billboard is overstepping the bounds of dealer advertising in this consumer’s opinion. Please don’t tell me that it came that way from the other dealer. That’s moot as all of the cars in your lot are the same way. The unsold cars in your lot are not yours…You are only holding them until the owner shows up to claim them. Therefore, I disagree with your advertising approach that requires the defacing of someone else’s car. Picky issue, I know…but it’s my new car ! I expect it to be flawless.

Does the 2004 Outback front bumper come pre-drilled for a license plate? Just picked up 2004 Outback. I told sales guy to not put their dealer emblem on the back. (I am not their billboard). He said OK. When I pick up the car I see it had a dealer license plate holder on the back. No big deal. Took 30 seconds to take off when I got home. Then I see they put a "billboard" placard (size of a license plate) on the front of the car. When I went to take it off, I noticed that the bumper was probably not factory drilled for the license plate. From the looks of the holes, the dealer drilled two holes in my front bumper to install their little "billboard". (or used self-tapping screws more likely). That irks me. I try to not get upset with little things in life, but drilling holes in my new car irks me. When I bought my house, the realtor didn't drill holes in my front door to install her nameplate. I welcome opinions on whether to make a stink about it with the dealer or just deal with it. There is really nothing they can do to fix it short of replacing the bumper cover. That may be worse than just leaving it be.