schlit
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Posts posted by schlit
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When you turn left or right and your not on the gas do you notice it gets louder or only when your on the gas? If so it is most likely to be the CV. Might be the CV you got was not OEM.
Based on my experience of a bad front bearings, and CV joints, in general if it changes noise if you turn very slightly, then it's a wheel bearing. If it takes a lot of turning to make it noisy, its problably the CV.
Also, I noticed my bad bearing making noise when I'd be driving straight, and then go over slightly uneven pavement (like a lowered shoulder or something).
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I'm assuming you guys are putting the Synpower in yourself? Called the valvoline instant oil change store next door and they wont put Synpower in any differential. I need to have mine changed but dont want to be laying on the snowy/salty parking lot ground.
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Query to resolve a discussion on a non-automotive board (several Subaru owners there). How much of the push to flush ones brake system is real, and how much is wallet flush?
I understand that brake fluid is very hydroscopic and that it absorbs moisture from the atmoshpehre. But is the schedule realistic? It seems to me that every three years or so is enough in any environment, maybe far less often in very dry climates like AZ/NV/NM (or for the last few years Montana!).
It needs to be changed to prevent problems later in the car's life. It's not one of those things that will fail your brake system at 50,000 mi if you dont change it, but it will corrode the lines and gum up the calipers eventually. Therefore, you will likely encounter a lot of people who dont change it because they just dont keep their cars past 125,000mi. If you're in for the long haul like me, three years is about right, maybe a little more often. I do my own flushes and typically it'll be very dark fluid w/ chunks coming out after about two years.
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Thanks for the replies so far. Came across Hankook Mileage Plus in PepBoys: 85k miles, 600AB rating, $72 ea.
Sounds good on paper, anybody tried these? Ta.
Yes, actually I did have those on my 2002 Forester. They were OK. They didnt last 85k and got scary after 40k. Had better luck with BF Goodrich Traction T/A's on my other vehicles, so I decided to give it a try on the Forester......5000mi later and I'm still happy.
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+1 on the Blizzaks! I got a set of aluminum rims for the winter tires, and I look good while Keeping a Grip on the situation! Nothing like LEAVING a herd of Trucks, Jeeps, and SUV's at a light with Ice/Snow on the ground!
Fat Tony
You gotta be careful with Blizzaks, yea they're good when it snows and you want to keep going in a straight line, but for the rest of the time you're riding on a unresponsive marshmallow.
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No but its impossible to blame a bad part for after 120,000 miles. Many cars blow HG's over that age, and it is not blamed on design. If you use that criteria, then anything that fails over 100,000 miles is a bad design.
Also its still not 100% proven that it is a desighn issue, as opposed to a cleanliness issue, an assembly issue, or a bad run of head gaskets.
For instance, Dodge neon, which is running at 100% failure rate (at about 60K), is a bad design.
I am sorry but if it made it past 120,000 miles, its not a bad design.
nipper
Wow, if you really feel that way and want to compare Subarus to Dodges I will definitely never buy a Subaru again. A head gasket failure is such a key element that shouldnt fail, ever. Especially when good cars these days are lasting past 200,000 mi easy.
2002 Forester
External leak at 90,000mi.
Dealer put extra stop leak in to patch the problem....so I guess if it fails at 120,000 miles then I can attribute it to normal wear and tear :-\
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Here in eastern Canada, the Gov't is thinking of making all seasons illegal for use in the winter. There is NO comparison between a dedicated winter tire and an all season....especially under braking.
Nobody is doubting the snow traction of a snow tire. Before anyone goes out and purchases a set, they need to make sure they're not compromising 90% of their driving time to gain snow traction on the 3 times per month it actually snows.
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It's YOU that needs a reality check.
You are basing your opinion on two vehicles. Hardly representative of anything.
I know of plenty of Honda's that were just as bad as anything Subaru has poorly built. Or for that matter any other company. My girlfriend had a 2004 Accord - tranny went out at 78k. And I just helped a guy on the side of the road who's distributor died on his 95 Accord at 80k. He was a mechanic - has owned a shop for 22 years. He knew exactly what was wrong with it of course because it happens all the time with those engines.
And if you think that anything transverse is easier to work on than a Subaru you are dead wrong. That's just plain silly talk right there. There's no Honda on the planet that's easier to work on than an EJ series Subaru. I'm a mechanic - I do this every day and have been since I was a kid. I've seen a lot of makes and models and the reason I DO NOT drive Honda or Toyota cars is because transverse vehicles are simply more difficult and time consuming to work on. And I hate FWD. Give me 4WD for traction, or RWD for fun. FWD is for grandmothers in Florida
The "cost to repair" argument is baseless unless you live in an area where one or the other is not popular. There are some areas of the country where Subaru's aren't as plentiful - for me that would mean driving probably a Toyota truck or a Samuri etc. Here Subaru's are cheap and plentiful so that's what I drive.
GD
Wow, a distributor. Yes, I have a rebuilt one in my trunk ready to be bolted on in the worst case. I cant bolt on a blown headgasket so easily.
Subaru cant even produce an economical service manual...let alone a parts system that doesnt require a VIN number to lookup every freggin part.
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I'm pretty wary of the reviews on TireRack now. The last tire I bought were chosen mostly on the recommendations and they turned out to suck rump roast. I should have returned them, but I didn't want to go through the hassle.
Same here. TireRack is misleading in many ways.
For the OP's case, I would stick with a good allseason such as a BF goodrich traction T/A. Have used those on many vehicles in the winter and have been really happy with their snow traction, and you're not going to be giving up the traction for the rest of the time you're not on snow.
I tried studless winter tires, Blizzak WS-50's and performance winter tires, Blizzak LM-25's and think that unless you're driving on snow for more than 40% of the time, or you're really scared about driving off a mountain cliff, they're just not worth it.
The Blizzak WS-50's were good in the snow and FRIGID cold temps, but gave up way too much dry, mild temp performance for me. They were very squishy, and once it got above 40, forget it...I felt like I was more likely to get in an accident on those days.
The Blizzak LM-25's, were a little stiffer on the mild days but in the big picture didnt perform any differently than a good allseason. It wasnt worth the premium I paid for them.
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One little article and you think Subaru is the best in the world....come back to reality guys.
I have a Honda and a Subaru in the garage. By far, we trust the Honda more even though it has 40,000 miles more than the Sub which is more likely to strand us. My honda is easier to work on, get parts, and is cheaper to fix. Several others I know have the same sentiment.
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i wouldn't tell them "no" yet either, because i don't like their antics.
i would tell them you're leary about this headgasket job and you'll go for the new timing belt but you'll wait to drive the car a bit and make sure it's worth dumping more money into after the headgasket job. don't give them any idea that you're going elsewhere, but that's probably what i would end up doing.
Great advice. You always want them to think you're going to come back for more if they do a good job.
If you flat out say no, you'll probably be back in there for ripped CV joints or balljoints in three months.
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Here in NJ, they were running radio ads telling people to NOT swerve for deer. Swerving causes more damage to humans, cars and other objects, than just hitting the deer.
This is true until the partially dead deer sitting in your passener seat wakes up and mauls you. It happens a lot.
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i recently bought a '91 lagecy ls. it was bought specifically for its handling in snowy, etc. conditions. this morning on my way to work i was following a newer suby and watched as it plowed through 2-3" of snow while i fish tailed and spun out. eventually i had to turn around for loss of momentum. now here i am missing work wondering: do i need to get snow specific tires and/ or is could there be something wrong with AWD. this is my first AWD car, but it sure was handling alot like my old front wheeler. please help! thanks, nm
If you're driving straight and fishtailing it's your tires failing. AWD is not going to help this.
If you drive on snow greater than 50% of the time, dont mind having a dedicated set of winter wheels, and dont care if your car handles like crap when the roads are plowed...then get some blizzak WS-50. Otherwise, get a set of some good allseasons such as BF goodrich Traction T/A's or Kuhmo Ecsta ASX. Some allseasons dont do well in the snow, but many do great. You just need to research a little. I just hope you're not driving on summer tires.
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EJ251 - 2.5L 4cyl SOHC 155HP/155ftlbsImpreza '00-'02
Forester '00-'02
YES Gasket problem: external coolant leak
Non turbo EJ25 engine.
C) EJ252 2.5L SOHC
Legacy '00
YES Gasket problem: external coolant leak
D) EJ253 2.5L SOHC
Impreza '02-'07
Legacy '01-'02
Forrester '99
NO Gasket problem past 2003
Designed to take turbo boost.
E) EJ25D 2.5L DOHC
Legacy '96-'99
Forester '98-'99
YES Gasket problem: Internal leak/blown
F) EJ25E 2.5L DOHC
Impreza '99-'01
Forester '99-'00
Legacy '00-'01
YES Gasket problem: Internal/blown
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So, in Subaru's past 20 years, they've had one engine go bad and that automatically means they're a terrible automaker?
No, not necessarily. BUT it does give a legit reason for CR not to promote SOA....especially with the timing of the article.
Note neither Ford nor Chevy made the list and CR mentions they think that high mile ranger was a fluke.
This is my last post on this subject as I see you guys dont really listen to opposing points of view anyhow.
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My point is that there are just as many reasons for Toyota and Honda to not be on the list - I guarantee it.
I garuntee Toyota and Honda didnt have as widespread of a problem as this, for cars that pertain to the current article. And your 20% failure rate is heresay, SOA never relased those numbers. Maybe if SOA did better in the early 2000's they'd be on the list. I dont see why it's so surprising to you.
EJ251 - 2.5L 4cyl SOHC 155HP/155ftlbsImpreza '00-'02
Forester '00-'02
YES Gasket problem: external coolant leak
Non turbo EJ25 engine.
C) EJ252 2.5L SOHC
Legacy '00
YES Gasket problem: external coolant leak
D) EJ253 2.5L SOHC
Impreza '02-'07
Legacy '01-'02
Forrester '99
NO Gasket problem past 2003
Designed to take turbo boost.
E) EJ25D 2.5L DOHC
Legacy '96-'99
Forester '98-'99
YES Gasket problem: Internal leak/blown
F) EJ25E 2.5L DOHC
Impreza '99-'01
Forester '99-'00
Legacy '00-'01
YES Gasket problem: Internal/blown
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They redesigned the HG's (6 times
) and went out of their way to create a specially formulated additive to correct the ones that had minor leaks. In large part this HAS resolved the issues. I totally disagree. The stop leak patches the real problem long enough to put you past the extended warranty period. An appropriate approach wouldnt have required the stop leak.
Just one of many reasons why SOA isnt on the list.
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Not at all - I recognize the problems of the early 2.5 and I tell everyone I speak with who is looking at making a purchase to stay away from them.
GD
Problem is, that's a long span of years to be making cars with serious issues. Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't these cars the flagships for the product name? And the inadequete way Subaru delt with HG problems was also another hit against the name. I would tend to think this is a larger factor into the judgement of CR...not a conspiracy theory.
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Originally Posted by Gene J
Sad to say yes. My 97 Toyota PU is great and warranty work consisted of a glove box door that warped. Everything else has been maintanence.
98 Subaru. Battery, alternator, master cylinder, clutch, lots of light bulbs. Maintanence. Plus ... Need I mention headgaskets?
Preach on man, totally with you on this one. Maybe it's because the Subarus that are currently reaching 200,000 miles are part of the "lemon years" 1998-2002. My god, I know several people who bought sub's in these years and they'll never buy one again because of repairs. I've just about had it with mine. My other car that has 165,000 miles has had far fewer and cheaper maintenece repairs than my 85,000 2002 forester.
It seems like people on this site turn a blind eye when it comes to all the expensive problems these years have. Maybe the newer models are better, but they just havent been around long enough for most to reach that 200,000 mi marker.
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Yeah, and I've driven and worked on enough Hondas to know I don't want one. Plus, working in the Parts/Service dept. of a Honda dealership for about a year and a half showed me that they have not earned their "Super-reliable car" record in my opinion.
I guess you'd have to have worked in a ford, chevy, or Jeep parts department to make that comparison.
Maybe we're just unlucky the first subaru we've owned has had so many problems.
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So, we've had it a little more than a year now. We traded my wife's '04 Liberty for it, hoping to save some money on gas - which we have. However, we keep having to spend money on other stuff:
Alternator: $300+, a few months after we got the car
Knock sensor: A little under $100, again within 6 months or so of purchase.
Alternator: Yeah, another one. A little over a year after the first. This one had the added joy of a night's stay in a hotel while waiting for parts.
Exhaust: rattles abound, and I've recently replaced the flex coupler doughnut and nuts/bolts.
More:
the TSB for clutch issues (pedal travel when hot) is nagging at me: I've had this problem several times.
I'm about 90% sure I need a front O2 sensor. Drivability is weird, I get pinging when I shouldn't, etc. No codes, though.
She has been looking longingly at the new Wrangler Rubicon 4dr. I see her side, because who would think that a car with a little more than 100,000KM (60,000miles) would have this much maintenace? Her Liberty (which did not have as many KM's) had nothing more than oil changes for maintenance costs!! What can I do? She is starting to hate this car.
I have an 02 Forester. It sucks, it constantly has problems, and more on the horizon, and initally cost more. Cat converter just took a crap on me, and the headgasket is weeping away (common on the 02) and probably about to blow....only 80,000mi on it. This is the first car I've ever owned that requires new OEM CV boots every other year. AWD seems more of a maintenece issue than anything. I dont really rely on it, and therefore dont feel like buying anything else because it'd end up costing more.
If your wife is driving it around and you dont want her stranded, trade it up. What you trade it for really depends on how many miles you drive and what sort of cars you can tolerate. I've owned hondas for 20 years and never had the issues that this piece o crap has.
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Very Interesting! Maybe I'll just run Blizaks year round. It's Arctic-Like here 4 - 5 months of the year...
Fat Tony
Blizzak WS-50's are good in snow, everyone raves about them, and I agree.
Blizzak WS-50's are bad in the dry.
Blizzak WS-50's are unreliable and squirmy when it's dry and above 40degrees....RARELY does anyone ever talk about that.
Unless you're driving in winter mountain passes or on snow for more than 60% of the time, you're better off getting a set of allseasons that do decent in the snow.
Blizzak LM-25 is about the same as an allseason with a 25% premium price tag.
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I have a set of T/A V's on my civic and am looking at getting a set for my Forester.
Is there a real difference between the T, H, and V? All three speed ratings come in this size and obviously get more expensive the higher the rating. Squishier sidewalls on the lower rated ones? Harsher ride? Hard to compare to the size I'm running on the civic as it's a 195-55-R15
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Well, I finally got my filter changed. Get this -- it never had one installed from the factory! The housing was there, but they didn't even put in a freakin filter! Thanks Subaru! And the filter cost me $40 for a "treated filter" that was nothing more than pleated cotton! Well, it's in there, can't tell much of a difference though.
Also -- is it a standard Subaru thing that each time you get parts you need your VIN number? EVERY SINGLE TIME I get parts, they ask for the VIN and in the times they haven't asked for the VIN, I've gotten the wrong parts. So, I don't get anything without a VIN now, I was just wondering if this was a standard Sub thing.
02 Forester has em too.
With as many times as you open/shut the doors along with normal air leakage I dont see how it's really doing anything. It's cheaper to buy allergy pills than to keep replacing those.
Yes, the VIN crap is annoying and they still order parts incorrectly even if you give it to them.
Anyone running Dunlop SP60's All-seasons?
in 1990 to Present Legacy, Impreza, Outback, Forester, Baja, WRX&WrxSTI, SVX
Posted
I've been running BF goodrich traction T/A's on two of my cars for the past 5 years. Felt the snow traction was much better than many other all season tires we've tried. I dont think you can expect miraculous increase in snow traction if you stick to an allseason type tire.
Sounds like you need to get a set of Blizzaks and sacrifice your handling in order to get up your driveway.