sadsack

Setright - I scoped the shop manual, and the only thing modulating the rears (under non-ABS operation) is the proportioning valve. Under hard breaking the PV acts to reduces fluid pressure to the rears, so I assume that hard driving will actually increase the pad wear difference between front and rear (with the fronts taking a greater hit). Then again, I may ASSuming too much. Pad deposits sound plausible, though, as they would essentially act like the tines in a music box, causing brake pad flutter under light breaking. If this is the case, I might as well get a free turning to last another 5-10K before I swap the whole kit. Once that cementite is seeded in the pads - you're using the lathe as a lawnmower, when you really need Round-Up . . . Thanks again!

Thanks for all the replies so far. I initially suspected warped rotors, but hell, it's still under warranty - why get dirty? I had a Ford Escort, so I've got plenty of experience diagnosing warped rotors and seized caliper sliders. The situation with the Scoob is somewhat different, in that: 1) If it's warped rotors, then I should notice pulsation/vibration whenever I use the brakes. In this case, however, hard braking yields no vibration, while light and moderate braking causes vibration. 2) Why would the rear brake pads be worn to the same degree (50%) as the front pads (assuming the dealer is accurate/honest in the wear estimate)? From what I understand, the fronts account for 70-80% of the stopping power. If anything, the fronts should have crapped out before the rears (which were just turned for excessive runout), unless the stock braking system is "perfectly" balanced wrt pad wear? 3) The fact that pulsation/vibration is only present during light/moderate braking leads me to suspect a possible problem with the tandem brake booster. As noted above and in tunered's reply, I would expect warpage to cause vibration whenever brakes are applied. Could the "dual-stage" nature of the vibration possibly be attributed to a malfunction of "wimp" stage (low boost) of the booster? I've lurked for a while and have read the threads regarding poor pad life (i.e. "You drive like a maniac"), but have not seen any description of the particular behavior I've noticed. As far as PROPER repairs go - once the brakes are out of warranty and it's my dime, I'll definitely replace pads and rotors all around, add SS lines, clean & lube calipers, slides, and bushings, and do the StopTech bedding procedure . Until then, I'd like to have as persuasive an argument as possible to convince the dealer to fix this problem on THEIR dime. Please keep the suggestions coming - I'm very grateful.

Vehicle: 2003 Subaru Legacy wagon. F/R disk brakes. Problem: Brake vibration/shudder during moderate braking after brakes have warmed up. Under heavy braking, vibration disappears. Vibration is felt primarily through the steering wheel, and is proportional to speed. History: Bought new - I'm the original owner. 34K miles, driven hard, but well maintained. No curbs or Auto-X (hah! in a Legacy wagon?). Brake fluid changed at 30K service. Previous trip to dealer about this problem resulted in them resurfacing the rear (!?) rotors for excessive runout. They checked the fronts but left them alone. Front pads 50% worn, rears also have 50% wear (?!). Car is still holding a factory spec alignment. Lug nut torque has been periodically checked, by me, with a torque wrench, so that they do not exceed 75 lb/ft. I had a Ford econobox before, so I know about the consequences of improper/uneven lugnut torque. I'm worried about three things: 1) My 36K/3yr bumper-to-bumper warranty runs out in 2K more miles, so I need to resolve this quickly. 2) Rear pad wear seems high - I would think that the fronts would be eaten up much more quickly relative to rears. 3) Can this be caused by the tandem brake booster? I find it unusual that the vibration goes away when I press hard on the brake pedal. There's also the mysteriously high wear on the rear pads. I'd appreciate any good ammunition for my next encounter with dealer service. I'm reasonably competent with DIY, I just don't have a runout gauge, and would rather the dealer fix this on their dime instead of having to fix it myself at this point in time (after 36K, sure). Thanks!

Thanks, Jamie. I'd like to forward any confirming parts info to the boys at Whiteline - this issue had stumped us all to this point. Any recs for a 20mm adjustable RSB? If need be I'll content myself with a fixed 20mm. From the online catalogs, I can only determine year changes to the various parts. It appears, however, that the front stabilizer bar is the same across '00-04, as well as the rear lower control arm bushings, tranny mount, and the cat-back portion of the exhaust system. The header and cat section are pretty much the same AFAIK, except for relocation of the A/F and O2 sensor bungs on the converter section. Do Group N mounts exist for my model year Legacy? I'd like to upgrade engine/pitch stop/tranny to take some of the slop out of the driveline. I notice there were changes for some of the engine mounts and the pitch stop mount. Thanks for the help!

I've been having a devil of a time trying to figure out the reason why the Whiteline 20mm adj. RSB (BSR12XZ) doesn't fit my wagon. After browsing the OEM parts catalog, I notice that a distinction is made between the '00-02 and the '03-04 MY Legacies wrt the RSB's. I suspect that a slight change in the rear subframe may have required a change in the RSB geometry, particulary to left (driver's) side at the "hump" over the exhaust pipe. If anyone can confirm this, please let me know. I'd also greatly appreciate advice on other 20mm RSB options for my vehicle. I'm looking for a beefier bar to complete a 22/20 F/R setup, as I regularly haul cargo along the twisty Texas Hill Country roads (makes the Scoob wallow like a pig, let me tell you . . . )