Infidel

Thanks all for your input. Ironically, I traded the Suby in the day after I made this post. It has been a great car, still ran great even with 180K miles on it, and hasn't needed any maintenance. I think it was getting fragile though, I felt like everything was on the brink. Anyways, so long, and thanks for all the help through the years.

I can't think of anything that would have caused it, I guess body oils, but I don't ride with my arm on the window or anything.

This is a 98 OBS. The driver's side grab handle and plastic trim below the window has gotten softer and sticky over the years. Last night I left the windows down and it was a bit humid, it was all extremely gummy this morning. Wiping with a dry rag looked like it was just tearing up the material so I left it alone and will leave it open in the sun all day today which should dry it out/harden it back up. This has been getting progressively worse over the years. Anyone have a way to fix or stop this?

Yeah, we're unusually cold here right now too (I'm in Austin, not Houston now) and I just noticed on teh pump yesterday that it may contain up to 10% ethanol. So maybe things aren't as bad as I thought. Still, only 250 miles out of a tank vs 325 or so, hurts.

Thanks for the advice everyone.

Thanks for the advice, I'm going to check into it. Given the age of the car/mileage, its probably due.

I've done some searching around and don't think I have any of the issues offered so far. Here's the details: 98 OBW EJ22 automatic 165K miles 2 years ago go ~26-28 mpg (replaced plugs, PCV/EGR valve, air filter) 1.5 yrs ago replaced plug wires, plugs MPG went to about 24-25 mpg, figured maybe the plug wires were low quality. 4 weeks ago replaced plugs, air filter, ran a bottle of Lucas fuel treatment through it, now down to ~20 mpg Never had a CEL, no codes etc Car idles and drives fine, no new tires since owning, winter here is mild etc. Strong gas/running rich smell on start up, typical I know, but seems to have been getting progressively worse. Could be dragging brakes? No brake work has been done since buying the car a couple years ago. I'm going to go jack it up momentarily and see if the wheels spin freely. 02 sensor? No codes, but at 165K could be due. Leaky fuel injector? It also leaks a lot of oil from the usual head locations, the valve cover seals are good though, replaced by dealer when they did the timing belt/water pump at 140K.

Also, make sure you're pushing the button in the end of the stalk to activate it, not pulling the stalk towards you. I think I made that mistake for a while, coming from VWs. Pulling it towards you would make the wipers go one cycle, amost as if the washer wasn't working, gotta push the button.

Excellent, thank you all very much.

Sorry, it's an AT.

Curious, my 98 OBS doesn't appear to have that fuse holder (just popped the hood and looked), is it located somewhere else on this year/model?

I've found several people sellling 16" OEM takeoffs near me for pretty cheap. Any clearance issues with running 16" on the OBS? Lower profile tires maybe to correct the overall diameter? Cheaper though if I can just find 15" wheels and put my current, nearly new, tires on them. Thanks for the info so far, 205/60-15 per the tag in the door.

When I purchased my 98 OBS a while back the previous owner had put new wheels and tires on it, supposedly because the hubcaps kept getting stolen. She indicated that the tires weren't the right size so it would rub going over bumps or hauling loads. I had thought this may be due to weak rear springs, but now I think it's due to an incorrect offset on the aftermarket wheels. I'm looking into getting the propert sized wheels, either oem or aftermarket. Currently I have 205/60-15 tires, unsure of the wheel offset but the rubbing occurs on the very outside of the tire, a 10-15 mm change in offset would eliminate the rubbing. A newer model OBS parks right next to me at work, the OEM wheel set up is obviously narrower than mine, although they have 16 in wheels. So, what is the proper offset? What models/years OEM wheels should work? What is the original OEM set up on this car? Thanks all

Definitely not the place to be asking about mods. Another vote for NASIOC.

$1200 for the timing belt service (all seals, water pump etc), replacing the cv joint covers on one of the axles, changing trans and diff fluids, a few worn belts etc. Yep, it was all waaay overpriced but I don't have the time to do it myself. The only local shops I trust would charge just as much, be less efficient and experienced, and probably take longer, no loaner car etc. Told the dealer to do the work around 8am, car was ready to be picked up by 2pm. Got to tool around in a new 08 Legacy for a few days. Hopefully I just bought another trouble free 60K miles, other than the oil leak, the engine ran like a top, pretty good gas mileage etc (except for my adventure with the aftermarket intake).