1075

I like the car overall with one BIG exception. I HATE the bug - eyed headlights! The damn things go halfway back the front fenders! Why couldn't Subaru have taken a page from Acura instead of following the huge rump roast Japanese headlight trend. Slim headlights + sexy and sporty. They could have done better with the grille too, tone down or eliminate that center bar thingy.

Personally if I were looking for a daily driver, I would choose a car that gets the best possible mileage on regular fuel while delivering reasonable performance in everyday driving. I don't care what the speculators say, fuel costs WILL continue to rise steadily over time. Even if big oil can buy enough politicians to drill where ever they want to, and gullible voters continue to put them in office. I waited in gas lines in the '70's and '80's and I'm paying over $4 a gallon right now along with everyone else. The subsidies and favors that big oil does only one thing - it makes the oil companies and their executives (along with a lot of foreign dictatorships) a lot richer. It has NEVER helped the consumer. And as long as oil is the major source of energy for our cars, they will have us by the short hairs and will be able to charge what ever price they please. They know this and that's why you are seeing all of the deceptive ads on TV and hearing the "drill more solution" from politicians already in their pockets. The turbo adds additional operating cost to a vehicle for it's entire life, premium fuel, poorer gas mileage, more frequent oil changes, repairs on the turbo parts and associated plumbing and so on. I drive a '00 Outback wagon with the naturally aspirated 2.5 in it and it has plenty of power for the type of practical car that it is and I get 25mpg or better with a lead foot (i.e. 75+ on the open interstate). If I want a performance car, I'll drive the '00 Vette which will do 0-60 in just over 4 seconds, finish a quarter mile in just over 12 and will also get 25mpg on the highway.

The main danger is from the catalytic converter(s), fires typically don't result from brief contact with grass, rather from longer contact such as when parked in a field. I have seen a clogged or malfunctioning converter ignite carpeting and insulation on the floor of the passenger compartment even with shields in place.

I have worked for the fire department in a metropolitan area since 1974 and I can assure you that heat shields are NOT benign! If you remove the heat shields and park in grass, you may very well come back to find your car in flames (have seen it numerous times, even with heat shields in place). You may say that you'll never park off the road, why are you driving an AWD car then? Removing your heat shield exposes the carpet and sound insulation to temperatures high enough to cause a fire (once again I have personally seen it). DO NOT remove the shield, Use one or two stainless steel dryer vent clamps or screws to stop the shield from rattling. Removing the shield is irresponsible and asking for trouble.

Jiffy Lube and shops like them are after one thing.....money. The more often their marketing can get you to change your oil, the more MONEY they make. Marketing has been used to convince people that they need monster gas guzzling trucks and SUV's, 500hp cars, huge mc mansions, $5-$10K granite countertops, industrial appliances in single family homes and many other unnecessary, unsustainable and wasteful practices that have led us into our current energy crisis. If you routinely tow, drive only short distances, idle frequently, drive in extremely dusty conditions then you should run oil analysis to determine how often your driving style dictates that you change your oil. This will also let you know if you have a mechanical problem such as water or fuel contamination in your oil or some other hidden mechanical issue that will lead to premature engine failure or accelerated wear. Follow the owners manual recommendations. Better yet, have your oil analyzed and only change the oil when analysis indicates that it's necessary. I'll have to find the link, but one test group got close to 14,000 miles on Mobil 1 by running oil analysis in a Camaro.

Thanks for the advice! I actually got this link from another site which was a great help too. http://subaru.fmgreen.net/2ndGenCrutchfieldMasterSheet.pdf I actually did not have to take the door panel off in order to get the switch cluster out. Simply prying the cluster from the top with a screwdriver will remove the switch cluster and all you have to do is disconnect the wiring to remove them from the door. I wasn't able to get the bad switch apart though. So it looks like a new switch cluster for me, $114.26 from subaruparts.com .

Trying to access the window control switches on my '00 Outback Limited Sedan to see if I can repair the drivers window switch which is positional. I've removed the 2 phillips screws that were under plastic covers on the armrest and at the front of the door panel, as well as the plastic retainer that is behind the cover by the inside door release. I have popped all of the retainers loose around the perimeter of the door panel. There is still something holding in the area of the door release handle. I can't tell what I have to do to release it and I don't want to force it for fear of breaking something. Any suggestions? Anyone have a shop manual for the '00 - '02's?

Personally, I steer clear of dealers for repairs. The vast majority are too expensive and very inconsistent. I would check for a local repair shop that specializes in Subaru repairs. I don't know of any in NoVA since I'm in MD. I use York Automotive in Mt. Airy, MD. The owner has a Subaru and they are familiar with these cars. They are not the cheapest place around, but when I find someone I trust it's worth it, and they are still cheaper than a dealer.

I agree that it depends on your needs. There are decent compromises, but generally if you need a tire that will provide outstanding performance in snow/ice, I suggest switching tires in the winter. Good winter tires do not wear well or provide good characteristics for year round conditions. I have put Yokohama Avid TRZ's on my '00 Outback sedan, my CRV and Impala and love them.

I'll have to check when I get home, but I'm almost positive that my paperwork says 36 month free replacement on my Exide. I had an Optima go bad on a Corvette after 16 months and at that time Optima only privided a 12 month free replacement. That's when I went to Exide.

I always go top of the line, still had problems on both vehicles. Also FWIW, Exide has a orbital battery that is CHEAPER than Optima with a warranty THREE TIMES as long. http://www.exide.com/products/automotive/exide_select_orbital.html

Not to get off topic, but I will hopefully visit Denmark next year when my son studies there for a semester. I hear that it's pretty expensive, especially given the current value of the US dollar.

Personally, I would avoid Fram filters with the exception of the gray ones. Fram got low ratings in Consumer Reports awhile back and check out the bottom of this page; http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfilterstudy/oilfilters.html

I have had trouble with several Walmart batteries in different vehicles, I would recommend staying away from them. Consumer Reports also took them off of the recommended list. As I recall, Die Hard was rated fairly high.

Thanks, I'm still in the "size-up" phase of the project if you will, trying to anticipate problems and get answers ahead of time. The goal for today is to change the fluid in the front and rear differentials and maybe do the first of three drain/refills on the ATF.