The Dude

Wolfhound, how much did you pay for this car. I'm asking for a reason. Usually, an "as is" car is sold for a cheap price because the seller guarranties nothing. When used car dealer represents a car as being in good condition, and gets a good price for it, the customer should not sign an "as is" purchase agreement. Regardless, you signed an "as is" purchase agreement, that leaves you with very little recourse. Arkansas is very much a "buyer beware" kind of state. If you can prove that the dealer knowingly withheld information about problems with car from you, you might have a leg to stand on. I'm not an attorney, you might want to consult one. Do you trust the dealer? Do you think he might have intentionally screwed you? If yes, than why trust him in the repair of the car? You might just be asking for another screwing. If you don't trust the dealer, why the hell would you trust a mechanic recommended by the dealer? Have you checked the dealer out with the BBB or state attorney general? Has this dealer been in business long? Does he have a long established good reputation? Did you take the car to a trusted mechanic for an inspection before you bought it? Whatever you do, watch out. Remember that even a written agreement is only as good as the person who signed it. If you don't trust the signer, a written agreement may be next to worthless. Never sign anything on the spot, always insist that you are able to take the document home overnight so that you can "carefully read it". That gives you a chance to think, and get advise if you need it.

If I can highjack this thread for just a second, any thoughts on when to replace the radiator hoses and drive belts? Would you replace the heater hoses at the same time when replacing the radiator hoses? I'll be replacing the timing belt in a few months (105K), I might as well do the whole deal.

It's your car and your call. My guess is that the 105 month limit is very conservative. Additionally, the 105 month limit probably anticipates the worst possible typical storage conditions for the belt. On the hand, your're probably not looking at a whole lot of money to have the belt changed. A timing belt failure is going to be expensive, possibily very expensive. Timing belts usually go significantly past the replacement mileage limit, but eventually they break. From reading the posts on this board it seems to me that most premature "belt failures" are caused by component failure, and not the actual belt. Seized cams, failed tensioners, the occasional water pump, and especially bad cogged pulleys appear to have a higher failure rate than the belt.

Gary, What is the best way to tell road noise from wheel bearing failure? My 2006 Forester with 91,000 miles is very noisey. I tend to attribute the noise to the tires. The noise varies considerably depending on the road surface. Most of the noise seems to be coming from the rear wheels. In any event, the 2006 Forester would have benefited from a little more sound-proofing. It has been noisey from the day I drove it off the dealer's lot.

It seems that with many rebuilders and JDM used engine sellers the customer can be required to bear the expense for labor to install/de-install engines replaced under warranty. Also, the customer can be required to pay all the motor freight costs associated with warranty engine replacement. So, who has paid for the labor for all the additional warranty installs/de-installs? And who has paid for all the motor freight to ship all these replacement engines back and forth? I'm not asking just out of idle curiosity. This is information you need to factor in when considering a rebuilt engine. I'm sorry to lean that you're having more problems.

Gary, it's a little early here in SC, and I responded to your post without noticing who had posted it. I usually only give advice to "noobs" with under 10,000 posts.

Whatever you do, stop overheating the engine, especially "all the way up". Although the engine may have been trashed by now, anyway. Go through all the usual diagnostic procedures because it could be a bad radiator cap, clogged radiator, bad radiator fans, or bad water pump. But my money is on blown headgaskets. Why do you think that genuine Subaru headgaskets were used for the repair?

So, are you saying just junk the old engine and install a replacement? Replacing blown head gaskets would only restore the compression to a level normal for a used engine. It's not like doing a ring and valve job on a high mileage engine where the compression is restored to new engine levels and the rest of the engine can't take the strain. With a little luck, a Subaru engine is good for 300,000 miles. I would invest a head gasket replacement in an egine with only 160K. Replacing an engine is a risky propostion as well. It seems way too easy to get burnt badly on a rebuilt or JDM engine to give up on a 160K engine with a blown head gasket.

It all depends how far you would like to take this thing. I usually enjoy taking it to the mat. Everything depends on Washington State law. Yes, your warranty is over. But if you can prove that the job wasn't done right in the first place, you might have a two year window to sue in small claims court. .

What model year Forester? How many miles since the head gasket replacement? Right off the bat, I would like to assure myself that the replacement was actually done. Sometimes, unintentional errors happen. A head gasket replacement should leave a number of tell-tale signs. In any event, I would argue that a major repair, like a head gasket repair, should hold for a reasonable period of time. The discussion is likely to revolve around the definition of "reasonable". Beware the ever popular "you or your wife musta overheated the engine" gambit. My personal favorite is "your wife musta run the engine out of coolant and was afraid to tell ya". Some of these service managers should have been stand-up comedians instead. Hopefully, you're dealing with an honest shop and some kind of accomodation will be made for you. Good luck.

First of all, I'm sorry that you're experiencing car problems. I know how frustrating they can be. Unfortunately, the Subaru 2.5L DOHC engine is a powerplant with well documented, and widely known, serious problems. Personally, I would only buy a Subaru with a 2.5L DOHC engine after deducting the cost of a head gasket replacement, or engine replacement, from a reasonable asking price. I would go with a 2.2L swap. According to one poster, a rebuilt engine may not be risk free. Check the 14 page "Not a Happy Camper" thread for one buyer's alleged experience. If I'm in the same situation, I'll probably take my chances on a 2.5 SOHC from a wreck.

I owned a 1999 Forester. It takes a 4.5- 4.75 quart fill for an oil change. The dipstick is far from linear, especially at the "full"" end of the stick. Fill the engine with 5.0 quarts, and the dipstick looks like the engine is overflowing with oil. Actually, it is only over by .25 to .5, no big deal. I can't tell you how many 1999 owners posted screaming that the dealership, or quicky oil change place, grossly overfilled their engines with oil. The guy changing the oil only put in 5 quarts, but dipstick showed way, way over the "full" mark.

The metal blade on the dipstick in my 2006 Forester is actually 17.25" long. I had a 1999 Forester at one time, the plastic handle on the dipstick should be yellowish-orange and match the color of the plastic oil fill cap.

Since you live in Columbia, I'm going to do the best that I can. I have a 2006 Forester. The dipstick measures 19.5" overall, and 17" for the metal "blade".

Subaru has already wrung out nearly all the horsepower to be had from the 2.5L engine. It is usually both difficult, and expensive, to coax SIGNIFICANT additional amounts of horsepower from the engine. You definitely don't want to turbo or supercharge the open deck, still somewhat prone to head gasket faiure, 2.5L engine. It could be a lot worse. You could have bought a Discovery, for example.

I believe that the 2004 Outback is at least 300 pounds heavier than its' 1999 predecessor. You are not alone in your evaluation of the 2004's performance when equipped with the 2.5L. Many preferred the 3.0L engine in the "supersized" Outback. I think the general consensus is that the 2.5L engine is a bit undersized for the 2004 Outback. I don't think that there is anything that can be done. Anyway, what's the hurry? My impression is that nearly every mile of roadway in England has a Gatso camera.

My GF's Chrysler had a timing chain. She thought that wouldn't have timing chain problems for a good long time. She may have been right, but at 70,000 miles the water pump failed. Just as in a Subaru, the timing belt/chain had to be removed to change the water pump. That was one very, very expensive water pump failure. She still doesn't like talking about it.

I don't accept the idea of any motor oil having a useful life of 35K miles. But for sake of arguement, let's say that I do. Ultra-long oil intervals call for special two stage oil filtration systems. Also, periodic oil testing along with other special measures. If you want to put your Subaru on the extended oil change interval of an 18 wheeler, then you have do to all the rest of the stuff that goes along with it. My life is full enough already. I change the oil every 5K miles, and call it good. It's a car, not my soulmate.

There is no real benefit, because you are NOT supposed to tighten an oil filter with a filter wrench!!!! It 's usually tighten only by hand by "X" amount after the oil gasket seats. So, this is case of an "improvement" that has zero upside, and apparently, lots of downside. This is what hapens when you let the wonks in the marketing department run the company.

Does anyone on the board have any experience with All Wheel Drive Auto? My 105,000 timing belt change is coming up. I might consider buying all the parts for the belt change from them.

I'm installing an after market radio in my GF's Impreza. Can anyone help with removing the old one? The plastic bezel around the radio looks expensive to replace Thanks. Also, does anyone have an opinion on HD radio? Is worth the extra expense? Some posters complain about reception problems with HD radio. Thanks.

The 1999 Forester has the Phase II 2.5L engine, which has hydrolic lifters. Ironically, the 2.5L is back to solid lifters on my 2006 Forester. One step forward, two steps back.

When I picked up my new Forester from the dealership back in 1999, the transmission squirted ATF all over the engine bay on the ride home. The diagnosis was "a blown seal", and the fix was replacement with a new transmission.

My advise is to think long and hard before opting for a rebuilt engine. If you get a lemon, usually you will be responsible for the expenses of de-installing the engine, shipping the engine back and forth, and re-installation. And, there is no guarantee that subsequent replacement engines will be any better. If you get a good rebuilt engine the first time, everyone is all smiles and giggles. But if you get a lemon, it can turn ugly and expensive very quickly.

The clutch may very well be slipping. The car is under warranty, have it checked out ASAP. Premature clutch failure is almost never covered under warranty. Premature clutch failure inevitabely is deemed to be "driver abuse".