mountainwalker

The OEM Subaru sticker on the compartment on the side of the dash against the driver's side door just happens to be placed there and there isn't a filter there. That sticker should be placed in the glove box. I'm 100% sure there are the 2 parts pictured in the link above and they both go behind/under the glove. I also think it's very easy to cut a piece of allergen filter material to size. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/14201-cabin-air-filter-diy-12-bucks.html The Wix cabin filter I ordered I got from Amazon and it confirmed fit for our model but after it arrived today it's clear it's the wrong part so will return. Subaru dealership charges $39 for this part. Subaru online parts charges $29 plus $12 shipping. Walmart or Home Depot allergen filter cut to size - a few bucks. Going to go that route.

When you are driving through smog and some of the thickest pollen concentrations on the planet anything helps.

This is the Amazon WIX Cabin Filter - shows only 1 filter. And as I mentioned there is a compartment on our model for a cabin filter on the driver's side of the dash against the door. Wix 24857 Cabin Air Filter, Pack of 1 http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000C9TAQY/ref=oss_product I just shot the question to Subaru Parts For You as well. Thanks for pointing out the site and sharing the link.

Two for the Outback 2003 VDC model? Where did you see this info? I'll check again but only found a panel with a sticker indicating cabin air filter on the side of the dash against the driver's door. Also when I ordered the cabin filter WIX part for our Outback model from Amazon it showed only a single filter.

According to Amazon reviews it isn't as thorough as the 3M kit, providing a quick easy polish but not getting out heavier haze or deeper scratches - would you agree? Any tips for using it? It definitely seems easier and less work than the 3M, just not as thorough.

I'm just going to polish them, especially since they are not in bad shape.

Thanks greenleg88, found it on Amazon for $14 without the masking tape or water spray bottle. Mostly very good reviews. How long did it take you? Any special tips you can offer?

greenleg88, does that 3M kit include EVERYTHING you need? If so sounds like a very good value.

Thanks, that is one long thread apparently with a lot of approaches. I'll have to read in depth later, but for now, in addition to sandpapers of several grits used with warm water and soap, 1) which rubbing compound would you recommend? 2) which clear coat or plastic shield or wax would you recommend? Also, about how much does a new set of headlamp covers cost, OEM and non-OEM? Curious if worth the time.

Anyone know if there's another cabin air filter on our Outback 03 VDC 3.0L H6 under or behind the glove box in addition to the side of the dashboard against the driver's door? The side of the dash against the driver's door is marked "cabin air filter" but I see no such marking in the glove compartment. Hate to pay Subaru $35 just to find this out. Also will ask our mechanic who would have access to their technical manual.

There may also be another one on the side of the dash board facing the driver's side door - at least there is one on my Outback 03 VDC 3.0L H6. I'm trying to find out if there's another one on our car behind or under the glove box.

Headlamp casings scuff over time from dust and debris hitting them at high speed over time. Because they seem to be made of a heavy duty acrylic, is it possible to polish them with compound, or is it easier and fairly cheap to replace them? I'm getting enough light, but would get even brighter light if I polished/replaced. I know that aquarium owners polish their acrylic aquariums, so thought that this might be possible with headlamp covers.

Weighing all the comments and factors, it seems the safest and least time-consuming thing for our family use mixed town and highway driving is just to use a standard filter. We put on only light regular miles outside of special trips, certainly less than average, and at least 1/3-1/2 of our regular driving is around town 30-45 mph. The WIX filter was only $11.82. At that price easy to change every 6-9 months if I needed/wanted to. Thanks to all for the very helpful info and suggestions.

SubieDaddy80, thanks, can you tell me a little about WIX filters? Are they folded paper style filters? Are they any better than any other folded paper-based filters? Are they expensive? How much does the WIX filter for your Subaru run and where did you get it? Olnick, thanks for your thoughts - that's what I came across after researching K&N. All in all I think it may be best to do what I did with my good ole Volvo 240 DL, which was to use an inexpensive basic generic air filter and change it every 6-9 months.

Re eBay replacement, I'm only concerned with getting one that actually fits our model. However, here's a good tutorial on using a Walmart air filter and cutting to size: http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/99-do-yourself-illustrated-guides/14201-cabin-air-filter-diy-12-bucks.html It's really not any different than replacing a HEPA filter for your vacuum or filter for your central heating and A/C - cutting to size should be pretty simple. And you can cut a few from a single larger piece of filter material. Our cabin filter is apparently accessed from the driver's side of the dashboard - you have to open the driver's door to get at it. But there could be another filter behind the glove compartment. Anyone know? Would you also bother with a duct-cleaning spray like this: A/C & Heater Duct Cleaner & Deodorizer (7.25 oz.) http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003JO9GF4/ref=oss_product

Wow thanks for posting that test. Looks pretty exhaustive. I don't like that the K&N may be passing more dirt to the engine and damaging it in the process of passing more air through - do you think this could be a problem? I'm wondering if I'm just better off using standard cheaper air filters and just replacing them more often to maintain performance, say every 6 months.

What do you recommend for car wash fluid that won't strip protective wax or paint? Wax 2x/year pre-winter and pre-summer.

Do they have any real mpg or acceleration benefit over standard air filters? Many people seem to swear by them. Also, how often would you clean them? K&N says once every 50,000 miles but it's a filter and will clog like others, even if it takes a little longer, so I'd probably clean mine once/year.

I was going to clean the old cabin air filter housing and just buy a good allergen room filter at Walmart or Home Depot and cut to size and replace the old one - should work great and cost much less than OEM. When I went to Subaru's online technical manual for installation instructions, I was shocked to find out they wanted, FROM OWNERS NOT PRO MECHANIDS, $35 to access it for 3 days, $299 for a month and $2500 for a year. I figure it should be very straightforward - the cabin air filter is accessed from the driver's side of the dash against the door frame. Thanks, EJ

Answered most of my own question: http://www.autoblog.com/2009/07/29/first-drive-2010-subaru-outback-has-character-for-everyone/ "The Outback has grown 4.1 inches taller and two inches wider, but is 0.8 inches shorter due to decreased front and rear overhangs. The extra height and width were almost directly translated into nearly 13 more cubic feet of cabin room, with larger front seats providing more head, shoulder and hip room, and an increase by four inches of rear legroom and two additional inches of toe room under the front seats. Unless you belong in the WWE or you're an NBA draft prospect from China, sit in the back of the Outback and your legs will not touch the front seats. Your freight gets more breathing room as well. The tailgate is wider, the floor is lower, and the packaging of the new double-wishbone suspension combine to add a shade less than one cubic foot of extra cargo room over the current car with the rear seats up, and a tad less than six cubic feet with the rear seats down. Those rear seats, by the way, are one-touch fold-down with a 60/40 split, and also recline. The hauling space behind them can be covered with a retractable tonneau, and when you don't want to mess with the cove you can hide it in the subfloor, accessed by lifting the up the rubber mat and carpet." I think it looks quite nice, but apparently many of the posters think it's ugly and find almost all Subarus ugly - but then those are people who don't buy cars for the same reasons I do.

I've never traded in a car before and was wondering - if the Subaru trade in program below is supposed to be for 2004 model years and above, does that mean you can't trade in an 03? Or does it just mean that the models from 04 and above have guaranteed values based on year and mileage? I'm in no rush to do this anytime soon as our 2003 VDC H6 3.0L is loaded with features found on newer model years and is running beautifully now. https://www.subaru.com/shopping-tools/data/vehicle/gtpinfo/4S3BH896237600019

Saw pictures - looks very different - higher base, larger interior and exterior, etc. What are the key differences/improvements over the 2009 and earlier models? Anyone know how much more cargo space there is in the back cargo area in terms of width between wheels and above wheels, height, and length of cargo area? Anyone know how much longer, wider and higher the 2010 exterior is over previous models?

Any major work you are considering I would also diagnose and estimate with the dealership - Capitol Subaru in San Jose or Steven's Creek. I haven't been to Steven's Creek, though had 90K service done at Capitol Subaru under a good deal and I think Capitol Subaru gets better reviews than Stephen's Creek. Reason I haven't been to independent yet is that I successfully got Subaru to cover the bit of work we had to do (seat heaters needed replacing and sensor for VDC anti-slip system needed to be realigned) under the Gold Plus coverage that came with the 2003 VDC H6 3.0L model we bought last year. Car is running great, love it. Now that our Gold Plus coverage is expired, would like to know about any good independent Subaru garages you find. I have also heard mostly good things about Mechanica Automotive in Mountain View and they have good reviews.

The dealer service rep said they could fix it/fixed it, but that he needs to call the Subaru 800 customer support line to "check" if it's covered [out of deep concern for us of course]. But the whole way he stated the cause as being from an "outside" source is designed to screw us out of our coverage.

Fairtax4me +1 Thanks for that explanation. Unfortunately they keep pulling tactics like this. My concern about calling the national 800 customer service line is that I've caught them colluding with the dealer twice already. I was only able to get the info I needed by going to other Subaru reps outside the tracked dialog with the dealer. The national customer service reps actually seem to be afraid of the dealers, probably because the dealers complain to their supervisors, and some dealers wield a lot of power. Do you think the regional Subaru rep will be any better than the national Subaru 800 customer service number? How can I prove that it wasn't the steering alignment sensor? I'm also forcing them to address the seat heaters. Last time I brought the car in for 90K servicing I got a BS story about how if they look for the problem in the seat heaters and can't find it, they'll have to charge me for the diagnostic. Do you know how much BS that is when the seat heaters are covered and just don't work?