axel

Not much snow in my neck of the woods. No deicing solution used on the roads around here. Anyway, It was just the original stock pads that showed cracking and crumbling. None on my PBR Axxis/Ultimates. I'd say that the original factory pads were of mediocre quality.

Regarding grooves in the rotor.... When I originally removed the front stock pads, I noticed that the inside surface of one rotor had a groove in it where the Subaru pad material had crumbled and gotten between the rotor surface and the pad, causing the rotor to become scored. I elected to install the PBRs anyway, without having the rotor resurfaced. I've experienced no braking issues whatsoever because of the unresurfaced scored rotor. Braking is smooth, powerful and quiet. BTW, Upon removing the original Subaru pads, I noticed that the pads were full of small cracks along with the evidence of crumbling. Don't think the Subaru stock pads are of very high quality. At least they weren't on my 2000 Sube. No crumbling or cracking with the PBRs.

Hawk HPS pads are very good but they're about $85 or higher per set(for front)at least $75 rear. PBR Axis/Ultimates are available for about $42 front, $38 rear. Stopping power and fade resistance about the same for both brands. A bit less dust(maybe) and longer pad life for Hawk.

I've been using PBR Axxis/Ultimate ceramic KevlarBrake pads on my 2000 Legacy GT wagon, and they're outstanding. However the one negative is the pads do wear out fairly quickly. The rear pads are now down to about 3mm of material after 28,000 miles. The fronts were replaced not too long ago when I installed slotted front rotors. If I replace the rear pads with semi- metaliic ones for longer pad life do you expect that overall braking performance will be compromised in any way since there will be different pad material on the rear ? Also, is it really necessary to have the rear rotors resurfaced before installing new pads there? Braking performance is totally smooth with no hint of vibration or warping.

My experience with universal pumps has been that there is too often, a slight lag between the moment you press the washer stalk to the moment that the fluid starts starts to squirt; which means dry sweeps by your wipers(could abrade the windshield if any sharp particulates are present) If that's an issue for you, I'd stick with Subaru'sown replacement, which tends to squirt nearly instantaneously.

FYI: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw_9_7?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=subaru+repair+manual&sprefix=subaru+ I know that the previous posts in this thread are a few years old but I'm sure that there are some folks who are still interested in obtaining do it yourself manuals for their 2000 and up Subes.

2000 Legacy GT wagon MT 57k miles. Slap does disappear once engine is warmed up.

My Sube's got the piston slap clicking noise at cold idle and for first several minutes of driving....until engine warms up. Does this mean eventual engine damage and costly repairs somewhere down the road or can this issue continue indefinitely without problems?

Oops, mistake! Sorry:o

Another problem with plastic headlights is that they become pitted over time from gravel and road debris impact. I've used plastic headlight protectors( the ones that I installed were made by 3M). They're made of a clear,soft, flexible material with adhesive. After about 6 years, I had to remove one of them due to it becoming heavily discolored, apparently from constant direct sunlight exposure; Couldn't remove the discoloration so I removed the protector. Pulled off pretty easily after first heating it with a hair dryer. But the adhesive remained on the headlight surface. It was a nightmare to clean off. Denatured alcohol didn't work. Was afraid to use a stronger solvent for fear of damaging the headlight surface. I used "Goop" cleaner and LOTS and LOTS of rubbing. Took quite a while. But those protectors do, indeed, work quite well.

Yeah, Meguiar's is pretty good, as long as you don't let the headlights get too hazy/oxidized before using it. The secret to keeping your plastic headlights clear is to clean/polish them regularly.....like about every 10 days.

In past years, we had glass headlights. Worked just fine, Cost just a small fraction of the current plastic ones to replace. No problem with them going opaque or yellowing like the plastic ones. European style, non sealed beam headlights had replaceable high intensity bulbs for great illumination. Came in just a few sizes (round or rectangular)unlike the current plastic ones that are made in hundreds of cinfigurations to fit individual make and model cars, which make them incredibly expensive. Why this trend to form over function? What went wrong??? Just like the stupid trend to color coordinated, very easily damaged, and very costly to repair/replace bumpers ....don't get me started on that one! Of course, Subaru followed the herd. O.K. rant over for now.

Whenever the turbo is activated, the car gulps fuel like a Hummer. That's the price of driving a turbocharged car. I can't understand folks who are willing to pay a premium price for a turbo car and then whine and moan over gas mileage and the need to use higher octane fuel. Ya wanna play, ya gotta pay. That's just the way it is. Actually, there's no reason for a turbo other than the "fun" of neck snapping acceleration. And an itchy foot on the gas pedal costs money.

You want the chemicals in the cleaner to mix thoroughly with the gasoline. That's the only reason it's said add to a nearly empty tank. The action of the gasoline pouring into the tank distributes the cleaner throughout the fuel. If you're using the small can of Techron don't dilute it by going past the 12 gallons to one can ratio. You would just be reducing the effectiveness of the additive. When I used Techron, I went for the large Techron bottle(it's for 20 gallons of gas). I added it to half a tank of gas and then filled it up. My Sube's tank holds 16.9 gallons. The Techron worked fine. Better a little extra than not enough.

I've been using Red Line SI-1 fuel system cleaner, and think that it's really good stuff. I add a bottle to my Sube's gas tank about every 8 weeks. Keeps the engine humming along beautifully. Of course, Techron is no slouch either.

Yeah, well I've found that fog lights don't really aid in seeing where you're going in the fog. And it can get pretty foggy in the Berkeley hills . I use mine only for driving through winding roads at night, like through Tilden Park or along Wildcat Canyon Road ( some nice hairpin turns). The fog lights do illuminate the side areas in front of the car, really helpful on two lane winding roads at no more than 30-35mph, and the PIAA Extreme While Plus bulbs light up the road quite nicely. But in the fog.....forget it.

I've got PIAA Extreme White Plus bulbs on my Sube's low beams, high beams and fogs and I'm very satisfied with the amount of road illumination they give. The original stock bulbs gave mediocre light coverage. Not sure whether the plastic lenses on the Sube are a factor in good/bad light coverage(although I would prefer glass, they don't discolor like the plastic lenses;when the plastic discolors, the lenses are, no doubt, less efficient. I clean the plastic lenses every 10 days or so with a plastic cleaner/polish-Meguiars).

Your Sube's owner's manual(you still have it, don't you?) should list all the bulbs you need for your car. You can access it online here:http://techinfo.subaru.com/html/search.jsp?publication_type=2. You'll have to register with your Sube's V.I.N. first.

Let's see now, A 16 year old male running on 100 Octane testosterone, plus a car of any kind equals disaster. One of the effects of testosterone poisoning is a sudden and complete breakdown in good judgement and common sense. Get him a donkey instead. That's my 2 pfennigs.

Re: Subaru headhasket replacement. When Subaru does a head gasket replacement under waranty, they do it the quick and dirty way, while the engine is still in the car: the preferred way is to pull the engine first, to allow easy access to the head, makes for a more reliable fix. Head gaskets can be reliably replaced with engine still in the car if the tech doing the work is very careful and meticulous, but few are. Subaru does it without pulling the engine because it saves time and (therefore money), but the end result is often repeated head gasket failure somewhere down the line. If you have hg replaced under waranty, consider getting rid of your Sube before the hg goes bad again; the headgasket that's replaced isn't covered for a second failure, unless it fails soon after replacement.