[How difficult is it to replace a wheel lug stud?]

I have a totally stripped wheel lug stud that needs replacing. I need to remove the brake caliber to get at the stud, yes? How long will this job take me? Is it a pain in the butt?

[Where to find good independent mechanic?]

Is there a list of independent Subaru specialists? I am looking for a mechanic in Northern New Jersey. Last guy I tried (neighborhood mechanic) was a whacko who put all wrong parts in the car.

[What all should I have done at 60k miles?]

All I'll say is don't do business with Salerno-Duane Subaru in Newton, NJ. People in the service dept. are rude, the sales manager is out to screw you, and the mechanics, based on my experiences there, are inept.

 

 

I have had problems with two different independent shops. I have fairly new, low mileage, cars and will not trust them any more to a mechanic who does not specialize in Subarus. Also, because of the 3-year warrantee period, the independents don't see the new models until they are older, so they don't have experience with them. With at least 3 Subaru dealers in my area to choose from there is no reason for me to go to an independent except to save a few dollars, and IMHO it's not worth it.

 

I want a mechanic who works on Subarus all day, has access to all of the factory bulletins, and uses OEM parts. And as long as my cars are under warrantee, they will go the dealer for service. Maybe I'll take them to an independent when they're older and I'm just trying keep them running cheaply.

 

And THAT'S no B.S.

[What all should I have done at 60k miles?]

Nothing was done at 30k miles. That's why I'm having the maintenahnce done now.

 

As an independent shop owner can I ask a few questions? 1) when was the 30k service done? 2) Was the 30k done as per owners manual? 3) What kind of driving conditions is this vehicle under?

 

 

The reason I ask is that you may be over maintaining your vehicle. If you do a lot of highway miles you might be able to extend the time between major services to 40k or every 2 years (which ever comes first) . Most fluids last out that long ( 2 years) under normal driving conditions. Severe driving conditions would be as a courier service, which might be the case considering that you have already replaced your brake pads twice. Another question is quality of pad. You might want to go to a ceramic brake pad that disperses heat better if you do a lot of stop and go driving. I recommend going into your mechanic for an oil change and ask him what he believes the servicing your vehicle needs. In that case I usually pull "A" spark plug, check all the fluids and make a recommendation for the vehicle.

 

The timing belts are lasting long because of the rubber they are using and the mesh that is inside them. Most T-belts are 100k belts because California requires all vehicles to have T-belt or chains last out that long since 1995. But if Oil or Antifreeze gets on the belts than that might effect the overall life of the belt. So with the 96-99 2.5 DOHC, I recommend replacing the t-belt if we do the front crank seal (oil pump seal) even if it is at 50-60k miles.

[What all should I have done at 60k miles?]

What a load of B.S.!!! last time the car was in at the dealer (for a transmission light) they replaced the trasnmission fluid but forgot to tighten the bolt. After a puddle of ATF formed on the driveway we took it in and they discoverd their error. Maybe some Subaru dealer's are okay, but mine sucks.

 

There is absolutely no reason a trusted independent mechanic can't do these simple maintenance items. If your independent screwed it up, you took the car to the wrong shop. But don't paint all indies with the same brush.

 

Go to the dealer, ask them what they do for the 30k service, go to an independent servcie shop, have them do the service, save $50 over the dealer's price, take it home and find that they screwed it up, next time take it to the dealer and have it done right. This has happened twice to me with two different independent garages. If you don't have a maintainence manual, ask the dealer or look it up on mysubuaru.com. Follow the factory recommendations and don't skimp. It's going to cost you $600 - get used to it, that's what it costs to drive a nice new car.

[What all should I have done at 60k miles?]

Subaru owner's manual is a joke.

 

Why are you asking here? Follow the recommendations in the owner's manual.

[What all should I have done at 60k miles?]

I'm going to bring my 2004 Outback into the local independent mechanic for it's 60k-mile service. I'm planning on replacing the spark plugs, oil (synthetic) and oil filter, air filter, automatic trans. fluid., and the brakes.

 

Is there anything else I should have done? Should I replace the differential oil (or is it fluid???), power steering fluid, coolant, have the brakes bled, etc.?

 

Also, this is the second brake job for this car. Will I need to replace the rotors also?

 

Thanks in advance!

[Hi! We Just bought an Outback!!! (long)]

Hi all! My wife and I just purchased a 4-cyl. Outback (last day of the big sale, so why not?) and so far we are loving the car! Looking forward to checking out the boards and getting info from everyone here. The car is for my wife. I own a BMW 325xi and have been going to http://www.roadfly.org, which has a great BMW message board. The information has been invaluable. I think her Subaru is on par with my AWD BMW in a lot of ways (not bad since it was $9,000 less!)

 

One funny thing is my wife asked the finance guy at Subaru if the dealers really made all that much money (since we got a pretty good deal on the car) and he said the dealers used to make a lot more money, but now with the Internet and all the info that is available it is tougher for the dealers. I guess that's true.

 

In fact, the sales manager at our dealer made fun of me for knowing all the tricks of buying a car, which he said I got off the Internet, and which I told him was exactly right! We had a good laugh, mostly over the other buyers who were getting all nutso over $300 or $400 differences between the price at this dealer and another dealer 50 miles away.

 

Anyway, I learned a lot today. Didn't get the all-time best deal of the century, but did okay. The 1.9% financing made the deal really attractive though. Anyway, I'll be scoping the boards and trying to learn as much as I can. looking forward to owning this car for a long time.