pleiades1995

The AC compressor blew on my 2003 Outback Bean H6. It didn't overheat, just made a loud sound about 30 mins after the AC stopped working. The garage took one look and said AC compressor. Garage got a new compressor (new), put it in, now the climate control head doesn't work (no lights, no control, nothing). Garage is saying I need a new control head, but this seems odd as it was working before the AC compressor went. Can one thing lead to another? Garage said they checked fuses etc. Said they checked the wires, but said they did not see if the AC compressor will turn on manually/if you put some wires together (is this part of diagnostics for this?). It has an aftermarket stereo, but that's been in and working for years. Is there anything else I can tell them to try before we order a new control head? Thanks

LOL, you have a good eye, the owner has three giant dogs. I should have taken pics of the chew marks on the rear interior door handles! Not a lot of tooth marks, but the seats (condition & color) are the only things really making me hesitate about this car. I would have preferred a grey or black interior, but I think finding a black leather interior on a loaded H6 is well nigh impossible or would take too long, though I'm not in a super rush. Would a good professional detailing job help these seats any more than me trying/buying different stuff? Actually, I'm borrowing it Thursday to take it to my garage (the owner trusts me), so maybe I'll try to inconspicuously clean a bit of the seat. Some people on the forums have suggested a Mr. Clean magic eraser. Below is exterior pic so you can see the outside purty.

I'm considering buying a 2003 Outback LL Bean H6 (120k, they're asking $5300, in pretty good shape). However, the seats (especially the driver's side) are--I don't know--dirty? the beginning of cracks? I'm new to leather seats so I don't really know how they wear or age. I'm not sure what these light-colored streaks are. Does that mean the whole thing is dirty and they're just creased/not dirty areas? Or are the light areas where the color has worn off from rubbing? (the leather is painted, right?). In person they don't look/feel like they're ready to split/crack. Either way, is there anything I can do about it to improve the looks or should I just live with them? The rear seats I'm not so worred about as I don't look at them every day. I've done some reading on general cleaning & taking care of leather seats for these Outbacks, but I want to make sure I'm doing the right thing (if it's possible) for whatever it is that is going on. Thank you! [The image sizes aren't that great, hopefully you can see what I'm talking about.]

VIN number is: 4S3BK 635XS 73437 76 Z

Thank you!! That helps a great deal. You mention 2.2L--does that mean you can tell my subby is a 2.2? I've been thinking it was a 2.2L, but some VIN interpretations suggested it was a 2.5L. Would that info be anywhere on the car (like on that side panel inside the door?) Thanks again

The (second) transmission on my 95 Legacy has died (won't go into reverse, R feels just like neutral). I have a place online (one of the JDM places) that has a tranny advertised as a 95-99 AWD automatic Legacy transmission. The code on their transmission is different from mine, and despite many hours of googling, I can't tell if they're compatible or not. The code on my transmission (not original to the car, see story below) is TZ102ZAAAA-C7. The code on their transmission is TZ102Z1-AAACC. Are they compatible? They said, of course, I can return it if it doesn't fit, but I'd still be paying $150 in shipping each way, so I want to make sure. Based on researching my VIN, I have a 1995 AWD 2nd generation non-raised roof Legacy L wagon. Most research says I have a 2.0 liter engine, but a few pages said it was 2.5, or could be either (it's the "6" code). Apparently I have an EJ25 engine/transmission. Back story that some may find interesting: I got my 1995 Legacy used in 2003. Soon after, the tranny died. I was away in grad school at the time, and found what I thought was a good transmission place. They put in a used/rebuilt "good as new" transmission. As I'm driving home from picking up the car after the "new" transmission was put in (30 minutes, on highways), I notice that it's rainy/foggy out. Then I stop at a tollbooth, and billows of smoke blow past me. It's not rain/fog, it's the car! I get home (3 minutes after the toll booth) and park. When I get out, I can tell the car is really hot because I can hear that crackling sound that metal makes as it cools. I call the place the next day, they tow it, and fix it. Said they hadn't properly sealed the gasket between the transmission housing and the engine block. Fast forward 4 1/2 years to today. I've put 20k on the "new transmission." A few weeks ago all of a sudden it won't go into reverse. Our mechanic here at home in NJ says the transmission is dead, and fluid smells burned. When I tell him the above story, he says that driving 30 minutes while bleeding transmission fluid could take 100k off the life of a transmission. Anybody have any experience or knowledge in this area? I'm thinking of sending the place that installed the 2nd transmission and didn't seal the gasket the bill for the new transmission, asking them to pay for it. Thanks for any and all help.