Sconnyite

Cookie, Do you happen to know if Subaru was shipping 2004 OBs with the goop already in the radiator fluid, or should I go buy some?

I had a 1997 OWB that blew a HG at 104K. I subsequently bought a 2004 OBW and have $49500 miles on it. My question is, did Subaru ever actually fix the HG problem? Is anyone out there having blown HGs before 150K miles on OBW newer than 1999? What exactly is the difference between the old EJ25s and the new SOHC ones that might make them any less prone to this problem? Should I try to sell now, or should I risk driving it into the ground? Where is "The Ground" on a 2.5L subaru these days?(I owned a Loyale with a 1.8 L engine, and I never found "The ground"). Thanks kindly for all your thoughts. Joel

Okay, so the idea is that I'd like to buy an Outback Sport with a 2.2L engine because I don't want to get nailed with the Head Gasket issue I hit with my 97 OBW again. By basically all accounts on this forum, the 2.2L is bomb proof, and plenty of power for the smaller wagon. Problem is it seems 2001 was that last model year you could get a 2.2 in a Subaru in America. I know latch wasn't mandatory until Sept. 2002, but some manufacturers installed it in their cars well ahead of the mandate. I'm just wondering if Subaru was one of them. I'd love to hear from any 2001 impreza owners..... Thanks, Joel

I've got an 04 OBW(With LATCH), and have owned 97 OBW(No LATCH). I'm considering trading in the 04 OBW in a year and replacing it with an older 2.2 OB sport to save on fuel economy. I'd also buy a used Minivan for longer trips. However, I've got one kid, and another on the way, and I need to know what the first model year Subaru started offering the LATCH system anchor points in the Impreza models. It's one of those things that once you've had latch, you'll never go back. I've searched the forum for the answers in prior posts and got nowhere. Thanks in advance to those who reply! Joel

Therapy. Tell me about it. I've been in therapy over my 97 outback since March of 2004. And get this: SUBARU OF AMERICA WON'T PAY ME FOR THAT EITHER!!! Where's the LOVE? Ha ha!

Wow, so much of this thread is so BOOOOOOOGUS! I'm in with the crew that says the Benign Trybecka is the uglyiest creation ever by subaru. As for what Shawn said ealier, that it shouldn't matter so much what it looks like, its still a Subaru and is super dooper reliable - Horse$hit. I've been a victim of Subaru's DOHC Head gasket defect denial. I got so jambed financially by it that I strangely was roped into buying yet another Subaru, because subaru dealer was the only place I could get a trade in value for the car with a blown HG. It turns out the SOHC engine are having HG failures now too! Fix the goddamn engine flaw already, fess up to it and recover your customers. Subaru doesn't have $hit to be proud of lately for reliability. The last reliable engines they made were the 2.2L and the 1.8L. They did okay on looks with the Outbacks, the Imprezas and the newest Forester, but this hideous peice of phlegm they're hocking now eliminates "good looks" as a reason to buy it. As far as I can see, the only thing Subaru has going for it right now is the AWD, and others are catching up to them on that front too. I'm dumping my meticulously cared for 2004 OB when it hits 55-59 k miles, because I don't trust it to reliably go much further. It's at 25K now, and seems like new, but then why shouldn't it, it practically is. My neighbor's 2001 OB had the head gaskets replaced at 74,000, and got no F************ing help from SOA. Screw them. I'll be looking elsewhere for my next car if Subaru doesn't get it's act together by then. Perhaps Mazda will come out with an AWD version of thier 6 wagon. If not, and Subaru still thinks it can get $25k for it's base OBW(I paid $19,500 for my 04, brand new) I'm sure I'll have a lot of choices for not much more. Hell and Audi A4 Avant wagon only cost $27-29. Subaru has lost it's collective mind. I hope they lose their collective rump roast on the new ugly car, their new "up market" approach, and their strategy of not standing by their customers when their products turn out to be seriously flawed. -Bushels of sour grapes here.

I bought a 1990 Loyale in 1995 with only 25K miles on it(Typical Grandma drove it to church story), and it only had FWD. I drove it until I had a major accident with it at 131K, and I never had to do anything but maintenance on wear items... and it was very good in snow for a 2 wheel drive car. My next car was an AWD outback, and I'm sorry, but I'm with the guy who said he'd never go back to FWD to save his life. Neither would I. Forget about it. You'll think of nothing else when it's snowing, or all winter long for that matter. It will haunt you. Don't do it.

I have owned three subarus- a 1990 loyale that I drove without any defect from 26k to 131K, with only replacement of common wear items(Brake pads, tires, muffler). My second subaru was 1997 outback limited, which I drove from 62,000 miles, to 104K. At which point it suffered a full on head gasket blowout, and/or warped head(It would have cost too much to really determine which), so I traded it in for $5,000 and bought a brand new 04 outback. At the time of the purchase I had enough subaru bucks stored up(Chase credit cards) that buying a new subaru seemed like my only choice. The dealer was willing to give me more ofr my old car than I thought they should have, and the deal on the new one was pretty good. I walked away with the new car for 20K - 5K(trade in). That being said, Subaru did not lift a finger to help me with that 97 that basically died at 104K. By their actions(Lack there of) the message was clear: we don't really care to design our cars to drive reliably over 100K miles any more. So, I'll keep driving subaru as long as there's nothing better for the price, but I'll never drive it past the 60,000 mile drivetrain warranty. Good thing they seem to hold their resale. I'll let some other chump gamble with the higher miles.

We just got hit over the weekend with about 12 inches here in wisconsin, and I have yet to see a stuck subaru. My 04 outback got massively plowed in while I was at a friend's house, 24" -36" plow forough. I just laughed at it, got in, and drove through it like nothing's going on but the rent. I have driven my other outbacks in up to 20 inches of fluff out west, but my new car wouldn't handle that all that well, because the bridgestone Potenza tires that came with it are absolutely terrible in snow compared to almost any after market all season tire I've ever had.

Point taken. If I have to drain all the coolant as the instructions indicate, that's not something I want to do any where near my house, incase of spillage. I'm just not rigged for that work. Anyway, Dealer wants $80 installed, and I'm not sure it's worth $60 labor for me to have the car warm in the morning. My last Subaru was a 97 with a bad gasket at 100K, so I won't ever be driving a Subaru past 55K - 60K.(I'll let some other chump discover Subaru's newest Flaw of the week/year/model over the 60K warranty) So this won't matter from a longevity standpoint. Thanks for the advice.

Whoa, is it safe to say that you have to drain the coolant from the system in order to install this block heater?

It's -12 here in wisconsin right now, and I'm wishing I hadn''t put off installing a block heater during the summer. I have a 2004 OB 2.5 Manual, and I'm wondering how to install a block heater on it. I've searched the forums and only came up with a install for an 84 Brat. Has anyone done this on a newer OB? I'm hoping someone has an engine diagram they could post that shows where this thing goes and how...

Wow, I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought it looked like a Murano. Does anyone have pics of this thing rather than that silly artist's rendering, or is that as far as they've gotten with it so far? Minivan is right. Maybe it's a cross of an AWD MPV, and a murano. In any case, if it's a classic subaru, it'll get less than expected fuel economy, and the thought of making it a hybrid won't have even occured to them. Ugh. They make it so hard to be a Subaru fanatic/owner.

Adam, thanks again for getting the fax for me. I'll have to repay the favor to USMB members next time I'm registered. I was thinking hail damage too, but there's no dents(Unlike Diesel's, dang man), just little paint chips. Wierd. BTW, for the rest of you, no accidents per the Carfax. Thanks again. Joel

Is anyone out there currently hooked up with Carfax? A friend of mine is considering a 2000 Impreza with this as the VIN: JF1GF4850YG811567. It seems to have a lot of weird paint chips on it that you'd get if you following a gravel truck, but they're all over the car! How the heck could that be? I think it's been in a accident, but he disagrees. Would anyone check this for me? You could email me at heuschej@usa.com if you didn't want to reply by post. Thanks a ton in advance. Joel

BS to anyone who believes the Headgasket issue is a reality that should be accepted, and lived with. I suffered this same headgasket FLAW in my 97 DOHC Ouback earlier this spring, and only learned about this website after the fact. I didn't have much a a prayer of being informed about the issue, and the primary reason was that SUBARU did not fess up to the problem and issue a recall or a notice to inform their customers so they could do somethign before it was too late. Typical car company. I rather like your idea of the last drive of your 99 OB being to the front of Subaru's headquarters. In fact, I think a proper protest of subaru's handling of this issue would be to have every 2.5 engine with a failed headgasket parked on the lawn of their headquarters. Maybe pull the batteries and wheels, and just let them sit. It'll be a nice little Subaru owner gathering. "Lack of appreciation" day.

Unless something changed betwen years, the 96 is probably the same as the 1997, which was factory. I upgraded from a 97 to and 04 this year, but I still have two remotes and a Drawtite hitch from my 97 if you're interested. heuschej@usa.com

Unless something changed between years it is probably the same as the 1997, which was Factory. I just traded up my 97 for an 04 this year, but I still have two remotes and a drawtite trailer hitch left over from the 97 that would work well on your 96 if you're interested. heuschej@usa.com

Does anyone have a 1997 Subaru Impreza wagon with the 2.2 L, Manual they'd like to sell? A friend of mine in the Minneapolis area is looking for one. If you don't have one to sell, do you have any tips on pitfalls to look for in buying one? Is there something expensive that goes wrong shortly after 100K miles? If this car was involved in two semi serious accidents in it's life, which were repaired by a reputable body shop, is there anything I should look for related to the accidents? I know what the Blue books say this car is worth, but if you were in the market, what would you pay for one that's in great shape, with 100 k on it?(Accidents aside) Thanks, Sconny

Hey guys, I've got a very weird trailer lighting issue on my 2004 Outback. Having installed a hitch on my new car, I took the wiring harness from my old (1997 outback) and plugged it in to see if it worked. I tested it on a trailer and it seemed to work. Now, a couple of months later, when I'm ready to go on a trip, only the left turn signal works. No Brakes, no taillights. Of course I figured it was the trailer lights, having tested the harness on a different trailer before. Not so. I brought home a complete kit for re-wiring the trailer, installed it, only to find the problem is unchanged. I tested the new lighting on a different tow vehicle, and all the lights work. Back to searching for a wiring harness- All the aftermarket harness suppliers in my area say their 2004 harness books only show one harness kit for 1996-2003 outbacks, and the same kit works for 1998-2004 Foresters. They show no part numbers for 2004 outbacks. The Original Subaru harness from my dealer costs $92.50. Did they change something from the 2003 Outback to the 2004 outback that requires a new harness? What the heck is going on here? Thanks much.

Hey there, I have an 04 OB, and I'm wondering if there's a good source for junkyard parts for the interior of the car. (My one year old does wonderful things.) Also, I have a Draw-Tite hitch and drawbar and a pet barrier off my former '97 Outback for sale, $60 each. Pictures available on request, email me if you're interested! Joel Heuschele heuschej@usa.com

I'm looking for a hitch for my 04 Outback, specifically Draw-tite Brand. My dealer said he could get one for $110 for me, but I wanted to check for used ones first. Let me know if you're getting rid of you 2000-2004 legacy hitch and give me your price. Thanks. I expect shipping will be $20 or so. Thanks, Joel heuschej@u...

Does anyone have a picture of what a 2002-2004 Outback wagon looks like from the back with a Drawtite brand hitch mounted to it, without the receiver bar in?

I've owned a 90 loyale that went to 130,000 without any mechanical defects and just a bit of rust on the tailgate when I totalled it. I then got a 1997 OB Ltd two years ago with 60,000 miles on it, and got upsidedown on the loan when the heads warped at 104K, without any substantial rust on it except where there were pebble chips. Now I have a 2004 OB, which I hope will make it to 60,000 miles, and still have enough resale to sell it, and escape this subaru vortex. They are spiralling down fast over there. How come there aren't any Subaru employees on this board refuting these claims, or offering some assistance? ARRGH!