ThosL

F and S Subaru in Waterbury told me about trying to use the product "install" it, etc.. He said it did not work for him and found it very caustic, you have to be careful how you handle it. I know that the Puerto Rican Americans who originally sold the vehicle to me ran a head gasket fix through the 2.5 which later gave out and I had a head gasket job which cost me $1500 but should not have been done as the increased compression caused the crankshaft to go bad and then I had a 2.2 installed.

And I can't afford the head gasket job estimated between $1K and $2K from several shops on a vehicle with 295+ K miles.

Credit at store if you satisfy all their conditions; I've been getting the run around with the usps and express guarantees, they sure hate to give any refunds. What business never gives refunds? The world's oldest profession....

"Restore" seems to be a popular product. I wonder what ever happened to Slick 50?

Bubbles in the radiator; steam coming out of the radiator bleed screw when I take it out after it has overheated. No it doesn't say to pull a plug or find the one with the blow by. Blue Devil is one of the few of these head gasket repairs in a bottle that says you must flush the coolant system and run pure water before using their product or they will not refund; the flush product has to be on the receipt or no dice. One other product says you have to have a definite written diagnosis of bad head gasket before using their product.

I got a letter today from the Small Claims Court notifying me I won by default--"Splash" car wash/oil change did not reply to my filing. Now the challenge will be getting my $$$ back.

So I was speaking with a technical assistant from the "Blue Devil" head gasket fix company yesterday as I was trying to find out how to get the refund. He said they have a 90% success rate. If I get a refund it is not $$, but credit at the auto store. So he said I should have pulled the plugs and found out it any of them were showing coolant seepage which their product is supposed to fix. I said I did not check the plugs. And get this--he said the Blue Devil is designed to fix the leaks if you pull the plug that is getting the seepage, and run the vehicle on three cylinders while the product does the trick on the one problem one--which one? So what is the likely scenario since I am able to drive my 2.2 Outback without overheating as long as I don't overstress it? Just head gasket; leakage elsewhere? Warped head, cracked head no?

I was driving my Subaru with the 2.2 today and overheating after some lugging up hills on the hot day; usually the head gasket blow by is manageable, with the bubbles of steam not being out of control. So I had to pull over, as when I put the heater/defrost on full blast, no heat was coming out. So when the heater started working again, I was able to drive it at around 65 mph without overheating.

We have seen quite a few additives come down the pike over the last 30 years. "Slick 50"; STP; "Tuffoil"; Rislone; Motor Honey; Restore for the oil systems. Lucas and others for the tranny; Blue Devil, Barsleak and others for the water system; "Platinum Fuelsaver" and other contraptions as add ons for the air intake for better mpg. Which of them have some merit and which did real damage?/

I actually went back yesterday to get an oil change on my Suburu as I was way overdue, and Valvoline was closed. $27 and the guy recognized me and the threat I had made to report his shop to the state consumer affairs department. People don't have to boycott businesses if you or a family member was ripped off.

I went to a junkyard with a lot of Subarus yesterday and they had a switch to plug in to check if that was it. It was the switch. The auto lever on the drivers side window had broken off and I had put another one on that switch, which may have effected the short on that unit.

Insurance in my experience, doesn't really cover all the costs of repair though the insurance companies will unctuously declare that they "made you whole". A lady in a Subaru pulled in front of mine a few years ago, and with the front end damage, it was considered totaled by her adjuster. Then I looked around for a comparable or newer 99 Outback at around $3K without any luck. With repair, rental vehicle while I was waiting for the vehicle to be ready by state standards, and only those expenses specifically aimed at the repair, I ended up being out over $500. So I took up the matter with the state insurance commissioner and did not get any more $$$ for out of pocket but the insurance company of the lady was hit with the mediated fee.

If it's not broken don't fix it, is a good motto.

I was wondering what others think about repairing just one side when symptoms arise? One CV joint, one wheel bearing, one head gasket, one wheel, or even one failing brake? Why is it that the usual recommendation is you have to do both sides at the same time? Right reason should dictate based on what can be afforded, you repair or have repaired only what is in need of attention, unless it is a lot easier and sensible to do both sides at the same time.

It's too bad that the radiator issue was not addressed early on, as they aren't that expensive. Plus I was at the junkyard yesterday and there were a number of Subarus with radiators and other parts ready to go, not a hard job to install as well.

Thanks. I'd like to see readily accessible online diagrams and step by step procedures going over various jobs so we aren't just repeating the same questions.

The local library said they didn't have the Chilton guides any more. Does anyone have a link for the online versions or are they on a pay only basis?

I'd get all the evidence together; plus when you don't have written records of pertinent information signed affidavits may suffice.

Thanks for letting me know the degree of difficulty on this; it helps me to not feel like a dummy on repairs.

A quick question; it sounds like the water pump went bad, how did your husband deal with that? Unfortunately it is tow truck city when water or oil pumps go bad, people who drive with them gone can easily blow the engine. Obviously warranties are based on fulfilling the terms of the contract(s).

The guy at Auto Zone said yesterday that you have to use special hose for coolant lines due to the effect of antifreeze, though I have been using fuel line rubber hose in a couple lines. Will this fail in time, and is there any evidence of that?

My guess it's the switch. The tab originally broke off so I didn't have use of the drivers side window for a while. Now when I have been using it, it decided to stop going back up. The magic smoke was a few weeks ago.

If you want to play hard ball with their intransigence, you could contact the state AG filing a complaint with them. Plus lemon laws are pretty tough for used car dealers to fight. Go online and post an anonymous or a review in your name depending on whether they may retaliate. If you are a member of Angie's list they probably field reviews there. Lots of ways to fight back.

The guy at Advance Auto thought it was probably in the switch unit, not connections when he looked at it today. I had saw a puff of smoke once a little while ago coming from the unit, though it kept working for a while.

I spent about an hour on the main long coolant line between the airbox and the engine; both are hard to get to, one is much longer, the one with the original problem. I tried a couple of those finger tightening clamps to prevent the slight leak. They just made it worse. What would be a reasonable amount of mechanic time on replacing the two hoses, a half hour? Why are these two quarter inch or greater lines so hard to get to?