Setright

HOGWASH! Synpower which covers GL3, 4, and 5 is the best of all. Castrol Syntorq is good too.

If you mean Valvoline "Synpower", then I think you need consider seriously worn synchro rings on second gear. Synpower is the best oil to use in these Sube gearboxes, so if you have problems then it's not your choice of oil. What speed are you selecting 2nd at? Any chance of helping it along with a bit of double de-clutch?

The cabin pollen/dust filter will NOT stop the smell.

YEah, it IS more lengthy than on a Toyo-Honda. As mentioned above, you could do it with the rad in place, but it will make the job a lot harder than need be. Rad-in is only for seasoned Sube mechs with the correct proprietary tools.

Sounds normal to me, all the autos that I have driven have been like that. Even the Germans.

Is it possible that the mechanic liked your wheels so much that he stole them? And fitted smaller ones on your car?

Ok, my first time was 1.14 I'll be back

Sounds ok to me. My Impreza with a 2.0 liter engine will behave in the same way sometimes. The mixture is rich because the engine is well below operating temp, and that mixture means high idle speed, and that the revs will drop more slowly. The ECU is trying to keep the engine from stalling. If you feather the clutch up and leave the accelerator untouched when you reverse out of the drive, I bet it won't do this.

Hmm, does sound like a slipping clutch. However, don't worry about the engine revs, 3000rpm is nothing. I cruise my Impreza at a legal 80 mph and the gearing puts me at 3500rpm. I regularly take the engine into 5000-6000 range when accelerating. No worries.

My Imp doesn't. However, it does have that bulge around where the rad cap and top hose mount on the radiator. Reckon Subaru has put that bulge there to collect the air. Highest point in the system..

Check the tyre pressures and the wheel alignment. Torque steer should not be an issue - unless you have the 2.5 turbo, which could pull a bit on boost.

Yes, yes, yes, less screamy "Q-cars" are better for some people. Did you consider that a 3.0 Liter Legacy would play that roll very well indeed? No loud graphics or spoilers, just smooth torque to surprise the ricers ;-)

"Oil/water heat exchanger"? BUilt into the block or what?

Yep, Genuine Subaru ingition cables are good and offer very consistent quality. Most Subaru parts do, that's why the cars drive so well and last so long!

I vote bearing too. They are a relative weak part .

Start by looking at the spark plugs. Then the cables.

Chip, noise and emission regulations limit the factory options. If oiled gauze is so bad, why does STi produce one? And many Subaru's have CAI stock. The older models draw air from the fender, interim models from behind the headlight (dubious CAI), and newer models suck from the bonnet/hood lip.

Dampers/shocks will not reduce roll and pitch very much, but only slow it down. This will of course make the car easier to control. Lower, stiffer springs will give a more direct feel to the steering and maybe balance the front/rear better for less understeer. I would suggest sticking with the stock springs since you need the ride height. AGX's and an alignment with a bit more camber up front will work wonders for the handling. Stock camber is 0.0 front and -1.0 rear. If you adjust the front camber to -0.5 you should find that understeer is a thing of the past. (But be careful under braking, the tail will become a little more lively.) Works for me ;-)

???Nipper??? The dampers/shocks are probably worn out. Even though the car doesn't bounce, they are not working optimally anymore. Replacing all four will improve the handling a great deal. Steering rack/servo might be getting tired. You should have an alignment done. Person doing the alignment should be skilled enough to diagnose the steering. Some of the alignment measurements aren't adjustable, but are references to trace down worn components. New shocks will require an alignment, so you might want to combine things.

In terms of reliability there isn't much to recommend one over the other. Both Toyota and Subaru make very reliable cars. Some models from both companies have had weaknessess, but not nearly as frequent as other brands. (Apart maybe from Honda and Mazda) If you want AWD, Subaru is the king though. I would rate the Outback as your best choice.

Why not when cold? I have often wondered a bit too. It's true that more oil would be in the pan when cold, but I think that warm oil would carry out more sludge/particles because it would be in suspension. The particles of soot and ash that may be present in the oil would tend to sink to the bottom of the oil pan overnight and not get drained out.

You may have shortened the service life, but it's not enough to lose sleep over. If it doesn't slip in the shift from 2nd to 3rd your clutch lining is still OK.

Or be patient, the ECU will learn in due course.

Well folks, I have just drained my 6k mile old M1 5W-50 and refilled with M1 5W-30 for the winter. I'll be back with feedback, rest assured.

I will avoid getting into the present debate, but would like to clarify what those numbers on the oil bottles mean: "5W-30" The 5W refers to the low temperature "pumpability", how cold can the oil be before turning "solid". It doesn't mean that the oil has an SAE grade 5 at a specific low temperature. The oil is much thicker at low temps. These oils ALL thin out as temperature increases. The 30 is the SAE grade of viscosity at 100 degrees centigrade. BOTH of these numbers are classifications and are based on ranges of values. This means that two oils with 5W-30 on the label can have different viscosities. They just fall under the same category. So, I recommend reading the tech data sheets if you are serious about selecting oils. A slap avoiding oil will measure 100-130 Centistokes at 40 degrees C.