swi66

NY inspection is not much better.......... And this is coming from me, who has had a license to do inspections. Now there is the OBD II inspection that has to hook up 96 and newer cars to a computer that has a direct phone line to the state DMV. Technology was obsolete before they did their first inspection! They now have frequent problems with the system overloading because everyone waits til the end of the month to get their cars done. Yes, gas cap is part of inspection here as well............but certainly not rear wipers.............. swi66

Have you ever heard insurance companies that offer drive through claims adjusting? Bring the car to them and they will cut you a check! Others advertise "instant" claims settlement. All sounds good............right! Until you try and get someone to accept what the insurance company gives you...........good luck with that! And then, what about "hidden" damage! Damage that doesn't show up untill you get into the job...........then you are screwed! My 98 Postal Legacy was ran into by a lady that shouldn't have been driving anymore. This was when it was 6 months old! Front facia, left fender, damage to both doors, quarter panel and rear facia...........not to mention spindle, axel, wheel, tire, wheelcover etc.........Immediately after the accident there was no power in the car. During the repairs it was found that the rack was bad..........there was not one replacement in the US! 6 weeks to get one shipped from Japan while the insurance company provided a rental. And they were having fits because my wife was using it to deleiver mail! Then they replaced the computer, then the underhood wiring harness, then the underdash wiring harness to get it to run...........another 3 weeks..........and several other "extra" pieces that were not in the original estimate................ Ask your estimator as well about "Diminished Value" of the vehicle now that it has been in an accident. You should be compensated for that as well because I guarantee you there is a value set at trade in time on a car that has been wrecked............. swi66

See if the kids insurance will cover a rental. Insurance companies hate paying for one, and will keep after whoever ends up fixing the car to get it done quick. Have a repair shop, of your choice do the repairs..........insurance companies will try and "steer" you to a repair shop that will cut corners to keep the insurance companies business. If they try and total it.............tell them to find you a replacement for the kind of money they are willing to pay..........be persistant. See a doctor................just in case! Are you at all sore from this? swi66

First thing you do is contact a personal injury lawyer. The initial consultation should be free. And his fee comes out of settlement. And beleive me, most settlements hapen without going to court. You should not delay in this as there are time limitations depending on where you live that you cannot let lapse. You may be sore now.............but what if you are sore for the rest of your life and you need surgeries that may exceed the limits of your policy? What if you cannot work again? Cars can be fixed and replaced...........injuries and pain may be permanent. I am not a lawyer, but I have seen friends lose their jobs over missing work from injuries due to accidents like this. I also have a friend that ended up with a broken wrist in an accident..........10 years later, has 30% of the control of his right hand. Let us know how you make out............ swi66

A LOT of these extended warranties are in actuality insurance policies put out there by companies that may not be there a week from now. If it is being sold through you by the dealer, see if the dealer will put in writing that he will honor the warranty he sells you if the writer goes out of business........... There are also plenty of exclusions and co-pays that may render the policy worthless. Many years ago I had one on an AMC Eagle I bought used. Sure enough 3 months after buying the car, the front pump went on the tranny. Not a cheap repair on an all wheel drive Eagle. They asked plenty of questions, worded so it looked like they were trying to disallow the claim. But they finally did pay. Had 3 more repairs done under that warrany, all were a battle with the company. 2 friends both had extended warranties on Dodge Stealths, both had tranny problems, one friend had tranny rebuilt 3 times, other had tranny rebuilt twice. At that time, a factory replacement tranny would have been cheaper (and better) but the policy forbid it as it would only cover a rebuild...............go figure? I also remember a 60 minutes(Dateline, or other news show) expose on people buying these warranties and having the underwriters go out of business...............leaving purchasers with nothing. swi66

Amazing what the re-sale is on a 190,000 mile subie............. mine only has 134,000 so may be considered a creampuff............."Only driven by my old lady to deliver the mail"...........biggest problem was she always wanted to go 70 between boxes.............<GGGGG> Last fall I bought a 92 Dodge Dakota 4x4 for another winter beater.........only had 154,000 on it...............paid $500 for it, needed about $200 in repairs, that I did. Subie gets waaaaaay better mileage!

buy a used one from a auto recycler. My wife has busted the one on the right side 3 times already on mail boxes. Ive bought 2 already, and changed them. The one I got now is held on with a roll of electric tape..........still works too! She delivers mail.............

Just did the job on my 98 Legacy........... I have a local auto recycler near me where I just bought the hub assemblies for $125 each. These came out of a crash test car with zip for miles on it. Bought the motor from the same car 3 years ago......... I live in NY, rust capitol of the world. I had to use a 10 lb sledge, pickle fork, and finally a torch to get the lower ball joints apart. Be sure you mark the exact position of the head of the top bolt where the strut mounts, otherwise you will need an alignment. My left front braring you could not turn by hand after removing the part from the car.............it was junk. swi66

Just did the job on my 98 Legacy........... I have a local auto recycler near me where I just bought the hub assemblies for $125 each. These came out of a crash test car with zip for miles on it. Bought the motor from the same car 3 years ago......... I live in NY, rust capitol of the world. I had to use a 10 lb sledge, pickle fork, and finally a torch to get the lower ball joints apart. Be sure you mark the exact position of the head of the top bolt where the strut mounts, otherwise you will need an alignment. My left front braring you could not turn by hand after removing the part from the car.............it was junk. swi66

Just did the job on my 98 Legacy........... I have a local auto recycler near me where I just bought the hub assemblies for $125 each. These came out of a crash test car with zip for miles on it. Bought the motor from the same car 3 years ago......... I live in NY, rust capitol of the world. I had to use a 10 lb sledge, pickle fork, and finally a torch to get the lower ball joints apart. Be sure you mark the exact position of the head of the top bolt where the strut mounts, otherwise you will need an alignment. My left front braring you could not turn by hand after removing the part from the car.............it was junk. swi66

Speaking as a person that had the dealership screw up and install the wrong gears in a front differential, I can attest there are different gear ratios there, and installing the wrong one will in short order take out the viscous coupling.............that in outr 94 "postal" Legacy...........only took about a year to get it all straightened out. swi66

Been there done that, going to hurt myself one of these days........real hard to put back on too! Anyone got as band aid fix for this? Hate to replace those shocks................

First try pushing the latch as far as you can into the fully closed position. Then work your power latch. It should open........... What is happening is your latch is not fully releasing its handle so not opening. You have to make sure the handle is all the way back to where it should be and try again.......... swi66

The reason most everyone can only find fram is that is the filter Wal Mart, K-Mart, Auto Bone, and other "discount" stores carry. The reason they carry them is the company is willing to compromise on quality to sell cheaply. NAPA is just about everywhere, but the filters cost a bit more, to me it is worth it. swi66

Check out the rules for window tinting in your area. Some places are going zero tolerance on window tint. And if you have a bad tint job, it will take forever to get it off......... I bought a car once that had bubbly purple tinting........what a nightmare getting it all off.

I use nothing but NAPA filters on ALL my cars. Seeing as I am a good customer at NAPA he gives me a case cost that can't be beat. A NAPA filter, made by WIX, even feels like a substantial filter compared to a Fram which seems to me as thin as a beer can. swi66 13 cars on the road, do a lot of oil changes................

Sorry guys...........I like it, one of those things that could grow on you. I even liked the K-car woodie theat MOPAR came out with years ago. Could be a future collectible...........

Mine actuallydropped enough to get rolled into a ball underneath the car on the way home one day. No salvaging it. Been 2 years, car hasn't burned up yet! And it's insured if it does..........

Looks like the way my wife drives when using the postal legacy to deliver the mail......... swi66

You probably can get a remanufactured one from NAPA just as cheap as you can buy a used one and pay shipping. swi66

Maybe I'm missing something. on my 98 legacy I had to replace rear wheel cylinders and on the right rear had to replace the short line between the cylinder and the hose. (drum brakes) I just cut it and put a socket on it to remove. About 2 years ago I was helping out at a friends garage. There was a Malibu with a leaky fuel line. The lines went through a block that was in-accessible, and thats where the fuel line leaked. Ended up replacing 3 fuel lines and 2 brake lines due to them disintegrating from rust. 5 hours labor plus parts...... swi66

Do you per chance use the car to deliver mail? My wife has a RHD legacy and that's the kind of mileage she gets between brake jobs. 500 stops a day, that will surely eat brakes. Her RHD legacy they covered all components up through 36,000 miles. And that was about 5 sets of fronts, and 3 sets of rears. Now I do my own. swi66

Isn't it possible to re-route the line or tuck it up under there somehow to avoid dropping the tank????? swi66

I use the NAPA Gold on all my cars, including my Classic Corvairs, MOPARS, and Thunderbirds. As I buy all of my replacement parts through NAPA I have built a rapport with my dealer and he gives me a fairly good case lot cost. Even on the Subaru Filters. I stock them in my garage so I have them ready when I need them. If for instance I sell the subie, I could return the unused filters. I also beleive fram are junk. swi66