JT95

I'm doing a thorough tune up to my "new" Legacy wagon and, of course, an oil change is called for. Any preferences from you all as to what motor oil to use for a Subie 2.2? I've always liked Valvoline in my Detroit iron and was planning to use either a synthetic or synthetic blend in my Subaru. The car has almost 150,000 miles on it.

If anybody is familiar w/ mountain biking, you've probably herad of IMBA. If you don't know anything about them, Subaru is one of their primary supporters and they have a pretty cool benefit for IMBA members planning to purchase a new Subaru. While it won't save you a fortune, every little bit helps when you get sticker shock. http://www.imba.com/tcc/subaru.html Earlier this year IMBA was looking for two new people--a couple--to join their trail care crew. These folks drive cross country in a new Subaru Outback doing trail work and leading trail work seminars and, undoubtedly, getting to do some pretty great mountain biking along the way. :-\ Ahhhh, if only to have had an opportunity like that before the kids came along...

The VIN is 4S3 BK6550 S7334114 The car is sitting on the rack right now for a LF wheel bearing job waiting for this part to allow reassembly, so I'd like to get the part as soon as possible. One of my local salvage yards has a '97 Legacy, but both front hub assemblies are missing--he said I could have a tone wheel off that car for $25 if the rear ones are the same as the front. So, if I find out that would work, I'll go that route to save time and money... I am a new Subaru owner, and other than a tune up and some body/paint work, I've got no experience mechanically with 'em. I didn't want to tackle this bearing job. I'm guessing when they removed the hub assembly they forgot to remove the ABS sensor and that's what broke the tone wheel--the wheel itself had a small section broke off. (Like a bite out of a donut.)Anybody know if that's a legit hypothesis? Anyway, if anybody hasn't already checked out Subie Gal's websites, they're good. (Jamie, are you the webmaster?)

If anyone cares to learn more about the tone wheel/ABS system on your Subie, here's a informative site... http://www.subaru.com.hk/pdf/SNS0303.pdf

Wow--$59? What's the customer cost on that? One dealer priced me $91 and the other $103. Is #26750AA03 the part number you have? I was expecting to fork out $40-50 for it--a hundred bucks though...

Well, normally that would be the case and my stance. But...this is a repair job being done for free. While I doubt it, there is a chance the thing could have been damaged before disassembly. The thing is a pretty lightweight magnesium and while there wasn't a direct blow to the wheel itself, the car had been hit on that side near the wheel.

It's a '95 Legacy. The Haynes manual calls it a "tone wheel" and a guy at a parts store referred to it as a tone ring--but they don't stock them--so I guess that's why tone ring stuck in my head. It's a magnesium (I assume) ring that fits the wheel assembly. Has 5 small hex head bolts that fit it--I think 5, as I'm not looking at it right now. Notched on one side w/ teeth. Behind the ABS sensor. I'd REALLY appreciate the part # if you have access to it. Thanks for any help!

Okay, the closest dealer to me is over an hour away. The parts dept. guy says he can't find a listing for a part called a tone ring. Anybody have access to look up Subaru part numbers? I'd appreciate knowing the part number for this so I don't have to drive an hour just so the guy can figure what what he needs to order. Front drivers side, if that matters. Thanks!

The guy repairing my Legacy said the tone ring broke when he was removing the wheel assembly. I had to look up the part to know what he was talking about. Not for sure how easily these things break--it's not te toughest of metals--but now I've got to replace it nonetheless. We have no local Subaru dealership. Does anyone know of any internet/mail order distributors who might carry this part? The closest Subaru dealer (1.5 hrs away) said it'd cost $125 for the part, which is a bit more than I'd expected. Are ABS parts pretty much a must-get-from-dealer item for Subaru cars?

The car sat for about 11 months in a garage. I had replaced some front sheetmetal and needed to locate some parts. I got too busy w/ work to finish the job right away, so it sat longer than expected. Was started occasionally to move it out of the way, but that was not very often. The front rails were out of alignment, so I drove the car over to the shop that pulled the front end for me--that was the first time the car had been on the road in a year. Yes, the battery was wasted, but it was due for a new one anyway. Everything operated smoothly though. Be prepared to jump the battery, but you may not have to. 5 months isn't too awful long to sit, but I'd put some fresh gasoline in it first chance.

I just started driving a '95 Legacy Wagon Lsi, 150,000 miles on it. The car has been sitting in a garage for a year without being driven. Other than regular oil changes, I have no record of the maintenance done to this vehicle by its previous owner. I already changed in new plugs, oil and filter, and air filter. Planning to install new plug wires. I suppose I need to have the timing belt replaced since I don't know if its ever been done or not. This is my first Subaru, so I know nothing about their "personalities". What would you recommend doing to the car? It runs smooth with no evident problems. Should I have the transaxle fluid replaced and differential re-lubed? Replace fuel filter? Thanks.

New Subaru owner. I just got a '95 Legacy. 150,000 miles--looked like the plugs had been in there a loooong time. I replaced them with Bosche plugs--didn't notice anything "bad" about them yet. Has anyone run Splitfire plugs in your Subaru? I was curious about them. I loved them in my Chevy smallblock a few years back...wasn't sure if they did anything for Subarus.

Be sure to check all the little things about the car: do the headlights and windshield wipers/washer fluid squirters work--things people don't typically try on a daytime test drive. Yep--try the heater out. Make sure all the power windows operate correctly, etc.... Before I ever buy another used car from a dealership (which, except for my last purchase, I've never had good experiences at dealerships and avoid them...) I would ask for a 24 hour test drive. My wife and I were looking at a used Volvo wagon. The dealer called me the next day and asked if I'd like to stop by and take the car home for the night and try it out. I got to drive this thing at night and on the interstate and in traffic and all the little scenarios that made me more comfortable with the decision to buy it. (I'm super impressed with Volvo products, by the way, as this was our first Volvo car.) So, ask to take it home for at least half a day. One thing to keep in mind about a car's value is the interior. Engine and paint are obvious, but redoing an interior is sometimes more expensive than redoing a car's drivetrain. My '95 Legacy wagon was a sweeter deal because it has leather interior that is in really good shape.

$135 isn't too bad, compared to the price of a brand new Subaru unit. Still, if you're not in a huge hurry, I'd watch eBay for a couple of weeks. I just bought a new, in the factory box, remote Subaru 6 CD changer for $12. Since they only hook up to a factory Subaru radio, not too many folks out there need one, so you can get one cheap if you wait around. I'm on a pretty tight budget, so that was the best bet for me. If $135 doesn't bother you, then that might be better so you get some sort of guarantee. I don't think anyone has an aftermarket changer that plugs into the factory Subaru. If you don't mind the time and effort investment, you can usually pick up a barely used in-dash 6 changer unit that should easily replace what you have and it would still be had for less than $100. If I couldn't find a replacement changer to plug into my radio, that was the route I was going to take. I'd rather have the CDs in the dash, but for $12 I'll be content to reach under the seat. Good luch whatever route you take.

I just got a 6 CD changer for my '95 Legacy. It has the factory tape/radio combo w/ the CD controls, but there was no remote CD changer in the car when I bought it. I got a "new" changer off eBay. It came with the wiring harness, which is about 3.5 feet long. I'm curious how you had these wires run in your car. It's not long enough to run far. Did you go under the carpet at the center console? I'm not sure how to install mine the "proper" way. Thanks.

Check out eBay. I just bought a remote mount Subaru CD changer from there and saw several in-dash Subaru ones last week. Now I just gotta locate exactly where these things were mounted from the factory... http://search.ebay.com/subaru-cd-changer_W0QQsokeywordredirectZ1QQfromZR8

I've never tried one of the fix-it gizmos before. They might work like a dream, but I don't know how they do it. Only thing I can think of would be suction, but it seems like it would take an unreal amount of that to actually pull out a dent "cleanly". I am no body man by trade, but I have grown up doing home-guy repairs. Typically, bigger dents are taken out w/ a dent puller--a long rod w/ a screw attached on the end. You drill a hole, screw in the rod, then pull back on a sliding striker that's attached around the rod. The key is to go gradually. Then you usually take a body hammer and smooth it out, followed by a small dab of body filler. For little dings, I usually sand off the paint, apply a dab of body filler from a tube, sand, and dab w/ touchup paint. Both of those aren't of any use if you don't want to fool w/ applying a small amount of filler and touchup paint. Here's what I'd try, though it would be time consuming and may not even be possible depending on the exact location of the ding. Take off the door panel and see if you can locate the ding from the inside of the door. If so, take a rod like a piece of rebar or something flat--not a screwdriver--and tap the ding out gradually using a small hammer on the rod. Japanese metal usually does this fairly easily (although I guess modern American cars are by now the same.) You may want to tape a piece of rag to the end of the rod so it doesn't have quite as harsh a hit. Don't know if any of that will help or not. Mostly "old school" information, so some out there may know better/easier methods.

If you haven't already done so, get down to your local Auto Zone or Advance store and buy a Haynes manual for your car. They are usually very thorough with lots of helpful photos--about $15.

I just got my first Subaru: '95 Legacy Lsi wagon. It's got all the goodies and seems like a great car. I love the way it feels--good, solid handling. It's replacing a '99 Olds Alero that got totaled, which was a fun drive, but I think I'll enjoy the Subaru wagon much more. A few years ago I was driving a Honda Civic wagon with the Real Time 4WD system, which was cool because it had a 4WD low gear, just like a truck, so I actually took that thing off-road. Don't think I'll try any of that w/ my AWD Legacy though. Everything on this car is stock. It was damaged when I bought it, so I've replaced some of the parts and painted them glacier white to match. I plan to shoot the whole car this fall, with a charcoal 2-tone at the bottom--like the Outbacks of those years had that arched over the wheel lip. I'm a cyclist, so I'm gonna add a little cycling logo at the back within the stripe of the 2-tone. Don't plan any engine mods. I will see if I can stuff bigger tires in the wheel wells. After I finish fixing it up, I'll post some pics.

I just ordered a Subaru CD changer for my '95 Legacy Lsi. The car came w/ factory CD changer, but it was missing when I purchased the vehicle. The '95 Subaru owner's manual doesn't really give any info on it, and I don't know anyone else w/ a Subaru that has the CD changer. So... Here's my question: Where the heck exactly will this thing go? I believe it is supposed to be under the passenger's seat--is that correct? Should there just be a wiring harness there? The factory replacement changer came with a wiring harness, but it is only about 3.5 feet long--didn't know if a factory hookup should be visible somewhere... I figure somebody here has got to have one on his/her car. Thanks so much! -JT

I just recently picked up a '95 Legacy LSI Wagon. About 130,000 miles on it. The car had some front damage, so I replaced the bumper assembly, hood, and one fender. I'm waiting for paper work to go through so I can finally license it this week and start driving it. I painted the body parts replaced, but will do a total paint over soon. (It's white and I want to add the two-tone scheme to the lower quarter of the car in dark grey.) The interior is super, except for a mildly worn spot on the driver's side leather seat. I do have to get a shop to replace a front wheel bearing that's worn as soon as I put the car on the road. I've only got $1,200 invested in this car, so I'm excited about it. I do have a few questions about my new ride, so if anyone can address one or more, I'd be very grateful. #1 The car has the factory cassette/cd changer controller radio combo. However, the cd changer unit was missing from the car when I bought it. (I know the changer was installed because its on the original window sticker) Does anyone know how interchangable the radio units are in various Subaru years? I want to replace the changer with minimal headache/expense, so I want to get one from a Subaru vehicle that will plug right up to my factory unit. #2 Anyone had any experience with the clear coat on Subaru's aluminum wheels? I need to redo the finish on my wheels. I've never fooled with re applying clear coat on aluminum wheels... #3 What kind of gas mileage do those who drive a 2.2 Legacy typically get. I do a lot of interstate driving, so I'm hoping for 27-32. Yes, my car is AWD. Thanks so much! -JT

If you haven't already picked one up already, check the yellow pages and call all the salvage yards in your area who carry foreign cars. In the past I've typically paid $5 for a manual--most cars in the yard still have them in the glove box. Or, try some of the on-line salvage yard parts requests like junkyarddog.com. eBay lists a lot of owner's manuals too.