Shep2112

I'd rather not put stickers on my speedometer Sometimes people are selling clusters on eBay. Is this something that would be corrected with a new speedo, or is the sensor the problem? And is it possible to either combine my speedo and a replacement, or set the 'new' odometer to match mine, if replacing the gauge would fix it? I don't mind doing the math, it's just annoying. And occassionally a passenger might say "Why are you going 80 in a 65MPH zone?" and then I have to say "well at this speed, I'm really doing about 72, my gauge just sucks".. Kinda lame on a car I paid like $26,000 for, and it's always been this way..

Update: I ended up going to Tire Kingdom on Tuscawilla Ave. I forget the total price. They said after that they couldn't warranty something that was shopped around for. But they repaired it and my fuel tank has been fine ever since. If anyone comes across this post down the road, that's how it ended..

Would you need them to unlock your doors if you're already inside the vehicle?

Thanks for your replies everyone. I'm really not interested in buying a third set of tires for my car just yet though. I'd rather just correct this inconsistency somehow.. I'll check the odometer via the 10 miles of markers, that sounds like a good idea. I usually only check for a mile or two and obviously that's not going to show much.. Is there any way to recalibrate something, somewhere?

yikes, yeah i'd like to avoid getting into trouble.. haven't had a ticket in 4 or 5 years It just be nice to be in a 65 or 70MPH and know how fast I'm really going. Or stop wondering why those people behind me think I'm going too slow, etc.. So is the sensor like a generator and the fast it goes, the more voltage or current is produced, and therefore the higher the needle goes, or is it something more than that?

that seems like a great idea, except I was told by the dealer the larger tires were causing the error (when I had them).. No one seems to be able to work out the math on this.. Half the world tells me bigger tires equals faster ground speed, others tell me the opposite, all with varying reasons based on how the sensor works, etc.. More clearance would be nice, would it affect my pickup and center of gravity though? Also, I only have about 8,000 miles on these tires, so I don't really want to toss them.. I'd rather just fix the speedometer problem, instead of doing a hack, trying to figure out the size required, etc.

Wow, thanks for the quick reply! I don't have a GPS at the moment, but if HP comes through and replaces my iPAQ phone with another one like they're supposed to, I'll have a GPS soon. Hopefully by next week sometime. But I've checked it with the 'your speed is:' things by on-ramps and school zones, and also checked my wife's Matrix on the same ones, and hers comes up accurate, mine always shows lower than what the speedometer reads. I don't know if I could use a variable resistor or potentiometer or something inline to calibrate the sensor? I'm not sure how many leads there are, etc. Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

Hi, has anyone else ever had this problem? With the original factory tires, and with replacement tires matching the original size, my speedometer reports about 5-6MPH above actual speed at 40-45. As I increase speed, say to 75MPH, it's off by 6-7MPH. I've verified this by signs saying 'Your speed is:', pacing with other cars while talking on the phone with them to verify their speed vs mine, and also by getting speeding tickets for lower speeds than I was expecting.. The dealer told me my tires were the wrong size (in between stock and current, I had a set that were one size larger than required, because when I got them changed, they didn't have my size in stock), and that was the problem. I got tired of the wrong speed and being told that, so I eventually bought a new set of the right tires. My speedometer is still reporting wrong. I contacted Subaru through their website and they told me there's a tolerance of 3-5% I think and said basically that me having the wrong speed isn't anything unusual. My question is, what can I do to get this straightened out?! My speed is always incorrect, no matter what my tire inflation is. I'm sick of subtracting 5-6MPH every time I look at the dash. HELP! thanks in advance -Eric

You could probably pick up a power inverter for $25 or so, that will run your laptop just fine. It's useful for other stuff too, but it's an easy way to test out your car under load and all.. -Eric

Update: The gas tank looks horrible! I'll check with Subaru's warranty dept on Monday, I doubt that'll help. Worth a shot though. The tank has a weld seam all the way around it, and about 18" or more on the front and driver's side of it is wet and flaking apart.. The Fuel pump is $350 from Subaru, $143 from Advance Discount Auto or whatever they're called now, and $83 from AutoZone! Neither store has fuel tanks.. I'm handy with tools, but it requires taking out the rear different and all kinds of things to get the tank out of there. I don't want to attempt that laying on my back on the ground in 85 degree Florida weather (and rain every afternoon). Tire Kingdom is $75/hr labor ($10 less than dealer) and 3 hour job too. So I'd save $30 on the labor and then more on the parts.. $683 before tax including the fuel pump.. I'll check around for tanks elsewhere.. Know of any sources? I don't think there's enough good metal on my tank to tack weld to. Tire Kingdom said I could track down any parts I could find and they would purchase the parts and install them and charge me only the actual cost of the parts. That way they can warranty everything, which sounds like a really cool deal to me. The labor is maybe a bit steep, but it's probably an extra $50-100 at best, and then whatever deal I get on the parts is the rest of the job. And I have $90 store credit already So, where can I find a gas tank?

Hey, thanks for the info. I'm quite mechanical and good with electrical and eletronic wiring/soldering, etc, so I don't imagine this would be very complicated. It's a 3 hour job to swap the tank, according to the Subaru dealer. I'm not sure how or where I would lift it up high enough to get at everything. I suppose I could get some ramps or a floor jack, and maybe those jacks that are like a base with a spinner center section, so I could jack it up and then put those underneath to keep it up in the air and not worry about it rolling off the floor jack and killing me.. ugg $150 at Autozone is a great price, compared to $350 at a dealer. I wonder then if I could get a new tank through them possibly too? (If it came to that).. I'll inspect it myself and talk to them at Tire Kingdom today and see exactly what the problem is. I'll try to snap a few digital pics too. I have 3,000 miles on my current tires.. The brakes need to be reground.. I have $90 of store credit there, so I thought I'd be covered and then they called today and hit me with $700-1100 for the job. I had this happen a few years ago. I sold my 92 Eclipse to a friend and the brakes started squeaking before he took delivery, so he said he wanted them right before he took it over. So I brought it to Sears (all that was open on Saturday) and they wanted to replace almost the entire system, including the *4* 'seized' brake lines. for like $950!!! I took it to my usual mechanic who fixed the problem for I think $45 or something.. But my usual mechanic is 1,500 miles away in Massachusetts.. I'll check out the car in a bit and return home with it and post back with my findings.. Thanks again -Eric

Hi all, I have a 99 Legacy Outback and have been smelling a fuel smell for a few weeks, not very strong, just when I first get in the car. I haven't driven it much with all the hurricanes n stuff, so I thought it might go away, whatever it was (with the car so hot in the sun, it didn't smell like regular gas)... So I noticed some gas on the ground yesterday, looked above the small puddle and saw gas by a hose clamp just in front of the read driver side tire. I couldn't reach it, so I brought it to Tire Kingdom to have them tighten it. I left the car overnight as they were nearing closing when they said the tank was leaking and would need more time to check it out. They called this morning and said my tank has a leak in it and needs to be replaced. They recommended replacing the fuel pump at the same time. The tank replacement job was $700 something and the fuel pump too was $1100 something when he quoted me. I didn't get the numbers exactly. I called 2 dealers in the area and the one that was open said it's a 3 hour job at $85/hr and the tank is $365.70 and the pump is $349.95.. My car has 105,000 miles on it, my extended Gold warranty ran out at 100k.. I can try to plead with them on Monday about this and maybe(?) get it covered under the 100k warranty, claiming I just got back from a long trip and the smell occurred 2 weeks ago. I doubt that will work, but it's worth a shot.. I haven't seen the tank to know where the leak is, but Tire Kingdom says it's not repairable. I have a dent in my tank right below the float sensor for the fuel gauge, but that's been dented 4 years now with no leaks or other problems. I had the engine replaced under warranty (some type of factory defect that gave out around 70k miles).. So I got my money's worth from the extended warranty, but I don't have $700 or $1100 to fix a small leak.. but I don't like that it's leaking a few feet in front of the exhaust pipe either.. Any ideas anyone? Thanks in advance! -Eric