Martinjmpr

Okay, my front cigarette lighter/power point went out in February, actually it pulled out from the console, probably because I lost a screw or something. But no big deal, I think, I'll just run an extension to the 12v power point in the rear of the car. Worked fine until yesterday. Now I get no power at all. I've checked the lighter fuse under the dash, and it's fine. But, I don't know if that's the one that runs the rear power point, too. When the front lighter went out, the fuse blew and it kept my power mirrors and seat heaters from working. Now the power mirror works fine but the seat heater switch doesn't light up when I push the button. Any ideas? What sucks is that I'm going on a camping trip this weekend and I was counting on being able to use that power point to run the GPS and to keep the cell phones charged. Any help would be appreciated!

I'd say 23 is within the acceptable range. My 99 typically gets around 24 in the city and I've gotten as high as 31 on the highway, although 27-28 is more normal. This is on a '99 OBW with 2.5 and 4EAT tranny. I think it also depends on how you drive. If you can keep it at about 60 on the highway your MPG will improve dramatically.

Steve, Can't remember if I asked this before, but did your lift have any effect on mileage? I thought maybe putting the vehicel 2" higher in the air might increase wind drag a bit. Not a big deal but I'm very stingy with my gas money (which is one reason I drive a Subaru!) and I'm not interested in lowering my MPG.

Awesome pics, Steve. And I just have to say again how great your OBW looks with that lift. I went 4-wheeling in the Red Rock area of Utah East of Hole in the Rock back in 1999 when I still had an SUV (Mitsubishi Montero.) It was on that trip that I realized I was not a hardcore 4-wheeler. The guys I was with thought that bashing a fender or breaking a strut were just fun parts of the day, but since my Montero was my daily driver (and my only means of getting back to Denver, 500 miles away) I couldn't be so casual about the whole thing. I then realized I was more of a "soft-roader" than an "off-roader." This weekend I'm taking my first real "off road" trip on my Outback, going camping with the girlfriend, her son and his girlfriend. I'll be interested in seeing how the OBW does on the rough forest-service roads in Colorado. Who knows, a lift like yours might be in my future if I decide I need it. Again, great pics, seems like a great trip.

Is this just in the Legacy L models? Mine is working fine at 111,000 miles but it's an Outback - don't know why that should make a difference, though. What is the mileage point where these speedos are failing? I'd always thought that apart from the HG issue, these cars were pretty bulletproof up to about 200,000 miles.

For the Baja I give Subaru an A for ingenuity and daring and a D- for execution. There are people out there who would love a compact AWD pickup that could carry passengers. But the Baja was neither fish nor foul. Too small to be a good pickup, so the pickup owners passed it by, and too expensive for the young adults who might like to use it's quirky utility. The Baja was competing with the likes of the Honda Element, which is several thousand bucks cheaper and actually has greater utility. If Subaru had stuck with their original plan and made the Baja a true convertible truck, as in the Avalanche, with seats that folded completely flat and a disappearing midgate, I think it would have been much more successful. But Subaru choked on the final design and came up with a half-assed compromise that doesn't really do anything that an Outback wagon won't do. Then again, these are the same people who brought us the hideous Tribeca, so what can you expect?

Interesting discussion. I was driving across country last year and my low fuel level light seemed to stop working - I had gone about 400 miles and the fuel gauge needle was below "e" but still no light. My nerve finally ran out and I exited to a gas station, just in time - the car coughed and shuddered, then kept running, about a block before the gas station, which thankfully was open, even though it was a Sunday. A month or so later, I actually did run out of gas coming back to Laramie from Denver. Fortunately, I was literally just outside my parking lot when it died, so I parked the car, grabbed a gas can, rode down to the gas station on my motorcycle, and rode back to put the gas in. In neither of the above cases did my low-fuel warning light come on, so naturally I assumed the light was inoperative. Then, about 3 months later, while driving, I let the gas get down close to "E", and presto! The low fuel warning light came on! At this point, I very rarely let the gas get down low, but I don't count on the fuel warning light, I count on the gas gauge and the trip odometer. As for my intermittently working warning light, I don't know what's going on with that.

OK, sounds like you put a lot of effort into this setup - I'd love to see what it looks like from the side. Especially since it's a 2nd Gen Legacy (IMO the best looking legacy ever, although the 4th Gens are pretty sweet, too!)

Steve, Do you have a URL link to the supplier for your Scorpions? My OBW has 110k on it now and I assume I'll need new struts before too much longer. Might be nice to gain an inch or so of fender clearance while I'm at it. Also, are you running the stock (205/70R15) size tires or do you have something bigger? I'll likewise be looking for new tires soon, so... Finally, have you noticed any appreciable drop in MPG since you put the new springs on? I'm getting 23-26 generally and would like to keep it that way if I can ('cause I'm cheap!)

Wondering what kind of tire sizes people are running on their late model Impreza TS wagons. My brother's got an '02 that he bought new and now it's in need of new tires. I know one thing he doesn't like is that when he goes to mountain and forest service roads, his clearance is a little low. So, the big question is this: He has the stock tires, which are 195/60-15's. He was wondering how much bigger his tires could get without causing problems. I know the OBS has bigger tires, but does it also get more suspension? Or is the difference in ground clearance between the Impreza TS and the OBS due only to the tire size? What bigger tire sizes are people using on their plain-jane Imprezas?

My 99 OBW is a "Rocky Mountain Edition." I think what may have happened is that regional dealers put together special "packages" and then gave them names, which would not appear on anything from Subaru, since it wasn't Subaru that gave them the name. I'm assuming the "safari" name and paint was put on at the dealer level. See attached photo of my OBW. It's a little fuzzy, but you can make out the "Rocky Mountain Edition" lettering on the door and front fender.

Hmmmm....a BRAT for the new millenium?

My understanding, according to Subaru, is that the AT has a 90 front/10 rear split under normal driving conditions which is different from the "automatic 4wd" systems which are 100/0 under normal driving conditions. So on a Subaru, all 4 wheels are always receiving power, which is the difference between the Subaru and the "auto 4wd" systems. If the front wheels start to slip the viscous coupling can send more power to the rear, up to 50%. The MT versions have a center differential and are 50/50 at all times, which is apparently the reason that there is no significant difference in MPG between automatic and MT equipped modern Subarus.

4x4 is a military term that dates back to at least WWII and I think there may have been uses of the term as early as the 20's. First number is total number of wheels Second number is number of driven wheels. The type of system or T-case is irrelevant. It was simply used to classify types of vehicles. Even today you will hear military people refer to some of the 2 1/2 and 5 ton trucks as "6x6's" So, bottom line anything with 4 wheels on the ground and 4 wheels driven is a "4x4." Note: Some people (and even car dealers) get the relationship between total wheels/driven wheels backwards and will refer to a 2wd truck as a "2x4." A 2x4 is a peice of lumber, a 4x2 is a 2wd truck.

Re: the 4wd/AWD question on Subaru, as I understand it the early Legacy's used the term "4wd" because "AWD" was not a commonly used (or understood) term in the automotive industry. Later on they changed the term to AWD. But the driving system is the same. Interestingly, my very first vehicle was a 1957 International Harvester Travelall 4x4. On the front fenders there was a plate that read "ALL WHEEL DRIVE." Obviously it was not an AWD system as we understand it today (it was a standard part-time 4x4 with a two-lever transfer case and locking hubs) but this illustrates the point that Setright was trying to make which is that the terms AWD and 4WD do not have fixed and absolute definitions. They change with the times and are often used interchangeably.

Okay, so it sounds like a sensible bit of preventative maintenance to just go ahead and do it now. Since I plan on keeping this car a good long while, I figure it's probably cheap insurance. Shawn, not sure what you're talking about - I have been on the board for a couple of years, but I've never been to Canada, although last year when I was overseas I was seriously thinking about taking a trip to Alaska via the Alaska highway - maybe that's what you remember? Unfortunately, I wasn't able to work out such a trip, though I'd like to do it someday eventually. I lived in Laramie, WY until May when I graduated from law school, now I'm down in Denver. The shop I called was Strictly Automotive, and it got some good recommendations from the folks here. One of the nice things about owning a Subaru in Colorado is that there are so many of them around that there are lots of Subaru-specializing independent shops, so there are plenty of opportunities to shop around. A friend of mine who lives in North Carolina says that there are very few Subarus there so they are basically stuck with having to go to the few dealers for any services.

How many of you out there with 2.5l DOHC motors have had problems with your water pump? Reason I ask is because I called a shop today to find out what it would cost to get a timing belt changed, and they said that when they do that, they also like to replace the water pump. Is this an item that often fails? He said it would add about $200 onto the cost of the t-belt change (which is already pricey!) to do the water pump. The nice thing is that even with the water pump change, the complete service on my paid-for OBW would still amount to less than 3 car payments, but I'm just curious because although I've heard all about the dreaded head gasket problems, I've never heard that Subaru water pumps are point failure areas.

Jeff, I've gone hunting twice in my Subaru. In fact, I shot an antelope in Wyoming back in October, using the back of the Subaru as a rifle rest, hit him in the back at about 200 yards. I was hunting with my father, and we had no problems putting him in the game back and driving him back to Fort Collins to the meat processor. If we'd gotten a second antelope, it might have been a tight fit but with the back seat folded down, it was fine, even with all the gear we brought. The OBW will handle a moderately rough dirt road, as long as there isn't deep mud or snow (which can pack up underneath the car's body and cause a 'high-center.')

I'd be interested in hearing about your experiences, since I may have to have some work done soon (103k on my 99 obw) and I'm also in the Denver metro area. I have to say, it's great to drive a Subaru in Colorado. Plenty of them around and lots of shops, both franchised dealers and independents. Makes it nice to have lots of choices!

Rain, snow or fog. Honestly, they don't seem to do too well at cutting through thick fog, but the main reason I have them on is not for me to see, but for others to see me. The Subaru (even the OBW) is a low-profile vehicle and I've noticed some people have a nasty tendency to pull out in front of me when I'm driving down the road. So anything to increase my visibility to others, I figure, is a good thing. BTW, what I'd really like to get would be a rear fog light. I saw one, on a Jeep, back in 1999, but haven't seen them since. An extremely bright rear-facing red light that can be seen at a distance even through thick fog. What would be awesome would be if I could replace my 3rd brake light with this one and have it wired to the fog light switch.

Hi, folks. Been off the boards for a while (we had a great summer and I have a motorcycle, so I don't think much about the Subaru when it's warm.) Just idly curious about something: Some of you may remember that back in June I had my 90k service done at a local Subaru dealer. At that time, he said I had the dreaded HG leak, and offered to do the replacement work for a "mere" $2800 or so. After getting some recommendations from the board here, I called around and found a place that could do it for around $1400. But, since the leak hadn't started "manifesting" itself in any way, I thought I'd just wait until I had some noticeable problems before I spent all that money. Well, now it's 5 months and more than 10,000 miles later. My OBW rolled over 100k last month, and it's still running strong: No steam rising from the engine, no milky oil, none of the traditional signs of HG failure. So here's my question: Without (obviously) being able to look at the engine, does it sound like the dealer was FOS about my HG leak? I mean, if there had been a small leak at 90k, wouldn't it have manifested itself by now? It's not like I baby the car: Over the Summer there were plenty of 95+ degree days where I was running the AC at full strength, driving in stop-and-go city traffic and I've taken very few trips, meaning most of my driving has been around town, which is supposedly harder on the engine. Understand, I'm not complaining (although I sure am glad I didn't drop all that $$$ back in the Summer!) I'm just wondering if a misdiagnosed HG failure is common to Subaru dealers. I mean, the dealer never did say (and I neglected to ask) just how they came to the conclusion that the HG had a leak in it. So is there anything I should be watching out for? I'm going to do the timing belt with the next oil change (about 103k), but other than that, is there anything I need to worry about? What are the symptoms of HG failure? I keep an eye on the temp gauge but it's always in the normal range.

I don't know if my experience is typical, but I bought my '99 OBW, AT, in 2003 at 42k. Obviously don't know if it had the original brakes (although I assume they were since there was no warranty claim made and the car was only 7,000 miles out of its bumper-to-bumper warranty). Started noticing some squeaking sounds around 77k back in 2004 but the dealer checked them out and they were OK. Finally had them all replaced at about 95k, which is pretty good IMO. Even if they had been replaced just before I bought the car, I still got 53k out of them.

I read something a few weeks ago that pointed out a fact that I hadn't considered, because I've never had kids: One reason for the increase in popularity of both mini vans and SUVs is because nowadays kids have to be in car seats until they're damn near Jr. High, and you simply can't put more than 2 car seats in the back of a typical compact. Back when I was a kid, parents could throw 3 or 4 kids into the backseat of the car (or even the front seat, since we didn't have airbags) and it was no problem. But for any family with more than 2 kids a modern compact or even standard sized car is just impractical. Hence the need for 3 rows of seats, which can only be obtained with a vehicle the size of a mini van or SUV (which, IMO, are simply two versions of the same thing: A utility vehicle that morphed into a passenger vehicle.)

Does anyone know what years the 2nd Generation ('95-99) Legacy Outback Wagon was offered in a color I can only describe as "Royal Blue"? This isn't the much more common navy blue, which looks black from any distance, this is almost a cross between dark blue and purple. I've seen several around, and the blue paint has all the factory stickers and badges which leads me to believe it's a factory color, not a repaint. It's got the scoop, so it must be a '97-99 model, but I've seen only a few of these around. I have to admit, the color is really striking.

Well, it's not an Outback but here's a 99 Forester Woody. I think it's hideous, but that's a matter of taste.