freekraz

Hello all, After several unpleasant experiences with my local dealer (CitySide Subaru in Belmont), I am looking for an independent Subaru mechanic or tuning shop in the Boston/Metrowest/North Shore area. Can anyone suggest a shop that knows Subarus and has a helpful attitude? With the dealer, it's all about how much money they can extract from the customer. And every time I go to the Parts Department, I feel as though I've been hit over the head with a Stupid hammer. We have an '01 Legacy, '05 Outback, a '13 Impreza and a '16 Forester in the extended family fleet. Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Jeff in Watertown, MA

Can you suggest a scanner that will enable me to get into the ABS and airbag? Always looking to put something new in the toolbox -- and would rather not put $$ into the dealer's till.

No, there isn't a rubber-covered plunger switch on the hatch like there is on the doors. The sensor for the open/shut is built into the latch mechanism inside the hatch. Any other thoughts out there?

Hello all, I just bought a '16 Forester base model automatic with 10k miles on it from an insurance salvage auction. Vehicle was in a rollover and has light body damage all over. No airbags deployed but I think the front passenger seat belt pretensioner went off. So, I initially had a code P062F showing, "Internal Control Module Malfunction." I cleared the code and it hasn't returned. HOWEVER, upon starting, I get the following messages from the handy dashtop screen: 1) ABS malfunction 2) Vehicle Dynamics malfunction 3) Hill Assist Malfunction 4) Airbag malfunction I think the airbag problem will go away when I replace the seatbelt and have the airbag module reprogrammed. But what about the other error codes? Any suggestions? OBD2 is no longer showing any codes. SEPARATELY...the engine is blowing some whitish smoke when I run it in the driveway...it seems to get better as the engine warms up but it will still smoke if I rev the engine in neutral/park at about 2,000-3,000 rpm. Coolant level in the radiator is correct. Some have suggested oil might have gotten into passageways when the car was overturned, and it needs to blow off/burn off over time. Thoughts? AND FINALLY: the engine won't idle faster than 4,000 rpm in neutral. Is there a rev limiter when the vehicle is in Park that prevents the engine from over-revving? It feels as though the fuel cuts out above 4,000 rpm, but returns when I lay off the accelerator. Or could the idle limit be the sign of another problem? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. I bought the car at the right price even in a worst-case scenario (engine damage), but my plan is to solve all the problems one by one and get it on the road and drive it! Lovely light-green color, and it's a base model, which is what I wanted. Jeff in Boston

Hello all, I have an '05 Outback Wagon. The open door warning light on the dash used to intermittently show that the hatch (rear door) was open; now it always shows it open no matter how hard I slam the hatch shut. I opened the little diagnostic door in the hatch trim which gives access to the latch/lock mechanism. I also pulled off the trim on the trunk floor that goes around the hook it latches onto. First, I tried adjusting the hook so the door might close a little tighter. No change, the warning light stays on. Second, I started looking at the latch/lock mechanism inside the door to see if there's an adjustment or something else. I can't figure out what to do. If all else fails, I'd like to disconnect the sensor wire to permanently turn off the warning light. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance, Jeff

Hello all, I bought a 2016 Forester at an insurance auction. Rollover accident. Moderate body damage all over. No airbags deployed but the passenger seat belt pretensioner went off. Upon information and belief, I will need to replace the seatbelt unit and have the airbag module reset. Any other advice on dealing with this is welcome. It's a 2016 with 10k miles on it and I only have $5k in it, so I'm OK no matter what happens. Thanks in advance for any tips! Jeff

Hello all, Where can I find the airbag module on a 2016 Forester? Any tips on getting to it or disconnecting it? Thanks in advance, Jeff

Thanks to all for the useful information! One step closer.

Hello all, I am working on a 2016 Forester that was in a rollover accident. None of the airbags went off, but the front seatbelts aren't working: * Driver's side belt is extended and slack and won't retract * Passenger's side belt is fully retracted but is pulled super-tight and won't extend. Are there airbag pre-tensioners that may be contributing to this? Any tips on removing A-pillar trim and investigating the belt inertia reels? Thanks, Jeff in Boston

Hello, I am working on a 2016 Forester that was involved in a rollover accident. Code P062F seems to warn about bad connections to the ECM, according helpful people on the board. Where is the ECM and what's the best way to check connections? Thanks, Jeff in Boston

UPDATE: Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Here are some further observations: 1) Coolant is full. 2) Exhaust does not smell sweet. 3) I have had the car idling in the driveway for about half an hour. Exhaust seems to be running much cleaner. Questions: Where does the ECM live? Other thoughts? Thanks in advance for any other responses. Jeff

Hello all, I just bought a 2016 Subaru Forester with 10,400 miles from an insurance salvage auction. Looks like the vehicle was in a rollover, and there is cosmetic body damage all over, but nothing terrible. (The price was right.) Of greater concern is that when I start the car, the exhaust is smoky. Whitish smoke with an unpleasant smell. Continues even after the engine warms up. I checked the oil, which looks nice and clean. I am getting this code: P062F Internal Control Module Eeprom Malfunction. Any thoughts on what's going on? Could the code be related to the smoking? Any ideas on how to fully diagnose the engine fault? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Jeff in Boston

Hello all, I've had a power steering leak in my '01 Legacy base model sedan for about a month. I have to put ATF into the reservoir every 3-4 days. I can't see any leaks from the pump when the engine is running. I have put the car up on ramps and watched from underneath, also can't see any active leaks. The fluid seems to be accumulating at the middle of the steering rack, where there's a small plate that mounts with four bolts and connects the engine subframe and another structural member. Took the plate out. Still can't see the leak. Any thoughts or suggestions? Steering seems to be OK when the fluid level is full, but there's an occasional grinding feeling in the steering wheel when returning from lock to center -- air bubbles in the system? Thanks in advance for any help. Jeff in Boston

Thanks to all!!! So, I got under the car, no water draining from the hose...tried to poke at it with a screwdriver, got a little crud out, but it's quite twisty. So I took off the glove box, removed the plastic valance covering the blower motor, pulled back the carpet, searching for the tube -- there it is coming off the condenser in the center of the car. Pulled the hose off, and a FLOOD of water drained into the carpet. But how to clear the hose? It's very twisty on both sides...and I'm on vacation and don't have access to all my tools. So I pushed my head into the footwell. Pushed harder. Had my forehead against the heater and the side of my head against the console trim...JUST managed to get my mouth onto the hose...blew hard and...whatever was blocking things just slid right out and the hose was cleared. Put everything back together. Turned on the a/c and watched happily as water dripped steadily from the hose under the car. A/C better, carpet is drying out, everything good. Thanks to all!

Thanks to all for the tips! I will get the car up on ramps and work to clean the drain tube. If no luck, I will report back. Thanks, Jeff in Boston

Hello all, I have an '05 Outback with 75k miles. Runs great. LOTS OF WATER accumulating in the front passenger footwell. This also happened last summer. Not related to rain. I'm guessing this is condensation from the a/c that isn't properly draining to the outside of the car...ANY THOUGHTS? Is there a blocked drainage hose or something similar behind the glovebox? I'm hoping I can fix this before MILDEW sets in and stinks up the whole car. Thanks in advance, Jeff in Boston

Wow -- great call Texan. Rock Auto has a new A-arm with ball joint for 65 bucks. Unbelievable. Thanks, Jeff

Hello all, I have an '01 Legacy L 5-speed sedan, 93,000 miles, runs like a champ. Started getting bad noises from the front end passenger side every time I touched the brakes. Jacked the car up and took off the wheel: YIKES! The lower a-arm/control arm was completely rusted through right near the rear mounting. So, a few questions: 1) Should I buy a new or used part? 2) What bushings, hardware, etc., do I need to replace when I do the a-arm? 3) Anything else I should check out while I'm messing around down there? BTW, I checked the driver's side and it's quite solid and rust-free, so just bad luck on the passenger side. Thanks in advance for any tips, Jeff in Boston

What does this code mean? How do I fix it? This is a 2001 Legacy AWD sedan 5-speed. I'm not sure what a "neutral circuit switch" means in a car with a manual transmission... Thanks, Jeff in Boston

Bumping for a possible reply....

Anybody got a better idea?

Hello all, The rear wiper on my '05 Outback does not park properly. It will stop at random spots. It also stops in random spots when you have it in intermittent mode. Extremely annoying. Is there any way to deal with this other than replacing the wiper motor? AND... If I have to replace the wiper motor, can anyone offer suggestions on removing the interior trim on the wagon liftback? Thanks in advance, Jeff in Boston

Hello all, My 2001 Legacy L AWD sedan 5 speed is throwing the following engine code: P1101 mop$E1 Can anyone help me identify this? Thanks in advance, Jeff in Boston

Hello all, I have a 2001 Legacy sedan, base model, only 88,000 miles, great car. I get a lot of wind noise from the front driver's side door. Upon further investigation, it comes from the little black rubber "triangle" at the forward edge of the driver's door window. This "triangle" holds the small mini tweeter on the inside, and the exterior door mirror on the outside. I find that if I push my fingers -- hard -- against the inside edge of the rubber seal, I can block the flow of air and quiet down the wind noise. But I can't figure out a way to tighten the seal or otherwise improve the noise. Can the whole unit be replaces? How is it attached to the door? Do I have to remove the inner door panel (grown)? Thanks for your suggestions. Jeff in Boston

Hello all, On my recent vacation to Cape Cod, I noticed water in the front passenger foot well, pooling up in the rubber floor mat and also in the adjacent carpet. My first thought is condensation from the A/C unit somehow leaking in near the fan. Any thoughts or suggestions? I remember changing the fan unit, which required removing the glovebox, about 2 years ago. Is there a possibility of A/C condensation to get trapped around there? Thanks in advance, Jeff in Boston