Urban Coyote

How do we know that the car being sold is the real deal? Could be a scam. Some guy has the same make and model car, gets it smashed up and then tries to sell it for some bucks and makes up a story about it being the chase vehicle and the insurance company not giving them enough money for it. I went to the ebay listing the other day and only saw news pics of the vehicle....no close ups of what it looks like now. How do we 'know' that the car in the chase is the one on sale?? UC

People around here lOVE their Subies. When I was in the market I would see them all over town...but for some strange reason very few would be in the used car lots. If you did come across one it was in really bad shape or had something going seriously wrong with it. The good used Subies would absolutely fly off the lots. I was lucky with mine, I bugged the local Subaru salesman so much that I got mine before it even went on sale on the lot. The old owners brought it in, the dealer cleaned and tuned it up, and I took it right from there. I probably wouldn't have gotten it if it actually hit the sales lot...someone else would have! Urban Coyote

Just found a mom and pop shop in my area that carries Nokians $550 Canadian for four, mounted and balanced, taxes in. Just curious, how many seasons/km have people gotten out of their Hakka 2's, without studs? Urban Coyote

There's been lots of chat about tires on the site lately. Just scrole down a bit and read throguh a few of the other threads. From what I can figure out though Nokian's are very highly rated by a lot of members. I would check them out. Too bad I can't get them here in Eastern Canada. Even the listed dealers on the Nokian site don't carry them UC

Anyone ever heard of Kelly Springfield Tires? I've been searching my area and there are no passenger car dealers of Nokians in my area. I called up the dealers that Nokian lists for my area and they are pushing the Kelley Snow Tracker. Anyone out there with experience with this winter tire? Thanks! UC

Wow...bang on with what my '91 Loyale would do! Problem was worst when the engine was cold. I'd go to pull out into traffic ...the initial aceleration would set in for about a second, and then everything would just die right out with the engine bogging down really baddly. Mine was a manual and I found if I depressed the clutch and engaged again while flooring the gas I could get it moving again. If I didn't do this them it would take a lot longer for the bogginess to go away. Sometimes I thought the car might almost stall out. Once it was warmed up though there was no problem. Unfortunately I got a new Suby before I found out what the problem was, but I suspect it was the O2 sensor as that was one of the few things I did not replace.....go figure. UC

Just curious, what did Subaru gain from GM? Anything of any value? Pretty sad that GM now has Subaru technology to screw up. UC

Thanks everyone for the recommendadtions on the tires! I'm going to take a look around for some Nokians to see if anyone around here carries them. Hey Heikki, I was looking through that discussion, but one of my main questions is, what do I look for in a good winter tire....no matter what the brand? If I'm just browsing through the selection at my local tire store, what do I look for and how do I recognize a good tire as opposed to one that might not be so good. Is the rubber softness/hardness stamped on the tire somewhere? Are there certain treds that I should be on the lookout for? How deep should a good tred be....is there such thing as too deep? Sorry for all the questions! Just trying to get a good handle of the a, b, c's of tire buying Urban Coyote

Hi Everyone, I've never bought winter tires before and was just wondering what to look for in a decent tire? I've always made due with all seasons, but moved out of town a year ago and drive a lot of back country roads now. I'm looking for a tire that will stand up to all the driving I do. My daily commute includes a lot of highway and city driving, about 100km round trip every day. Most of the time the roads are pretty good, but my driveway is snow coverd often enough during the winter and I'll have to deal with packed snow on the highways during bad days. Does anyone have any suggestions on a good tire for these conditions that won't wear away to nothing in one season? I wouldn't mind getting more than one winter out of them. Oh yeah...my car is a '98 Legacy L Thanks! Urban Coyote

Wow, fantastic info....Great pictures mikkl and GLCraigGT! That's a heck of a lot of elbow grease you guys put into your cars to make them look amazing, my hat's off to you I've never heard of a 'clay bar' before. What exactly is it? Being new to this whole 'higher level' of car washing, anything that sounds like clay near my cars paint makes me nervous. Wouldn't something like that scratch the hexk out of your paint? UC

I have to agree with what everyone else says....anything with a 2.2 engine in it is worth looking at. I'd also strongly suggest signing up to CarFax to get a background check on each car you're seriously considering. It's only $25 for unlimited VIN number look ups for a month. I searched hard for my Subaru and first got a '97 Impreza Outback Sport...sweet car! Unfortunately a reckless driver ploughed into that one not long after I got it....next on the list was a '98 Legacy L. Great car! Can haul everything and the kitchen sink in it. At 30 mpg & an AWD I can't complain. That's the best AWD/4WD I could find with that gas mileage. Each of my Subies have been great cars to own and haven't regreted getting any of them Subarules! Urban Coyote

Hi Everyone, Thanks a bunch for all the thoughts on the subject! I'm going to see if any of those products are available locally, otherwise I'll be hitting the internet Cheers! UC

Hi Everyone, I’d like to keep my Suby looking tip top and was wondering about the best way to go about this. I’ve been trying out a few car waxes & polishes. So far I started off with good old Turtle wax. Great initial shine and beading, but wore off rather quickly, in about six weeks. Next I tried Nu Finish. Went on easily enough, but took some extra elbow grease to get a slight haze off the car. I just applied the Nu Finish so I’m not sure how long it will last. I’m hoping to go through the winter without having to re-apply. I’ve read a lot about a product called Liquid Glass and would like to try that next. Anyone have any experience with it? What’s the best way to go about hiding/removing minor scratches in the paint? Same with minor swirl marks (don’t know if I put them there or if the car came with them, I have a bad feeling I put them there ) I also have a few not very deep key scratches above the door handle (not my fault!). I know some products fill in the scratches and they come back later, and some products buff the scratches out. I worry about my cars finish with this method, but would love to hear real peoples opinions and experiences with the different products. Thanks! Urban Coyote

Hi Everyone, Thanks so much for all the input and advice! It's been really helpful...I thought I was going to have to look through a haze windshield forever! I tried a weak solution of vinegar and water and the results have been wonderful so far. About half of the Rain-X buildup has been romoved and with another cleaning I hope to get it all off. I'm interested in trying the Aquapel. I hate driving at night in the rain and not being able to see the road clearly. Is it available in Canada? Thanks UC

*ROTFLMAO*!! My brother was telling about a rain shedding product he usesd on his car. He said it only needs to be applied every six months or so, but it's expensive. Anyone have any ideas what that stuff is and does it really work? UC

Awesome, thanks guys! Quick question....will water and vinegar do the trick? I don't have any denatured alcohol on hand and I've tried dish soap with no luck. UC

Nope, it's not on the inside....definitely the outside. If the wiper blades are a bit bamp and the glass is dry and pass over the windshield they reveal this haze. It's very strange, my old Suby had the windshield replaced and I never had anything like this occuring. UC

Hey Everyone, Sorry if this is a bit of a stupid question. I bought my '98 Legacy L back in May. I noticed when it rained the water just beaded right off the windshield. It doesn't do that now and when there's rain or a lot of moisture in the air there's a haze on the outside of the windshield that does not whipe off...what is that? It only goes away when the windshield dries completely. Is that the original beading product going bad? More importantly....how do I get it off! I've noticed the same thing on my parents impreza and it's very annoying/dangerous when it's dark and this haze is on the windshield....the light from oncoming cars streaks up the entire windshield. I've tried soap and water, the squeegies at gas stations with no luck. Any suggestions? Thanks! Urban Coyote

Could be that they are getting a lot more expensive? Before you were getting great value for the money, and now your getting the same value for a lot more money. I think people expect more for bigger bucks, and when they don't get it they are disappointed hence the lower satisfaction rating. Just my two cents though. Urban Coyote

Heehee....was out with my buddies one night and couldn't get a cab home so I piled them all in my '91 Loyale wagon. Seven big people plus myself as the driver (I'm not big). Three in the back trunk, three in the back seat and one up front with me. Glad I didn't hit an pot holes as my Loyale was WAY down on the axles. Got everyone home safe and sound though Urban Coyote

Yeah, I just saw it the other day. I really like the commercial, but I'm not sure if I like the B9 Tribeca yet. I walk by a guys place every day on my way to work. He must be a Subaru dealer because every week I see a new/different Subaru in the driveway. It's kind of fun actually, as soon as something new comes out, I see it right away. Is it just me or does anyone else think Subaru might be 'behind the ball' a bit in bringing out an SUV? I don't know about anyone else, but the feeling around here right now is starting to be 'gas mileage'. Think Subaru will come out with a hybrid? Urban Coyote

Thanks everyone! I'm a little surprised as the car has been maintained by the local Subaru dealership throughout it's lifetime. Is it typical of them to use cheap parts like that when doing a break job? I'll put some better pads on the next time round and hope my squeaky breaks will be a thing of the past. Cheers, Urban Coyote

My new ‘98 Legacy’s breaks are squeeeeeeaky. I’ve had the car since May and noticed shortly after I got the car a small squeak (at the first breaking of the day) that gradually grew to very squeaky (squeaking at every stop) with almost a metal on metal sound when breaking for the first time in the mornings (This goes away pretty quick as I drive and break). I find the squeaking is most noticable when breaking lightly, and just before stoping, but when I press harder it goes away. I had all four tires removed and looked at the breaks and they only have about 20% wear on them….so the pads are a-ok. Is this normal? Are some breaks just more squeaking than others?:-\ Rotors look great too. Thanks! Urban Coyote

Well I finaly found my new Subaru last week. Some of you might remember when I lost my last Subaru Impreza Outback when a guy hit me head-on when he lost control of his car on ice & snow. I had only had my Impreza three weeks when this had happened. Needless to say I was not happy to be back in the market for a new car. My new Subaru is a 1998 Legacy L, 2.2L wagon. It only has 78,000km on it and was dealer maintained with only one owner. There's not a spec of rust and runs smooth as silk. I'm thrilled to have a Subaru again and hope my Legacy will last many many kms more! Cheers, Urban Coyote P.S: Hope I can keep this one more than three weeks!

Hi, I’m looking for an opinion on an Impreza Outback I’ve been looking at and considering buying. The VIN number on the car is: JF1GF4855WG801081. When I ran a CarFax report on it there was a mileage inconsistency. It was not reported as an odometer rollback, but I’m not quite sure what to make of it. The car was sold at a New York auction in July, 2004 and was reported to have 149,804 miles. It later turns up in Canada with only 46,302 miles?? The second registered owner is reported in February 2005. The dealership it is at now is selling it as having 74,000km. This looks fishy to me, but if someone who knows more about this sort of thing and can read something more from the report I’d love to hear an opinion. If anyone knows more about this sort of thing I’d really appreciate some feedback. Thanks Urban Coyote