brus brother

Well today I had the dealer mount and balance 4 new Kumho Ectsa Plat LX and do an alignment. I don't have the readout in front of me but all 4 corners of the car were in the red zone and greened up nicely after alignment so I guess the 4 corners were fighting each other as the car was skipping down the road. The tech who I trust explicitly said the front bushings were fine but the rear ones were stiff. "Keep an eye on any abnormal wear and replace those if noted". So for $119 total installation/alignment I am pretty happy. The car rides great. Dealers can get bad raps but here I have to say, thanks Dan Perkins Subaru. (Just wish I got an alignment before I sent the Goodyear Triple Treads to an early grave!)

Don't know how particular you are or how much time/$ you'd spend on a door panel painting and getting everything back together but if you find one of those "paintless dent remover" guys on an off day you might get some pretty good results at a decent price. I used a guy I found working in a local Subaru lot and the results were absolutely acceptable. Mine were a bunch of parking lot dings but the video link below shows larger dents.

Updated original post to include "Outback" I have tried the cel fixes (spark plug anti-fouler cheaters 1 then 2 piggybacked) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=121762&highlight=p0420 post #3 partially quoted below states my experience especially involving the 05 model exception to the rule: "My recent experience with P0420 was with my 05 Outback follows. At 104,000 miles I got CEL. Autozone checked (for free) P0420 with the description you note. They erased the code as well. Car ran like crap as soon as I restarted it but smoothed out once the computer re-learned the engine. CEL came back again at about 60 miles but before I drove back to Autozone and having researched the code on-line I feared the worst that the passenger side catalytic converter was dead. I bought a cheap code reader on-line for about $20. OK now that I didn't have to drive to Autozone every time it threw a code I could experiment and with the help of the web I tried various "cheats". There is a spark plug anti-fouler ($5 for a pair at Autozone in the self help area part# 42009) that can be drilled out and used to back the 02 sensor out of the cat and fool the computer into thinking the catalytic converter is working at it's desired efficiency. I tried one then two piggybacked but my code came back (and even got a different code... ) so after a while I gave up and removed all of the cheaters and then no CEL until last week at 1085 miles later. Is your car well tuned? Have you started using cheapo gas? The dealer implied there would be a different code for O2 sensor but John's O2 suggestion is tempting my wallet's sensibility. I cleared the code again but I am prepared to get an aftermarket cat with a 5 year warranty for a third of the price of an OEM cat with a 12 month warranty. Note that my 05 Outback has a particularly expensive design in that there are 3 catalytic converters and 5 O2 sensors! This particular setup appears to NOT work well with the cheaters. I performed the modifications on the O2 sensor immediately behind the first cat on the passenger side. When I was tinkering around with the cheaters, I got yet a different code. People swear by the fix and a wink from Autozone sales seems to indicate it's common knowledge. NOTE: I have read that this friggin' code can return even after you change the cat so while I am certainly in favor of clean environment, the difference between readings that are AOK and operating just "below threshold" is a gray area for you and your wallet to mull over." I'm open to other suggestions. Is there anyone on the board with an 05 in a non-ethanol state that is getting this pesky P0420?

I recently complained to a sube tech of P0420 code that after reset, comes back every 1100 miles or so for faulty bank 1 cat on my 05 Outback with 108K miles and was told that there was a new flash that allows for wider parameters before throwing codes. Tech wasn't sure which vehicles fit the bill but would give it a go next time I was in. He explained that here in the NE the gas is adulterated with so much ethanol and additives (apple sauce for all I know) that this seems to create a problem. I'm all for lowering the bar if it saves me from dumping $1200 for a new OEM cat that may not even solve the problem in the long run. Anyone else hear of this flash?

Send a PM to Nipper. He is on LI and may have a lead for you.

Copy and paste the photo into the body of the post if you want to show the photo. That's the simple part. The bearing job is more of a nuisance.

Well my local dealer charges $69 special for alignment and indie charges a little more. What concerns me is that I chewed through a perfectly good set of tires and may be embarking on the same trip again. The service manager didn't make it seem that the bushings were so horrible when noting wear after my second complaint about noise. The first time I was instructed to simply move the bad tire to the rear. What bothers me is that I seem to have a sound at relatively low speeds which my way of thinking would mean wheel bearing yet the dealer said the bearing was fine. QUESTION: Could bad L front bearing cause the cupping? AND wouldn't the bearing have become noticeably worse after what I am guessing is nearly 10K miles since I first complained. I hate not having a diagnosis before diving in.

Car was never wrecked. Had a small hit on the L rear bumper without much damage. Did not have alignment done when Goodyear Triple Treads replaced the original Potenzas. Is it possible that alignmet alone could cause cupping? When you say "alignment shop" is the dealer not to be included in this designation?

05 Outback 105,000 miles started having problems about a year ago where noticeable noise L front. Took to dealer and tech said tire was cupping, advised rotate to rear. Sound diminished but now same location (L front tire) is cupped again. When I asked them to check the suspension, they suggested lower control arm bushings and sway bar links were wearing. Could also need alignment?? Tires have some life but the noise is intolerable. Few questions. Is this a DIY repair w/o a lift? To sequence the remedy properly, should I do the bushings/links prior to alignment and installing new tires? Would it be possible to do the bushings/links and alignment and get the rest of the life out of the tires, or will the sound persist regardless?

Anyone have experience with General Altimax HP tires? They will go on 05 OB driven in the northeast. Tire rack has them for $98 with $50 rebate for a set of four. I am switching from Goodyear triple treads which are so noisy that I thought it was a wheel bearing but after the dealer (who would love the bearing work) and a friend who is a Lexus service manager both told me tires, I will replace the tires at about 50K miles and see what happens. With four subes in the family now, it seems like one car or the other is ready for tire replacement in any given year. I wish there was a sticky where members could post findings on tires. I'm always dubious of "reviews" on tire websites.

Sure. Why not? If it bothers you, bother the dealer.

http://www.bsllabs.com/proddetail.php?i=118 Must be true, I read it on the internet! Go for a drive??

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If it were a leak, the fluid level should be low, right? Hopefully there isn't a leak as the 2002 can still suffer external head gasket leaks and this would be a somewhat costly fix. Be careful not to allow the car to overheat too often as there can be more damage done. The question of whether the lower radiator hose gets hot is an indicator if there is a blockage in the radiator. It could also be a bad radiator cap, a bad thermostat. It could be... If you don't have much experience (I don't either) I would recommend finding a reputable Subaru mechanic to diagnose your problem. While there are some very knowledgeable and helpful people on the site, you will need someone to do hands on work. Where are you located? Perhaps someone here can steer you to a competent mechanic. Subarus have some particular quirks and it would be best to find someone with experience.

found this: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58266&highlight=stalls+hills I know you are getting knock sensor code (couldn't find Fairtax's 101 post... link please?) but the above thread with loss of power was diagnosed as cat breaking apart internally blocking exhaust flow.

No need to rip the quarter panel off. Just tuck your helmeted head under the right rear well and have a look (wear a gas mask and hip boots if you're really concerned). Common things happen commonly. If you haven't removed the shield from the gas filler tube, I'd start there first unless your whiffer tells you it's under the hood. If you find all sorts of road sand/salt in there you may have found your leak. At the least, you will have removed a potential (and predictable) problem area. As others pointed out the filler tube gets little pin holes. You may notice it as only a damp spot on the tube after a fill-up but gas is pretty smelly stuff and might be enough to offend your senses.

Unlike your dad's car, it looks like 205/55/16 are the original (and current) size tires on my 05 Legacy 2.5i according to tirerack.com. Considering that as my starting point, what if any improvement in height can I achieve without going the Monster Truck route? I do live in the northeast and get some snow. I'm trying to understand the tire numbers and how much to push these numbers.

Recently bought a 2005 Legacy sedan and was wondering if there is a practical way of raising the car with different tires that would still work with the stock rims without creating rubs or other handling problems. I will need new tires soon anyway and have become accustomed to the Outback height of my other Subarus.

A very thoughtful Mother's Day present!

Just picked up an 05 Legacy (Auto 79K miles) and noticed brake noise not present on my 05 OB. Seems to happen upon first couple applications of brakes.... especially if done under very gentle, slow braking at low speeds. Also hear it almost every time when slowing backing down the driveway. Again, the brakes are cold and the fluids have "settled" (if there's such a thing). No noticeable drop in brake performance and the pedal feels firm. Any ideas as to cause or remedy?

I was in a local diner recently and the waitress had a name tag that read "O. Miss".

This is number 9 in the family. This one's for my 17 y/o. 05 Legacy sedan 2.5i 79k on odometer in great shape except for some baby juice bottle stains on the fabric. Silver (no spoiler or hood scoop ). I think it is a cleaner line without the additions. Car feels lighter afoot than the OBs I've been driving. The best part is there is 2 months and 1K miles left on a transferred Subaru Classic and Powertrain warranty. I plan on taking it in to the dealer for the once over and bring it up to spec where necessary. Any suggestions other than "don't drive like my brother"?

How are the brake pads? Is the fluid in the reservoir low? Brakes may be bad AND there may be something else going on, possibly the alternator. If the alternator is wonky, the engine is running off the battery, and the ABS computer isn't getting the correct power to work properly, thus activating the ABS light. So, check brake pads and fluid levels and if still an issue, have the alternator checked for free at Autozone and proceed accordingly.

Don't try tricking us with facts.

You can buy a data-logger USB to OBDII connector and program on eBay for about $25 that hooks to a laptop and you can get real time info from the program. Among other system tests, it reads: "Oxygen sensor voltages/associated short term fuel trims" I haven't experimented with this to understand the values so I'll wait for others to chime in but here is the link for one: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/OBDII-OBD-OBD2-CAN-auto-PC-scantool-USB-cable-1-3a-B03-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem43a65200f3QQitemZ290553200883QQptZMotorsQ5fAutomotiveQ5fTools