brus brother

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

Did you see this old USMB post? http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=58266

Temporary fix leads to a new meaning for WReX...

Well I smelled it a week ago and saw a tiny seepage on the passenger inner boot at the clamp and assumed not too bad I'll just get a hose clamp or tighten the old one. Well today I noticed that the driver's side is torn open and flung that stinking grease everywhere. I don't have ramps and don't feel like doing a limbo under the car for now so is there an effective temp fix to drive it for a few days. Wrap with plastic bag and duct tape or will you be reading about me on the nightly news. I'm having the dealer replace the boot(s) on Tuesday. BTW, do axles ever make any noises other than clicking when they are shot? I had noticed a grumbling sound (like snow tires) that I thought was wheel bearing but dealer told me it was bad tires. Any chance it is a bad axle as I'd hate to do the boots and then need an axle. I plan on getting tires in the fall.

I'm currently shopping for Subie #8 for my 17 y/o. Father (actor in the commercial) is the real father of both girls in the commercial. Agency threw out the script and had him say to his kids exactly what he would say. Hence the reality.

For anyone who has or will ever have a teenage driver in the family... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qf8OGLqE1s