stevetone

Your non-answer suggests that you have selected the "Lifetime Warranty" option. Should all manufacturers be subject to the same lifetime warranty? Subaru does indeed give a hoot. They have a written policy that they will repair any defect up to the time that their warranty expires. That is exactly what I would expect from any manufacturer. What percentage of Subarus have failed due to this "faulty design"? I'm not arguing that it is or isn't a faulty design (because frankly I do not know), but evidence suggests that if it were an overwhelming problem, Subaru's sales volume would be negatively affected.

Just curious -- at what mileage past the stated warranty do you think should claims be covered? 10,000 miles past? 20,000 miles? Lifetime?

Ok, I can't hold it any longer (bring on the "I got screwed by SOA" flames). Why do some people think that a company should compensate them for a problem that occurs well past the warranty period? 105,000 miles is a lot of miles, and a lot of things could happen during those 5 years of use, some of which can and do shorten the lifespan of mechanical components. The manufacturer has no control of how a vehicle is driven or maintained, and must take this into account when they develop their warranty policy. Even if the car was meticulously maintained, the manufacturer must hold to the specified warranty period. "But my 1963 VW Beetle had 2 million miles on it and never had any mechanical problems. Now my Ford Escort is dead at 45,000 miles -- I'll sue!" When someone purchases an automobile the warranty information is freely available. If one wanted to buy a car that was covered for 100,000 miles there are plenty to choose from (still short of your 105,000). I don't think there are any "lifetime" automobile warranties out there to be had...

Maybe this is way too obvious a question, but are both cars AWD? If the older one is not, that could explain a lot.

And how much could you charge to test a $10 device? Doesn't sound like a road to riches to me

The "techs" at Subaru probably didn't tell you because they don't get paid for giving free diagnostic services. Frankly, I don't blame them.

I hope everyone avoids low mileage (100k), Phase I 2.5's "at all cost", so when I buy my next used Subaru I can get it for real cheap

I'm pretty sure that you'll want to bleed the master cylinder first, then the wheel cylinders (in the proper order). Just checked Hayners and they say if the Master Cylinder was replaced or ran dry, bleed it first.

I have a '95 that does not lock automatically, and I'm thankful that it doesn't. Cars that do stupid things like that automatically really annoy me...

I second that! Last month I ended up putting the car on ramps and attacking that bottom bolt from underneath the car, a '95 Legacy. But, all in all, it's a pretty easy repair.

Not to disagree with the previous 2 posts (but I guess I am anyway), but on my '95 Lsi it took a 21mm socket. I know this because my woefully inadequate 1/2" socket set at the time (2 weeks ago) only went up to 17mm, so I had to drive into Madison to buy the Craftsman 21mm socket separately.

Could it be a belt-driven device, like the water pump or alternator? That would imply that it is more of a "squeak" than a whistle...

I may be completely wrong, but isn't the fuel pickup at the bottom of the tank, and therefore picking up this "crap" all the time? Why would a low fuel level be any different?

Not to be unsympathetic to your problem, but it is not a V-6 engine -- it is a horizontally opposed engine. It is my understanding that they tend to be "rougher" than a V-type design, but I could be mistaken.