mtnpat

Anyone else notice the electric cooling system fan on their 05 Subaru coming on when it shouldn't? Or maybe when you think it shouldn't need to? With my 05 Baja, non-turbo, I have noticed the electric cooling fan coming on a lot....for example: during 50 degree days, after longs sections of open and level roads....stop at a light, the fan kicks on. I could understand it coming on during long climbs, 90 degree days, stop and go traffic, etc, but not during what I would call normall, easy driving on 50 - 60 degree days. I had my local Subaru dealer look at it, and he said it was kicking on and off exactly when it was supposed to, temperature-wise. He also said the cooling system was working properly (I checked myself, no leaks, loss of coolant and the levels in the overflow tank are where they are supposed to be when hot and when cold). Is this just something that happens since this motor does not have a mechcanical fan? Something I will have to get used to? thanks in advance.

Ahh, another with some sense :-) To answer your question, the 4-speed automatic is just a bit too shift happy for me...always wanting to get into the overdrive gear when it does not have the rump roast to pull it. When in stop and go traffic, or around town, I find myself manually shifting the automatic trans a lot, to keep the engine in some sort of power band. So basically the 165hp normally aspirated engine has no oomph between 2 and 3k rpms. I didn't buy the turbo because I did not want to have to pay for premium gas, and then get less miles per gallon. Very happy currently getting 30mpg highway.

LOL, service reps SUCK, so do most dealerships....exactly why I buy factory service manuals for all my cars and do the work myself.

People still do it, believe it or not. Not talking about doing it right now, on my brand spankin new 7k miles 2005 Subie, but in 3 years it will have 100k plus miles on it, warranty will be up, and I will be itching for something different no doubt.

Good idea, thanks. Maybe I could find someone with a manual Subie and run them off the road ;-), then follow wrecker to scrapyard ;-).

Finally someone with some sense! Thanks for the input, what I was thinking too.....not selling car now and taking depreciation hit, not buying someones used vehicle. Sure it may cost a few large (not 20 large), it is still something I am thinking of doing in a few years.

OK, so I should have bought my 2005 Baja with a manual trans....the auto trans version is a dog. When my extended warranty is up in about 3 years, I want to convert to a manual transmission. Anyone know how costly that might be? Also, would it be a direct bolt in, to include the clutch linkage? thanks!

Anyone else have problems with paint chips on the hood of their 2005 Subarus? My Baja with 1300 miles on it, already has 5 - 7 chips....I do not tailgate other cars, or push gravel trucks down the road. I am thinking "stuff" (rocks, cigarettes, etc) bouncing off the front of cars at highway speeds is inevitable, but I am just wondering if Subaru paint sucks? I don't want to buy a "stone deflector", but I may have too.....off to buy color code 33J touch up paint - sigh.

How many of you remove the air bag warning stickers from your sun visors? I want to, but am afraid they may not come off cleanly, or leave some residue. BTW - 05 Baja.

I was definitely going to check that out....sorta thinking it would be a good idea to document online and hard copy (at home). Thanks The mountains (any mountains) sure are wonderful things.....Looray is awesome....Skyline Caverns is probably under my house, as we are about 1 mile from the entrance, up the mountain.

Thanks, I will be putting about 500 miles per week on mine (not counting mountain biking excursions), so I should be able to report back quickly about how great they are. So far 200 miles total, liking it a lot. You say 5 years till you can afford one?...well it is good to have goals to work towards, if you want one bad enough, you will get it no problem.

OK, so I bit the bullet and bought a 05 Baja Sport. The vehicle will see upwards of 30k miles a year, so I will be doing oil changes myself for convienience and plus because I don't trust anyone else for most things. Question - how do you go about not voiding your warranty when doing your own service like this? Is it necessary to keep all receipts for filters and oil, or is a simple log entry good enough? thanks

Great pics from that website.....one question: Don't you get a lot of tire scrub on the fenders with the way most of those vehicles are setup? Looks to be like you would if the suspension is at all active. thanks

BF Goodrich All Terrain T/A - best tire ever, 60k miles with no problem, no road noise, chews up ice and snow. Not sure about smaller size availability though, as would be needed for a Subaru - I guess I will be finding out soon.

both, mountain biker at heart, but the workout you get on the road is hard to beat. I have 2 mountain bikes, 1 being a rigid singlespeed.....2 road bikes, 1 being fixed/single. Nope, ashamed to say. I do my fair share of trail maintenance though, always have a folding saw in my pack for those impromptu sessions. AMEN on that!

You got me. I guess I covered the bases pretty well :-)

I sorta figured that was coming from someone. Love it.

Thanks, more great info.

That is the kind of feedback I really need, thanks. (thanks to everyone responding also)

Yeah, need to carry bicycles easily, tired of hitch racks and not jazzed about roof racks....I would be getting the bed-mounted bike carrier option.

(Hello, new guy here, can you help a brother out?) Any Subaru owners out there that would like to share their experiences with the product? Mainly interested in the longevity of the motors, trannys before needing rebuilds, major work......here is my deal: (some background) Have always been a Chevy guy (have owned GT Fords, Stangs and GTOs, but those were a different time). Loved my 80 Chev with the 5.7 motor, my 86 with the 5.0 motor........NOT in love with my 99 with the 7.4 motor or my 00 with the 3.4 motor.....nothing but problems with intake and head gaskets. I am considering the Subaru Baja Sport with the 2.5 normally aspirated motor. I need high fuel mileage and the AWD....this model is supposed to get 28mpg on the highway. What I don't need is another vehicle that needs major engine work before I get it paid off. I would be putting ~30k miles a year on it. So say 5 years x 30k, means I would like a powertrain that can do 150k miles without issue. I know that you are supposed to have the timing belt changed at 100k miles - no issue with that. So, any good or bad stories about the 2.5 Subaru engine? How many miles on yours without blowing a head or other gasket, major powertrain repair? thanks