MLJ

Re: my stolen RS - http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=55936 They caught a guy who confessed to stealing over 100 vehicles in the Seattle area, including my car. The police say thefts have gone way down since his arrest so it's definitely the guy. I have no idea what's happened since, or if they were able to prosecute him. I will post up any info I get. I have his name which is a start.

Hi everyone, I just wanted to let you all know that they caught the guy. Apparently he confessed to stealing over 100 vehicles. I got his name from the cops and I don't know if they were able to prosecute him but they had him in custody two weeks ago. His name came up in some West Coast Rally results, but I don't know if it's the same guy. It's a pretty common Irish name. Anyway, I sure wish I could talk to the guy and find out where he fenced my non-replaceable personal items. The police officers I've been in contact with here in Seattle have said that car thefts in Ballard, Greenwood, and Phinney have gone way done since his arrest. Anyway, thanks again for the diligence and well wishes.

Whoa! I didn't expect all the replies. To catch up a bit... The recommendation not to buy it back stems from the salvage title. If it ever gets stolen again, or wrecked, the insurance company will not pay anything for it. I realize the RS is pretty rare, so I may try to buy it back. I am at least going to find out what they want for it. I'm a little worried about the engine, as I am sure they didn't drive it nicely. They obviously don't have a lot of concern for the condition of the car. As for the "white powder", let's just say my car is no longer a "non smoking vehicle". They used the coin tray as an ash tray. Neither of those stereos was mine, but thanks for posting up the links. I would imagine the fog lamps are probably in someone else's car by now. MLJ

Yep. I fired it back up by turning the stem with a screwdriver. Not exactly difficult.

Well... I no longer own it. I will have the option of buying it back from the insurance company, but I have been advised by many people not to do so. We'll see...

My car was recovered yesterday across from Nathan Hale High School: 8610 30th Ave NE Of course all of my personal belongings are gone with the exception of some flipflops and a few other cheap items. Outside of a few new scratches the exterior is not damaged. The dashboard, however, was obliterated. They stole my car and destroyed my dashboard for: 1 Lidatek laser jammer 2 fog lights Stock Subaru cassette deck Stock Subaru CD player Yep. They took the stock stereo. I have posted some pix for anyone who is interested: http://i3.tinypic.com/wly5n6.jpg http://i3.tinypic.com/wly61k.jpg http://i3.tinypic.com/wly683.jpg http://i3.tinypic.com/wly6c2.jpg I know the STi threads are way more popular but I thought this might be interesting to you guys. Whoever did this were idiots. They did get some valuable personal items, but for what they ended up getting out of the car, they really went to a lot of trouble.

Yes. I've been looking around and you really can't buy much for what I got from them, even though it's above KBB.

Just a final update. Car not recovered...insurance payout on it's way. Goodbye old friend. I guess I need to start thinking about car payments again.

Not a peep. At this point I am hoping it's not found because it's probably been abused. I can only hope that whoever took it needed the money or whatever really badly, because it certainly has put me at a great loss. I worked hard to pay that thing off and I am in no position to buy a new one. Insurance will probably be close to blue book I imagine. I'm pretty sure I won't be buying another new car, and a used RS...well...let's just say that I also put some serious money into mine just to get it past a few of the known "issues" (stolen @ 70K miles). I am not sure about buying one I have no history with and having to go through some of that again. If anyone has any tips or advice on settling with the insurance company or finding a replacement at some point, let me know. I started my own business recently and just can't do the car payment thing. I'm seriously thinking about a bicycle. Someday...

EXTREMELY appreciated.

RECOVERED - See my post on page 2 My 1999 RS was stolen last night. Color: Black License: NOCLASS 3-4 circular stickers on each side rear window lining bottom edge Stolen from Ballard on 56th & 22nd If seen please call Seattle Police. Thanks.

Thanks! Yes. It ended up being the water pump. But after reading all of the information here, I am concerned and will probably be moving on to a used WRX lest I be saddled with a head gasket repair or worse in the future. Should I avoid any particular year or model?

I am dealing with overheat issues on my 99 RS, and have been mining all the messages on this board for information. One things stands out bar-none: THIS HAPPENS A LOT!!! Is it just me or is this a major recurring problem with Subarus? Is there a FAQ on this subject? If not there should be.

Hi everyone, My 99 RS started doing the overheat thing on the freeway this weekend. It was the first time and there was no coolant on the outside of the engine so I decided to let it cool, add water, and get it home so I could make an appointment. As I drove it to the dealership it overheated again, and this time there was more coolant on the outside of the engine than there was in the reservoir. I called the wrecker. When we got to the shop, the service advisor explained to me that there were two active recalls on my vehicle, one for the coolant additive that I'm sure you all know about already, and one for the air flow regulator (which incidentally fixed an RPM loss between 3K and 4K that I've been trying to fix for years...). They had my car for two days. It was a Saturday when I brought it in. On Monday it was ready. So I towed my RS into the dealership with coolant all over the engine block, and all they did was put the additive in the coolant and sent me on my way. Obviously on the way home from the dealership the car overheated again. The dealership paid for a tow back, and are not charging me for diagnostics. They are now saying that the water pump is the problem. I don't think these guys are trying to rip me off. My problem is that I have a really hard time with the possibility that I'm paying for a repair that could've very well been caused by a problem documented in an active recall of my car. Sure, they didn't fix it the first time I brought it in, but there is no head gasket damage so I am not super stressed about that. Any thoughts? Is there a way I can get this covered under the extended warranty via the recall?

Update: Well, the fuel filter was replaced during the 60K service and the problem persists. Looks like I may need to go back to the dealership...