forester2002s

I agree. I buy the cheapest oil that meets API standards, and change it often. Usually the cheapest that I can find is Walmart's own brand. In over 50 years of driving, I've never had a lubrication-related failure.

15 seconds? If it takes that long to fire, then the car has other problems.

Could be just a question of terminology. After all, Taiwan is officially called the 'Republic of China'.

Not good! Without knowing how these 2 failed, it is possible that the other 3 have also been overloaded in some way. If this was my car, I would replace all 5.

I have my snow-tires mounted on steel rims. The rims are supposedly for Subarus, but the centre hole is too large, so there is clearance to the hub. I have run these rims for about 10 years, without any problems whatsoever. PS I make sure to tighten the 5 wheel-nuts 'gently', alternating 1-3-5-2-4-1 etc., so as to make sure that the rim is centered correctly before the final torqueing-up.

Ditto. Ditto. Ditto. I once worked on research into the expected lifespan of gears. Keeping the oil clean, especially during the early stages, is crucial to the longevity of gears.

There's also an adjustment to the parking-brake lever (under the central console-cover - on some models) http://www.scoobymods.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=2779

It's a long shot, but are the batteries in your new remote OK? You should be able to pry the case apart and then measure the battery voltage.

Well done! You had a problem. Figured out what was wrong. And are fixing it with less-than-ideal resources (no lift, & no concrete floor). When this is all done, you deserve to feel good about it all. It's a kind of a Zen thing.

I have to admit that I'm a bit confused about the warped heads. Are the heads warped because: - the head-gaskets have failed, allowing some coolant seepage? or - the engine has overheated, causing the head to warp, which in turn caused the HGs to leak? i.e. which comes first, failed HGs or warped heads? Or to put it another way, does engine overheating have to be present for the HGs to fail?

Is the same stuff that Subaru recommends? The 'Holts' sealant?

nipper's usually right.

I share your confusion about buying parts for my Subaru. But who's to say, in your example above, that the $50 part will be any better than the $0.05 part? They might both be exactly the same part, from the same factory. Or the cheaper part might actually be better. Who knows? In the absence of any other info, I suggest that the cheaper price is the way to go. On the other hand, if there are some concrete data about the merits of the parts, then by all means use that to figure out which part might be the best. I've noticed the occasional anecdotal remark on the forum, about not wanting to buy 'Chinese' parts. My same logic applies. Unless I know something about the parts, why would the part made in China, be any different that one made in Japan, USA etc? I don't have any facts about the relative merits of a particular factory's ability to make quality goods. So, for me, low price is usually the determining factor.

Yes, I agree with that observation. However, for cold-temperature starting, a 5Wxx (or even 0Wxx) oil is easier on the battery than is a 30Wxx oil. It might not make much difference with a brand new battery; but an older battery will thank you for using a thinner multigrade oil.

I'm not sure if I can really help, since I've never experienced this problem. All that comes to mind, is that so many weird electrical problems are eventually found to be due to a bad ground somewhere in the system. Just a thought.

Congrats at finding the problem and fixing it. I wonder whether your brake rotors are warped a bit? That would explain the vibration with the frozen calipers. In that situation, the brake pads are trying to follow the waviness of the rotors, and they transmit a vibration into the steering knuckle. Whereas with free-moving calipers, the brake pads would be pushed back a bit by the movement of the rotor, and you wouldn't feel that vibration. Just a thought.

Before spending money on this, try cleaning the battery clamps (both -ve and +ve). Yes, I know that the car starts OK, and that headlights etc work OK. But this might be an intermittent ground problem at the terminals. It's worth a try.

When I replaced my timing belt (at about 102,000 miles), the rubber was pristine. The only visible deterioration was that the maker's name and inked-on timing marks had been worn off. Your photo looks pretty bad to me. All those surface cracks can let contaminants into the fabric inside the belt. I would change it ASAP.

The rear-window heater is typically controlled by a relay that 'latches in' when you press the heater-button. If that relay failed, then neither the heater nor the light would work. You might try looking for that relay under the hood, in the fuse/breaker/relay box.

One of my switch-bulbs went dark a few months ago. So I bought a couple of Radio Shack replacements, and put the package in the glove box for the journey home. My car was so freaked-out at the thought of a non-OEM transplant, that the offending light promptly came back on, and has been trouble-free ever since. Best $1.99 that I ever spent.

No, that's not correct. At 2x road speed, all rotating parts also turn at 2x the speed, wheels, axles, drive shafts, gears, even all engine components. That is, assuming that there has been no gear change.

From my experience, there should be NO rotational or radial play in a CV joint. If you can feel play, then I would say that the axle needs to be replaced.

"Please fix my problems for me" If only life was that easy. You might get a more sympathetic response by saying: Please help me to fix my problems or even better, actually state the nature of your problems in the title.

Here's a 5-year old post on the same subject: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showpost.php?p=469698&postcount=20

There's your problem, right there! If there's moisture inside the car, the 'recirc' setting will trap it inside. Use the 'fresh air' setting instead, even when it's wet or snowy outside. The car wil eventually dry out. The only time that I use recirc, is to temporarily shut out bad smells.