Juan

Four things come to mind here (I remember my '98 L) Alternator was recalled for that year. Is yours going out again? My battery cable-connections looked fine until I removed the terminal clamps; what a surprise! Green, chalky corrosion between the individual wires that make up the cable. Ignition switch began to fail at 70,000. I didn't know it at the time, but at 72,000 the switch completely failed and starter motor stuck on and cranking whith the engine running even with the key out of the ignition (know which fuse is the main fuse.) You changed your battery four months ago? Is that when problem began? I blew the computer on mine while charging it after i bumped the parking light switch on top of the steering column. Sub techs replaced two plug wires, cleaned the fuel injectors and kept it in the shop for two days before nailing it down to the computer. I mean, so much for "blowing a code". Good luck. Juan

'05 owner's warranty maintanance schedule clearly calls for tire rotation to be performed at each scheduled oil change. Don't pay for tire rotation. There are tire shops in town that will do it for free just to get you in there the next time you're looking for new tread. Tires are expensive and "free" is a very good price for a tire rotation. Juan

Wonder if one could simply bring in a GE bulb of same wattage and ask dealer to put it in under warrenty? Like I said, the left side would be a b...ear. Also, when carefully reading my manufacturer's warranty, the wiper blades are under warrenty for at least the first year. Who'd o' figured? I replaced mine at 7,000 miles. You can't purchase an aftermarket wiper arm off the shelf because of the 'wind-hold wing' on the OEM blade. Subie wanted $19 for one, I gave them $5 for rubber replacement and put it in myself. I know the parts guy knew it was still under warranty. That burns me. I'm taking it in tommorrow and having them put on a new passanger-side blade before my first year is up. Juan

I hope you didn't take my post wrong. I re-read it and it seems a bit cold (no pun intended). I'm just throwing out an observation of past experience. I really don't know where to check as the last time I experienced the situation was on my '68 Firebird. Juan

Dealer calls me to make certain that I'm aware that my '05 OBW needs its 12,000 mile oil change. Warranty book says I don't need oil change till 15,000 miles. Let me ask you this: If I had bought into the "free" oil change deal when I bought the car, would the dealer be asking me to bring it in for an oil change on them at 12,000 miles? Juan

Replaced my own driver's side low at 11,000 miles. Found I had to pull the plastic ,phillips, screw out of the window-wash water bottle and move it to one side. It's really easy; a couple easily moved spring wires, a plastic ring and the bulb practically falls out. Just remember where the notch on the bulb housing is so you can line up the new bulb. You'll need a flashlight. Found out later that Subie would have done it for me for free. Checked my warranty and, sure enough, if I still had my original receipt and old bulb, they probably would have paid me out. At least I would have asked for another bulb from them to stick in the tire bucket for a spare. Keep in mind that if you buy your own and put it in, it's no longer a Subaru warranted part and they won't replace it if it blows tomorrow. I used a 55w GE and I notice it is brighter than the stock low on the passenger's side. One more thing, I checked out what it would be like to replace ANY bulb on the passenger's side and that would suck. Looks like the air filter box would need to come up/out. I'd have Subie do that one. Juan

You've got a 2000 Brighton Subaru Wagon? I thought Subaru retired the Brighton badge/model in 1999. Juan

I second the $10 driving pillow. My '05 is the same way. I swear, though, that it's not really the seat that causes discomfort and pain,(I've never heard of a passanger complaining) rather the awkward layout of the peddles, forcing my lower leg to rotate right 22 degrees and hover over the lame/loose gas pedal and then up and over left 45 degrees to brake. I was talkng to a stranger a while back about how she liked her '05 and she, out of the blue, asked me if the seats in mine made my back sore. She said that she had her driver's seat completly custom rebuilt and her back still hurts when she drives. I maintain that a stronger gas-pedal spring, one that would allow me to actually rest my foot on the pedal while driving, would solve 80% of problem. However, Subie techs tell me there isn't one available. Still, I've NEVER heard anyone say post '99 Subie wagon driver's seats are comfortable. Juan

You are most likely smelling anti-freeze, not fuel. It is cold up here in the PACNW and if you're air-con is on it's because you're defrosting your window on high and blowing the air directly in your face. That's why you notice it. I'd check for a cooling system leak. Juan

I believe the '98s had 2.4 engines with limited incidents of head gasket problems. Didn't the H.G. problems surface with the introduction of the 2.5 engine in 2000? Juan

Make certain all the recall work was completed. The dripping differential for that year could cause you problems if it wasn't addressed as per the recall. I wouldn't worry too much about the master brake cylinder failing under -20 degree temps, but manufacturers tend to understate recall reasoning. The car certainly has had the alternator replaced so that recall is moot. You're good to go because it's a five-speed. The ATs in that year sucked (lots of full-stop rumble). If you can stand the look of that non-functioning hood scoop and are prepared to replace the ignition switch and/or starter contacts soon, it's a heck of a deal. Juan

I completely agree with The Gods Of Green (even though he/she/they disrespected me a few months ago over my thoughts concerning non-functional hood scoops and my plywood rear spoiler. ) Pull the oil cap and look at it. Pull the dipstick and look, smell and feel. Keep the intervals under 5000 miles. HOWEVER your engine is new. It won't be broken in and "de-burred" until around 9,000 miles. Until then, it needs to be flushed of all the abrasive burrs that come off during the smoothing process. Keep in mind that the piston rings at this very moment are still in the process of smoothing the cross-hatched seating grooves of the cylinder walls. When you couple that with the fact that you've got an RS (you do run the pea-wad out of it, don't you?) and drive in a manner which Subaru describes as severe driving conditions ie. short trips, I feel you should change that oil (at the dealer- it's really not any more expensive) at least every three-thousand miles until everything seats and until you stop driving the pea-wad out of it. Also, when it's time to rotate your tires, take it to a tire shop. Many will do it for free just to catch you when you're looking for new tires down the road. Juan

Wow. Read both links posted in this thread. Once you get past the viscous part, it's really pretty straight forward. Having been a cook, I can only imagine that the viscous reaction is much the same as that found in a bowl of a thick cornstarch/water mixture. Stir the mixture slowly with a fork and there is no resistance. Stir the mixture quickly and the mixture becomes so thick (viscous?)that power is transferred from the fork to the bowl as the fork gets "stuck" in it and begins to spin the bowl. Slow down, and the mixture returns to normal until you speed up again. It's really quite amazing and the change in thickness/resistance/ is instantaneous. The reaction is also variable depending upon how thick or thin you make the mixture at the outset. Anyway, thanks for the posts. Juan

When you pick up your car, check the floor mats and seats for oil stains BEFORE the tech takes that ride with you. Had one sit down and ride with me and there wasn't a "paper" slip over the passenger seat. When I got half way home, I noticed oil smudges on the seat and floor mat. I lived through it, though. Juan.

I must agree with TC. I think the whole tires-must-match thing is a needless worry to MOST all of us. Bought my L wagon new in '97 and drove it for eight years. I never even heard about keeping tires within some tolorance til I bought my '05 and read about it on this board.I checked the tire pressure maybe twice a year, rotated the the tires once in 50,000 miles, bought new tires when ONE of the four could not be repaired as it was worn out (ran on the spare for two days as I dropped the tire off on my way to work and couldn't make it back till the next day). I even ran LINK CHAINS on the rears to work one day in a fierce ice storm at 30 MPH for twentysome miles AND back home again at 45+ MPH on clean pavement (I didn't want to take the time in the cold to remove them in the parking lot). Never had any problems -none. Subaru is just covering their..., themselves, when they discuss tire variances. just like they tell you not to stick your head out the sunroof and close it on your neck while you're driving. I bet (and I did) that if you keep things sorta close you'll be just fine. Juan

You are going to HAVE to make a stink, GT. What do you have to lose? I've worked retail for some ten years now, and I tell you that nice people, like you and me, get bent over time and time again. It's the confident, stand up people who take the situation to a certain "smell" that get what they want. Why? Because everybody wants to pull the chain and flush it before someone upstairs calls and says "Come up here and tell me why my office stinks. Oh, and bye the way, bring your career with you." I know you're probably a nice person just like the rest of us, but this is no longer about the friendship(s) you may have made with the people you're dealing with, It's all about you, as a customer, now. It's about business. It's about profits. It's about customers, it's about careers, and they know it. By now you know exactly what will make you happy enough to return and buy your next Subaru from them. Plan on going to the top, but start at the bottom. Quickly climb the chain of management one link at a time. You're going to have to do it. Don't dump on anybody or yell. Simply make peoples' careers [FLASH] before their eyes. Keep climbing the links. Someone will pull the chain and flush his/her troubles away. Just bring it during their busy time (I suggest the service dept. early Tuesday morning as people are dropping off their cars and the business day/week is still young,) When the first person asks you "How can I help you?", bring it! Tell that person what you want and ask them to get someone there who can make it happen. Seriously, lay it out to the receptionist just as you would to the General Manager. You don't have anymore time to beat around the bush. Make sure everybody is on the same page from the git-go. Still, plan on being there all day and perhaps making people stay overtime if that's what it takes for them to make you happy. Carefully "study" peoples' name badges -even the receptionist's- and business cards as if memorizing the name (maybe even move your lips as you read it sounding it out). With very response you receive that doesn't make you happy, you will look them in the eye, address them by name and ask them who they work for [FLASH]. Ask them if that person is their direct supervisor and if he/she is in today and continue climbing. You want to avoid "supervisors" being tipped off and having someone tell you that they are not in today. Further, you won't be leaving any messages. SOMEONE's supervisor is ALWAYS in, and you will kindly talk to him/her. Keep climbing the chain. Write names, tittles, phone numbers etc. on a few SMALL pieces of paper. This shows three things: all you need to "bring it" is a pen and a couple peices of paper; you only write down the really important stuff [FLASH]; you don't intend for this to take long. You don't have any more time to waste. Someone is going to make you happy,today [FLASH]. Business is business. Still, if you don't think you can stand in the middle of the stink, be prepared for them to wait you out. Just sayin', what do you really have to lose? Do you think that standing up to "them" will ruin your chances of getting a dealer-mandated resolution? Do you think that there will be a code next to your name indicating that you're an a-hole because you stood up for yourself? So what if there is? Bring it! Juan

The wheels spun in the same direction. So must have LSD. NOW: When I romp on it in the snow, ALL tires spin. Prior posts seem to suggest that this is not how Subaru AWD works ie one, two (maybe three) tires may spin, but not ALL at the same time. Am I mistaken as to ALL four wheels spinning at the same time? I turn around and look at the tire footprints after a "burnout" in the snow, and it sure looks like a true AW burnout. Juan

Bro, did they check any "black box" chip thingy to see if you had driven it way hard? Did you -drive it way hard, I mean? Tell me more. Better yet, start a new thread, OK? Juan

You think I could put the burnt-out bulb back in and have Subaru replace it for free? Seriously. Maybe they will just give me another spare if I show and tell them about it? Or, am I just out twelve bucks and ten minutes at 11,000 miles? Still, I would feel more cheated had the bulb not blown. I can rest assured that my '05 is normal. I'll take karma over $12 bucks any day. Life is suffering. Juan

Watched the Service Tech spin one rear wheel on my AWD '05 OBW AT while it was up on the rack. Both rear wheels spun at the same rate as he searched for the stem to air up the tire. The front wheels didn't move. I asked him why the front wheels didn't spin as well. He told me that they would if the wagon had a manual tranny in it. Does this mean that both rear wheels, at least, are always under power with respect to an AT? Juan.

My '05 OBW AT doesn't burn a DROP of oil. Have 11,000 miles on it and change the oil around 4,000-mile intervals. I wouldn't stand for the standard "Normal attribute for this model" response. You paid a LOT for that car and you're getting burned. Can anyone provide statistics, specifics as to how many other similar models experience this excesive oil consumption? You might throw "I can't stand polluting the environment this way" into your comments regarding your displeasure. Subaru is high on environmental friendlyness. That's a lot of oil to throw into the ? every 1,000 miles. If every Subaru did that, well, have them do the math. Juan

Changed the right low beam on my '05 O.B.W. It was really east after pulling the plastic screw out of the window-wash bottle and moving it aside. I hope I never have to repalce the right side. That looks like a bear. Looks like I'd have to remove the airfilter box to get to it. Still, bought two low bulbs; one to replace and one to keep in tire bucket for later. How much did it cost you to have one replaced? Just wondering. Juan