jib

First, I said 20K or annually, whever came first. The first few years, when I was going nearly 20k/yr, I'd change the filters at 6 months. Now we rarely drive more than 12-14k/yr and the filters only get changed when the oil does. For a while I cut the filters open to see what was inside and they were always in good shape; relatively clean with some crud accumulated in the valleys, but virtually all of the filter area clean and open. Now I only open them every few years on the older cars to make sure nothing is going south in a hurry. Remember, lots of highway miles are much easier on the car and oil than short trips and stop and go. We've rarely been in a situation where we short trip our cars. The decision to do this extended change interval was an experiment on my new 1980 Buick Regal and has been proven in five vehicles that have gone around 200k with no issues. The 1988 Saab, that was just totalled in an accident, had over 250k and used essentially no oil until the rear main seal started leaking. jib

Running any FULL synthetic would be a great idea. While 12k changes may also be a great ideal, stick with the mandated 7,500 mile changes until you are through with your warantee, or you will void the warantee. I go annual (or 20k, whichever comes first) oil and filter changes on Mobil 1, once I am out of warantee and have done this since 1981 with no issues and no oil burners. A turbo is harder on the oil than a naturally aspirated engine, so it's something to think about. My new Volvo is a turbo and I'm not sure what I will do for oil change intervals once the warantee is over, but I have a few years to worry about it, as do you. Jack

Agreed! The bottleneck is the regulator, but it's important that the bottleneck is downstream of the injectors. A 50% clog in the fuel filter (speculation alert) may not allow the injectors to have full flow, since it may take some time to build back up to regulator pressure through a restrictive filter, leading to a potential lean burn condition. The down side of a clogged fuel filter, to me, does not warrant letting it go for over 100k without changing, especially since it is such a small filter. Subaru recommends changing it every 30k for cold or severe duty and 120k for normal service, so maybe I'm a bit anal, but I've gotten dirty gas before and clogging up a filter is not fun. Conversely, Saab recommended 30k intervals and that car had a filter that was about 6 inches long and about 4 inches in diameter. That's a huge increase of the Subie filter size, probably well over four times the volume. Again, for a $15 part that takes 5 minutes to change, why risk stressing a fuel pump or the associated potential for a lean condition in your engine? Jack

Nope, I agree with you, but i'd rather replace a $15 part every 50k or so than take the time and effort to monitor the fuel pressures up and down stream of the filter. OTOH - in my home I have a magnehelic differential pressure gage across the furnace filter so I know when to replace the $20 filter element. Jack

We are regressing into nonsense. 1. Over time filters (air, oil and fuel) will clog. 2. If the get dirty enough, you're working your system harder or running it inefficiently. 3. Fuel pumps are a lot more expensive and labor intensive to change than filter. Please draw you own conclusions. Jack

Maybe it looks that way on the outside, but the Volvo Halidex (sp?) AWD system is a far more technologically advanced system than the Subaru AWD. It may be the most advanced AWD in production. I have A Volvo too (XC90, not the XC70) and love both of these cars, each in their own way, but these are totally different vehicles, not compariable, especially since the Volvo was nearly twice the cost of the Subie. Jack 1960 Triumph TR3 1980 Triumph TR8 (3.5 liter V8) 2001 Subie Legacy GT Wagon 5-speed AWD 2005 Volvo XC90 2.5 liter Turbo 5-cylinder AWD

I agree 100%, but didn't make myself clear. The regulator is the big pressure drop, until the filter becomes a problem. Taking some of the pressure drop, hence reducing the flow across a very dirty filter, could lead to fuel starvation during high fuel demand situations. Jack

You're "preaching to the choir" here. I typically don't use OEM parts, because I've found the aftermaket to be either similar quality at a lower price or better quality at the same or lower price. Just do your research first. Simple things like using an inferior (Fram) oil filter instead of say a Wix/Purolator/etc., could be far worse over the long haul than paying a few extra dollars for the OEM filters. Jack

A half gallon every few months should not be a problem, but why not use a gas stablizer product. I refresh my chain saw gas once a year after using a stabilizer and then just burn the leftover in my lawn mower without dilluting it. Jack

As you start to get crud accumulating in the filter the pressure required to push the gas through the filter increases. While the gas station tanks are much better these days, there is still a certain amount of crud in their tanks and eventually in yours. Over time this will build and slowly start making the pump work harder to maintain the pressure through the filter. You may see it as a bit of loss of perormance, you may not, but over time a filter will clog. Unlike a carb, most fuel injection systems pump the gas through a regulator and back to the tank, so the pump cycles the gas constantly. When that filter gets to be a restriction, the pump suffers and has to work increasingly harder. Do you wait until your air or oil filters are affecting performance to change them? Just this week one of my co-workers was complaining that her car was sluggish and she brought it into the shop. She had done regular tuneups, etc., but had not touched the fuel filter. After 105k miles, it was pretty clogged and a simple filter change restored the cars performance. The Subie fuel filter is tiny compared to many european cars and should be changed on a regular interval. It's preventative maintainence. Jack

I own four vehicles and use the wife method for bleeding brakes. She get a magazine and reads, while pumping on command. It's a lot more expensive than speed-bleeders <grin>, but works really well most of the time. Jack

On a fuel injected car you really should change it on a regular interval. The pump puts a lot of gallons through that filter and injection pumps don’t like pumping against a constant head, unlike carb type electric fuel pumps. While saving the $15 (Napa) may seem like a good thing, you may be significantly shortening the life your fuel pump instead. FYI - I do it on a 50K schedule, unless prompted to do it sooner by a warantee. jack

No, the bleeder has an integral metal on metal seal. Do not use teflon tape. jib

What are your needs: snow traction, on road only, off road, traction or high mileage, etc.? I drive strictly on-road with my 01 Legacy GT and have snow tires for the winter. I love my Yokohama AVS. Tight and sticky, they handle beautifully dry or wet, but would be horrible in the snow. Are they for everyone? Definitely not, but they meet my needs perfectly. jib

4 out of 5 should be just fine for a while, but there is a reason they use 5, not 4 and I'll bet it goes beyond appearance. Jack

I'd look to verify. When my 2001 Legacy GT needed a new bumper cover, the body shop ordered the parts based on the VIN. It turns out that my GT has an Outback VIN, so he now had the wrong parts. This is the second car I've owned with an incorrect VIN. Jack

Try these guys. http://www.rallylights.com/ Great pricing on name brand lilghting. Jack

The GT was normally aspirated (non-turbo) in 01 (mine is) and I belive still is available without a turbo. Same engine and rear locking diff as the Outback. I don't know about now, but it also has a slightly shorter "rear end" for quicker acceleration, but to me it's fine cruising on the highway. The only downside the the GT to me, was the non-availability of heated seats in 01. Jack

It all depends on what you want to do with the car. I’ve run Yokohama AVS sports on my Legacy GT. They are an awesome, sticky tire and a great wet tire too, but absolutely worthless in the snow. I have a set of dedicated snow tires, on separate rims for snow tires (Nokian Hakka 2’s). I am currently running Yokohama EB100’s, which are 2/3 the cost of the AVS sports. They are not quite as sticky, or tight for handling, but since I am not Auto crossing the car, they are fine for normal driving. The EB100 is a high performance tire that is very good in damp weather too, but again, not for snow. For me, my tires are the lifeline between the road and the car. We ski and get in the snow regularly, so I run dedicated snow tires in the winter. This leaves me free to choose a high performance, no compromise, three season tire for the rest of the year. I lean towards performance driving (hence the GT not an Outback) almost as much for safety, as fun. Just remember, that long tire life and high traction do not go together. In general, a softer tire will handle (turn and stop) better, but will not last as long. No one, at least not yet, manufactures a very high mileage tire that handles as well as a softer (performance) tire. We all need to make the choice as to what we are looking for out of a tire. For me, however, replacing tires every 35-50k miles is better than replacing bumpers or fenders and it’s more fun along the way too. Jack

FYI - The Legacy GT has the rear limited slip diff. Jack

I started converting to synthetic in 1981; engine oil, gear lube, even grease. It is worth the extra cost, especially if you stretch the service intervals. I would not go 7,500 miles on oil if I was using dino juice, but I have gone about 15k on Mobil 1 on all of my vehicles (outside of warantee) since 1981 and always go over 150k on my vehicles. Most recent high mileage car was a 1988 Saab 9000 with 250K miles. Totalled out, but using essentially no oil. Mobil 1 annual changes since 1k miles in 1989. My 01 Legacy GT is getting it's last 7,500 mile change this weekend at 53k to meet the warantee requirements. After this, it's annual changes each spring. Jack

The Legacy GT is a nice alterative to the Outback if you don't need the jacked up look. Just as high line and it's almost 3 inches lower, so it corners much better. Same diff set up in the rear too, unlike the rest of the Legacys. Jack

I’ve always had an issue with the need to depress the clutch to engage the starter. Recently, my Saab blew a clutch hose and I needed to start the car in first gear, using the starter motor. I started up just fine the four times I needed to start the car to get it home and clutchless shifting was fine, once I figured out the sweet spot. The Saab doesn't have a clutch/starter interlock switch. I just by-passed the micro switch to disable the clutch interlock for starting the engine in the Subie. I did it for two reasons. First, I want to be able to use the starter, with the car in gear, in an emergency situation and secondly, starting the car with the clutch depressed causes the crank to press on a dry (unlubricated) thrust bearing. Am I the only one who has bypassed the clutch/starter interlock? Jack 2001 GT wagon

If that's a correct statement, that manufacturer should be shot. My 1988 Saab 9000 had a wear limit on the chain, one I never got to in 250K miles with the original equipment. Jack

Is it worthwhile, or should I just do the $25 subaru download? The Haynes for my TR3 is great, the one for my (RIP) saab 9000 was dreadful. Jack