1 Lucky Texan

I'm suggesting that, it's possible the failure you saw was not 'caused' by the mechanic but was he was 'set-up' to experience that failure due to an improperly rebuilt axle having been put on the car at some time in the past. it's only a possibility. Typcal rebuilt axles, while used commonly and fairly inexpensive, have notoriously poor lifespans and are assembled with little care. I don't think any of us can estimate your upcoming mpg, but if the car was repaired/reassembled properly, it should be fine. I DO have some doubts about the explanation you received for the squeaking you hear, but you should be OK driving home where you can have a different mechanic double-check the work that was done.

to me, security system could still be an issue.

try locking/unlocking with the key fob a coupla times. try starting N if automatic. try 'popping' the clutch and brake pedals. (press and release quickly) if headlights etc. don't work - fuse or fusible link bad? more details on the car and the exact problem and sequence of events would help - did the failure occur before or after the new battery was installed....

Appliance leveling stuff?

as it turns out, AWD is not comfortable putting the car back together with a torn boot so, I think they would if I asked or maybe signed-off on it, but I'm gonna pay them to install a new axle - good news is, they don't need to surrender a core on a new axle and I can rebuild the present one to swap in the other side sometime in the future.

that 'tripod' portion is held onto the end of the shaft with a snap ring - something else that 'could' have been left off by a worker rebuilding and axle. snap ring on the right, leaning on the inner 'cup'; I think it would take a HUGE amount of force to shear it off. that axle could be a rebuilt put on by a previous owner - or a collision center if the car was ever in a wreck on that corner.

I didn't know any details like that. parts are pricey - second gear is machined out of the main shaft, all the gears have to be pressed off, then on to the new shaft/gear. great, just my luck. Honestly, the &2k , while not a horrible price, is kinda burdensome right now - but many people have bigger repair bills than that so, I just have to suck it up. car ownership is not cheap in general, and having any kind of performance car is an additional risk. I still have maintenance to do on that car and my wife's car this month. When I was under my WRX draining the trans, I also saw I have questionable axles(one seems very worn, the other has a split boot - what do I do for 'quality' axles for my WRX?) - *sigh*. I also have a split forming in a strut mount - it just never ends. I really have no business owning a turbo rice rocket.

possible the 'cone-shaped' washer at the top was put on upside down.

well, we didn't see what you saw, but, not impossible it occurred from improper disassembly procedure. but, I have read of axles that had missing/bad retaining wire in the inner joint and the joint falls apart with very little force. This is MORE likely if the axle was a rebuilt. Could have been a 'trap' waiting to bite the next person working on the car.

2006 WRX they are charging $500 to r&r, so that and any shipping/delivery charge would be on top of the used trans cost - for a trans that might have twice the mileage of mine. but yeah, it's a minefield of risky and expensive decisions.....ugh already committed to the repair but thanx for the thought - I briefly looked on-line at car-part (I think, maybe LKQ?) and there was a trans for $1650 listed in a town a coupla counties away. AWD even offered the possibility it might be cheaper for them to put in a trans they have leftover from a 6 speed swap they did for a guy. interestingly, they say the rest of the internals in my trans look fine? It is low miles so, maybe in the brief drive I took to get home, not much more damage occured? I dunno, this is way out of my experience/knowledge level. I learned that is isn't easy for big chunks to get from the trans to the drain plug magnet, much easier for front diff parts to wind-up on there. I'm glad it's at AWDTuning and not a dealership. Most respected non-dealership shop in this area. and really, it comes to an extra $200 per every year of ownership(but, I have very low miles). That's not horrible. A lady I work with had to have new trans put in her Mazda, it is half the age of my car I think. Bunch of Maszdas have bad transmissions evidently. It just seems like really bad luck. I can sya this, anyone tuning for more power should set aside some extra geeters to pay for a trans, or dogtooth 1st and second - maybe 3rd. They said they see more stripped 3rd gears than my second but ???? I dunno how to interpret any of that. I don't plan to drive like granny now, but I'm gonna be very nervous about every little noise for a while ! this is the shop's website for anyone reading here in the future; http://awdtuning.com/

it's not like I'm putting 400hp down, I have NO power mods - wth!, stupid glass transmission no pics, I could ask but, what if they charge me! 2nd gear is cut on the shaft so it's a pricey unit, driven gear trashed too of course.

2nd gear obliterated est. = $2000

did you test in neutral? the drive shaft must be free to move. (uh - chock the front wheels!)

maybe another mod was done like an under-drive pulley on the alt? or slipping belt - though, I'd expect squealing....check voltage at the battery before and after hitting the lock. with and wirtout the lights on. If it's a pulley slipping, voltage might drop with or without the lights on. If it's an abraded wire/bad ground somehwere, voltage might jump around but only with the lights on. inspect near the steering u-joint - maybe a wire harness is abraded?

^^^, yeah, I've read the Crosstrek Hybrid is faster than the gas-only unit. while it may be fine for a college kid, if you frequently have passengers or gear/cargo and need to aggressively battle for merging from on-ramps, you may need more power available.

man - these guys at AWD Tuning have a lot of 'services' I'd like to take advantage of - but, I'm not really in a position to buy anything cool - just need to get the car back on the road. (now, if some miracle occurs and they call with a not-too-bad number, a lightweight flywheel might find its way onto the car.... ...but yeah, a TGV delete, aircut valve delete, silicone intake, up/down pipe....a TUNE, ..etc. - there's no end once you start wishing!)

Forester might be slightly easier to park. more important on used cars to find one with known good prior care and good present condition - the older the car, the less important the brand or model.

squirt some starting fluid into the intake to see if it fires. If it does, could be a fuel delivery problem. as alluded to above, 'phase separation' is a real problem with ethanol/gas, I just don't know many details about it.

not clutch, internal I expect to know more today. I wasn't a 'scheduled' customer and they work a short-shift on Saturday - they only confirmed it isn't a problem in the clutch area - kinda sounding like a gear or synchronizer? - maybe 3rd gear???? anyway, I don't like not being involved in the repair - but I'm beginning to be even more glad I didn't try working on this on my own - needs someone with experience that's beyond me. I have a feeling I'm about to spend every penny I saved doing my own maintenance and repairs......

Are you buying new or used?

boots at the top - snaked thru dig thru www.opposedforces.com and maybe you can find a wiring diagram?

maybe there'd be a way to 'bypass' the original style connection? cutting the connector off and using some short hardline, short hose and 3 screw clamps? Camp the hardline in where the old connector was cut off, thene new hose, then the new hose to the pumps nipple? I don't remember what that all looked like, I had our 03 OBW's pump out once for inspection - might not be a way to clamp onto the pump's plastic fitting.

AWD ? the final drive ratios of the trans and the rear diff MUST be the same.

the plasic can crack, the fittings could fail to seal - hard to know. 'maybe' one approach would be to dry/clean everything thoroughly. Then, watch the top of the pump carefully while someone cycles the key from OFF to ON, stopping for 4-5 seconds in between. Don't start the car, just key cycle - the ECU should run the pump for a few seconds each time so, you'd get max flow from the pump while watching the suspect area.

check cars101.com for specs Gen 2 Outbacks with weather package I think, certainly H6es with WP. Maybe Gen 2 VDC and LL Bean?