1 Lucky Texan

You could dig around here; http://www.ravensblade-impreza.com/modifications/brakes/brakes.html Also, the stock components are not that bad. Good compromise between noise, wear, fade and stopping ability. You could try an 'upgraded' semi-metallic. Almost any change could bring increased noise or increased rotor wear. I dunno

I think it would be perfectly understandable to let them know how disappointed you are. Its OK to be emotional - just don't threaten anyone or get vulgar. Try to go through the conversation in you head a few times, try to think of all their responses. Be prepared for -"They all do that" at which point your response should be one of 2 staements; "Then they are all broken and need to be repaired and you can start with mine!" or "Give me the keys to THAT one - you wanna ride a long?" also, I've gotten better service by using a phrase like "How would feel if you were in my postion?" or "If you were me, what would your next step be?" Also, be prepared to go up 3 levels in management, and let them know you'll be happy to camp out in the boss's office until he shows up. Don't be afraid to ask for the owner/manager to resolve your problem - that's one of their main functions! Big problems! Sometimes it's good to go right before lunchtime or quitting time. DO NOT threaten to sue. Most folks who threaten legal action never carry it out and other folks know it. If you feel you need to, calmly ask for a legal contact number or say "I really don't think we need to involve a 3rd party for this problem, do you?" I think the new cars all have variable assist stering, maybe some speed sensor or something is telling you car it's at highway speed all the time and it is stuck on minimum assist. I dunno

The CENTER diff is only going to attempt to transfer torque when there is slip detected on one AXLE versus the other. There probably istn't enough difference when turning to do much to activate the center diff. Again, this is under normal conditions. (and others here may be able to fill in some details) .In other words, when you turn right, the left front and the left rear wheels turn faster than the right side wheels (the front and rear diffs take care of this so there is no scrubbing or dragging) BUT the front drive shaft and the rear drive shaft are turning about the same rate so there is no slippage detected to cause the CENTER diff to shift any torque. Again, under ideal conditions. (my head hurts)

Nipper, you say '98 is when the aluminum part (didn't know it was a seat for the duty sol C) changed to steel? That's good to know. I usually can't remember the details like that.

Zephyr - you and others reading this might enjoy these 2 links; http://www.archive.org/details/Aroundth1937 http://auto.howstuffworks.com/differential.htm fyi

You still have diffs on each axle. When something is broken or wrong, you can get weird behavior. Subaru's sensitivity is why, when things are normal, the system works so well. But it can't 'know' the difference between a slipping wheel, or one that is rotating faster because it is undersized. And if something is broken - can't expect it to compensate for that.

Keep in mind that dealerships probably average $70-$80 an hour for labor. And they likely are charging a markup on parts. It's quite likely you could put on new rotors and pads yourself and not spend $100 (I just did this on the front of a Dodge Avenger for $45) Maybe you can find a buddy next time to walk you through it in exchange for a coupla beers. Or find an independent garage - they may have a labor rate $20-$30 less than the dealership.

My wife's OBW has electric thigh support - indepenndent from height (kinda like tilt. Try moving the seat rearward, to extend your legs more - then make sure the seat BACK is not tilted backwards, putting your arms too far away.

Wow! I had that as one of my guesses in the second post, but it is of no comfort - my wife's OBW has the H6. And this is the second time someone's heard of it huh? I wonder if there are common, and avoidable, conditions that lead to this? thanx for keeping us informed, glad you're back on the road.

I am gonna get one of those plate backing units from Autozone for my OBW. It looks like it will allow some vertical position options as well as stiffening the support of the plate. I am loathe to put a plate on my WRX however and may wait until the 'squeezers' suggest I do so. And when that happenes I may try to make a plate holder that uses the front tow hook recepticle.

I hope the large amount of buildup in the PCV system doesn't point to leaky rings or valve guides. Anyway - sounds like a big step in the right direction.

fixed ;^)

They may have one in the states around 2007 or so. They are showing one in Japan. I think they should bring the R1 or R2 over here and market it as the 'Fuji' ! (ya know - as in Fuji Heavy Industries) http://www.subaru.co.jp/topics/t-2004/first_dream/imgs/img_01e2.jpg

Not only does sound like you may have escaped a serious problem, but you solved the mystery, probably be an easy fix - and you get the satisfaction of fixing it yourself! how cool is that?

Manual or automatic transmission? Also, any mixed size tires on your car - or mixed new/old tires.

At the risk of being flamed - do any of you guys think a rad leak additive could fix his problem? (....ducking!!!!)

You could just not use one. We've had auto heat and A/C for decades without them. Or do as many folks do and build your own replacements from home A/C filters. You could likely make several for $10 or less.

Have you considered a rebuilt engine from CCR? http://www.ccrengines.com/

IF she needs an auto, avoid the older ones. At some point the 4EAT got a steel sleev or something to upgrade a commonly failed aluminum part. Someone here will know when the switchover occured. Have you considered a Forester? (although it has yet to driven on anything other than pavement and some smooth turf - my wife likes her '03 H6 OBW)

Um - I've never heard of Orbus forme - is it of some notoriety? got a link?

Yeah, I dunno, maybe some hoses got misplaced or something?

'like anyone could even know that!' lol!

Does this car have any of those bulbs with dual elements in them? maybe there is a brake light bulb with a broken element drooping onto a turn signal/parking light element causing some weirdness. Just a wag but that can cause some odd symptoms. When the shop tested your alt. I wonder if they have a way to do it under load or look for excessive ripple if a diode pack is bad? I dunno

As for a quick recharge at your house, there's no reason a stationary battery or capacitor bank couldn't be 'trickle' charged over a few hours while you're away, with solar or wind even. Or even a special 'emergency' generator designed for the job - maybe propane powered or something.

We may never know unless more problems show up. I suppose, if the crankcase were overfilled initially, that an incline could cause 1 or 2 things, possibly in combination. (wild speculation mode ON> the shop overfilled the crankcase by maybe a liter or more(maybe the nozzle was set for a 3.0 H6), the incline caused the rear of the crank to beat the oil, sending oil and oil vapor through the PCV valve system and creating some misfiring in one or more cylinders as well as causing the catalytic converter some grief/smell. Possibly also causing some asynchrony between the crank and cam angle sensors. < END wild spec mode) I dunno