charm Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I'm starting a new project at work in the next couple weeks and am nervous about using my car...but excited about the mileage reimbursement. The car: 2000 OBW limited, auto, 192k miles. It needs front struts but otherwise I trust it on the highway. The project involves me driving somewhere in the ballpark of 3600 miles per month, mostly highway. But, I'll be inspecting construction sites so the car will see a bit of construction access road miles lined with quarry spalls and mud. Additionally, there 'may' be some legitimate offroading, no trails, to access project sites prior to the start of construction at those sites. It's the off highway and offroad stuff that concerns me with this car. Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subruise Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 a loyale or gl may fair a little better but i dont think youll have too much trouble. RV Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 I forgot to mention the project is way out in the middle of Nowhere, WA. The nearest town is Starbuck, WA, about an hour north of Walla Walla, WA. So if things do go wrong, I'm pretty much on my own. Obviously I'd switch out the struts up front, I did the rears about 30k ago. The headgaskets were done about 70k ago along with the timing belt. I do need new accesory belts, but they're cheap, quick and easy to replace. I might sink a few bucks into having some of the foam in the seats replaced with softer foam so I'd be more comfy on the long rides. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Snake River Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 I worked in a Subaru dealership in SE Washington and had several mail route drivers with many more miles on their car than you do an they went ever day with no problems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 How are your tires? If they have seen better days, I would suggest you look at installing a good set of new tires. On my 99 OBW, I recently went one size larger on the same profile tire. I bought 4 Yokohama Avid TRZ tires, and am very happy with them. They are heavy duty tires with extra firm side walls, and belts under the tread. They would be well suited for off road driving. The size larger provides nearly an extra inch of lift, which you would appreciate on bad roads to avoid bottoming out. The Yokos ride pretty firm, but provide solid confidence that you are driving on tires that you can depend on. Driving out in the middle of no where, it would be wise to take some car hand tools, and belts, and a flashlight with you. A CB radio may be handy, when you go out of cell tower range. A Tom Tom would also be something I would take into parts unknown to keep from getting lost, and would provide accurate directions to gas stations and restaurants. I wouldn't worry much about your motor. Sounds like you have kept it well maintained. Have fun on your new adventure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 Well, so far anyway, the consensus that it's unlikely to leave me stranded. The tires are fine and I'll probably get a set of snows for the eastern Washington winter. I'll fix the known issues and let the mechanic give it a solid look over. I'll be sure to have thorough tool kit and spare belts, spare fluids, and some other stuff. A CB isn't a bad idea either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 A skid plate for the engine oil pan and the automatic transmission oil pan would be a good idea. Bashing those in on rocks can leave you stranded. Good tires is a must, and bigger ones are a good idea because of the increased ground clearance they give you. A full sized spare would be a good idea too, trying to drive back down a trail on the donut spare doesn't work so well. Your existing tires may have plenty of tread, but if they're car tires they don't have much strength. It's easy to tear a sidewall or puncture the tread. Going to a small light truck tire will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share Posted August 19, 2011 Do you have a specific tire recommendation? Like I said earlier, I'll probably buy a set of snows so a recommendation on that front would be good too. Keep in mind that I'll be driving at least 5 hours on the highway 2x per week when suggesting a tire. Still surprised that nobody is concerned about general reliability on such a high mileage vehicle. A skid plate for the engine oil pan and the automatic transmission oil pan would be a good idea. Bashing those in on rocks can leave you stranded. Good tires is a must, and bigger ones are a good idea because of the increased ground clearance they give you. A full sized spare would be a good idea too, trying to drive back down a trail on the donut spare doesn't work so well. Your existing tires may have plenty of tread, but if they're car tires they don't have much strength. It's easy to tear a sidewall or puncture the tread. Going to a small light truck tire will help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 Still surprised that nobody is concerned about general reliability on such a high mileage vehicle. You'll find most people around here believe a Subaru can go 300k with no problem. I'm not saying this isn't true of the average Subaru, but I can say it's not true of ANY car that hasn't been maintained well. Do you change your oil regularly? How about your tires, have you been diligent about keeping the tread wear even? Not doing so could lead to torque bind, something you wouldn't want if you're depending on the car's off-road abilities. If you're not sure what that is, use the search and you'll find pages upon pages about it. That said, how long are you going to need to be out in the sticks at any one time? at 3500 miles a month, you've got about 8 months before your timing belt will be due again. Maybe it's worth doing the T-belt (and all the pulleys) before you head out? And with That being said, have fun and don't forget your campbell's soup can, duct tape, and vice grips in case you have any exhaust trouble Will- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted August 19, 2011 Author Share Posted August 19, 2011 I'll be sure to have a full Campbell's Soup can. That way I can eat first thus fueling my body for the repair where I'll be using the can! I think I'll put off the timing belt until the project has put a few bucks in my pocket and let my mechanic do the work. It'll cost A LOT more, but I'll be working and earning mileage during the week the mechanic will have it (I'll be away from my mechanic for a full week, I HOPE he won't need to take a week to work on it!). I'm pretty sure my car has been well maintained. Synthetic oil changed every 5k to 7k. As mentioned above, it needs front struts. Tires are newish, have lots of tread, and get rotated every 6 months. The week link, I'm convinced, is my transmission. It has the delayed engagement and the fluid is OLD. I haven't changed it and I bought the car 70k ago. It's old enough that I'm worried that I might hurt the transmission if I change it! When I do have it flushed, I'll be sure to have them leave it a quart low and add some of the transmission fluid that another thread discusses for delayed engagement issues. I have a bottle in the garage, don't recall what it's called though. So, while I feel good about the highway miles and that my car will make at least 300k based on what the mechanic saw when they did the head gaskets, adding the off highway and off road use adds a level of uncertainty that worries me. If all I were doing were driving 3600 mile per month on the highway, I wouldn't even be asking these questions. I'd just expect another 2 years and 80k+ miles out of it with general maintenance. Heck, the car doesn't even use brakes. I've got about 50% left on my fronts with 50k miles on the pads! The car is very well cared for, if I do say so myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostinthe202 Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 I wouldn't worry about the off-highway, off-road use. It's not like you're wheelin' the thing. You'll be going slow (right?) and being careful (right?) and not generally being sane, you'll be fine. You'll want to keep an eye on the air filter as that will clog up quicker with the dusty driving you'll be doing. Will- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjimd Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Maybe I'm way out of line but flushing a high milage auto trans scares me. I got talked into doing my 83 Volvo 245 had around 200k on it when i got it. Probably 250 when it was flushed. Those things last forever if they are kept topped up. A couple months later it was toast. Have heard similar stories. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95legwagon Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 i wouldnt wait on the timing belt for 1 reason..... its a ej25 in that car..... if a timing belt snaps or it jumps timing your bending valves..... aka STUCK lol id get a strut lift block or whatever theyre called..... that construction mud will eat a truck alive lmao! otherwise the mileage on that car is barely anything! im not sure about the 2.5 but ive heard its still a great engine mileage wise...... i know of soobs that have 350000 miles + on them and still kickn strong as ever.... just keep up on your regular maintenance and she'll run like the day she came off the show room floor....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rpholz Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 my 96 OBW has 320k running strong. hell I'd take it on that trip right now. forester struts and springs will be a plus for a little bit of a lift. and definatly a full size spare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted August 20, 2011 Share Posted August 20, 2011 Maybe I'm way out of line but flushing a high milage auto trans scares me. I got talked into doing my 83 Volvo 245 had around 200k on it when i got it. Probably 250 when it was flushed. Those things last forever if they are kept topped up. A couple months later it was toast. Have heard similar stories. That's an oft-reported cautionary tale about auto transmissions. The reason it happens is the new fluid has a fresh detergent package in it, so it cleans all the grunge off the inside of the transmission. The filter catches all that dirt, clogs, the hydraulic pump starves, and the transmission starts slipping. You have to do filter changes with the fluid changes on cars that use media based filters. A flush just means hooking up to the cooler hoses and swapping out all the old fluid with new. It doesn't involve dropping the transmission pan to change the filter. Subarus use a fine mesh screen that doesn't clog in the pan, and some of the newer ones also have a spin on oil filter on the side that makes it easy to change. So you can change the fluid with wild abandon on a subaru and it won't hurt it, because it doesn't have a filter to clog. It's a 2000 legacy, so it should have the extra spin on oil filter. Change that at the same time the fluid is flushed and you should be good. It's also as easy to change the transmission fluid on these cars as it is to change the engine oil. There's a 17mm drain plug on the pan. Make sure the new oil goes in the right dipstick tube. The drivers side is ATF, the passenger side is 80/90 gear oil for the front diff. A lot of shops screw that up and trash the transmission by leaving one fluid empty and the other overfilled with the wrong oil. The delayed engagement is nothing to worry about, they will go for ages like that. The trans-X seems to help, so chuck a bottle of that in. Forester struts don't apply to 2000 and newer legacys, the rear switched to a multilink suspension design that's completely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charm Posted August 24, 2011 Author Share Posted August 24, 2011 i wouldnt wait on the timing belt for 1 reason..... its a ej25 in that car..... if a timing belt snaps or it jumps timing your bending valves..... aka STUCK lol id get a strut lift block or whatever theyre called..... that construction mud will eat a truck alive lmao! otherwise the mileage on that car is barely anything! im not sure about the 2.5 but ive heard its still a great engine mileage wise...... i know of soobs that have 350000 miles + on them and still kickn strong as ever.... just keep up on your regular maintenance and she'll run like the day she came off the show room floor....... Really? To me, this sounds like suggesting that I change my oil every 500 miles because it could get dirty, replace my tires every 10k miles because they could blow. Changing a timing belt rated for 105,000 miles when it only has 70k on it pretty crazy especially considering the cost in time and/or money depending on whether I do the work myself or take it in and how many 'while I'm in there' parts I replace. Don't get me wrong, the car goes in for the replacement between 120k and 120k when it's due, but would you really replace parts that still have 40% of the warranteed life still in them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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