daveslights Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 (edited) just bought a brand new 2012 Forester 2.5x touring. there is a vibration that could be an out of balance tire? is this common? also should I look at getting an alignment? the last new subaru I bought had a bad alignment and needed new tires at 27,000 miles. would you go to the dealer for this or just pay at an independent shop? it helped a little bit to adjust tire pressure DOWN to the manufacturer specs. Dealer had the front at +3psi and rear at +5psi Edited June 20, 2012 by daveslights Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
porcupine73 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I haven't been following it too closely since it will be about 10 years before I will be able to afford a 2012 Subaru, but apparently the shimmy/shake is a very common complaint on the newest model years. There are several TSB's out for it where they loosen and re-torque various fasteners in a certain order. Some people say it helps; others not so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fairtax4me Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 This is actually an all too common problem on lots of new cars. Two main reasons are cheap tires (whatever the manufacturer could get the best deal on that month), and sitting in one place for long periods of time causing the tires to flat spot. Generally minor flat spotting will go away after a few hundred miles. It may also be less noticeable once the tires are warmed up, say after the car has been driven on the highway for a few minutes. Sometimes the only solution is new tires. Either way, it's a brand new car, take it to the dealer and raise some stink about it. A re-balance may help, and that should be their first step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 20, 2012 Share Posted June 20, 2012 I would take the car back to the dealer. Call the Service Manager to get an appointment; tell him what you are experiencing, and that you want a rebalance. Unless the steering pulls consistently to one side, I wouldn't get an allignment. In my experience, a vibration is usually a tire issue on a new car. Also.........just because you have new tires, doesn't mean that a tire cannot be bad. I have bought new tires (as replacements), and noticed a vibration. I took the car back to the tire shop to learn that one of the new tires was manufactured with a defect of being "out of round." I don't know why the guy installing the tire, then balancing the tire, couldn't detect the defect. The tire store replaced the tire at no cost to fix the problem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveslights Posted June 20, 2012 Author Share Posted June 20, 2012 thanks guys. Porcupine, you are referring to an issue with the Gen 4 outbacks. This is not the same thing. I just traded a 2011 outback because of the shaker problem. the shaker problem is due to the chassis. the Forester is a different design, that's why we bought it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recian Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 It all depends on how long the car sat at the dealer. Manufacturers set the tire psi at 45 from the factory but the pdi process forces you to set them at 35 like the door says which causes flat spots sitting on the dealer lot. I always leave them over 40 til a customer buys the car. If ur tires were under 40 and it sat for a month or so your tires are flat spotted and theyll straighten out. As for oem tires lasting 27k u did good. Oem tires are made to meet whatever cost the manufacturer choses so theyre much cheaper than over the counter tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveslights Posted June 21, 2012 Author Share Posted June 21, 2012 Thanks Recian, I've got an appointment tomorrow. They're going to drive it and figure it out. Maybe it is flat spots. As far as the alignment, over the phone, he thought it might be the crown in the road. but I don't really think that's what it is, as my last car didn't do it. Either way, they need to adjust the HID head lights, they are aimed dangerously low Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recian Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Could be. Weve seen a few new cars with alignment problems. Mostly steering wheel off center. However my dealer is in the center of a busy city so getting on the highway takes about 15 mins. Not too many customers even drive on the hwy here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caboobaroo Posted June 21, 2012 Share Posted June 21, 2012 Factory alignments are junk. No new Subaru I've seen is totally perfect, just good enough to make it drive straight and get it out the door. Seen it all everything from base model Imprezas, STis, Legacys and more. And its not only Subaru, its all vehicle manufactures that produce more then a few cars a year. To the OP. Get the tires balanced and rotated if needed, aligned and report back. Also, factory tires are soft and wear quickly. Reason is, with a softer tire, it helps with road noise and will make the vehicle sound quieter when you first buy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveslights Posted June 27, 2012 Author Share Posted June 27, 2012 soooo....I went to a local Subaru dealer on Friday. At first I got the whole "oh you didn't buy it here?" dance. They did the alignment, and a Road Force Balance. They said one tire was off 1/2 ounce. There was still a vibration and a slight pull to the right. So I called the dealer I bought the car from and scheduled an appointment for yesterday, they are 2 hours away. They test drove, and said the alignment is fine, it follows the crown in the road. Which may be, but I've not had a car that did it that quick. I also asked them to straighten the steering wheel - they said it was 'within spec'. As far as the vibration, they said it is normal road feel. And that they put crappy tires on new cars. Oh yeah, when I got there, they had me down for an oil change. There's only 800 miles on the car!! I said no and he asked me if i was sure?! So I guess I'll just deal with it until I need new tires and hopefully that'll fix it. I just dealt with a similar thing with my 2011 outback, I traded that in for this 2012 Forester. I'm just tired of having my car in the shop. This will definitely be the last Subaru I buy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brus brother Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Ask to setup appointment with district manager at any dealership that is convenient to you. Ask for any bs in writing if he blows you off. Also ask to drive another like model on their lot. As for oil change, first recommended change is early due to break in metal shavings etc. contaminating the oil... or so I've been told. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ivans imports Posted June 27, 2012 Share Posted June 27, 2012 Aluminum subaru wheel like to come loose check tourque have had many come to my shop with loose nuts some even mising some the rims ar tight where the center hole is and tighten up on center not on studs after driving for a bitt they work loose seems to only happen to aluinum rims Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster2 Posted June 28, 2012 Share Posted June 28, 2012 I suggest taking your car to a tire store that sells the brand of tire that is on your Subie. It costs little to have a tire store balance your tires. Tires is all they do for a living, so they are far better at balancing tires correctly. If one of your new tires is bad, and new tires can be defective, they will be able to put on a new tire under manufacturer's warranty. I would avoid a Goodyear or Firestone tire store. Too often, IMO, they are overly money greedy for sales, at the customer's expense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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