I have a 2003 Legacy Wagon with 48,000 miles on it. It's already had the transmission completely replaced (dealer "accidently" drained the differential fluid apparently) and I've complained about a knocking sound in my engine for a long time. A couple of weeks ago I went skiing in Virginia and the car would not start in the morning or in the evening when we would go out. My friend was driving it and he said it sounded like the fuel was not getting to the engine and he'd have to pump the gas a bit. Eventually, the car would start. When I took it to the dealer, they said that it wouldn't start because the gas was pumped - the cylinders were flooded? This wasn't done until AFTER it wouldn't start. They checked the battery and it seems fine. They also told me that every car has problems starting in cold weather (even though my previous car, a 1992 Toyota Corolla with 198,000 miles on it never had a problem). Has anyone else dealt with cold starts? I thought Subarus were supposed to be reliable vehicles, especially during the snowy months! Also, is anyone else familiar with the engine knocking sound?

When you can't get a fuel injected engine going in the cold normally, it is better to hold the throttle to the floor and crank the engine. This will help clear out excessive fuel by opening the throttle plate.

 

There are some things that can effect cold starting the engine and it sounds like they need to be checked. Going by your statements, your dealer service shop doesn't sound very competent, sorry to say.

I have a 2003 Legacy Wagon with 48,000 miles on it. It's already had the transmission completely replaced (dealer "accidently" drained the differential fluid apparently) and I've complained about a knocking sound in my engine for a long time. A couple of weeks ago I went skiing in Virginia and the car would not start in the morning or in the evening when we would go out. My friend was driving it and he said it sounded like the fuel was not getting to the engine and he'd have to pump the gas a bit. Eventually, the car would start. When I took it to the dealer, they said that it wouldn't start because the gas was pumped - the cylinders were flooded? This wasn't done until AFTER it wouldn't start. They checked the battery and it seems fine. They also told me that every car has problems starting in cold weather (even though my previous car, a 1992 Toyota Corolla with 198,000 miles on it never had a problem). Has anyone else dealt with cold starts? I thought Subarus were supposed to be reliable vehicles, especially during the snowy months! Also, is anyone else familiar with the engine knocking sound?

The knocking noise is most likely piston slap ,,,,,,, how many miles did you have to drive to get to the skiing place and do you live in warmer climate than the skiing resort you went to