toddkageals Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Guys, I sold my '96 Outback and bought a brand new '07 LL Bean Outback and I was hoping someone here could answer a few questions for me. 1. The car did not come with Nav. but I would like to retrofit the Subaru system. Is this possible? If so, does Subaru sell it as an accessorie or would I have to find one in a junk yard? 2. I drove 2 different '07 LL Bean Outbacks and neither of them had the steering wheel "centered" when the car was driving straight down the road. Both cars had the wheel turned a bit to the right. The dealer realigned my car and it's much better but still a little weird. Anyone have an explanation for this? 3. The car has the 6 cyl. and makes a tick-tick-tick sound when started after sitting outside all night....is this normal for this motor? 4. Wow....I knew the car would not get the gas mileage of the 4 cyl. but I thought it would be close to the mileage of my '96 with over 193,000 miles on it. I was WRONG. The gas mileage sucks! That's not a question, just an observation. Otherwise we love the car. I am slightly disappointed in the quality of the upholstery and I have to say it's a shame that the Willow Green only comes with tan interior. Why? Because it already looked dirty here and there just from being test driven and it's picked up dirty spots in just 1000 miles. The gray interior on my old car still looked great at 193,000! 5. Do people generally run synthetic in the H6? If so, what brand and weight? Thanks for the help. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 read thoroughly through the owners manual. it may touch on options you don't have, such as NAV. sometimes they even mention quirks to vehicles....like the old subaru's reading near zero oil pressure. i doubt you'll find anything out about the ticking, but NAV options may be in there and oil weight will certainly be in there. i'd personally run 10w-30 synthetic in your part of the country all year long. i would ask subaru to install the NAV system. i would also ask about the tick...that doesn't sound right to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jon38iowa Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Guys, I sold my '96 Outback and bought a brand new '07 LL Bean Outback and I was hoping someone here could answer a few questions for me. 1. The car did not come with Nav. but I would like to retrofit the Subaru system. Is this possible? If so, does Subaru sell it as an accessorie or would I have to find one in a junk yard? 2. I drove 2 different '07 LL Bean Outbacks and neither of them had the steering wheel "centered" when the car was driving straight down the road. Both cars had the wheel turned a bit to the right. The dealer realigned my car and it's much better but still a little weird. Anyone have an explanation for this? 3. The car has the 6 cyl. and makes a tick-tick-tick sound when started after sitting outside all night....is this normal for this motor? 4. Wow....I knew the car would not get the gas mileage of the 4 cyl. but I thought it would be close to the mileage of my '96 with over 193,000 miles on it. I was WRONG. The gas mileage sucks! That's not a question, just an observation. Otherwise we love the car. I am slightly disappointed in the quality of the upholstery and I have to say it's a shame that the Willow Green only comes with tan interior. Why? Because it already looked dirty here and there just from being test driven and it's picked up dirty spots in just 1000 miles. The gray interior on my old car still looked great at 193,000! 5. Do people generally run synthetic in the H6? If so, what brand and weight? Thanks for the help. Todd 1. You might check at the main Subaru web site for accessories, not that you would have to buy there, but it might give you food for thought. 2. I find the alignment a little fussy on Subarus. Last time I had it done it required two different shops. The first place did a fine job with a tempermental strut tower issue, however my steering wheel was off a little and they just couldn't get it straight. Shop number two was able to get right. I have had a least 10 or more cars through the years and never had this much hassle pertaining to alignment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericem Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 ya, that tick noise. My dads Nissan Titan with a V8 5.6 it did that,we then tried synthetic, no more ticking noise, even in -30C!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idosubaru Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 on older soobs the steering wheel sits on a splined shaft on the steering column. if it's off a tooth the steering wheel needs to be reset, it's not an alignment thing. take it to the dealer and have them reset it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msmithmmx Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 Dude, why did you buy the car if you have so many issues with it? As far as that ping noise you are hearing, yea you have piston slap. It took me well over 100K to get it. You should not have this soon, have the dealer address it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddkageals Posted October 29, 2006 Author Share Posted October 29, 2006 Dude, why did you buy the car if you have so many issues with it? As far as that ping noise you are hearing, yea you have piston slap. It took me well over 100K to get it. You should not have this soon, have the dealer address it. Well....I didn't hear the "tick tick tick" until it got cold. I don't think it's piston slap. I sounds kinda like a wrist watch ticking....very quiet. Sound more like valve train noise to me but it could just be normal cold engine noise. I also did not notice the steering wheel until I was on my way home from the dealership. Should not be a big, just wondering if Subaru produced a bunch of misaligned cars or something. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unobtainium Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 1. There is so much ***************ing about the Subaru nav that unless you're very fussy about the interior look, aftermarket will serve you better. The ***************ing concerns old maps and too much key-pushing. 3. Some injectors make this noise. If the tick tick is much faster than the engine's going around (3x in your case) it might be nothing more than noisy injectors. 4. Your mileage will probably increase by 20% when the car's broken in. You can check some of this stuff out on legacygt.com. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setright Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 I work Sundays at a dealer her in Denmark now. Yes, satnav can be retrofitted. Steering wheel alignment: the person aligning it hasn't done it right. But if the car doesn't pull to one side, it's ok. But annoying. Tick noise is NOT piston slap. It's the hydraulic lash adjusters in the valvetrain. Normal. Not harmful. I have noticed that the newer variable valve lift and timing systems are more likely to be noisy. Synthetic oil is a-okay Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger83 Posted October 29, 2006 Share Posted October 29, 2006 1. Folks have retrofit the Subaru system by buying the bezel and other components and integrating it with an aftermarket screen. But there is almost no reason to do so, since aftermarket systems can be integrated with the audio and have larger screens (if desired). I just bought a Garmin Nuvi 660 and the screen is about the same size - and it cost $750.... The Nuvi also fits into the glove box in the center of the dash (where the nav goes) which is handy. 2. It is wierd, the dealer should adjust the suspension to center it. 3. My car does not tick. 1,000 miles is still very new. 4. Gas mileage on the first few tanks is always bad. My worst mileage of any tank was the third - 16.5 mpg. As you don't give any #'s I can't tell you whetehr it is good or bad for the vehicle. I log all fuel use and it is clear that the average improves during breakin - the first 20,000 miles.... 5. No. Some dealers (like mine) say it interferes with the variable valve timing. But I have run Mobil I from the first change and seem to have comparable mileage and performance as those who do not. Oddly, it used about 1/2 quart in 5,000 miles on the first change, but none since. A caveat on mileage - I live in the city, drive a fair amount in city traffic, and my commutes are on fairly crowded highways. Whenever we get a chance to take a "pure" highway trip, we average 25-26 mpg for the tank, driving 75 or so. Most folks could do better. Changing the stock Bridgestone RE92A's (if yours is so equipped - some 07's seem to have Yokohamas) will make it a much better driving car. I put on Goodyear F1 GS D3's for summer tires. They're phenomenal in dry and rain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddkageals Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 Just thought I'd post an update to this thread. 1. Gas mileage is getting better as suggested. I'm getting about 19 in mostly city driving and 26 or so on the highway. 2. The dealer realigned the car and the steering is centered now. 3. The ticking has not changed but is only heard outside the car and as I said it's VERY light. I'm not concerned as I believe it to be normal valvetrain or injector noise as indicated above. 4. The only "problem" I have now is a light thunking in the rear hatch area when ever I hit a bump. The dealer checked it out once and tightened the rear spoiler which I thought fixed the problem. The problem has now returned and is worse. I guess I'll have to have them look at it again. Thanks for all the advice. Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjreilly Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Is the spare tire fully fastened down? Maybe that could be the thumping. cheers, matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddkageals Posted November 24, 2006 Author Share Posted November 24, 2006 Is the spare tire fully fastened down? Maybe that could be the thumping. cheers, matt It really sounds like something light weight....it's more of a heavy clicking than a thunk if that makes any sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted November 24, 2006 Share Posted November 24, 2006 Check the jack and jack handle as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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