Suzam

57k is a little early for preventive maintainence, the belt is only 1/2 way through it's life, however if it's only the cost of the new belt since the old on needs to be removed, I'd go for it. I'd make sure the seals are inspected but again, with the exisiting ones in place and no problems, I would leave them alone. My 2¢.

I've got a MY95 that does that whenever the temp drops below 40°F. Usually takes a good bounce like a speed bump or crossing over the crown of a road at an intersection. Someone once told me I could put a little transmission fluid on the bushings, but I wasn't sure about that. Since it's only in colder weather I just live with it. It's been doing it for about 5 years.

Double check your hose connections, could be a vacuum leak

Call them up and ask them to save the old parts and get them back. You own them anyway.

There are several posts on fogged headlights, search the board for some good tips. I noticed that my "fogged" headlights look clearer when I wet them while washing the car, so I tried this on my 05 Legacy figuring I had nothing to lose: I got some 400 grit wet sandpaper and gently sanded the lenses while running the hose on them. I did it until the lens felt smooth, let them dry (they looked awfuly opaque, almost white after drying) and sprayed a couple of THIN light coats of clear acrylic, letting them dry between coats. They look almost new now. It worked great and I figure maybe once a year or two to reapply the acrylic coating. Saved a couple of hundred dollars and I can see much better at night now too!

Which engine do you have? If it's a 2.2 they ALMOST never develop slap. Can you localize the sound to either the left or right bank or possibly from the front? I'd consider taking it to the dealer for an overnight and ask the service manager to PERSONALLY start it up and take it for a drive in the morning. Then see if they hear it.

Woo-Hoo, another Delawarian! Welcome to the board.

I've got one of the folding trailers from http://www.harborfreight.com for our MY01 Outback Wagon about 3 years ago. It has a full 4 x 8 bed and has paid for itself by saving delivery charges for things that wouldn't fit in the wagon. They have other sizes as well.

I'd first check a parts site online and see if the part numbers match for the 2 years, that would give you a start.

I'm looking to relace the badly scratched lenses on our MY05 Legacy. Ebay has some JDM (Japan Domestic market) lenses, but won't they have a different focal point setup for a right-hand drive car? I wouldn't want the light beams for focus to the left side of the road.

I'm pretty sure you can shut it off using the buttons on the front, but I think the next time the ignition key is turned on it is on again, so that may not be it. Check your manual for discription of the button function. Have you checked the plug on the back? Try removing it and replugging it.

I tend to stay away from transmission shops at all costs. There are too many that are eagar to do a diagnosis that leads to simple things like a band adjustment to a full blow replacement of tranny that just needs minor maintainance. Follow the manual for scheduled services.

Our MY95 does this smoke thing also. It comes out as a smallish jet stream of white about 6-10 inches out of the tailpipe. I noticed it about 3 or 4 years ago and at first thought it was oil smoke. The engine does't use any oil and the smoke disappears after less than 1 minute maximum. I figure it's a combination of cold engine and cold exaust components. The cats haven't had time to heat up and burn off whatever "smoke" is coming out. I use the term smoke loosely here, because I'm not convinced it isn't just water vapor from cold start combustion.

I see you found this other thread: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=2462 I really wonder if the heated mirror switch has anything to do with it. Do you have the winter package? I consistantly find the mirror heat switch on by accident after adjusting the mirrors or fumbling for the door lock at night. I wish that there was a timer on the circuit or the mirrors could be tied into the rear window defrost, which does shut off. Does anyone know if the newest models have a timer or is it just on forever?

Pick up the latest Consumer's Report, they just did a section on tires, both all-season and dedicated snow tires.

Check the cable under the dash as nipper recommends but also check your antifreeze/coolant level! If it's low and there is air in the system it can cause low to no heat. Also you can do a search on the burping proceedures for the system to bleed out air.

Congratulations on the purchase. Harder shifting transmissions when cold is pretty normal. As far as fluid chages follow the intervals in the manual. If you don't have one there are places on the internet to find the time and mileage intervals, like http://www.cars101.com Many Subarus go well over 150,000 miles with the regular maintainece.

Is this a regular wagon or a Limited? Our MY01 LSD doesn't kick in like the older "posi" mechanical rears, it takes a little more RPMs fron the opposite wheel before it engauges. You are correct about the all-weather package included LSD, but Subaru offered that package on the higher trim lines only on MY00. They could have added-on to a standard Outback. The package also included heated side mirrors.

I have a chipped lens on our MY95 Legacy and can't find a used replacement anywhere. You could consider unbolting the whole assembly and remove both of them for inspection. A pain to have to put back on later, but if they aren't on at inspection they can't fail you.

I jumped from 14" aluminum alloy wheels on our MY95 Legacy L to the 16" WRX wheels. the lower profile sidewalls vastly improved handling and the ride was about the same as far as bumps and road seams. I would go up to 16" over a 15" wheel if I had a choice.

Check the underside of the air cleaner assembly about halfway to the wheelwell, you should see a tube about 1.5 - 2 inches in diameter that needs to be reattached.

If you have a place at home to store a full-size tire, you could ride with the spacesaver and just take the full-sized 5th tire to the garage for your rotations.

Welcome! You're sure to find a plethora of information from this site. Also plenty of experienced Subaru owners to answer questions. Be sure to review the past posts, even if you don't have a specific question, sometimes they cover things you may run across in the future.

Nice ride you got there. I'd find some nice alloy wheels like from a WRX for the summer and put some dedicated snows on those old steel rims.

The years you mention are pretty much identical. Only differences would be model: Outback, Ltd., LL Bean or VDC. and maybe a cup holder move. The only major change I can think of in this model style would be the brake size from the first year (MY00) which were too small.