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bushwick, Back a year or so ago (there may be more up to date posts giving the same info) I followed a post on this forum that led to a site where you could download the FSM's (factory service manual) for every year and model Subie. At the time I was able to download the one for my 2012 OBW. I suggest you find the link (maybe someone here can direct you) and download the model years you need and go from there. They'll point you to what you need as to its location, etc. Good Luck!

Jack, I've never taken notice of headlight washers on any model Subie. It was a surprise to me that they had that option in Europe. As suggested, the pump for the headlight washers will be a specific high pressure pump. Way back when I purchased the 1990 300ZX, I used the headlight washers once to see how they opreated. The jet of fluid was definately under a lot more pressure than you'd get from the usual windshield washer. You will need that high pressure pump. Good Luck!

Jack, One of my toys, a 1990 Nissan 300ZX, has this headlight squirter option, not that I've ever used it in the 20+ years that I've owned the car. The factory service manual for that car shows the nozzles in the bumper cover, the plastic/rubber hoses to each, the extra electric pump in the windshield washer tank for the headlight washers, and the separate wiring and switch on the dash pods. The wiring and plumbing for it all is simple and straight forward for a DIYer. I would suggest that if you wish to go this route, that you contact your local Subaru parts department, and see what they can do about ordering the European spec parts for you. You may have to go through Subaru of America. Be aware that if you can get the nozzle and piping parts (the extra washer motor and wiring items can be purchased almost anywhere, even at a wrecking yard), that the bumper cover will have to come off the car to install the nozzles and the piping. Not hard to do, but a mystery for a first timer. Do a mockup of the nozzle actually squirting before you commit to drilling the holes in the bumper cover, to ensure the water stream hits the lens parts you want. In fact, I know that you could buy the nozzles and the plastic covers for the 300ZX that would do the job for you, as I've replaced a nozzle cover just last year. Good Luck!

nachurch57, It comes down to spending say $1000 on steel wheels and dedicated winter tires, or spending several times that on collision damage, towing, car rental, hotel stays and possibly horrendous hospital bills. Its a decision you will have to weigh and balance. My first OBW LTD went through one month of winter with its original tires. The difference in grip when I installed snow tires was immense. I soon learned to be more afraid of the other drivers without AWD and winter tires than I did the snow and ice. There simply isn't any more white knuckled driving, except for visibility ... or the other drivers. Personally I wouldn't put a key in the ignition without proper winter tires, if I was travelling anywhere where there is winter snows and ice. And yes, my 2012 OBW LTD is presently equipped with the best ice tires that Michelin sells. My wife's Lexus does as well, but if there's a hint of it being nasty, only the OBW leaves the garage.

msmithmmx, Since the digital system has the ability to allow both passenger and driver to set their desired temps differently, one has to assume that there must be additional door actuators (motors) to allow both sides to open two different blend doors separately. And that suggests that the heater box for the HVAC unit will be different that the analog system. Then, where is the computer hidden for the digital system? And what, if any wiring harness differences will there be? I see a whole pile of issues that say you may be best just leaving well enough as is.

adamsimp, These are the items that come up for a code P0028. Possible causes - Dirty engine oil - Low engine oil level - Faulty intake valve control solenoid - Intake valve control solenoid harness is open or shorted - Intake valve control solenoid circuit poor electrical connection

cascadeclimbn, As suggested, the wiring break in the rubber gaitor to the tailgate is one issue, but more probably the motor shaft is seized from lack of use. The steel shaft to the wiper arm frequently seizes to the corrosive properties of the cast aluminum/white metal/whatever of the motor case. Try removing the entire motor from the tailgate and with luck and lots of penetrating oil you may be able to free it up. Frequently asking the motor to turn while the shaft was seized may have burned the motor out. You won't know until you try. My first OBW (a 97) had the same issue. I drilled the rivets out of the motor case and eventually got the shaft free. After cleaning it up well, I lubed it liberally with waterproof grease and used small nuts and machine screws to put it back together. Worked like a charm.

wayman, Personally I wouldn't waste the money on an extended warranty on a Subaru, Lexus, Toyota or a Honda. Save the cash, put it in the bank, and save it for that future brake job or a new set of tires. Chances are you'll never need the extended warranty. Its mostly a cash grab for the dealership, but if it gives you peace of mind, then buy it.

wayman, I've owned one of each generation of OBW LTD's since 97. Everyone of them was a better car than the one before and they were all basically trouble free. My present 2012 (H4, CVT) has 47 000 miles and runs like a clock. There are a few things I don't like about this generation (2010 +) but they are minor. The lower plastic dash, door panels scratch very easily, as do the panels on the backs of the front seats. And the electronic parking brake system is for the birds. It works well, but its either all of the way one or off with no midway. And its motor is buried under the gastank. I'm sure it'll be a money pit to fix if it ever needs attention. But any of the common problems that you may have heard with the previous generations have all been addressed. Your best approach to buying is to search the Auto Trader for a 2012 or 13 and let the first owner pay for the depreciation. Find the nicest one you can that screams "pride of ownership" and you'll know you got a good one. And then take care of it. Good luck in your search.

03mach1, Personally I wouldn't touch the car. It has obviously been ridden hard and put away wet, or the motor would never have been changed. And the previous owner has most likely beat on it substantially after the rebuild, or why put all the high priced parts into it? Then there's the question as to why is he selling .... I mean the REAL REASON he is selling it, if its been so well built and upgraded? I think you're buying nothing but trouble, but its your money and you can do as you wish with it. Good Luck!

roadsubiedog, A 1999 is now 20 years old, and I'm willing to bet that your problem may well be that the piston in the caliper is likely corroded, causing the sticking. In the salt coated winter roads where I live in Southern Ontario, I see this a lot in the older cars I repair. The fix is to pop the piston out using an air gun (if the caliper is off the car), and clean up the piston and the caliper bore with 0000 steel wool and flush with lots of fresh brake fluid. Then check the piston and caliper bore for any rust pitting or scratches. If there are any, replace the caliper. If not, reuse it. Check the seals and dust cover as well. To get the piston back in, check out YouTube videos, particularly the one where a mechanic shows how to use an air gun the spread the dust seal over the piston. Really trick, and works like a charm. Good Luck!

meowlk, The Subaru rule of thumb is that all 4 tires must be within 1/4 inch of the same diameter of each other, or you may do damage to the AWD system. Read expensive mechanical fix. My 2012 had one winter tire destroyed by a nail early last winter, and the tire was no longer being made by Michelin. Rather than risk problems, I sprung for a new set and sold the three old ones to a local used tire dealer.

k9leader, Haven't seen this on any Subies (not many in my part of the country), but I've seen similar rot on many cars and trucks over the years in our shop. I doubt you can get patch panel rockers for a Subie, but they are available for the more popular Chevies and Fords, etc. Certainly worth checking out. If your body cladding panels are pulled, and the metal underneath is tested for other areas of rot, you should be able to go to a wrecking yard and have an oversized section cut from an Outback to graft in. Just be sure to have it checked out carefully, to ensure its solid, and that you're not buying another rotted out piece. Obviously when the repair is done, have your car oiled to stop any other spots from getting any worse. Good Luck!

susie, Usually three things cause this issue in my experience. The eject switch is dirty and needs its contacts cleaned. Depending on the type of switch used, you may be able to clean the switch with electrical contact spray cleaner (Radio Shack, auto supply stores). To get at it, you'll need to pull the unit from the car and then open the case to remove the front panel circuit board that has the switch on it. The disc tray drive assembly will be driven either by a motor and some gear sets, one or more of which may be broken. Or it may be driven by a motor driving pulley wheels that have a rubber belt (rubber band) that has broken due to old age. Again open the case to see what you're dealing with. These last two (broken gear/ rubber belt) will require a visit to an audio repair shop for parts, where they may or may not sell you the parts (take the old belt with you). Of course if you have them repair the unit, they'll supply the parts, but they may refuse to sell them to you otherwise. Me, I'd tear into the unit, as even if I can't fix it on the work bench with some snooping around for the obvious, it has to come out of the car anyway. Then its off to an auto wrecker for a used CD/radio replacement unit from another Subie. Good Luck!

You might try an online parts search and compare the parts' numbers for the two years. Personally, an 8 year spread is a long time for parts to stay the same anymore, but its possible. Another method is to place the two side by side and check everything out. It may be necessary to cut the electrical connector from the old one and slplice it onto the new one to get it to match up with the car's wiring harness. Good Luck!

tonyp5143, You should be able to cover quite a large surface area with Dynomat, but may have to piece it in places where roof structures and bracing will be in the way. I'd suggest not buying the silencer material until after you have the headliner down, and see what you are up against. If you have a sunroof, there may be interference issues with the Dynomat in spots.

Tonyp5143, Search YouTube videos for door glass replacement. Watch 5 or 6 different ones for any make of vehicle, since they are pretty much the same. There will be things to note on how to remove the inner door panel and unhook the wiring connectors to power window switches and such. Most door glass has a rail across the bottom of the glass, or a bracket at each end of the glass at the bottom, that a nut or bolt must be removed from. This detaches it from the lift mechanism. Frequently the glass must be lowered partway down until these nuts/bolts can be reached through circular cutouts in the door. Place a piece of masking tape over the end of the socket before you put the socket on the nut/bolt. This will lock the nut.bolt into the socket when you get it undone, preventing the nut/bolt from dropping down into the bottom of the door. (Do the same when you go to put them back in.) Usually when the glass has the fasteners removed, it can be moved up and down by hand, and then tilted front or rearward to pull it out of its tracks. Once free of the tracks, lift it out the door opening. Good Luck!

Tonyp5143, I've had the complete sunroof assembly out of one of my OBW's about 10 years ago, and they are all the same. First keep your hands clean, as trying to clean the headliner will leave marks in the knap that will show up. Remove the headrests front and rear, the assist straps, sunvisors, rear view mirror, and pry out each of the lenses of the overhead lights. Underneath the lenses will be one or two screws that need removing. Pull down the light assemblies and disconnect their wiring harnesses. Pull the weatherstripping around each door opening down from the top of the door to about midway and let hang (no need to remove completely.) Where the cargo cover clips over the rear wheel wells, remove the screws on the clips, and at the rear tailgate opening, if any exist there. Pull the A, B, and C pillar moldings. Gently and firmly pull eaqh of them straight out to unclip them. Once the B pillar has been pulled, reach in behind and unbolt the upper front seat belt anchor using a 55 Torx bit. You can remove the entire B pillar, but you should be able to sneak the headliner past them without doing so. Pull the top ceiling molding at the tailgate, You can pull up the rear floor snap panels, remove the 10 mm nuts and screws holding the C pillar and wheel well covers, or just pull the top of those panels enough to work the headliner out in a few more steps. If you have a sunroof, pull the molding that wraps around the sunroof opening. At the rear, open the roof anchor points for the rear seat belts, remove the screws and pop out the moldings. At this point, pull straight down on all of the plastic plugs in the headliner. If you have a sunroof, there may be velcro like plastic fasteners along the rear edge of the sunroof opening that will require a downward tug to release. Drop the headliner down on top of the seats and take it out the tailgate. None of this is hard, just time consumming, one of the reasons that sunroof repairs are so costly. To reinstall the headliner is the reverse. Be carefull reinstalling the A, B, and C pillar moldings. Ensure that the pins are properly aligned in the openings in the metalwork before you strike them back into place with the palm of your hand. Its very easy to break the fasteners otherwise. Good Luck!

xdeadeyeone, Everything is supposed to be lit up. Some or all of the bulbs will have a tiny condom on them to give the blue cast when lit. Swap the condoms over to the new bulbs and follow imdew's lead.

All car DVD systems require that the parking brake be on before the DVD player/Tv will be powered. Simply a safety issue, to prevent some fool watching videos while driving down the road.

millhouse, As suggested, the usual headgasket problems on that generation Subie ended up being minor coolant leaks on the outside of the heads. You smelled it, but it usually didn't end up on the ground under the car. Subie came up with a coolant additive that helped to prevent the problem. Go see a dealer and get it some. My 04 developed the issue, the dealership pulled the heads, did the gaskets, added the coolant, all in the first year of ownership under warranty. No more problem. As for the brush bar, try this: http://www.carid.com/grill-guards.html

Gentlemen, I've been using No Touch tire foam on the black exterior plastic pieces on my cars for several years. It doesn't wash off, and lasts quite a long time between applications, but it is best used sparingly. I use a small synthetic foam sponge, spray the foam on the sponge and apply it to the plastic bits. Wipe any excess off the painted areas as it will attract dirt. I particularly like how it brings the black vinyl bra back to life on my black 300zx.

jmoss5723, There are no responses since no body has tried to do it before. If you have access to welding equipment, etc., go for it since you'll be able to modify it to fit cheaply if you know what you're doing. Otherwise, buy the correct model that fits your car. It'll save you a lot of headaches trying to mount it, because you know it'll fit. Then there is the safety factor that hacking a hitch up doesn't give you. Can you really afford the lawsuit that a failed hitch caused the deaths of someone in the car behind you may bring?

vermontsailor, I agree with Imdew! Buy the best 1 or 2 year old Forester you can find, and let the previous owner pay the depreciation. When I purchased my present 2012 OBW LTD (H2), it was just over a year old with 17 000 miles on it, and I saved $10 100 on what I would have had to pay to buy it new. Yes, the outside was perfect, but there were some scratches on the inside, but the car had been treated well otherwise. Yes, I can afford to own a brand new car, but why would I when I can buy them this way and get more car than I really would have purchased in the first place? Not to mention, when the body styles stay the same for 3 or more years, no one can tell what year it is anyway, unless I tell them or they look at the door info decal.

Stevo F, I've had 4 OBW LTD's since 1997, one of every generation, the first 3 automatics and the present 2012 a CVT. In every case I've had a second set of wheels mounted with the best ice grip snow tires I could buy ... and the cars were unstoppable in winter weather. I did, however, change the winter tire size and opt for a size two sizes narrower. For the 2012 that means a 205 instead of the stock 225 width. The narrower tire cuts through the snow as opposed to riding up on the snow at higher speeds. It works for the winter ralley cars and works just as well for daily driving. The 04 OBW I let myself be talked into the same stock tire size when the snows were put on. That setup was a nightmare and I swapped the snow tires and went to a set two sizes smaller within the month. What a difference the narrower tires made. As for the CVT ... I can see no difference on ice or snow between it and the previous automatics I've owned. It works just as well, but gives better fuel mileage, dry, wet, snow or ice.