gbhrps

My last OBW LTD did exactly the same thing, and with the help of my dealership and some online searching, I found the fix to be easy and permanent. Subaru had a TSB for this problem. Apparently someone at the factory missed applying the correct amount of sealant to the sunroof opening in the steel roof, or time allowed the sealant to shrink. Consequently the paint over the sealant developed fine hairline cracks that would wick water into the interior of the roof structure, where it would find its way down to the overhead map lights up front, and then leak out drops of water onto the driver during turns. Been there, had that, got it fixed. Open the sunroof fully, and look at the sides of the opening where the steel roof skin was folded down into the car. Close inspection of these sidewalls (use a magnifying glass if necessary) should show where the paint has spider-cracked and is wicking in the water. The area to check is the front outside corners of the rear sunroof opening and back for about 3 inches along the sides. Use some 300 grit sand paper to lightly sand the region (in order to give grip for the next step) and apply a very thin coat of 5 Minute Epoxy with a putty knife over the area. You don't need very much, just enough to seal the fine cracks, without any buildup that will interfere with the sunroof seals. Let it stand overnight before you close the sunroof, and problem solved. You could even paint over the epoxy if it bothers you. Good Luck!

Recently I have become aware of what I think is a shudder in the automatic transmission. I purchased this OBW LTD new in 07 and it presently has 95 000 km (59 000 miles). Its taken awhile for me to think that there may be something wrong, but I seem to be able to feel a minor shudder at certain times. It occurs when accelerating slowly or moderately and when driving straight ahead. I think it is at the shift from first to second gear and feels like the car has just driven over one of those warning rumble strips. Its just momentary and does not occur every time under the same circumstances. I would venture a guess at it occurring say every third or fourth time. The car has run flawlessly since new and has only required the replacement of the tailgate Subaru emblem under warranty. The present Toyo snowtires would only have 20 000 km. Does this set of circumstances ring a bell with anyone?

There was a TSB on that generation of sunroofed cars that had water leaks into the front overhead map light area. If the sunroofs were opened and you looked at the steel roof opening along its sides, you would see areas in the paint where a factory sealant under the paint was missing or cracked. Water would then be wicked into the cracks of the paint and find its way forward to the overhead maplight console. The fix was to lightly sand the area and apply a thin coat of 5 minute epoxy to the area. Leaks to the rear areas are either plugged drain tubes (blow out with air or unplug with a coathanger carefully). Many times the plastic drain tube cracks or splits, or shrinks off its connection at the end of the roof rail channel. The only fix is to drop the headliner (time consumming but not difficult). I'm a backyard mechanic whose been in the backyard a little while, and I dropped mine in less than an hour and had it out the open tailgate. You have to pull down the door opening weather stripping and then carefully pry off the A, B and C pillar mouldings. The B pillar mouldings come off after first removing the top mounting bolts for the seat belts (T50 or 55 Torx if I recall correctly). Remove the headliner plugs in the rear, the top moulding at the tailgate opening, the overhead lights and consoles, the assist straps, sunvisors and rear view mirror. Pull the moulding around the sunroof opening and the headliner drops. When I did mine, I went so far as to put clamps around each of the drain tubes where they connect to the sunroof rails. Normal tools, some patience and less than 3 hours time total. Its a DIYer, just be sure to keep your hands clean as the headliner marks easily.

If you can hear the motor working and the centre of the door panel buckling in when you power down the window, then the motor is good, but it may have stripped a drive gear. More likely, either the front or rear window tracks (that the glass slides in) has come undone, or the motor and drive mechanism has come loose, or the bottom track that the rollers on the bottom of the glass ride in has come loose. Any of these issues will cause the window to bind and become inoperative. As long as no gears have been stripped or guide channels have been badly mangled, this should be a fairly easy fix. If anything has been damaged it'll be much cheaper to buy the entire works used from a wrecking yard. Just be sure to get the parts from the same door. Good Luck!

I purchased my latest 07 OBW LTD new in October of 06 and have wrung up 93 000 km or close to 60 000 miles since. It has run flawlessly since that first day with only one warranty issue ... a replacement of the tailgate Subaru insignia badge that somehow managed to partially dechrome its five stars. Other than brake cleanings, oil and filter changes and tire rotations, etc., there have been absolutely no issues. I have owned a 97 OBW LTD and an 02 OBW LTD previously, and the 07 has proven to be the best of the three. I look forward to my next OBW LTD within the next 3 years, as I like what I see of the latest version for 2010.

When one side of the turn signals starts to flash at a rate faster than normal, it usually indicates that there is a problem with one of the turn signal bulbs on that side of the car. A front or rear bulb filament may be weak, the bulb may have a poor ground, or the socket may be corroded and not making a good contact. Clean things up or change the bulb and you should be good to go. Good Luck!

Imdew, I've done a few of these in the past, my own 02 OBW LTD and several other makes of cars, and from what you describe, both sides of the sunroof are trying to do what is correct, but they are just out of sync. What I mean is that one side is raising up on the rear ahead of the other side, suggesting that somehow the motor drive gear has skipped on the drive track of one side for several teeth, but not on the other. In these sunroof mechanisms a tube runs down each side of the sunrroof glass towards the rear of the car to where the back of the sunroof would be in its fully opened position, and then they turn towards each other, and pass each other in the middle of the roof by about one half inch apart. A toothed nylon whip is inside each tube and attached to the front of the sunroof. The motor drive gear sits in that half inch wide space between the 2 tubes, and as it spins in one direction or the other, it either is pushing both whips to close the sunroof, or pulling them to open it. If one of the whips has skipped two or more teeth on the drive gear you will get an uneven closing. If this is your problem, simply pulling the motor out and then pushing both whips until the sunroof is properly closed, before reinstalling the motor again, should solve the problem. I have also seen where the very rear most channel that the sunroof slides in had a cracked end plate. It allowed the whip on that side to move back about an inch farther than the other side, hence the same problem you experience. Regardless, any fix can only be done with the headliner removed from the car. Only then will you be able to remove the motor and see what the problem really is. Getting the headliner out takes time, but is a DIYer if you have the patience. Any fix you do, you may find that buying an entire sunroof system from a wreck may be cheaper than buying new parts from the dealer. Good Luck!

My 07 OBW LTD has lighted window switches at all locations.

A word of caution for those of you who use Armoral and silicone spray on the interiors of your car. The stuff will not just stay inside of the car. Some of it will find its way airborne onto the outside of the car. It won't be a problem until its time for some collision repairs and a visit to the paint shop. Anyone in an automotive paint shop will absolutely have a heart attack if they learn that you've used these products and not told them before hand. Both products cause fish eyes in the surface of the paint, necessitating repainting the panel/car after stripping off the fish eyed layers and resanding the body. If the painter knows about it before he paints the car, he can mix a fisheye remover into the paint to prevent the flaws occurring.

xdeadhead, The squeaky wheel gets the grease. In the past, on a Toyota Cressida, I have been where you are now. In that case, I wrote a letter to the customer relations department that was friendly, but firm. In it I related to the problem that my sunroof computer was just out of warranty, and that I had been a faithful customer for many years, etc., etc., and that I hoped that their attention to this matter would be fair. I also suggested that their response would help me to decide whether or not I purchased from their competitors at my next car trade. I received a phone call within 3 weeks time from the dealership, requesting that I bring my car in for the replacement of the sunroof computer, all free of charge. Its certainly worth the effort to write the letter, and possibly follow it up with a phone call or two. Be sure to be firm but friendly, and to suggest that you just want to be treated fairly, and not feel that you've been taken for a ride. Even prior to that episode I had a similar situation with the rearend on a Corvette that I had bought new, and had gone south just outside of the warranty. In this case, again I wrote the letters, and made the phone calls, and GM gave me the parts for free if I agreed to pay for the labour for the repairs. It wasn't exactly what I wanted, but it was far better than having to foot the entire bill. Good Luck, and keep us posted!

amandalynn04, I'm certain that you and everyone else found the first response to your posting very informative at solving your problem. Just what is the issue with your sunroof? I can't imagine why the entire unit would have to be replaced just for leaks. It doesn't make sense, unless the entire unit was vandalized or the car was rolled over. Sunroofs leak for several different reasons, all of which can be repaired. Most common is that one or more of the drain tubes in your system are plugged. Unplugging them takes some time, but is not really difficult. As well, one or more of the tubes could have come unattached to the drains. Next is the misalignment of the sunroof that allows more water to seep past the seals than the drains can deal with. The sunroof can usually be realigned at its four mounting points, unless the drive track assembly has been broken somehow, in which case the drive whip, its carrier assembly that attaches to the sunroof, or the track is damaged. And all of these pieces can be repaired. It is possible that the seals can not seal properly due to rusting of the metal that frames the sunroof glass. If the metal rusts, it will swell and misshape the seal. Since the metal is glued to the glass, with the seal sandwiched in between, there isn't a simple fix but to replace that sunroof portion. Lastly, for several years beyond the 2000 models, there was a TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) for leaks that let water into the front overhead reading lights at the rear view mirror. Apparently improperly applied sealant on the sides of the opening in the steel roof of the car, allowed water to be wicked into the superstructure of the roof of the car, where it found its way forward to the overhead map light area. For most sunroof servicing, other than unplugging the drain tubes and replacing the glass portion of the sunroof, the entire sunroof assembly must be taken out of the car . Usually an hour's work to remove the sunvisors, mirror, overhead lights, A,B,and C pillars and door weatherstripping, and you can drop the headliner. Then only 8 or 10 bolts and the entire sunroof assembly can be removed for repairs on a workbench. You have a 6 year old car, so used parts are the way to go for all of the larger/more expensive items. And, even if you have to replace the entire sunroof assembly, it should be fairly easy to locate a wrecked car for what you'll need.

The only insulation is what is already part of the headliner.

I agree with nipper. The contacts on the power window switch get gummed up and cause intermittent problems. Its a fairly common problem on many makes and models of cars. You can get some electrical contact cleaner spray and shoot several bursts into the switch itself and then cycle it a few times. Give it a few minutes to evaporate, and then turn on the ignition and try the switch. You may have to do this 2 or 3 times. If that still doesn't get to the bottom of the issue, take the switch out of the arm rest and open it up inside a large baggy (to prevent the loss of any contacts or springs that may propel themselves out of the switch case and get lost on the garage floor). The contact cleaner spray and a wipe with a clean cloth should get rid of the grime, and a look at the innards of the switch will dictate how the unit snaps back together. Good Luck!

john40iowa, You have a straight forward job ahead of you, particularly without a sunroof. I've done several of these removal/replacements and you'll not need any special tools or to even consider buying a new headliner, unless yours is already ruined somehow. There is no glue used to secure it in place. All of the overhead pieces (sunvisors/ rear view mirror/assist straps/interior lights/and high mount rear seat belt anchors) and the A,B,and C pillar mouldings and door opening seals are what hold it in place. As well, you may have 2 or 3 ceiling plugs in the rear area that just pull straight down to remove. You will have to remove the front seat belt loop anchors on the B pillar that are just above your ear (when seated in the front of the car), to be able to remove the B pillar finisher moulding, but just the top half of the moulding has to be pulled. You may need a special socket for those seat belt loop anchors. Flip up the moulding over the loop and check, but I believe its a T50 Torx bit for a 3/8ths socket. Those A,B,and C pillar finisher mouldings just pull straight out and away from their anchor points, but there may be a screw or two in the C pillar. Be firm with them, but be careful not to break or split any of them. Hint: Keep your hands clean during the removal and replacement. It is fairly easy to mark up the headliner with grease and dirt, and darn hard to get it off without maring the surface material. Remove your front head rests before you start, and fold the rear seats down. Obviously you remove the headliner through the rear tailgate. In all you may be looking at an hour or hour and a half at most to yank the headliner. Its not hard, just fiddly. Good Luck!

Scoobywagon, Any radio/cassette units that I've tinkered with over the years usually had failures due to broken drive bands (read small rubber bands that drive the eject mechanism and turn the wheels for each spool of the tape). In each instance once I had opened the radio case I found the broken belt/band and took it with me to a local radio repair shop. There the repair guy compared its shape and length to those in stock and I was able to fix my units. If you have the patience and the time to tackle the same thing, go for it. But if you don't feel you have the time and would rather swap your old unit out for a new one, that might be a better decision noting your trip timeline. If you go for a new unit, most car audio stores have wiring harness swap kits that allow your new radio to plug into their short conversion harness, and then plug seamlessly into your Subie radio harness with no wire mess or problems. If you'd rather do the install by hardwiring, go online to the "installdr.com" (the install doctor), find your car's make, model, and year listed, and get the entire wiring colour codes and harness pinouts free. Its a neat site. Good Luck!

dakos, If you replace the speedometer head with one that reads in miles per hour, the odometer will read in miles as well, as they are both driven from the same mechanism. I believe that Ontario law requires you to document the mileage of your old speedometer assembly at the time that is removed from the car, and that you document the mileage of the replacement speedometer at the time it is installed, and the information must stay with the car.

I would agree with rooster2. Making a car go is one thing, but you must absolutely be able to stop it! I've done my own brake jobs for years on a lot of different makes and models, and its not rocket science. Replacing the MC and calipers is an easy DIYer project. I've even done caliper piston bore and piston cleanups with 0000 steel wool, many brake fluid flushes, and new seal kits on calipers that had a minor corrosion and no pitting problems, with good success. If you have any doubts about the calipers ...... replace them yourself and save a lot of money, but replace them. You don't want that telephone call that tells you that your daughter has been in an accident, and then find out that she couldn't stop the car.

daddycoolj, You approach things the way I do, a little out of the ordinary, but it works! Congratulations on the solution.

Paul, I've had some experience with sunroof leaks and alignment of the sunroof panels on several cars and trucks in the last few years, including an 02 OBW LTD. First let me suggest that because the sunroof panels are glued (much like your windshield) to a metal frame into which the outer seal has been sandwiched, you may not be able to replace it without breaking the glass. Your best option, if the seal needs replacing, may be to buy a complete sunroof from a wreck. Are you certain that you have a bad seal? I would wonder if you have an alignment problem of the sunroof to the roof cutout instead. If so there are 3 causes. One will be due to a stripping or skipping of the rear panel on the gear tracks on both sides. This means broken plastic slide components that require the entire sunroof to removed for repairs to be made. Another could be that when your rear panel is completely forward, in its closed position, it needs to be moved slightly rearward for the seal to do its proper job. This may be able to be accomplished in two ways. One is to loosen all of the 10 mm bolts that fasten the entire sunroof mechanism to the steel roof supports and slide the entire unit slightly rearward before retightening the bolts. The second, and the one I reccommend, is to loosen the four bolts/screws that secure the glass panel to the slide mechanism on both sides of the car and slide the panel itself rearward until the seal does its job, and then retighten the screws/bolts. The holes that these screws/bolts go through are large and allow for some movement when aligning the glass to the opening. So it comes down to either an alignment issue which you have some leeway on correcting, without any expense other than your time, or a complete removal of the entire assembly from the car, at which point you can see exactly what needs replacing. If the unit needs to come out of the car, after repairs are made, ensure that the sunroof is it its fully closed position before you try putting it back into the car. Using a separate 12 volt power source and your sunroof switch and harness, its fairly easy to check everything out on the workbench. You'll even be able to fix your sunshade problem as well. Do a road test for wind noise and a water test before you reinstall the headliner. Good Luck!

A search of the Install Doctor website will allow you to input your make, model and year, in order to get a complete diagram of all of the wiring for your radio. Its at installdr.com

My last OBW LTD, an 02, developed the surface rust issue right at the joint between the rear bumper cover and the body, at the the rear arch opening. In fact, when the bumper cover was peeled back, it was found that the 10 mm bolt located there was seized entirely, and broke off with the small tab from the body. It was obvious to me that the rubber welting/seal that the factory used on the seam around the well arch opening had trapped water and road salt and done its worst. On my car it was only on one side though, and was entirely surface rust. I caught it early (white car) and it was an easy fix, other than the pearlized paint was difficult to match. The quarter panel was painted 3 times before the colour was correct.

You need to ask yourself, "Will I get my money back if some fool runs a red light, broadsides and totals my car 2 weeks after I purchased the extended warranty?" and "Will they transfer the same paid for warranty onto my next car?" Obviously the answer to both questions is "NO!" You are better off taking the same warranty money and putting it into a bank account specifically for repairs and maintenance down the road. Add $25 or $50 to it each month, and even if something were to happen after your basic new car warranty expires, you'll have saved enough to cover most repairs. And if you don't need to use the cash, when the next car trade time comes along you'll have enough for the extra options/another set of tires/a reward for the guys who suggested that you should pass on the extended warranty! (Be sure to get back to us and we'll give you our pertinent names and addresses.)

From what you describe I would suspect that the power window switch is dirty on the up contacts. You can try spraying some electrical contact spray into the switch as it is in the door. Cycle the switch several times and then give the spray 5 minutes to evaporate before turning on the ignition and trying the switch. If this doesn't do the job, you may have to pop the entire switch assembly out of the door panel to get the spray into any openings in the switch that you can find, and then do the cycle and evaporate routines again. As a last resort, these switches are usually easy to take apart to get at the copper contacts to clean them up. Just be very careful when prying it apart. Put the switch and your hands inside a large zip-lock baggy when you open it up, in order to catch any springs and contacts that may fly out and get lost. I've done quite a few of these switch cleanups and tiny light bulb changes inside of lighted switches over the years, and they are pretty straight forward if you take these precautions. Good Luck!

You may have more than one problem. For starters use some lock graphite to loosen up the tumbler in the door lock itself. That may be part of your problem with the lock being difficult to turn. Check your fuse panel for fuses or relays that may be defective. Over and above that, you'll have to remove the inside door panel from the driver's door, in order to get to your remaining problem with the locks. A 17 year old car may find corroded connectors on the lock solenoid or the lock tumbler switch, a broken wire, or a defective lock solenoid or tumbler switch. A remote 12 volt supply to the lock solenoid should decipher whether it works or not, and a continuity test with the tumbler switch should decide its proper operation as well. Don't forget to check the wiring at the driver's door hinge area. As wiring ages it becomes brittle and you may find a broken wire in the corrugated rubber boot that the door wiring goes through on its way to the interior of the car. While in the door's interior, check that the rod from the key tumbler to the latching assembly is properly attached and lubed, as well as not bent. Be sure the latch assembly is properly lubed and not binding at the locking portion. Good Luck!

I've owned a 97 OutBackWagon Limited, an 02 OBW LTD, and presently have an 07 OBW LTD. If money is available to allow you to own a newer vehicle, definitely go for an 05 or newer. Each of the OBW's I've owned were terrific, but each newer model series was better than the one before. For instance, the 97 required you to remove the rear headrests, then fold the rear seat bottom forward, then flip the rear seat backs down to obtain the extra rear cargo space. And there was no place to put the cargo cover other than on the rear floor. The 02 required the head rests be pulled, but you only had to flip the rear seat backs down to enlarge the cargo capacity. Its cargo cover also had to be stowed on the rear floor. Better ride and handling than the 97 in my opinion. Chinzy cupholder in the centre dash spills drinks over the radio and Heater controls. The 07 requires only that you flip the rear seat backs down to enlarge the cargo area. The head rests can even stay on. The 07 has a stowage compartment in the floor to put the cargo cover in when not required. The ride and handling is the best of the 3 series. Consider that an OBW with the H6 has a timing chain that does not require replacement for the life of the engine. All H4's need new timing belts every 100 000 km (the 97 series and the 02 series I believe as well) or every 168 000 km (on the 05 and newer). I'm 6 foot 2 inches and I have no problem with headroom issues with the sunroof equipped cars. A car with no sunroof will get you another inch and a half of headroom which may be the way for you to go. Hope this helps. Good Luck!