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RogerB, Measure the fog light openings and install anything that will fit. Just be sure to wire them through a relay and make sure to aim them so that on coming cars won't be blinded by them. These things are usually installed on the bumper cover before the bumper cover is installed on the car. You most likely will find it much easier to do the same. It may save you a lot of grief. Good Luck!

Craigsforester, I've no experience at changing rims and tires, but Tire Rack.com has. Their online site allows various wheels and rims to be seen right on your vehicle. They also will have the answers your looking for concerning acceleration and braking, and any changes to your speedometer readings. Good Luck!

I've replaced a bulb in various switches in previous Subies, a 97 and an 02, but it was years ago. You don't give us a year, and that would help. someone might have the info for you. Your best bet may be to pull one from a wrecked car. It certainly won't cost $40. Did you try on eBay? Good Luck!

I believe another plus with the H6 is that you don't have to do the timing belt changes, as the H6 has a timing chain instead and should last the life of the engine.

I need to agree with the findings. With the all wheel drive and new ice grip snow tires, I frequently find myself passing cars that are going perhaps half the speed that I'm able to drive safely. They are driving 35 mph on the highway at pretty much the limit of their traction and control for the snow and ice conditions, and I can go around and past them at 50 mph with complete control. I'm sure a lot of those driver's think I'm absolutely mad. Having never driven a car so utterly at home in slippery conditions, they have no idea how confident it can make you feel, and how much better the car can cope with severe winter drivings conditions, except those of poor visibility.

vwbuge1, The rear sunshield should open automatically when the rear sunroof is opened, and can be opened manually at any time by hand. If yours is stuck and can't be opened either way, it may be able to be opened and its mechanism corrected in two ways. I'm assuming that the rear sunroof operates correctly and can be opened. If so, open the rear sunroof, and your rear doors. Stand on the rear rocker panel and look into the sides of the rear sunroof mechanism through the roof cutout. (You may have to do this several times while pausing the sunroof in its opening routine at various stages.) Somewhere along those exposed sides you'll find where the sunshade levers or arms (one on either side of the sunroof shade) are snagging or not being grabbed by the sunroof mechanism as it moves rearward. The levers/arms/pins may be bent and need straightening or reseating in some manner. If you can correct the situation at this stage, you're home free. If not, the only other way to do the job is to drop the entire headliner in the car and then drop the entire sunroof mechanism as one unit. From here you'll not only see the problem but will be able to correct it without space limitations. My 07 OBW has a push tab at the front on each side of the sunroof that pushes the shade open as the sunroof opens. At the rear of the sunroof channel is a swinging lever that hangs down and pushes the shade forward to close it as the sunroof closes. One has to assume that your system is similar and that these rear levers have snagged in the downward position. If your sunroof glass is not tinted too dark you may be able to see these levers right through the glass. Good Luck!

vwbuge1, The rear sunshield should open automatically when the rear sunroof is opened, and can be opened manually at any time by hand. If yours is stuck and can't be opened either way, it may be able to be opened and its mechanism corrected in two ways. I'm assuming that the rear sunroof operates correctly and can be opened. If so, open the rear sunroof, and your rear doors. Stand on the rear rocker panel and look into the sides of the rear sunroof mechanism through the roof cutout. (You may have to do this several times while pausing the sunroof in its opening routine at various stages.) Somewhere along those exposed sides you'll find where the sunshade levers or arms (one on either side of the sunroof shade) are snagging or not being grabbed by the sunroof mechanism as it moves rearward. The levers/arms/pins may be bent and need straightening or reseating in some manner. If you can correct the situation at this stage, you're home free. If not, the only other way to do the job is to drop the entire headliner in the car and then drop the entire sunroof mechanism as one unit. From here you'll not only see the problem but will be able to correct it without space limitations. If I can learn more by looking at the system in my 07 OBW, I'll update this thread with more in a short while. Good Luck!

Leaks into the trunk area are from one of four sources. 1. This one is the most likely culprit: the seals between the tail lights and the steel body. If you see any moisture inside the rear tail lights,...... you've found the problem. This is very common on many cars. Fix by removing the tail lights, replacing the seal, and reinstalling the lights. Some tail lights have a separate rubber/foam seal, others are glued in using a sealant that is similar to what is used on windshields. If they're glued in you'll need a heatgun and some patience to remove the tail lights. 2.The trunk lid weatherstripping needs replacing/regluing. 3. The rear windshield needs to be pulled and resealed. 4. The rear draintubes for the sunroof have come undone from their rail drains. The solution is to pull down the headliner and reattach the drain tubes. All of these assume that there is no body damage that is allowing the moisture in. The way to find where the leak is for certain, is to mop up the water in the trunk, remove all of the trunk carpeting and side panels, and climb into the trunk with a flashlight. Have a friend take a garden hose with the water flowing mid rate, and starting low on the body of the car and S_L_O_W_L_Y working their way up, from side to side, run the water over each tail light, then the trunk lid, then the rear windshield, bottom, sides, top, and finally the sunroof itself. I'd bet money on the rear tail lights. Good Luck!

Here in Southern Ontario, Canada, we share your pain. Salt is used in abundance and sheet metal doesn't stand a chance. Out in Alberta its too cold for the salt to work so they use sand. Their problem then becomes one of replacing windshields with regularity instead. What I've seen done in the past is to blow grease through the holes with a grease gun. It virtually stops the rot in the locations where you can get it in. Other than rust proofing your car from new with oil guard or similar, and redoing it each year prior to winter, there really isn't a satisfactory solution. Move to Arizona?

Eastwestboy, I've done some brake line replacements over the years and you'll find that its not particularly difficult to do, if you have the right tools and you can get the car in the air. Trying to do more than changing just one short piece while the car is up on jack stands will drive you crazy. Check your parts sources to see if buying several rolls of brake line and all of the required fittings to make up your own lines is the route to go, or if buying just the required ready made lines with pre-installed fittings. If you decide to make your own you'll need a tube bender and a flaring tool set. I think you'll find that buying factory pieces from Subaru will be a fortune. For each section I've pre-measured the lengths using string, and used the old section as a copy for the bends for the new piece. Some times I even used mechanic's wire or an old coat hanger wire, if the old section was beyond copying. As for mounting the new lines, I'ved used the original clips if they were still useable, and in places where they had fallen apart, either used self-tapping screws through new clips or heavy duty zip ties to existing substructures. You don't want the new lines to vibrate up against any under body structures that may eventually rub through your new lines. Hope this helps, and Good Luck!

I like Grossgary's idea. I've never had to face this same issue, but I agree that its a non load bearing part and his fix is certainly the one I'd use. Safe, secure, does its job, and with no safety issues.

Ryobi1, I assume that you are saying that your flip up antenna is receiving the satellite signals just fine through combined thickness of the cubby lid and the top of the dash. Thanks for the post and your response. Nice set up!

Ryobi1, With the unit tucked back in flush up against the cubby opening lid, how does it affect your satellite reception? Did you fold the antenna over top of the lid and the dash?

Crash321, (I'll bet there's a meaning to your handle?) I'm not an electrical expert, but enough strangeness has gone on in your Subie to more than suggest that they are all related. I 've heard of these similar goings on in 90-96 Nissan 300zx's and they are usually traced to the alternator. My second guess would be a minor short that has started to expand. Hope someone else can jump in with a more positive solution. Good Luck and keep us posted!

Axel, Side skirts are usually have one of three methods to attach them to the car. Some are held on exclusively by double sided tape, others with screws or special clips, and I've even seen them with a combination of tape and clips or screws. I had paint work done in our restoration shop on my last OBW, an 02. I had to remove the plastic moulding on the rear dogleg just in back of the rear door by the wheel well. There was one or two screws just inside the wheel well where the moulding wrapped around into the wheel well, but the rest of the panel was easily pried away from the side of the car to reveal 3 pop plugs. As I recall there were three holes in the body of the car where a plastic plug with a hole in its centre had been installed. The reverse side of the side panel had three plastic studs with a rounded ball end that just pushed into the aforementioned plugs in the body. Your skirt most likely will have something similar. Look for screws at the ends where they enter the wheel wells (if they do) and plastic plugs for the rest of the skirt. Having not had experience with the skirts on a Subie GT, I can't tell you what you'll find exactly, but I can give you some pointers. First, until you can get the repair done, use copious amounts of duct tape to adhere the skirt to the car so it receives no further damage or breaks off and is lost. A new one painted to match your car will be substantial dollars. Get the car up on jack stands or a hoist, get under it with a trouble lamp and you should be able to see how it attaches, where the fasteners are, and how to get it off without damaging it. Sometimes, though, there is not much you can do but just force the issue by prying it off with a narrow putty knife (Taped up so as to not scratch the paint.), trying to do as little damage as possible. Sometimes you can see the clips have just come undone and just pop the panel back on as it is, without having to remove it at all. Using the heel of your hand is the only tool needed here if the scenario fits. Worst case is getting new plugs from Subaru, but you can usually fashion new hardware from the bubble packs you'll find in the autoparts store. Hope this gets you started at least! Good Luck!

Charm, My 02 OBW LTD did exactly the same thing, leaked small amounts of water into the overhead map lights. After much searching I located the factory TSB that addressed the issue. You'll be surprised that the fix is surprisingly easy. The culprit is the back sliding sunroof. When manufactured the roof skin was folded down along both sides of the sunroof opening. This side edge was then welded to an interior support and was supposed to be coated with a seam sealer to prevent leaks when water got past the rubber seal of the glass sunroof edge. The factory found that this sealer wasn't properly applied in all cars. The area of concern is along both sides of the sunroof opening from about 6 inches back from the front outside corners. On my 02 the sealant was there, visible under the paint (it was a white car), but the sealant had shrunk over time to show a very fine crazing of the paint that was almost unseen until you looked very closely. The water was wicked into this crazing, followed internal roof stiffeners down to drain into the overhead courtesy and map lights up by the rearview mirror. The fix my dealership used was to rough up this side seam paint with 200 grit sandpaper very lightly and apply a very thin coat of 5 minute epoxy along the six inches of each side. When cured (10 minutes later at most) my leak never returned. I had always thought that I should have used some touchup paint over this epoxy to hide its grey colour, but I never got around to it. I was never in the back seat of the car with the sunroof open to see if it was even noticeable. Hope this solves your problem, because it sure solved mine. Good Luck!

Android, Here is the 59 year old, retired school teacher answer to your question. You don't have a lot of money. You already have a 9 year old car. The economy couldn't be worse, and may get more so over the next year or so. Money for most people will be in short supply. My advice is to stay with the car you have, treat it with respect and give it the service maintenance it requires, and bide your time. When you have the money, and you're confident that you can afford to jump onto something with more "git", look for a good used H6 Legacy, or an XT Legacy or Forester, or even a WRX or the STI. You'll be better off with a car that was engineered for the extra power you want... and has the built in extra stop as well. Damn it! I'm starting to sound like my old man!

I agree with Nipper. The rear wiper shaft that goes through the hatch glass to the wiper arm has most likely started to corrode and is on its way to seizing up. Quite a few wagons ( did a Passat wagon a couple of years ago) with rear wipers go the same way as they age. The casting of the motor/gearbox is aluminum or white metal, while the shaft is steel. The two metals will corrode solid as water finds its way into the shaft over the years without relubing. I was able to resurrect one on a 97 OBW. Once I removed the motor from the tailgate, I believe I drilled out the gearbox rivets, opened up the gearbox, cleaned and regreased the gears and the driveshaft and reassembled the unit using small machine nuts and bolts. The unit worked perfectly for the rest of the time I had the car. But that was a long time, and two cars ago, as I recall. Good Luck!

Ibiltit, I bought 15 inch winter rims for my 97 OBW years ago and kept them for use on my next 02 OBW. Unfortunately, 15 inch rims wouldn't fit over the front calipers on the 02, as I believe Subaru went to 16 inch wheels and larger rotors starting with the 2000 model year (I think I got it right?) I don't think that you'll find 15 inchers will fit your 2000 on the front. In my case, I bought new 16 inch steel wheels for my 02 OBW, and when I traded it on my 07 OBW, I kept the wheels and am presently running the 16 inchers even though the 07 stock wheels are 17's. And I agree with you as to going as narrow a winter tire as the stock steel wheel will allow. The stock 195/70/15 winter tires on my 97 were just terrific in the snow. I went to a wider tire, a 225/60/16, which was the stock size for the 02, and the tires road up on top of the snow, much like acquaplaning, at speed. They were terrible. Now with the 07, I'm back to a narrow 205/60/16 snow tire (stock tire is 225/60/17 I think) and the car just claws its way through snow at speed.

Schilite60, The plugs on Subies are a problem to change, but have been made easier to get to over the years. My first 97 OBW was the worst for clearance, the 02 OBW I had next was a bit easier, and my present 07 OBW is a piece of cake to change the plugs on. What I found works well for the those close quarters is to use a 3/8's ratchet, the plug socket, a short extention, and a 3/8's flex adapter, but not necessarily all at the same time. In some situations you can put the extention on the socket with the plug inserted and finger wind it into the head before adding the ratchet. In others you'll find that using the flex adapter, rather than the short extention, then the plug socket is the way to go. Mix and match the pieces and experiment a bit and I'm sure you'll find a method that will work with just the standard tools you already have. Obviously, removing the air snorkel and windshield washer tank that may be in the way, depending on the model and the year, makes the job much easier. Good Luck!

Had a 97 OBW LTD, an 02 OBW LTD, and presently an 07 OBW LTD. I put well over 270 000 km on the first, 168 000 km on the second, and have 60 000 km on the new one, and have never had a hint of an oil leak on any of them. I really don't think that oil leaks should be a concern for any modern Subie engine of the last 12 years or so. That's not to say that the problem won't creep up on the ocassional car, but even then it will be few and far between. I'd be more concerned about you falling in love with a Subie and becoming a convert for life!

This sounds so familiar! My wife's 97 Lexus ES300 (and Camry's as well) would do exactly the same thing, regular as clock work and about every 9 months. Toyota/Lexus techs had a factory TSB that explained how diminished contact between the turn signal bulb and the bulb socket was the culprit. If a front or rear turn signal bulb developed this, it would build up enough resistance to double the turn signal flash rate on that one side of the car. During that Toyota/Lexus model year, the factory used thin metal strips that were bent into an "S" shape (when viewed from the side) as the spring contact in the bulb sockets of the turn signal bulbs. When the metal fatigued and developed less spring, the electrical resistance went up causing the doubled flash rate. All I ever did was to restretch the two contacts in the front left turn signal bulb socket of her car, and the flash rate returned to normal for about another 9 months. The Toyota factory TSB suggested cutting off the offending bulb socket and wiring in a replacement. The design was apparently changed the following model year.

My 97 OBW developed the slap at 23 000 km. I put 269 000 km on the old girl before trading her on an 02 OBW, and during all that time the piston slap never got any worse, nor did it appear to affect the engine in any way. Live with the noise, annoying though it may be, but it won't hurt your Subie.