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What the fellows are saying is that Radio Shack sells pretty much the same bulbs in pairs in a bubble pack. They have very long pigtail wires. When you finally get to taking apart the faceplate of your climate control panel, you'll find that the bulbs are inserted into very small socket-like thingies, about as round as a pencil, and only a 16th of an inch thick. A quarter turn anti-clockwise and they fall out of the face plate. You'll then see how the pigtails of the factory bulb protrude through the bottom of these little plastic bulb sockets and are wound through two holes, bent over and the excess cut off. You simply unwind the pigtails and remove the old bulb and install the new one in reverse. In some cases the factory bulb may have a green or blue condom on it, that casts the coloured glow when the dash lights are lit. You simply slide them off and onto your new bulb. By the way, Subaru uses these same bulbs in all of their lighted switches for the seat heaters, wiper heaters, cruise control switch and so on. This is definitely the way to go, since years ago the dealership wanted about $12 a bulb with socket, if I recall correctly. When you're finished, you may notice that the new replaced bulbs may appear somewhat brighter than the unreplaced ones. This may be due to the Radio Shack bulbs being slightly brighter, or because your unreplaced bulbs have dimmed somewhat with age. I found this when I replaced one bulb in my cruise switch. It is slightly brighter than my adjacent switches on the dash, but that beats not having the switch illuminated at all. Good Luck!

spacinjason, I certainly wouldn't do this now with your car under warranty, but keep it in mind for the future. I joined another forum for one my other cars, a 90 Nissan 300zx, and over the years the same thread problems keep cropping up about noisy manual trannies and grinding gears when shifting as the cars age. The overwhelming responses that come back are to flush the tranny and replace the fluid with RedLine MT90. Anyone who has done it raves about how it has corrected their noisy tranny, and more surprisingly, how it has eliminated the grinding between gears. Now I haven't used it myself in my ZX, (its still too low mileaged for any tranny problems to have arisen), but I have put it into the tranny of my 54 MG TF. It has a beast of a shift up or down, no wonder on a 50 year old tranny with 50 year old technology, and the RedLine MT90 has changed the personality of that tranny dramatically for the better. I was considering a tranny rebuild, but not now. Keep it in mind. Good Luck!

Dickensheets, That is a pain in the *** job for sure. Its easiest to pull the washer fluid tank and the air intake snorkle assembly from each side first. What I've found works, is a combination of a 3 inch rachet extention, the plug socket, a universal joint, and the rachet handle, all in different combinations, depending on which plug I'm doing. Using them in turn allowed plug removal in the tiny space available between the head and the side rails. I learned to remove one plug and replace it, so as to not have to relearn the wrenching combination sequence all over again, and its different for each plug location. As far as the seals go, that's not something I've had to tackle. Good Luck!

Curiously, this has never been a problem for my 02 OBW LTD, as I have the "little spiky things", the plastic plug on the left back corner ... AND.... another flat black metal hook that fastens into another similar grommetted hole on the back right corner of the floor mat. The mat just does not move. This is a Canadian car, and I'm assuming it came from the factory this way, as I bought it as a dealer demo. Go figure!

I fail to see what is so upsetting. The car is 2 and a half years old, has been subjected to the elements, and may have had the spoiler attached after manufacture. Sh** happens, its not the end of the world, and your dealer says that they will have a rep take a look at the problem. What more can you expect? Give them a chance to address the problem, and if they fail to satisfy you, then you may be in a position to get a little excited.

grubel, You are right on with each one of your issues and your response to them. Welcome to the Subie fraternity!

jasinwa, You openly admit that you "don't know much about these cars" .... so until you do .....don't mess with "the scoop into a filter into something". The Subaru techs spent lots of design dollars and track testing perfecting the snorkle intake for your car. Anything that you do without having done more than a little homework can only hurt the performance of your car. There are cold air intake systems out there, just be sure to study them well before you jump in. But, you have the right idea on asking in this forum. The people here are terrific, and the knowledge that you'll gain will only make your Subie ownership more enjoyable. There are all kinds of tricks to learn. Good Luck!

setright, Well thought out and well written. Even an idiot couldn't get it wrong by following your directions. Salute!

Is the 99 a twin sunroof? I believe it is, and if its the front liftup roof that needs adjusting, you need to pull the headliner at the front of the car to get at the front hinge. Its held with two 10 mm bolts that can be loosened to slide entire sunroof a bit. There are no adjustments on the rear of the front sunroof, as there are 2 scissor type assemblies in the lift mechanism that are bolted to the glass, and connot be moved. If you need more, see the other sunroof thread on this same page. Good Luck!

Been there, done that! You will not be able to fix the front sunroof problem yourself. My 02 did the same thing and it came down to having to totally remove the entire sunroof assembly from the car, and replace the front sunroof drive assembly. Mine was $216 CAD for the drive assembly alone. The motor drive at the rear of the car operates 2 cables that run down both sides of the car, inside of tubes. The tubes curve around at the back of the front sunroof, and run towards the opposite side of the car, stopping just short of the outside edges of the sunroof assembly. When activated, the motor moves both cables in opposite directions, pressing two scissor assemblies (one on either side of the back of the front sunroof) together, raising the front sunroof, then locking the scissors there, until you press the switch again, and then the cables continue moving to open the rear sunroof. Your rear sunroof opens correctly (as did mine), so your front scissor assemblies are stripped from the cables. The only way to repair them is to drop the assembly from the car. You cannot just buy individual scissor pieces, but the entire lift assembly for the front sunroof. I saved money by removing the sunroof myself, and then replacing it after the dealership did the repair. It will save the techs about 2 to 4 hours if you do it. To remove the headliner is time consuming, but not hard. Do keep your hands clean, and do so often, so as to not mark up the headliner. Before you start, remove all of the headrests from the car, front and rear, so that the headliner can be supported on top of the seats. Remove all of the handles from above each door. Remove the sun visors. Pull down the front centre ceiling plug near the rear view mirror. Pull the lens for the front overhead map lights, and remove the two screws holding the assembly, disconnect the harness to the lights and the sunroof switch. (Remember to have the switch with the car when you take it in to get the repair done!) Pull all of the plugs from the rear ceiling area straight down and out. Pull the lens from the overhead lights at the centre of the car and at the rear tailgate opening. Inside are 2 screws for each, and disconnect their wiring harnesses. Carefully pull out the A pillar mouldings between the dash and the roof. Pull the top of the B pillar mouldings out, pry open the front seat belt top ring (where the seat belt anchors to the top of the B pillar) to remove the nut holding the seat belt top anchor) and drop the seat belt and the anchor ring down. This gives enough room to pull the B pillar moulding down away from the ceiling even more. Leave the moulding attached at its bottom. Remove the screw in behind the rear mounting point for the rear cargo cover. At the rear tailgate pull down the top moulding. Now you can pull the C and D pillar assembly (its all one piece) from the car. At each door pull down the flexible mouldings that wrap the headliner at the door seals. Pull down the middle seat shoulder belt from the right rear ceiling holder, so it can be fed back up through the headliner when you finally are ready to remove the headliner from the car. Now open the rear sunroof (you'll have to reconnect the switch assembly) Stand on a stool, reach over the roof, and at the front of the rear sunroof opening you'll see four rectangular flat plugs that must be lifted out. All that remains is to get inside the car and pull down on the headliner along the back of the front sunroof, and all around the rear sunroof opening, as there are many velcro type fasteners there that hold the headliner in place. Obviously the entire assembly can be taken out the back of the car. When your repairs are made and its time to put the headliner back in, start by centering it and installing the ceiling plug at the front of the car, and the ones in the rear. From there its just do the reverse of the disassembly. Good Luck!

I edit a newsletter for an antique car club, and several years ago I found an article on the web about a windshield polishing kit that you could use to polish out those fine scratches yourself. As I recall it came with a special glass compound and a 3 or 4 inch diameter pad that attached to an ordinary speed drill. The article walked you through the steps required and showed a before and after photograph. The results were more than satisfactory. Sorry, its too long ago to remember when and where, but I'm sure if you did a Google search for "windshield polishing" it will pop up.

You are describing the same problem that developed with my 02 OBW LTD at about the 40 000 km mark. I'd get out of the car and smell the sweet odour of coolant, and yet there never was any visible fluid loss on the engine or on the ground. Took the car to Subaru of London (Ontario, Canada) and asked the service manager to check it out. He came back and said that there was a slight coolant leak on both heads, and I booked an appointment for new head gaskets the following week. The work was done in quick time ... under warranty ... and at no cost to me other than a trip to the dealership. Within three months time I received a notice from Subaru of Canada about a special coolant additive that they suggested be added to the cooling system at my earliest convenience. I had that done as well, and have had no issues at all up to my present mileage of 130 000 km. I can't say enough positive praise for Subaru of London, and Subaru of Canada. RJC ..... You need to go to another dealership! The people you've been dealing with are telling you that they have no interest in solving your problem.

MaGuiar's makes a pump spray called "Car Odour Eliminator", and it works like a charm. It comes in a transparent yellow bottle, and can be found in most automotive sections of the big box stores. My 300ZX had a PO who smoked in the car, and two applications later the smoke smell was absolutely gone. The picture on the front of the bottle even shows a dog, suggesting that it'll remove urine smells as well. Try it. The stuff really works, just be prepared to have the bottle stick around for a long time, since you'll use very little of it. I even use it to freshen up the garbage pails in my garage.

One more thing to say about the DeLorean .... Fiat motor ... underpowered.

As suggested, pull the door panel and take a look. You could have anything from a loose track that the glass slides in, to a broken attachment point of the glass to its scissor mechanism, to sand and grit in the glass track binding the glass movement, to gears that are over stressed on the motor and starting to strip. If you can't diagnose the problem yourself, take the car to a body shop that does glass repairs and let them find the problem. It may require nothing more than retightening a bolt that's come loose, to a used power window motor and scissor mechanism from a junkyard. Anyway, you'll save money having the door already apart for them, or perhaps you'll see what's required and be able to correct it yourself at no cost other than your time. Good Luck!

I've owned a great many cars over the years, and excepting my wife's present and last Lexus, and my last and present Subie, they have all leaked or burned a bit of oil between oil changes. Half a quart between oil changes does not seem excessive to me. When you consider what it will cost you to pull and replace the faulty seals/rings it isn't worth it. Half a quart of oil for each oil change, for four or five oil changes a year, over the number of years you'll own the car before you move on to another one, ..... it doesn't make economic sense to fix the problem. If your useage goes way up to say, two quarts between oil changes, .... then it might be necessary to reconsider. Now, on the other hand, if you park on a interlocking brick driveway, or a new concrete driveway at home, and you don't want it spoiled with oil stains .... then that's another issue that only you can decide on. Curiously, both Toyota Cressida's I've previously owned burned no oil until they hit 5000 km, where the viscosity of the oil obviously thinned out, because from there to 6000 km the engines would use about a half quart till the required oil change. My 54 MG TF leaks oil out of the engine, the tranny, and the rear end continually. I monitor it carefully, and consider that the car is just marking its territory. Good Luck!

I never fail to get a chuckle out of every visit to this forum. Today's chuckle ......... "kerfunkledoodled" .......... Now, I have a new word to add to my friends "cushkiss", "florrgeydorful", and "wurbitz". ThankYou!!!

The first thing to check is the connection at the horns themselves. Are they corroded? On a car this age, it wouldn't be a surprise. If so, simply spray the connectors with some electrical contact cleaner and clean them with a tooth brush. If that doesn't do it, then the horn fuse is next, then the horn relay. Try replacing them in turn. (Sometimes you'll see another relay (red) that is exactly the same as the horn relay in the fuse/circuit breaker box. Try switching it for the horn relay. That'll tell you if the relay is bad before you go and buy one.) Lastly is the horn switch contacts on the steering wheel (Be careful here if you have airbags on the car!), and then the wiring itself. I've even found that all of the above were in perfect working order, and that the horns were so corroded internally that they needed to be replaced. One way to tell is to wire in temporarily another known good horn from say your other car (a friend's?) to see if it will work. That'll tell you for sure. Good Luck!

Nipper, You are a very sick man ............... but something tells me that you and I could have a lot of chuckles after a few beers.

You have either brake pads that are sticking (read rusted) in the caliper slides, or you have rear caliper pistons that are rusted and are sticking. Regardless, what is happening is that you can overpower the sticking when you brake and the squeal is not there. However, when you release the brake pedal, the pads can't slide back away from the rotors (because they are seized or the calipers are seized) and that is causing your squeal and the dragging is causing the heat build up. Your sticking caliper on the front that you had replaced was the hint that the other three weren't far behind. Its not the end of the world. Everything may be able to be taken apart and cleaned (pads, slide pins, caliper pistons) and when properly lubed may be just fine. Then again things may be too far gone, dictating new calipers and pads. If the calipers are at fault, then your brake fluid was not changed every 3 years as stated in the owner's manual. Good Luck! I hope you can get this corrected without a great deal of money.

If you've done your fronts before, the rears are just as easy. Make sure the emergency brake is off before you start, because it will hold the rotors in place making it impossible to remove them. In fact the shorter bolts that you take out of the rear calipers can be used in the threaded holes of the rear rotor (there are two holes just between where the wheel studs are located) I believe they are the same size. Wind the bolts in a little at a time, first one then the other, and the rotor will pop off. Most times you won't have to do this at all because once the caliper is off, the rotor comes off easily with a few taps of a rubber mallet at most. Don't panic when you see the emergency brake shoes. Since you only use them when parked the actual brake shoe material is only 4 mm thick when new. Unless they are very worn down, which I've never seen, just clean them all up with a spray brake cleaner and use a high temperature grease to lube all of their pivot points. Other than that, you've done it all before. One last thing. Grossgary referred to sucking fluid out of the master cylinder. What he meant was, as you push the piston in on any of your calipers (so that you can put the new pads in) the fluid will be forced back into the master cylinder and may eventually overflow. So frequently check the fluid level in the master cylinder as you use a C clamp to push the pistons back in. You most likely know that brake fluid will strip the paint right off the car, so be careful here. Good Luck, and join the fraternity to save some money and feel good by doing it yourself.

What everyone is telling you is correct. Run a finger nail across the face of the rotor on both sides, and if your nail doen't catch in a noticeable groove, and the rotors are still within thickness requirements, just put on the new pads because the rotors are fine. The trick is to break the pads in slowly and deliberately. The pads will be flat, the rotors will not be. So for the first hundred miles, apply the brakes slowly, so the pads can wear their surface areas to match the minor grooves, lows and highs of the rotors. You won't have maximum braking surface contact until they do. So it pays to be a careful driver during this breakin period. I've used this method for years on all of my cars, and I've never had a problem. The parts dealers and mechanics will disagree and want both pads and rotors to have the same flat surfacing when installed, and they are correct. But if you are careful, there is no need to put on new rotors as often as they would like you to. Save some money, but be safe doing it. Good Luck!

If as you say, the wipers operate normally without hesitation when in the normal mode, slow or fast, yet hesitate somewhat in the intermittent mode, I would guess that your wipers and the motor are fine. The fault seems to lie in the circuitry for the intermittent portion of its programming. If the hesitancy fault was in the wiper arms or motor, it makes sense that the hesitancy would be there in all modes. I really think that you don't have anything to worry about. It may just be a quirk in that one mode that doesn't amount to much. I mean that it is supposed to give a timed swipeing of the windshield, and pause in between swipes. Keep an eye on it, and if it gets worse to the point that you fear the system may let you down, then a change in the intermittent wiper module may be necessary. Good Luck!

Years ago I was sent the same recall notice for my 98 OBW LTD, and the dealership replaced both control arms under warranty. I no longer have the car ( bought an 02 OBW LTD) but it was a pretty painless fix. If your car is on the recall list, I think that you'll find that Subaru will stand behind it. If they don't, write a polite but strongly worded note to Customer Relations of Subaru, suggesting that their help in this matter will help you determine whether or not you replace your car with another Subaru, or switch to Nissan or Toyota. Years ago my wife's Toyota Cressida developed a sunroof glitch that was fixed under warranty to the first owner of the car for the first three years. We were second owners and just into the fourth year of ownership, and were told by the dealership that they couldn't help us. A similar letter to Toyota Customer Relations at that time, got us a call from our dealership 2 weeks later, asking us to bring in the car as Toyota was going to pay to put in a new sunroof computer free of charge. That's one reason why we still have one Toyota (actually a Lexus, since they don't make the Cressida anymore) in the driveway, ...... next to the all weather, can't be stopped Subie.

I would be suspect that your tranny fluid level is low, or as suggested, the thing is on its way out. Before you panic, let me share what I found on another site several years ago. The TwinTurbo.net site is for Nissan 300zx's from 90 to 96. It is very common for these cars to develop noisy and hard shifting trannies as the miles pile up. The guys on this forum swear by a tranny fluid called RedLine MT90. When the tranny fluid was replaced with this product, hard shifting, grinding while shifting, and noisy tranny problems either disappeared entirely, or were dramatically reduced. I don't sell the stuff, and I haven't put it in my 300zx (mileage is super low and no tranny issues as yet) but I did put it in my 1954 MG TF, and it dramatically changed the personality of the 52 year old transmission. It is noticeably quieter, and much easier to shift, even with its old technology. The stuff isn't cheap, and can be hard to find, usually at speed shops. It might resurrect your ride. Good Luck!