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sdantasbvi, The link below is to the factory service manuals for every year and model Subaru. Find your model, click to find the year, then click to download the entire Factory Service Manual for your car (15 minutes or so to download). Then search the Transmission section for Diagnostics and diagrams to show the solenoids. http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ You can put 12 volts across each solenoid to hear them click, the one that doesn't is the culprit. Replace it and then replace the tranny pan gasket, filter and pan and fill with new tranny fluid as per FSM instructions. Used and possibly new solenoids can show up on eBay, after you identify the part number you need, or try these sites: http://www.importdrivetrain.com/subaru_id.htm http://www.importperformancetrans.com/subaruauto.shtml http://www.drivetrain.com/parts_catalog/transmissions_automatics/subaru_overhaul_kit.htmlI have no personal experience with any of this, but after 10 minutes of online searching, I believe this would be a good place for you to start. If you have a friend in a larger city in the USA, they may be able to find a used solenoid from a wrecking yard, or even find new ones from an auto supply shop. Good Luck!

JuanPrimo, It might be just coincidence that the battery change and the Brake and DSC/ABS occurred at the same time. What is more likely, is that one of your wheel speed sensors has developed an issue, since that would feed back into all of these systems. I'd check each of your sensors for broken wires or corroded connectors to see if there is anything obvious. If that turns up nothing, a trip to a good independent mechanic would be the next step to get a correct diagnosis. The car's off warranty, and any good mechanic can trace the issue, cheaper than the dealership.

Will92, Certainly one with VSC is better than not having it, but it really comes down to what is available and how much does this one option push you to spend more dollars. How deep are your pockets? I've owned 4 OBW LTD's , one of each generation, and each new one was better than the last. Only my present 2012 have the VSC, and I can't tell you if its ever been activated to take over the control of the car. Is it necessary in the flat terrain that I travel in? Do you really need it in Colorado? If you've been getting along just fine without AWD and VSC all of these years, you don't really need the VSC now. But, .... if you have a teenager who will be driving the car or very soon will be, ... then a rethink might be in order. My personal advice would be to not pass up a good used subie in your price range, regardless if it has VSC and curtain air bags or not. Reliability wise the cars are just about bullet proof if well maintained, and with a good set of ice grip tires, are just about crazy glued to the road if driven intelligently. Just remember, that because you will have a lot more go because of the AWD, you will not have any more stop than any other car equipped with the same tires. I've owned 4 subies, and I will own more until they pull my driver's license at 96 years of age.

goodgravity, 3M makes a spray uphostery adheasive for this kind of job. You spray it on both surfaces, let it tack up, and then press both surfaces together. You'll get a much better job if you remove the headliner from the car, easily done if its a hatchback, because sedans have them installed before the rear windshield is installed.

bgambino, Lots of YouTube videos on the topic, on all kinds of vehicles and yours will be similar. There was a free service manual download site for subies but it appears to be down at present, so I can't give you anything more specific. I've done lots of these over the years, and they're all pretty much the same, and aren't terribly difficult. Yes, the glass will fall when you remove the motor, but often you need the glass partly lowered to get at the fasteners that attach it to the motor lift mechanism.

Hikerboy, There may be a relay in the fuse box for the fog lights that needs replacing, maybe not. Then again you may have two burned out bulbs. As well, there is the possibility that the front bumper cover has been removed for repainting repairs and the lights not reconnected, or the harness connectors are corroded. Then there is the switch itself. You need to confirm 12 volts on both sides of the fuse, to and from the switch, and the same at each bulb socket when the switch is on and the ignition is on. Somewhere in there is the culprit. Good Luck!

Big e, You don't say if you have a sunroof, because the rear drain tubes of the sunroof exit the car between the rear bumper cover and the rear quarter panel. If a tube has cracked or come off at the top, water could find its way into the trunk area and spare tire depression in the floor. If that's not it, it could be the rear windshield needs resealing, or the tail lights the same thing. The absolute last thing to consider is the trunk seal itself, seldom the issue. Good Luck!

jmecdon, I just did the brakes yesterday on my 2012 OBW, (the same as your Legacy) and there are no reverse thread bolts that mount the calipers. I've owned 4 OBW's since 1997, one of each generation, and none of them used reverse threads on any of the brake parts.

keith3267, My 2012 OBW has the same CVT .... and I LIKE it! First off, I've never owned a car in 51 years of driving where I have ever put the cruise control on at 80 mph, so I can't answer your first question. As for the WOT accelerating back up to your previously set speed, I have to agree that I've seen the same thing. So I don't allow the cruise control to get the car back up to the set speed on its own. I accelerate the car back up to the set previous set speed my self, or close to it, before I press the resume speed control. Its much less dramatic, and a practice I learned years ago. It also saves fuel. If I had any complaint about the CVT, it would be to get rid of that rediculous ECNO gauge that Subaru introduced at the same time and bring back a usable Temperature gauge.

John W, I had one more thought after I made my first post. I have seen internal fuses inside the circuit boards of these critters in the past. If you should get adventurous, there is the possibility that either a glass fuse is in a holder on a circuit board (have to open the case to get to it in most cases), and I have seen where a bladed mini fuse is visible and just inserted into the rear of the radio/nav head unit.

Joe W, I feel your pain, but before you pull your hair out there are a few things to try and consider. It may be something very simple as a blown fuse. Dig through the fuse panels (all of them) looking for any that refers to the radio, nav, or communications. Pull them, test them and replace them. You might get lucky. Then, if necessary, pull the unit from the console/dash to get at its wiring harness connectors to the back of the head unit. Download the service manual for the car (its free) and check the wiring diagrams section for the 12 volt power wire and ground connections wire and test them with a continuity test (basically a transparent handled sharp pointed screwdriver like device that lights when 12 volts crosses both the point and its wired pigtail). If no power gets to the unit, no worky. Find the break in the wiring. The electrical section of the manual will also give the flow chart for troubleshooting the unit. Use this link to the manual in PDF format that is a 10 minute download: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/ then find Forester and year and download. Frequently the ribbon cable that connects the display/touch screen to these head units units can come loose, and removing and reattaching it fixes the issue. That is if you're a tinkerer type who likes to delve into these kinds of things. I've got lucky over the years and fixed all kinds of items like this, sometimes I didn't. Worth a try if its going to be junked anyway. You can always swap the entire head unit for a used one from a wreck, or simply just replace it with the next lower down radio that Subaru put in that year, or even swap everything for an aftermarket nav/radio from Sony/Alpine/Kenwood/etc. Good Luck!

sadarahu, The older subies have to have the hub and bearing pressed out of the carrier. The newer subies (my 2012 for instance) one just has to unbolt the hub assembly to replace it, or you can go the route of a separate bearing and hub if you wish. I did one front unit just on the weekend, and with a good compressor and air tools it wasn't a big job to change over an entire hub assembly. My labour was free. Can I suggest that you always give the model, year and mileage of your car with every thread you start? It sure speeds up the responses you'll get when we know what the starting point is.

jseabolt, I'd try oven cleaner sprayed into the cast openings of the valve. You might even try immersing just the cast section entirely in oven cleaner overnight. I don't think that getting the cleaner on the plastic bits would be wise. After rinsing I'd then be tempted to burn any remaining coked material with a fine flame from a propane torch. Then spray some 4D40 onto its valve parts and exercise the valve control rod up and down with needle nosed pliers. If that doesn't free the mechanism up, then its time for a new one. Good Luck!

krisdb, Likely the cable has broken at the latch, perhaps not. Your Legacy has a similar front end as my 2012 OBW. Get down low in front of the grill, and look through the top grill opening, just to the right of the subie emblem. You'll see the right side of the latch assembly, and on its extreme right side a 3 inch long curved metal shield that slants upwards towards the right. That shield covers the release cable to the latch assembly, to prevent thieves yanking on it to open the hood. Right behind it is the cable. If you sit on the ground and put your arm through the opening below where a front licence plate would be attached to the front bumper, you should be able reach through and up and grasp the cable. If its not broken at the latch, you may be able to grasp the inner cable with pliers and unlock the latch. If not, you should be able to put a light and a mirror through the opening where you had your arm, aim it straight up, and see where the end of the inner cable would be attached to the latch. If you can hook that attachment point witha heavy mechanics wire, you may be able to unlock it. Barring that, as a last resort, I'd get a used grill from a wrecking yard, and cut your grill out of the front of the car to accomplish the same thing, and then just replace the grill. Good Luck!

Mhurtado, In all the years that I've been a member of this forum and the "Subaru Outback" forum, yours is the first complaint I seen concerning the electronic parking brake malfunction. I, too, don't like the electronic parking brake, but problems with it are not a common occurrence. Sure, it saves space in the center console not to have a parking brake handle located there, but I'd far prefer the handle version that was on every Subaru before they came out with this setup. I presently have 57 000 miles on my 2012 OBW LTD and use the parking brake about 95% of the time when I park the car. So in 5 years the parking brake on my car has been activated and deactivated 1 000's of times with no problems. The old adage of use it or lose it may apply here. You don't identify what year your car is but if you and the previous owner haven't used the parking brake regularly, it may just have seized up from lack of use. Then again, maybe the dash switch has dirty contacts or a wiring connector has corroded, or the motor has a bad set of brushes. Its impossible to know until the system is troubleshot, and it may be a job only a dealership can do. I looked at the service manual for the system and the diagnosis is very lengthy. Let's hope your issue is a simple easy fix. Good Luck!

skybren, The job is quite easy, but if you're going to tackle this job, you might as well have the entire service manual, because you'll be tackling others just like it. Use this link to a free copy of the entire factory service manual. Search the list for your model and year and download the manual. Then search through the Body/Exterior to the rear bumper cover. Directory /Auto/Japan/Subaru/ As for the mud flap bolts spinning, just grab the bolt head with a set of pliers, and either hacksaw the bolt head off, or grind it off. If you use a grinder, be sure to stop several times and put water on the bolt to cool it before continuing to grind, or you'll melt the bolt right through the mud flap. Good Luck!

sadarahu, The most common issue when the ABS light comes on is a bad sensor on one of the wheel hubs. Each wheel has a sensor bolted to the hub assembly. Either one has gone south and needs replacing to set things right, or the connector has corroded, and needs cleaning to again make a good connection. Search eBay for a "2007 outback ABS wheel sensor" to see what I'm referring to. Changing it is a DIYer job. There is the possibility that the problem is rooted in the ABS pump or computer, but I'd start with the sensors first. If the bad sensor doesn't show itself (broken wire/corroded connector), then a good technician can scan the system to zero in on what's needed. Good Luck!

sadarahu, I'd bet on a wheel bearing. Get the car in the air and use a mechanic's stethoscope on the rear wheel hubs while the car is in gear and running. Then check each of the wheel bearings in turn. The one that's bad will sound entirely different than the other three. If its a wheel bearing. BTW, buying and changing out a wheel hub (bearing is part of the hub) is easy for a backyard mechanic, and not expensive. Good Luck!

oberhartrl14, First, use pliers to flex the black plastic arm, right at the piece you want to free up, back and forth until it fractures and frees the piece. Then use an exacto knife to cut the nylon lock from the silver metal piece. When you drive the silver piece into the new nylon lock, it'll grip when fully seated. At least this is how it appears to me in the picture. If I had the pieces in my home garage, I'd use the bench grinder to cut the black piece from the silver section, and still use an exacto knife on the lock. Good Luck!

gogogimbo, Do a Google search for "Subaru OutBack Lifts" and you'll find some of what you're looking for. Good Luck!

winginit, Years ago I had a 97 OutBack Wagon that developed the piston slap, very noticeable when cold, but not so much when the engine warmed up. It didn't sound anything like what I hear in your video at all. What I hear is a hard mechanical rapping noise, totally unlike the dull "pock pock pock" sound that my engine made. Yours is much sharper, and sounds as if something is way out of tolerance and is striking another hard surface....... a bad rod or crank bearing..... a bent pushrod (yes, Subies don't have them) .... or something similar. I'd be letting a service tech put a stethoscope on the engine to track down whatever the source, before you do any damage to the engine. Good Luck!

JOH, Where to start: Is the driver's door window lock out switch on? Does the driver's door switch power the window down or up? Broken wire in the rubber gaiter at the door hinge of the driver's door/rear door? Pull gaiter back from body and check wires. Pull the rear window switch and test it. Pull the inner door panel rear door and check connector to window motor/corroded/broken? Apply 12 volt directly to motor contacts/motor work or not? Then if still no solution, go to "Subaru Outback.org" and on their home page , in the top sticky's section, there's a link to free downloads of the factory service manuals for all years and models. Find yours and download entire manual in 15 minutes, FREE. Good Luck!

740GLE, From the diagram zoomed in, those metal clips simply pull straight down out of the headliner superstructure. They really are fixed on top of a plastic finger , part of the console, and their spring nature holds then securely. Pulling them straight out should not damage them at all. I've seen the same fasteners on all kinds of makes of cars, and they almost never break, but the plastic finger they sit on may, if over stressed. If it were my car, I'd pull the two screws and then yank down the other clipped side, one finger clip at a time. That way you can wiggle and pull at the same time.

sadarahu, I'm a little bit prejudiced towards the OutBack, simply because I've owned 4 of them over the years, while my brother has had as many Foresters. They all have proven to be reliable, and in our winter weather, when equipped with good ice grip tires, almost unstoppable. My wife has her Lexus, but the car of choice for bad weather and cargo carrying, is the Subie. The OutBack stance is not as high, and is wider than the Forester, and therefore less likely to roll over in an accident. Both have the same engines and transmissions (4 cylinder) and except for weight and shape, should get within a mile or two of each other mileage wise. It really comes down to what you want in a car. I suggest that you take each one for a drive and make up your own mind. One or the other should fit you just right. Good Luck, and here's hoping you join the Subie family.

wheatonfootball64, It really comes down to a number of factors: how attached you are to the car? how much money you're willing to part with? are you prepared to buy a rear-ended/broadsided wreck for parts? do you have something else to drive in the meantime? how much wrenching you've done in the past? do you have a place to do the work? when completed will you have more into the car than its worth? After all. it is a 10 year old car. You need to answer all of these questions, as well as get a good appraisal that the engine and the entire drive-train and chassis are undamaged, before you consider the rest. If there is any doubt the drive-train and chassis .... you would be wise to pass. Did the air bags go off? If so, the bill just went up.