Ryan

After taking my car in for transmission service (a whole other story and working with SOA) my Subaru local service/dealer guys looked up recalls and voila, the coolant additive was outstanding. So, they put it into my cars cooling system and now I smell coolant when I turn on the heater and my radiator has coolant fluid leaking from the top of it. Need advice from all you pros! Does the additive cause blockage that would create pressure and force a leak in the rad? Ryan

You guys are great. Thank you for all the advice. After reading your posts, I'm feeling that SOA will help out in some fashion. So far, I called SOA this afternoon (Subaru dealer handed me their phone number) and sweet talked them, saying how much I love my car and that this has been going on for some time, but mouch more noticeable of late. I didn't have my vin # on me, which may have been a slight mistake because they said they could find it for be by calling my dealer, which is where the car was when I called SOA, then call me back, which they haven't yet done. So, I will call them tomorrow early am. The ATF has been changed at 30k and 60k. The 30k was done at my local dealer and the 60k out of town, but at a certified Subaru dealership. The last change they put a little too much in, and was drained two days ago to the proper level. After hearing your advice about getting a transmission service and a second opinion, I think I'll do that early next week. $3000 is a lot to spend, about 1/4 of what KBB values this car at! Thanks again, if anyone's interested I'll keep updating people this post on my progress. Ryan

Hi, this is my first post and it looks like there are a lot of knowledgable people here....thanks for any suggestions I might get from asking this question. I have a 2000 Outback Wagon with 66k miles. The warranty ran out at 60k and now my local Subaru dealers, who I bought the car from, is telling me I need a new transmission. I brought the car in to have it looked at because it shifts harshly, most of the time going up hill. So, I've called Subaru of America to see if they would cover the cost of a re-built or even pay half the cost, on advice from the service manager at my local dealer. Has anyone else worked with SoA on large problems like this that are out of warranty? It's just past warranty so I'm hoping they will honor their good name. It's not like a transmission problem happens overnight. Could it be possible that too much transmission fluid could cause problems with the transmission? I love the car and would hate to start looking for something different. I really thought I wuldn't have to put much money into a car until at least the 150k mark. Any suggestions?? Thanks! Ryan