Zephyr

Same problem when I drive out to the local observatory- night vision is premium. Learned here on this board- just pull up one click on the e-brake and you are in blackout. Very nice feature, and makes sense. No need to rewire the car if you aren't looking for a more permament solution.

It happens to me when I turn on the car at night. The "headlights" automatically come on and shine against the wall, car, or whatever that is in front of me and it is a visiual queue that my lights are on I guess. Now that I have had the car for a while, I haven't caught myself doing it lately. But I do find myself checking the indicator light and switch position often so I suppose my sub-concious checklist has updated the new info. I think I would prefer a set up that had automatic lights with a manual override. Couldn't be that much more expensive to add a photovoltaic cell could it?

Yup, add me to the list of driver's without headlights on. Happened to me a few times. As well as I've been behind a few 05/06s that have been dark as well. Everywhere I primarily drive is very well lit. I have driven for miles without noticing the headlights aren't on. Interesting, designers come up with new concepts for features and safety that seem like a well thought out step forward, only to realize that they can combine to create new problems to over come.

Depending on the width of the bars and the diameter of the bolt, I could imagine the two holes being significant enough to cause structural concerns. I was thinking you could use a pair of U bolts to wrap underneath the crossbars, and bolting into a plate above the bars. Then bolt the bike clamp to the top of the plate. An old inner tube cut to length could be used between the plate/u bolts and the cross bar to eliminate metal on metal rubbing and add friction to aid in securing. More parts, more crafting, less simple, but the bars remain intact for other uses and there is a lot less concern for integrity.

I'm wanting to hard wire the arm rest accessory outlet to remain live after I turn the ignition off; however I would like the outlet to still shut off after a period of time but I don't know anything about electronics. The relay timer mentioned above, is that what I should be looking for?

Hey! Me people not in school smart too! A test to prove :cool: more specific results (but impratical for life), would have been to do each of the mods, or treatments, one at a time and compare the results individually. Maybe the free hood scoop mod did the trick and not the fuel system flush. I'll talk to the wife about drilling holes in the bonnet of our 06'. In fact, I haven't had the dremmel out for a while....

Another member had an idea a while back to someone in your similar situation. They suggested to find a subee that had been afflicted by the head gasket issue and pick it up on the cheap. A new engine will be under 2k USD I hear? Figure maybe tires, fluids, etc. For your budget, you may get a 90k mile car with a newly rebuilt engine and a fresh warranty. Of course, I have no idea how easy or difficult it would be to find an intact subee with this condition. Good luck, and let us know what you find.

When I test drove an Element, I wasn't happy with the way the rear seats would fold up against the rear windows. It would dramatically increase the blind spots, the mechanism on the swings were heavy and cumbersome, and worse of all to me the seat's stowage didn't create more room in the back- instead it just kind of changed the shape of the room that was already there. I was also put off by the salesman having to side step the engineering/design problems with the element by making them positves. Sunroof is in the wrong place "to give it more of an expedition feel" - as if I'm going to pop out of the back with a rifle and gun down a rhino while the car is moving?(not to mention the structural problems in the roof due to the poorly implemented suicide doors) "The rear seats are raised above the driver's head so everyone can see out the front", yeah, because it is great to be in the back and have those two inches of front windshield to look out of, but that doesn't explain why the entire floorboard is raised? Extra space for rear diff maybe? Love the "out of the box" thinking and ideas with the element, hate the implementation. After having my subee for almost a year now, a wave of relief comes over me everytime I see someone else driving an Element.

I dig the looks of the Impreza's as well; however Subaru has never been a stereotypical "good looking" car. And as far as the Impreza goes, the back and forth bug eye headlamps are a striking feature that people either seem to hate or to love. If you are solely concerned about mechanics, I think you would be splitting hairs. You will find decent people to work on your car no problem. Also, you will need your vehicle worked on once every two years or so, but you have to drive the car every day. Sounds like you have had enough poor driving experiences in your cavalier, I'd suggest it is time for you to have a little fun behind the wheel.... I can't see that happening in an Element, CR-V, or Rav4.

Only suggestion I have to offer is to make sure you at least test drive a Subaru before you make a decision. The handling and performance difference of a Subee compared to the lumbering mini SUV options of Honda and Toyota may become a bigger factor (make sure you take a tight corner or two, but away from other traffic of course! ) . Or, you may realize you like the SUV package more than a wagon style?

I have a POS Ford in my family that I would love it if "something" happened to it. If it is hailing or there is a tornado alert, look around for a guy driving a red ford contour and wearing a helmet!

Purchased and installed: Hidden Hitch class II saved $40 bucks (self installation) by buying on the internet -free shipping / spent $40 bucks on torque wrench to install the hitch . Installation time says 30 minutes, it took me and a buddy over 2 hours; we are mechanically inclined but neither of us posses a lot of experience with cars so there was more discussion and planning involved. 30 minutes from opening the box to driving away is still probably an under estimate for even experienced installers being careful. Everything went smoothly. For the self installers, I'd definitely recommend a budy to help out with everything. Also, a little silicon lube to help the removal and re-installation of the exhaust's rubber hangers would have been helpful, but we had to make do without because the local parts stores had closed for the night. The instructions also mentioned to "remove a bolt near the back of the car"- never found what bolt they were speaking of, but we did gain a little bit more wiggle room by removing the 4 plastic body rivets holding down the bottom of the bumber. Looks decent for a hitch and doesn't entirely ruin the appearance of the back end of the car. Only part that can be seen is the actual receiver neck and the two tie down loops. Drop down- hitch mounted bike rack and tail gate work great together. This summer we plan on putting many miles on our Subie and bikes!

Sweet! Liability payments only! Sounds like you didn't get much for it when you had a good title anyhow. (sorry, just trying to turn this lemon into some palitable lemonade) I would hope the thieves didn't have that much time behind the wheel to cause any serious damage to the mechanical. If I were to steal a car I wouldn't be racing around in it for fear of being spotted, nor would I be hanging on to it for days racing it around. Best case scenario would be that they drove the car straight to a private garage, ripped the heck out of the dash, then drove it to the closest parking lot. The thief probably lives within a mile of that high school.

That's horrible. Good luck MJ 3 weeks to get a check to replace your car? Has your insurance been paying for a rental up to now?