TWO questions... (easy, too)

[later, Peter]

1. Rear struts '99 OBW (automatic)... how tough to do. the book looks fairly easy but the tire guy (that discovered the problem) said it was $750 & lot of work & special tools (he's a pretty honest guy... I think)

B. where's the sensor for the keyless remote? My remote's working intermittently so I'm thinking I need to clean/clear the sensor area.

thanks, my Subarubuddies.

later,

Peter

[GeneralDisorder]

$750

 

That is definitely not right. What in the heck is he including in that quote? Only special tool I think of would be the strut spring compressor - that's not all that special either. About $50 or less from most any good auto parts store that carries a few tools. Sears probably has one too.....

 

For the remote - have you tried a new battery? They are RF so there should be no need to clean anything.

 

GD

Edited December 14, 2010 by GeneralDisorder

[WRX2FFU]

^^^ this.

 

The hardest part sometimes is that the rear strut bolts seem like they were torqued on by the incredible hulk.

 

Usually a good impact or a decent breaker bar and some elbow grease get em'.

 

The replacement struts are not even that expensive.

 

Also, with that stated I would say this guy is not very honest and I would maybe even question the need for new struts.

 

I would check it.

[idosubaru]

rear struts are on the easy side. the one hard part is that you need a special tool to compress the springs (although i've heard of folks doing rears without one since they have far less force but that doesn't sound like a good plan for a first timer).

 

you can buy loaded struts - try rockauto.com or thepartsbin.com. loaded struts are the complete assembly - strut, spring, top mount - you just unbolt your old entire strut/spring assembly and install the new and you're done. no need to compress springs, get the tool, spend the time, etc.

 

i bought one for a friend earlier this year on the rear of her 1997 legacy - I want to say it was $184 off the top of my head. that's another option that saves you quite a bit of time and sourcing a special tool.

 

if you're not the anal believe all the anecdote type then you can entertain just doing the failed strut, rather than both. i've replaced singular struts my entire life and never noticed a difference. i can't imagine how i'd notice a difference if the thing hasn't actually failed....and if i did, then i'd replace the other one but i lean towards functional/practical/prove it to me/i'm an engineer and will make my own calls more than anal believe everyone's one-size-fits all recommendations.

Edited December 14, 2010 by grossgary

[GeneralDisorder]

I'm with Gary on replacing only the bad struts and not both sides or all four - at least with Subaru's the rate of strut failure is very low so I lean that way. On other makes/models I often find that by the time I get in there they are all bad anyway - especially trucks, vans, etc.

 

It also seems that shocks fail more often than struts..... at least it seems that way to me. Probably because shocks are often used on heavier vehicles. Subaru struts are actually a pretty rare failure in my experience. I've seen many still functioning at 200k or more.

 

GD

[heartless]

sorry, but I am with everyone else on this one - $750 for a strut job??? are they gold plated, or what?

 

even replacing all 4 should not be anywhere near this much $$

 

i guess i am a teeny bit more anal than GD & gary - i usually do them in pairs at least, but if money is tight, yeah, you can do just one, providing you only really need one, with no major problems.

 

again, if money is tight, harbor freight sells a spring compressor set - maybe not the best quality, but it does work (just a word of caution, do NOT use an impact wrench to tighten - it will trash the threads - ask me how i know...)

 

as for doing the job yourself - with a decent set of tools it is an easy job, well in the realm of a "shadetree mechanic" skill set.

[Legback]

If the fresh battery doesn't wake up your keyless entry....... I've had to take the remote apart and clean/freshen up the metal parts that contact the battery, and even bend them in just a tad. Mines a 98. They were pretty narsty somehow. I'm not that mean to it either. Take a look.

[Fuzpile]

Per the remote yeh clean up the fob. The windshield pillar trim, left side holds one sensor. They were origionally held in by a "sticky" tape which dried out so mine showed wear and breakage of the shielded area of the cable 'cause the thing can rattle around in there. Worked fine afterward-even remote start which I didn't even know it had.