Greetings from The Boonies, WV

[samsonlonghair]

Hi,

 

 

I'm Samson. I'm new to this forum. My old Dodge Neon broke down on new years eve, just one hour before it would have turned ten years old. How's that for timing? I spent the next nine months saving up a few dollars out of each paycheck and researching what car I would buy next.

 

I knew I wanted a reliable, long-lasting vehicle. This brought me to Subaru. At first, I was thinking of an Impreza hatchback because I like smaller vehicles. My love for camping, canoeing, and kayaking led me to reconsider the Outback - larger than I had initially considered, but packed with features. 

 

After two different deals to buy a subaru from a private seller fell through, I finally decided to go to a dealership. I don't want to make payments, just own my car free and clear. None of the dealerships near me carried a Subaru that I could afford. I wound up driving to Johnson City, TN just to buy my new Outback. 

 

There are a lot of little things wrong with my new Outback, but I think they're all fixable. I'd like to troubleshoot some of these issues on this forum now that I'm here.

 

This might seem silly, but this is the first car I have ever loved. All my previous cars were just machines; this one seems special. I'm thinking of naming her. Subie seems like the obvious name. Maybe I'll call her Kangaroo Subaru for fun. 

Edited September 14, 2014 by samsonlonghair

[john in KY]

What model year and what are some of the problems?

[86BRATMAN]

Welcome aboard, what part of the boonies are you from? I'm in the boonies in VA right beside WV.

[samsonlonghair]

What model year and what are some of the problems?

More specifically, I bought a 2002 Outback wagon with 3.0 liter engine. She's not too bad for a twelve-year-old vehicle I think. My Outback has a lot of neat bells and whistles: Dual moon roof, Mcintosh radio, fog lights, air conditioning, cruise control, et cetera. More important than all the gimmicks, this Outback drives like a dream. She handles tight curves better than cars half her size.

 

Edit: http://www.cars101.com/subaru/outback/2002-vdc.html shows lots of info about my car.

 

Regarding problems: First of all, one of my side mirrors is cracked. I hear that Autozone sells cheap stick-on mirrors. I think I'll try that first. If that's no good, I'll have to call my local scrap yard to see if they have a proper replacement. I haven't the foggiest notion how one replaces a mirror, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. 

 

The rear moon roof operates fine, but the front one doesn't seem to pop open as the operators manual states it should. I can force the front moon roof open with my hand from within, but the button does not open the roof. I suspect that the motor that usually opens this moon roof may have burnt out. 

 

The lid to the passenger-side vanity mirror is broken. Because of this, the vanity light stays on. I stuck a bit of electrical tape over the light button to keep the light off. 

 

The compass always reads North. The operators manual prescribes an arcane ritual for re-calibrating the compass that involves (I kid you not) driving to a wide open spot away from anything metal or any radio interference, holding down a button, and driving in a circle three times. This seems like voodoo to me, but I'll give it a shot.

 

The check engine light is on. Maybe this means the gas cap is unscrewed, or maybe this means the whole engine will explode in ten seconds. Who knows? I'll go to Autozone or Advance (I get those two confused all the time) and ask for free a diagnostic. 

 

The VDC OFF light is on. The Operators manual indicates this happens when the check engine light comes on. A cursory google search indicates that VDC is basically Subaru's anti-skid system. Looks neat. I'd like to get that in working order again. 

 

The emergency brake doesn't seem to do anything. This one concerns me. I haven't needed the emergency brake yet, but by the time I need it, it will be too late to fix it, right? I want to look into this soon. The regular brakes work perfectly - no squeaks or squeals.

 

Just another to-do list, right? I'll get these things fixed one at a time. I'll take any help or advice I can get because I know next-to-nothing about fixing cars. 

 

Welcome aboard, what part of the boonies are you from? I'm in the boonies in VA right beside WV.

86bratman, I may be near you. I also live near the VA/WV border. I'm currently in Mercer County, WV near Tazewell County, VA. Do you recommend a trustworthy mechanic who is extra-knowledgeable about Subarus?

Edited September 14, 2014 by samsonlonghair

[john in KY]

Here's another forum you may like:  http://www.subaruoutback.org/

[86BRATMAN]

I'm actually in Tazewell County lol, North Tazewell specifically is my home. There aren't any specialists for these cars around here, but honestly most of your problems don't seem to be anything out of the range of normal for a 12 year old car.

 

Auto Zone has always been good about scanning for me in the past. But I've since purchased my own scanner and do my own diagnostic/repair work.

 

To my knowledge none of the local junkyards have any of your era Subarus in them. I try to keep tabs on what they have as I myself have quite a few subarus I keep maintained for family and friends. Including my 97 Legacy, 98 Forester, nephew's 97 impreza, mom's 04 outback, and some others for friends.

 

The compass reset doesn't sound too far out of the norm for in my experience with other manufacturers honestly. Mercer Mall parking lot would probably be sufficient for that exercise. To replace the mirror requires removing the triangular trim piece (probably a tweeter on your car) and the door panel to access 3 screws that hold it on. The visor will also interchange from a gt model. And the emergency brake probably just needs adjusted, which is done by disassembling the center console and tightening the equalizer assembly.

 

John makes a good recommendation for the outback forum, another you may like is www.sl-i.net, I'm a member there under this same username.

[john in KY]

Recommend you use an impact screwdriver when removing those 3 mirror screws. Often they are really in there and the heads are easy to strip out. Recently bought an 08 LL Bean. Took me 2 5-hour days to change the 6 spark plugs. Yours probably need changed. Paying someone to replace them will not be cheap.