LuckyPistol Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Well this is gonna be long, so grab a snickers bar...lol.. It should be entertaining and definatly worth the read. Oh god, where do I begin. (and where does it end.!) Well, about a year ago, I inherited a 1986 Subaru GL (Legacy) It seemed to be in great condition, had about 152,000 on the engine, and body was in decent shape, interior was very nice too. My sister had this car, and it was serviced regularly. Well, the only LITTLE thing that was going on , was it had the "Tick of Death". Now, my prior car to this was a 300E Mercedes, and I did alot of work myself and had car shop do the work I could not. And if my son didn't TOTAL it, I wouldn't need to be here today, But Alais, it happened and here I am. (he is fine btw - didn't even suffer a scratch, but he is still in the doghouse with me , lol, well, I ain't gonna let him forget about it anytime SOON!) well anywho, I also like doing research on the internet, because I believe in the fact of "knowledge is power" statement. I joined a mercedes board, and it was a god-send to me learning that car. I ordered parts from a website, etc.. A VERY, VERY enjoyable and invaluable board it was...(still is). So........I figured I would find a Subaru board to help me with this car. And Wallahhh, I found this great board.!!!!! (holding my breath). Well, of course, I searched and read a million topics before I asked any questions.. my very first post (about a year ago is here) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=379866#post379866 You can read and see my enthusiasum about getting this car, and getting some advice and such.. Well, anyway, I had this "Tick of Death".. and people here gave me some advice on what to do. Just an FYI - it really isnt a tick of death (sounds scary), it really is just your oil pump seals going bad, sucking air into your engine, making your valves click. All that USUALLY is needed is a new oil gasket (mickey mouse gasket) , and runs about $2.35. Worse case is new Oil Pump - $65.00 or so. So, I figured, that's not so bad. Well, it turns out it takes about 2-3 hours(LABOR) to get to an oil pump on this car, and since labor was my biggest cost, it was suggested HERE, that I replace some cheap parts along the way. timing belts - $18.00 front crankshaft seals-$5.00 front cam seals-$8.00 water pump - $65.00 Oil Pump - $65.00 I figured I would just replace the whole oil pump,i believe in preventative maintenace. The price's above are my best memory of what they are - I dont feel like digging up the invoices right now. So I figure, OK, I can handle that (and it was a new car to me:) and I figured I would start off with taking care of her. WELL, this is what happened that horrible week I dropped it off at my local rape center (ummm, I mean car center).. Remove and Replace: Oil Pump Water pump timing belts front crankshaft seals front cam seals So, I also bought ALL of these items from partsbin.com , because people here recommended them, so, I did, no biggie. so labor was quoted to about $350.00, again no biggie. Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll...., my local rape (car)center must hate it when people bring their OWN parts for them to install. The guy said he could have it done in a day, again, cool. Now remember, ALL that was wrong was my OIL PUMP was going bad (well, seals really). Well , first call I get is from the shop: He says that my FAN clutch is broken and thats why my water pump isnt working. WTF???? my water pump was JUST FINE.!!! I didnt have a problem with my fking water pump. So, he says it needs to be replaced COST - $170.00 I said, fine replace the fking thing... I raced to this board and posted this - http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27687 (read it if you want more details, and some real ***************ing, LOL!!) OK, then I get another call the next day, saying the Crankshaft Pulley needs replacing , COST - $155.00 - wtf?? then a few hours later he calls and says a timing idler needs replacing - COST - $35.00 This was turning into a fking nightmare. How had all these parts suddenly go bad? anyway, I felt I must be getting their new "anal probe service". and just wanted out, and to get my ONLY car I had back. I needed that car like .., yesterday.!! I said replace , just hurry, I need my car. It was also holiday season, and it turned into a fking week of hell. All and ALL , my bill was just over $1,000.oo !!!!!!!!!!! those fking a$$holes!! And you thought it was OVER?? oh fck no, when I picked it up , it heard a grinding sound, he says, "Sounds like the power steering going bad". FCK YOU A$$HOLE.!! - (I didn't say this, just yelled it out loud in my head) I drove off, cussing like a fking sailor. Next day this fking grinding noise is getting louder and louder..., So, reluctantly,. I take it back to this rape center to figure out what the FCK they have done to it. You can read my post about this here. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=30359 Long story short, it turns out I Ordered the wrong size water pump and it was shearing off bolts to the fan clutch, WTF??? so now I am pissed at partsbin.com, this board, the whole world.!! LOL. (boy was I pissed back then). So, since I provided the parts, they say it was my fault. Well, I buy a new one and have the rape center remove and replace the water pump. I bought the new water pump locally COST$ 65.00 Labor to R&R - around $225.00 !!!!!!!!!!!! oh, and the tow I had to get $30.00 ! FCK!! - I just wanted to wreck this fcking car into a telephone pole.! Well, after ALL this , the car did run pretty good and smooth. My "tick of death" was completly gone. The Idle was running fine. Then about 6 months goes by...... I feel my a$$ is starting to get the feeling back in it, WHEN..... I pull into a gas station. I pull up to the pump, I get out of the car, and see ALL this COOLANT running out from under the hood. I look behind the car and see a huge river leading up to my car. Yes, coolant is all gone. FCK!! I open the hood, inspect hoses, radiator. I can't see shiate. But suspect my radiator has rupshired. My local Auto Zone was only 1/2 mile away. I drive there. I ask the guy there to take a look, he gets water, we see it pouring out of the bottom/side of the radiator. Still no clue (it was dark by this time too). I drove it home , about 3 miles, and of course it overheats, but I said FCK it. Next morning , I inpect and crawl under.... I pour water..... I see the problem, A PLASTIC, yes PLASTIC plug that screws into the bottom side of the radiator has broken off. There is still a small piece still in the threads, I stick my finger in and remove it. So, I drive to AutoZone, ask them to see if they have a plug that fits, well of course NOT !!!!!!!!! FCK !! The guy there says he has an idea, he would take a plug that almost fit, and wrap electrical tape around it and screw it in, I said, Yeah, go ahead, let's try anything.!! so he filled it with water. he also said Home depot would have one. Well, it did pretty good, the quick fix, but Home depot did not have it. The threads are MM, and they just dont carry that shiate. WELL, I figured I was screwed again.. Then I noticed that my radiator had been replaced with a new one with a lifetime warrenty. So, I look it up on the internet, call them, they give me a name of a local distributor, and they say to stop by and get one, NO CHARGE.!! COOL......., well, I could not find a ride to save my life.!!!! This place was like 20 miles away and was afraid the quick fix would not hold. Yes, I had to fill the radiator up constantly with water. But I was desperate and decided to drive myself. I took plenty of water. Surprisingly, no overheat.!! It held !! I picked up the plastic piece , looks to be all of a .05 part. I get about 4 miles from the place a BAM, the car is overheating, the fix must of popped out. I was like in the middle of nowhere, I said fck it, I am driving to the next gas station, and if this POS blows, the hell with it. LMAO!!!!! I was pissed. Well, anyway, this car was making noises I have never heard a car make, lol... The car even got to a point where it wouldnt even go over 20 mph , LMAO!! Steam was blowing everywhere, this baby was about to blow.!! Well, I finally pull it into a fast food place, (first place I saw, an ARBY'sif you really wanted to know). I cut the car off, and just satthere in amazement, wanting to cry, laugh, it was really a scene. Here, I finally had this plug, and now, I felt like I had blown this engine at the last second. Well, I wait 30 mins or so., I open the hood, YES, the fix is gone. I screw in the new plug. I get water from the hose at Arby's. I say a quick prayer. And start it up. .... , it's ALIVE ! And it sounds good.!! smooth and everything, not a hint of problems. This engine is really a beast!!!! 1 month goes by, no problems, then it overheats for some crazy reason. I inspect, I figure I will change the T-stat. I now do the unthinkable, I sheared off the FCKING bolt on the t-stat. !!!! WTF???? I am at my wits end, I take it to some NEW mechanic , and he says he can get it fixed, well $185.00 , it was, WTF???? seems they had to re-die cut the threads. I also got new brakes, a tune -up, and a front alignment, which BTW, my car still pulls to the left. The place said front wheel drive cars really cant be alighed, WTF??? well, why did you just charge me $45 for?? He said he was able to "toe the camber" in a bit. He said, "it will drift to the left, instead of pulling". Whollly FCK.!! Anyway, the car is running pretty damn good now. But I am not getting any real HOT heat out of it. Well, there WILL be NO heater core put in by me. And if I have one more, just ONE MORE thing go wrong with this POS car, it's going to the junk yard. I have never seen a car with such rinky-dink shiate on it. I mean from the wiring to the hoses, etc... And after reading alot of posts here seems people just disconnect this and that just to get the car to drive. And it seems like one thing after the other with this thing. Yes, and the clock does not work either, and NO, I am not mailing it to northwet to get it fixed, that a$$clock will just sit, there, I am afraid it will short out something else. Well, that's my year-end review for 2005. There is still December, and so, if something does come up, I will update this (if there is room,lol). I hope this car gets another 100,000 on it before it goes. On last thing, Yes, these cars are so scared of winter, it isnt even funny, I hear sounds,squeaks, and I just cant figure it out. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks again for this great BOARD.!! Happy Holidays !! - lucky or unluckypistol? whaaaaa:) Stay tuned........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Wow your really lucky you didn't blow a head gasket when it overheated. These cars have a tendency to do that since the block and heads are alloy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyPistol Posted December 2, 2005 Author Share Posted December 2, 2005 Hatch, you are correct. I knew I was pushing this beast to the breaking point, but it never did. LOL!! I guess I was lucky (that time). I really didn't care if it blew or not, I wasn't walking. I somehow like this car for some reason. I guess I feel like I am just DARING it to break down., LOL! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 oh god... sounds as bad as what i went through with my jeep, except I did all the fawkin work myself... I just sold it and bought my subaru... I hope that wasnt a mistake... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatchsub Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Hmm selling a Jeep (chyrsler) for a suby. Never a bad move in my opinion. My cousin had terrible luck with his wrangler. Ive never had any serious problems with my subarus. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrap487 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 well I'm hoping it goes okay... it was a 93 cherokee, it was tough and it kept ALOT to keep it from running all together, but everything else on the car other than the engine and drivetrain was a POS. man I'm gonna have nightmares now... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fj401968 Posted December 2, 2005 Share Posted December 2, 2005 Hmmm... Methinks maybe you might have bought the wrong car. These older Subarus have a lot of character, are quite simple to work on and fairly dependable. However, they do tend to like encouragement and TLC from time to time and they do much better in the hands of folks with a few tools who aren't afraid to pop the hood and twiddle with them a bit and who know some of their few weaknesses (such as not letting them overheat). I have a '92 Nissan Sentra with close to 200,000 miles on it (same as my '87 Subaru GL wagon). Aside from brake shoes, tires and oil changesThe Nissan has required exactly two things in the 12 years I've owned it. A fuel pump and an alternator. A couple years ago I did replace the original Panasonic battery and installed new plugs, wires and distributor. I just figured it was time. The battery was getting a bit tired (it was 10 years old, I've never had a battery last that long). Changing the plugs and such didn't really do much but it was probably over due. BTW, I've gotten sloppy at maintenance on this car and the last oil change it got was on Decemeber 18, 2004!!! Whoops! I need to change the oil BTW, that was 10,000 miles ago. Even with year-old, sludgy oil, there's no such thing as 'tick-of-death' on this car. Also, it has a TIMING CHAIN. My wife drives this car so it is easy for me to forget about it. I drove it last week because it has a Yakima rack and I needed to haul a ladder for putting up Christmas lights. I'd forgotten how smooth and fun this car is to drive. You can barely hear the engine running on idle and it accelerates very crisp and smooth. After driving my Subaru GL wagon, the Nissan with it's 1600 cc engine felt like a sports car! Everything was smoother, turns are flat and sports-car-like, the clutch is smooth and even feeling throughout the entire pedal range, etc... I am suprised the car is only 5 years newer than my GL wagon. The engine is so responsive (yet smaller displacement), it left me wondering why my beloved Subaru struggles to get out of its own way. And finally, the list of repairs my Subaru has had in it's life is much, much longer than the list for my Nissan. That said... I wouldn't trade my '87 Subaru GL wagon. I love it! It has character! I love the four wheel drive, I love the cargo space, the ride height, turning radius and the overall mechanical simplicity. I do however, have to give it a bit of TLC (which I enjoy doing to be honest). I change the oil regularly and drive it frequently to keep the HLAs from 'sludging up'. I change out half shafts from time to time (these Subarus turn so tight they tear old, brittle CV boots easier than most cars). In addition, the timing belts need attention every 60K (or you can just let them fly apart, the engines are non-interference <cool!>) and a plethora of other things. I've had 3 previous Subarus. I'll likely have others in the future. Hearing your tale is like watching a train wreck. I feel badly you've lost so much money to mechanics. Although, in this case, I don't think you really have a leg to stand on in complaining about Subarus. The root of the problem started out as merely HLA noise (a relatively minor issue). Most of the other stuff is bad luck that could happen to ANY car. As for your winter complaints. Subarus do fine in the colder weather if they are working properly. Mine has been starting wonderfullly in the cold Idaho weather... however, it is having some issues icing up after I've driven a few miles in the morning. I need to fix the air stove intake and the problem will be cured. Or I could take it to a mechanic, get charged up the wazoo and complain about it. Like I said, these Subarus do like a little mechanical TLC but they are good cars overall. You either need pony-up and get some tools and a service manual and put in some 'elbow grease' from time to time. Find a better mechanic and don't complain about the cost of their work (mechanics have to make a living so car repairs cost money). Or, go back to a car that suits your style a bit better. My two cents. Tracy Well this is gonna be long, so grab a snickers bar...lol..It should be entertaining and definatly worth the read. Oh god, where do I begin. (and where does it end.!) Well, about a year ago, I inherited a 1986 Subaru GL (Legacy) It seemed to be in great condition, had about 152,000 on the engine, and body was in decent shape, interior was very nice too. My sister had this car, and it was serviced regularly. Well, the only LITTLE thing that was going on , was it had the "Tick of Death". Now, my prior car to this was a 300E Mercedes, and I did alot of work myself and had car shop do the work I could not. And if my son didn't TOTAL it, I wouldn't need to be here today, But Alais, it happened and here I am. (he is fine btw - didn't even suffer a scratch, but he is still in the doghouse with me , lol, well, I ain't gonna let him forget about it anytime SOON!) well anywho, I also like doing research on the internet, because I believe in the fact of "knowledge is power" statement. I joined a mercedes board, and it was a god-send to me learning that car. I ordered parts from a website, etc.. A VERY, VERY enjoyable and invaluable board it was...(still is). So........I figured I would find a Subaru board to help me with this car. And Wallahhh, I found this great board.!!!!! (holding my breath). Well, of course, I searched and read a million topics before I asked any questions.. my very first post (about a year ago is here) http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?p=379866#post379866 You can read and see my enthusiasum about getting this car, and getting some advice and such.. Well, anyway, I had this "Tick of Death".. and people here gave me some advice on what to do. Just an FYI - it really isnt a tick of death (sounds scary), it really is just your oil pump seals going bad, sucking air into your engine, making your valves click. All that USUALLY is needed is a new oil gasket (mickey mouse gasket) , and runs about $2.35. Worse case is new Oil Pump - $65.00 or so. So, I figured, that's not so bad. Well, it turns out it takes about 2-3 hours(LABOR) to get to an oil pump on this car, and since labor was my biggest cost, it was suggested HERE, that I replace some cheap parts along the way. timing belts - $18.00 front crankshaft seals-$5.00 front cam seals-$8.00 water pump - $65.00 Oil Pump - $65.00 I figured I would just replace the whole oil pump,i believe in preventative maintenace. The price's above are my best memory of what they are - I dont feel like digging up the invoices right now. So I figure, OK, I can handle that (and it was a new car to me:) and I figured I would start off with taking care of her. WELL, this is what happened that horrible week I dropped it off at my local rape center (ummm, I mean car center).. Remove and Replace: Oil Pump Water pump timing belts front crankshaft seals front cam seals So, I also bought ALL of these items from partsbin.com , because people here recommended them, so, I did, no biggie. so labor was quoted to about $350.00, again no biggie. Welllllllllllllllllllllllllllll...., my local rape (car)center must hate it when people bring their OWN parts for them to install. The guy said he could have it done in a day, again, cool. Now remember, ALL that was wrong was my OIL PUMP was going bad (well, seals really). Well , first call I get is from the shop: He says that my FAN clutch is broken and thats why my water pump isnt working. WTF???? my water pump was JUST FINE.!!! I didnt have a problem with my fking water pump. So, he says it needs to be replaced COST - $170.00 I said, fine replace the fking thing... I raced to this board and posted this - http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=27687 (read it if you want more details, and some real ***************ing, LOL!!) OK, then I get another call the next day, saying the Crankshaft Pulley needs replacing , COST - $155.00 - wtf?? then a few hours later he calls and says a timing idler needs replacing - COST - $35.00 This was turning into a fking nightmare. How had all these parts suddenly go bad? anyway, I felt I must be getting their new "anal probe service". and just wanted out, and to get my ONLY car I had back. I needed that car like .., yesterday.!! I said replace , just hurry, I need my car. It was also holiday season, and it turned into a fking week of hell. All and ALL , my bill was just over $1,000.oo !!!!!!!!!!! those fking a$$holes!! And you thought it was OVER?? oh fck no, when I picked it up , it heard a grinding sound, he says, "Sounds like the power steering going bad". FCK YOU A$$HOLE.!! - (I didn't say this, just yelled it out loud in my head) I drove off, cussing like a fking sailor. Next day this fking grinding noise is getting louder and louder..., So, reluctantly,. I take it back to this rape center to figure out what the FCK they have done to it. You can read my post about this here. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=30359 Long story short, it turns out I Ordered the wrong size water pump and it was shearing off bolts to the fan clutch, WTF??? so now I am pissed at partsbin.com, this board, the whole world.!! LOL. (boy was I pissed back then). So, since I provided the parts, they say it was my fault. Well, I buy a new one and have the rape center remove and replace the water pump. I bought the new water pump locally COST$ 65.00 Labor to R&R - around $225.00 !!!!!!!!!!!! oh, and the tow I had to get $30.00 ! FCK!! - I just wanted to wreck this fcking car into a telephone pole.! Well, after ALL this , the car did run pretty good and smooth. My "tick of death" was completly gone. The Idle was running fine. Then about 6 months goes by...... I feel my a$$ is starting to get the feeling back in it, WHEN..... I pull into a gas station. I pull up to the pump, I get out of the car, and see ALL this COOLANT running out from under the hood. I look behind the car and see a huge river leading up to my car. Yes, coolant is all gone. FCK!! I open the hood, inspect hoses, radiator. I can't see shiate. But suspect my radiator has rupshired. My local Auto Zone was only 1/2 mile away. I drive there. I ask the guy there to take a look, he gets water, we see it pouring out of the bottom/side of the radiator. Still no clue (it was dark by this time too). I drove it home , about 3 miles, and of course it overheats, but I said FCK it. Next morning , I inpect and crawl under.... I pour water..... I see the problem, A PLASTIC, yes PLASTIC plug that screws into the bottom side of the radiator has broken off. There is still a small piece still in the threads, I stick my finger in and remove it. So, I drive to AutoZone, ask them to see if they have a plug that fits, well of course NOT !!!!!!!!! FCK !! The guy there says he has an idea, he would take a plug that almost fit, and wrap electrical tape around it and screw it in, I said, Yeah, go ahead, let's try anything.!! so he filled it with water. he also said Home depot would have one. Well, it did pretty good, the quick fix, but Home depot did not have it. The threads are MM, and they just dont carry that shiate. WELL, I figured I was screwed again.. Then I noticed that my radiator had been replaced with a new one with a lifetime warrenty. So, I look it up on the internet, call them, they give me a name of a local distributor, and they say to stop by and get one, NO CHARGE.!! COOL......., well, I could not find a ride to save my life.!!!! This place was like 20 miles away and was afraid the quick fix would not hold. Yes, I had to fill the radiator up constantly with water. But I was desperate and decided to drive myself. I took plenty of water. Surprisingly, no overheat.!! It held !! I picked up the plastic piece , looks to be all of a .05 part. I get about 4 miles from the place a BAM, the car is overheating, the fix must of popped out. I was like in the middle of nowhere, I said fck it, I am driving to the next gas station, and if this POS blows, the hell with it. LMAO!!!!! I was pissed. Well, anyway, this car was making noises I have never heard a car make, lol... The car even got to a point where it wouldnt even go over 20 mph , LMAO!! Steam was blowing everywhere, this baby was about to blow.!! Well, I finally pull it into a fast food place, (first place I saw, an ARBY'sif you really wanted to know). I cut the car off, and just satthere in amazement, wanting to cry, laugh, it was really a scene. Here, I finally had this plug, and now, I felt like I had blown this engine at the last second. Well, I wait 30 mins or so., I open the hood, YES, the fix is gone. I screw in the new plug. I get water from the hose at Arby's. I say a quick prayer. And start it up. .... , it's ALIVE ! And it sounds good.!! smooth and everything, not a hint of problems. This engine is really a beast!!!! 1 month goes by, no problems, then it overheats for some crazy reason. I inspect, I figure I will change the T-stat. I now do the unthinkable, I sheared off the FCKING bolt on the t-stat. !!!! WTF???? I am at my wits end, I take it to some NEW mechanic , and he says he can get it fixed, well $185.00 , it was, WTF???? seems they had to re-die cut the threads. I also got new brakes, a tune -up, and a front alignment, which BTW, my car still pulls to the left. The place said front wheel drive cars really cant be alighed, WTF??? well, why did you just charge me $45 for?? He said he was able to "toe the camber" in a bit. He said, "it will drift to the left, instead of pulling". Whollly FCK.!! Anyway, the car is running pretty damn good now. But I am not getting any real HOT heat out of it. Well, there WILL be NO heater core put in by me. And if I have one more, just ONE MORE thing go wrong with this POS car, it's going to the junk yard. I have never seen a car with such rinky-dink shiate on it. I mean from the wiring to the hoses, etc... And after reading alot of posts here seems people just disconnect this and that just to get the car to drive. And it seems like one thing after the other with this thing. Yes, and the clock does not work either, and NO, I am not mailing it to northwet to get it fixed, that a$$clock will just sit, there, I am afraid it will short out something else. Well, that's my year-end review for 2005. There is still December, and so, if something does come up, I will update this (if there is room,lol). I hope this car gets another 100,000 on it before it goes. On last thing, Yes, these cars are so scared of winter, it isnt even funny, I hear sounds,squeaks, and I just cant figure it out. Anyway, thanks for reading and thanks again for this great BOARD.!! Happy Holidays !! - lucky or unluckypistol? whaaaaa:) Stay tuned........ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted December 3, 2005 Share Posted December 3, 2005 I am laughing and crying with you:banghead: , as I remember all those posts that you put on the board!! Ouch... I am following the path when I got into these roo's I would do as much as I possibly could and if I have to break it twice I will to learn to do it right the next time...so when it does break down along the road I will be able to fix her to get her home.... also.... didn't you ever notice that in most pictures of older Subaru's in the distant back ground there always seems to be a Tow-dolly of some kind..... I still need to get me on of them there things. My corner: Saw a Brat go by on a car hauler in town, spun around through traffic and followed it to a repair shop..... mechanic picked it up from the owner for fix'n, worried it was headed for the junk yard down the road... wasn't for sale. :-\ Later, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WoodsWagon Posted December 3, 2005 Share Posted December 3, 2005 #1 Buy a new high end car. that will get rid of the squeaks and rattles (for a bit) #2 Sell the subaru to someone here. #3 You got raped by the repair shop. Being a future mechanic, I have an eye for the shoddy work that goes on. I've seen plenty of full time mechanics at shops who know less about how the systems actually work on a car than I do, which is pathetic. You ran across a shop of A1 arseholes. Might you also consider that the drain plug on the radiator is right up in the zone where the clowns would have been working on the timing belts? While prying and whacking on the engine of the POS japcrap car, they could have easily sheared that off. Any mechanic worth their salt checks the fitment off the parts before they put them on, which these guys obviously didn't with the water pump. #4 And speaking of that water pump, you seem to refer to the car as a legacy. Legacy's were not made in 1986. It is a EA82 GL. you got shafted, plain and simple, by the repair shop. You are one of thousans of people shafted daily by incompetent mechanics. Some of these people blame the car for being a money pit, others blame the mechanics for being theifs. Some just figure that's the way it goes and get on with life, not to return to the same shop. By the way, most shops charge the customer twice what they paid for parts. it's a way of skimming more cream off the customer. So yes, bringing your own parts to a shop of clowns will piss them off. You just took away one of their ways of screwing you. Taking a weekend and doing the work yourself would have made for a happier you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Indrid cold Posted December 3, 2005 Share Posted December 3, 2005 1.) I've seen plenty of full time mechanics at shops who know less about how the systems actually work on a car than I do, which is pathetic. 2.) you got shafted, plain and simple, by the repair shop. 3.) By the way, most shops charge the customer twice what they paid for parts. it's a way of skimming more cream off the customer. 4.) So yes, bringing your own parts to a shop of clowns will piss them off. You just took away one of their ways of screwing you. Taking a weekend and doing the work yourself would have made for a happier you............. My .02 cents... 1.) Yup, that's why a person has got to learn these cars, too speak the lingo to keep the mechanics on their toes.. 2.) Only because the mechanic could and he needs to make a living, payoverhead etc.. 3.) If the part was no good and the mechanic had it delivered then he would have to warrent it... eat it... but not this time so... chance he took 4.) yes, become one with the Subee.... trust the Subee, the Subaru is good, Trust the Subee..... do the Bull dance.... again, my .02 cents worth.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
555Ron Posted December 3, 2005 Share Posted December 3, 2005 Got to agree with Indrid here. The garage you went to is the root of your problems. The waterpump issue is amazing, and they should have worn that! They do make a tidy little sum on the parts they supply (buy at trade - sell to you at retail), maybe this is why things needed replacing - $355 might have been minus the margin on the parts. Maybe is time to start wrenching yourself. Some times it can be fun, others a pain in the arse, but always rewarding - and much cheaper! Here's to a more prosperous 2006 for your Subie, good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuckyPistol Posted December 5, 2005 Author Share Posted December 5, 2005 Yea,I can laugh about now, but wow , what a year.!! The subie is running better now than ever before !! (well since i've owned it). I didn'tmean to be so hard on all subie's, I was just venting a bit. This subie is actually a beast to hold up to the overheating. And I know the shop was to blame for 90% of my problems. The REALLY good news is that I sure do know ALOT about subies NOW !! And alot of that comes from this website as well, thanks again. And I am pretty handy with the wrench or 2, (did you read about me changing my T-Stat?, LMAO)!! Well, winter is just starting to begin here (They are calling for our first snow tomorrow)!! And I remember the front wheel drive does great !! Yeah. (myrear wheel drive merecedes was worthless in the snow, It was the worst car I ever owned for driving in snow.!!) OH - and my heat is now blowing VERY WARM!! YEAH.!! Thanks for all your responses,and let's hope 2006 will be minimal maintanence free !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iteamsubaru Posted December 5, 2005 Share Posted December 5, 2005 I drive a 92 Loyale she just got back from Washington DC (to Oregon) and hit 347000 miles on her way home! I think you got a ford that just has subaru stickers on it! it the 7 years and 200k i have put on this thing i have changed oil,tires,front brakes, alt, bat, wiper blades, and a few headlights and fuses! thats IT!!! Never has that car not made it to point B,C,D,E, and F for me! junk that one out and guy buy another they are the best damn cars on the road!!!!!!!!!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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