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Torque binding/tire size issue. Possible negligence issue against Subaru and its deal


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[...]i say the mcdonalds chick was in with a lawyer. lawyer got an idea, told her to go spill that raging hot coffee on herself and he already had it planned out. fraud at it's finest - the true american dream.

There are numerous documented cases where it's been shown that companies are aware of dangerous or even life-threatening defects in their products, but they choose to ignore them after doing an analysis of the cost of fixing the problem versus that of potential lawsuits.

 

I don't believe that every lawsuit is brought for legitimate reasons, but some people do suffer real and substantial injuries due to the negligence of others. They're entitled to compensation, and additional punitive damage awards help discourage the wrongdoer from repeating their actions.

 

As to the original poster, my understanding is that the outcome of class action lawsuits is "iffy" at best; they often result in the lawyers taking the majority of any award, with little left for the plaintiffs. Therefore, if the motivation for the suit is to get compensation, I'd forget it and just talk to SoA. If "punishing" SoA is the goal, a class action might work, but why would one expend the time and energy needed to pursue this comparatively small matter?

 

Life's too short, but maybe I'm just getting old. ;):)

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i say the mcdonalds chick was in with a lawyer. lawyer got an idea, told her to go spill that raging hot coffee on herself and he already had it planned out. fraud at it's finest - the true american dream.

The "chick" must have been quite a freak to want multiple skin grafts in the groin... :eek: :eek:

 

And with 100k on the car, there are many other abuses that could have happened short term/ long term to the drivetrain. How many times were donuts performed in the vehicle, etc... There is no way to prove anything one way or the other.

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sorry about the old lady joke. it was a joke, but i'm certainly not putting it past anyone to get skin grafts for money, particularly easy money. people are dying for money every single day.

I got the joke, that's why I mentioned she must be a superfreak! :-p

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Yes, life is too short to bother with a lawsuit. Cast your vote by not buying a subaru if you're not happy. That's what Im doing.

 

I think the salt in the wound it that they market the AWD to set themselves apart from other makes and charge you extra for it when you purchase the car....and not point out the extra maintenece requirements (I consider them a hassle) in order for the car's drivetrain not to burn up at 100k.

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Yes, life is too short to bother with a lawsuit. Cast your vote by not buying a subaru if you're not happy. That's what Im doing.

 

I think the salt in the wound it that they market the AWD to set themselves apart from other makes and charge you extra for it when you purchase the car....and not point out the extra maintenece requirements (I consider them a hassle) in order for the car's drivetrain not to burn up at 100k.

 

a friend of mine recently bought a 07 outback. he moved up from a 93 ford taurus i think, which he bought new. i asked if they had told him about keeping the tires the same, he said no, (BAD DEALER).

 

as i told him about it i saw his face drop in dispair. but as i explained if you rotate your tires and keep them inflated properly it's not a problem. he expressed concern about having to replace all 4 tires if one went bad. i asked, 'how many times on your ford did you have to replace just one tire?' response 'never'.

 

of course it does happen that you have to replace one tire, but unless you drive like my wife, it's rare. (3 years in a row, she cut a side wall on a curb in our mini-van. was i ever glad to get rid of that car.)

 

tire maintenence, like engine maintenence will help keep your car running a long, long time. all cars have service schedules. when you get right down to it, we're lucky they run as well as they do in the abscence of service.

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Yes, life is too short to bother with a lawsuit. Cast your vote by not buying a subaru if you're not happy. That's what Im doing.

 

I think the salt in the wound it that they market the AWD to set themselves apart from other makes and charge you extra for it when you purchase the car....and not point out the extra maintenece requirements (I consider them a hassle) in order for the car's drivetrain not to burn up at 100k.

 

If you burn up a Subaru at 100k, you will burn up any other AWD car a lot sooner.

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If you burn up a Subaru at 100k, you will burn up any other AWD car a lot sooner.

 

So dont buy AWD. As I was pushing a forester with snow tires stuck in a 6" snowstorm last winter I was thinking to myself how it really didnt matter.

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So dont buy AWD. As I was pushing a forester with snow tires stuck in a 6" snowstorm last winter I was thinking to myself how it really didnt matter.
There may have been something wrong with your system. My 1991 Legacy goes through snow deeper than 6 inches without any problems as long as I drive like I'm driving a car in snow.
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and not point out the extra maintenece requirements (I consider them a hassle) in order for the car's drivetrain not to burn up at 100k.

 

What extra maintenance? Rotate your tires and keep them properly inflated? EVEN manufacturer expects that to be done. It's basics of owning a car, and 15 years ago when I was in highschool it was taught in driver's ed. We've had atleast 4 manual transmission subarus with over 200k miles on them and never once had a viscous coupling failure. We also don't take our cars to mechanics or dealers to have them worked on.

 

As for having to replace all four tires, you don't. If you get a flat and ruin the tire, just call tire rack and have them shave the tire to match your existing tires. It costs $25, minor price to pay for real AWD.

 

If anyone thinks there is an inherant issue with viscous couplings and subarus should think again. These take tons of abuse in the rally world and don't puke.

 

Keith

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[...]

As for having to replace all four tires, you don't. If you get a flat and ruin the tire, just call tire rack and have them shave the tire to match your existing tires. It costs $25, minor price to pay for real AWD.[...]

When I've previously suggested shaving to match size, I got responses saying that most places stopped doing it due to liability concerns. It's good to know that it's still being done.

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When I've previously suggested shaving to match size, I got responses saying that most places stopped doing it due to liability concerns. It's good to know that it's still being done.

 

http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=18

 

I have one on order right now. There is a place locally that has a tire shaver, but as you said they would only do it for a competition tire, where there is never any warrenty to begin with.

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You can replace 2 tires at a time on a subaru. Put the two used ones on one side, and the 2 new ones on the other, the front and rear differentials will absorb the difference on each axle and there will be no difference in rotational speed between the back pinion and the front pinion, so the center differential will see no speed difference.

 

It may lead to a slight pull, but it's the most obvious way of dealing with the problem. It's how we run my mom's outback. 2 pretty decent tires on the drivers side, two brand new ones on the passenger side, all the same brand.

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You can replace 2 tires at a time on a subaru. Put the two used ones on one side, and the 2 new ones on the other, the front and rear differentials will absorb the difference on each axle and there will be no difference in rotational speed between the back pinion and the front pinion, so the center differential will see no speed difference.

 

It may lead to a slight pull, but it's the most obvious way of dealing with the problem. It's how we run my mom's outback. 2 pretty decent tires on the drivers side, two brand new ones on the passenger side, all the same brand.

 

 

Uh no. Various models and trim levels have viscous coupling LSD rear differentials, and the STI and older loyales have a mechanical Rear LSD. Doing what you suggest is not recommended at all.

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Uh no. Various models and trim levels have viscous coupling LSD rear differentials, and the STI and older loyales have a mechanical Rear LSD. Doing what you suggest is not recommended at all.

 

Ahh yes, a rear LSD wouldn't like that. None of our subaru's have one, so I hadn't thought about it.

 

Manarius, if they're both on the same side of the car, the spider gears in the front and rear differential rotate to cancle the difference, so the AWD system woudn't be affected at all. It's a much better way of replacing just 2 tires at a time than putting 2 new ones on either the front or the rear like you see a lot of shops doing.

 

So, If you don't have a rear LSD, you can get away with replacing just 2 tires at a time if you put them on the same side of the car.

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  • 3 years later...

I just think that subaru took a sh t in quality in the late nineties to maybe the present? All the head gasket problems and tires that have to be meticulously monitored!!! Going to interference motors for little or nothing in performance increase! I think is sad any modern day well maitained auto would have major mechanical problems at 100,000 or less and a lot of subarus have!!! So you either lovem and keep driving them or go elsewhere! I love my OLD subaru! Still have a little hard time wrapping my head around the fact that subaru sold cars with faulty head gaskets!

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Go buy a new gen civic and hope the block doesn't crack leaking the coolant down the front, or the water pump pulley bolts shear off and throw the serpentine belt off, or the rear control arms being the wrong lenght and causing excess tire wear, or the wiper motors getting moisture in them, corroding and stop working, or, or, or

 

All cars have problems. The complexity of the machine and the pressure to redesign it every 5-10 years while keeping costs low is going to lead to unforeseen issues.

 

Bumping 3 1/2 year old threads isn't going to help solve anything, esp just to complain about a percieved quality difference, when the market response to Subaru's product has been favorable despite the problems.

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