jrizz

Not sure I was so smart...I knew it needed attention long before I took it in. Pretty solidly dumb actually. Any idea how they ended up loose? I don't have any enemies I'm aware of...

Been feeling too much road for a while. Was delaying the inevitable trip to the mechanic. Finally dropped it off yesterday. Picked it up today. The ride is vastly improved. Better than ever. No charge. Loose struts, he said. How loose? 80% loose. Could've been bad. I'm the second owner. Not sure if they're original or not. I've had the car a little over two years. Previous owner's records are not complete and haven't checked yet. If original, just loose over time? It's a 2009, ~120 miles. If not original, not torqued to spec when redone? Any ideas? Maybe it's just entropy. I guess we all get a little loose over time...

@BoozeRS05I hear you. I'll try to follow up with those details later today or tomorrow with the hope someone will have some insight. I expect I'll have to take it to a shop eventually. I'm not opposed to rolling up my sleeves and doing work, if I have solid guidance, but in a lot of cases I don't have the tools. Anyway, all that to say that even if I take to a shop, I feel much better doing so with more knowledge, which is what I come here for. Thanks for your thoughts- On a separate topic - anybody aware of a good phone holder? I got an iPhone 13 last year and the belkin holder for it which utilizes the air vent and it just will not stay up....too heavy and flops over all the time.

@blackobxtyeah i do think there is an exhaust leak, that's why i had recent work done, one muffler replaced. the shop said they thought they could get around having to do the other one, i think there was concern that the valve connecting the un-replaced muffler to the center pipe wasn't looking great. but yeah, there is some vapor and some detectable scent. thing is, mpg did get better after the recent exhaust work (July), but now clearly abysmal. not sure what you mean by learning view...photos? nor access port. as you all can probably tell i'm not much a a mechanic. i'm not totally clueless but not far from it. familiar with working with my hands but more with wood. haven't been under the hood much and haven't even owned a car for many years.

Highway miles still seem to be about right (22-28ish), but on the current tank of gas in-town is averaging around 9mpg. I've had the car a little over a year and for me it's never gotten the 17mpg indicated in the factory specs. More like 14mpg in-town. But now it's 9. Pretty bad. I'm not a speedster. Pretty gentle on the pedal. It's not my driving style. Had some exhaust work done that I thought would improve fuel efficiency but it's really the pits right now. I don't know where to begin. Any thoughts?

@apexi - oh wow, i had no idea about that. thanks for passing along the recall info, I'll look into that as soon as possible.

whew...that was a tricky little stitch...but thanks everybody, i haven't had a car for almost 20 years (living in NYC) and I'd like to keep it as tip-top as I can, extra so as the previous owner took really good care, i want to keep up the tradition. @apexi i think the clip you were referring to is in the third pic?

thanks man, encouraging. and yeah, plenty else to think about. only thing that occurs to me is it seems to be slightly resting on the metal thing, circled below. maybe that gets hotter than the hose can handle? I dunno. Not doubting your assessment, or being neurotic, just don't want to overlook anything

thanks, sounds like I can put it on the to-do but not urgent list

2009 Legacy 3.0R just replaced the air filter under the hood (first time) and may have damaged a hose-stay for what I think is a power steering fluid hose...or it was already damaged. However it happened, it's definitely damaged and though the hose doesn't seem inclined to move much, it's not secured as it seems designed to be. Is this unsafe? Or no biggie? Any ideas on how to secure the hose without replacing the air filter case?

if anyone's still paying attention to this thread, I got the exhaust sorted out, and then just now in the last of the light got the cabin filter done no prob, and then did the engine filter. Never done either before and may have been a little hasty with the engine filter...as I was putting things back together I noticed (image attached) the hose stay was damaged and so the hose (power steering fluid I think?) was not secured. it doesn't seem likely to move much, but I don't know enough to know if this is a problem or not. It may have been like this, or I may have damaged it getting access to the air filter, I have no idea. Is this a problem? And if so, surely there's a way to secure this without replacing the whole air filter case, right? Anyone have any ideas?

thanks y'all

First - thank you to all folks on here so generous with your knowledge, I REALLY appreciate it. 2009 Legacy 3.6 115,000miles, I've had it since 108,000 Exhaust Smelled fumes. The cheaper shop says $660, the more expensive shop says they don't cut and weld but would replace the whole thing, $1,900 (I don't think the mean the whole exhaust system, but the whole whatever-parts-are-faulty). Previous owner had had some cutting and welding done, but acknowledged that exhaust work would be the next significant expense, he guesstimated around $3,000. I don't know enough to know if doing the $660 means a cut and weld, I'll ask, and if so, that would maybe just be kicking it down the road, or if it is a comparable repair, just something some shops don't do. Any thoughts? I'll see if I can get under the car and take some pics. Cabin Hepa Filter They say it's all crudded up and I'm sure it is. $115 to swap in a new one, but I think under $20 to buy the filter. Is it a hassle to replace myself? I'm about to search for videos but thought I'd throw the question up here, too. Driver's Side Door sounds hollow, almost rattley All the other doors sounds solid when closed. Asked the more expensive shop to see if they could find the culprit. Said they removed the interior door panel and only thing amiss was the latch/handle assembly, and that maybe that was the problem. $400+ for that repair which I opted against. Anyone have any ideas whether it could be the latch/handle assembly or maybe something else the shop missed? Thanks a milly

Well, probably not good practice, but i hadn't checked it since the new radiator was put in, so I guess 9 months, roughly 6,000 miles. However.... Maybe it's just me, but the overflow reservoir is pretty hard to see into, it might not be low afterall...

2009 3.6R Limited - 114,000 miles Bought the car last August. In September the radiator failed. Excitement on the highway as the engine shut off. I was able to exit safely and got the car to a shop. New radiator. Mechanic said no clue why it failed. Just age I guess. Couple days ago checked oil and coolant levels. Engine cool, radiator has coolant up to the cap, but coolant level in the reservoir is low. Below the low marker. Could radiator failure be connected? Should I be checking for leaking hoses? Valves? A friend said get the engine running and turn on the heat to build pressure in the system then check under the car for evidence of leaks. Sounds sensible to me but I don't know a lot and I'm not sure he does either. Seems the first thing I should do is get more coolant and fill the reservoir. Right? Thanks for any and all thoughts--

Thank you - super helpful. Roughly what would it cost if I were to do the same as you? inner tie rods + - steering rack - steering rack bushings - lower control arm bushings - swaybar endlinks - outer tie rods And where would you suggest sourcing? And, most importantly, do you think doing those replacements would be a good way to get my feet wet as a handy-but-new-to-wrenching guy?

2009 Legacy 3.0R 111,000miles I was experiencing some brake shudder when braking at highway speeds, and some movement in the steering. After... REPLACING FRONT BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS REPLACING BOTH FRONT BALL JOINTS GETTING NEW TIRES ...the steering is much better, but still, it's not 100%. There's a little movement, most noticeable when the wheel is turned all the way, as with on/off highway ramps. Any thoughts on troubleshooting this? I'd really like it to be as tight as it can be. I mentioned the steering to the guy who did the brakes/rotors/ball joints and he didn't seem to have any further ideas. I know nothing about steering other than as the vehicle operator. To be more specific: when the steering wheel is turned all the way as when exiting the highway, it holds the turn, but I do notice what feels like a little movement, a slip. The angle of the turn doesn't change but that movement, though not too bad, is unsettling. As ever, grateful for any/all insight. HNY everybody:cool: *also, how do I make the title text bold?

Thanks again for the tires recommendation, got them a few days ago and am very pleased with how much smoother the ride is and how much more responsive steering is. Hard to imagine there's a better option. It's one thing to read all the stuff online but so much better to get a personal account/recommendation.

First time I start the car after it's been sitting for a while (a day or so) there is a grinding sound as the engine is catching. Or, let's say, if the whole operation from turning the key to engine running takes 2 or 3 seconds, at the top of the starter action there's a grinding sound. Doesn't sound good. Subsequent starts over the next few hours the grind decreases and then is gone until it's sitting again for a while. Had it in the shop for brakes/rotors and asked them to look into it. The guy said something about a sensor (can't remember what he called it), and that they might be able to basically shim it into position but he didn't know if it would do anything. It was gonna be a $100 try so I passed. Anyone know what this could be? Also, a month after getting the car, driving on the highway, the engine cut out, smoke out the exhaust, etc. I was able to get off the highway and to a safe spot, and saw the trail of coolant and ATF the car had bled. From what I've read it seems like the car going unresponsive was to prevent the engine from overheating. Good. It's been repaired and seems fine, but I've been wondering: why sudden radiator failure? could there be lasting damage? anything I should be looking into or concerned about? I asked the mechanic who did the work if he could tell why it failed and he just shrugged. Nice guy, but he had no idea. I'm not sure it's possible to know, but thought I'd post here and see what you guys think.

thanks man, super helpful. I'm going to try to reach Yoshi at Cusco

speaking of holy wars, I imagine the whole frameless window and rain guard add-ons might fall into that category as well. What are your thoughts on that? For all the thought that clearly went into designing these cars, I cannot fathom why the drip-line is inside the car...or maybe my weather stripping is faulty? I'll have to take a look.

Yeah muffler delete is not for me. My only interest in performance exhaust is if it it would actually show up in mpg and/or pickup/power. I think you've got me settled on the Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus's. I'd had them in mind at one point and then got pulled in those other directions. Great to have first hand input. Regarding the suspension stuff you mentioned, would that translate to smoother ride? As I said, I'm newbie here and haven't had wheels for 15 years...when I was reading about upsizing tires from spec they do say that doing so puts more demand on the suspension, so if I can help with that, I'm interested, depending on the time/money/labor. I looked at the Cusco site, how do I determine the chassis?

picked this up a few months ago -

Thanks man - good thought on the undercoating! I'm gonna def look into that

Thanks man - super helpful insight on tire options and thanks for directing me to the exhaust stuff. Lots to learn. I'll post a pic in a few