MoleMan

You stole my plate man!

I actually have two versions of that plate on two of my Subarus. FlatSix and Flat6.   I have had so many Porsche owners call out that plate!

This is what I would do.

Change the oil yourself and put in a new filter. Fill to spec.  Run it for 100 miles and then check to see if the oil still is glimmering.   You could also change the PCV as a precaution. 

A bad belt tensioner will cause a knock bit won't cause metal shavings in the oil.

If after the 100 miles you are burning oil then yeah I would say you have a bad rod bearing. 

To your question. Yeah if it's a bad rod bearing you can drive it as long as you watch the oil consumption and fill it when needed. The issue is your cats will eventually get clogged.

Now here's the major issue. Massachusetts has pretty stringingent emissions and safety inspection. If the car throws a code then you can't get it registered.

Most shops will not rebuild the engine. It's cheaper to throw a used one in.  If I am not mistaken you can get one from a Leggy or an Outback.

I would maybe spend the hundred or so bucks to have a shop that specializes in Subarus inspect the car. Don't tell them anything and see what they come up with.

You are probably going to be in it 5k.

Always with a car like this have it checked out beforehand.

Looking forward to the outcome 

1 hour ago, MarkInAustin said:

Agree on tires, which I changed immediately for 4 Conti DWSs.  At the same time I ditched the donut and added a full size spare on a steel wheel.  That required placing two 2'x2'x1" gym mats on top of the new spare to even the surface under the trunk "floor" after the molded inserts were ditched, and the purchase of a tool bag to carry in the trunk.

The mats double as comfort for the knees when actually changing a tire.  

The OEM battery should last two years in Texas, garaged, with the auto stop start turned off or disconnected.  Then I will replace with an AGM.

I am going to replace the OEM speakers with Pioneers and while I have the door panels off I will sound dampen.  The car is quiet, but eliminating unwanted speaker resonance is always a must when replacing door speakers, or the job is only half assed.

 

No real benefit to AGM over a flooded battery.  I switched to a deep cycle and have not have an issue with the car sitting for a month at a time sometimes at -30.  And not talking an Optima Red or Yellow top. Went way beyond that.

To me I could care less about rattles.  Even my Lexus rattles.  I love road noise and feel.  

I know I am weird

Easy solution.

Just put some cardboard under the car overnight. If you have a drop from the oil pan gasket it will show up on the cardboard.

If that does not produce results its more then likely wherever you get your oil changed spilled some in the engine bay/block and it's burning off.

I did this myself on one of my cars and even earning it well I still had the smell for a week.

On 11/15/2023 at 6:10 PM, ronemus said:

Unless VERY heavily modifier, tour engine would resemble a large grenade at 10,000 rpm, much less 15,000!

Second that

In all reality the Red bottle Iso-Heet is ok for both a water remover and I injector cleaner the yellow is jiat a water remover and will do nothing.  Fill up next time at a brand name station using supreme and add a bottle of Techron and see what happens.  The winter blend will make the car run like crap for a month or so before a constant cold temp stays.

With me I rarely drive my 3.6 so I put 91 octane ethanol free fuel in and it runs like a champ.  

If you have no codes it's not the coil packs.  They should run a code if they are bad.  Same with a bad plug.  OEM coil packs are not cheap at all. I would not just throw parts at the car.

Try the Chevron premium and Techron method and go for a long highway drive and see what happens.

On 11/2/2023 at 6:46 PM, numerobis said:

Thanks for the info!

The long story about the tires is that I already have a set of 2 month old Michelin Pilot Sport All Season 4 on hand, same size, so I will swap them and sell the OEMs.

Then its free then lol!

I bought a set of those when the first came out.  Took them back within a thousand miles under the Michelin Ride Guarantee.  Michelin tires and me don't mix.

Butter smooth at 80 plus.  However very hard packed rubber.  I think I am just used to DWS's as I have had them for 15 years on every car I own.

It's to the point the tire guys won't sell me anything else then DWS's.

Good luck.

5 minutes ago, 06Obsidian3.0RB said:

Where I live we cannot even get all season or winter tyres. It doesn't drop any lower than 8 C on the coldest night other year.

Everyone runs summer tyres all year round.

Recommend Florida is the same.

I hear dws are very good though. Everyone seems to like them.

 

In that case.

Even though I hate Michelin.  That would be what I would recommend for a summer tire.  The Conti is good but the Michelin is better on a true summer tire.

And it pains me to say that as I highly hate Michelins rubber compounds.  To me they are way to hard.

12 hours ago, numerobis said:

100% Agree with all 4 changes.

For the battery, after the first year, I will be looking at installing a 24F AGM, but (according to a Subaru bulletin) need to replace 3 parts for proper fit (Tray, one J hook and bracket).

Factory tires will be swapped for Michelins in the spring (dealer did not want to consider replacing them out before delivery).

 

So some service or parts guy told you a 24F battery won't fit without buying all new parts huh?  Bracket is around $80 bucks. Tray around $20 , and the J hook about $10.  Why cannot you reuse everything?  A 24F fits perfect in the existing tray using the OEM bracket and Jhook.   

Don't go and buy some crap Optima RedTop.  Spend some money and buy an Odyssey or any other deep cycle battery. 

As far as Michelin. As you wish alot of better options.  If you must do Michelin then don't let some tire guy talk you into Defenders.  They would be the worse option you can get and the ride will be one of the worst you will ever have.  Stick to something with a 500 to 600 treadwear as you will get the best ride and performance without going to Summer tires.  Why the need to spend a grand on new tires?  Just run out the OEM to 4/32 and then get new tires.

If it was me if you asked me what the one thing I would change.  Pick up car. Drive to specialized mechanic.  Change CVT for a 6 speed manual.  

We can all wish lol.

On 10/31/2023 at 5:08 AM, 06Obsidian3.0RB said:

We've been running Goodyear Eagle F1 and love them on our fleet.

My wife's 06 Legacy has SuperSports while her M Sport has Assymetric 6's.

I recommend the Assymetric 6.

Way better than the PS 4 on my old daily.

All Summer Tires.  Once any weather rolls around they turn from super sticky to super garbage.  That is where the DWS takes over.

I only have Summers on one vehicle I own.  Once they wear down I will replace with DWSs again.  They were on the car and that's the only reason they are on the car.  That particular car is still making me learn it 2015 Lexus RC-F(470 HP V8 not the 3.5 6). 

Then again my money goes to new Blizzacks yearly.  I will say never had a bad Goodyear at all.

1 hour ago, Jp1975 said:

When we first got our 2020s we had to learn the transmission and adjust how we accelerated to get the best response. Took several weeks as I was coming from a 5sp manual and my wife from a 6speed automatic on another Outback. That’s why I’m so impressed with this new 24 XT. No learning or adaptation needed, it just responds more quickly. I’ve not taken it out and hammered it, my wife would kill me, but it is more responsive from the get go. I would speculate that it may have greater low speed acceleration but no faster over all. Anyway you look at it, it is an improvement and a very impressive vehicle. Subaru did good with these. I think anyone going from a ‘20 to the ‘24 would consider this a significant upgrade. The more responsive infotainment unit is the cherry on top. 

They will always make the infotainment better etc.  Chances are it's probably a programming tweak. Only other thing I can think of is with the tweak they increased to boost by a PSI or two. That could also be the difference. 

 They have now got the vehicle more refined.  That being said we are in year four of this platform. So I would imagine they are ramping up for a total redesign for the 2026 line up.  From what I understand the chassis will most likely be the same.  I would bet money we will either see the Legacy cut all together or an electric version added to the line up.

2 hours ago, Stuff said:

The Nappa leather is now a choice of black or brown instead of Sierra Tan.  Just about everyone likes the tan when they see it so the new colors are a letdown.

Love the Brown personally.  Am even thinking of finding some Brown seats out of a 6th Gen Outback Touring to swap with my Warm Ivory seats in my 6th Gen.  I don't dislike the Tan but the car needs to be a certain color to look good for me.  

On 9/17/2023 at 8:12 PM, garygbnj said:

Thanks for the reply.  The 385 hp is accurate.  TDC stated that in their experience 400 hp was the limit to keep reliability, assuming you did not "beat the xxxx out of the car".  Above 400 hp and you will light the fuse on eventual premature engine failure.  I drive the car rationally and stay out of the turbo (3,000 rpm) for the most part, only "stepping on it" occasionally.  The car is a shear joy to drive.  TDC installed the STI 6mt and did a great job.  What a difference from the oem 6mt.  The oem 6mt was like driving a slow shifting truck transmission.  The STI 6 mt is about 10,000 percent better.  Not a Porsche but very very nice.

Here's the issue.

A dealer will give you blue book. They dont care about the mods at all from a value standpoint.  Chances are good some mechanic will strip the mods off anyway and resell or use them.  

Now private market is different. This is an enthusiast car. That's the market you are going for.  They know what they are buying and what the car has.

Here's my story. One of my cars is a 2013 Infiniti G37.  I have the full Stillen Supercharger conversion kit on the car. That does include new headers, a full Stillen exhaust, a stillen G3 intake, and of course the supercharger.  The kit with install was about 8 grand.  Could never get anything from a dealer.  Would need to sell to an avid enthusiast to ever get anything out of it.  Its paid off and just a toy to me now that I have moved up.

As far as the last statement.  I am a power junkie.  400 HP and 440 TQ was not enough for me. Had to buy a 2015 Lexus RC-F with the five liter V8. Stock puts out 470HP and 450 TQ.  Now I want to trade the wife's S4 for a GTR.

But back to the real world for a sec.  I would just keep the car and enjoy it.  Personally I would love to get walked by you just to see you roll.down the window and smile

On 9/19/2023 at 8:37 AM, Falcor said:

I'll look up our cars from time to time and there never seems to be more than 7-8 for sell in the entire country. As mentioned, it will take the right buyer to justify the extra cost for the STI trans. I have a feeling I could rip off most of my mods and it wouldn't affect the resale value much at all, unless I found that buyer that valued it. 

I would say find a comparable car and add what you feel is a fair/acceptable amount for the mods you have done.  

Depends on where you live.

I see quite a lot of Gen 4 GTs for sale in my area. Gen 5s always one or two but not as many as gen 4s.  Then STIs and WRXs by the handful for sale daily. 

11 hours ago, Jp1975 said:

Yes that’s what I’m assuming they have done. Tire pressures are spot on. The difference in accelerator response is significant. I know many do a “calibration” procedure because of perceived inadequate response by doing 30 presses down and up. I’ve even tried this myself with no change. But in the ‘24 OB no such shenanigans are necessary. I’m still waiting to hear from someone who went from a ‘20 Legacy XT to a ‘24 to find out if the same was done on them. 

Also understand the trans is always learning. A new car that has not been driven will respond way different then a car a few years old.  

You could go out and drive really aggressively with the 2020 and see if the trans feels any better.  If you really wanted you could disconnect the battery and see if that wipes the computer and that may give you a fresh start relearning.

Then again you can always buy a sprint booster of pedal commander and get the feel you are looking for.

Op,

Have the bent wheel moved to the rear. If you still have the vibration after that you probably toasted a Control Arm Bushing.

In this case don't take it back to the tire shop you went to. Seems like they are idiots.  The first thing the shop should have done after telling you was to move it to the rear and then come back of you feel it again.

6 hours ago, Jp1975 said:

Whenever I get to drive my wife’s new ‘24 OB XT it feels like the acceleration is better than my ’20  Legacy XT. So I’m curious if someone has been able to make such a comparison between a ‘20 and ‘24 Legacy. 

Check the tire pressure.

A lot of the dealers will set to 40 psi and it will seem like the car is "Faster" off the line.  The two cars have the same engine. So I'm this case it's not that.  Subaru could have tweaked with the programming of the trans a bit so it gives more of a linear feel.

6 hours ago, laufu said:

Agreed, I wish the Touring XT had SI-Drive.  I do like the front camera on the Touring though, also surprisingly, I have come to like the orange leather in the Touring.  

When I get into my 4th gen 3.0R I simply forget I have SI-Drive. We can add another thing. Getting rid of the CVT Trans. But that will never happen.

1 hour ago, bemani said:

My sunroof ended up looking like this after a road trip, had the whole rail replaced.  Looks like a plastic guide broke.  I don't even open the sunroof anymore.  But I figure better fix it the right way while the parts are still available since I'm keeping the car forever.

 

I had a VW Corrado do the same thing to me. At the time it was so expensive to fix that I just kept the roof shut.  Looking back should have kept that Car..

4 hours ago, kattz said:

I was talking to a rep in passing about there being no header options for our platform.  He reps for KillerB and is reaching out to them, as they have had several requests for headers for our vehicle.  I am about 4 hours from KillerB, and if they need my car to make the headers, I'm going to offer it.

Just checking, if they were to make a set for my '12, including a possible port for an external WG, is anyone else interested in headers?

Sorry, wasn't sure where to post this.

Kev

Just be sure you have a full exhaust to go with the headers.  With the right combo the sound will be very nice.  More Porsche 911 sounding.

For some reason headers are making a bit of a comeback.  I am still thinking of all the "Muffler Delets" and how crappy that sounds. 

All I gotta say is if it's done right then that's all that matters

3 hours ago, Jp1975 said:

Due to issues with my wife’s 2020 Onyx XT Outback she wound up getting a new ‘24 Onyx XT this week. It is a remarkably better vehicle, smoother CVT, much better accelerator response, quieter cabin, more responsive infotainment system, and of course the upgraded audio system. Just a noticeably better car overall. So that’s got me curious if there’s been similar improvements in a ‘24 Legacy from my 2020 Limited XT. I see that they’ve essentially replaced my Limited version with the Sport which has fabric seats, no driver memory door buttons, but is otherwise essentially the same. So if I wanted to replace my Limited XT for some reason, that Sport model is probably what I would choose. I am interested if any on here have gone from a 2020 XT to a Sport or Touring, which seem to be the only ones with the turbo engine, and have noticed any significant improvements. 

If it were me I would probably go for the XT.  The sport is the same car with exception of interior and certain exterior cues.  

The question is what the dealer wants to get rid of on the lot.   Honestly I don't see that many 6th or 7th gen Sports around. And that sorta car is my eye as they are different.  

If you want cloth and no seat memory then the sport is for you.  Now if only we can get a 6 speed manual.....

On 9/27/2023 at 9:36 AM, garygbnj said:

I have a Borla exhaust.  If headers make a difference  (how much hp or torque) then what brand-Borla, AEM or?  Will I need a new tune?  Thanks

Depends.

The short answer is yes.  But you would get max power with a full exhaust system with test pipes. You would make slightly less power with high flow cats but if you have state emissions the high flow is better to go with.  To your question yes I would get a better tune since the power band would be changing. I would also get Bunghole extenders to get the 02 sensor out of the downstream so it does not throw a code.

When I went to long tube headers in conjunction with my Stillen exhaust set up on my G37 I believe the power gain was about 30 HP at the flywheel.  A test pipe setup from what my tuner told me would have gained an additional 15 or so HP.   In the end I sent my car to Stillen and just had them do the Supercharger Conversion kit and am not running a shy over 450 HP and 440 Torque.  Fun car but my RCF with the five liter is way funnier with the NA five liter with 470 HP.  A true sleeper.

I am assuming you have a GT?  

3 minutes ago, Twylr said:

It’s not horrible but it definitely is an interesting color choice. Someone out there likes it. 

Let's just say the car was to good to pass up at the time. Bought it in 2012 with 62,000 miles from a Subaru Dealer. It was priced right under 7 grand.  No accidents etc..  Honestly my Subarus colors are odd. One Gen 4 ABP 2.5i Leggy, one Gen 4 3.0R is HWM, and the 2018 3.6R in DBP.  While all my other cars are silver or white.

A Gen 3 Leggy Outback Sedan rare? I see at least two a day in my area.  Along with probably ten Gen 3 Outbacks a day as well.  Just depends on where you live I guess.

As far as your friend. The car is a 2010. We do not know how your friend drives the vehicle at all. All the records are in place as stated. But the time to push SOA was at the time of repair.  So it's a longshot on if SOA will do anything at all unless it's very recent.  I would only really question the block replacement.

I am not being an asshat about how someone drives.  I just have seen friends buy brand new cars and drive over every pothole and floor it all day to redline etc..  then they get upset at the dealer when they need this or that.  My wife is a great example of this.  Exactly why I tell her to drive her SUV and not her S4.  Then she gets mad at me when I don't want her driving according to her "my Subarus that sit and never get driven"

Good luck to you.

3 hours ago, blackobxt said:

Guilty of almost buying a champagne gold outback xt. Also guilty of wishing my outback was just about any color other than obsidian black.

My 08 Harvest Wheat Metallic 3.0R is a love hate relationship.  It's been referred to baby puke gold.  

Not the best color I will admit.

9 hours ago, LBSypher said:

In the Outback forum, Whiteline is quoted as saying that the rear sway bay will not fit the Legacy, but it would be worth a try, just in case.

I bet the bar will fit.  Since both cars are on the "world" platform the chassis should be the same.  It's not like trying to go from a Gen 4 to a gen 5 fitment.  Many Nissan aftermarket parts say it won't fit this year or that year yet the fitment is perfect.

As far as Whiteline aka"Red Rover" I find a lot of their bars fairly subpar compared to Cusco, Hotchkis, or even Perrin parts to a degree.  Not saying they don't work and are not good as I have Whiteline parts on many of my cars.  I just prefer the feel and look of other products.

As you said it's worth a try.  I would buy local if possible. Those bars are about 20 lbs and shipping is awkward.