MoleMan

Get a set Continental Extreme Contact DWS 06 Plus in 225/45/18s. Both the other tires you are looking at are basically touring tires and give no performance at all. The MXM4 is generally a stock tire for Avalons and Camrys. Its a good smooth tire but once again not a good rounded tire. The DWS will give you everything you want including smoothness if balanced correctly. I personally have been running this series of Continental for the past ten years or so without issue and its the only tire I buy. I also have the same 225/45/18 setup on my 3.0R. As far as performance parts really nothing but suspension components from Cusco and Whiteline. Personally I would shy away from any sort of performance exhaust on this car. Just stay as close to the stock setup as possible.

Multiple dealers have them here. It may be a regional thing where only the top dealers get them to offload. In certain states I think they are not allowed to sell branded title cars yours may be one.

The oil discussion can be hashed out for decades and has been on other oil specific forums lol. In Turbo Cars prefer Rotella. I am a huge M1 advocate for non-turbo cars as I have run that oil for years without issue. The more specialized oils such as redline are also great oils because of the ZDDP pack additives. But only for racing to track days. Stay AWAY from Royal Purple as it’s just crap. Just stick with the Rotella.

Gotcha. Then back to the original assumption it’s a LCA bushing that’s gone.

I am just looking at the local Subaru Dealers webpage. If it was a Subaru Repurchase they will note that in the description of the car. It will also show up on the car fax report. Carfax lists these cars as “manufacturer buyback/Lemon”. It is a branded title. That’s the huge downside. The brand to me is a huge issue regardless if it was just a radio replacement.

I dont think it’s that. Most of the cars are saying Subaru repurchased them due to “radio concerns” or something like that. It’s not like the STIs and WRXs that were repurchased due a “motor issue” or “transmission issue” where we all know the person went out and hammered the car until it broke and then demanded it be fixed and did it another two times. One huge cause that is popping up is people are using the lemon laws to get out of the loan or lease because they can’t afford the payments etc... but the law does say of the problem is not fixed In three visits or the dealer has the car more then 60 days it can be lemoned. A buyer who is getting into a Turbo XT should be expecting less then the EPA estimates. I know I would.

Very welcome. If you are still under the powertrain warranty Subaru should fix it for free. I would show the Service advisor the TSB. I would agree with you it is a bit annoying at low speeds. To me the car is so quiet you pick up on stupid little noises.

Possible. I know I am starting to see several 2020 Legacy’s in all trim levels getting lemon lawed and popping at local dealerships with only 5K on them. But that could also be due to people making up excuses to get out of a payment they can’t handle.

I think this could be the EPS tension spring issue that has been popping up. TSB 04-17-17R. It has been updated to include up to 2019 model years. Part #34130AL010 If it’s the same clunking I hear at low speeds only this is probably the issue. I just have no desire to fix it as it’s not a huge bother to me. And according to Subaru nothing is wrong with the operation at all.

The assumption was based on the EJ25s problems. Honestly I have not even looked at a four cylinder engine when buying a new or used car since 2006 so I rarely delve in the FB25. I mainly stick to H6s, V6s, and V8s. To be fair my 06 SE Fourth Gen has never had a head gasket issue surprisingly.

Honestly sounds like a control arm. Dealerships are notoriously for not being able to duplicate anything. Subaru Mechanics are generally good as well. Have you taken it to an Independent Subaru shop? Only other thing I can think of is the steering rack but that would not make a clunk just a really bad whining sound. My bet is still on a control arm bushing. Dumb question. When you look at the LCA bushings do you see cracking or tearing in the rubber? the same thing on the end links and damage to the rubber such as cracking etc.... What I love about Subaru dealers sometimes is they don’t nitpick on smaller issues until they become bigger.

I love how you put you have a weak battery. News a great time to upgrade to a group 35 battery and get away from that crap group 25 battery. A lot of others will also suggest the group 34 battery which has a tiny bit better ability then the group 35. Reason I am saying group 35 is that is the exact height and length as stock. The group 34 is wider but its lower height wise. Both will fit on the tray no issues once the cardboard cutout is taken off the battery(assuming you still have one). The only other thing I would check is the head gasket assuming it’s a four cylinder. As far as the plugs I have always had this done at a mechanic/dealer just due to the pain in the ass it is to replace plugs on a boxer engine. Maybe others can chime in on that question. Good luck!

I check my oil level every 250 miles on both my 06 EJ25 as well as on my EZ30 and never have consumed a drop. The 06 was purchased new and driven for six years as a daily before parked. The EZ 30 and 36 are not very prone to oil consumption as the EJ25s however. It seems either the head gasket in this case was not done properly or not done at all causing the loss of oil and issues. I have also found that certain oils will burn off faster then others especially in synthetic. In fact my Infiniti burns about a half to a quart every 3k with Mobil 1 and when I switched to Pennzoil Platinum Ultra(very reluctantly) it does not burn anything with the same viscosity(5w30) I do in this case side with the OP in the decision to look for something else as nothing is guaranteed with a replacement engine especially a used one.

Good tip. I generally use a bottle of Chevron Techron concentrate every three fill ups and add a bottle of Iso-Heat to also minimize water build up. I do not drive my 3.6 a lot and I think this year I have maybe put 320 miles on it. Normally when it’s driven it’s heated up to engine temp and driven to the car wash and back.

Did you do SPL or Whiteline on that kit? I few years back I special ordered a set of SPL end links for my Infiniti. Even with the Hotchkis sways they performed without issue. I have also had really good luck with Whiteline parts for my fourth gen even though I had to go With a Cusco rear sway and a Whiteline one in the front because the front Cusco was knocking on the subframe due to the diameter of the bar(handled great however) I would also agree it’s probably just a control arm which is a common enough issue. I would recommend however doing both control arms at the same time as well as an alignment.

Sorry to hear. Everyone has been driving like idiots recently. Good news is you are not hurt. I would check the radiator support before just thinking it is just a grill. Had a minor encounter with a center island divider about ten years ago and what I though was just a bumper turned out to be a rad support as well. Good luck.

I agree with you. Love the look but it just needs something to the front bumper like a four light kit or something.

Ok I was an idiot and failed to see this was In the 6th gen forum. Please disregard and mention of a “3.0 or 2.5 GT” mention in my original response posting. Only the 3.6R or nothing under the Legacy badging.

Just tell them the issues you are having. I would not mention anything related to codes since no codes are present at all. It’s actually not common at all. Having three Subarus none of them have ever displayed any shaking. Now my daily driver Honda did shake and had some engine rattle but it just turned out to be the trans mount and some engine mounts which is a common issue on those cars. I’m guessing it may just be an engine mount or it could be a belt tensioner as I had that issue a few years back with the Honda and had rattling and shaking in the car. Now that is assuming your car is a four cylinder engine. Can you please give more details of what year and engine your car has please? If you are unsure of the engine it would have a very distinct 3.6, 3.0, or 2.5 GT badge on the passenger rear trunk under the word Legacy. If you don’t see that then it’s safe so say it’s a four cylinder. But the year as mentioned is a great help.

I would not trust the MPG readout at all. I generally fill up the car use the tank then calculate by hand. But surprisingly the Subarus are fairly accurate to about a half a gallon and not off by a few MPGs like other cars. But under 13 MPG is pretty bad. If I recall this was an issue when the Ascent came out as well with a lot of complaints of sub 20s MPGs. I am thinking a possible oil change and verify that it’s synthetic may be the answer. But agrees with others bring it back to the dealership but they will probably say it’s normal etc... if the problem persists keep bringing it in. And about the CVT Subarus CVT really likes slow take offs. It really sucks when you try to go like in a merge situation and the car won’t move. But then again I bought my 3.6 just to coast and drive slow. I have other cars for fast fun. It’s still loads better then the Nissan CVT however which is more like a broken vacuum cleaner. Just a funny comparative my 2006 3/4 ton Dodge Diesel with a controller and exhaust does not even get 13 MPG pulling a 27 foot toy hauler through the mountains.

Just a thought. I had to replace my drivers side axle seal on my Daily 8th Civic a few months back. As it is sorta. A pain to do in a driveway I let my mechanic just do the repair and paid him. He said it was better to replace both sides when doing this repair with new seals so that’s what I did. It was like $28 bucks in parts from Honda and about two hours of labor well spent. By researching the repair I can set you were doing it correct. However did you use non OEM parts to complete the repair by chance? Seems like a lot of repairs these days with aftermarket parts are causing more problems then they are worth especially with such an inexpensive part.

This brings up fond memories of growing up in Miami and driving through the rainstorms with the high water. I actually lost a A3 VW Golf from hydrolock from driving in heavy rains. So back to the issue. I noticed when I spray water from my hose while washing my 6th gen the drain holes tend to be in the back of the engine bay closest to where the backside of the front wheels are located. You could try to put the car up on ramps and then spray water on the car or have someone spray water on the front of the car to find the drain holes and see if they are clogged etc... however as ammcinnis has referenced a clogged drain normally does not set off a CEL. In my case with my Infiniti the drain holes on the battery tray were clogged causing the main wiring loom that someone thought at Nissan was a great idea to cause shorting etc.. problem was solved when I removed the battery and tray only to find the real culprit which was debris buildup from a tree all lodged in and the car was fine after that. You could try to remove the battery and look under the tray and see if you have any debris that’s maybe causing a clog. Even if that is not the issue I was going to suggest pulling the negative and positive cables and letting the computer reset itself and see if that fixes the issue.

Just throwing this in. Winter blend is upon us. Maybe run a bottle of Techron and fill up with ethanol free and see what it does before chasing issues. It can’t hurt. Yesterday My daily was hesitant to start in 7 degrees F and did smell like fuel for the first few highway miles. My bet is still on a bad tank of gas. Tends to run like crap for a month after they switch from summer to winter blend and then back in the summer. Once again try filling up and use a fuel cleaner like Techron concentrate. If you have the same issue or are having the same issue by mid tank then start chasing down the gremlin..

If you find OEM seats after 2005 its pretty much Plug and Play.