mrmako

I have a confession to make, I'm actually considering an Outback for my next car.

My 2016 3.6R is at 157k and nearly paid off. The market for used cars about guarantees I'll have positive equity in the car even if I trade it tomorrow. Between this and the special employee lease prices it's nearly a no brainer.

 

But the reasons I'm considering the OB are higher ride so easier to get me and my bad knees in and out of, same for my wife's and I elderly mothers, extra cargo room for those rare but annual road trips.

I'm very torn because I'm a car guy at heart and love something spirited, even if just a little, and the Legacy handles curves much better than the OB. I'll drive the car 365 days and I'm just not convinced I'll be happy in the OB. But the OB attributes are attractive.

I'm still trying to figure out what I'll do but in the mean time I'll continue to love my 3.6R. Wish I could have got good enough numbers to trade it on a 2019.

No matter if I go Legacy or OB, I'm getting the XT Limited.

Currently own a 2017 Outback. Nice car, the wife uses it and it does have good room inside. Think of it more as a wagon than an SUV and you'll be alright.

Yep, seams to be the common issue with this thread.

 

 

 

What I ended up doing after the CarID ones fell through in the beginning. 1 side cost $2 more tho.

Well, I live in Germany, so $8 to ship it overseas makes the price very attractive. And I saw the $2 difference, WTF?

I just had my car inspected today and the guy told me the bushings were starting to go, so I saw this thread looking for a how to do but got some great pricing information.

Jess.com has them for $95 each with free shipping:

Shopping Cart

Control Arm and Ball Joint Assembly

2005-2009 Subaru Legacy

2005-2009 Subaru Outback

Part Number # 662-CMS80182

This item is expected to ship 01/12/16.

$95.99

Control Arm and Ball Joint Assembly

2005-2009 Subaru Legacy

2005-2009 Subaru Outback

Part Number # 662-CMS80181

This item is expected to ship 01/12/16.

$95.99

I'll scour the 4th Gen area and find the how to.

If you have the time, I'd order new boots and replace yours. The problem may be if you keep driving you may work all the grease out of the boot. How much has leaked out ?

 

If the CV joints are not making noise, just change the boots.

 

My left front replacement axle didn't last more then 4 years. Which is about how long the OEM one lasted, the boot tore.

 

 

As for seating the axle in the tranny, I jack up the LCA so the axle is horizontal then hold a piece of 2X4 over the end of the axle where the nut threads on and hit it with a 5lb hammer.

Very little has leaked, but the passenger side grease seems a bit thin, so I think a reboot is in order. The driver side is seeping very, very little. So if I am under there, I may as well do both.

After being under the car this weekend, I can only say this applies to my 3.0R:

Who the !@#$ though this would be a good idea without removing the half shaft? Heh. Really, the outers were both fine, it was both inners (not 1) that were leaking a little. No tears. I left the shafts in place, which meant working between the cats with little room to do the work. I could not re-band the boot, but I used a really good tie wrap (very wide and strong. It should hold until I can figure out the next move.

So I am pondering ordering two new boot kits and rebuilding or getting two new half shafts. Hmmm.... Is the aggravation worth the $50-100 saved? And if the half shaft does not fit then what? I must mail order (2 weeks), then if it does not work, pay to ship it back. Damn. These Germans are just so expensive for parts/service.

Is it torn, or just leaking from under the clamp? If it's just leaking under the clamp, put a new clamp on. No need to reboot.

 

Outer boot requires taking apart the inner to slide it on, so you'll have to reboot the inner as well.

BA kit is good for this. Some say OE from dealer only, but I don't see that.

I ordered the kit, so it should be here late next week. However, I will get my first close look at it this weekend. If the clamp is loose only, I'll inspect, re-grease, then camp it down.

honestly, i'd just replace the entire thing with a reman unit from autozone. only a little more work (if that) and 60 dollars for a nice new axle. unless like someone mentioned before, if it's just a loose boot clamp, just replace the clamp and be done.

The nearest Autozone for me is about 4700 miles away. Shipping heavy things to Germany is expensive. I'll try the inspect/reboot option first. I do have access to a full garage with lift bays and air tools, so that makes it a lot easier.

Guys, I read all 33 plus pages, but my car is a bit different. It's a 3.0R JDM spec B (5EAT), and it is an EZ30 engine, the same as the USDM. So armed with that knowledge, here's the situation:

The passenger side outer boot has a small leak (very fresh grease). So I think I caught it just at the start. The part listing for what I think I need is this:

Non-OEM CV Axel Shaft

OEM CV Axel from Subarupartsforyou.com

Or should I just reboot it?

Beck Arnley CV Boot Kit

I hate the thought of going to a dealer here in Germany for a JDM car. But I do have access to a lift and proper tools.

Love the thought behind this.

Love being different.

Subscribed.

Have you talked to Tomcat? He has a H6 3.6, but may be able to offer some high HP advice? I was too lazy to read the whole thread, so if you are just shoot me.

I ended up going into a brake shop and having them check out the pads and rotors. I feel confident in changing them but not in evaluating them... so they said the rotors and pads are shot. I guess this makes sense because I've had the rotors resurfaced before. I don't know how the previous owner drove the car but considering what I've had to have done to it (new strut, bent rim, etc) I don't think he was a mellow driver. Anyhow, I think I'm going to go ahead and have the rotors replaced with something of equal to or greater quality to the OEM rotors and then put some upgraded pads on, like the Hawk HPS pads. The guy at the brake shop was pretty adamant that the OEM brake setup on the LGT is more than sufficient which seems to jive with what I've seen in this thread.

For normal to spirited driving, the OEM pads should be just fine. As long as you are putting new pads/rotors, you may as well have them flush your brake fluid and give you new. That will help pedal feel a lot.

This is a really amazing and informative thread. Xenonk, I appreciate your holistic approach to the topic of stopping. Like a lot of other people I get carried away sometimes when looking at aftermarket parts and forget what the real goal is. In my case, it's just stopping my car during daily driving, sometimes more spirited than others.

 

So I bought my LGT used with 35000 miles on it. I'm at 65k now and the steering wheel shakes when I press the brakes hard. This happened before, stopped and now it's back. I'm thinking it's a warped rotor but I need to inspect to be sure. So, question; if I were to replace the front rotors and/or pads only, is that problematic? Do the rears need to be done at the same time?

What I would do is get a good set of pads that are non-OEM (Akebono, Hawk HPS, etc...), then before putting them on, have your front rotors turned. If they have a lot of metal left, this should result in a nice, flat, rotor. Then follow the instructions with the pads for the "nbedding process and you'll be all set.

I had warping issues in Europe, where 125 mph to 60 mph slow downs will heat op the rotors a bit. I had a Volvo V70, and I warped the OEM brembo rotors after only 10,000 miles. Once I replaced them with Power Stop rotors, and matching pads, all was well. Just my experience.

Paint code:

DGM = Diamond Grey Metallic

I have it on my JDM 2006 3.0R SpecB. I think this hit the USDM in the 08 MY.

I just looked at the harness information on the following link:

http://www.geocities.com/svxdc/Legacy-pinout.htm

It is an exact match for my JDM 2006 radio harness, which is the same design as the 2007 MY and up (WMA/MP3 6CD changer). This is a great start for anyone that is rewiring their audio.

Nice write up. I can't read my Japanese manual, so this helps a lot.