maestrosteve

Thanks, that's exactly what I needed to know.

Hello everybody.  I've replace car batteries before, no big deal.  I want to replace my 2020 Legacy battery soon, and I'm asking this because car electronics have gotten so sophisticated and do more than just help with the startup of the car.  

Do I really need to use a memory saver when changing the battery?  I don't care if I lose radio stations, but is there anything really important where I might find myself needing to go back to the dealer to fix something that is no longer working correctly because it didn't have battery power when I made the battery change?

This is really an annoying issue for me. I want to thank everybody for their input here.  For me it was extremely informative.

I like to think of myself as a courteous driver, and I hate to see the oncoming drivers signaling me with their hi-beams.  I know it's either too bright, or shining right into their faces.  I don't know why I waited so long to deal with this.  Thanks everybody for your posts.

Thanks for the response.   I just took a quick look and didn't see it, but I will take a better look later.  if you say it's there, I'll find it.

I know this topic is a few years old, but I have the same problem with people flashing their hi-beams when I am approaching.  I do a lot of night driving and see this all the time.  Years ago I had this issue with another car and making the adjustment with a screwdriver was very easy.  I do not see where or how to do it on my Legacy.

Is there something right in front of my face that I am missing?

 

Steve

My trunk locks just fine in my 2020 Sport. The key is proximity, if you don’t have a key near the car the trunk won’t open as long as the cars locked

 

 

I don't know if that is the case for me, I don't have the Sport, but it wouldn't work that way for me. If I give my car to a valet to park it, the doors are not locked. I never owned a car with a trunk that couldn't be locked, either with a key lock inside the glove compartment, or a key lock near the button that opens the trunk. I also have keys, not a FOB, and the car doesn't sense a key.

 

Obviously, I see that this is more important to me than a lot of other people. My previous Accords and Camrys always had locking trunks where you couldn't get in with a valet key. The back seats locked so they couldn't be moved. My Accord didn't have an outside trunk lock, only an electronic lock like my Subaru, except that you could lock the trunk from opening with a key lock inside the car. The other problem with that Accord, like my Subaru, is if the electronic trunk release failed for whatever reason (low or dead battery, etc..), then you can't open the trunk at all. At least with the Camry I had an outside key lock on the trunk, like on the doors. I guess that's why people buy different cars. Different needs. I love everything else about this car, but I'll eventually get rid of it because of the trunk issue, unless I can figure out a way to put in a hidden switch that turns off the trunk button on the dashboard.

A locking trunk is important to me. After owning a bunch of Legacy cars where I didn't have this issue, buying this one was a mistake. If I knew about it in advance, I never would have bought it. I love Subarus, but there are other cars you can be happy with.

I assume when you let a valet park your car they are already in possession of your key fob and could just press that button instead? Never used a valet.

 

I have a valet key with no buttons.

Bought in Nov 2019, 2020 Legacy, with a key remote.

 

There is NO WAY to lock the trunk so someone without a key can’t open it.

 

There is a push button switch on the dashboard that opens the trunk. That is the only way to open the trunk, there is no key option to open the trunk from the outside.

 

The trunk can be opened by that push button even when the car is OFF, which means that if someone breaks in, or if you give the car to valet parkers, or you park your car in NYC parking garages like I do, your stuff in the trunk is subject to being seen, possibly stolen. Hey, even the spare tire or jack can be stolen, and you won’t know about it until you need it.

 

As long as anyone can get in the car, they can open the trunk.

 

I sold a Prius (hatchback) to get this car because I wanted and needed a trunk, never figuring that I couldn’t lock people out of it. Maybe it doesn’t matter to a lot of people, but as a working musician in the NYC area, sometimes I need different pieces of equipment for 2 jobs in the same day, and the stuff is not secure if I have to give the car to a NYC parking garage.

 

There is no hidden way to lock the trunk with a key.

 

It’s my only regret buying this car. I’ve owned 4 Legacys since 1998, and it never dawned on me that a locking trunk could be an issue. I think everybody assumes that they can lock people out of their trunk. Even my Subaru dealer didn’t believe it when I brought it to their attention.

 

I need to find a solution. I’ve narrowed it down to either finding out what fuse controls that switch and remove it when necessary (not ideal, because without the fuse in there I can’t open the trunk when I need to do it), or finding some auto place that can wire me a switch that turns off the power to that circuit.

 

Wish I didn’t have to deal with this.

 

Anybody else having a problem with this?

Ha! Subaru batteries are the crappiest batteries out there. I had mine replaced in every Subaru I have owned within the firs two years. They always leak and start going weak. on my '17 they replaced it at the last oil change at 30K miles.

 

YMMV

 

GL

 

Wow. It makes me wonder if they use different brand/model batteries in their cars the way they use different brand tires. I hope you get some good life out of the replacement battery.

I'm the OP. I'm not going to lose any sleep over this thing. There are some good suggestions here as well. If it didn't happen to me previously, I wouldn't have even given it any thought, but it did happen at a really bad time. It only has to happen to you once, and then you may always think about it.

 

Just like the time I started my 2010 Legacy in the garage, it was especially cold outside, I had to get out of the car, I left it running and when I got out and closed the door, it automatically locked by itself, with the car running. If that had happened anywhere other than my garage, I would have been in trouble, but I went into the house, took my wife's key and opened the car. After that, I NEVER ever left the car running, or left it with valet parkers, without opening the window 3/4 of the way before getting out.

 

Stuff happens, and while there's really no way to prepare for the unexpected, you can try and figure out in advance some way to make the entire episode a little easier on you if it should happen.

I appreciate the response.

 

Maybe because it has happened to me before, it hit me that it could be a potential problem when I couldn't find a way to get into the trunk unless it had a key. As far as the 3 years roadside assistance, I wouldn't expect the battery to naturally fail until I am outside of that time frame. I've never had a battery last thru 5 winters, usually failing at the worst time, and when I've been in the middle of nowhere. Now I usually replace the battery at my convenience in advance of the 5th winter, if I make it that far.

Hi everybody.

 

About 15 years ago I had a Honda Accord with only 1 way to get into the trunk, and that was from a pull cable by the driver's door. No key to get into the trunk. I never had an issue until the cable snapped, and as a musician I was on my way to a job with a full trunk of equipment and was unable to get in there. Later years in the next generation they went to an electronic opener, AND they added a hidden outside key entrance to the trunk. Dead or Low battery - still open the trunk with a key.

 

Fast forward to now. I see that the only way into my Legacy trunk is either from the electronic push button on the dashboard, or the button on the remote. If/When the battery dies in the car (it will eventually at the most inopportune time, could be next week if I do something stupid and leave a map light on), the button on the remote and the button in the car because the lock is electronic, won't open the trunk. Of course that's where your battery cables will be in the underneath storage area.

 

There is a release in the trunk somewhere to open it, provided that you can get to it by folding down the rear seats and crawling into the trunk. It would have been nice for them to add a lock and key entrance. Both practical and could be kind of necessary.

It would be easier to find someone else with battery cables and jumpstart the car than it might be to try and get into the trunk thru the backseat.

 

Am I the only one who finds this annoying?