crisscross

This time the service department must have found a better tech. They tested the wiring and one of the wires in a harness had not been properly connected into the harness: presumably it had worked its way loose or a mouse ate it. The tech soldered the wire back into the connection in the harness and it works fine. The comment was that this had never happened before. There were no parts required and the previous repair probably just moved the wire without attaching it. The antenna assembly never had a problem.

I did remove the Bosch Direct Connect blade - it's easy. There's no lever - just tilt the blade in the holder so that the rubber is pointing in the same direction as the hook opening. Push on the part of the blade in the hook with slight force. It slides out of the hook. unlike others, there are no switches or levers - it seems too easy. The way on is the same in reverse. The blade is excellent on the Legacy and very inexpensive. I switch it in the winter for a Trico winter blade.

Thanks. I'd seen that page and looked at the videos last week. They all are about installing the blade on various wiper arms. None show how to remove it.

Most of the time there is a lever to lift before it will come off. Look at the videos by Planet Subaru and others. The guy at Bosch said to lift a lever but there is none. If it's simply a matter of yanking it off when it's at 90 degrees from the arm, I didn't notice any less difficulty. If someone has actually removed a Bosch DirectConnect, please post how you did it. They are one of the biggest sellers on Amazon - and either a lot of people know the answer or they are all stuck with a perma-blade. They are sold to fit a Subaru Legacy.

It was time for my Legacy to get new wipers. I bought Bosch DirectConnect and had no trouble getting them on the J-Hook. I bought some winter blades and want to remove the Bosches. There are no instructions and the guy at Bosch was clueless. There is no lever to lift to release it. Does anyone have any idea what to do? The YouTube on installation has several people asking how to remove them and there was no useful answer. Has anyone succeeded here? Trico is much easier to deal with.

We have a 2015 Legacy and a 2017 Forester. They both drive well in the snow. The Forester handles better when it is deep and is a bit more powerful (standard 2L in both). The real advantage is that when things are sloppy, the Forester is high enough to avoid some of the mess that is splashed at me. I haven't had any real problems with either. The Forester comes with better tires. I've been driving without snow tires and I have been able to keep going in a lot of snow. It would be better with them for the occasion when they are needed. I haven't had to use X-Drive either.

1. The PIN option via the trunk only works if the fob proximity is not detected. This is logical and you can test it. 2. The trunk switch works only if the fob proximity is detected. 3. Since the switch on the fob and in the car did open the trunk, the trunk switch was working. 4. Since the PIN option was operational and the trunk opener was not, this meant that the proximity of the fob was not detected. However, the doors opened with the proximity detector. 5. There is an antenna for the proximity detector for the trunk. Since it should have been concluded that the proximity of the fob was not detected at the trunk, because the PIN was working, the only fault could be the antenna. The dealer service took several tries but must have arrived at this conclusion or someone at Subaru central told them. Thanks to all and this analysis could be on a wiki on this site if possible because it will happen to others.

The service people weren't as logical in their analysis, nor was I. They thought it was the switch and that didn't do it. After another day waiting for the part, they replaced the "88851AL00A Antenna interior assembly" (https://parts.subaru.com/p/Subaru__/ANTENNA-ASSEMBLY-INTERIOR/60018824/88851AL00A.html) and that solved it. The 2015 models continue to provide examples of what can go wrong in the first year of a new design.

There are no other problems with the sensors. I can open the trunk from the inside button and from either fob. This reminds me of the problem with opening the gas tank cover. It took three trips before they got to what was needing repair that seemed to be universal for 2015 Legacys. I wonder how long it will take for other to report the trunk release problem.

I took the car to the dealer and they ordered the switch (that Rowlette identified). It came in after a month and it didn't fix the problem. It took an hour to get to that point. After another hour they decided that that the problem is a simple antenna that sends the signal from the switch. It is not in stock so the car is spending another overnight at the dealer. The beep signal that uses the same physical switch for the PIN to open the car is working fine.

The PIN opening part still is functional. It is separate from the switch that opens the trunk. I appreciate Rowlette's providing a source for the replacement. I got through to the owner where I bought the car and he said he can help with making this on a warranty item in some way. We'll see. It's still on back order.

If you need to use the key to start the car, then the same key opens the trunk. If you have a push-button start with a fob (and not with a key), only then do you have a "push-button" trunk opener, which is less reliable than a key and more expensive to deal with when it quits.

I can open the trunk with the button on the fob and with the button in the car but the rear outside switch does not function to open the trunk. It does send out the beeps for the unlocking codes for the doors. I called the dealer and made an appointment three weeks out (because they are busy with snow tires). They had the car for a day and then told me that the trunk switch isn't working and that they don't have access to the part locally. I am now waiting. It is a couple months past the end of warranty and Subaru is not interested in extending it. This reminds me of the time I had the fuel door not open and it took four visits. I predict the trunk switch problem is about to proliferate. I will let this forum know if they get the part and what it costs.

Subaru Canada sent out letters this month (November, 2017) saying that the CVT warranty is now ten years (but they did not specify which cars it applies to). Since I have two CVT cars, I asked for information and they wrote that only 2010-2015 models are covered and they gave me a link to FAQs - worth looking at (Link is at end). They have free inspections and they now state that transmission oil changes are required: "The only regular maintenance requirement for the transmission is replacement of the CVT and differential fluids at the following intervals: 2010 to 2011 Vehicles: Replace fluid at 6 years/96,000 km’s (whichever occurs first) 2012 to 2015 Vehicles: Replace fluid at 5 years/100,000km’s (whichever occurs first)." For the whole list of stuff: https://www.subaru.ca/WebPage.aspx?WebSiteID=282&WebPageID=21809 I have looked through the present thread and have seen varying opinions on the 100,000 km oil change. It looks like it's necessary to keep the warranty - right?

Findway (https://www.findway.ca/search-by-vehicle/subaru/legacy/2015) makes carpet-like mats that are effective for winter use and are custom fit to the Legacy. Their site has them for C$99 + shipping. They are sold through the web sites (in Canada) of Staples, Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, eBay for C$115. Staples often has $10 off for purchases over $100 and free shipping. So I got mine that way. There's a lot of discussion on a Forester forum (http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin/). They fit well with higher edges and look like OEM. There are three pieces for the rear seat floor included, with the middle one holding the others in place. It all works nicely and the price is competitive. They are made in China with some modifications by the guy who sells them in Canada. They ship to the US.

Toyota has been doing this with its system across its entire line this year. This gives their cars higher ratings in Consumer Reports, who have been campaigning for collision avoidance systems to be standard. Subaru sales had benefitted from high ratings in CR and Toyota has moved ahead with better reliability and standard auto-brake - even on Corollas.

IIHS, which is the safety agency of the insurance industry, gives a Legacy with Eyesight a higher safety rating than one without. That means the insurance rate should be lower for things where there is liability (at fault accident by rear-ending, for example) but it will be higher for collision and theft because the replacement value of the car with Eyesight is higher. Comprehensive, which covers windshield replacement would be more expensive for the same reason. In my experience, I have the ACC on when I am on a highway trip but not when I am in city traffic. The Eyesight is in the background and at most it has warned me when an object or car is detected but the brakes never have been activated. However, I start the morning with an iced-over windshield in the winter and Eyesight is always disabling itself, even if I scrape rather well. It wants a really clear windshield and no snow in the air - same as me.

I think the back end of the 2.5 looks dumb with one exhaust and a plastic cutout. So I suggest we design a fake exhaust to replace the plastic. I expect we can build one for $10 and sell it for $30. Hello Shark Tank....!

Consumer Reports has an article this month about cars that use oil between changes (you can read it via Facebook). It is uncommon but Subaru is one brand where there are some significant numbers. The Legacy/Outback record showed some burn over the years but after 2013 there has been zero reported. It also seems to correlate with head gasket problems. I have a 2006 Legacy that has never needed to have oil added between changes. My 2015 is too new for me to add to the discussion. CR notes that SOA says that a quart consumed every 1000 miles is normal - but it's not. And people have made successful warranty claims if there is oil consumption. On the topic of measurements the fuel gauge also depends on being level for accuracy. Parking on an uphill slope will give you a "full" reading that stays for quite a while with a less than full tank, even if the car is driven on level ground. This happened with the old and new Legacies.