theonlyBuster

Simple, straight answer. Thank you for your response.

Late to the party and looking for clarity here... I have a Legacy 2.5i. Should I still be aimed to get a Group Size 25 battery or am I best to get a Size 34? I ran into a Service Bulletin that has me wary because it says the newly recommended battery is "bigger in size" but doesn't specify more than that. Just trying to make sens of this so I can move forward with replacing the battery. Service Bulletin: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2023/MC-10240111-0001.pdf

2015 Legacy, 130k miles A few days ago I noticed shortly after driving that the vehicle begins to faintly smell of burnt oil. I checked my garage floor but saw no signs of dripping/pooling oil. I also checked the oil's level and everything looked to be OK. A buddy of mine said it's likely the oil pan gasket failing. How likely is the problem a bad/failing oil pan gasket? If not likely, what else can it likely be? As the vehicle will be taken to a shop, roughly how much should I expect to pay to have this problem repaired?

Well in usual fashion, when I returned to the dealership and connected the ODB scanner, it read Code P0456. This was done by the same mechanic as previous and he confirmed/noted that this wasn't the same code as the previous 2 instances. The error was cleared and I'll see what happens in the coming days and week. If I get warning lights again, I'll bring it to my previous dealership in the next county and have them look into it and fix it. But as it seems, there may be two very different problems to be addressed here. Hydro locking is never fun. Thankfully I learned this lesson with a rental vehicle as opposed to my own. I would try the spray method to clean any drain holes -- though my problem is I don't know where they are. Never really had this type issue before. Though I may try the battery trick to clear future P0456 codes. I just hate doing it because I always have to re-program my windows, give the transmission time to re-learn itself, and other little annoyances.

I came here to hate, but ended up liking it. The rear tire and well looks a look a bit jank, but in total, I don't hate it.

I'll go back to the dealership and inquire. To give more back story, I brought it to the dealership regarding the issue. I mentioned that I got my O2 sensor replaced a week prior. The mechanic connected his OBD scanner and said it had nothing to do with the O2 sensor. He said the code specified "drain port" (or maybe "drain valve") was the issue. He went on to say that this was fairly common when there's a heavy rain, driving through high water, or spider makes a web. Well there was a heavy rain the day before. He cleared the error and sent me on my way. That was just over a week ago. A week later and a morning after a night of heavy rain, the "problem" is back. Honestly, I think the mechanic and intake-representative were just trying to discourage me from leaving the vehicle at the service center because they have a full backlog. The next available appointment was almost 3 weeks. I don't have a sunroof and rarely run my AC, so the AC condenser drain may have been what he meant. If not, I guess the windshield and rear window will be my next focus if I can't get a straight/helpful answer from the mechanic when I go back.

The apps are tricky to get working. When I finally got it working, I felt that the time and effort put in was a total waste. I understand the desire to utilize the app(s), but honestly I wouldn't recommend it unless you want to understand why everyone prefer AndroidAuto and CarPlay over practically anything else. If memory serves me, my car preferred it when I connected directly via USB. Alongside that, it worked better on my older flagship device than the newer devices, but even then, it wasn't great. I can't advise against this enough. Connect to simple, standard Bluetooth to stream audio and make calls and call it a day.

I'll try to keep this short, but if more info is needed, feel free to ask. The "Check Engine" light as well as all the Driver Assist lights illuminated on my dash. According to my dealership, the problem is very likely a (semi-)clogged drain port. The mechanic who diagnosed the issue told me I could fix the problem at home in about 20-minutes with a shop vac which I'm totally fine doing. My question is where are the drain ports located on a 15 Legacy? I imagine, once I find the drain port, I simply blow air through them to clean them out? Speaking of blowing air, would air from an air compressor be OK or would it be too pressurized and cause further problems? I roamed around YouTube but didn't really find any videos that I felt were helpful with this issue -- but then again I wasn't exactly sure what to look for.

Hmm that may work. Maybe if I can get a good screw placement along the wheel well, it'll be enough to securely hold the rest of the bumper in place. I also stumbled upon a bumper "quick release" fasteners that I'm considering using. It's a bit unsightly, but it looks a LOT better than vinyl straps. Might as well do it for both sides to make it symmetrical. https://allfitautomotive.com/product/bumper-quick-release/ Surprisingly the plastic push clips were still in place. The hole that the push pins go through to hold the bumper in place was broken. I've uploaded a photo from the internet that shows what I'm talking about. Notice how the bumper holes for the pins have been destroyed but the hole in the metal body are fine. That's roughly what happened. So even though I have the push-pins, they have nothing to firmly hold onto on the bumper.

While driving through some pretty heavy winds, a rogue tree branch latched onto my bumper and ripped the side out it out. After examining, I discovered that the holes for the panel pins were destroyed. I was able to push the bumper back on, but now any time I exceed 60mph, the corner of the bumper begins to detach. As of right now, the bumper disconnects starting from the side of the bumper in front of the tire to just under the headlight. The vehicle has exceeded 100,000miles and looks GREAT inside and out, so I don't want an unsightly strap holding the bumper in place. At the same time, with over 100,000miles, I don't want to spend the money on a new bumper then matching paint job. I'm curious if there are any other alternatives out there to more or less remedy this. A vehicle bra/mask crossed my mind, but I believe those hook onto the bumper, which likely won't help my situation. Though correct me if I'm wrong. For clarity, I've included an image highlighting (in yellow) the section of the bumper that isn't holding very well. Vehicle: 2015 Subaru Legacy

CONCLUSION: The dealership was able to use the recall to replace the catalytic converter. They were able to successfully remove the O2 sensor after soaking it overnight. The spark plugs were not covered by the recall. The dealership offered to give me a break and offer a discount to change out the 4 spark plugs for almost $600. Thankfully I live close to home, so I'm just going to buy 4 spark plugs and fix it over the long weekend myself. $50 for spark plugs and maybe an hour or two of work. $600 is just insane. Heck even $350 seems a bit high. I get having to move components, but are we really talking about 5-6 hours of work seeing as most mechanics charge about $90-100 per hour.

Apologies ammcinnis. I got the email notification and read your and PATS4LIFE replies there before coming here hours later to respond. Needless to say, I totally missed your edit. Either way, I forwarded the recall notice to my dealership's service department (honestly the new management is absolutely great). They reviewed it and gave me some insight. Subaru is doing these recalls in waves. They're taking care of those currently in the northern states first, then working their way to the southern states. Thankfully I'm the second owner, the first owner was from a northern state, they're working on getting me in with the first wave to have the problem fixed. Spark plugs would be on me, the Catalytic convertor and O2 sensor would be on them.

Change your own oil where possible! My local dealership charged $79. I live in an HOA where I'm not "allowed" change my vehicle's oil. So I close my garage and do it where I can't be seen. Even with the hassle, saving $40 is worth it. $24 for the oil, $5 for a filter. Just remember to buy a decent catch pan. Even when I bring the vehicle in for maintenance I tell them "No oil change. No tire rotation". Both of these things are far too easy to do on your own. I also recommend looking into and investing in a Fumoto drain valve. Makes oil changes easier and cleaner.

Thanks for the info guys. The mechanic just informed me that: 1. There's a small hole on the catalytic converter and air can be felt puttering out of it. 2. The O2 sensor is stuck in the catalytic converter. Apparently the O2 sensor is the original and has been in the catalytic converter since day 1. It's now basically fused to the catalytic convertor. I guess this is why the mechanic said it needs to be replaced along with the O2 sensor and spark plug. Though at this point, I'm thinking to have a car-head friend remove the O2 sensor likely breaking what already malfunctioned, then replace the sensor and then replace the spark plugs.

I brought my '15 Subaru Legacy (2.5i) to the mechanic to have him check why it would occasionally and momentarily ride rough. He discovered that I had a bad O2 sensor which is messing w/ my catalytic convertor that also caused a spark plug to fail which is resulting in 1 of the cylinders misfiring. He tells me I need to replace the Oxygen Sensor, Spark Plug, and Catalytic convertor. I'm curious to know if it's an acceptable idea to replace the O2 sensor and spark plug, but leave the original catalytic convertor? After a bit of conversation and teeth pulling, my understanding is that it's not blocked and that the O2 sensor is the root of the other problems.

Once all was said and done, it's my understanding that the rear brakes should to be set to "service mode". While you can swap out the rear pads without doing this, there's a good chance that once you're complete and you'll be met with a ABS, Parking Brake, and check engine light. In my experience, the vehicle was fully functioning, but the lights on the dash were quite intimidating. No one wants to worry about their brakes failing, so do yourself a favor and make sure you can put the rear brakes into "Service Mode" before you start swapping those out. In my experience, replacing the front brakes did not require this.

It's been a busy week at work due to the COVID-19. But I wanted quickly update you. I check the oi frequently because the vehicle tends to burn a bit of oil from time to time. But beyond that, I didn't check anything else mostly because the vehicle had just gotten its 75K service and I got a list of fluids that were checked and topped up. I recently surpassed 600miles from the point of the work was done. The jerking has decreased a noticable amount. Originally it felt like an old hydraulics car jumping down the street, now it just more occasionally and it's just one or two skips rather than a string of them. I've cancelled my appointment at the dealership to give the issue more time to continue resolving itself. Ultimately I have a lot more time on my extended warranty, so I'm not too concerned. I'm hoping by the 800th mile, the problem is near nonexistent. I did NOT try any of the techniques you mentioned for fear of resetting/restarting the learning period, but I did send them to my phone in the event that I got fed up. All that, to say thanks for hopping into this thread and giving me a few ideas as well as some peace of mind. Now I just have to deal with the dealership who's still yet to contact my third-party warranty company regarding the repairs.

This puts me at ease a bit. I'm right under 500miles and the transmission still seems to be "learning", especially when driving shortly after a cold start. But seeing as this is mostly normal, I'll give it to about 700 miles. I did hear back from the dealership's service department. They said it the problem remained for another week or normal driving they'd have to get a second opinion from another dealership, which does not make me feel warm and fuzzy. I'll try to remedies based on the post you linked to see if those help. If they don't, I may try removing the battery to reset the system and give it a bit more time before bringing it to another dealership. Truth be told, this dealership has often erked me the wrong way, but it's also the closest dealership to me.

SHORT VERSION: Is the time for the transmission to "re-learn" longer than 2 weeks or 400 miles? And even if does take longer than 2 weeks, shouldn't the transmission jumping/jerking/stuttering gradually get better? STORY VERSION: I have a 2015 Legacy with about 75K miles on it. 3 weeks ago, I noticed the vehicle was suddenly and frequently jerking/jumping/stuttering when upshifting and occasionally when downshifting. If I slowly and overly cautiously accelerate, it would be minimal, but still when the car would downshift, the problem was there. So, 2 days after I noticed the problem I brought it into the dealership, which was great because I had plans to do my 75K mile maintenance anyway; two birds one stone. While in the shop, the mechanic re-installed the firmware for the transmission, under the idea that the transmission "forgot" how it was programmed. I got the car back and immediately noticed the transmission was still jerking. The shop representative told me that it would take a few days for the software to fully grab hold, but soon the problem would be gone. After a week and about 200miles , the problem was still there, so I returned it to the same dealership shop. After further inspection, they figured out that the transmission housing was cracked and replaced it. I got the car back, and just like before it was a little jumpy, but I recalled the conversation about the transmission needing time to learn how I drive. Well 2 weeks and 400 miles after the previous shop visit, the problem is still there but worse. Subaru's master mechanic informs me that this is normal, especially with multiple drivers and that it will simply take time. Well only I drive me vehicle and it's been over 400 miles and I'm seeing no change. Having disconnected the battery for a period of time, I know the engine going through something similar, but after a couple of days, I notice the engine picking up on my trends, and after a at most week the two of us are in tune. Is the time for the transmission to "re-learn" longer than 2 weeks or 400 miles? And even if does take longer than 2 weeks, shouldn't the transmission jumping/jerking/stuttering gradually get better?

Well I just got my brakes pads replaced. The front brakes were incredibly easy. The rear brakes were a different story. The rear brakes of the 2015 Legacy are electronic. After taking the wheel off, me and a friend wrestled with the calibers and braking system with practically no avail. Not wanting to break anything, we reassembled everything, put the wheel back on, and took the car to a local family mechanic. Long story short, he connected an ODB computer to the car and electronically released the pistons before changing the brake pads. I told the mechanic the story I had a couple of weeks earlier. While he understood my skepticism, and said that the guy was correct in this specific case. The '15 Subaru's rear brakes are electronic. And while you can muscle them open, he said it was not a good idea as it was easy to cause confusion within the computer and possibly break the electronic component. To prove the point, he reassembled everything and tried to prime the brakes as we originally did with the front wheels -- fully depressing the brakes. He then put the key in and turned on the ignition and practically ALL the lights on the dash lit up. He then connected the OBD computer to the car and the car gave a generic C1984 code. While the brakes were working, the dash was lit up AND apparently the parking brake became nonfunctioning. The mechanic then used the OBD to electronically reset the rear brake system, and like magic all the lights went off and the parking brake began to work once more. This is one of those cases where the computer isn't necessary, but it's definitely recommended for fewer potential headaches. Side note: I did leave a negative review for the chain store I originally had mount my tires. After discovering they were correct, I redacted my negative review and replaced it with a more neutral review. While the guy's delivery could have been better, he ultimately was correct. This is the problem with many mechanics at chain stores. They're always trying to sale the customer on work and service he may not necessarily need that when the customer actually needs something, the customer has become so accustomed to discounting the information with the assumption that the worker is just trying to get a sale.

I avoid them to begin with. The only reason I was there was to have tired I purchased online mounted. Beyond that, I buy materials and install them myself. But as I said, this will be my first time swapping the brake pads on a Subaru and wanted to be sure before I got myself into any trouble. Thanks for the insight guys.

SHORT VERSION: Is there a computer that needs to be reset when I change my brake pads? I recently got new tires installed and was told that my brakes need to also be replaced and was asked if I wanted the mechanic to replace the brakes. Having replaced brakes on my previous car, I declined and said I'd handle it myself as I'd done with my previous car. Immediately the mechanic said "You do know that you need to reset the computer when you install new brakes, right?" I ignored the statement continued walking, with the mindset that mechanics (at chain stores) will often say anything to get customers to agree to additional work they don't necessarily need or can easily do at home. I've NEVER heard of a computer needing to be reset when replacing brake pads. Is this true with Subaru's? Specifically a 2015 Legacy. This will be my first time changing the brake pads on this brand of vehicle and would rather know before I start taking off wheels and unhinging calibers.