Pleides

Have you tried replacing any parts? Tested the battery/alternator/fuel system/coil packs/spark plugs/checked for vacuum leaks, etc?

You know how to tell if something is ricey or not tasteful? Imagine trying to sell the car secondhand. If it makes your job much harder, then it's probably not a good look. If you plan to keep the car forever, then sure, do whatever you like since it's your money.

Are you upgrading to a VF52? You’ll need to tune the car. Whoever tunes your car can help you with that for sure. Otherwise, good luck.

I'd imagine there might be a grace period. Try again the day after, perhaps?

The previous owner had a super cheap turboback exhaust system on my car. Catless downpipe and mufflers that barely muffled. One of those kits that cost $300 in its entirety. The thing rattled like crazy and he told me he had to do tons of modification to it to get it to fit right. It also sounded like a straight-piped Civic. Don't recommend. If you want an OEM catback, hang around on the classifieds on this forum for awhile and somebody will be practically giving theirs away. Look for ones from the West coast if you want one with no rust.

What a bizarre way to engineer fender flares. Good to know.

Did you just do an airbag recall, by chance? Both my fobs stopped working afterwards. Needed to reset the immobilizer (in the fuse box, I believe) and it was good. Dealership did it for me after they did the recall so I wish I could be of more help, but figured I'd point that out as an option.

May be more cost-effective to start with wheel bearings as the culprit first. They fail like crazy on Subarus. Jack the car up on all four wheels or put it on a lift. Set the car in neutral/park with no handbrake. Grab a spoke of the wheel you suspect has a bad bearing, grab the spring with your other free hand, then spin the wheel as hard as you can, à la Wheel of Fortune. If you feel anything at all in the wheel, you got something wrong. Could be a tie rod, but typically it's the bearings. Driveshaft failure is pretty common on these from what I've heard, but haven't experienced myself.

I'd recommend AutoTempest for something like this. I've had good luck with scouring the Craigslist links it gives you.

I plasti-dipped mine in black on my ABP car. Looks good to me, although I may take it off when I eventually do some wheels on my car. It looks good in black with the black wheels but I don't love black wheels, so eh. How much did this cost, just out of curiosity?

Had the recall done Friday by Wilsonville Subaru. Took them about 4 hours, maybe a little less. However, after the recall, both key fobs paired to my car stopped working. Took it in the next morning and I guess the immobilizer needed to be reset. Might be something to look out for if you take yours in. Also, the whole service staff was freaking out over my wagon, which was kinda cool. Mostly goes ignored at Cars and Coffee but the Subaru guys know how rare these things are!

Bolt pattern is the same and the tire sidewall is shorter on the Legacy. I believe the OEM size for Outback is 215/55/17 while it’s 215/45/17 for the Legacy, or at least for the GT. With the wider fender on the Outback, you’d want an offset closer to the +40 range rather than the +55 offset on the Legacy unless you want super tucked wheels. Any modification to tire size that affects the circumference of the tire will affect speedometer accuracy. I noticed the difference when I bought my car with 215/55/17s on it that were taken off an Outback.

All good man, I already ordered a RSB so they’re all yours. You were first anyways!

Front left as in right in front of the driver on a USDM car? I was thinking that, if you had an aftermarket intake, you might experience some issues with the MAF when it becomes doused with water.

Denso 197-6040 Mass Air Flow Sensor https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007WMG8A0?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share This is the MAF I bought when my old one went kaput. The parts numbers were not identical but the new MAF works as OEM. My car is protuned. I would get check engine lights and random stalling until I replaced it.

Sorry to bump this thread, but to Gunnar - Did you have to roll the fenders to fit the 235/40/18s with the old H&R springs you had on? Looks like you've gone through a couple suspension revisions since, but I was curious since that's the route I'm planning to take on my car if they can fit with my H&Rs and Konis.

A resonator helps with pretty much any drone created by an exhaust. I would still say it's worth trying out a universal resonator from Borla and seeing if that helps. I noticed at cold start right away that my car was quieter with my new, nice Borla catback (resonated) than my old Ebay special that had mufflers, but no resonator.

Well, at the risk of sounding like an a-hole, you're complaining about resonance and a resonator would probably help with that Another thing to look for would be that your exhaust hangers are still looking OK. When they get old they allow for a little more play.

Ya know, with how common it is with these cars, have you tried tightening down the battery terminals? Can't tell you how many times I've had problems like yours only to find that I'm an idiot and haven't tightened the + terminal down all the way. The factory also didn't tighten the + terminal down all the way on many of these cars, so it's perpetually a problem. Checked the grounds?

Has the transmission fluid ever been changed or flushed?

Sounds like a simple vacuum leak. Have you changed out the intake filter recently? Maybe an old hose is torn or worn out?

To check the engine you need to do a leakdown test. You'd need to be able to crank the engine to do a compression test, which it seems like you can't do (?) Just a shot in the dark: does he have some stupid aftermarket intake on the car? I've had a couple occasions troubleshooting crappy trade-ins at work at the stealership where simply unplugging the MAF sensor when an Autozone special intake was installed on the vehicle got the thing to start.

Where are you located? A forum member in your neck of the woods might be able to recommend a decent shop. Our cars are getting to an age where stuff like the wiring, battery terminals, grounds, and alternator can be on there way out and cause things like this to occur. When the alternator started failing on my old Camry, I didn't even notice a couple of the things that didn't work. My seatbelt safety chime stopped going off as did the light on the dash. The driver door speaker stopped working. Both these things fixed themselves with a new alternator. If you don't have a multimeter then I'd recommend one. They're cheap and pay for themselves in a few years of owning older cars, having a house, or fussing with electronics where you might want to use one.

Running OEM NGK spark hardware is the way to go on the NA. Leave that stuff OEM. Should last quite awhile without issues.

Is this an NA or a turbo? On my car, I was going through about a quart of oil every 800 miles, so about every three weeks with my driving. A compression and leakdown test showed my engine to be operating as intended, so I put 200 mL of Liqui Moly motor oil saver in my oil a couple days after changing it. Within 150 miles the car stopped burning oil. I literally haven't put a drop of oil in and the point on the dipstick hasn't moved. So, for me, old valve seals were causing oil consumption. In your case, with metal in the oil pan, you're probably due for a motor redo. Could be bearing material, piston ring fragments, who knows. Don't drive the car!