LoveMySpecB Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I just received a J. D. Power survey in the mail asking me about my ownership experience. One of the questions asks whether I would recommend this car. In all honesty, I would have to say no. I love this car's safety ratings and the engine is powerful (although far from smooth). However, this car has way too many features that were obviously slapped together just to keep up with other manufacturers. Obviously, no one at Subaru actually spent time driving the car around to identify daily annoyances. For example: 1. The seat belt chime: No car I've ever owned has had a seat belt chime that chimes continuously like the Subaru. Yes, I drive with my seat belt on but there are safe instances when it's left off and instead of just having a warning light that stays on, it keeps chiming. This single annoying feature, discovered only after you've bought the car, must do wonders for "word of mouth" advertising. 2. Steering wheel audio controls: Subaru dug in their heels and refused to offer this until long after other manufacturers did. When they finally did, their initial version has the up and down buttons simply seek the next station, instead of the driver's pre-set favorites. I'm sure Subaru thinks taking my eyes off the road and hand off the steering wheel to press the dashboard button is safer than just flipping stations with my hands ON the steering wheel. 3. Navigation system: Another doozy. They already have the "cover your ass" lawyer screen. Why would they want to lock the controls with the car in motion? I guess Subaru has never heard of . . . the front seat passenger who might want to program the Navi. 4. Power windows: No retained power when the engine is off, not even for a few seconds. When I park and shut off the engine, and then find out my kid has left the rear window down, I have to turn the engine on again. I could go on and on. My wife's Acura MDX, with the above-mentioned features, is seamless and perfect. I'm sure Subaru doesn't bother to read these forums but I sure hope this public forum convinces just a few folks that while Subaru makes a great car, that greatness is only in the safety and engines. The little inconveniences of daily use will drive you nuts. Cheers. P.S. Please don't tell me to search these forums for "mods" to correct these things. My Subaru dealer tells me that any modifications to the car automatically invalidates the warranty. And besides, I have no desire to search under floor mats and front seats for wires to clip and things to unplug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveMySpecB Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 uh... 1. getting rid of the seatbelt chime does not require mods that would void the warranty You're partially right. For whatever reason, the seatbelt latch method doesn't work after a certain number of miles. That's the only way the Subaru dealer knows (or so he says). However, if I clip the wire to the latch or crawl under the dashboard to find the actual chime and clip it, it's adios warranty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unstablementaly Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 the chime cheat works until you reset the ecu. i agree on the power after the engine off. shit, my 90 accord had that option! the other things are very minor annoyances in my opinion. to each his own. i do however recommend you shoot a mod or tide a pm to change your user name.................. my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unstablementaly Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 yeah, what he said before me because he types faster! my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hogmeat Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 For someone with your tastes - of a get in and drive with all the fun gadgets and conviences, stability control, etc ---a subaru is NOT for you. They save $$ on stupid crap, and put it into the world's best drivetrain. For you? An Acura is perfect. Easy to use, quiet, lots of nanny's, etc etc I'm pleasantly surprised... It was most certainly worth the couple bucks and 10 mins of my time. CLICK HERE FOR THE HOGZAUST Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveMySpecB Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 For someone with your tastes - of a get in and drive with all the fun gadgets and conviences, stability control, etc ---a subaru is NOT for you. They save $$ on stupid crap, and put it into the world's best drivetrain. For you? An Acura is perfect. Easy to use, quiet, lots of nanny's, etc etc I don't know about the "save $$ on stupid crap" part. This car isn't all that much less expensive than other cars with similar features. As for the "world's best drivetrain", what's wrong with driving a car with, say, the second best drivetrain and convenient features that are actually . . . convenient?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveMySpecB Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 the chime cheat works until you reset the ecu. i agree on the power after the engine off. shit, my 90 accord had that option! the other things are very minor annoyances in my opinion. to each his own. i do however recommend you shoot a mod or tide a pm to change your user name.................. My user name is what it is. I actually like the car, except for these annoyances that one discovers only after driving it for a while. If airing out these annoyances in public helps Subaru improve their cars, that's great. I'll be more than happy to drive the car for a few years and then trade up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unstablementaly Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 i'm thinkin drivin a car with a tranny that won't crap out at 90k is pretty convenient. and honda-matics have been known to crap out sooner. my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unstablementaly Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 My user name is what it is. I actually like the car, except for these annoyances that one discovers only after driving it for a while. If airing out these annoyances in public helps Subaru improve their cars, that's great. I'll be more than happy to drive the car for a few years and then trade up. you should know better than to think subaru is gonna fix this!! whats wrong with you boy!!! don't you know subaru dont' fix nuttin they don't want to?! my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPLGT Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Easy on our car.... I just received a J. D. Power survey in the mail asking me about my ownership experience. One of the questions asks whether I would recommend this car. In all honesty, I would have to say no. I love this car's safety ratings and the engine is powerful (although far from smooth). However, this car has way too many features that were obviously slapped together just to keep up with other manufacturers. Obviously, no one at Subaru actually spent time driving the car around to identify daily annoyances. For example: 1. The seat belt chime: No car I've ever owned has had a seat belt chime that chimes continuously like the Subaru. Yes, I drive with my seat belt on but there are safe instances when it's left off and instead of just having a warning light that stays on, it keeps chiming. This single annoying feature, discovered only after you've bought the car, must do wonders for "word of mouth" advertising. Easy fix takes 30 seconds to shut off...next... 2. Steering wheel audio controls: Subaru dug in their heels and refused to offer this until long after other manufacturers did. When they finally did, their initial version has the up and down buttons simply seek the next station, instead of the driver's pre-set favorites. I'm sure Subaru thinks taking my eyes off the road and hand off the steering wheel to press the dashboard button is safer than just flipping stations with my hands ON the steering wheel. It sucks but it is what it is...this is not a bmw...buy the spec B wheel... 3. Navigation system: Another doozy. They already have the "cover your ass" lawyer screen. Why would they want to lock the controls with the car in motion? I guess Subaru has never heard of . . . the front seat passenger who might want to program the Navi. who cares? You pay 25k for the car..does nav really matter that much...IMO it's another thing to break...again...not a bmw.... 4. Power windows: No retained power when the engine is off, not even for a few seconds. When I park and shut off the engine, and then find out my kid has left the rear window down, I have to turn the engine on again. I have never, ever had an issue w/ this stuff.....bfd, put the window up before you turn the car off.... I could go on and on. My wife's Acura MDX, with the above-mentioned features, is seamless and perfect. I'm sure Subaru doesn't bother to read these forums but I sure hope this public forum convinces just a few folks that while Subaru makes a great car, that greatness is only in the safety and engines. The little inconveniences of daily use will drive you nuts. Acura= about 10-15k more.... apples and oranges.... you know better than that....our car is not an Acura. Cheers. P.S. Please don't tell me to search these forums for "mods" to correct these things. My Subaru dealer tells me that any modifications to the car automatically invalidates the warranty. And besides, I have no desire to search under floor mats and front seats for wires to clip and things to unplug. I appreciate what you're trying to say....but aside from a few 'issues' the car is straight'....Love, your neighborhood LGT fan.... Rehab is for quitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveMySpecB Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 1. The seat belt chime: No car I've ever owned has had a seat belt chime that chimes continuously like the Subaru. Yes, I drive with my seat belt on but there are safe instances when it's left off and instead of just having a warning light that stays on, it keeps chiming. This single annoying feature, discovered only after you've bought the car, must do wonders for "word of mouth" advertising. Easy fix takes 30 seconds to shut off...next... Uh, wrong. It worked the first time, for about 6 months. After that, the chime came back and this fix didn't work. Even the Subaru dealer says this is what happens and he doesn't know why. He thinks it has something to do with the mileage. 2. Steering wheel audio controls: Subaru dug in their heels and refused to offer this until long after other manufacturers did. When they finally did, their initial version has the up and down buttons simply seek the next station, instead of the driver's pre-set favorites. I'm sure Subaru thinks taking my eyes off the road and hand off the steering wheel to press the dashboard button is safer than just flipping stations with my hands ON the steering wheel. It sucks but it is what it is...this is not a bmw...buy the spec B wheel... I do have the SpecB wheel. My car is a SpecB. And yes, it does suck. Proves my point that Subaru didn't actually do any market research to find out what drivers would actually find convenient. 3. Navigation system: Another doozy. They already have the "cover your ass" lawyer screen. Why would they want to lock the controls with the car in motion? I guess Subaru has never heard of . . . the front seat passenger who might want to program the Navi. who cares? You pay 25k for the car..does nav really matter that much...IMO it's another thing to break...again...not a bmw.... I care. The SpecB was substantially more than 25k. 4. Power windows: No retained power when the engine is off, not even for a few seconds. When I park and shut off the engine, and then find out my kid has left the rear window down, I have to turn the engine on again. I have never, ever had an issue w/ this stuff.....bfd, put the window up before you turn the car off.... Don't make excuses or rationalize the car's shortcomings. I could go on and on. My wife's Acura MDX, with the above-mentioned features, is seamless and perfect. I'm sure Subaru doesn't bother to read these forums but I sure hope this public forum convinces just a few folks that while Subaru makes a great car, that greatness is only in the safety and engines. The little inconveniences of daily use will drive you nuts. Acura= about 10-15k more.... apples and oranges.... you know better than that....our car is not an Acura. The Acura isn't 10-15k more. And these annoyances I've been harping on aren't going to add to the price anyway. They just didn't take the time to do it right. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPLGT Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 There is only one thing you can do to make it right: Buy a sweeet Honda Accord....V6 no less...justr like 9,000,000 pother Americans. j/k kidding, truly...if you bot a spec B you must be a car guy...I am not thrilled w/ the lack of some of the creature comforts but I love the fact we are much different than most of other car people...I love dominating a 5 series or the occasional G 35 ( see 10-15k more than Our...sorry MY car)....Cheers. Rehab is for quitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LoveMySpecB Posted March 24, 2007 Author Share Posted March 24, 2007 There is only one thing you can do to make it right: Buy a sweeet Honda Accord....V6 no less...justr like 9,000,000 pother Americans. j/k kidding, truly...if you bot a spec B you must be a car guy...I am not thrilled w/ the lack of some of the creature comforts but I love the fact we are much different than most of other car people...I love dominating a 5 series or the occasional G 35 ( see 10-15k more than Our...sorry MY car)....Cheers. I couldn't agree with you more. I love the fact that this car has the features I wanted. And yes, I love the fact that we can dominate many other cars. I guess what I'm irked about is that the alternatives to these "annoyances", as I call them, were so obvious and Subaru just didn't take the time to do their homework. My Subaru dealer told me Subaru was going to release a laptop-based device that you could plug into the car and reprogram certain features. Last week, he told me the features I listed in my initial post were not modifiable. So there you have it. P.S. I have an acquaintance who bought an Outback about the same time I bought my Legacy. One day, when I commented about it, she said she loved her car except for . . . the seat belt chime! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lgt_nube Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 No one has mentioned (in this thread) the black-humor climate control system of LGTs that we have to deal with, probably because it requires its own long thread. To me it's a stronger example of missing on important details. Were those engineers drunk on sake when they designed that? Did no one actually test it in real use? But even so, I still really like my 2005 LGT Ltd Wagon and just put up with (and work around) that stupid climate control system. A few photos of the LGT My current ride Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPLGT Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Yep....several things we have to deal with....you know what though? Everytime I see my lgt....I fall in love...I know it sounds corny but unless I had a '96 911 turbo...things would not change...despite the issueS...I still love my Lgt! Rehab is for quitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unstablementaly Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 the majority of the members here love their cars except for: they modded and screwed up and now bitch about the problems they've caused, bought on impulse without paying attention to certain things that they should have, and last but certainly not least, are just never satisfied! my vBGarage Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
qikslvr Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I bought my 05 LGT 5MT because I have killed 35 other cars that were loaded with creature comforts that went bad, cost a fortune to fix and cost countless days in the shop. I can drive any car I want and I bought a Subaru because I wanted a car that would take a beating on a daily basis. I have killed old and new Fords, Chevys, Buicks, Mazdas, Hondas, Acuras, Range Rovers, Lexus, Jeeps, Toyotas, Cadillacs and Porsches. They my have better this and better that, but not one could take 1/10th the punishment I give my Subie on a regular basis. If comfort and options are your top priority; look elsewhere. Let's kick this pig! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PhilT Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Nothing that you mention is about something that has gone wrong with the car. All your points are about design features that you don't like, but would have known about if you had researched more before buying. Double Award Winning Legacy GT Wagon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TPLGT Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I bought my 05 LGT 5MT because I have killed 35 other cars that were loaded with creature comforts that went bad, cost a fortune to fix and cost countless days in the shop. I can drive any car I want and I bought a Subaru because I wanted a car that would take a beating on a daily basis. I have killed old and new Fords, Chevys, Buicks, Mazdas, Hondas, Acuras, Range Rovers, Lexus, Jeeps, Toyotas, Cadillacs and Porsches. They my have better this and better that, but not one could take 1/10th the punishment I give my Subie on a regular basis. If comfort and options are your top priority; look elsewhere. 'I can drive any any car I want'....must be nice. Rehab is for quitters. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garandman Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I just received a J. D. Power survey in the mail asking me about my ownership experience. One of the questions asks whether I would recommend this car. In all honesty, I would have to say no. I love this car's safety ratings and the engine is powerful (although far from smooth). However, this car has way too many features that were obviously slapped together just to keep up with other manufacturers. Obviously, no one at Subaru actually spent time driving the car around to identify daily annoyances. For example: 1. The seat belt chime: No car I've ever owned has had a seat belt chime that chimes continuously like the Subaru. Yes, I drive with my seat belt on but there are safe instances when it's left off and instead of just having a warning light that stays on, it keeps chiming. This single annoying feature, discovered only after you've bought the car, must do wonders for "word of mouth" advertising. 2. Steering wheel audio controls: Subaru dug in their heels and refused to offer this until long after other manufacturers did. When they finally did, their initial version has the up and down buttons simply seek the next station, instead of the driver's pre-set favorites. I'm sure Subaru thinks taking my eyes off the road and hand off the steering wheel to press the dashboard button is safer than just flipping stations with my hands ON the steering wheel. 3. Navigation system: Another doozy. They already have the "cover your ass" lawyer screen. Why would they want to lock the controls with the car in motion? I guess Subaru has never heard of . . . the front seat passenger who might want to program the Navi. 4. Power windows: No retained power when the engine is off, not even for a few seconds. When I park and shut off the engine, and then find out my kid has left the rear window down, I have to turn the engine on again. I could go on and on. My wife's Acura MDX, with the above-mentioned features, is seamless and perfect. I'm sure Subaru doesn't bother to read these forums but I sure hope this public forum convinces just a few folks that while Subaru makes a great car, that greatness is only in the safety and engines. The little inconveniences of daily use will drive you nuts. Cheers. P.S. Please don't tell me to search these forums for "mods" to correct these things. My Subaru dealer tells me that any modifications to the car automatically invalidates the warranty. And besides, I have no desire to search under floor mats and front seats for wires to clip and things to unplug. Out of curiousity - did you test drive the car before you bought it? It takes 30 seconds to fix the chime. It takes one turn of the key to demonstrate the car doesn't have retained power. Every GM car OEM GPS is the same as Subaru. This sounds like a troll to me. Have you tried the MDX AWD system in deep snow? Get back to us when you have and we'll see how perfect you think they are. But you're right - once you are over the front end, the $40-48,000 MDX is a good SUV. Who Dares Wins スバル Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lawl Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 I just received a J. D. Power survey in the mail asking me about my ownership experience. One of the questions asks whether I would recommend this car. In all honesty, I would have to say no. I love this car's safety ratings and the engine is powerful (although far from smooth). However, this car has way too many features that were obviously slapped together just to keep up with other manufacturers. Obviously, no one at Subaru actually spent time driving the car around to identify daily annoyances. For example: 1. The seat belt chime: No car I've ever owned has had a seat belt chime that chimes continuously like the Subaru. Yes, I drive with my seat belt on but there are safe instances when it's left off and instead of just having a warning light that stays on, it keeps chiming. This single annoying feature, discovered only after you've bought the car, must do wonders for "word of mouth" advertising. 2. Steering wheel audio controls: Subaru dug in their heels and refused to offer this until long after other manufacturers did. When they finally did, their initial version has the up and down buttons simply seek the next station, instead of the driver's pre-set favorites. I'm sure Subaru thinks taking my eyes off the road and hand off the steering wheel to press the dashboard button is safer than just flipping stations with my hands ON the steering wheel. 3. Navigation system: Another doozy. They already have the "cover your ass" lawyer screen. Why would they want to lock the controls with the car in motion? I guess Subaru has never heard of . . . the front seat passenger who might want to program the Navi. 4. Power windows: No retained power when the engine is off, not even for a few seconds. When I park and shut off the engine, and then find out my kid has left the rear window down, I have to turn the engine on again. I could go on and on. My wife's Acura MDX, with the above-mentioned features, is seamless and perfect. I'm sure Subaru doesn't bother to read these forums but I sure hope this public forum convinces just a few folks that while Subaru makes a great car, that greatness is only in the safety and engines. The little inconveniences of daily use will drive you nuts. Cheers. P.S. Please don't tell me to search these forums for "mods" to correct these things. My Subaru dealer tells me that any modifications to the car automatically invalidates the warranty. And besides, I have no desire to search under floor mats and front seats for wires to clip and things to unplug. The question of whether or not you would recommend the car to another is not really important to a car enthusiast. It's if you could do it all over would you have gone the same route. There are tons of cars that I like that I could never recommend to 90% of the general population. car for sale. PM me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vimy101 Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 Why does the OP think he has to start the car to roll up the windows? Two clicks of the key in the of the ignition (one shy of engaging the starter) and the power comes back on. The seat belt chime complaint is trivial. There is the overide mentioned in the manual and then there is the temporary disable wherein you insert the tongue of the buckle in and out out the receiver 6 times within 10 seconds (doesn't have to click into the locked position just hold the release bar in) and you can sit there idling in your car 'till doomsday with no beeping. And lest even more misinformation get out there, not all the controls are locked on the nav when the car is in motion. That said, while I can sort of understand why typing might be reasonably locked out but why the "previous destination" scrolling function? The last 4 (or is it 5?) destinations show up but you can't scroll the complete list. (Man, I must have scores of addresses stored in the system now.) There is a quasi work around for that though by making frequent use of the "mark" system. Hundreds of addresses can be recalled and instantly route calculated with that method. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dong Homez Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 It's amazing what people expect for 30K. I wish the Legacy had wings and could fly so I'm not recommending it, but I love it!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
franklin Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 My main bitch is headlight bulbs that burn up every 3-4 months. Ive gone thru seven headlight bulbs in 30 months. Other than that nothing breaks. Some features could be offered or inproved but overall pretty bulletproof. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crawdaddy79 Posted March 24, 2007 Share Posted March 24, 2007 .... Everyone responded to everything but I will too... 1. They did this on purpose. I hate it, but that's the way it's supposed to be. 2. I've never had this, so I can't miss it or complain about it. 3. A lot of cars are disabling the ability to use the screen while the car is in motion. I just read an article about a $70k Lexus that did this. It sucks, but it's becoming a standard. 4. Like Vimy said you don't have to start your car. However, I do agree that it would be nice to roll up the windows without having to put the key back in. The Legacy GT is the first car I've ever driven with power windows that did not allow this. Also, be happy that your seats have memory buttons. Regular GT "Limited" cars do not (well, at least mine doesn't). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.