97 Legacy Wagon - Maintenance

[charcoaldabs]

First off. Seems like most of you chaps have the sedan. Is it kosher to discuss the wagon here as well? If not, is there another forum to turn to?

 

Anyways. I'm a younger car owner, and not all that experienced with vehicle maintenance. I'm wondering if you could give me some specific and general advice.

 

Well, Saturday night my alternator fried itself... which was great at 3am. The trip home was a bit harrowing, but also a longer story.

 

Got the new alternator in yesterday, Pep Boys said I needed a battery too, even though I had an Interstate that was two years old, and still under warranty. Apparently one cell wasn't holding a charge. Is this related to the alternator failure, or something that just "happens."

 

And I'm presuming the alternator failure is something that just "happens" or perhaps is due to driving too aggressively punching the gas in highway traffic?

 

I'm having some intermittent contact on the light behind the "AC" button, I'm presuming there is no easy way to access or get that fixed. The temperature slider sticks a little bit. I'm guessing the previous owner got some soda in there. Is there a quick fix about dissolving the sticky stuff in there?

 

Generally, what other maintenance stuff should I be looking at? I had the oil/filter changed in May, windshield wipers in May. Brakes a couple years ago, timing belt a couple years ago.

 

The steering/car would shudder at higher speeds, had that resolved earlier this fall.

 

The car would shake pretty bad on sharp turns, had that resolved as well (automatic transmission fluid, I believe).

 

Inadvertently had a new windshield put on when there was a leak... coming from an 1/8" pebble in the sunroof track!

 

My car still has an occasional "bump" when it moves between gears, I think it's 2nd and 3rd, cannot remember. My understanding is that this is a quark of my model year?

 

Is there anything else I should be thinking about doing? And at what timeframe do some of the more common components (timing belt, brakes, etc.) have to get replaced?

 

Oh, and the headlights. I cannot seem to figure out if it's a big sealed beam unit I have to replace, or if I wanted to bump up the intensity I could just easily relamp them?

 

Thanks all.

[Bdubs]

Welcome to the joys of subaru ownership.

 

I'm pretty sure the Interstate Battery has a warranty, you should have just gotten it replaced from an Interstate dealer, rather than waste your money on yet another battery. But, anyways, what's done is done.

 

I suggest you sign up for http://my.subaru.com and create a profile with them. You get your cars suggested maintenance schedule, any recalls, and stuff like that. You can add when the car was serviced, by yourself, or anyone for that matter. It's a good site to use.

 

Also, the cup holder is a terrible design in this car, and spilled drinks always lead to shorts and blown bulbs. Check this walk through for some great pictures to get to what you need. http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=26408&highlight=HVAC+bulbs

 

The bump when the car is shifting is the differential shifting the power to the rear wheels. It's common in automatics, and usually the faster you go, the louder the clunk.

 

As far as the headlights, you can upgrade the bulbs if you want something brighter, but it is also possible to upgrade to HID's. Not something I've ever done before, so maybe someone who's had experience doing that can chime in.

[kaz98gt]

As far as the alternator goes, that's a subaru recall if it was an original. That's covered by subaru, so maybe check that out to get your money back or something, because that's been a problem for everyone.

I HATE THE CUPHOLDER! I could go on about stories with my friends' drinks, my drinks, the family's...but holy shit they blew it on that. Check out that thread though it's excellent.

I'm running philips crystalvision ultra i think...got a set at napa for a little under $35. they give the bright white look without being HID obnoxious and complex (direct replacement for OEM). And they're truly safer; i've been able to see everything driving at night, it's like daytime with the brights on haha. watch the timing belt, water pump, thermostat, and the temp when you're driving, especially if you've got the 2.5L engine. those are nortorious for head gasket issues, which could ruin anyone's day (or night if if happens like your alternator did ). keep an eye on that; i'm not sure if there's any remedies or preventative measures to avoid it, but i'm sure they're out there. good luck, and well done rocking the wagon!