Is this really the car for me?

[OutbackXT05]

Well im relatively new to the forum and i need some help here cuz im stuck in a hole at the moment. Ive had my 2005 outback xt 5 speed for about 2 months now if that. And already so far ive had to take it to subaru on 4 different occasions for repairs. And today I took it in again because of my consistant CEL and the transmission not shifting like it should. So I have a 3000+ dollar repair bill now if I get this fixed. So far all this car has been is problems and head aches.

 

Im just so pissed right now I cant think straight so any input on this is greatly appriciated. I just dont know what to do. Ive just had bad luck with used cars. 2 months in and they take a dump. Just like my 300zx that lasted 250 miles and then boom 3500 dollar repair. I dont even beat the crap outta my cars either. 95% of the time i drive like a "normal" person and the other 5% I like to have a little fun.

 

So where do I go from here? Should I bend over and take it like a man to get it repaired? Go back to the stealership that sold me this lemon and smash some stuff up (not literally of course). Trade it in for a different car?

 

I need some input

[Kw521]

How long have you owned the car? If you have bought it fairly recently there is a law i believe called the lemon law which allows you to take the car back or some sort of that nature. I dont know the whole law. But if thats not the case if it was me I'd repair it. But then again thats me and I love subaru and thats all ive ever driven.

[xt2005bonbon]

What are the exact problems you're having with your XT? Why do you keep having that CEL? Did you check your banjo bolt close to your turbo btw? this is a MUST.

Give us some info. I am sure plenty of people may be able to help you and save you lots of $$$$$.

That's too bad you are having trouble with your car cause it is such a fun and great car.

I also bought mine used and even salvaged title. So far so good 8000 miles later. But I check on "her" a LOT! Let us know dude.

 

P.S: Do you know you can check your CEL code right from your odometer cluster? see this thread.

[OutbackXT05]

Ive owned the car for about 2 whole months so yes i recently bought it. And ya I love the car to death and ya it is loads of fun but not when its sitting in the shop sucking my money out. I forget the exact code (checked it with my accessport) but it was the throttle position sensor and the relay for that also are bad...1060 to repair that. The other 1900 is for flywheel/clutch/throwout bearing because the car wont let me shift easily above 4000 rmp and half the time it wont even let me. And lets just say downshifting is near impossible unless your perfect with rev matching it. It just grinds if your are even the littlest bit off.

[thefultonhow]

Your first problem is that you're taking the car to a Subaru dealership, rather than an honest independent shop.

 

Your second problem is that you're trying to save money, yet you're not doing the work yourself on a car that is already expensive to repair. A clutch would be a quarter of that price if you installed it yourself (granted, that is a tough job if you're a novice). And I find it hard to believe the TPS costs anywhere near $1000, and it's probably a 30 minute job to change.

 

Your third problem is that you bought a 6-year-old car with a turbo powertrain and are expecting it to be dead reliable. As you say, maybe this isn't the best car for you. Maybe it would have made more sense to get an Accord, or even an Outback 2.5i, because they're both pretty bulletproof and turbo cars are finicky by nature.

 

I do feel your pain -- my Legacy GT is sitting in my garage with low compression in two cylinders and oil pressure issues. However I end up having to repair it, it's going to be expensive. But I bought a used car with high miles and a powertrain that needs to be maintained meticulously. I saved money up front, and I am paying by having to do repairs.

[OutbackXT05]

Im not exactly thinking that its going to be dead reliable but 4-5 trips to the shop in 2 months is just bad

[OutbackXT05]

And ya the tps is a wopping BLAZING 80 whole dollars. Wheres the relay for it too? the shop said that was fried too? As far as the clutch/flywheel/ throwout bearing goes. IVe never done that on anything before so I wouldnt trust myself to do that by myself

[thefultonhow]

And ya the tps is a wopping BLAZING 80 whole dollars. Wheres the relay for it too? the shop said that was fried too?

 

I would recommend consulting the vacation pics. Search for "vacation pics" and you will find a document that may help you.

 

As far as the clutch/flywheel/ throwout bearing goes. IVe never done that on anything before so I wouldnt trust myself to do that by myself

 

Meh, my first mechanical job was changing an axle on my 1990 Legacy. My second one was an engine swap on my 1992 Infiniti G20 that I still have today. I'm a big proponent of trial by fire, but some people don't have the confidence to do that.

[OutbackXT05]

Im a trial by fire person myself. Theres something about newer cars that just scares me off though. The first time I ever worked on a motor was ripping my 90 300zx down to the block to replace the heads. So I guess something like the tps would be a cake walk compared to that. I just dont understand where the 1060 dollar comes from with less than 150 dollars in parts. Is the dang thing burried inside a friggin piston or something geeze

[thefultonhow]

Im a trial by fire person myself. Theres something about newer cars that just scares me off though. The first time I ever worked on a motor was ripping my 90 300zx down to the block to replace the heads.

 

Well, a clutch job is a clutch job. You may have to unplug a couple of sensors and plug them back in, but a clutch is a totally mechanical part.

 

So I guess something like the tps would be a cake walk compared to that. I just dont understand where the 1060 dollar comes from with less than 150 dollars in parts. Is the dang thing burried inside a friggin piston or something geeze

 

Just FYI, the TPS is on the throttle, which on the LGT is in a slightly less convenient place than on some other cars (underneath the intake manifold), but is still easy to access.

[OutbackXT05]

Ok isnt there also one on the gas pedal? or no?

[thefultonhow]

Good point -- I'm used to cars with a regular throttle cable rather than DBW. I'd advise consulting the vacation pics.

[OutbackXT05]

Yup lol thats why i dont bother with the newer cars. Ive been searching and searching and cant find anything. I didnt even know that they existed until i bought this one. I thought all cars had cable throttles

[thefultonhow]

There isn't really anything wrong with DBW. It only really poses a problem when it's unsafely implemented (e.g. in Toyotas before the huge recall) or when you're trying to convert a cable-throttle car to use a DBW engine or vice versa. DBW is actually more flexible, because you can change the throttle map with tuning tools (on our cars, you just need a laptop, a $10 cable, and RomRaider, which is a free program). It also allows other systems to be simplified -- a lot of cars no longer use IAC valves because the DBW system can just open the throttle on a cold start, for example. That means fewer things to break.

[dmanaenk]

That does not sound like a clutch. It sounds like shot syncros.

[thefultonhow]

That does not sound like a clutch. It sounds like shot syncros.

 

Could be right, but I've been having clutch problems on my Infiniti starting in June, and the result is that it's difficult to shift in some situations. At this point the problems are mostly solved, but I know for a fact the problems have been clutch-related, because they first appeared when a spring broke in the clutch, and with a new/used clutch, adjusting the cable would make the problem less severe. So I could definitely see the OP's problems being either the clutch or the transmission itself.

[FLlegacy]

Buying a used lgt is crapshoot anyway there is really no telling what the previous owner might have put it through. However, working on newer cars is actually a lot easier than the older ones everything has a place and generally will only fit where it belongs. I remember the late eighties when gm had various sensor plugs that were identical. Japanese cars are a blessing in that regard, also its not old so it should be fairly clean. I would personally get some tools and parts and dig in maybe a buddy or two to lend a hand.