We are competing for the best repair shop again this year, your vote would be greatly appeciated

Thanks

Justin & the Crew

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The Air conditioning (AC) system in your Subaru is made up of the following.

A compressor, Condenser, Evaporative (Evap) core, Expansion valve, receiver dryer, hoses and lines, thermo sensor and the controls.  Inside the car there are a series of ducting or blend doors and their respective controls.  I am not really going to give a class on how the ac system works I will save that for another article.

Anytime you notice a situation where the Ac system isn’t blowing cold air, there is some sort of a problem with the ac system.  Driving down the road at 60 mph brings in a rush of air that may feel cool to you, just like standing in front of a box fan in your house provides some temperature decrease.  But if the ac doesn’t actually feel cold there is a problem.

When the ac system is in fact not performing as it should a diagnoses must be performed.  When an ac system has a low charge the performance will most definitely suffer.   But its also possible to have a ac system that has a full charge and not blow cold as well.  The possibilities are many and in some circumstances the problem may be hard to diagnose or have more than one issue.

Adding to this is that it is normal to lose about 2 ounces of R134a out of an automotive system every year with no real leaks.  So on the one hand the system could just be low enough to not function correctly after 4 years with no real problems or it can be low as a result of a leak.

I wanted to point out some of the current issues we see.

The 2000 to 2004 Legacy and Outback suffer from leaks at the 2 Ac hoses one from the compressor to the condenser and one form the compressor to the Evap core.  This causes the system to run low or empty.  It’s a very correctable situation and if not fixed properly will just cause the R134a gas to leak back out causing the problem you were trying to fix to reoccur.  To find the leak test equipment is needed.

2002 to 2003 Subaru Impreza, ( all models and trim levels) has an issue where the Evap core can ice over as a result of a design issue to the system, Subaru has issued a service bulletin about it.  The fix is a new thermosensor (which is located in the Evap core).  This requires taking the Evap core out of the vehicle which is partially removing the dash components on the passenger side.  I usually suggest replacing the expansion valve at the same time.

The 2001 to 2004 Outback with the H6 has some of the same leaky hose issues that plague the 4cylinder models.

The newer Ac systems (2005 and up) are smaller than they have been previously and even just a slightly low charge can affect the performance.

Typically speaking we only think about the Ac system when it isn’t working correctly, but the reality is, it really should be serviced at least every 4 years.   As the system loses some of the refrigerant as part of what is considered normal, it is replaced with air, which creates moisture in the system, which periodically needs to be removed through a process called evacuation, which involves hooking up a vacuum pump and putting the system into vacuum, the system should than be re-oiled and recharged with refrigerant and this good maintenance can help ensure your ac system will work when you want it to.

Thanks for reading

Justin

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Subaru came out with a great replacemant gasket for the first Generation 2.5l that is a real fix for the problem.

This gasket pictured below lasted a few months, yes months!!  The gasket is similar in design to the original gasket that was used in production and then was tweaked making it even weaker.

The reason I point these gaskets out is I would hate for any of my readers to buy them, and get no real life out of the repair.  I imagine since the repairs were made at a local “general repair shop” that the method of repair played into this as well, which is reason number one on a list of a hundred to make sure the shop you are taking your Subaru to is a Subaru Expert.

Paying to have the repairs made properly a second or third time will create financial and emotional frustration.

Thanks for reading , and know what you are paying for!!

Justin

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We are selling one of our Shuttle cars

It is a 1999 Subaru Legacy Outback.

2.5l, 5 speed Manual Transmission. AC, Tilt, Cruise, and of course All Wheel Drive Standard

The recent repairs include

Head Gaskets, Timing belt, Tensioner, and all idlers, Clutch, Front Brakes, Tires.

The car comes with a set of Snow tires as well

We will offer  offer a warranty on the repairs the Shop made for 1 year.

Call The shop @ 425 828 3600 to find out about this rare opportunity.

Or email service@allwheeldriveauto.com

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If you buy less than 6 oil filters, we will issue a Pay Pal credit for the difference in shipping costs, the price INCLUDES a new drain plug gasket.

Quantity

Quantity 1 $7.29 Quantity 3 $20.87 Quantity 6 $41.94 Quantity 9 $62.91

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Here is June’s Subaru Service Special

This Coupon must be mentioned by the time you come in for your appointment to be valid, cannot be combined with or used for any other service.  It expires June 30th, and all discounts require AWDAuto License plate frames, which are free.

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You can see the filter on the right has had a major malfunction stemming from a poor design and second from lazy, or non professional installation.  Notice the filter on the left has a cage all around it preventing the filter from becoming collapsed where the one on the right only ha reinforcement on two edges.   Now had the filter been installed properly it would have taken until the filter was restricted for this to happen, but it is something we see all too often.

Its important to understand that with something as simple as an air filter there are very significant differences in the quality of the parts.  The worst thing here was the customer actually paid $7.34 above the MSRP for the Factory Subaru Filter at the lube center, which is exactly how that lube center makes their profit margins, they offer a inexpensive oil change and give you a presentation of all these things your Subaru needs if they can add a few filters and services here and there they are having a good day, as the parts and labor they use are at the very low end of the spectrum in terms of quality of components used and the skill of the individual putting it in.  I know an air filter should be pretty easy, but ask yourself how many high school students can do it the first try without issue. Chances are at a lube center your car may be the first one that individual has ever seen let alone service, as they work on Audi, Volkswagen and all the cars in between. Is that who you deserve to have service your vehicle for approximately the same overall cost as a good repair shop.

One of my favorite scenarios to point out is there are a lot of shops out there charging the same as we do, with no where even close to the level of experience we have with your Subaru in many cases much much more.  If a Good reputable independent shop in your part of town is 5 or 6 dollars higher for an oil change than the “high school lube shop” do not be fooled into thinking the service will be the same.   Most good independents have the same Technician capable of replacing your Head gaskets, or diagnosing a difficult drivability problem also change your oil.

There are plenty of places to clip coupons, and I think saving money is great myself, but deciding where to buy your next pair of shoes based on the price for the exact same pair of Nike’s from store A or B is nothing like saving a little on an oil change as the real cost can be to great and you may end up driving your new Nike’s instead.

What prompted me to post this today is in terms of what happened to this Subaru, the end result was pretty significant and completely avoidable.

Thanks for Reading

Justin

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Pictured below is what is called a captured wheel bearing.

And here is a wheel bearing and hub assembly.

Rather than the bearing being pressed into the knuckle assembly it now bolts in with the choice of replacing the entire unit hub and all(the part the wheel bolts up to) or just the bearing and transfer over the hub.

This particular bearing fits the rear of a 2000 to 2004 Subaru Outback & Legacy.   The Subaru Legacy and Outback starting in 2005 use this design front and rear.  The Impreza in 2008, and finally the Forester with its redesign in 2009, the Tribeca has always been a captured type bearing.

The 2005 and up Legacy & Outback have had some significant problems with the rear wheel bearings and Subaru has extended the warranty on the rear wheel bearings to 100k on the affected vehicles.

The bearing area is also no much larger than it has been in the past on the Subaru and is much larger than the rear wheel bearing on a Forester/ Impreza of the same era that has had so many problems.  This doesn’t mean that there won’t be instances of replacement, but we see these fail much less often.

There is no special Subaru special tool needed to replace the bearing, like on the rear of the Forester, no “hub tamer” short cut tool needed to speed up the process.   While there is still a certain skill level needed to complete the job, it isn’t as daunting a task as it was before, one that if wasn’t done correctly would yield a very short bearing life.   The only real drawback is that there is no way to increase lubrication.  But the part is now much easier to replace, and as the part starts to come down in price the overall cost passed on the customer should come down as well.

Thanks For Reading

Justin

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We have most sets for your Subaru in stock.

You can email ryan@allwheeldriveauto.com for a price installed on your Subaru or a set shipped to your
door. Or Buy now here

Rally Armor UR Mud Flaps

RALLY ARMOR UR MUD FLAP BLACK W/BLUE LOGO (2002-07 IMPREZA / WRX $126.99 RALLY ARMOR UR MUD FLAP BLACK W/GREY LOGO (2002-07 IMPREZA / WRX $126.99 RALLY ARMOR UR MUD FLAP / BLACK W/ BLUE LOGO (2008+ STI) $159.99 RALLY ARMOR UR MUD FLAP / BLACK W/GREY LOGO (2008+ STI) $159.99 RALLY ARMOR UR MUD FLAP BLACK W/ SILVER LOGO (2005-2009 LEGACY & $129.99 RALLY ARMOR UR MUD FLAP / BLACK W/ RED LOGO (2008+ IMPREZA 2.5i $129.99

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