In this day and age and due to the hectic pace of life many of us are forced to deal with.

There just isn’t enough time to take a few hours and read through your cars owners’ manual. But in this case exceptions really need to be made.

I realize that the Owners manual for your Subaru or any other car you own is not going to be very exciting reading by any stretch of the imagination. There is such a wealth of information in the manual, with regards to obtaining as much value out of your vehicle investment as possible.

I am often amazed at how many people still think the check engine light comes on at a predetermined mileage interval rather than indicating a problem. A quick read in the owner’s manual in the right section should clear up that myth. The check engine light comes on only when the vehicles computer commands it on as a result of a potential problem mostly in regards to the vehicle emissions system.

Also in the owner’s manual will be the section that spells out that anyone can service your Subaru or any other car for that matter including yourself! With no affect on the warranty.

But more importantly the manual is filled with vital information with regards to how often fluids and filters should need attention. How to safely operate the vehicle, how to change a flat tire, fluid requirements, on newer models there will be information about the alarm and keyless entry systems. This list can go on forever.

Knowing about these things can really save you money and keep you informed about your car.

Under maintaining or over maintaining your Subaru can really be costly as time passes by.

With gas prices at historic levels it is especially important right now to try and get as much out of your automotive dollar as possible. An hour or two spent reading your owners manual can go a long way in not only keeping you informed, but can also greatly reduce your costs and keep you safer.

If you own one of the affected models you should set up an appointment with your local Subaru dealer service department to make sure everything is ok.

At All-Wheel Drive Auto we believe that customer service is much more than just servicing your Subaru it’s also keeping you informed.

NHTSA RECALL BULLETIN
Reference Number(s): 08V135000
Related Ref Number(s): 08V 135000
ARTICLE BEGINNING

VEHICLE DESCRIPTION
Model(s): 2002 SUBARU IMPREZA
2003 SUBARU IMPREZA
Campaign No: 08V135000
Number of Affected Vehicles: 36791
Beginning Date of Manufacture: 2000 SEP
Ending Date of Manufacture: 2002 SEP

SYSTEM
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES: TAILGATE: LATCH

DESCRIPTION OF DEFECT
SUBARU IS RECALLING 36,791 MY 2002-2003 IMPREZA WAGONS. THE STUD BOLT(S)
OF REAR GATE STAY MAY HAVE BEEN TIGHTENED WITH INSUFFICIENT TIGHTENING
TORQUE AND A GAP MAY HAVE RESULTED BETWEEN THE REAR GATE PANEL AND
STUD BOLT BASE. AFTER REPEATED REAR GATE OPERATIONS (OPENING AND
CLOSING), THE REAR GATE INNER PANEL AT THE WELDING NUT MAY BREAK,
WHICH WILL LEAD TO DETACHMENT OF THE REAR GATE STAY, AND THE REAR
GATE DROPPING DOWN.
CONSEQUENCE OF DEFECT
IN CASE SOMEONE IS UNDERNEATH OR NEAR THE REAR GATE, THERE IS A
POSSIBILITY THAT A DROPPING REAR GATE PANEL MAY HIT THEM INCREASING THE
RISK OF INJURIES.

CORRECTIVE ACTION
DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO SEE IF THERE IS ANY GAP AT THE STUD BOLT OF THE
REAR GATE STAY INSTALLATION. IF A GAP IS FOUND, THE STUD BOLT WILL BE
REMOVED TO CHECK FOR DAMAGE TO THE WELDING NUT. IF THE WELD NUT IS

LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES: TAILGATE: LATCH -2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Page 2 of 2
CRACKED, THE REAR GATE STAY WILL BE REPLACED FREE OF CHARGE. THE
RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN ON OR BEFORE .TUNE 2, 2008. OWNERS MAY
CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

When it comes to your and your passenger’s safety as well as drivers of other vehicles on the road, why would you evertrust your brakes to the lowest price and does a lower price really save you any money?

This is not to say that you should pay the highest price quoted but you should know what you are paying for. As I have mentioned in other articles not all repairs are created equal as there can be a significant difference in parts quality and the experience of the technician working on your car. When it comes to your brakes and your safety don’t you want the best and safest repair possible?

I am often amazed at how many times I have had to take off one year old brakes done at a tire store or franchised automotive repair chain, for various different reasons such as pulsation, vibration, noise or just a poor stopping experience.

Having started my career at a tire store that offered total car care as well I have seen first hand the problems that come up from cheap parts and cheap labor.

Your Subaru or just about any other Japanese import uses stainless steel brake caliper pistons helping prevent rust that will build up, as there can be a lot of moisture in your brakes hydraulic system. A lot of the calipers that are put on your car by the tire stores and large chains have sandblasted cores and use cast steel pistons which rust very quickly. It is as simple as leaving a cast iron pan and a stainless steel pan out in the rain and seeing which one rusts first.

The original calipers in your Subaru, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, etc. Should rarely ever need to be replaced, they just do not fail that often but yet we constantly see advertised brakes stating “we do brakes right” that includes replacing your calipers regardless if they are ever really faulty. This repair will be ok for a while but will never last as long as the original calipers would be capable of lasting. Worst yet is when not if the aftermarket calipers fail it will be very expensive to put true O.E. quality calipers back on the car.

On a Subaru the right way to replace the brakes in most cases is to replace the pads and hardware as supplied in the box of pads when you buy the parts from Subaru. Add to this the rotors should either be machined until true or replaced if questionable as a result of being close to the minimum thickness allowed, severely warped, delaminated or pitted and rusty.

The way to save money replacing brakes is to use O.E. quality parts and find an Expert like All-Wheel Drive Auto who will charge you less labor than the dealer but always insist on doing your brakes like his or her own family is in the car with.

Have a Summer trip planned with Your Subaru or Japanese import?

Mention you read our blog when scheduling in a brake inspection and save 10% off of your brakes on our already lower than the dealer prices.

 This is what comes in the box when you buy the Subaru pads. 

 These are typical  high end aftermarket pads that do not come with any hard ware and only one set of shims that are already attatched to the pads.

So we have had a few questions about how the project is coming so here is the first update.

Due to the Subaru Legacy having ABS (Anti-Lock Braking) there really isn’t a whole lot of room in the engine compartment. The book we bought specs out a generator that won’t really fit where I wanted to put it. So based on the available room we have I am currently looking for a suitable alternative location, or I will look for a used Legacy without ABS and enlarge the generator and thus problem solved.

Due to the precision involved in some of the design and build. I have had to send the stainless steel tubing to a machine shop as I want this to be perfect.

The gap in between the inner and outer electrodes seems to be pretty crucial to the function of the generator. Rather than hack it up myself as I am better at repairing than building this seems like a better way to go. I am also at there mercy as the machine shop I am using is very busy as they are well known for working with precision air craft parts.

We have had a lot of interest and I appreciate the support but this is probably going to take a little while to finish as it is just to hard to dedicate a large chunk of time as we do have a shop to run and families as well. We will do our best to have this done in a couple of months so keep checking back for updates

While we don’t yet know the true answer to this question, we will in the not to distant future.

After a friend asked me what I thought of the internet hype and you tube videos showing a “in the vehicle hydrogen generator” that creates browns gas or hho, I decided to look into it further.

One of the common arguments I have observed is that it will take more energy to create the hho than reaped in producing it in the first place. But how can anyone really know this for sure in a car with an alternator.

I want to be sure to point out that I am not a scientist or an engineer; I am merely just a Technician, business owner and concerned father of two boys who I want to have a bright future and I often worry that there are just not enough people truly trying to come up with ways to decrease the amount of fuel used in cars and thus decrease the emissions they produce.

Whether you believe in global warming or not you must realize by now that as the rest of the world becomes more like the U.S. and consumes more commodities such as oil the price of gas may fluctuate a little, but is on a steady rise to much higher prices in the future.

So I look to what I know to be true, If HHO can truly be produced in a hydrogen generator mounted in a car, I can figure a way to decrease the total amperage draw of the car to compensate for the increase in amperage draw from the generator.

So here is what we are going to attempt. We are going to build and install the system as outlined in a book bought online. As the project goes along I will provide updates to our progress as I can. What is learned and achieved as well as any failures. Since this is somewhat of a departure from what we normally do, I am not sure how long this will take. I am optimistic that from research into materials, supply to design, build, installation and finally testing that we can have this done in a few months time.

It is not our intent to try and “cash in” on any hype and the reason for posting an article on our blog is to try and bring about awareness. We might want input from someone in the scientific community if we were to get stuck on one or more particular aspects of the hydrogen generator build.

Here is the vehicle we are going to use as the test car. A 1993 Subaru Legacy, with almost 300,000 miles. Two reasons for choosing this car. One, we know Subaru’s very well and once the Generator is installed it should be immediately apparent to me if it is helping or hurting the car. Two, if it damages the car, it has had a good life and I wouldn’t be out to much.

If we are successful, it does indeed work and offer real fuel savings, than we may offer to try and replicate it and offer the systems to be installed.

Again we didn’t event the technology being installed here we are only out to see if it really works. If it does is it practical, reliable and stable.

If we ultimately don’t end up with a success, there is that old saying. Out of failure breeds success and maybe we can have a part in it.

Wish us luck, please send us your feedback and we will keep you posted as we can.

Justin

If you have a car that has a warranty that is about to expire, you should really have a good thorough inspection done by an independent shop. Even if you aren’t having any problems there may be minor things that could turn into major issues after the warranty runs out.

Having someone who specializes in one particular make such as we do with Subaru is even just that much better. We can look at things we know to be common with the vehicle, and report back with our findings. This is especially helpful if there are any campaigns that we are aware of.

A campaign is somewhat similar to a recall except the driver isn’t ever made aware of it in many situations. If a car manufacturer wants to cut their warranty expense and provide good service they will provide the technicians with information to help speed up the process of diagnosing and repairing a problem. Sometimes the process involves updated parts that you can get for free if you know how the system works. A good independent shop like All Wheel Drive Auto stays up to date on common issues with your car.

This gives the driver an opportunity to go back to the dealer armed with factual information as to items that need attention before the warranty is up. The service department at the dealer is not going to call you and schedule an appointment for an inspection and offer to fix it all under warranty before it is too late. You must take the first step yourself.

Chances are your car cost you a lot of money and you may still be making payments on it. The only way you can get as much value as you can, is to be proactive with your car. This means not waiting until something happens before addressing it.

When you buy a new home, often times the builder schedules a time to walk through the house and take care of items that have come up such as cracked sheet rock due to settling. Why should you approach your car any differently? With as much as you spent you deserve full value out of your hard earned money.

At All Wheel Drive Auto we pride ourselves in offering the best relevant information about your Subaru, as well as quality fixed right the first time repairs and service.

Your only real defense against higher gas prices is to get as much out of every drop of fuel you put in your car, or to just stop driving, but unless you don’t need your car to get to work, chances are the later isn’t going to work out.

Keeping your car in tip top shape can help save you money over the long run and has the added benefit of being better for the environment as well. Cars need periodic maintenance to perform at their peak and if your car isn’t running at its best then you can bet it is costing you money.

Today’s computer controlled cars have built in programming that will allow the ECM (engine control module) to try and compensate for a problem with an individual cylinder due to a dirty fuel injector or worn sparkplug. But sometimes it does this with sacrifice to the overall fuel economy of the vehicle.

Check our archive for articles http://allwheeldriveauto.com/subaru-fuel-economy-101/ for specific information on fuel economy tips that will help ease the pain at the pump and keep your Subaru as green as possible.

http://autoconnectionseast.com/

Here is the usual situation someone replaces the belts, or the timing belt or the alternator and almost instantly the power steering pump starts to make noise and the car can be hard to steer. Well here is what happens. The top bolt for the alternator and power steering fan belt shroud is secured to the power steering return line tube/bracket through a rubber grommet in the top of the shroud. If there isn’t enough slack in the shroud when the top bolt is tightened the shroud will pull onto the tube (towards the drivers side) allowing air into the power steering system thus causing the fluid to become aerated. The other end of this shroud is slotted at the alternator pivot bolt. The rubber grommet is there, to give a little instead of pulling the tube under load. Once the tube is pulled it is necessary to reset it in the power steering pump to make sure it isn’t still being pulled in one direction after this the shroud will need to be installed properly ( with slack). From there the aerated fluid must be replaced with fresh fluid and the problem is solved.

I have received over 100 phone calls from people as far away as Jamaica (you know who you are and thanks for the gift card) so I figured someone should post some help as I have received calls from frustrated Technicians and Drivers a like . I had a post on Allexperts.com, that includes our shops phone number and I would say it has been one or two calls a week.

 I am always happy to help out my fellow Technicians who just want to take care of their customers. I also have heard the other end of the spectrum where after the belts were replaced on their Subaru Outback and the noise showed up they have been charged a lot of money to replace parts that did not need to be replaced. Quite a few times a frustrated vehicle owner has sought out help on the Internet and found me.

 To the Automotive Professionals out there, help each other first of all and use the Internet to seek out those who no more about the subject than you do. Also while we are all human and do make mistakes and there is always a lot of pressure to be perfect, at least exhaust all of your resources prior to guessing. If some can find the answer to the problem online then we all can. 

I have personal experience with this issue.  I know Subaru’s so well, and one thing they are not prone for is power steering aeration, with that knowledge,  I was able to  problem solve my way to the fix.  Subaru Owners, if this has or does happen to you. Most likely no one is trying to defraud you; they just haven’t experienced the issue before and are now forced to learn.

Thank you for reading.

Justin Stobb

Your Independent Subaru Specialist

  Here is the fan belt shroud in question.

  This is the upper alternator/ power steering belt  shroud retaining bolt. 

   This is the power steering return line bracket going into the pump.

  Here is the alternator pivot bolt that must be loosened to put the “slack” back into the shroud. 

A while back there were two companies, one that built an SUV and another that built tires for said SUV. Basically the two companies really didn’t put there heads together when it came to the tire pressure requirements of the SUV and the stability of the tire at a specific tire pressure. While the two companies fought and pointed fingers in and out of court what was really evident to a lot of auto professionals is just how inept our society has become at some pretty basic stuff like checking the tires on our cars. As a result we have had some very unfortunate events that caused vehicle rollover related deaths and injuries. This set of circumstances has led us to legislation and regulation that has added a new safety feature for all 2007 and newer vehicles sold in the U.S. This new system is called the tire pressure monitoring system, meant to keep you the driver informed if you have a low or flat tire. The systems can be found on some 06 models such as the Subaru Tribeca. There is a sensor at each wheel that emits an “rf” type frequency to a control module that interprets that signal into a pressure reading that is displayed on the dash board. Anytime the tires are rotated the module must be informed or calibrated to the new position of the wheels. Reason being that as the tire is moved closer or further from the module, the strength of frequency changes and that is the key to how the system works as the tire becomes low the signal emitted from the sensor is weaker. It used to be that part of owning a vehicle included some maintenance done by the vehicle owner such as checking tire pressure, engine oil levels, lights etc. If the owner of the vehicle didn’t want to deal with the maintenance themselves they took the vehicle to the corner service station. Well the corner service station went out of business years ago; replaced by quick lubes filled with kids that don’t take your car as serious as they should or just don’t have the proper knowledge or the time and tire pressure often goes unchecked. Add to that, our current hectic pace of life doesn’t always lend itself to having enough energy to go out and look the car over. Maybe we just don’t know where to start and don’t have the time or interest to learn.. It used to be, in high school there was an auto shop program that taught the basics and in other places such as most of Europe this is still the case prior to obtaining a drivers license. We don’t teach how to maintain a car anymore so no one knows. Ask your self if you think the average 16 year old obtaining a drivers license today is well equipped to change a flat tire out on the road or even inflate tires to the proper pressure. While I do think it is very important to keep vehicles safe I am also very concerned with our ever seeming rush to add systems to cars that won’t really resolve the real issues we have facing us on the road. Here is the reality; the tire pressure monitoring systems is only useful if it isn’t ignored. A lot of vehicle owners still think the check engine light comes on at a predetermined mileage rather than indicate a problem, even though the owner’s manual states otherwise. A tire pressure monitoring system that would also govern the vehicle speed to less than 50 mph if the car has a low tire would really add safety not just create the illusion of it. What I hope is that with a little increased education we can create better informed drivers, and create more safety on the road, rather than add expensive systems. Some vehicles have a low oil level sensor in the oil pan meant to inform the customer that the engine is very low on oil. Now if this also didn’t allow the vehicle to start until the level was corrected we would replace less engines as a result of running them out of oil. But that’s not how most warning systems work as it could greatly inconvenience the driver. We have invested in the proper tools and training at our shop to deal with the tire pressure monitoring systems as we are committed to servicing our customers cars properly. But we think that additional steps need to be taken to keep drivers informed. Or our cars are going to look like airplane cockpits with all the new systems we may add in the future. And lets face it the more there is to look at on the dash the less our eyes are on the road.