Questions tagged [subaru]

Japanese auto-maker well known for its 4-wheel-drive models and boxer engines.

Subaru (スバル) (/ˈsuːbəruː/ or /sʊˈbɑːruː/) is the automobile manufacturing division of Japanese transportation conglomerate Subaru Corporation (formerly known as Fuji Heavy Industries), the twenty-second largest automaker by production worldwide in 2012.

Subaru cars are known for their use of a boxer engine layout in most vehicles above 1500 cc. Most Subaru models have used the Symmetrical All Wheel Drive drive-train layout since 1972. The flat/boxer engine and all-wheel-drive became standard equipment for mid-size and smaller cars in most international markets by 1996, and is now standard in most North American market Subaru vehicles. The lone exception is the BRZ, introduced in 2012, which uses the boxer engine but instead uses a rear-wheel-drive structure. Subaru also offers turbocharged versions of their passenger cars, such as the Impreza WRX and the Legacy 2.5GT. The 2.0XT trim of the Forester also includes a turbocharged engine.

Useful Links:

500 questions
27
votes
6 answers

Pros/cons of higher capacity car battery?

I'm shopping for a new car battery for a 1998 Subaru Outback (2.5l). For the physical dimensions, the battery has to match. But I see some variance in capacity (Ah) rating, and in price too, of course. The intuition goes, as usual, "higher is…
Pēteris Caune
  • 503
  • 2
  • 5
  • 8
24
votes
3 answers

Must I Replace All 4 Tires on an All Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicle?

I have a 2005 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Wagon. I just destroyed the passenger-side rear tire. The tires have approx. 6/32" tread remaining, per an informal measurement with a coin (I used this guideline from tirerack.com) These are Nokian tires, and…
qxotk
  • 424
  • 2
  • 4
  • 10
19
votes
4 answers

Why do cars have plastic shrouds over the engine?

My 2005 Subaru Outback (3.0 flat 6) has a plastic cover under the hood which covers the engine. Or it had -- I had some work done and the mechanic has given the car back to me without the shroud. What is the point of these shrouds? Should I ask for…
tgdavies
  • 303
  • 2
  • 6
19
votes
10 answers

Does a strut tower bar have any useful effect on chassis stiffness for a car with 100K miles?

Aftermarket strut tower bars are generally considered to be decorative on many brand new cars. However, it seems to be a bit more logical that a chassis with 100K miles would have developed some flex and could use a cross-member to stiffen things…
Bob Cross
  • 24,537
  • 11
  • 85
  • 166
18
votes
4 answers

Why do many CVT cars appear to index gears during normal automatic operation?

I've had the chance to drive a number of CVT cars. My own car is a Subaru Outback, and I've previously rented a Nissan Murano, Rav4 Hybrid, and Corolla, all with CVTs as well. One interesting characteristic I've noticed across these cars is that…
Jules
  • 314
  • 1
  • 10
16
votes
5 answers

How do I apply dielectric grease to my battery?

I recently had a new battery installed in my 2006 Subaru Forester. The shop did not use any dielectric grease, just connected the leads to the terminal and that's it. What is the preferred method of application? remove leads, apply to terminals,…
Pangea
  • 428
  • 1
  • 3
  • 8
15
votes
4 answers

Strange overheating behaviour

My 10 year old Litchfield Forester STi needs a bit of maintenance to sort a minor oil leak but other than that has been behaving well for the past year with regular oil top ups. This week on the drive home I first noticed there was no heating in the…
Rory Alsop
  • 18,600
  • 7
  • 60
  • 100
15
votes
1 answer

Why does my Subaru not select my paired Bluetooth phone automatically after restarting the car?

The car is a Subaru WRX 2012 with the base radio. It did reconnect automatically for the last two years until I changed phones, deleted the old phone profile, then paired the new phone. It does work correctly when phone is selected, but when I…
geoO
  • 974
  • 1
  • 9
  • 17
14
votes
5 answers

Why is a 12V outlet that provides 120W protected by a 20A fuse in my 2015 Forester?

In my 2015 Subaru Forester, the 12V power outlet in the center console says that it is designed to supply loads that draw a max of 120W. To me, this would mean that there should be a max of 10 amps flowing through the outlet (120W/12V=10A). However,…
scuba
  • 243
  • 1
  • 2
  • 6
13
votes
4 answers

Is it absolutely necessary to replace all four tyres on a manual 2008 Subaru Impreza?

I destroyed a back tire on my 2008 Subaru Impreza manual transmission with viscous coupling. The manual says all four tires must be the same size. The spare tire must only be mounted onto the rear axle when applicable. I don't need to pull a fuse…
fuzzybabybunny
  • 231
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
13
votes
5 answers

How to carry a full-sized spare?

I have a 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX, but I suspect my question can be generalized to apply to many smaller cars. Not being a fan of donut spare tires, when I replaced my tires about a year ago I kept the one that was in the best shape, mounted on a…
kojiro
  • 297
  • 1
  • 3
  • 9
12
votes
6 answers

Car imitates dead battery but comes back to life ~30 minutes later and lets me start it

The car: 2006 Subaru Legacy Touring Wagon 2.0 GT (Japanese model) - recently purchased; warranty does not cover this The situation: Something happens with the 12v supply and once the car is stopped (switched off) dash lights won't come on, central…
ProgrammingLlama
  • 223
  • 1
  • 2
  • 8
12
votes
8 answers

How reliable is a second-hand Subaru 2.5 RS 04-05?

Basically, I've been a Subaru enthusiast for a few years but never been able to purchase one because I'm still a student. However, this summer I will be able to. The issue is that I need a reliable car and most-likely wouldn't be able to replace a…
Simon
  • 333
  • 1
  • 3
  • 10
12
votes
7 answers

The poor man's Start Interrupt Switch -- non-obvious way to disable starting

There's some idiot stealing similar cars to mine -- mid to late 90s Subarus -- in this part of town. The police are pretty confident that he has a jiggle key (the cars have been mostly recovered, dumped but unharmed; apparently he's just using them…
jscs
  • 1,443
  • 6
  • 19
  • 30
11
votes
3 answers

Horrific squealing when car is first turned on?

This is a really classic and common old car problem. I see it all the time but this is the first time it's started happening to my own car. Basically when I first turn the car on, there's instantly a pretty horrific squealing that sounds…
temporary_user_name
  • 1,917
  • 10
  • 27
  • 39
1
2 3
33 34