214 messages,
Last post on May 23, 2013 at 1:15 PM
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Subaru Legacy & Outback Forum.
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Subaru Outback, Subaru Legacy, Sedan, Wagon
#203 of 214 ***Do Not buy a Subaru Outback! ***
by toasted2
Feb 14, 2013 (11:26 am)
My wife and I bought a fully loaded Subaru Outback 3.6 (2012) and I must say...it's a beautiful car! However, we have been having significant transmission problems ever since (pretty much since the first week). When coming to a rolling stop and re-accelerating (even mildly) there is a significant "clunk" in the transmission. Ouch! Our hearts sank immediately as we'd just parted with a significant amount of money for this purchase. We've taken the vehicle back to the dealership in an attempt to deal with the problem. They tried to reset the computer code somehow, but have failed to fix the problem. They are now telling us this is normal for the car and have left it at that...If you're going to spend about $40 grand on a new vehicle you hope the company would ensure that your concerns were addressed. We've owned new Honda's and Toyota's in the past and have never experienced a transmission clunk like this....ever! Until this issues is addressed...I wouldn't touch this car with a ten foot pole...even if it were a 2013.
For those other owners of the 2012 outback 3.6....I hope you've come to a better resolution that we have!
#204 of 214 Re: ***Do Not buy a Subaru Outback! *** [toasted2]
by winter2
Feb 18, 2013 (3:43 pm)
I would suggest trying another dealership. Not all of them are the same.
Mar 11, 2013 (10:11 am)
I have had my 2013 2.5i Limited Outback since August and I want to comment on fuel economy. Up until October I was averaging 28.5 mpg. Sometime in late October mpg went down a solid 5.5 mpg. All cars suffer poorer mpg in winter. There is winter blend gas, the car is programed to burn more at startup when temps drop, and (for me anyway) I use the remote starter to warm the car up before I drive it. I think this car gets great gas milage for the size of it and also because it is AWD. Thats all I got to say about that
#206 of 214 Re: Startup when cold [newowner18]
by firstawd
Mar 11, 2013 (12:35 pm)
I have had my 2013 since August and it does idle a little rough when cold (even during summer months). I don't think anything is wrong its just how that particular motor is. After its warmed up it purrs like a kitten.
#207 of 214 Re: Startup when cold [firstawd]
by xwesx
Mar 11, 2013 (4:34 pm)
The roughness at startup is, I am told, associated with PZEV programming (reduces emissions and helps the engine to obtain operating temp faster). My '10 Forester has a rough startup idle (nothing terrible, but not as smooth as after it warms) and it has PZEV. My previous two Outbacks (07 and 08) had the same engine but were not rough at start up (and were also not PZEV).
#208 of 214 Tips or tricks for new owner
by bitch_cakes
Apr 09, 2013 (7:26 pm)
I'm very excited to pick up my new 2013 2.5 Premium this weekend and was wondering if there were any undocumented features or tips/tricks that you've discovered?
Thanks for the input!
#209 of 214 Re: 2013 Outback 3.6R -- Whining transmission when accelerating [newgreencar13]
by subienewb1016
May 12, 2013 (10:03 pm)
Hey newgreencar13,
So what ever happened to your cruise control blinking light problem? Has it been fine since the they reset it in August?
I have a 2013 Subaru Outback 3.6R Limited and my cruise control light started blinking today with less than 150 miles too.
I just bought the car yesterday and around 120 miles I noticed the light blinking. My heart sunk and I suddenly lost that new car euphoria feeling. I called my salesman immediately after checking my manual to see if there was anything I could do to hard reset. He stated he never heard of the problem but recommended I come in to talk to the service guys. I am heading straight to the dealer tomorrow.
The light will go off if I keep the car off for a while, but will start blinking again when I drive distance. The cruise control isn't working at all whether I get the blinking light or not. I'm hoping it's not anything big.
Wish me luck!
#210 of 214 Re: 2013 Outback 3.6R -- Whining transmission when accelerating [subienewb1016]
by cmuniz
May 13, 2013 (5:08 am)
Make sure your brake lights are working. In past cars, whenever there was a problems with the brakes lights or the sensor on the brake pedal, the cruise control wouldn't work.
May 20, 2013 (3:38 pm)
This makes me so sad. My 1997 Outback was a dream. If I was not worried about the head gasket issue I would have fixed it up and kept it. The 2013 is troublesome. There is a rattle sound from underneath that happens on slow acceleration. The dealership said it recalibrated something or other, but the noise is still there although much less. I will keep listening as I am still under warranty. The paint finish is soft. The slightest touch, like from a tree branch, causes a small scratch, The edges of the front door are showing nicks. The car is only 9 months old. Lastly it drives like a truck...so much different than the '97. If there are no major issues I will keep it for a couple of years and look for another brand. Too bad, because I like to keep cars a long, long time. Unless there are some major changes in the Subaru, I am GONE.
#212 of 214 Re: 2013 Outback issues [santafe87507]
by xwesx
May 22, 2013 (3:33 pm)
Oh, that paint! Paint and glass are my two major grumblings about modern cars. No, it isn't specific to Subaru. I think the brittleness of modern glass is the result of cost-cutting efforts, but paint the issue is, from what I've read, largely due to regulations that have essentially banned all the stuff that makes for durable paint!
I swear that, color aside, the (original) paint on my 43-year-old vehicles looks better than that on my 2010 Forester. As you say, every little thing causes scratches and chips.
I noticed a few weeks ago that there were muddy foot prints on the top of the car. It didn't take me long to deduce the guilty party (my 9yo son). I washed the car yesterday and buffed it to a lovely shine, which only serves to accentuate the fact that the car's roof now looks like a building janitor loaned his key ring to a preschool class whose playground was the roof of my car.
And, this is all from one child walking across a slippery roof one time. Every time I wash my old van, I walk across the roof and scrub it on hands & knees... no scratches. Our over-enthusiastic dog once mistook the hood of our truck for the bed (my mistake for parking backwards that day!), jumped up on it in one deft leap, raced around up there trying to figure out what went wrong, and finally jumping back off it. Unbelievably, no scratches that didn't literally buff out the next time I washed it. Heck, the first time I washed that truck I used an SOS pad to take off the saucer-sized lichens growing all over it.
"They don't make 'em like they used to" isn't just a phrase for the nostalgically inclined.