Cam: 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness [Archive]

Cam

October 4th, 2022, 02:36 PM

I took the new (to us) car for a nice drive today. I literally got mud on the tires. I wanted to try all the new things. It's pretty much fully loaded. It's got a huge screen in the centre console and nearly everything is controlled from there. I'm not accustomed to this much tech in a car.

Engine: 260 hp, nearly double the Forester. It's got some pick-up, but the vehicle weighs over 3800 lbs. (1700 Kg.) so it's pushing a lot of weight.

Transmission: Automatic CVT. This car is not even available in manual. It seems OK, but it is often hunting for the right ratio. Still, it is more responsive than I thought it would be. I still prefer manual, but it's also nice to not have to think about it. I tried out X-Mode, which is for difficult conditions like snow, dirt and mud. You can only use it under 25 mph and it automatically shuts off after that. I didn't notice much of a difference in performance, but the steering felt a little heavier and the engine was revving a little higher while the mode was engaged. I can only guess that it is controlling the differential stiffness and transmission ratio.

Suspension: 9.5 inches of ground clearance! Suspension is stiffer than the Forester, but a comfortable ride on the pavement. I took it down a short, rough, dirt road nearby that we've been on before with the Forester to go canoeing. It handled the road with ease, even with all the ruts and potholes. This thing is like a jeep, but drives like a car.

Interior: I feel like it is luxurious. As I said, it's pretty much fully loaded. The heated (front and rear) seats are comfortable. They kind of look like leather, but I know they are not. (According to Subaru's web site, the interior is Grey StarTex Urethane.) There is plenty of room, even for us tall people in both the front and back. It has a sunroof. I went on a two-hour drive this afternoon and did not get fatigued at all. The huge screen is almost obnoxious and difficult to use while driving, as you can adjust so many things. I will learn it and get used to it eventually, but it's almost overwhelming at the moment. There are only a few features I would use on it regularly anyway.

Adaptive Cruise Control and Lane Assist: This is interesting, but frustrating at the same time. If you turn on cruise, it will maintain a specified distance to the car ahead, which is great, unless the vehicle ahead goes ridiculously slow. Before you realize it, you're going 45 in a 70 zone. Overall, I like the adaptive cruise, as it keeps a safe distance to the vehicle ahead. The lane assist, however, is not for me. If it is on, you are basically fighting with the car to steer. I don't like my car trying to tell me what to do. It will literally steer for you, but also tells you to keep your hands on the wheel. It beeps if you stray from the centre of the lane. It beeps if a car merges ahead of you. It beeps if a car ahead of you leaves your lane. It beeps when it gets up to the set cruise speed. The beeping can get annoying in traffic. Thankfully, you can turn all that off, but it is buried in the menus of the centre console theatre screen.

Cargo: Plenty of room in the back with the folding rear seats down. In fact, I literally lied down in the back at the dealership to test if I could sleep in there if I had to. It passed the test. We have to get the roof rack cross bars installed though, so we can mount the canoe or bike racks.

Overall, I think I will like it, a lot. It is plush inside, drives nice, is capable on and off-road, plus I think it looks hoss. I look forward to adventuring in it.

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Cam

October 4th, 2022, 03:08 PM

At first, I thought it was "Crystal Black Silica." Now I realize it is "Magnetite Gray Metallic."

Kchrpm

October 4th, 2022, 03:51 PM

When you turn off the Lane Assist, does it remember to keep it off the next time you drive the car?

JoshInKC

October 4th, 2022, 03:56 PM

When you turn off the Lane Assist, does it remember to keep it off the next time you drive the car?

It does on my outback.
Nice get, Cam. I really like the Wilderness edition - Was parked next to a blue one at a rest area in pennsylvania last week and was thinking "Kind of wish we'd waited to buy until those came out..."

Cam

October 4th, 2022, 04:20 PM

You have to actively turn it on for it to steer for you. It remembers the setting though. The warning beeps default to on, I believe. I have not tried to turn them off.

Yw-slayer

October 4th, 2022, 04:51 PM

Sweet ride, man.

FaultyMario

October 4th, 2022, 04:57 PM

Nice!

I love the lower door panels.

George

October 4th, 2022, 09:17 PM

:up:

TheBenior

October 4th, 2022, 10:57 PM

Looks like a great choice for a lanky couple with active lifestyles. 👍

CudaMan

October 5th, 2022, 08:34 AM

Bummer about the circumstances that led you here but it looks like you and Lori came out winners. :up:

Is it jumpy when you tip into the throttle from a stop? My Dad's '14 Forester CVT really is, even on the latest factory calibration. Hopefully they fixed that for the newer ones!

Cam

October 5th, 2022, 09:54 AM

Yeah, pretty much. *Mildly press throttle* ZZZOOOOOMMM!! :lol:

dodint

October 7th, 2022, 07:40 AM

Way to make the best of a bad situation, Cam. Very nice. :up:

I drove a 2022 Honda about 1,000 miles last weekend. I was very unimpressed by the lane assist. It spent a lot of time complaining but not really doing anything. I was on a clear interstate and decided to see what would happen if I stopped making inputs. Instead of centering itself in the lane, the vehicle 'ping ponged' back and forth between the roadside and the center line. Pretty lame.

The adaptive cruise was annoying as well. Set the cruise to 81 and it keeps slowing down to accommodate a car that's way up the road, sometimes not even in my lane.

George

October 7th, 2022, 09:19 AM

I was very unimpressed by the lane assist. It spent a lot of time complaining but not really doing anything. I was on a clear interstate and decided to see what would happen if I stopped making inputs. Instead of centering itself in the lane, the vehicle 'ping ponged' back and forth between the roadside and the center line. Pretty lame.

The adaptive cruise was annoying as well. Set the cruise to 81 and it keeps slowing down to accommodate a car that's way up the road, sometimes not even in my lane.

That crap would drive me nuts. I'm driving the car. I'm the decider.

I joined the Honda Ridgeline forum when I was shopping for mine. I don't go there often but I get a weekly email digest of trending threads. Complaints about electronics as described above seem are what I see more than anything else. One guy said new windshield cost $1000 because it has cameras in it. Someone else posted pictures after he blacked out the chrome logos, and that turned into a discussion about sonar (really?) behind the H logo in the grill and if modding the emblem would affect the cruise control.

Get rid of that crap and make cars affordable again, says I. :angry:

Crazed_Insanity

October 7th, 2022, 09:26 AM

Those techs are probably not the reasons why cars are expensive nowadays! Plenty of used cars without such techs can also be expensive! :p

Anyway, yeah, I've only got a taste of these latest tech when I leased the Honda Clarity EV. Did not like lane keeping feature as well. Doesn't really inspire confidence if you let it drive by itself... it'll complain about you being hand free... once you start to steer... it'll try to tell you what to do... I suppose that it's good when you get sleepy and drift to the lane line, then it'll vibrate and helps you wake up..., but in general, I agree it's an annoying feature.

As for adaptive cruise, I loved it when in stop and go traffic! I've never been on a long road trip in that 90mile range EV, so I had no experience cruising long distances at high speeds! :p

Anyway, time for you to go RVing, CAM! ;) I saw on a FB forum somebody was towing with your new car!

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Cam

October 7th, 2022, 11:00 AM

Ha! Sweet.

We're tent people. :)

CudaMan

October 7th, 2022, 11:23 AM

I'm the decider.
George you're on a roll lately and I love it. :lol:

https://www.redbubble.com/i/t-shirt/The-Decider-by-kempinsky/11304644.SWO0S

*/me stands with George on unnecessary car tech*

George

October 7th, 2022, 12:26 PM

Thank yew! I'll be here all week. :cool:

I remember seeing a post from some guy who said he traded his Honda Passport (must have been a new one, not the rebadged Izusu Rodeo) in on a Ridgeline and was all pissed off that one of the features of his Passport wasn't available in a Ridgeline.

And, yeah, right away I'm judging this guy in my mind as being someone with more money than brains if he's making that deal, but okay, maybe he needed an open truck bed. Whatever.

Anyway, this guy was griping that his newest ride doesn't have rain-sensing wipers that turn on automatically. :eek:

Is anyone really that lazy?

My Dad owned a 1948 Jeep CJ-2 back in the '70s. The Jeep had an aftermarket metal half cab, like a pickup truck with the shortest bed ever, and it had windshield wipers, but only the driver's side had a powered wiper. The passenger wiper had a little metal handle coming out of the wiper motor box for the passenger to manually turn the blade back and forth. That was my job when I was a kid. :D

Maybe the guy with the new Ridgeline grew up where it rains all the time and his parents only had an old Jeep. Maybe he has wrist and elbow problems from all that wiper blade turning over the years. Maybe he swore one day he'd make it big and never turn a wiper blade again.

I guess that's why manufacturers put all that useless luxury crap in cars. It's all that guy's fault!

Sorry for the thread hijack. We now return to you to your regularly scheduled Subaru thread, already in progress.

dodint

October 7th, 2022, 12:53 PM

The M6 has decent rain-sensing wipers. The only issue with them is that you have to turn them on first, every time. I mean, I have to move my index finger a tiny bit to turn on the feature. That's hardly a feature at all.

sandydandy

October 7th, 2022, 02:17 PM

Looks good, Cam. Enjoy!

Godson

October 8th, 2022, 06:37 PM

I've had rain sensing wipers on my last two daily drivers.

I enjoy them, and they work decent. I do wish I had I adaptive cruise, though.

Cam

October 9th, 2022, 12:26 PM

Lori and I went camping overnight in the mountains to break in the new-to-us car. We didn't really plan anything. We just went toward northeast Georgia/western North Carolina. We took the GPS that we bought for the bikes though, which had the Smokey Mountain 500 loaded. Lori was looking at the GPS at one point and said, "The Smokey Mountain 500 intersects here." I said, "Let's take it!"

We turned on to a road that eventually got narrow, then turned to gravel/dirt. We got to a steep, narrow section and we saw a few jeeps and 4x4s around. The road turned into basically this gnarly, narrow 4x4 track. We came around a corner and there was a water crossing. I figure lots of vehicles have passed through here and it didn't seem that deep, so I went for it. I am pretty sure the water was nearly up to the door sills. :eek: We made it just fine though. Alas, it was two-way traffic, so it was challenging to pass by other vehicles. A couple of times, other vehicles backed up to a wider section of the track so we could pass. At one point, I pulled out of the way to let another vehicle pass and got a branch stuck under the car. I had to stop and clear it. :lol: There were two more water crossings along this section. We found out later the track was called Charlie's Creek. Look up "Charlie's Creek Georgia" if you are interested in seeing more info, photos or vids. I thought was fun, but it triggered Lori's anxiety. All these guys in 4x4 jeeps and trucks were probably WTFing at us in our Outback. :lol:

A few times, I was sure there were only three tires on the ground, including at this wash-out in a different area later on; putting X-mode through it's paces. At this point, Lori was driving when we came up on this. I made her stop and let me out so I could take a vid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHb7EbJNWUU

The rest of the trip was much more sedate. Although, we drove many miles on single-lane, dirt/gravel roads. I think we've confirmed that Raven lives up to its Wilderness title. :D

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Cam

October 9th, 2022, 12:31 PM

Also, we joked that we felt like we were in a Subaru ad, doing outdoor adventure stuff in our new car. :lol:

FaultyMario

October 9th, 2022, 12:55 PM

:rad:

Crazed_Insanity

October 9th, 2022, 04:00 PM

Awesome, but probably a bit too ‘wild’ for me and my family. :p

Kchrpm

October 9th, 2022, 04:38 PM

Also, we joked that we felt like we were in a Subaru ad, doing outdoor adventure stuff in our new car. :lol:

I was going to say, I thought no one did all the things those commercials show in their sedan/wagon-based crossovers, but I'm proven wrong! :)

Cam

October 9th, 2022, 04:56 PM

After a week-end away in the car, I have a few things to add to my experience driving it.

Navigation System: Sluggish to respond to inputs. I found it not intuitive to use. I could not figure out how to get directions to a town. As far as I can tell, you have to have a very specific address in that town in order for the system to work. Couldn't just tell it to go to, say, Columbia, SC. You would have to tell it to go to something like City Hall, Columbia, SC. I found that odd. Minor roads were nearly the same colour as the background, making it very difficult to see them. Browsing around the map is a frustrating endeavour. I have the same issue with the motorcycle GPS unit. If you already know where you want to go, it's great. If you want to figure stuff out as you go, it's not great. Basically, I wish it worked like Google Maps. :lol: (I understand that it can't work like Google Maps because of satellite vs cell data.)

Seats: Power adjustable in many directions, so you can find the perfect position. They are supportive and I never got fatigued over hours of driving. However, they are made from waterproof synthetic material. While that makes them easy to clean and they resist liquids, they don't breathe at all. They are very effective at trapping sweat. :lol: Lori really likes the heated seats. This morning it was about 5C (40F) when we got in the car. I turned the seat heater on low for 5 minutes, which is enough to make the seat not cold. That is as much as I can stand. My butt feels like it's on fire otherwise. Did I mention the sweat-trapping material?

Climate Control: Yesterday morning after driving for a bit, it started to get warm in the car. We turned on the climate control to 72-73F maybe. After a few minutes, I realized it was blowing hot air, despite the fact that the AC was on. I'm like, "It's 85 (F) in the car. Why is the heat on?" We had to turn it down to 65F to get cool air. It seemed to be a one-time thing, as the climate control seemed to work as expected the rest of the week-end.

I'll probably have more to add later.

Yw-slayer

October 9th, 2022, 08:45 PM

I remember reading that on some cars the temperature setting controls the temp of the air that is blown out, whole on others it controls the desired temperature inside ethe car.

Crazed_Insanity

October 9th, 2022, 09:16 PM

I’ve only had experience with Honda/Hyundai/Kia nav sys and none can compare to Google or Apple’s maps. I usually just stick with my phone’s map… and only rely on my car’s navigation if out of cell coverage. Carmakers really should just forget about competing with Apple or Google and just find a way to allow their cars to completely integrate with peoples phones somehow…

JoshInKC

October 10th, 2022, 05:13 AM

Yeah, I'm not a fan of the TomTom (?I think) branded navigation in our outback. As you said, it seems really sluggish and doesn't seem to do things the way I'd like. Fortunately, it will happily project googlemaps from my phone - Speaking of which - This is the mount (https://www.proclipusa.com/products/835561-proclip-console-mount-subaru-legacy-2020-20xx-subaru-outback-2020-20xx)I use, which is pretty nice if you need one.

Cam

October 10th, 2022, 06:11 AM

It has ApplePlay or whatever it's called, so it can display Google Maps from a phone. Alas, GMaps does not work without cell signal and we were in an area without cell service for a significant part of the day.

JoshInKC

October 10th, 2022, 08:46 AM

Huh... I've only had occasional issues with GPS disappearing when I'm in serious terrain or parking garages, it doesn't seem to mind when I'm out of cell service as I regularly am during the summers. I do download maps for offline use, though so that might have something to do with it.

Kchrpm

October 10th, 2022, 09:39 AM

Yes, Google Maps will work offline if you predownload maps. I think I have the entire state of Ohio downloaded, and it updates automatically every x months. If I have a trip saved in Google Travel, it will ask me a day beforehand if I want to save the maps for the destination area, as well. I don't remember if it includes the path on the way to the destination.

Cam

October 10th, 2022, 09:51 AM

Good to know. I'll look for that option next time I use GMaps.

Crazed_Insanity

October 10th, 2022, 10:08 AM

I prefer the visuals of Google maps, the way it shows traffic and satellite terrain and stuff, but I've found it a bit lacking around national parks. Route guidance would sometimes send me to go the long way...

Apple's map seems to have better route guidance and it also warns me with more details about which lane to take in order to properly prepare the upcoming turns. Fwys in WA seems way more complicated than CA's... I've often ended up missing my exists and getting on the wrong freeways with google maps... :p

Anyway, when planning a trip, it's probably a good idea to check your trip on multiple apps to make sure they're in agreement. None is perfect of course. If you're venturing offroad in the wild, it's probably good to have GPS on your car to be able to orient yourself when there's no cell signal.

Cam

October 10th, 2022, 10:50 AM

You could also drive the old-fashioned way and just watch the road and read the signs. :p

Crazed_Insanity

October 10th, 2022, 12:12 PM

You tent people are too wild for me man!

Cam

October 11th, 2022, 09:10 AM

Had the roof rack cross bars installed. Showed our salesman the above off-roading video. He was genuinely surprised, "That's your car?" :lol:

Cam

October 24th, 2022, 09:23 AM

Went camping and off-roading again this week-end.

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Cam

October 24th, 2022, 09:28 AM

The beeping from the adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning got to be a little too much, so we disabled the beeps.

Crazed_Insanity

October 24th, 2022, 09:30 AM

Nice pic! :up:

However, park it on the river bank or something next time... because although unpaved, I still see a 'road'. :p

Rainy season has begun at Seattle are so no more camping for me. Very jealous!

Cam

October 24th, 2022, 09:33 AM

Yes, allow me to correct myself. We went dirt-roading this week-end. ;)

dodint

October 24th, 2022, 09:33 AM

Love to see it.

Crazed_Insanity

October 24th, 2022, 10:16 AM

Yes, allow me to correct myself. We went dirt-roading this week-end. ;)

:lol:

BTW, a bit off topic, do you guys camp at campgrounds or do you seriously camp in the wilderness around the 'dirty roads'?

Cam

October 24th, 2022, 11:26 AM

We've done both. :D

Crazed_Insanity

October 24th, 2022, 12:12 PM

Wow! That’s cool! Don’t think my family could handle it… hence we need to tow a piece of civilization on a trailer with us while camping… :p

XHawkeye

October 24th, 2022, 03:43 PM

The beeping from the adaptive cruise control and lane departure warning got to be a little too much, so we disabled the beeps.

(Have a Toyota) Agree, lane departure is always off and have also turned off the beeps for adaptive cruise control. With the sensitivity to the lowest setting and being ready to mash the gas to override the unnecessary slowing down it's not too annoying but still more annoying the dumb cruise control.

Cam

November 20th, 2022, 02:35 PM

Lori and I have decided we loathe our infotainment system. It is very slow to respond to inputs and is cumbersome to use. The other day, I tapped one of the preset radio stations to change the music. Nothing happened, but I ignored it because I was driving in traffic. A full ten seconds later, I heard the beep, then the radio station changed. :erm: The delay is normally not that bad, but there is often a noticeable delay. It also disables the keyboard, including if you have a passenger. Not even the passenger can effectively use the navigation system when the car is moving. :rolleyes:

For example, we have to use the screen just to turn on the seat warmers in the front. The Forester, just had switches to turn them on and off and it was so easy. Now, we have to navigate the menu and tap the screen at least three times just to turn one on, then tap at least three times just to turn them off. They have a high, medium and low setting and you have to toggle between them. I never use the seat warmer on more than low, so I have to divert my attention, and tap the screen five times, just to turn it on low. Considering how sluggish the system is, it can take 5-10 seconds just to turn on the seat heater. Ironically, the rear seat heaters have a simple switch to turn them on and off. :erm:

There are other petty annoyances about it, but that is enough for now.

There is a slow leak in the right-rear tire. It was there when we bought the car, because they had to put air in the tire before we could drive it off the lot. Lori found the leak today. There appears to be a screw in the tread. This week, I have to contact the dealer and ask them to fix it. I feel that should have been fixed before the car was sold to us.

dodint

November 20th, 2022, 04:51 PM

Consider replacing it with an Android unit. That has worked well in moderning a few of my cars. In the case of the M6 it was plug and play.

George

November 21st, 2022, 10:01 AM

The Forester, just had switches to turn them on and off and it was so easy. Now, we have to navigate the menu and tap the screen at least three times just to turn one on, then tap at least three times just to turn them off. They have a high, medium and low setting and you have to toggle between them.

This is insanity. Nobody needs three settings for butt heaters, nor that kind of struggle to adjust them. Car manufacturers need to stop showing off and just make simple, reliable vehicles. I thought Subaru has always lead the way in that regard. :smh:

CudaMan

November 21st, 2022, 10:29 AM

My 328i has 3-setting seat heaters - with a single physical button and clear LED indicators as to the heat level. I think that's a good way to do it. Maybe the only easier method would be a toggle with HI on forward and LO rearward, or perhaps a dial with noticeable detents.

My sister is thinking about what her next car will be when/if her 490k-mile Fit goes away. She's interested in EVs but loathes screens. "Good luck" I say to her.

Kchrpm

November 21st, 2022, 11:19 AM

My 328i has 3-setting seat heaters - with a single physical button and clear LED indicators as to the heat level. I think that's a good way to do it.
The Vette is the same.

My sister is thinking about what her next car will be when/if her 490k-mile Fit goes away. She's interested in EVs but loathes screens. "Good luck" I say to her.
I seem to remember hearing that the Cadillac Lyriq has a good combo of touchscreens and buttons according to reviewers.

TheBenior

November 21st, 2022, 07:08 PM

My MK7.5 VW GTI and Mazda CX-5 also have the 3 heated settings with LED indicators activated by push buttons.

I'd probably be fine with high and low, I never use the middle setting. High until it heats up (the GTI seats heat up impressively quickly), then I either turn them off or go to low.

Cam

November 21st, 2022, 07:20 PM

Mighty Car Mods on YouTube just released their latest video comparing the latest model Golf to the previous generation. A big complaint was the infotainment system.

“Turn your car’s heat on just your feet.” Marty, driving the previous gen. took less than two seconds and only diverted his eyes off the road once to adjust the analogue controls. Moog, driving the newest gen. took almost ten seconds and diverted his eyes off the road 8 times to accomplish the same task.

Modern cars… Phooey. :thppt:

TheBenior

November 21st, 2022, 07:44 PM

The interior has a lot of MK7/7.5 Golf GTI/R owners saying that they'll hold on to their cars as long as possible.

The touch controls on the wheel are probably the biggest issue (which VW has said they'll move away from).

21Kid

November 22nd, 2022, 08:07 AM

We have one of each. The Pacifica has an infotainment system. And the Mustang has physical buttons. It still has an infotainment system for the stereo. But it's pretty user-friendly. It has Android Auto which works pretty well.

If you're already going to the dealer for the tire, I'd also ask them to look into that infotainment delay, Cam. That is not right. Maybe it needs an update or something?

Crazed_Insanity

November 22nd, 2022, 10:32 AM

Yeah, such long delays just doesn’t seem right. If that happens often, something must be wrong! Of course with computer electronics, these issues may just be intermittent… and we probably won’t be able to reproduce that at the dealership.

Anyway, I heard BMW’s gesture control works kinda well, but then if you like to gesture while talking, that might confuse the car… ;)

Auto makers really need to keep whatever works and not try to blindly copy Model 3.

HondaKid86

November 22nd, 2022, 12:29 PM

Hoping they'll have a firmware update soon to fix that, Cam. So frustrating that it's tied into real vehicle functions to the point you can't just sideload Chrome and call it done. Have you tried factory resetting the system?

Automakers need to understand that they're not infotainment software/firmware developers.

Ugh.

Cam

November 22nd, 2022, 01:23 PM

I've read several reviews for this car. Other users encounter the same problem; convoluted UI and sluggish response. It's not just our car. I am guessing that it is a brand-wide issue. Considering Mighty Car Mods' latest video, it may be a industry-wide issue. I do not have much experience with other modern cars. If SlipStrEm still hung out here, I'm sure he could give us more insight. Dude drives a different new car every day.

Crazed_Insanity

November 22nd, 2022, 03:25 PM

Legacy automakers also need to be able to have free over the air updates regularly if they really wish to copy Tesla.

This is nuts! If there are certain car features that are only accessible thru that screen, this is going to be a pain in the butt... or you're going to have cold butts in winter time! :p

Or perhaps this could be a hardware issue? Given that we have a chip shortage, I wonder if automakers cut certain corners with the limit supply of chips?

Our newest car is the 2017 Sorento. Was thinking of getting a new ride, but current inflated market makes me want to wait a couple more years... These dumb infotainment systems can be worrisome as well...

Cam

November 28th, 2022, 08:10 AM

I contacted the dealer about the slow leaking tire. I made my argument and asked them to repair it at no extra charge. The service tech replied and said that they do not repair tires at the dealership. They would have to replace it. That would mean replacing all four tires because it is AWD. He passed my message on to the sales manager and service manager so they can discuss my situation. I am waiting to hear back about what they are going to do.

I am inclined to just take the car to a local tire joint to have it plugged or patched. I hate generating waste. I think replacing all four tires that have tens of thousands of miles left in them is a terrible waste of people's time and resources. On the other hand, this problem should have been taken care of at the dealership before the sale.

Crazed_Insanity

November 28th, 2022, 10:18 AM

All true.

It is possible that dealerships just doesn't have the ability or the technician to plug or patch up tires. I can't believe they're actually contemplating replacing ALL 4 of your tires, but that's how stupid they can be at times... modern day dealerships can only service routine stuffs now. They can't really diagnose even simple problems anymore it seems... Maybe you can just offer to fix up your tires on your own with a local tire shop and ask them to reimburse the cost. Should be a lot cheaper for them than to replace all 4 tires.

CudaMan

November 28th, 2022, 10:56 AM

Yeah replacing all 4 tires if 3 of them are good (newish and plenty of tread) doesn't make any sense. Easiest thing to do might be to have your local tire shop plug it if they determine it's in a spot where it can be done (it can't be too close to the sidewall).

There are even plug kits that you can do yourself from the outside without removing the tire from the wheel, but I do not know how many years those hold up. I have run on them in competition immediately after patching them though. Much easier to do with wheel removed from vehicle btw.

Cam

November 28th, 2022, 11:41 AM

I have an emergency plug kit in the motorbike. I feel it is a last resort if I am in a bad spot. I would trust a tire service place more than I would trust myself to repair a tire. I have never done it before.

Back when we had the Impreza, there were a few things that required servicing that made me go hmm... The engine developed a misfire. The dealer simply replaced the whole ignition system rather than attempt to diagnose the problem. I figure replacing everything is the easier option. One of the CV joint boots cracked. Instead of just replacing the boot/joint, they replaced the entire axle, including CV joints on both ends. The part comes as all one unit. :shrug:

Cam

November 28th, 2022, 11:45 AM

George

November 28th, 2022, 11:54 AM

https://media.tenor.com/D-lrVEKr6usAAAAC/star-trek-scotty.gif

Yw-slayer

November 28th, 2022, 12:57 PM

Replacing stuff is what dealers do.

Cam

November 28th, 2022, 01:56 PM

Well, they have agreed to replace one tire. I was under the impression that you had to replace all four tires because of the AWD. I guess it's not that big a deal since they are only about 10% used.

TheBenior

November 28th, 2022, 04:23 PM

Judging by our Explorers at work over the last several years, it's largely a theoretical issue with modern AWD systems.

Godson

November 28th, 2022, 06:57 PM

Check the owners manual.

Most manufacturers have a variance, measured by tread-depth, that you are safe as long as it is within x/32nds of tire.

Most dealerships won't take the *risk* of that.

Your situation is funny, and not in a good way, because if they replace the one tire as described, and it falls outside of that variance, it could toast the transfer case. Possibly leaving you on the hook for repairs.

Check the manual, and verify.

Crazed_Insanity

November 28th, 2022, 09:18 PM

If Cam did absolutely nothing to the car and the car is now toast with its transfer case, why should Cam be on the hook? I’d think Subaru is on the hook for this… unless if the transfer case toasted much later outside of the warranty period due to the very slight variance?

Godson

November 28th, 2022, 09:26 PM

That's what I am saying.

The tire replacement may be perfectly acceptable, as long as it's within spec for replacing.

If it isn't, a problem may show up many years down the road after warranty has expired. While pointing the failure at the dealership would be next to impossible. This problem otherwise wouldn't be an issue if the proper knowledge is applied and followed.

I'm just trying to protect Cam from any possibility of issues.

Crazed_Insanity

November 29th, 2022, 07:30 AM

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tiretech/techpage.jsp?techid=18

Dug a little deeper into this because my Kia Sorento is my 1st ever AWD and will possibly encounter similar problem in the future.

Anyway, it seems tirerack can offer to shave your tire to match!

Cam

November 29th, 2022, 09:16 AM

I think it will be OK, as the tires are barely used and we are not hard on tires. They are replacing the leaking tire this afternoon.

Crazed_Insanity

November 29th, 2022, 09:33 AM

Try to measure your tread depths(new vs old) and see if they're really close enough. If not, maybe you can find some tire shavers to fix the issue? Godson's concern makes sense I suppose, especially if you want to keep the car longterm. If you don't plan on keeping the car longterm, then I suppose this should be okay.

Cam

December 17th, 2022, 05:43 PM

Getting back to the infortainment system, there is something I thought about today that did not occur to me before. You can use voice commands to control things. I have not tried it yet, but there is a possibility that I could use voice commands to turn on and off things like the climate control, seat heaters, radio, etc. I'll have to experiment the next time I drive the car. :scratchchin:

My experiments were unsuccessful. Voice commands appear to be limited to the radio, navigation system and phone, if you have one attached.

In other news, we are going on a road trip to Texas for a couple of weeks. See y'all in the new year!

JoshInKC

December 18th, 2022, 05:15 AM

Bummer that the voice commands don't work for that.
Have fun in TX - If you're going to the Big Bend region - Marfa, Alpine, etc, and want some recommendation of anything, let me know.

Cam

December 18th, 2022, 07:08 AM

We are going to Big Bend. We may also hit up Guadalupe Mtns. and Carlsbad Caverns. Please feel free to make suggestions.

The weather forecast is looking cold though. :thppt:

JoshInKC

December 18th, 2022, 08:39 AM

First, if you're going to be staying in area but not camping I highly suggest staying in Alpine unless there's a compelling reason to board anywhere else - it has the best availability of everything you might need (including food/restaurants) and lower prices than anywhere else. Plus, its a very cool little town with a ton of gallerys, fun little shops, and public art all over the place in downtown.
Everything in BBNP (hikes/drives) is beautiful and nice to visit - if the border is open and you want to cross, Boquillas is fun but can be a little expensive. Big Bend State Park is also pretty nice. Since I'm always down there in the summer I have no idea if it's currently possible or advisable, but the rafting/kayaking trips you can take down the Rio Grande are very cool.
If you've got an afternoon with nothing more important planned, I highly recommend taking a drive around the scenic loop west (higways 118 & 166) of Ft. Davis - It features a lot of great views, a nice hiking trail, the McDonald Observatory, and a ton of wildlife. More wildlife (including big horn sheep) and somewhat more intensive hiking is available at the Elephant Mountain wildlife management area south of Alpine - It's got incredible views from the top and sides.

Oh, and if you want a real cowboy hat or high quality leather goods go to big bend saddlery.
Finally, and probably most importantly - there are border patrol stations all over the place down there, so as foreign nationals I'd advise you to keep your papers handy whenever you're heading away from the border. They can be a real pain in the ass (especially the one south of Marfa where they do a lot of training)- I've been working with a couple of Canadians down there for a few years now, and it's a total crapshoot if the guards have ever even seen a .ca passport or if it'll be a problem. They do not hire the smartest people.

Cam

December 18th, 2022, 10:49 AM

Thank you. That is good info.

Cam

December 22nd, 2022, 03:47 PM

In Alpine, TX at the moment. We rolled in earlier today. Lori booked us three nights at a hotel here because the weather forecast was freakin’ cold. We originally planned on comping in the park, but it is supposed to be -13C tonight and below freezing the next several nights. Perfectly timed for our visit! :lol:

On our way out here, we took a quick detour to grab a photo outside Talledega Superspeedway. Then, we visited Barber Motosports Park and the Motorsports Museum. Once we got to Houston, we visited the Space Center.

We plan on visiting Big Bend NP for a few days, then Guadaloupe Mountains and Calsbad Caverns.

Car has been good. Ran at 80mph for a significant portion of the day. Got up to 95 passing a truck and it had no trouble getting there.

There is a whole lot of nothing out here.

Did I mention the infotainment system is a hot mess and the seats don’t breathe? :lol:

More later.

JoshInKC

December 22nd, 2022, 05:03 PM

Well, I hope you've at least got clear skies for the scenery, etc.
That sucks about the seats. The heated/vented seat were my wife's main priority in pushing up to the touring trim level - She hated how hot the leather in our cruze got in the summer.
And that drive through the permian basin (a 2-hour circle of midland/odessa) sucks bad - lots of terrible roads with utterly deranged oilfield traffic.

Godson

December 22nd, 2022, 05:19 PM

Heated and ventilated seats are a requirement for me...

Cam

December 23rd, 2022, 03:59 PM

I dipped my boots in the Rio Grande today. It is unusually cold here at the moment.

Cam

December 25th, 2022, 12:02 PM

Marfa, TX is a bizarre town.

Cam

December 25th, 2022, 06:38 PM

We decided to call it early. We are headed for home tomorrow. We were just debating if the trip was worth it. We are not sure. :shrug:

JoshInKC

December 26th, 2022, 04:55 AM

Marfa, TX is a bizarre town.

No shit. It feels like like there's nothing but rich instagram tourists between the deeply impoverished locals and the rich who moved there because of the arts scene. It is deeply strange.

JoshInKC

December 26th, 2022, 04:59 AM

We decided to call it early. We are headed for home tomorrow. We were just debating if the trip was worth it. We are not sure. :shrug:

It sucks that the weather wasn't better, that's really a very beautiful part of the country but it definitely loses something if you can't get out of the car for the cold. :(

Cam

December 26th, 2022, 07:55 AM

The cold certainly put a damper on the trip. We are on I-20 now. Only 20 hours to go. :lol:

West Texas is a dystopian landscape.

Crazed_Insanity

December 27th, 2022, 08:51 AM

At least Subaru has proven worthy of the extreme conditions! ;)

dodint

December 27th, 2022, 10:29 AM

My memory of West Texas was driving through after buying the Z4 in Arizona. The sun had just set and I had the top down. It was plenty warm enough but there were storms on the horizon that I was watching from a distance. It was almost a game, seeing how far I could go before I lost my nerve and hit one of the exit ramps so I could put up the top.

Cam

December 27th, 2022, 06:35 PM

We're back home safe after two 12-13 hour days in the car. Jeez, that was a whole lot of driving just to see one national park for two days. The fact that it was so cold did not help. We can camp when it is near freezing, and have several times, but any temps lower than about -2C (30F) is too cold for us. That meant we were staying at hotels almost the whole time. We camped two nights early on, but it was WAY too cold after that. We just wanted to be in the comfort of home and made a push the last few days to get back to Columbia. Now I have dock rock from being in a moving car all day for two days in a row.

The car performed very admirably overall. It is a well-performing car on and off road. We went on a couple of gnarly 4x4 tracks in Big Bend. Went 80mph in Texas all day without breaking a sweat. Good power when you need it. I don't even mind the CVT. It seems more responsive than a traditional auto.

Eff that damned infotainment system, but I've covered that already.
Me (attempting to use a voice command): "Navigate to [address]."
Car: "OK, I'll turn on the radio for you." :music:
Me: :angry:
(This was after several unsuccessful attempts by Lori to use voice commands. We felt like we were in a sitcom.)

We like the car. We just wish it had traditional analog controls for things.

Kchrpm

December 27th, 2022, 07:33 PM

Glad it performed so well mechanically, so frustrating that it continues to let you down in the software.

CudaMan

December 28th, 2022, 11:45 AM

How is it if you don't use voice control? I've heard that some voice control systems work better if you speak normally rather than slowing down and enunciating. I imagine you've tried that already.

Modern turbocharged 5-door vehicles really are versatile, especially AWD models with some ground clearance. Solid choice.

Cam

December 28th, 2022, 06:30 PM

I like that this thing will pretty much go anywhere and provide all the occupants with equal comfort. Even the rear seats are heated and recline.

At one point, Lori was attempting to use voice commands to navigate to an address. She tried unsuccessfully twice. I tried it and it worked immediately. Later, she was having the same trouble. I tried and was not successful. When it works, it's great! Unfortunately, that is only about 30% of the time. Just let the passenger use the keyboard, FFS! :angry:

Cam

February 19th, 2023, 04:26 PM

Raven came with three trial months of satellite radio. Just before our trial expired, we started get spam letters and calls (like five calls a week :rolleyes:) from the company to renew. We ignored them, of course. I eventually blocked them on my phone and I immediately shred the weekly snail-mail offers.

Lori and I went out for breakfast this morning. I started the car and put the radio on the local university radio station. We got about 30 seconds out of the driveway and the radio automatically switched to an ad station for the satellite radio service. I think that is vile. :|

Now I have to figure out how to somehow uninstall the sat radio service app, if I even can.

CudaMan

February 20th, 2023, 10:44 AM

Maybe I got lucky, but when I had the Juke in 2014 I don't remember being inundated with spam about it. I did get a call from a nice lady who wanted me to renew the subscription at my cost, of course. She actually talked to me like a human (so refreshing) and we worked out a deal, I think it was like $30 total for 6 more months of satellite radio. I only had the car 1 year so I just went without for the last 3 months.

samoht

February 22nd, 2023, 03:16 PM

Shame about the radio issue. A little google only brought up a suggestion that you could tune the satellite channels to channel 0 and then they might be silent, but not sure if that was just on older Subarus.

If the radio goes on being that annoying then I'm sure it'll motivate someone somewhere to find a workaround and share it!

JoshInKC

February 22nd, 2023, 03:36 PM

Lori and I went out for breakfast this morning. I started the car and put the radio on the local university radio station. We got about 30 seconds out of the driveway and the radio automatically switched to an ad station for the satellite radio service. I think that is vile. :|

Now I have to figure out how to somehow uninstall the sat radio service app, if I even can.
That's insanely lame. We certainly didn't experience that or I'd have never recommended subaru to anyone.

Crazed_Insanity

February 23rd, 2023, 11:18 AM

I'm sure it doesn't profit Subaru to make ad listening mandatory. Real culprit is probably the sat radio company.

Perhaps it's a good idea to let Subaru know about this BS and if possible, do a recall fix if Subaru wish to keep its customers.

Cam

July 5th, 2023, 03:51 AM

The paint is peeling off the back bumper. When I say paint I mean what appears to be vinyl wrap. :erm:

CudaMan

July 5th, 2023, 09:07 AM

What! Is there a wrapped section that's like matte or satin black instead of gloss clearcoat or something?

Cam

August 24th, 2023, 03:55 AM

Every time we take a road trip, we loathe our infotainment system even more, especially the navigation.

dodint

August 24th, 2023, 06:07 AM

I just use my phone.

Cam

August 24th, 2023, 06:39 AM

dodint

August 24th, 2023, 07:13 AM

I meant I use my phone. I put my phone in a cup holder and plug it into a charger.

I used to be really into onboard navigation systems. I retrofitted them into Dodge Intrepid's and Neons back in the day, and always insisted on having one in any BMW that I bought after that. Then Google Maps/Wave blew past their capabilities so now...I just use my phone.

Yw-slayer

August 24th, 2023, 07:59 AM

The problem with using the phone is that you cannot use CarPlay and listen to music from a USB stick* at the same time.

*I have my entire music library on a USB memory stick.

In other news, I had the car in for service and to talk about the peeling paint. The service manager told me they would take care of it. They have since ghosted me, despite me leaving a phone message and e-mailing.

Couldn't you just buy a phone with 512gb-1tb storage and put your entire music library on it, then play it off your phone via carplay?

Sorry to hear about the peeling paint.

Cam

June 26th, 2024, 08:02 AM

I guess I never updated the bumper situation. Service manager claimed he lost my info. :rolleyes: Rrriiiiggghhht... Long story short, we finally got it taken care of after repeatedly bugging them about it.

More recently, I took the car to our new-to-us local dealership for regular service. When I first rolled in, I told them to give me a regular service. The rep suggested I get a wheel alignment. The car only has 20,000 miles on it. I am pretty sure it did not need a wheel alignment at that time, so I declined. I waited for my car to be serviced in the waiting area. A rep asked to talk to me about a "concern" and that they recommend a wheel alignment. I politely declined again. They finished, I paid and left. A few days later, I got an e-mail from the dealer recommending a wheel alignment. WTF? They claim that Subaru recommends a wheel alignment every 12,000 miles. I've owned Subies, and always had them serviced at the dealer, for almost 20 years and I've never heard of that. Sounds like the dealer is just trying to make work for themselves.

Did I mention the navigation system is awful?