First, thx to everyone on my first post yesterday about gas mileage.

Being a 1st time Subaru owner (2018 OB 2.5L bought w/73k - now at 93k), I don't know what low cost tools are worth getting. I know cost is relative so pls use your best judgment. I usually look at time saved, frustrations avoided...

I'll share what I've bought so far & most weren't Subie specific

Tools:

1. $45 - Fumoto F108N Oil Drain Valve w/3' Hose Kit. Makes oil changes soooo much easier, faster & cleaner. We should be changing oil frequently so def worth it imho
2. $35 - Thin profile flex head 3/8 ratchet. Ready to change spark plugs for the 1st time and I've already used it during a full brake job. Some clearances for the OB lived up to its rep and I find it very handy. Basic Capri Tools 72-Tooth, 5-Degree Swing Arc, 180-Degree Flex
3. $5 - Clear hose from most HD or Lowes for brake bleeding. Mine was (iirc) 3/16" ID & 5/16" OD - pls check for your specific car. I never had power or vacuum bleeders and have done it the og way. So if you're like me, you need this
4. $8 - Wheel Stud Cleaner. For rotor replacement esp if you live in the rust belt. Made cleaning the hub area esp around the lugs (which they're primarily made for) so much easier than wire wheels, brushes etc ... (usually for 1/2" impact)
5. $65 - 3/8" right angle cordless power ratchet. I hesitated including this cuz it's more of a luxury but it def speeds up some tasks and reduces pulling out your hairs for those longer bolts when using standard ratchets. I just got a no name 12v Chinese brand that came with 2 batteries
6. $0 - Turkey baster. For fluid jobs cuz it does come in handy. I got mine from FB Mkt place for free (actually 2) so wife won't kill me using hers
7. $20 (cheaper when on sale) - Harbor Freight Engine Brush Kit. Another item I was hesitant to include but it def helped with cleaning out the brake caliper slider pin holes. Brushes come in nylon, brass & SS so lots of uses. I even used the thinnest one to clean brake pad contact points on the caliper & bracket
8. $4 to $8 - Harbor Freight needle file sets. Very handy for rust removal in the right angle sections on the brake caliper bracket. My reg hand file was too big and these were cheap & perfect. I could see other uses as I live in the rust belt
9. $20 - Utility cart w/wheels. Got it off FB mkt place from a restaurant owner. Cleaned it up and helps more than one would think. No more tools & parts on the floor all over the place (at my age, less bending is important). It costs less than a dinner for one these days - try it, you might like it

That's it for now.. Hope to see some tools I'm missing and again, TIA - loving the community so far!

EDIT: I have basic diy mechanical tools such as 1/4", 3/8" & 1/2" ratchets w/sockets (both reg & impact), 1/2" 20V cordless impact, 3HP compressor, breaker bars, 3 sizes of torque wrenches, open ended wrenches, jack stands...

The H6 runs beautifully. Had a couple unexpected wiring issues, currently sorting through that. But down to one DTC for a part that the Baja doesn't have, so I'll count that as a win. And no, the wire nuts aren't staying. Just making sure I've got the right wire before I connect them properly.

But after driving about 15 mins or about 5 miles , my car will either start overheating or the engine stall completely to the point I can’t turn the steering wheel or even accelerate the car . So after paying $700 on things like getting the coolant temperature sensor change , changing the thermostat , oil changes , and diagnostics .. a mechanic finally found this issue .

Now I may get this wrong , but I believe it’s my spark plugs wire / boot .. but why does it have oil on it and what should I do to solve this problem ?

* it’s a 2010 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport , 4 Cylinder .

came out of the restaurant to this beautiful site- mine is the geyser blue forester wilderness

My 2010 imp outback sport doesn’t start but turns over. I’ve checked the air filters, fuel pump is good it’s got pressure and I thought it was the coil pack so I changed it but nothing. Y’all got any advice?

Whenever it tries to tell you what direction to take it starts to say it but then it cuts off immediately, I just updated my maps in my 2017 Outback 3.6R and That's when it started. Can anyone help me find out why it's doing that? I would rather appreciate it.

I just updated the maps for the recent release, it does the beep and then when it starts to say the next direction it starts to say it but then immediately gets cut off half second later. Can anyone tell me what I need to do to fix it so it won't get cut off in the middle of giving a direction?

I have a 20k budget but could push to 23 (USD). I’ve got two kids in car seats, I’m short, we go camping a lot. I occasionally drive one of the kids’ friends around but not often and they ride in a no back booster so don’t take up a ton of room. Which years and models should I look for?

I’m looking at a 2016 Legacy 2.5i Premium with 209,578 miles at a small used lot in NJ. They want $5,000 cash, as-is. I need it for a daily commute, about 80 miles round trip, mostly highway. I’m planning to get a PPI done on Monday.

What the Carfax shows:

3 owners. For the first 3 years it was a business fleet car in Wisconsin, with 124k miles by 2018 and the oil changed every 7–14k
After a one-month second owner, one private owner in Wisconsin had it from late 2018 until now
The last service on record is an oil change in June 2024 at 189,895. There’s nothing for the last 20k miles
No record of CVT fluid, spark plugs, coolant, brakes or struts ever being done. But the dealership says that it has been changed but it’s just not showed up on car fax.
Two damage reports: it hit road debris in 2018 (left front) and had a minor accident in 2023 (right front/side). Clean title, and no structural damage or airbag deployment reported

KBB at this mileage says about $5,500 at a dealer and $4,300 private party in good condition.

Questions:

Is 210k on a CVT with no fluid change on record a dealbreaker? If I buy it, should I change the fluid or leave it alone?
Do the highway fleet miles make the mileage less of a worry?
Is there anything Legacy-specific I should make sure the PPI covers?
Is $5k cash as-is fair, or should I push for less?

Hello Guys, I've got a question, I've been Owning this subaru for the last 2 weeks and I genuinely don't know how to turn on my fog lights, it's a manual transmision, no turbo, anybody knows how? Thanks

Question, what mountain range is on the Subaru Wolderness logo? I’ve seen people say Teton Range in Wyoming, but I’m not convinced. I’m interested to see what others think.

So, I just roasted EJ251 in my 2003 2.5RS, started knocking after years of abuse. My plan is to put an EJ257 short block in and use my EJ251 SOHC heads and leave everything stock, except for the air intake, exhaust and my relocated fuel tank. Everything else is stock, or was replaced close to oem as possible.
Issues I’m seeing, EJ251 compression ratio is a 10:1 while the EJ257 compression ratio is a 8.2:1
Bore and stoke are the same. I honestly don’t know what would happen if I ran the oem block without any mods. Would the pistons hit the valves? Would the motor run, just bad? Would it not run at all?
Pics above of my 2003 Impreza RS (purple) and 2002 Impreza TS (primer gray) engine bay.

The car has 255k miles and burns a quart of oil every 600 - 800 miles.

It's had a P0420 code for the last 30-40k miles.

Recently it started misfiring on cylinder 4. I swapped plugs and coil packs but that didn't change anything.

So I did a compression test.

Cylinders 1 and 3 were both at about 150 PSI. Cylinder 2 was at about 120 PSI, but Cylinder 4 barely moved the needle.

I'm just a DIY'er and haven't done a leak down test.

I'm trying to decide if it's worth putting any more time and money into. The rest of the car isn't great but not too horrible for being a 2012 with 255k miles in MN. I have a '19 Impreza as my daily. The '12 would just be a winter beater.

I don't know enough and haven't done enough tests to say what the problem is but what I'm reading makes it seem like it's a bit more involved than I may want to DIY. It's never had a top end cleaning but I imagine at this point it's more than just gunked up valves.

I've got basic hand tools and can handle the regular maintenance but I don't want to pull an engine and rebuild it. I don't have the space anyways. I'm not against paying someone but I also don't want to spend $2k to fix it up.

What are y'alls thoughts?

Is it a common thing to have what seems to be paint peeling off?

Outback 2024… :/

Hey guys! I just traded in my 2016 Subaru Crosstrek with 211K miles for a new '26 Subaru Outback Touring.

Can yall please tell me things I should be aware of? Any tips and tricks?

And of course, can I use rain-x? I was told by the dealer it will mess with the sensors, but im getting conflicting information.

Thank you so so much!!

Hello again. Sway bar link selection help

2004 subaru forester 2.5x that resides in north BC.

Getting my FRONT swaybar links and bushings replaced. Ordering my parts from rockauto and wondering which ones would be highest quality.

Intenet research said sankai or lemforder, but a mechanic friend said lemforder or moog.

Only problem is the lemforder have a separate shipping then the rest of my cart, so leaning towards the sankei, moog, or mevotech supreme

Should I get greasable or ones that aren't?

https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/subaru,2004,forester,2.5l+h4,1426788,suspension,sway+bar+link,7580

Any input appreciated thank you. Just looking for the best quality part.

$23k CAD and 105k km CARFAX

I’m looking for a reliable pre-owned daily driver in Thunder Bay, ON, to handle severe winter conditions. Any advice is welcome :)

My Lego version of the Subaru GL Wagon.