2005 Legacy 3.0R VDC

[Chauncey Gardiner]

I recently bought a Legacy Outback sedan, the 3.0R, having been told
that it had Vehicle Dynamics Control, but now I'm starting to wonder.
Reading the owner's manual, I see that there is supposed to be a VDC
light that comes on when you start the car, to indicate that VDC is
operational. No light. And, there is supposed to be an off switch for
the VDC- no switch.

Today we had some stability problems in the snow, which tends to
confirm my worry.

If I have no VDC, I would not suspect intentional misrepresentation on
the part of the salesman; from what I can tell, the 3.0R is one of the
models that has it, though perhaps it is not standard.

So here are my questions- if anyone knows:

(1) Was VDC standard on the 2005 Legacy Outback Sedan 3.0R? Maybe it's
just not working. (The car is still on warranty.)

(2) If it has no VDC, can it be added? Or, is this a factory option?

Thanks for your help!

 

[tcassette]

You were apparently mislead by the salesman. The 2005 Outback 3.0R sedan
did not offer VDC. See
http://www.cars101.com/subaru/outback/outback2005.html.

Adding it would probably be cost-prohibitive, given the price difference
shown between Outback wagon models with and without VDC.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Hi! Thanks for your response.

New name Outback 3.0R sedan and wagon replaces VDC but might still be
unofficially called the VDC. Note: the only badging is 3.0R (no VDC
anywhere in it)

Is this what you were referring to? It looks to me like this is
talking about the badging, though it could be saying there is no VDC on
the car...

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Reading on, I see that the page you gave does distinguish between the
3.0R and the 3.0R VDC, although apparently the badge doesn't indicate
which model you have, that is, "VDC" does not appear on the badge of
the model that has it, from what I can tell.

The price difference between the models seems to be about $2200.

 

[bigjimpack]

You got ripped. Used car salesmen tell you anything to get you to
buy. If you can find anything representing the car has VDC go back
get your money back or sue.

 

[Dano58]

I recently bought a Legacy Outback sedan, the 3.0R, having been told
that it had Vehicle Dynamics Control, but now I'm starting to wonder.
Reading the owner's manual, I see that there is supposed to be a VDC
light that comes on when you start the car, to indicate that VDC is
operational. No light. And, there is supposed to be an off switch for
the VDC- no switch.

Today we had some stability problems in the snow, which tends to
confirm my worry.

If I have no VDC, I would not suspect intentional misrepresentation on
the part of the salesman; from what I can tell, the 3.0R is one of the
models that has it, though perhaps it is not standard.

So here are my questions- if anyone knows:

(1) Was VDC standard on the 2005 Legacy Outback Sedan 3.0R? Maybe it's
just not working. (The car is still on warranty.)

(2) If it has no VDC, can it be added? Or, is this a factory option?

Thanks for your help!

Looks like only the top-of-the-line Limited Outback wagon could be had
with VDC. See -

http://www.edmunds.com/used/2005/subaru/outback/index.html

So, your car has no stability control. And unless you got it in
writing that your salesman told you the car had VDC, I doubt you can
get anything from them on that. And stability control is not one of
those things you can add in the aftermarket. Because it uses a variety
of sensors and electronic controls to manage the engine power, brakes,
etc., it would be impossible to add-on effectively. And frankly, I am
not sure that I would want to use it in heavy snow. I would rather be
able to control the car in the traditional manner under those
conditions (i.e., allowing some wheel slip to maintain momentum).

Dan D
'99 Impreza 2.5 RS (son's)
Central NJ USA

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

So, your car has no stability control. And unless you got it in
writing that your salesman told you the car had VDC, I doubt you can
get anything from them on that.

You are probably right. But, if I am correct that this was an honest
mistake on his part, maybe he will help me out anyway.

etc., it would be impossible to add-on effectively. And frankly, I am
not sure that I would want to use it in heavy snow. I would rather be
able to control the car in the traditional manner under those
conditions (i.e., allowing some wheel slip to maintain momentum).

What's nice about the Subaru VDC is that it has an off switch, so you
could turn it off in the snow.

I paid a bit more than I wanted to, buying a top of the line 2005
model, in order to get the VDC, as this car is for a teenage driver.
All of the kids that are dying around here are having trouble keeping
their cars on the curvy mountain roads, even when there is no snow. I
am disappointed, to say the least.

Thanks...

 

[bigjimpack]

Maybe they're dying because parents buy them expensive late model cars
and the kids never learned what it's like to sweat and bleed to earn
something. That may be the real reason. Kids will do stupid things
but less often if they've put their heart into something. If my
parents bought me a newish carin high school I'd probably crash it
too. Then expect parents to buy me another.

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Maybe they're dying because parents buy them expensive late model cars

They're crashing old POS's too. I think it has more to do with (1)
their failure to understand the laws of physics, and (2) their
assumption that they are immortal.

One young lass here ran her car into a tree at 70 mph when she failed
to negotiate a turn. I doubt she was thinking, Oh well, my folks will
buy me a new one. VDC might have kept her alive. I spent more than I
would have liked, but I wouldn't want something to happen to my child
and think, if only I had gotten the VDC...

Usually I give my kids my hand-me-downs. But, somehow I didn't think
the WRX would be appropriate for a 16 year old.

'Course, it's back to the drawing board now.

Probably what kept me alive in high school is the '62 Fairlane my folks
gave me. 0-60 in maybe 20 seconds- as long as you were going downhill.

Regards,
c..

 

[KLS]

Probably what kept me alive in high school is the '62 Fairlane my folks
gave me. 0-60 in maybe 20 seconds- as long as you were going downhill.

Now THAT was a car! A highschool sweetheart drove one of those and
let me try it. The steering column shift was interesting, and the
thing had NO pickup, but I really liked it!

 

[Chauncey Gardiner]

Now THAT was a car! A highschool sweetheart drove one of those and
let me try it. The steering column shift was interesting, and the
thing had NO pickup, but I really liked it!

Heheh... You know, I did too. It was a nice looking car. Fins were
starting to go out of style, so they were just barely there. I like
boxy.

Mine had a 200 cubic inch engine, if I recall corrrectly, and according
to my calculations, that works out to 3.277 liters, or more than half
again the capacity of my WRX. How far we have come...