Z
Zack
As I've mentioned in a previous post, I had to get four new tires for
my '90 Legacy auto AWD wagon. I had them installed by a local tire
discount place, and had them do a 4-wheel alignment. Afterwards, they
told me they were unable to properly align the left front wheel for
camber (spec is -.5 to +.5 degrees, best they could get was 1.3
degrees. They suggested that either the frame or a suspension member
was probably bent. Unfortunately, I suspect they are right - there
has been uneven wear on the outside of the two tires which have been
rotated to the left front. Additionally, I know that the car was
involved in a fender-bender on the left-front shortly before I
purchased it. Oddly enough, the car has always driven fine (no
vibrations, doesn't pull to left or right) and is driving even more
smoothly with the new tires and alignement.
I spoke with the Subie dealer I trust, and the service manager thought
the most likely possibility was a bent strut (although until I bring
the car in he obviously can't do more than guess). The struts are
original with over 150,000 miles on them, so I guess I can't say that
they aren't overdue for a change.
The problem is that although I love this car and it is very reliable,
it's really not worth much more than the $2000 I paid for it two years
ago. Car ownership is a luxury for me -- I don't actually need to own
a car -- and it's difficult to justify putting a great deal of money
into maintenance.
Two questions:
1 Given the age of the sturts, I assume that if I replace the left
front I should also replace the right front. Can I get away with just
replacing the fronts, or would it be a bad idea to have front and rear
struts which don't match (they'd all be Subaru OEM struts, but with a
signficant age difference between front and rear!)
2. The dealer quoted me roughly $250 per strut, including labor and
(I assume) alignment. I am completely confident that they would do
the job right. The local Sears auto service center quoted me $375 to
replace both front struts, and $683 to replace all four, including
alignment. Sears also mentioned that there would be an additional $56
charge per strut if the mounts need to be replaced, I'm not sure if
new mounts were included in the dealer's quote. Do Subie struts
require any Subie-specific skills to install, and would you trust
someone who doesn't do a lot of work on Subies to do the installation?
I'm bringing the car to the dealer next week to determine if in fact a
bent strut is the problem. If difference in price turns out to be
less than $100 or so I'll just have the dealer do the work, but if the
difference turns out to be several hundred dollars I'm not sure what
to do. And of course, I suppose I could just live with the camber
mis-alignment and live with the accelerated tire wear...
Thanks in advance for all advice!
Zack
'90 Legacy auto AWD wagon 155,000 miles
my '90 Legacy auto AWD wagon. I had them installed by a local tire
discount place, and had them do a 4-wheel alignment. Afterwards, they
told me they were unable to properly align the left front wheel for
camber (spec is -.5 to +.5 degrees, best they could get was 1.3
degrees. They suggested that either the frame or a suspension member
was probably bent. Unfortunately, I suspect they are right - there
has been uneven wear on the outside of the two tires which have been
rotated to the left front. Additionally, I know that the car was
involved in a fender-bender on the left-front shortly before I
purchased it. Oddly enough, the car has always driven fine (no
vibrations, doesn't pull to left or right) and is driving even more
smoothly with the new tires and alignement.
I spoke with the Subie dealer I trust, and the service manager thought
the most likely possibility was a bent strut (although until I bring
the car in he obviously can't do more than guess). The struts are
original with over 150,000 miles on them, so I guess I can't say that
they aren't overdue for a change.
The problem is that although I love this car and it is very reliable,
it's really not worth much more than the $2000 I paid for it two years
ago. Car ownership is a luxury for me -- I don't actually need to own
a car -- and it's difficult to justify putting a great deal of money
into maintenance.
Two questions:
1 Given the age of the sturts, I assume that if I replace the left
front I should also replace the right front. Can I get away with just
replacing the fronts, or would it be a bad idea to have front and rear
struts which don't match (they'd all be Subaru OEM struts, but with a
signficant age difference between front and rear!)
2. The dealer quoted me roughly $250 per strut, including labor and
(I assume) alignment. I am completely confident that they would do
the job right. The local Sears auto service center quoted me $375 to
replace both front struts, and $683 to replace all four, including
alignment. Sears also mentioned that there would be an additional $56
charge per strut if the mounts need to be replaced, I'm not sure if
new mounts were included in the dealer's quote. Do Subie struts
require any Subie-specific skills to install, and would you trust
someone who doesn't do a lot of work on Subies to do the installation?
I'm bringing the car to the dealer next week to determine if in fact a
bent strut is the problem. If difference in price turns out to be
less than $100 or so I'll just have the dealer do the work, but if the
difference turns out to be several hundred dollars I'm not sure what
to do. And of course, I suppose I could just live with the camber
mis-alignment and live with the accelerated tire wear...
Thanks in advance for all advice!
Zack
'90 Legacy auto AWD wagon 155,000 miles