Good Subaru mechanic in Raleigh / Cary

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Trent Mason

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Trent Mason
Check engine light just came on in the Subaru. :BangHead::BangHead::BangHead: It still seems to be driving the same, but it might be worth taking it to get it looked at. Anyone have any good recommendations? :help:

About the only things I know how to do on a car are, put air in the tires, change a tire, check the fluids and wash/detail them. :embaresse
 

tjgreen

New User
Tim
Bet you a raffle ticket it's an O2 sensor - same thing happened to my wife's Forester a week ago. Autozone will pull the code and tell you for free.
 

Tarhead

Mark
Corporate Member
+1 on Autozone or Advance Auto. They will connect a code reader to the jack under your dash and then tell you what's wrong for free. Technology is a wonderful thang!:banana:
 

Trent Mason

New User
Trent Mason
Guess I forgot to mention that it is a '97 Legacy with about 121,000 miles on it. Will they still be able to help at Autozone?

We're borrowing it from Christy's folks until [STRIKE]we get a second car[/STRIKE] I get a truck. I'd really hate to dump a ton of money into it since we're not going to have it that long (hopefully). We've only had it for a few months and the only thing I've noticed is that the rotors are a little warped (steering wheel shakes when you apply the brake) and that when you back out of a parking space and put it into drive, the idle kind've flutters, but the car doesn't cut off. I'll definitely plan on taking it to Autozone tomorrow, and hopefully they'll be able to tell me what the problem is. :eusa_pray
 

GeorgeL

New User
George
Guess I forgot to mention that it is a '97 Legacy with about 121,000 miles on it. Will they still be able to help at Autozone?

We're borrowing it from Christy's folks until [STRIKE]we get a second car[/STRIKE] I get a truck. I'd really hate to dump a ton of money into it since we're not going to have it that long (hopefully). We've only had it for a few months and the only thing I've noticed is that the rotors are a little warped (steering wheel shakes when you apply the brake) and that when you back out of a parking space and put it into drive, the idle kind've flutters, but the car doesn't cut off. I'll definitely plan on taking it to Autozone tomorrow, and hopefully they'll be able to tell me what the problem is. :eusa_pray

Trent,

(After deleting my first, anti-AZ post :BangHead:)

If you would like me to scan your vehicle for you give me a call in the morning and you can bring it by my shop. I'm in Raleigh just off Capital between Millbrook and Spring Forest. I can also point you in the right direction as far as diagnosis is concerned. I "may" also be able to get you a discount on quality parts from an NC based company. :icon_thum

If tomorrow doesn't work for you I can always bring a scan-tool home over the weekend.

George
(919) 601-7366
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
120,000 miles is nothing for a subie, probably needs a tune up though. definately don't take it to a dealer, sounds like George has the plan. I wish I could find a great mechanic.

My 2004 Forester has 222,500 miles and runs great. But I would like to get some preventative work done.
 

tjgreen

New User
Tim
Yep, my wife's Forester has 130k, still going strong. George, I'll have to add you to my list, always looking for quality parts at a discount.

Word of warning: if you don't want to put a ton of money in I'd avoid the dealer in Raleigh. Last year my wife's Forester had a bad wheel bearing. Called the big Subaru dealer in Raleigh to ask how much to press out the old bearing and press in the new one, quoted me something like $150. That seemed high, so I called a machine shop, who quoted me $39. I asked if they'd ever done a Subaru wheel bearing. Oh sure, they said, they did all the ones for the dealer in Raleigh. :wsad:
 

Mike Davis

Mike
Corporate Member
Don't get me started on wheel bearings. Suffice it to say if they don't do it right it can end up costing a fortune. Certain models require a tapered bearing insertion tool that most dealers don't have.

I went through 5 sets of rear bearings in a year then I called Subaru Nation Service center and they made the dealer replace my rear hubs.

Those bearings cost around $25 a set wholesale but the dealer gets anywhere from $150 to $500 each.
 

RandyJ

New User
Randy
Before you spend any money on it, have you checked to see if the gas cap is tightened properly?
This causes more problems than most people realize. Some shops will charge for O2 sensors when all they did was tighten the gas cap.:realmad:
 

Gotcha6

Dennis
Staff member
Corporate Member
I'd also hazard that the Throttle Body needs cleaning. A simple procedure with a spray can of Throttle Body Cleaner. Also, check your air & fuel filters. May need changing. OBDII scan codes are the same for all autos 1996 & later. They can be pretty specific too. I once had one tell me the #4 spark plug was misfiring. Yup. Sure enough, that was it. :thumbs_up
 

Trent Mason

New User
Trent Mason
Thanks for the advice everyone. Oddly enough, the check engine light cut off on the way to George's shop yesterday. Still ran it by though, and George was nice enough to test it for me. Turned out to be something very minor. Randy, you weren't far off on the gas cap. That's what we initially thought it was, but it ended up being something else. A huge thanks to George and to all of you for pointing me in the right direction. :notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:

I was very relieved to find out the good news about the car. Then I came home and my laptop had kicked the bucket. :eusa_doh: Boy, if they don't get ya somewhere, they get ya somewhere else. :gar-La;
 
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