bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 9:47:47 GMT -5
...if I should get a new/used car or keep driving the current one. My car is a 1995 subaru and has 115K miles. I would love to keep it until it reaches 130K miles. The problem with the car is idle speed is too low which causes it to stall sometimes. Several things were done but didn't solve the problem. I haven't taken it to a subaru dealer yet because it's 40 miles away. Due to its age, is it time to get a new car? or because of the mileage, keep driving it?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 9:50:44 GMT -5
how often does it stall?
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deantrip
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Post by deantrip on Sept 10, 2013 9:53:21 GMT -5
Did they check for breaks in the vacuum tubes, if there is one, when you are idling it very well might die, but works fine up to speed.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 10:04:49 GMT -5
It's intermittent - multiple times a day to none for weeks. It didn't stall when they tested drive.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Sept 10, 2013 10:05:28 GMT -5
At 115K miles, I'd keep it - IMO that's only "high mileage" for a pre-2000s American car. Assuming you've taken care of it, your car should be good for at least another 75K.
Now, if they quote you $8K in repairs, it's a different story - but I doubt that will happen. If it really is just an idle issue, that's an easy/cheap fix.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 10:07:34 GMT -5
Did they check for breaks in the vacuum tubes, if there is one, when you are idling it very well might die, but works fine up to speed. Vacuum leak was checked. MAF sensor, MAP sensor, and IAC valve look good. Throttle body, IAC valve and EGR were cleaned. Air filter, fuel filter and spark plugs were replaced.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 10:16:46 GMT -5
At 115K miles, I'd keep it - IMO that's only "high mileage" for a pre-2000s American car. Assuming you've taken care of it, your car should be good for at least another 75K. Now, if they quote you $8K in repairs, it's a different story - but I doubt that will happen. If it really is just an idle issue, that's an easy/cheap fix. I took it to 2 different shops multiple times but they couldn't figure out which part is bad. Called a 3rd shop and explained the problem but they didn't want to work on it.
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sesfw
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Post by sesfw on Sept 10, 2013 10:18:36 GMT -5
Do you get gas at just one brand station or do you change stations? Could be water or condensation in the fuel. Buy a can of 'dry gas' or a gas treatment and put it in just before you do a fill-up. Just a thought.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 10:19:24 GMT -5
can you give it a little gas at idle to stop it from stalling?
Is it an annoyance or a safety issue?
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 10:24:40 GMT -5
Do you get gas at just one brand station or do you change stations? Could be water or condensation in the fuel. Buy a can of 'dry gas' or a gas treatment and put it in just before you do a fill-up. Just a thought. I get gas at different places. Fuel injector cleaner was added to it twice but it didn't help.
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Sept 10, 2013 10:29:11 GMT -5
At 115K miles, I'd keep it - IMO that's only "high mileage" for a pre-2000s American car. Assuming you've taken care of it, your car should be good for at least another 75K. Now, if they quote you $8K in repairs, it's a different story - but I doubt that will happen. If it really is just an idle issue, that's an easy/cheap fix. I took it to 2 different shops multiple times but they couldn't figure out which part is bad. Called a 3rd shop and explained the problem but they didn't want to work on it. So take it to the dealer.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 10:36:26 GMT -5
can you give it a little gas at idle to stop it from stalling? Is it an annoyance or a safety issue? Whenever possible I try to put it in neutral to prevent it from stalling. It's annoying and I don't feel comfortable to drive out of town or long distance. If it doesn't get fix I'm afraid it'll cause more problems.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 10, 2013 10:38:01 GMT -5
can you give it a little gas at idle to stop it from stalling? Is it an annoyance or a safety issue? Whenever possible I try to put it in neutral to prevent it from stalling. It's annoying and I don't feel comfortable to drive out of town or long distance. If it doesn't get fix I'm afraid it'll cause more problems. Then get rid of it.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 10, 2013 12:38:24 GMT -5
I would make one more attempt at getting it repaired. If you go into Click and Clack's web site, they can refer you to a mechanic that deals specifically with Subarus. I'm in the PNW and know of 2 that are really good and deal only with Subarus. If you are interested, PM me and I'll provide you with names and numbers.
You should be able to get 200,000 miles out of that Subaru if the body's in good shape.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Sept 10, 2013 12:51:11 GMT -5
JMHO I would take it to the dealer to try and get this resolved. If it is in otherwise good shape, you should have at least another 85,000 miles on it. Good luck!
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midjd
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Post by midjd on Sept 10, 2013 13:01:57 GMT -5
Although I know dealerships get a bad rap (and deservedly so in most cases), my experience with smaller mechanic shops' willingness and ability to work on foreign cars has not generally been positive. (This may vary by region). I'd consider Hondas and Toyotas pretty mainstream by now, but there are still a few shops in this area that refuse to do anything but basic oil changes and brake jobs on them.
If the Subaru dealership can't figure it out, and you don't feel it's safe to drive, then it might be time to sell - but I'd at least give it a shot first.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 10, 2013 14:45:35 GMT -5
my experience with smaller mechanic shops' willingness and ability to work on foreign cars has not generally been positive.
My experience has been the absolute opposite. Each place I've lived, I've found a local mechanic who has been really good for my model car (Mazda, Nissan and Subaru). The last Subaru dealer (I was only there for a recall repair) I used tried to sell me a new brake job when I had over half my brake pads left on them.....and wanted to charge me $600 to do so! 3 years later, I changed them out and my small mechanic charged me just under $200.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 15:10:39 GMT -5
I would make one more attempt at getting it repaired. If you go into Click and Clack's web site, they can refer you to a mechanic that deals specifically with Subarus. I'm in the PNW and know of 2 that are really good and deal only with Subarus. If you are interested, PM me and I'll provide you with names and numbers. You should be able to get 200,000 miles out of that Subaru if the body's in good shape. Not sure if Click and Clack's web site is cartalk.com but it shows the closest subaru mechanic is still about an hour away. I'm in Maryland.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 10, 2013 15:18:20 GMT -5
Alright, I'll take it to the dealer and will decide from there. Thanks everyone.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Sept 10, 2013 15:18:21 GMT -5
I would make one more attempt at getting it repaired. If you go into Click and Clack's web site, they can refer you to a mechanic that deals specifically with Subarus. I'm in the PNW and know of 2 that are really good and deal only with Subarus. If you are interested, PM me and I'll provide you with names and numbers. You should be able to get 200,000 miles out of that Subaru if the body's in good shape. Not sure if Click and Clack's web site is cartalk.com but it shows the closest subaru mechanic is still about an hour away. I'm in Maryland. Well JMHO, but if your local peeps can't fix it, I'd spend the time and money to have the dealer look at it as a last shot/last ditch effort. If they can fix it, you should be able to get a significant number of more miles out of it. If they can't, THEN I'd sell it/ it/trade it in. ETA: oooooops, I see you already decided to go to the dealer. Good call IMHO. Good luck and I hope it works out for you.
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Post by The Walk of the Penguin Mich on Sept 10, 2013 16:14:36 GMT -5
Not sure if Click and Clack's web site is cartalk.com but it shows the closest subaru mechanic is still about an hour away. I'm in Maryland.
It is. This is where I have gotten all of my mechanic recommendations. We drive to Seattle, which is 100 miles from here in order to get to the one we go to.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Sept 10, 2013 16:16:32 GMT -5
Whenever possible I try to put it in neutral to prevent it from stalling. It's annoying and I don't feel comfortable to drive out of town or long distance. If it doesn't get fix I'm afraid it'll cause more problems. Then get rid of it. That was what we did. Although my car was higher mileage (190k). It died (and would not restart for me, but would for my DH) on me twice in one week, third time of the month, and I was just done. But I had money saved, there was a car in my budget that was super low mileage. I bought that car and I could not be happier with my choice. .
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Peace77
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Post by Peace77 on Sept 10, 2013 21:52:31 GMT -5
Subarus are good for around 300,000 miles if maintained.
Maybe the dealer can provide a loaner.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 11, 2013 6:54:23 GMT -5
Subarus are good for around 300,000 miles if maintained. Maybe the dealer can provide a loaner. They used to have loaner cars but not anymore. My next car won't be a subaru unless a dealer moves to town.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 2:05:45 GMT -5
18 year old vehicle - Degradation of vac tubes or wires?
You said they changed the plugs - did they replace wires too? How old are the wires?
How about the MAP/MAF harnesses?
Did the repair shop run diagnostics to get the error codes?
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Sept 12, 2013 2:27:13 GMT -5
Similar story... a friend's 10-year-old high mileage Neon would stall, would refuse to start, usually after it had been driven in the rain. Turned out to be deteriorated insulation on the spark plug wires. He replaced the set and the car ran like new (well, nearly new). Started right up, no more stalling... Spark plug wires do not last forever. But they are easy to fix.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 12, 2013 7:07:37 GMT -5
18 year old vehicle - Degradation of vac tubes or wires? You said they changed the plugs - did they replace wires too? How old are the wires? How about the MAP/MAF harnesses? Did the repair shop run diagnostics to get the error codes? The wires are original and no they didn't replace the wires. I was told they are still good. Also, the hoses are good and vacuum leak was checked with no problem. Not sure about the harnesses. There was no check engine light and no error codes when scanned.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 12, 2013 7:08:15 GMT -5
Similar story... a friend's 10-year-old high mileage Neon would stall, would refuse to start, usually after it had been driven in the rain. Turned out to be deteriorated insulation on the spark plug wires. He replaced the set and the car ran like new (well, nearly new). Started right up, no more stalling... Spark plug wires do not last forever. But they are easy to fix. Mine has no problem with starting. I can restart it right after it stalls.
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tskeeter
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Post by tskeeter on Sept 16, 2013 13:26:11 GMT -5
bcdfgh, given the number of miles on the car, I'd bet you need a new EGR valve. I know that the valve was recently cleaned. Usually, EGR valves are replaced, not cleaned. The cost of labor to remove a EGR to clean it is so high that most shops replace them to avoid the possibility that cleaning isn't adequate. Just replace the EGR valve and you're 99.9% sure it is fixed.
Your intermitent stalling at idle sounds much like the symptoms that I experienced with a Mazda many years ago. Would sometimes stall, or nearly stall at stop signs and stop lights, when slowing to turn corners, and the like. I resorted to slipping the car into neutral so I could keep the idle speed and vacuum up during situations when the engine speed would normally drop to an idle. Mazda dealer couldn't duplicate the problem, so one of their folks drove it for a few days. On the third day, the problem happened. Turns out that motor had two EGR valves on it. One valve OK, the other one was bad.
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bcdfgh
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Post by bcdfgh on Sept 17, 2013 11:59:50 GMT -5
bcdfgh, given the number of miles on the car, I'd bet you need a new EGR valve. I know that the valve was recently cleaned. Usually, EGR valves are replaced, not cleaned. The cost of labor to remove a EGR to clean it is so high that most shops replace them to avoid the possibility that cleaning isn't adequate. Just replace the EGR valve and you're 99.9% sure it is fixed. Your intermitent stalling at idle sounds much like the symptoms that I experienced with a Mazda many years ago. Would sometimes stall, or nearly stall at stop signs and stop lights, when slowing to turn corners, and the like. I resorted to slipping the car into neutral so I could keep the idle speed and vacuum up during situations when the engine speed would normally drop to an idle. Mazda dealer couldn't duplicate the problem, so one of their folks drove it for a few days. On the third day, the problem happened. Turns out that motor had two EGR valves on it. One valve OK, the other one was bad. I spent over $500 (labor and parts) on this problem and am afraid to spend more on guessing what else to replace. A mechanic believes the IAC is bad but he is not 100% sure. A new IAC is around $300. A new EGR valve and EGR control solenoid valve is over $200 total. Just for clarifying, the EGR control solenoid valve wasn't cleaned, EGR valve was. We tested the resistance for all these parts and they're all good. I already set up an appointment with the dealer. Will see what they'll say.
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