Subaru: Tires and Maintenance Report - 2000 Outback Wagon

Just got around to some preventive maintenance on our 2000 Outback
Wagon w/ Cold Weather Package (rear LSD). It is now over 4 years old
with 45,000 miles.


1) Replaced OEM Firestones with Bridgestone Turanza LS-H. These tires
got very good ratings from TireRack (review and survey results) and
Consumer Reports. They are rated 400 wear, AA traction, A temperature,
98H load rating. CR claims the new UNI-T AQII compound does work and
performs better for wet and snow traction than other tires as they
wear. So far, the ride and noise are at least as good as the
Firestones. They do seem to be a bit grippier in turns. Wet performace
is good, but not enough miles on them to really compare. It's all
subjective anyway without a side by side test. Main downside is the
possibility of higher wear with the 400 rating and 50,000 mile
warranty that is quite a bit less than many top quality T rated tires.
The old tires were not completely worn to the indicators; they had
just under 1/8" of tread left. See:


http://www.consumerreports.org/main/content/display_report.jsp?FO- -
LDER%3C%3Efolder_id=340821 (Subscription)
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires.jsp?tireMake=Bridgestone&- -
tireModel=Turanza+LS-H
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/surveyresults/gtas.jsp
http://www.tirerack.com/tires/tests/testResultsModel.jsp?tireMode- -
l=Turanza+LS-H&tireMake=Bridgestone


2) New battery- Exide Nascar Select 35-84N. Was a top rated model by
CR. Had a nice 18 months guarantee which was good enough for me.
Installed easily, as expected. The OEM battery hand't had any
problems, though it was completely caked over and somewhat corroded.


3) New wiper blades all around. Used Bosch Micro Edge Excel from
rockauto.com. I've used these on our other vehicles, and they're the
best I've found for quiet, clean wiping and long life. Fairly pricey,
though.


4) Oil & Filter change. Not too exciting, as always it's nice to be
able to change these without ramps. Had a few extra Subaru filters
around and have begun changing oil again since the free maintenance
plan we got through IMBA expired at 3/36k.


5) ATF & Filter. It's great to have a spin-on ATF filter. Sucks that
it is $40 from the local Subaru dealer. Anyone found an aftermarket
replacement or ultra cheap online retailer for this part next time?
Used Mobil1 Dexron III ATF. Took 6 full quarts with the filter change;
I measured what came out exactly. The old fluid appeared relatively
clean.


6) Front differential fluid change. Replaced with 75W90 Mobil 1 GL-5
Gear Oil. Took 1.25 quarts, again I measured what came out and double
checked with the dipstick. Requires a 21mm socket. I reused the OEM
washer- it didn't appear to be a crush type. The fluid was moderately
dirty, with a light coating of very fine metallic particles on the
metallic drain plug.


7) Rear differential fluid change. Replaced with 75W90 Mobil 1 GL-5
Gear Oil. Took 0.75 quards. Requires a 1/2" socket driver. The old
fluid was also somewhat dirty.


8) Air filter. Easy enough, but I lost the bolt that holds the filter
section of the housing to the round bracket:-( It's somewhere in the
engine compartment, or has fallen off on the road since. Dealer had
to order a replacement.


Overall, not a bad morning's work, except for the tires which I had
done at the local Firestone dealer who beat the TireRack's
out-the-door price by 5%. Next is brake fluid and spark plugs, though
I may let the dealer tackle those unless someone has some good tips as
I've never done those before on this vehicle- and never changed brake
fluid at all on any vehicle... The plugs look particularly hard to
access on this engine, anyone done them on a 2000+ H4?


Incidentally, pretty good reliability so far after over 4 years and
45k miles. It did need a new radiator last summer, but fortunately
that was covered under the 3/36 basic warranty. We also had a loose
rear window motor and a driver side vanity mirror (light failed)
replaced under warranty.