Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

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sporthorse99
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Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by sporthorse99 »

I have a 2003 Baja with 190k miles on it. I LOVE LOVE LOVE this car. I would love to get another 60k-100k miles out of this car.
The dealership just told me that these things are wrong with it:
- the power steering rack boot is open and rack is starting to leak
- rear sway bar is loose due to worn bushings
- rear upper control arm bushings are completely blown out, creating excessive tire wear.
- left front axle boot is open
- the Check Engine light is on, but its related to the catalytic converter only
Should I get these things fixed? My local Subaru mechanic said no, that it isn't worth it on a car this old. But I want this car to last me a while longer.
Advice please!!! Thanks you!!!
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TastyHuman
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Re: Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by TastyHuman »

If you love the car then get it done.

Boots will always crack, seems reasonable to do those and with 200k miles a rebuilt steering rack and rebuilt axles are quite reasonable to do. With 200k miles a front end rebuild is also reasonable to do. Sway bar links wear out on these and are cheap to fix.

I love my Baja and would spend more to fix it than would be considered "reasonable" by some since there is no vehicle sold today that I would want in exchange for it. For me, it's not about the money, I could easily afford a new car, but.... why?
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bajaguy
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Re: Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by bajaguy »

You'll pay a lot less for those things somewhere other than the dealer.
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Acro2pilot
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Re: Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by Acro2pilot »

Fix them all, and don't ever go back to that mechanic.
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kamesama980
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Re: Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by kamesama980 »

LOL fixing an existing car is almost always cheaper than buying a new car! At 60-100k you're starting to get heavy into the probably neglected periodic maintenance like fluid flushes, timing belt, struts, etc. Many things should be replaced due to age regardless of mileage.
- the power steering rack boot is open and rack is starting to leak
- rear sway bar is loose due to worn bushings
- rear upper control arm bushings are completely blown out, creating excessive tire wear.
- left front axle boot is open
- the Check Engine light is on, but its related to the catalytic converter only
-PS rack boot: throw a re-man rack in. Spend a few bucks for one with the better warranty. you can replace just the boot but the boot but the seal on the rack is damaged too.
-sway bar bushings: do it yourself
-axles should be pretty easy, that being said, Bajas and Outbacks sometimes get the axle stub stuck in the bearing. If you google how to remove a CV axle stuck in the bearing, the first half-dozen hits are all Outbacks/Bajas. Mine was up there too, I have a pretty well-stocked garage and spent 3 days getting the bastard apart.
-it's never "just" the catalyst. most likely, near 200k of burning just a touch of oil has slowly poisoned the cat and it no longer passes the check. There are a few other more dastardly possibilities but nothing insurmountable.

Yes, the repair bill will be a bit on the shocking side to have a shop do the work, definitely for the dealer to do so. That's the wrong way to think about it though, divide the repair bill over the expected miles vs 5k for a new (to you) car PLUS repairs to it.
-Russell
"You don't get to judge me for how I fix what you break"
03 sport 5mt
05 turbo 5mt vf39 and other STI bits, 3" turbo-back
jdlmodelt
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Re: Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by jdlmodelt »

bajaguy wrote:You'll pay a lot less for those things somewhere other than the dealer.
yep. what they said. sounds like some of your bushes need replacing. get on youtube and buy some tools and learn how to do it yourself. Save thousands.
sambrackett
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Re: Should I fix these things? Advice needed!

Post by sambrackett »

Fix it. I have a 2003 Baja with 215000 miles and i love my Baja and as long as the body stay looking good (no wreck) I will keep her on the road. the Baja were only build for 4 years and only around 30,000 were ever made . Fix one thing at a time so you dont have a huge bill.
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