Carpet replacement, 3rd gen legacy carpet fits!

[mike-tracy]

I want to hear from people who have attempted this, not speculation please.

The Baja has unique part numbers for it's carpets. How close to fitting are carpets from other Subaru model? There's an ~02 Legacy sedan in the junkyard with nearly mint carpet, and I'd like to use it or one from a different car if there's one that fits better.

Edit:
the 3rd gen legacy and corresponding year outback carpets fit! It has one extra hole for the trunk/gas door release, but otherwise it's identical.

[WebsterBaja]

I actually just did this. I found a used Baja carpet on eBay and actually dyed it black and installed it. The dying was messy but it came out really well. I do know of another Baja near me that did and H6 swap out of an '07 outback and installed the dash and center console and the carpet. The carpet installed pretty well but he said it had some loose fitting issues over the tunnel by the seats. He did have to remove the the plastic mounting pieces from the baja carpet and secure them to the outback carpet. I'll add some pics of the dyed carpet I installed. If you are interested in doing yourself let me know and I can give you a quick write up for you.

[mike-tracy]

Thanks for the post. I didn't see any used Baja carpets available, but I do like how yours came out after dyeing the fabric.


Has anyone tried a 3rd gen legacy carpet in a baja?

[mike-tracy]

Well I am happy to report that a 3rd gen legacy carpet is a 95% match! Rather, it is an exact fit, but it has an extra hole on the driver side for the trunk/gas door release.

[KEY5TONE]

I’m really wanting to do this carpet dye! Hoping it will rid or hide the stains in my grey carpet. I’d love a write up! Thank you!

[SoobyToo58]

I want to hear from people who have attempted this, not speculation please.

The Baja has unique part numbers for it's carpets. How close to fitting are carpets from other Subaru model? There's an ~02 Legacy sedan in the junkyard with nearly mint carpet, and I'd like to use it or one from a different car if there's one that fits better.

Edit:
the 3rd gen legacy and corresponding year outback carpets fit! It has one extra hole for the trunk/gas door release, but otherwise it's identical.

Just found your post and I don't know what you mean by "3rd gen Legacy"! I need to replace my carpeting as well so I'd like to know exactly what model years and specific models of Legacy and Outback are considered "3rd gen Legacy".
Can you help me with that?
Thanks!

[Guacamole]

Just found your post and I don't know what you mean by "3rd gen Legacy"! I need to replace my carpeting as well so I'd like to know exactly what model years and specific models of Legacy and Outback are considered "3rd gen Legacy".
Can you help me with that?
Thanks!

Model year 2000-2004 Legacy and Outback.

Gen 1: 1989-1992
Gen-2: 1993-1999
Gen-3: 2000-2004
Gen-4: 2005-2009
Gen-5: 2010-2014
Gen-6: 2015-2019
Gen-7: 2020-[2025]
The "generation" refers to the drastic redesign and standardization changes between model years, and most parts between generations are not directly cross-compatible. Same goes for Impreza-based Subies, but those have different generational dates.

[SoobyToo58]

Just found your post and I don't know what you mean by "3rd gen Legacy"! I need to replace my carpeting as well so I'd like to know exactly what model years and specific models of Legacy and Outback are considered "3rd gen Legacy".
Can you help me with that?
Thanks!

Model year 2000-2004 Legacy and Outback.

Gen 1: 1989-1992
Gen-2: 1993-1999
Gen-3: 2000-2004
Gen-4: 2005-2009
Gen-5: 2010-2014
Gen-6: 2015-2019
Gen-7: 2020-[2025]
The "generation" refers to the drastic redesign and standardization changes between model years, and most parts between generations are not directly cross-compatible. Same goes for Impreza-based Subies, but those have different generational dates.

Hey Guacamole!
I've seen a lot of your posts and I've also messaged with you before and you've always had good info and advice. Thanks for the answer!
On a related note, what Gen 3 Legacy and Outback parts and/or systems are identical or interchangeable with Baja parts and/or systems?
I have an '05 Sport!

[ZUBAJA]

From my understanding, MUCH of what fits the 3rd gen Legacy / Outback also fit's the Baja. The differences come from the rear doors and back. The rear glass is also different. FWIW, my Baja has the cloth front buckets from a Legacy (my original Baja "leather" seats were split). I also took the rear seat base, and replaced my split rear base with the console with a solid base from the Legacy. I was able to find a Baja with the same seats in a boneyard (high dollar - "they pull it" yard), and now I have a full rear bench seat (could squeeze 3).
I recently bought the carpet from a wrecked Baja in my local "U-pull yard" (a RARE occurrence), but after attempting to clean it, I took it back. Dennis

[SoobyToo58]

From my understanding, MUCH of what fits the 3rd gen Legacy / Outback also fit's the Baja. The differences come from the rear doors and back. The rear glass is also different. FWIW, my Baja has the cloth front buckets from a Legacy (my original Baja "leather" seats were split). I also took the rear seat base, and replaced my split rear base with the console with a solid base from the Legacy. I was able to find a Baja with the same seats in a boneyard (high dollar - "they pull it" yard), and now I have a full rear bench seat (could squeeze 3).
I recently bought the carpet from a wrecked Baja in my local "U-pull yard" (a RARE occurrence), but after attempting to clean it, I took it back. Dennis

That's great to know. I'm sure that's going to be real helpful in the future when I might need parts here and there.
I have pulled a few used parts here and there from Legacys and Outbacks. Some were obviously the same as Baja parts but for others I didn't know if they would fit until I could get home and compare them to the Baja parts.
I'm kind of a junk yard junkie myself. I enjoy poking around and feel like a kid in a toy store when I'm in a junk yard.
There are 3 yards I go to that all have the same owner and you can check online if they have a specific vehicle. They're very organized with neat and numbered rows of vehicles and the website will even tell you where in the yard you can find a specific vehicle. I've only found 3 Baja's in those 3 yards over the past 6 years and they were all almost totally stripped before I got there so your information will be very valuable.

Question! Do you have Baja torque specs and/or Subaru exploded view drawings that are found in their shop manuals that Subaru Techs use? I'm planning on replacing my front hubs and bearings and a front CV Axle and I need reliable torque specs for all that including for the Front Brake Caliper bolts, Front Brake Caliper Bracket bolts and Front Axle Nut.

BTW, you said you replaced your rear seat with one from a Legacy. Does the Legacy seat tilt forward like the Baja seat so you can still use the hatch behind the rear seat?

Thanks Dennis!

[ZUBAJA]

The same. It folds forward and has the same slots under the bottom that the back folds down and fits into. I tried looking into replacement carpets. They don't seem to be popular. There are "molded" aftermarket carpet kits for all kinds vehicles, but I couldn't find anything for Subies. Dennis

[Guacamole]

Question! Do you have Baja torque specs and/or Subaru exploded view drawings that are found in their shop manuals that Subaru Techs use? I'm planning on replacing my front hubs and bearings and a front CV Axle and I need reliable torque specs for all that including for the Front Brake Caliper bolts, Front Brake Caliper Bracket bolts and Front Axle Nut.
Thanks Dennis!

Here's the factory service manual index (more can be found in the parent directory):
http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Ba ... a%20only)/

Hey Guacamole!
I've seen a lot of your posts and I've also messaged with you before and you've always had good info and advice. Thanks for the answer!
On a related note, what Gen 3 Legacy and Outback parts and/or systems are identical or interchangeable with Baja parts and/or systems?
I have an '05 Sport!

Basically everything from the rear axle forward is cross-compatible with a gen-3 legacy except for...
-rear windows (proprietary)
-roof rails and crossbars (proprietary)
-strut springs (see below*)
-driveshaft (slightly longer than legacy)
-exhaust resonator pipe (proprietary)
-exhaust muffler (proprietary)
...everything else rearward is baja-exclusive for NA engines. If you have a turbo, your drivetrain and cat-forward exhaust parts will be the same as a gen-1 Forester XT (2004-2008) but the rest of the body, accessories, etc still being gen-3 legacy.

I've also read that the 05 model year the NA engine changed from an EJ-253 to an EJ-25D- the only difference being a MAF vs MAP sensor. No idea the technical specs of each, but apparently the ECU doesn't play nice with the wrong sensor. However, my 06 sport says it's an EJ-253 on the engine block plate and it's the factory engine, so I have no idea if this information is valid or not.

*2004-2006 baja strut springs are different than legacy and 2003 baja springs. Legacy springs and strut assemblies CAN be used, but will lower the car by roughly 1". If you have to replace your strut and want to keep the height, you either must disassemble the strut assembly and re-use the baja spring, or swap out all 4 struts to legacies and install 1" spacers. The strut itself can be swapped with a legacy and cause no problems, but the spring cannot, UNLESS you have a 2003 baja. 2004-2006 baja springs are also discontinued compounding the problem and I do not know of a direct 1:1 replacement.