Mr B

Hot dipped zinc plating supposedly rated to handle about 200degC before it starts to de-laminate. If plating outside of sump works out too expensive you could just give sump a good clean & key & give it a few coats of 2 pack epoxy car paint, stuff is hard wearing & should withstand engine temps ok & keep elements off the sump for some time. Could brush or spray hammerite too perhaps. Have seen odd sump rust patch, sometimes it maybe bad spot of steel but also gets a lot of weathering down there plus as Jay said, no oil leaks as a secondary anti-corrosion barrier :-) Ford & Rover seem be able make um rust well even when oily :-S quite clever are ford :-)

Have a look at thread below post #55 (that is how I do them) http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/306-remote-needed/page-3 * Do remember program all keys during this stage* Is easy once familiarise yourself with keypad & led ... Link below to quite detailed Sigma alarm manual. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ub2apq5-pfcjJhSm5XUHNyUzQ/view?usp=sharing

Cambelt quite expensive but not something you going be doing frequently & haggling point when buying if near needing it done. Decent independents can do the job for £400 tops with genuine pulleys & tensioner, decent jap water pump & belt matching OEM quality. Auto options are good & certainly fine for off-road scenarios you likely do with an outback. I have used both 2.5 & 3.0 outbacks & for my driving which was mainly rural use the 2.5 manual did return more acceptable economy. Really depends on your use, annual mileage & how happy you are to pay a little extra for the 3.0L performance. Very much a personal preference that needs be made by you. Test drive some more models & see where it takes you :-)

For manual Outback you would need go to the 2.5 version to find a reasonable amount. Once you know exactly what you want it worth expanding search range as normally the best examples are never on your doorstep until you already own one. I think your idea of getting a stop gap runabout is ideal, then you can find exactly what you want with no urgency forcing your hand. The auto box is really nice but I do really like manuals myself plus fuel consumption & tax increases is something I like play safe with so a 2.5 manual would be the one to interest me.

annoying thing is it would of been super easy to change manufacturer - improve strength of heater plugs so at least if still fail reasonably quickly you don't need worry about the excessive cost from them shearing off. I think the current generation diesel probably is quite solid but another 12 to 24 months will be real test & hopefully reports will be good & the diesel will be looked on favourably as it is indeed a potentially great engine for the range of estate/SUV vehicles .

repair. I'm hoping for the best from the newer revision diesels, we don't see many yet as still mainly at dealers for servicing & repairs under warranty.

2012 onwards diesel is still too new & in too small numbers to evaluate really. I'm not totally knocking the Boxer Diesel but it is not a great used buy at present for mpg or no nasty surprises. Most of my customers are getting 42+mpg for general urban running around & 57+ on long runs. Indeed fuel being used & driving style can make big differences but I prefer referencing lower figures as most drivers will never see the MPG you are achieving. I am hoping the new diesels do turn out solid as would likely buy one in the future ...

This is getting common as the diesel boxer is getting bit older. Quality of the heater plugs is the issue & Subaru needs to address this with the manufacturer. I have not had one break on removal yet but have bench tested old ones & they do break quite easily as become quite brittle & the body is not very thick. Unfortunately the Boxer Diesel is not what we were hoping of from Subaru, Fuel economy is not that great for a modern diesel in real world daily use & some potential known issues are expensive & even when been done it not a cure as new parts have not been improved.

Sometimes the stress of removal can cause failure or initial running if fabbed exhausts have any contaminants being burnt off when first run, personally I would bung sensor hole for first run, Also poor handling of removed sensor can cause issues.

Tends to be long trips for the ones that sound good, things are easier these days with internet & ease of sending decent quality pics to get good feel of things prior to committing to a long trip. Generally you get rewarded when prepared to venture quite long distances with either a bargain or almost perfect example or both. Faults like on yours are perfect as enables haggling plus they easily resolved . I think the outback is probably one of the best bargain buy Subarus, Foresters can be good but you generally need view a lot more before find really tidy ones. In my favourite colour for Outback too that, good looking super practical vehicle that.

:-S Hope kit works out perfectly besides the delivery, at least they seem to of put some effort into resolving the delivery which good.

Good result :-) give yourself a pat on the back for the persistence in making it happen ...

lol they are good. best thing is just good checkover & quality oils, filters, plugs. leads, tyres as required. Could also be worth getting an OBD2 reader & learn basics of using it as if get the warning light you will be able have look at stored codes etc yourself and perhaps fix yourself or give you useful data aiding route of repairs, Generally they super reliable so good chance you will have trouble free run in France. have 1 Forester in annually for servicing/MOT and it over 200K & still good, have few Legacys too around 170K+ that still run perfect.

perhaps a Forester is a bit too off road but worth looking at one just to tick it off. I think Outback would be best & tend to be bargains too. Handling & performance is very good. You can get a lot of car for small money & in incredibly close to perfect condition with the Outbacks plus they very very versatile. David1972 is good source of opinion as he recently went from Forester to Outback, great looking car too.

Legacy is bigger than the Forester, fuel consumption about the same. Forester driving visibility/position is superb. Personally my favourite is the Forester followed by the Outback. Manual is better fuel consumption but not by much.Best performance to cost is the XT as if needs be it gets close to standard consumption of the non turbo 2 litre . All of them handle great & have superb permanent 4wd system which happy in a muddy field or snow covered road etc. Very safe cars & won't tip over like the Jimny :-S A forester XT pro drive would make your Porsche redundant possibly which would save some bills annually. Outback 2.5 & 3.0 are very nice & some bargains & super good good example can be found if automatic an option. Best thing is look at some & see how you feel after driving & reviewing each models practicality for you use. Fuel & car tax is always going up so I would play safe here to avoid possible major change in tax rules/pricing . 2-3 car owner is something I noticed from being in the trade. Many 1 owner vehicles tend get a bit thin on servicing quality & minor maintenance issues are untouched when near that point of moving on, while 2 & 3 owner cars tend have fresh enthusiasm & cash so things like recent cambelt change, new tyres & minor faults fixed that had been left buy previous owner/s are quite common.

I would be inclined go for outback or if want all in one a Forester XT. Extra ground clearance is useful, amount of legacy's I see in with damaged sills & bumpers due to grounding even if just a high curb or deep ditch on a tight road, Forester or Outback cope better & tend to be found in better condition too. For versatility The Forester is hard to beat, dogs,logs, camping or spirited drive (XT) Outbacks can be found at bargain prices due to running costs. Forester 2.0XT wins here too as can be reasonably close mileage to the naturally aspirated engine if driven gently. Any of these cars normally have minimal common faults & mileage in access of 120K can still run superb. Always best buying with close to full service history & 1 or 2 long term owners, sometimes 2 or 3 owners can be better as new owners tend to splash bit at a newly purchased car & tick off some service items & minor faults that a 1 10 year owner may want avoid.or live with. Other thing is view & test drive a few perhaps from local dealers even if not exact price colour or whatever as helps gain knowledge & value plus perhaps reduce model options you think are suitable. Happy hunting ... I would cross diesel off the list as early ones not the best & they hold a premium & can be costly unless buy wisely & do enough mileage compensate extra purchase & running costs.

Standard transmision service oil we use for your average Subaru is Castrol Syntrax 75/90 (now branded as universal) A better oil that has helped in past experience is motul 300 75/90. Motul 300 has made a long term difference on a couple of boxes we tried it in.

Hope module route works out for you. Biggest issue as getting old is battery cell in the siren housing. User manual in above link is quite useful, hopefully you get alarm working normally & you can rebook your ferry trip soon.

I can bypass faulty alarms or remove leaving just the default transponder immobilizer, for £100 to £200. I wouldn't say the main modules are that common for faults but hand fobs are as get thrown around, wet etc. Highly likely just fobs have issue over main module & I suspect disconnecting power if still armed made further alarm confusion. I've dealt with more sigma alarms on subarus than I can remember & normally reprogramming key fob, new key fobs or batteries & setting new 4 digit pin codes is all that needed Only ever replaced couple of main modules & lately rechargeable PP3 battery in siren housings Good topics on Sigma with useful links is below. http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/1543-alarm-system/ http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/306-remote-needed/page-3 Sigma User Manual https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ub2apq5-pfcjJhSm5XUHNyUzQ/view?usp=sharing

Quite agree Rick & sounds like progress been made :-D Few things learnt though so any future issues should be simpler ... Seller in this case is obviously a rouge from your posted experience ... £15 should be yours shortly :-D That'll teach the fooker. Bad feedback for him too :-P & post reply comment to his nasty feedback comment to you.

I think then because you went through eBay & done return item resolution then cancelled the system recorded that as your resolution option used & resolved thus unable start again on same transaction. Fortunately he can not leave you a negative feedback, You can though so best do that & state item never shipped & tracking never provided. you can also comment on feedback remark he left you by going to: http://feedback.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?PersonalizedFeedbackLogin Don't be too abusive in remarks as if are he can easily get eBay remove them then he looks all squeaky clean to the next buyer. You should be able get some help on this from eBay via phone-call but indeed could be a lot of hassle. In future only use Paypal resolution as far better from my experience ...

Link below to PDF with some screenshots & tips, is easy if think it through. You have 45days from payment made date to use Paypal resolution. Basically you will be writing a message that Paypal & the seller will see (he sent email via paypal ) Be polite, second step is then esculating to claim, tips in PDF should help. I've had full refunds on couple items that never received so think you will too ;-) Paypal make it less than obvious on purpose & the help lines are 100% useless merry-go-round :-S This is super simple all online in paypal account & takes minutes once got hang of it. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ub2apq5-pfUlpwUFI5ODhLU1k/view?usp=sharing

if still in time frame for claim (think it 40 days from purchase date) all you need do is login to paypal, look at you recent payments & copy the transaction ID for transaction in question. Then on main paypal summary page you will see resolution link on the lower left Click link & go through steps & write your issues to seller, be polite & smart. If seller does not reply it a good thing & just click link in resolution centre to escalate to a claim & within a few days you will have your £15 back. If seller replies but you find anything he offering unacceptable simply state that in a last reply & add 'you going escalate it & let Paypal review the case' as generally always in buyers favour. Takes only a few minutes logged into Paypal as needed to go through stages & best learn use it as £15 better in your pocket. I just done one for failed delivery after 33day wait, fortunately seller has not replied to the resolution case so I escalated to claim & should have money back in few days :-) If want screenshots of steps on Paypal site I will try do some to get you started if you still in timeframe for a claim.

Powerflow pricing is normally quite good. you could probably find a bargain decent stainless steel second-hand impreza system & tweak it to fit at low cost.

Do resolution through PayPal, just done one today for failiure to receive item so know it can be done via PayPal & far better than the eBay resolution faffing about ... Once resolution opened in PayPal you escalate to claim them once reviewed you get refund. £15 not a big deal but better in your pocket. Is wise do some research before buy anything on eBay as it is not what it use to be ...