SOC Admin

What are the actual problem and symptoms of the fault that is showing?

There is quite possibly an auto-tensioner which is acting against the belt to keep correct tension. Usually requires a spanner of the correct size to turn the tensioner away from the belt

Its hard to say - is it a knock or a tapping noise? Top of the engine or lower down? When the engine oil is due to be changed I would use a quality (OE spec) oil filter and it would help to flush the engine (an additive or detergent that breaks down carbon build up) and then replace the oil with a quality oil (Castrol, etc)

Dorset Sportscars (ex Subaru dealership and specialist repairer) Based in Three Legged Cross in Dorset

It's about time we revisited the list of Subaru specialist garages and repairers. PLEASE add to this list with who you would recommend as being honest, reliable and knows what they're doing with these specialist cars. Since Pro-Drive dropped off the scene for a while and dealerships closed there must be quite a few repairers around so if you can drop your recommendations in this thread we can work on collating 'the definitive list' Thanks

please keep us updated on your progress it will be interesting to see where this goes

Generally a forced regeneration and a damn good thrash does the job but if you increase the revs over time gradually and fill with quality fuel, holding the gears for longer it will usually sort itself

I would take it to a transmission specialist for second opinion as it could be a simple issue

Feel free to drop an advert with pics in the For Sale section of the forums

well done, sounds like you are sorting the issues one at a time and working your way through the car - by far the best way to know the car and get it up together over time

it may be worth getting a second opinion because unless they know specifically which component is likely to have failed then it may be a simple issue

Nice plate - any idea of how much you are looking for it ?

Sounds like a good car - hopefully you should have a quick sale

Hope you manage to source one - seems subframes are a massive issue on many makes of vehicles nowadays and chronic shortages worldwide at the mo, I guess they thought it would never have been an issue - last subframe I changed was on an old school Mini - rear one as the front ones didn't rust as the engine leaked oil over the subframe so wasn't an issue :-)

If its a heavy clutch then it may be misaligned or clamped down unevenly when fitted. I would go over to the next one you see in a car park, etc and ask if you can try their clutch to see how it differs

Hopefully someone on here maybe able to assist you soon?

Try these companies: https://carwindowregs.co.uk/ https://www.windowregulatorman.co.uk

To be fair, I do wonder about tightening certain fasteners with torque wrenches as you cannot (without crack testing) evaluate the condition of the fasteners and the parts being clamped. When I started out in the motor trade over 45 years ago, the only time we used a torque wrench was for cylinder head bolts, hub nuts and wheel nuts. The rest of the time it was usually tightened to FT and you can almost feel the yield point of the tightened nut or bolt. Caught a cold many years back when torquing up bolts only to find they sheared....can you guarantee the condition of the components, how the wrench is used correctly and is it calibrated accurately. Also, the common problem is that if a NutGun has been used to tighten fasteners in the past then this can also stretch the bolts rendering them unusable. In answer to your question, I would tighten them by hand (never use NutGuns as I see so many doing nowadays) and I would add a thin smear of nut or thread lock to ensure it doesn't work loose even if it is slightly under tightened. If you're using the correct wrenches, sockets, ratchet or breaker bar you will know when it is tight and seated correctly without killing it with brute force

Not personally but we will be shortly publishing a list of Subaru garages for Premium Members within the next few weeks

Crikey thats a mess - one way I have sorted issues like this before is to remove every wire that is non-original so that it goes back to standard and then you can work forwards from there Worth taking some notes and photos of where the wiring goes in case you want to put it back how it was

Bargain car for the money

I would keep pushing for it and especially if there is any hint of safety related issues resulting from the defective component

Have you a price in mind? any more details on the car?

I would use eBay as my starting point - get most of my spares and parts from there