We have owned 4 surbarus over the years, sedan, brat and two outbacks...They have all given us dependable service, decent milage and 4-wheel drive...The outback we have now with 57000 miles on it is running great but the "check engine light" came on before Thanksgiving...Not to be ignored I stopped in at Alpine Auto where Peter checked to see what code came up to identify the problem.
Who else remembers the good ol' days when you bought a car, took care of regular maintenance, such as changing the oil and replacing spark plugs, put antifreeze in for the winter, kept the gas tank full, occasionally bought new tires and other routine things and in a few years for whatever reason, you traded it in on a new or at least a newer car...There was no such thing as check engine light...No such thing as emission control or cruise control, or anti skid control...Also in the early days when warning lights first started appearing on your dashboard, they were called idiot lights...I think the problem here is Computer Control.
Peter said, "This looks like the code is for emission control (catalytic converter) bad new is that you will have to take it to the dealer (in Lewiston) who will tell you this is the problem and they will have to order parts and you will make another trip BUT the good news is that it is covered under the Federal Government Emissions Control Warranty, or the other possibility is that it is just a bad sensor...Whatever the hell that is!!!!!!!
I must also say here that I hate dealing with "Car Dealerships." I don't like playing their games when you buy a new car or go in for a minor service and come out owing $500.00...I really appreciate Alpine Auto for honest, fair and mostly prompt service but he can't do warranty work...And I wouldn't mind going to Lewiston if it was spring or fall but it is winter!!
Enough of my ranting, we made the impromptu trip to Lewiston yesterday, roads were mostly bare, it was a sunny, warmish day in Lewiston, worst hazard was lots of deer on and near the North highway...We left at daylight, got back home before dark...The service manager at Kendall Subaru was very nice, took over an hour to pinpoint the problem and yes, it is the catalytic converter...Parts are on order and we will return in a few days or maybe a week, depending on the weather...He thinks the problem may stem from the fact that we do only short trips and never get the car warm/hot enough to keep the catalytic converter burned out...So maybe we should make more shopping trips to LaGrande/Lewiston/Boise/Tri Cities/Pendleton and put an end to the short trips around the county or maybe not!..In the long run it would probably be cheaper to replace the catalytic converter...Hugs to All...OWAV:)
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