A little OT: Subaru Outback roof rails

[cmbicycles]

I have an 02' Outback, so can't comment on the roof rails as mine are different (& better looking Imo ), but mine has been solid and reliable. My parents have a 15' with all the bells and whistles but haven't ever needed the rails, they have been happy with theirs as well.

[tele]

We have a '16 Outback. Its more my wife's car but I really enjoy it. So far we have driven to Florida with it and it happily did 90 most of the way down while getting around 30mpg. Now I've driven it up mountain roads in snow and its been great.

The roof rails are ok. I put our cargo box on the other day and it was a little pain because they are pretty low to the roof--clearance for the mounting bolts was really tight and I had to use a cloth to not scratch the paint. I do like how they swing out of the wind when not in use though.

[beeemmjay]

Originally Posted by Waldo

Two roof bike trays and a Thule box on my 2014 Outback without issues or complaints about aesthetics.

W, what box are you running? I have a 2014 Outback and have 2 Thule Circuit racks. I've been looking into the Sonic XL box. Figure I'll run it solo in the winter for skis and other gear, but have been wondering if it will fit the Circuits (one on either side) at the same time - if there is enough total width.

BTW, to the OP, the car ('14) is great.
My inlaws both have Outbacks as well, an earlier model, and a '16. The 16' with sight and other options takes a little getting used to, but most options (alerts) can be turned off if they bother you. The steering is a little lighter than the earlier version in terms of 'feel', but overall, a solid car!

[Nooch]

Thanks for the responses, guys.

The passat I bought used from a friend knowing all the history July '15, has since been totaled (12/28/15), and short of a coil pack over the summer and the failed coil packs yesterday, has been more or less fine. Suspension components are wearing, control arms need replacing, so I'm not too sold on keeping it as a primary. It's not worth much and I've gotten my money back for it, so keeping it around as a knock around isn't the worst thing, so long as I don't put too much into it.

Before that I had a '99 CR-V that I'd bought with upward of 179k miles, sold it with 190+ to buy the Passat.

So, it's been a while since I've 1, been in a loan (even if it's direct to my step-dad) and 2, had anything 'new.' It might be nice to have something that'll keep my happy for a while..

What's the $600 30k maintenance job, anyway?

(also, so you have all the information to push me toward making this decision, it's a 2013, 45k miles, $17k purchase, 2.5 limited with all sorts of bells and whistles.. blue with beige leather)

[11.4]

2017 Outback 2.5 Limited, already with a ton of miles on it. I tried the 3.6 L 6-banger but saw no need for it. I can easily cruise 80 mph all over Texas with the 2.5 and I get 23.5 city/34.0 highway. The car might be slightly quieter on the highway with the 3.6, but not enough to be worth the $3100 upgrade. If I were towing I might think otherwise but seriously, this is NOT a car to tow with anyway (I did just move from a Ford Superduty so slightly biased in this regard). No major problems have shown up so far, but here are a few general observations:

1. The OEM Bridgestone Dueler tires are not the same as regular Duelers, and are pretty poor and wear fast. Bad handling, more road noise, bad inclement performance, less tread depth.
2. Subaru accessories are ridiculous -- badly done and overpriced. Their dog barrier for the Outback is almost $500 and fits so far back that it cuts the dog space almost in half, and it leaves a substantial gap between the barrier and the rear seat, so it lets small dogs escape. Subaru says to tilt the back seat back to close the gap, but then the position is impossible for rear seat passengers. The hitch is vastly overpriced and is only 1-1/4". It requires a cutout in the rear bumper skin, so you have to order it or plan on a bigger expense. There are a number of 2" hitches that are a perfect fit and that sit 1-1/2" lower and fit under the bumper skin. No need to drill anything; you just have to fish the bolts through access holes under the spare tire.
3. The roof rack is indeed ugly. I think the rating is only 150 lbs static load. I tried a couple hitch racks and like them better on this vehicle.
4. The Outback is, I think, the better vehicle for bikes. It's longer so you can put two or three bikes lying flat in the back with the rear seat down. There's a little extra height with the Forester but it's shorter, and you don't get enough height to load road bikes vertically. There's no sense to how the Forester gets some features and the Outback gets others. They are both good cars.

[p nut]

Originally Posted by Nooch

What's the $600 30k maintenance job, anyway?

(also, so you have all the information to push me toward making this decision, it's a 2013, 45k miles, $17k purchase, 2.5 limited with all sorts of bells and whistles.. blue with beige leather)

I don't know what that $600 is for. According to the maintenance sch, it shouldn't cost that much:

http://www.cars101.com/subaru/maintenance-2014.html

Oil change in 13+ Outbacks are super simple (at least in the 2.5L). You still need to jack up the car to drain the oil, but the oil filter is easily accessible. Simply lift the hood, and there it is right next to the engine. Big ones are brake fluid (30k interval) and fuel filter (60k interval). So perhaps every 60k, you may spend more, but 30k? Oil change, brake fluid and air filter shouldn't cost that much.

I think that is a great deal for a Limited. Does it have Eyesight? Ours is a '13 Premium and was purchased for $25k. 4 years later, we're still loving it.

[Nooch]

Just wanted to follow up, I did pull the trigger and made the swap this weekend.

Sold my '03 Passat, bought my Step-dad's 2013 Outback 2.5. Not sure what trim level it is, but it's leather, bluetooth/handsfree enabled, heated seats, analog climate control, power rearview with homelink. 41,800 miles. Paying him directly over a 5 year term, originally my mother got involved and offered me the car for $17k (KBB private sale estimate), and then when I hemmed and hawed a little about making that payment, my step-dad came back with $12k (below the dealer trade-in value) and asked my mom why she was trying to take advantage

Looks like the plan will be, since none of my thule trays are compatible with OEM rails (to the best of my knowledge -- have a few older peloton and domestique trays) to install a Curt 2" hitch and it seems I have a 1.25-2" 1UpUSA quik rack lined up here to handle bike duty. Just holding off slightly on committing because I'm not sure if I'll ever have a need for more than three bikes (which is the max the 1.25-2" 1up will handle).

Thanks for the information guys, and pushing me in the right direction with this decision!

Outback by TrickImaging, on Flickr

[benb]

Sounds like you bought the same car I have off him. (2013 Outback Limited 2.5i)

I have 50k on mine, very few issues.

They just had a recall for a possible fire hazard in the windshield wiper motor if you left them on and they were blocked and couldn't move, you might want to make sure that is taken care of.

2013s have a 7500 mile oil change.. it is optimistic, the car may burn oil enough that you'll hit a low oil light shortly before you get to 7500 miles. It's happened 2X to me, no big deal, add some oil. They changed the interval to 6000 miles in 2014 IIRC. There is still a ton of oil left when that light goes off anyway though.

Roof rack has been fine for me but I never put more then 2 bikes on it. Probably going to have to get a 3rd bike rack this year or next though.

Biggest disappointment for me has been fuel economy, mine can't hit the EPA mileage estimates unless you never go above 65mph on the highway (yah right) and it doesn't have a prayer of hitting them in my suburban driving.

But the AWD saved us from a really bad accident when the whole family was in the car and a car flew through an intersection in the snow and almost T-boned us.. I made a crazy save that I don't think I could have made in any of the prior cars I owned. (On top of the AWD the stability control is amazing in the snow) We still got hit but absolutely minimal damage. (Bumper scratches) So I guess that is worth some of the MPG penalty.

I still really want my next car to be electric though.

[doomridesout]

I continue to beat up on my 2000 Forester with no ill effects (after head gasket replacement, of course). The factory rails are different than on a '13 Outback, I'm sure, but man you can't get much better for an active lifestyle than to have factory rails. Saved me a bundle when I was getting roof racks not to buy base racks.

[estilley]

Originally Posted by Nooch

Just wanted to follow up, I did pull the trigger and made the swap this weekend.

Sold my '03 Passat, bought my Step-dad's 2013 Outback 2.5. Not sure what trim level it is, but it's leather, bluetooth/handsfree enabled, heated seats, analog climate control, power rearview with homelink. 41,800 miles. Paying him directly over a 5 year term, originally my mother got involved and offered me the car for $17k (KBB private sale estimate), and then when I hemmed and hawed a little about making that payment, my step-dad came back with $12k (below the dealer trade-in value) and asked my mom why she was trying to take advantage

Looks like the plan will be, since none of my thule trays are compatible with OEM rails (to the best of my knowledge -- have a few older peloton and domestique trays) to install a Curt 2" hitch and it seems I have a 1.25-2" 1UpUSA quik rack lined up here to handle bike duty. Just holding off slightly on committing because I'm not sure if I'll ever have a need for more than three bikes (which is the max the 1.25-2" 1up will handle).

Thanks for the information guys, and pushing me in the right direction with this decision!

Outback by TrickImaging, on Flickr

There is a Thule and Yakima fit for that year outback. You'll remove the OEM bars and install the foot pack into those mounting holes. The fit is unfortunately pretty high rise so you might be better off with a hitch, but if you wanted to go roof there definitely is an option.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BobC]

Originally Posted by Nooch

Also, overall, are you guys happy with the car?

I got a 2017 Outback in Oct (straight premium with no extras) after having a 2004 outback for 13 years (which boy #1 now uses). Got a killer deal. PM me & I'll walk you through the process.

***Subaru offers a $500 rebate for returning customers (loyalty program). You just call Subaru & give them your Vin & your email.

Great car. Highly recommend it.

[buddybikes]

Weight capacity 100lbs in case that matters.

[estilley]

Originally Posted by BobC

I got a 2017 Outback in Oct (straight premium with no extras) after having a 2004 outback for 13 years (which boy #1 now uses). Got a killer deal. PM me & I'll walk you through the process.

***Subaru offers a $500 rebate for returning customers (loyalty program). You just call Subaru & give them your Vin & your email.

Great car. Highly recommend it.

On a related note I'm looking to purchase a 2001-2004 outback, anything I need to know?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[cmbicycles]

If you ever need to carry more than the 1Up rack holds, you can just get the Thule Sidearm XT, or Big Mouth XT carriers as they will mount direct to the factory bars. I swap a Sidearm between our highlander and 02 outback factory bars when needed, but primarily use a 2 bike hitch rack... I would like to get a 3-4 bike rack to replace it though.

On the 01-04 Outbacks, mainly just gotta watch for the head gasket issues around 100k. I had mine done about 15k ago and it will be between $1-2k depending on what else is done at the time (do replace idlers, H2O pump, and hydraulic tensioner as insurance if it gets done). The factory gaskets were apparently junk and the dealers aren't allowed to put on any other gaskets but oem. The window seals by the mirrors can also get noisy but that is an easy fix. I'm satisfied with mine as far as durability and maintenance, it averages about 22-24mpg. It has been reliable but I'm looking to replace it with a truck for cargo space. My previous 98' got totalled but everyone walked away, so was happy with that aspect too.

[Mr. Pink]

This is the one reason I do not own an Outback. The roof rails. Subaru owner since 93, two Outbacks and two Foresters, presently a Forester. That rack system just mystifies me. Why? Thousands of loyal hippie granola biker/skier/kayaker/surfer Former Outback owners have been complaining ever since they made that change in, 10, about, I think, and they still insist on putting that thing on that car. Great car, loyal following, stupid rack, and it's the only car in their lineup that has it. It will not accomadate a good size
Thule or Yakima ski box and a bike rack on the side, because it's way too narrow, and, sorry, No way I'm attaching my Thule box to that thing with four pair of skis inside. I don't care what they rate it, I don't trust it. I've seen boxes slowly jitterring on that thing as I pass on the highway. I would be really sad if mine was suddenly in my rear view mirror at 70mph. Why not just put a few solid rails up there? Trust me, I'll take care of the rest, been there, done it, trust that. Dumb, dumb, dumb.


Thread hijack. My girlfriend just bought a Honda HRV. Nice package. I may be switching over to that brand. Nice rack, too.