E-Brake, Shift Knob, Shifter Surround Piece

OK, so I finally decided I had enough of the little pieces that were bothering me and took the Legacy in. These were obviously all warranty issues I just didn't want to be apart from my car while they figured out what was wrong.

 

The E-brake: spring loose inside and they ordered a new handle which should fix this. The dealer said it was no big deal and was easy to diagnose so if you have this problem take it in and it should be a breeze. Luckily I had a specific road (I-5 in Seattle) that could easily replicate the problem.

 

Shift Knob: I had the stock Momo knob and it was getting really scratched up after just 18k miles. I have no rings on my right hand and just couldn't figure it out so I complained about it and they went and found a new one. They couldn't explain it either and couldn't argue the fact that it looked like crap so they replaced it.

 

Shifter Surround: This is the plastic trim piece around the shifter that after hot and cold spells slowly separated from the piece that surrounds the climate controls. It was about a half inch down on the right and flush on the left. They said a clip broke or fell apart and they were replacing that too.

 

Now the bad news... not really bad but I took it in on Friday and they overbooked and couldn't look at it till Sat. Then they couldn't order parts till Monday so I've been chillin' in a bone stock base model Forrester. A little slow for my liking but it's all good! I get it all back and brand new tomorrow.

UPDATE: I spoke too soon. WAAAAAAAYYYY too soon. So I went back in to Carter Subaru (in Seattle, WA) today to pick my car up and the shift surround wasn't even attached correctly. It still had the gap on the right and was flush on the left. On top of that they reattached my center console (when they replaced the e-brake) ON TOP OF MY JACKET!!! Yes, that's right, they attached the center console over my jacket in the back. My jacket was on the floor in my back seat and they attached it right on top locking my jacket under the console. The guys lifted it up enough to free it but needless to say I was not impressed.

 

Anyone else have the shifter surround replaced to fix the gap that develops on the right or left? Any success in doing so?

LegLGT - Sorry to hear of your troubles - and I hope your jacket wasn't damaged!

 

If you're a 5MT, honestly, adjusting the shifter surround is as easy as grabbing that component using your right hand (sitting in the driver's seat), with your palm facing down - fingers over the base of the trim plate (where it meets the rest of the console, i.e. drink-holder area), and thumb resting on the console to exert counter-leverage as you pull the component "up."

 

The top-area alignment problem (where the component meets the HVAC control area) is a simple mis-alignment of the component during install. You should rather easily be able to re-fit the component yourself, especially seeing as how your local dealership was quite inept!

 

Best of luck!

Thanks for the help! I tried this but as you can see in the photos below it just won't line up right. First and foremost I got a new shift knob that actually looks good so that's great. In the second pic you can see the gap. The third shows where I run into a problem. By adjusting the surround piece up to be level on the right, I end up having it shift right and hang over the wood section circled in the third pic. Picture shifting a square 10 degrees from left to right and you can see how it would push up onto the wood by making the top even. It's too rigid to just shift one part and leave the other end in the same place. Any ideas? They called me and apologized today and are willing to come get the car and fix it and bring it back. I haven't called back yet... not sure what to do.

Damn, that's sooooo strange!

 

Hum..... If you're up to it, you can try removing the faux-wood side-piece to see if perhaps that in and of itself is somehow mis-aligned - however, before you do that, give repositioning the shifter trim another try, there's quite a bit of "flexibility" in this plastic component, and that in and of itself can be the cause of your woes.

 

For example, it's the flexibility of this piece that allows me to jam both the "Smart Cord" for my X50 as well as the remote switch for my ZR3 through the left corner of this plate, while retaining stock/no gap on the right side.

 

If you need directions as to how to remove the side trim, the "Cabin Air Filter Change/Installation" thread in the "Walk-Throughs" sub-section is an AWESOME resource.

 

Best of luck!

Thanks TSi! They ordered another part for the surround and it'll be in on Monday. As I was messing with it though, I almost pulled the whole thing off and noticed something quite odd. It seems as if the clip on the left will engage with the HVAC surround piece but the right won't. It's as if there's a mate piece to lock in on the left but just an empty hole for the clip on the right. So I suggested to the service guy that they examine the HVAC piece also as THAT could be the problem and not the shifter surround.

 

One other small positive I noticed: when they replaced my shifter surround piece they did it with a stock piece... AKA: no silly little shifter diagram to peel off and clean since the momo knob doesn't state where the gears are. I assume they did this for those who used to drive VW's.

Thanks TSi!

 

NP Just glad to (try to) help!

 

They ordered another part for the surround and it'll be in on Monday. As I was messing with it though, I almost pulled the whole thing off and noticed something quite odd. It seems as if the clip on the left will engage with the HVAC surround piece but the right won't. It's as if there's a mate piece to lock in on the left but just an empty hole for the clip on the right. So I suggested to the service guy that they examine the HVAC piece also as THAT could be the problem and not the shifter surround.

 

Very well could be the issue.

 

Also, I almost always have a harder time fitting-in my trim, too, on the right side....it usually takes me a few tries to get it right. And yes, I've had mine apart, probably, a dozen times.

 

One other small positive I noticed: when they replaced my shifter surround piece they did it with a stock piece... AKA: no silly little shifter diagram to peel off and clean since the momo knob doesn't state where the gears are. I assume they did this for those who used to drive VW's.

 

Interesting!

 

Cool, you can now spend the extra $20 or so to get one of those nifty CF/dayglow "STi" shift pattern thingies!

Well, it's back in and they found that there were clips actually missing in the new part... Hmmm... oh well. They also discovered the cooling fan issue which I'm quite happy about! I thought I noticed it but couldn't get it to always do it. So now the ECM is being overnighted and I will have my car back tomorrow. No more phantom studder either! I never got it that bad but on really cold days it would replicate if I didn't warm up properly. Bad news? Another base Forrester!!!!!!!!!! Ahhhhh... turbo-less for two more days!

^ Glad things all worked out for ya! Well, at least everything but the base Forester "situation."

Ahhhh... just picked it up from the dealer and everything is all good. I guess I have to "re-educate" the computer now? It's a new ECM and all the relays relating the cooling fan (I assume it was these since it was the cooling fan stuck on) have been replaced. It's drives a bit differently but not much. I guess I have to put in some good student-teacher time. It's not a bad different just a "new" different. Does the computer really need to be "re-taught" or am I picking up random rumors here? Thanks TSi! (Since I assume it's only you who responds to this thread!!! )

 

Some would say that you should "re-teach" your ECU your driving style, and some here go so far as to favor resetting their ECU routinely.

 

It's all dependent on which school of thought you subscribe to.

 

Me?

 

I like to think of "long term learning" instead.

 

Honestly, it's up to you - more than likely, it makes very little difference either way, especially averaged over time.

 

Glad everything got sorted out for ya!

I'm glad to hear they fixed everything for you. My shifter surround does the exact same thing, if I push down on it so that it's secure there's a gap on the right side. If I lift it up to meet the ashtray area it sits too high against the side trim and eventually pops back down anyway. I haven't brought it in because I figured they'll just pin it on me for having removed the trim multiple times (install of Jazzy's board/air filter). Maybe I shouldn't be so cynical.

Thanks again TSi for the help! mbacis - You never know! Even though I've never done anything to mine, I was skeptical at first anyways just because I thought they would say it was so minor it didn't matter. You should give it a shot when you go in for an oil change or something. Just mention it off-hand and see where it goes.

 

So from a noob perspective:lol:, ECM is always interchangable with ECU then? Same part just different names? Is it Engine Control Management and Engine Control Unit?

^ Damned if I know about the vocab. issue !

 

I'm a noob myself - always have been. I would love to hear what some of our more tech-oriented members have to say about ECM vs. ECU.

Holy mother of god... it's baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaack. Yeah, it got hot here (about 75) and while out driving today I looked down and there's the Canyon again on my right hand side. I'm not even taking it back in till my next oil change... this $hit just ain't worth it...

WTF! Arrgh, I'm sorry you're having such problems!

My car has the same gap. Doesn't look as large as yours. Anyway, I took mine in to the dealer as well. They replaced the piece, but it didn't fix anything. I have sort of learned to deal with it now.

Found ANOTHER thread on this. Skip to the end of page two and hopefully I'll get a response from these guys about their current situation.

 

http://legacygt.com/forums/showthread.php?t=17459&page=2

 

As for dealing with it... well I've tried! I try and forget it... but it just nags at me, I don't know why. I just see what I affectionately refer to as the "Canyon" on my right hand side.