Pacifica issues?

I had a Legacy wagon. AC was pathetic. That was a 1995 model. They still
look the same. Wonder if they fixed the ac.

 

I had an '86 turbo wagon that I drove the heck out of. Sold it at 275k
miles running as good as when it left the facotry with original engine
and turbo unit. Oh - did I mention that the guy who bought it emailed
me 6 months later saying he had to junk it for frame rust - wouldn't
pass inspection?

Anyway - after I sold it, I was reading about *lots* of problems on the
new stuff, including the WRX's, with clutches, brakes, and rear wheel
bearings. That '86 wagon had disk brakes all around - had the original
rotors on it when I sold it, and I never once had them turned - the
brakes were always unbelievably smooth.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Interesting.
I tried Mr Lube once just for a simple engine oil change, resisting
their warnings more lubing was needed, including the transmission.
It took 1.5 hrs for the change as one chap was servicing 4 bays.
After a few weeks I noticed the oil level was down and oil was streaking
underneath.
Looking further I found the oil drain plug was only finger tight.
* Never again to Mr Lube. *

 

If you like it, the clear out buys are the buys of the century.

 

The Subaru OutBack is also on my short list.

I've not had or heard of an LH 3.3L water pump problem.

 

IMO the Sebring seems to fit.
Here a one yr old 10k miles '06 Sebring is about 60% of new price.
Quite a deal.

 

The only significant problem I've heard of is head gasket failure.
Google will give you lots of hits on that.
http://users.sisna.com/ignatius/subaru/headgasket.html
Also their fuel consumption is a bit high.

 

I seriously question why I continue to go back to these folks. On my
last visit to Mr. Lube, they asked if I wanted my transmission
serviced and I said no, I only use Chrysler transmission fuild as
specified in the owner's manual (I was trying to be polite). They
told me they didn't have Chrysler fluid, but add something to what
they use on other vehicles to make it "manufacturer approved". I
didn't ask for details, but it struck me as a possible scam and if
that's the case, I wonder how many other Chrysler owners may have
fallen victim to it.

So, does anyone know the real story here? Can you use a different
transmission fluid, add one or more magic ingredients to it and
*presto*, you're good? And any sense if this is the practice of all
Mr. Lube locations or was this particular one just trying to pull the
wool over my eyes?

Cheers,
Paul

 

I like the Sebring convertible and would have likely bought one except
I can't comfortably see out the windshield -- the cowl is right at eye
level. I would have had to jack up the seat to raise my head above it
(à la Jerome the Giraffe) or recline the seatback so far my hands
wouldn't touch the wheel. I've never experienced this problem with
any other car.

Cheers,
Paul

 

This has been discussed *many* times here. They're talking about
"Dexron™ with an additive". I hesitate to call it a scam, because a
scam is someone intentionally misleading you, and the person telling you
that may have actually believed what he was telling you 9(repeating what
he had been told). Unfortunately the aftermarket industry has duped
many people, including 90+% of transmission shops, into believing the
lie. So while what you Mr. Lube told you maybe wasn't an intentional
scam, it would have the same results and looks just like one.

When I wantd to pay a shop to replace filter and fluid on my Concorde, 4
out of 4 of the most reputable shops in the area told me they would use
Dexron™ with an additive. I did it myself.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

While I owned my '86 turbo wagon, I spent a few years on a couple of
Sybaru forums. There are a lot more problems that just head gaskets ont
he late model ones. As I said: brakes, clutches, rear wheel bearings.

Take a look at rec.autos.subaru over the last 4 years.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

What Bill said. I consider the transmission fluid to be a dealer-only
service, if you're not going to do it yourself. The fluids on these cars
are very Chrysler specific, particularly the transmission, engine coolant,
and for some cars, the steering. There are now equivalent approved fluids
for the coolant (Zerex G-05 and the equivalent gold Ford fluid, but NOT
Dextron and equivalents), as well as the transmission fluid (it must say
ATF+4 fluid).

Then again, I did have my dealer replace my steering fluid a year or two
ago. If the receipt is right, they goofed. There were three different
Chrysler fluids, old, transition and ATF+4 (I don't have the MS numbers
handy for the first two). The old fluid is not compatible with ATF+4, the
transition fluid is. My '99 was factory filled with the transition fluid
and should have been changed with ATF+4. Instead the paperworks shows they
used the old fluid, which could cause problems at the next fluid change,
unless it is fully flushed and refilled completely with ATF+4.

Unfortunately at the time I didn't realize the difference and you have to
read the TSBs in detail to realize what's going on since Chrysler made it
confusing. (My factory service manual says DON'T use ATF+4 for steering,
the lastest TSB confirms that is now the right fluid to use. I believe the
transition fluid is no longer made and the older fluid (not compatible with
ATF+4) is for older vehicles.

When I had the dealer do the transmission fluid replacement, I wrote on my
service order to use ATF+4 without any additives.
Since they have specials every now and then on these fluid services, the
dealer price can be very reasonable, but you have to watch them, since
service quality varies depending on the tech.

 

Thanks Greg and Bill for sharing your insight; very much appreciated.

I hadn't paid much attention to this matter before; I had understood
one uses only Chrysler fluid and that anything else was pretty much
the kiss of death and to be avoided at all costs. That's why I was
highly suspicious about the use of additives. However, I didn't
realize there are multiple flavours of ATF and so now I'll be counting
on my dealer to pick the right one (and the Vegas odds aren't looking
good).

Further to that last point, there are three Chrysler dealers in the
Halifax metro area. The service at my current dealer is only so-so
and I can't recommend them in good faith. Another one is so bad I
would rather eat dirt mixed with crushed glass washed down with some
of that ATF; frankly, I won't even drive past the place due to all the
bad karma. The third is a complete mystery to me and, at least for
the time being, I'm sticking with my current dealer for fear of the
unknown.

I had mentioned Jim Davidson Chrysler (Toronto) in another thread and
I always found them to be excellent. Now whenever I hand over my keys
I break out in a cold sweat.

Cheers,
Paul

 

if it's a b&g flush kit or wynns it does have the proper additive for
chryslers and mercery's

 

They tried that on me, but I didn't bite.

I'm sticking to Chrysler dealer service on my transmission.

IMO our local Mr. Lube is a terrible place to get service anyway; took
1.5 hrs for a simple engine oil change. At our local Speedy it's 15
minutes.

 

That sounds like the Yogi'ism: "No one ever goes there anymore - it's
too crowded". Of course maybe what you're saying is that they only
had two customers therer and it took them 1.5 hrs.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

"The Subaru OutBack is also on my short list"

Well, we opted to punt a year. Making it an even decade we've owned
the Intrepid. I'm happy.
I like the car.

FWIW Subaru got knocked down a couple pegs after talking with some
owners and my mechanic. They are not
problem free (which I can live with if I like the car) but it seemed
like parts were *expensive*.


"I've not had or heard of an LH 3.3L water pump problem."

I've got the 3.5 litre. I love the motor. Great power, and great power
band.

The water pump would leak on them, at least the early ones. I had mine
replaced shortly after I got it under warranty (they checked it out
and replaced it). Then, when I got the timing belt preventatively
changed, I had 'em change the water pump for an additional $40.

Jimbo

 

"I've not had or heard of an LH 3.3L water pump problem."

Yes, different motor, obviously not as reliable as the 3.3L and having a
design requiring more maintenance.