| 3/27/01: Just got my SVX back from the dealer with the new Yokohama AVS dB tires. They are a 200% improvement over the old ones (one of which blew out from a separated tread - yes it was a Firestone Firehawk SVX). The whine coming from the engine has not gone away, even though they have replaced the power steering pump. I am thinking it is actually coming from the alternator, but they disagree. The intermittent squealing and grinding coming from the rear brakes has also not been fixed; I am going in this Saturday (the 31st) to have the shop foreman ride with me in the car and tell me that what I am hearing is not normal. This will be the fourth time it has been at the dealership for the same brake problems. I am not leaving until they fix it. My carbon fiber hood is on its way in a few weeks, and I will also visit with the shop that will paint it this Saturday to work out with them the price and specifics. I have chosen Atlas Body shop to do the work as the owner is Marisa'a uncle and Ray has good things to say about them. 3/31/01 Took my car in today and waited while they inspected the brakes again. Again, they told me they couldn't find anything, and I went back to the shop with them to inspect the brakes with the mechanic. I myself could not see anything - the rotors were fine, the parking brake pads looked good, no visible signs of malfunction, but that does not mean there is not something internally wrong with the system. Since the shop foreman was not there, they suggested I come back during the week. One good thing is that when the mechanic drove the car out, he did admit to hearing a "crackling sound" coming from the car when the brakes were applied. Did not get a chance to visit the body shop, but will try to do that when I take my car in on Tuesday. 4/10/01 Well, they finally fixed the rear brakes. It only took four trips in all for them to figure out that the caliper wasn't releasing all the way back, so they re-lubed it, sanded the pads and turned the rotors the make everything flush again. There is still a slight squeak while driving, but I think that's coming from the front brakes and may be solved when the cryo-treated rotors are put on. I also went to the body shop today and got an estimate on my hood. $625, but that includes drilling the holes for the washer nozzles and emblem and putting all the trim pieces on. I will order the trim pieces online myself to save on cost. 6/22/01 Okay, it's been a while since I've last updated this. After over seven months and at least five different trips to North Park Subaru, I finally think my rear brakes are fixed. They ended up having to replace both rear rotors due to their own negligence in grinding them down too hard. There were visible nicks on the surface of the rotor. I did not have them put on the new front ART rotors. The fronts are warped (of course) so I'll either be taking it to an independent shop or putting the things on myself. They also fixed some more engine leaks, under the GE warranty. I swear, my engine leaks like a screen door! The hood: ah yes, the hood. It finally came in last week, and the finish was so wavy and dipped I told them to either refund the money or make another one. This hood they sent was totally unacceptable. The new hood should be in tomorrow, at which time they said they'll pick up the old one. I'm having the body shop paint the hood the same color as the car, except for two stripes up the center where the carbon fiber will show through. I hope they can do it, I've learned that c/f is tricky to work with, but I think if they treat it like fiberglass we should be okay. Oh, by the way, while I was there I asked for an estimate on refinishing the rest of the car to make it look better. Guess what they quoted me? You'll never believe it: they wanted over $5,000! Heck, I bought the whole car for not much more! Looks like they'll just be doing the hood for now. Maybe if I decide to seriously show the car I'll do that kind of job on it later, but for now it's my one car, and although I try not to drive it, it will suffer the slings and arrows of misfortune out on the roads of San Antonio Oh, and the whining sound coming from the engine? It was the alternator. I took the car to Texas Alternator Starter and they completely rebuilt the part, and soldered my upgraded battery cables on much better than they were before. I would highly recommend this shop to anyone wanting a good rebuild. It wasn't cheap, though. I'll give updates on the brake changeover when it is done. 11/13/01 I've had the carbon fiber hood on the car for a couple of months now, and it's holding up fine. The paint job came out beautifully, although it was so expensive that if I had the chance to choose again I probably wouldn't do it. I opted not to drill holes for the washer nozzles, instead rerouting them to squirt from the wiper blades themselves. It is a much more elegant and clean solution anyway. The stock hood is no more, due to a "slight" highway mishap. The hood supports were wrecked, too, so now I'll have to find new ones, or adapt a hood support rod to fit the car. 6/19/01 I am getting the car ready for the upcoming 10th anniversary SVX Meet in July. I switched out the old front brake rotors with the slotted ones, and they have made a huge improvement in the overall feel and handling. I've replaced the old stereo system (which was not stock) with a new upgraded system. Next on the list comes getting the various dings and scrapes fixed, as well as having the tint redone. I am getting very excited about the meet now! This will be the first time so many of these cars have been gathered in one place. Since Subaru owners are a generally quirky bunch, and SVX owners an even stranger breed, this will likely shape up to be a very interesting gathering indeed! I also need to make arrangements to have the car towed up there, since I am way over my mileage on the warranty. I need to make sure I stretch the coverage out as long as possible, since I am very worried about the tranny. Replacing that thing would cost more than you'd want to know... even the Subaru techs won't touch a failed transmission, which should say something about how squirrely the thing is. And I am already getting some warning signs from the car, so it won't be long now. |
| SVX Autodiary - Chronicles of Madness and Mayhem |