GazTheHat

Got a call from the wifey yesterday, subaru wont start, just minor choke, then just clicks on every attempt after that.

There's no tracker, so no battery drain.

It's an 04. Just would've thought the battery would last longer than that. Is this a known problem? Is it a warranty issue??

For once it happened at the right time, if there is one, when it's at home and booked in the Dealers on friday.

chris_c201

Should be a warranty issue i believe as it is a known issue....

My 51 plate done the same twice recently and i ended up just buying a new one, apparently they are fairly "infamous" for it....

Miniman

iTrader: (2)

My 02 did it a couple of times, once inside warranty - so replaced with another and then that new battery failed recently (now car is out of warranty). Garage said that it only comes with a warranty that lasts as long as the cars - I mean wtf, the battery lasted about 1.5 years!

They offered to sell me a new one - I declined the offer.

GazTheHat

OK, that's good to know it's warranty and a known problem.

Bit of pain in the *** though, not knowing if it will start...

AndyMoody

iTrader: (2)

Common problem. I had same on WRX03, bought a Bosch Asian Silver 6DA and never had a problem since.

Andy.

Gutmann pug

The moral of the story is dont trust your scoob in the airport car park if your going on holiday for a couple of weeks

Sits back and waits for the flood of people saying how long they left their cars and where exactly they went on their hollybobs

Awd Chaddy

Didn't I read on another thread some while ago that if you leave your air conditioning system or heater fan controls "on", then the battery would drain when re-started? Can't remember why it works, but have done it on my car (03 WRX) and never had a problem starting!

corradoboy

Scoobs have a so-called "smart" alternator. It only supplies charge to the battery when it thinks it needs it, so if you're not using any electrics it doesn't charge it at all. Leave the fan on 1 (no need for the air-con unless you want it on) or leave the sidelights on all the time. Someone on here put a voltmeter across the terminals with the engine running but no electrical devices operating and it showed 0V. Switched on the sidelights and bang, 14.4V. Mine went 4 months after buying it, have left the sidelights on ever since and it's been fine in the 2 years since.

Gutmann pug

Mike wood told me the story of the tracker issue when stopping to put my car in its garage.


Scenario

Stop car, turn engine off to open garage door.
Open garage door return to car
Start engine drive into garage
Tracker starts looking for its satelite.
Tracker cant find its satelite as its in garage
Turn engine off leave car.
Car sits in garage merriry pearing round like a mad thing looking for its satelite.......
Battery doesnt like it ..........
Battery drains
Junk wont start


Cheapskate jap clutter ...... .


Gary

p1doc

mm that is interesting as acquiring garage in my new house
i have 03 sti on third battery-no garage as yet
my old p1 sat at edinburgh airport for 3 weks and fired up first time on coming back
martin

GazTheHat

That's interesting. I switched the fan off the w/end (the last drive) so i could listen to tyre noise etc, after fitting the new wheels. It has normally been on #1.

Right, i'm leaving it on #1 from now on.

The tracker is not an issue for me (EU), but that's interesting about the garage.

Gutmann pug

Or the same if you park it against a wall or under a tree.......Dopey car I reckon. Dont get that issue on my french clutter or old mans car

pj748r

didn't have any probs when I went to Canada for a month last year,disarmed it,jumped in ,started first time.(MY 05 wrx,Toad Cat 1 alarm,Tracker).

As an aside,I used to work in the motor trade years ago and we used to get a good 50% of aftermarket batteries back knackered within the first 2 years of a 3 year warranty,and they were decent makes too.

Awd Chaddy

Soory Gary that sounds like another old wives tale!

I regularly leave my car just outside the garage then start her up to just to go into the garage on a night and in over three years never once has the car failed to start as long as I followed the system I mentioned above.

Nigel

What if ?

I bet pslewis could leave his for 100yrs and it would still start first turn of the key !

GazTheHat

Let's not bring him into this thread, this one is actually full of useful information and no derogatory comments.