[OBjockey]

I recently noticed a noise when I brake while turning right on my 2013 OB. I discovered that the right tire was rubbing against the splashguard behind it in this situation. Comparing the 2 front wheels I could see that the right wheel seemed to be about 1/4 to 1/2 inch farther back in the wheel well than the left one, so there is not enough clearance between the splashguard and the tire while braking during a right turn.

I took it in and the dealer kept it for an hour, returning to me freshly washed and saying that they had adjusted the position of the splashguard a bit. I drove off assuming all was well, but no, nothing has changed.

Now I have another appointment to bring it in. They want to have it for a whole day, to "do it right". What kind of problem could this be? Could it be as simple as an alignment issue? I'm worried that there is something more serious wrong, like the frame being out of whack. I'm also not too pleased that the first time they looked at it they did nothing.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

hit a pothole recently? are you the only driver? ever loan the car to anyone?

seems like something is damaged. perhaps measure the hub-to-hub distance from front to rear wheel , and compare to same measurement of the other side of the car. Or have a collision shop inspect for damage.

 

[OBjockey]

No, I've never hit anything and I'm the only driver. There are no handling issues, everything tracks straight. I wouldn't have noticed it if I hadn't had to brake hard while turning in a parking lot. This wouldn't happen during normal driving.

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

you wouldn't be the first person to have purchased a new car that had been damaged/repaired by the dealer.

maybe it's something benign but, I'd get it investigated.

 

[eerintheburgh]

13OBprem, I have the EXACT same problem! I noticed it the first day I drove it...any hard right turn with breaking and I would hear this rubbing sound. I had my wife stand beside the car as I turned into my driveway to see if she could tell what was going on. She could see the tire hitting the splash guard. I though it would be an easy fix. Wrong.
They checked alignment and across all 4 wheels and it was off less than 1/10 of an inch. They gave me a loaner car and kept it over the past weekend...I hope to hear something from the dealer today. They said they have never seen the problem before and Subaru of America wants to have a tech involved in the process so it seems like they are taking it seriously. Very disappointing considering I've driven the car ~160 miles.

What did they find out on yours? It might help them pinpoint the problem. Thanks in advance.

 

[SeanU]

Just Installed them on my 2013

Funny that you posted this. I just did a self install of the front mud guards. The clearance looked pretty tight, but passable. I will do a lock to lock test tonight when I get home and report back if there is any rubbing.

 

[OBjockey]

eerintheburgh I just replied to your PM.

My dealer says there's nothing wrong with the frame or alignment, but that the right splash guard was probably not formed right so it grabs the tire during a braking right turn. They are going to replace it and all the hardware it attaches with. I'll let you know when that happens and if the fix works.

 

[icobob]

My 13 does this as well, but I notice mine while backing out while turning right out of drive way. Drive is a hill so it flexes the car. Have to check out if it does it under right hand breaking

 

[KFenton]

My '13 OB w/SAP does the exact same thing... I noticed it for the first time turning hard right while pulling onto service road with slight downhill ramp.... I'm going to call dealership too and will report back...

 

[subiesailor]

Guessing bad batch of mud flaps and will probably be found on many cars

 

[KFenton]

Ok so yesterday I measured my hub distance center to center... driver side 108.5 inches passenger side 108 inches... My front passenger side tire is a full 1/2 inch back... I'm calling the dealership today to schedule a visit... the car seems to drive fine however.. someone else needs to measure...

 

[KFenton]

@eerintheburgh - - Who are you speaking with at SOA? Is there a reference number? I'd like to pass this on to my dealer in Houston.

 

[eerintheburgh]

@eerintheburgh - - Who are you speaking with at SOA? Is there a reference number? I'd like to pass this on to my dealer in Houston.

Sorry I haven't checked this thread in a while if you still need the information let me know and I'll check my workorder and get you the information.

 

[Scout.]

So........what was the official outcome ?

 

[eerintheburgh]

So........what was the official outcome ?

There's two bolts under the Outback that are slotted, these bolts connect the uni-body on to the sub-frame. (such as it is) They're slotted so if an adjustment needs to be made at the plant they can do it before final alignment. To make a very long story short, the bolt on the passengers side was too far back causing that side to be too far forward by about 1/2 an inch. It was aligned to that position so everything appeared to be fine when driving straight...however in a hard right turn the 1/2 inch made a difference because the tire could come in contact with the mud guard.

The fix once that figured it out was fairly simple. They unbolted those two bolt, put it on their laser alignment equipment, squared everything, torqued the bolts back down to spec, and aligned all four wheels. BAM!! Problem gone.

 

[benamin]

I wonder if this has any relation to the other "lane wondering thread" maybe that is their problem. Did you notice anything like that before the fix?

 

[1 Lucky Texan]

where are these bolts?

any chance of a diagram that illustrates this?

 

[eerintheburgh]

I wonder if this has any relation to the other "lane wondering thread" maybe that is their problem. Did you notice anything like that before the fix?

I didn't, but I asked about that and the service manager said I shouldn't notice any wondering because it was aligned correctly. He did however say if someone was following you closely and was looking for it it might have had a slight "crab effect" but to be honest I'd only had the car about a week so and it never got to that point.

 

[eerintheburgh]

where are these bolts?

any chance of a diagram that illustrates this?

I can't find a good picture, I'll have to take one this weekend and send it to you.

PM me with your email.

 

[KFenton]

Good news on the solution... West Houston Subaru is still waiting to hear back from SOA
and have not fixed my problem. Does anyone know if a Technical Service Bulletin has been issued?