[frkingz]

Hello, first Subaru, first post. Seems like a very friendly forum.

Bought our first Subaru last week, a 2013 Outback Limited 2.5 with the moonroof and Harmon Kardon sound sytem.

So far we are very happy with our purchase. Almost bought the 3.6 but now I am very glad we didnt. The 2.5 has plenty of power for what we need. Actually except for towing I can't imagine anybody needing more power to get around, after all it's not supposed to be a sports car.

Can't believe what a great value it is. We shopped around quite a bit. I think we would have had to pay at least $10,000 more for a similarly equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee with much poorer gas mileage and a much smaller, at least to me, interior.

Seems like a great car overall. Only real disappointment is in the stock tires. They are not that great in snow. Car gets going but stopping and turning can be a little scary at times in bad snow.

Had a couple questions though that I couldnt find answers to easily;

1. Heated seats- are they set up so that they do not start heating until someone is actually sitting in the seat? We went through a real cold spell in Northeast Ohio right after our purchase with lows around zero. Seems like no matter how long the car is left to warm up the seats are still ice cold. Then after sitting in them a couple minutes they get warm.

2. Heater- seems like the interior of the car just does not heat up no matter how long it is left parked and running. And even after beginning to drive it takes a few minutes to start blowing really hot air.

Was going to buy an electric starter since the car sits outside and we are in what we call the snow belt in Cleveland but I wonder if it is worth it considering the car doesn't really warm up until driven. Any opinions?

3. Floor heater vents- is it me or does it seem like very little heat is directed towards the foot area? Feet always seem to stay pretty cold. Blower makes lots of noise and seems to be putting out a lot of air but not downwards.

4. I really like the wheels and the way the calipers are painted a nice bright silver. Will the calipers rust quickly or do they stay that color? Seems like on some cars they will stay looking goood for years and on others they are covered in rust after 6 months.

5. How hard are the headlight and foglight bulbs to change? I prefer the brighter after market bulbs since our night vision isn't getting any better but the bulbs on our Mazda6 and Silverado are a nightmare to swap out of you have adult size hands.

Thanks for any replies. Sorry for the long post. Just very excited about our new purchase.

 

[OBnube]

A couple of quickie responses:

#3. Known issue, lots of complaints on floor directed air.
#4. Had a 2011 for about a year and a half and still looked new. My 2013 is too new to tell if different.
#5. Major PIA for headlights. Fogs are much easier.

Congrats on the new car. Enjoy. Welcome aboard.

 

[jp1203]

Hello, first Subaru, first post. Seems like a very friendly forum.

Bought our first Subaru last week, a 2013 Outback Limited 2.5 with the moonroof and Harmon Kardon sound sytem.

So far we are very happy with our purchase. Almost bought the 3.6 but now I am very glad we didnt. The 2.5 has plenty of power for what we need. Actually except for towing I can't imagine anybody needing more power to get around, after all it's not supposed to be a sports car.

Can't believe what a great value it is. We shopped around quite a bit. I think we would have had to pay at least $10,000 more for a similarly equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee with much poorer gas mileage and a much smaller, at least to me, interior.

Seems like a great car overall. Only real disappointment is in the stock tires. They are not that great in snow. Car gets going but stopping and turning can be a little scary at times in bad snow.

Had a couple questions though that I couldnt find answers to easily;

1. Heated seats- are they set up so that they do not start heating until someone is actually sitting in the seat? We went through a real cold spell in Northeast Ohio right after our purchase with lows around zero. Seems like no matter how long the car is left to warm up the seats are still ice cold. Then after sitting in them a couple minutes they get warm.

2. Heater- seems like the interior of the car just does not heat up no matter how long it is left parked and running. And even after beginning to drive it takes a few minutes to start blowing really hot air.

Was going to buy an electric starter since the car sits outside and we are in what we call the snow belt in Cleveland but I wonder if it is worth it considering the car doesn't really warm up until driven. Any opinions?

3. Floor heater vents- is it me or does it seem like very little heat is directed towards the foot area? Feet always seem to stay pretty cold. Blower makes lots of noise and seems to be putting out a lot of air but not downwards.

4. I really like the wheels and the way the calipers are painted a nice bright silver. Will the calipers rust quickly or do they stay that color? Seems like on some cars they will stay looking goood for years and on others they are covered in rust after 6 months.

5. How hard are the headlight and foglight bulbs to change? I prefer the brighter after market bulbs since our night vision isn't getting any better but the bulbs on our Mazda6 and Silverado are a nightmare to swap out of you have adult size hands.

Thanks for any replies. Sorry for the long post. Just very excited about our new purchase.

As for 1, I think that the 2nd generation Outbacks had a pressure sensor in the seats so they wouldn't heat unless someone was sitting in them. My 2004 was like that. My 2008 seats heat up without anyone sitting in them (not sure if they're supposed to or not). Not sure about the 2010+ cars.

...and for 2, I had a loaner 2012 Legacy 2.5 CVT while the dealer was correcting something on my 2008 after I bought it. I was very unimpressed with the heat. Driving 40 miles from the dealer to work, it was just barely comfortable with the heat on high. Granted, it was a cold day (single digits), but even considering that, my 2004 or 2008 would have roasted me out if I wanted them to. I have a feeling it wasn't supposed to be that way, but since it's the only 2010+ Outback or Legacy I've driven in the winter, I'm not sure if it's typical of them. Also noticed (like you did) that the floor heat is pretty terrible on these.

 

[Sequoia225]

Hello, first Subaru, first post. Seems like a very friendly forum.

Bought our first Subaru last week, a 2013 Outback Limited 2.5 with the moonroof and Harmon Kardon sound sytem.

So far we are very happy with our purchase. Almost bought the 3.6 but now I am very glad we didnt. The 2.5 has plenty of power for what we need. Actually except for towing I can't imagine anybody needing more power to get around, after all it's not supposed to be a sports car.

Can't believe what a great value it is. We shopped around quite a bit. I think we would have had to pay at least $10,000 more for a similarly equipped Jeep Grand Cherokee with much poorer gas mileage and a much smaller, at least to me, interior.

Seems like a great car overall. Only real disappointment is in the stock tires. They are not that great in snow. Car gets going but stopping and turning can be a little scary at times in bad snow.

Had a couple questions though that I couldnt find answers to easily;

1. Heated seats- are they set up so that they do not start heating until someone is actually sitting in the seat? We went through a real cold spell in Northeast Ohio right after our purchase with lows around zero. Seems like no matter how long the car is left to warm up the seats are still ice cold. Then after sitting in them a couple minutes they get warm.

2. Heater- seems like the interior of the car just does not heat up no matter how long it is left parked and running. And even after beginning to drive it takes a few minutes to start blowing really hot air.

Was going to buy an electric starter since the car sits outside and we are in what we call the snow belt in Cleveland but I wonder if it is worth it considering the car doesn't really warm up until driven. Any opinions?

3. Floor heater vents- is it me or does it seem like very little heat is directed towards the foot area? Feet always seem to stay pretty cold. Blower makes lots of noise and seems to be putting out a lot of air but not downwards.

4. I really like the wheels and the way the calipers are painted a nice bright silver. Will the calipers rust quickly or do they stay that color? Seems like on some cars they will stay looking goood for years and on others they are covered in rust after 6 months.

5. How hard are the headlight and foglight bulbs to change? I prefer the brighter after market bulbs since our night vision isn't getting any better but the bulbs on our Mazda6 and Silverado are a nightmare to swap out of you have adult size hands.

Thanks for any replies. Sorry for the long post. Just very excited about our new purchase.

Congrats on your purchase!!!

1. I have a 2013 now and havent tried it, but i THOUGHT in my 2003 that the seats heated if there was someone in them or not.
But could it be that its just not heating up because the weight isnt moving materials closer to the heat? I dont know what the seats look like inside - but maybe the seat seems cold cause no weight is bringing the surface closer to the heating element?
I dont know.

cant speak about the other issues - as my car is new and I am still getting used to the air controls and havent changed lights yet. The 03 heater worked great but floor airflow does seem more subtle in the 2013.

Regarding bright lights, I can tell you that some of us have eyes sensitive to bright lights. I HATE it when someone with those really bright headlights pulls up behind me - even if I adjust the rear view mirror, it still glares from the sides and such. Some of them seem like "high beam" strength to me.
Im just saying, with those bring after market lights, if someone in front of you acts strange - it could just be cause of that. I usually slow so they will pass me.

 

[tmedic]

Welcome and great choice on a new car. I have a 2012 which is pretty close to the 2013 save for a few things. Here's my answers to a few of your questions.

#1 - I believe my seat heat whether or not there is someone actually sitting in them.

#2 - I have an aftermarket remote start put in mine and we have had over a week of single digits temps and many nights/mornings under 0. I usually run it for about 10-15 min in the morning and its always pretty toasty when I get in.

#3 - Not a lot of heat directed there but I've never really felt cold there either, I usually leave the heat on defrost/floor vent this time of year.

 

[hallux]

I'm usually starting to feel heat in my 2011 by the time I'm 3-5 minutes into my morning drive (upstate NY but the OB is garaged), maybe a little longer in the evening. I start the engine and let it idle for ~30 seconds before leaving. There are some "cool" zones but my feet have never felt COLD. By the time I'm 10 minutes into my commute I'm feeling comfortable, and the fan never left the first setting.

 

[scoobydoo2]

...Welcome to the forum. Congrats on the new OB...enjoy the ride.

 

[subiesailor]

All quality auto makers have coated calipers to prevent rust. Never ever let a local brake shop convince you that a brake job involves caliper replacement. Common scam where they remove your quality OEM brake caliper and put on a cheap untreated fast to rust aftermarket caliper. They then sell your quality properly treated caliper for a nice profit.

All new cars running synthetic oils take much longer to warm up due to the newer engines and oils being very efficient and not producing as much wasted energy which is heat.

 

[frkingz]

Thanks for all the replies. Appreciate them.

 

[dark]

subiesailor

I agree with you about synthetic oil producing less frictional heat, but would you not agree that the vast amount of heat is produced from combustion and is transferred to the water jackets in the block. Hot water circulating from the engine produces the majority of cabin heat. Slow or low heating temperatures would suggest heating/cooling system issues to me. In any event a problem for the dealer on a new car.

 

[Scout.]

If you have the "auto" setting on it will wait until the car has warmed up until it really starts blowing air, if you want to warm up the car in a more normal way set it to defrost and it will start blowing immediately but the air will not be warm until the car has had time to warm up. The warm up time on mine has been around 5 minutes or longer with temps in the 30's.

 

[arthuruscg]

A better options then remove start is an engine block heater.