'06 Impreza 2.5i Wagon vibration

[Larry Renger]

Starting at 70 and going at least up to 90mph, there is a very slight shimmy to the car. The wheels have been rotated and balanced. The car has 2500 miles on it.

The dealer's "expert" can't feel the vibration, but I just had a 900 mile back masage going from LA to Sacramento and back.

The steering wheel does not "twitch" though I can feel the vibration there too.

The dealer is still trying to work with me on this, but doesn't seem to have a clue ("That is just how they ride")

Any clues, guys?

[Jay!]

See if the dealer will spring for an alignment.

What are the stock tires on the 2.5i? Who did the balancing? Some techs are better than others about getting things really balanced...

I had something like that, and it dissappeared when I got my tires replaced, but to be fair, mine were nearly bald.

[Larry Renger]

Thanks, I suggested that, but they said it wouldn't be showing up at 70, it would happen much earlier.

The tires are Bridgestone Potenza RE92A 205/55 R16 89V

[freakray]

The RE92 isn't exactly the greatest tire out there - it could well be tire related.

Have your rims checked for warps, believe it or not it can happen on cars. Also have an alignment done as Jay suggests.

An additional thought is to have the propshaft balanced - they can be out of balance and if they are can set up harmonic vibrations at certain revolutions or speeds.

[Larry Renger]

More data: At my own expense, I took the car to a Bridgestone dealer and had the tires inspected, balanced and rotated. Then they aligned the car.

Sadly, there is no difference from before.

I drove my wife's car on my usual "smooth pavement" section where my car vibrates, and it is, indeed, very smooth in her car.

The dealership still hasn't managed to hook me up with the factory rep. after 2 weeks. I have started documenting everything just in case I need to start waving the "L" word around.

[freakray]

You said they checked the tires, what about the rims? Have you had them checked?

[Larry Renger]

I talked to the tire shop this morning and they said that they would have seen any real warpage when they balanced the wheels.

I now have an appointment with the Factory Rep, and am researching what other sources could cause vibration. So far:

Out of balance brake rotor (or warped?)
Drive shaft (there are 5) imbalance or bend
Defective shock yielding inadequate damping
Poor matching of the tires to the suspension
Voo Doo curse by my old Toyota dealer (Last two cars were Toyotas, this is my first Subaru)

I am open to further suggestions.

[SabreKhan]

Keep us updated. If you discover the problem, we'd like to know so we can diagnose/avoid it in the future

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by Larry Renger

Starting at 70 and going at least up to 90mph, there is a very slight shimmy to the car. The wheels have been rotated and balanced. The car has 2500 miles on it.

The dealer's "expert" can't feel the vibration, but I just had a 900 mile back masage going from LA to Sacramento and back.

The steering wheel does not "twitch" though I can feel the vibration there too.

The dealer is still trying to work with me on this, but doesn't seem to have a clue ("That is just how they ride")

Any clues, guys?

Have your dealer spring for a wheel balance on a hunter gsp9700 balancer.
They are the best and will balanve a tire and wheel when all other fail.
The link below should help you locate one closest to you.
Good luck and let us know how it goes.
MT
http://www.gsp9700.com/pub/search/FindGSP9700.cfm

[Larry Renger]

Thanks, I did not know there were "quality" differences in balancers. ( I should have, I guess). I'll try to hit up one of the sites tomorrow.

[MT-2500]

Originally Posted by Larry Renger

Thanks, I did not know there were "quality" differences in balancers. ( I should have, I guess). I'll try to hit up one of the sites tomorrow.

10-4 on the balancers.
It is the best of all balancers.
It balances everything with wheels and tires turning on the car.
It will almost balance a square wheel.
Good Luck and let us know how it goes.
MT

[Larry Renger]

Well, I met with the factory rep, and we drove my car. He agreed that there was a slight vibration. Then we found an identical car on the lot, same tires and all and drove that. THE VIBRATION WAS IDENTICAL! As a result, he says that there is nothing to fix, because that is just how this car drives. He is willing to go halvzies on my choice of new tires, so there is a sincere effort to help. Anyway, to continue the saga, I looked up a nearby shop with the good Hunter GSP9700 balancer and sprung for yet another balance on my own nickle. No change. So, what tires should I buy? Also, in lemon law, is a defective design grounds for a refund?

[freakray]

Check your state law on the Lemon Law, it varies from one state to another.

What driving conditions do you anticipate for winter? What type of driving do you spend most time doing?

[Larry Renger]

I occasionally go to local skiing, chains are sometimes required for 2wd cars but not for 4wd. I would like to have "all season" tires and my research has come up with the Pirelli p-Zero Nero M+S as probably the best choice, though a local dealer says that the Toyo Proxes 4 are equivalent, have some better guarantees and are cheaper.

I checked with a lawyer friend, and he opines that a design defect is as lemon law viable as a manufacturing defect. I will have to check with an expert in the field to be sure.

The problem is this is THE car for me, I just want it to work right. If I lemon it, what else is there that has all these features and performance at anything like the price? Or double!!

[SabreKhan]

I wonder if it's an aerodynamic thing? I've never noticed it with mine, but mine's an '04 and has suspension modifications. That's really odd. I bet it's that dang Alfa nose. As for lemon law, if it's a design flaw then lemon law doesn't apply. However, there are other laws to cover your butt for a design flaw. Possibly a class-action, but I'd hate to wish a class-action on Subaru, whom I dearly love. To make a worthwhile suit, though, you'll probably have to isolate the actual problem.

EDIT: Actually, if you file suit without isolating the problem, you'll have to get multiple witnesses to testify that theirs do it, too. It would be much easier/cheaper to isolate the problem, legally speaking. (SabreKhan is a lawyer)