UPDATE: my case number is #1931013346
reposting from a local forum, will update as it progesses
jan 20 2012:
I've been putting up with this clutch squeak for several months now, and it got a lot louder this morning. I started googling and found this thread: http://www.3gwrx.com/forum/index.php/topic,16525.0.html they claim the welds that hold the pedal assembly to the firewall are broken. :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
it sounds exactly like these videos from the thread
has anyone else on here dealt with this? who wants to help me tear apart my dash?
hnoes:
later that day, responding to questions:
i've been having the noise in the video intermittently. thinking back on it now, it always annoyed me on the way to work, but not on the way home or on most weekends. i always commute at 6AM, so i'm wondering now if it's louder/more brittle when it's cold. this is also why i've put up with it so long. it bugs me when i can't do anything about it, and i forget about it when i can. as i mentioned before, the noise was much louder this morning than it was previously. it USED to sound just like the video. this evening when i left work, it made one loud creak and went back to a real quiet rubber sounding squeak.
reading more threads, many people are quick to tell the OP to head to the dealership. on the other hand, most people experiencing the issue report that the dealership won't believe the firewall is the culprit. some say their issue was resolved once SOA was called. for fun, i decided to call Tucson Subaru and ask someone in the service department if they had heard of this issue. they told me they hear interesting stories from the internet every week, so i said goodbye. this will be a fun one to fix for sure.
jan 21:
I'm confident it is not just a squeak because my brake pedal also moves sideways when the clutch is in the middle of the travel. I'll be looking for a second opinion this weekend.
jan 24:
confirmed that I have two holes under the cowl like the 3gwrx threads describe. you can see the metal behind them moving when the clutch is pressed.
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jan 27:
alex wants me to go to dealer, fml. i ordered new star specs that will be put on monday. after that i'll go to dealer.
feb 06:
I dropped the car off with Curt @ Tucson Subaru today. He was polite, easy to talk to, and didn't give me bs answers or try to pass the blame. He had his tech verify the broken welds and pedal play before contacting an SOA tech. They claim the assembly can be replaced with bolts only - no welds. I told him the poster that inspired me to look for the welds claimed his car was fixed under warranty by having plates welded onto the firewall. He said they would do that if they have to. He placed an order for all the parts he might need under the dash, and said he would call me when they come in. It's all being covered under warranty, and I'll get a loaner while they have my car.
today (feb 10):
I got a call from Curt today. I sent him an email with the info I got from 3gwrx.com, including an SOA claim # of another poster who had this issue fixed on their car. He told me he reviewed this email with the SOA rep, and that the rep is now requiring that they remove the entire dash to do the weld. Previously he told me his tech thought he could fix it by only removing the bottom part of the dash. The rep is also coming to Tucson to see the car while it is torn apart. They've scheduled for me to drop it off on Monday the 20th. He's now estimating that he will need to have the car for 4 days.
reposting from a local forum, will update as it progesses
jan 20 2012:
I've been putting up with this clutch squeak for several months now, and it got a lot louder this morning. I started googling and found this thread: http://www.3gwrx.com/forum/index.php/topic,16525.0.html they claim the welds that hold the pedal assembly to the firewall are broken. :facepalm: :facepalm: :facepalm:
it sounds exactly like these videos from the thread
has anyone else on here dealt with this? who wants to help me tear apart my dash?
hnoes:later that day, responding to questions:
i've been having the noise in the video intermittently. thinking back on it now, it always annoyed me on the way to work, but not on the way home or on most weekends. i always commute at 6AM, so i'm wondering now if it's louder/more brittle when it's cold. this is also why i've put up with it so long. it bugs me when i can't do anything about it, and i forget about it when i can. as i mentioned before, the noise was much louder this morning than it was previously. it USED to sound just like the video. this evening when i left work, it made one loud creak and went back to a real quiet rubber sounding squeak.
reading more threads, many people are quick to tell the OP to head to the dealership. on the other hand, most people experiencing the issue report that the dealership won't believe the firewall is the culprit. some say their issue was resolved once SOA was called. for fun, i decided to call Tucson Subaru and ask someone in the service department if they had heard of this issue. they told me they hear interesting stories from the internet every week, so i said goodbye. this will be a fun one to fix for sure.
jan 21:
I'm confident it is not just a squeak because my brake pedal also moves sideways when the clutch is in the middle of the travel. I'll be looking for a second opinion this weekend.
jan 24:
confirmed that I have two holes under the cowl like the 3gwrx threads describe. you can see the metal behind them moving when the clutch is pressed.
jan 27:
alex wants me to go to dealer, fml. i ordered new star specs that will be put on monday. after that i'll go to dealer.
feb 06:
I dropped the car off with Curt @ Tucson Subaru today. He was polite, easy to talk to, and didn't give me bs answers or try to pass the blame. He had his tech verify the broken welds and pedal play before contacting an SOA tech. They claim the assembly can be replaced with bolts only - no welds. I told him the poster that inspired me to look for the welds claimed his car was fixed under warranty by having plates welded onto the firewall. He said they would do that if they have to. He placed an order for all the parts he might need under the dash, and said he would call me when they come in. It's all being covered under warranty, and I'll get a loaner while they have my car.
today (feb 10):
I got a call from Curt today. I sent him an email with the info I got from 3gwrx.com, including an SOA claim # of another poster who had this issue fixed on their car. He told me he reviewed this email with the SOA rep, and that the rep is now requiring that they remove the entire dash to do the weld. Previously he told me his tech thought he could fix it by only removing the bottom part of the dash. The rep is also coming to Tucson to see the car while it is torn apart. They've scheduled for me to drop it off on Monday the 20th. He's now estimating that he will need to have the car for 4 days.
