The DOJ boot went on the Legacy this summer, I needed to get it fixed before winter but I ended up replacing the entire half axle: $235. (Dealer wanted $255 to do the boot.)

I just, just got my half axle replaced on my car today and I picked up the car and got up on the highway and the whole front suspension just collapsed downward when I started breaking (putting pressure on the front end) as I was getting off the off-ramp. The car started bottoming out and the axle was grinding like a motherflucker. I pulled over halfway to the end of the offramp and put my emergency lights on, but I couldn't leave it on the side of off-ramp (with people whizzing past me at 60MPH) so against my gut instinct I drove my poor Subaru the 150 yards back to work bottoming out the entire way.) When I made the left turn off the off-ramp the whole car CRUNCHED sickeningly again and my whole lights dash flashed and my ABS, AWD, CHECK ENGINE and BRAKE light came on and stayed on simultaneously.

2005 Subaru Legacy 142,000 (First 132,000 were the first driver, it was his company car he drove to take the Pike to Boston every day.)

The clean trade in on the car is $6,225 (the car is was worth the clean value) and I still owe over 7 grand on the loan.

It didn't make it 5.5 miles back to work from the garage. Obviously I won't be paying a dime to repair or replace it because it happened under 10 minutes after it left the shop but man, shit is fucked up.

My car should be getting towed right about now from work parking lot back to the garage.

Does anyone have any suggestions or idea to what the fuck happened, and what I should do?

The mechanic was highly recommended by many people, and has been in business for years. Obviously it was not his intention, because he has to stand behind his work but shit happens.

sounds like a ball joint let go maybe?

I would get on the net and dee what parts have to be touched to do the cv. Sams idea is a thought with those miles and them roads. It could be simply a bad new shaft or (my real guess) he forgot the big nut lol. If its a good mech I wouldn't worry much, he should make it right. Good luck and keep us posted.

Yeah, ball joints and front strut have to be unfastened to remove the axle on a sube, as well as tie rod end, etc...

Sounds like something was left loose, and if the ball joint was bad, they should have noticed when they undid it.

Posted by bandi Yeah, ball joints and front strut have to be unfastened to remove the axle on a sube, as well as tie rod end, etc... Sounds like something was left loose, and if the ball joint was bad, they should have noticed when they undid it.

The thing that worries me is the car went down to the ground and the bottom dragged along the off ramp (@ 6mph but still) and road for 150 yards.

When I got the car back to the parking lot the car was so far down on it's suspension I couldn't get underneath it.

I'm 5'8" 120lbs. My dad is 5'8" 190lbs with a santa (sam adams) gut and he's been able to get under it no problem before. My 6" or 8" of clearance became like 2" when it was parked.

The mech wanted me to drive it back, I was like, there is no way in hell I'm driving it back, the the car is bottoming out.

It got towed to the shop last night before 8pm, he's supposed to call my house when he knows wtf happened.

Update so far...

I picked up the car today. It's getting inspected at the dealership where I bought it tomorrow.

Driving it the 150' yards caused a steering sensor to go out it still isn't driving correctly. The axle is grinding worse than before I brought it in and the steering wheel is vibrating upon idle. This may just be the steering sensor. But it feels like my shocks/struts are also fucked up.

_{My dad said my breaks also looked worn, but I think that, is normal wear/tear.}

My alignment is still fairly spot on though, I am surprised at that I didn't get too much of a chance to test it, though. The car didn't pull one way or the other.

Here is what happened according to the mech:

There were two half shafts available, he didn't know which one was the correct one. He installed the wrong one. "Well I had a 50/50 chance to get it right" he told my dad. He didn't warn me or even inform me of this. He brushed it off like it was nothing.

If the axle had gone one minute earlier, there is a good chance I could have been killed, losing the axle at highway speeds.

I have to bring it back to him on Monday to fix the steering sensor ... I'm not sure I want to but we're going to see what my Subaru Dealership says.

Ask your mechanic if the part was installed incorrectly. If he doesnt give you a yes or no answer, tell him to shut his mouth, and answer the question. Dont accept any answer other than yes or no.

When he answers yes, ask him to admit who installed it wrong, and why its your problem. When fault is identified, tell him to fix the shit and you will be back in 2 days to pick up your car.

The car didn't bottom out either as far as we could tell, without getting it up on the lift, there are no scratches on the bottom. The incorrect axle partially separated from the joint and the horrible scraping noise was caused by part of the axle dragging along the ground, not my undercarriage.

If the car wasn't AWD I have no doubt I would have lost control and gotten into an accident.
_{"AWD designed to perform when all others fail."}

Posted by big dave Ask your mechanic if the part was installed incorrectly. If he doesnt give you a yes or no answer, tell him to shut his mouth, and answer the question. Dont accept any answer other than yes or no. When he answers yes, ask him to admit who installed it wrong, and why its your problem. When fault is identified, tell him to fix the shit and you will be back in 2 days to pick up your car.

The mechanic who did the work is also the owner of the business.
He admitted not knowing which axle to install and saying he "had a 50/50 chance to get it right" to my father today. When I picked it up yesterday he said "It was good to go". He should have warned me about the axle or maybe just done his research better. He "installed the correct axle today and it's good to go".

We'll see what the dealer says tomorrow. The car is "point a to point b"-able for now. I still have an ill feeling about this.

Posted by TheVicariousVadder The mechanic who did the work is also the owner of the business. He admitted not knowing which axle to install and saying he "had a 50/50 chance to get it right" to my father today. When I picked it up yesterday he said "It was good to go". He should have warned me about the axle or maybe just done his research better. He "installed the correct axle today and it's good to go". We'll see what the dealer says tomorrow. The car is "point a to point b"-able for now. I still have an ill feeling about this.

you mechanic is an idiot.
there is no 50/50 chance with parts, especially not now in 2009.
He did not do his homework by taking the VIN # down and the parts idiot did not do his homework by asking for the VIN #. Most parts are VIN driven if there are any mid-year model changes. Also, a quick call to a Subaru parts guy would've clarified any issues. Even if you're not getting parts from a particular dealer, they are very helpful in making sure you don't fuck up. Basically, what you have here is laziness at both ends.

so now, as a result of the CV shaft popping free, you probably destroyed the axle seal, did a number on the wheel bearing, the knuckle, the ball joint, tie rods, motor mounts...it's pretty cataclysmic for a CV shaft to pop free...

very not cool.

Posted by Samurai you mechanic is an idiot. there is no 50/50 chance with parts, especially not now in 2009. He did not do his homework by taking the VIN # down and the parts idiot did not do his homework by asking for the VIN #. Most parts are VIN driven if there are any mid-year model changes. Also, a quick call to a Subaru parts guy would've clarified any issues. Even if you're not getting parts from a particular dealer, they are very helpful in making sure you don't fuck up. Basically, what you have here is laziness at both ends. so now, as a result of the CV shaft popping free, you probably destroyed the axle seal, did a number on the wheel bearing, the knuckle, the ball joint, tie rods, motor mounts...it's pretty cataclysmic for a CV shaft to pop free... very not cool.

Sam is dead on. There is no guess shit today. You have resources to check. Dude I would stay on his ass about this till its perfect. I mean dead on the way it was when u dropped it off. And I would look at any tierods etc for bends. Just cause it tracks straight doesn't mean nothings screwed and they didn't adjust it out.

Posted by TheVicariousVadder This may just be the steering sensor. But it feels like my shocks/struts are also fucked up.

Steering sensor?

Posted by bandi Steering sensor?

I thought the steering sensor is located between the steering wheel and the drivers seat...

Uh huh.

No Sube I've ever worked on has had a steering sensor except '07 and up WRX STi's with an active centre differential. And all it does is detect where the steering wheel is pointed and shifts power to wheels accordingly.

And I've worked on a LOT of Subies.

With the car bottoming out diagnosis, I was thinkin' that somebody forgot to bolt down a strut or cartridge at the bottom side, it could have popped out of its mount and then the car would drag!!

But since the car wasen't bottoming out.

Are you tellin' me that one shaft came out, and since it is a full time 4WD, that is what enabled the car to keep going as the loose shaft banged around in the A arms or subframe?

If an axel breaks with an open type differential, you aint goin' no place.

I broke a rear axel once in my Chevy 4X4, thought I'd be slick and remove the rear drive shaft and use the front axel to get home.

I pumped all the fluid out of the transfer case, and had to replace it too.
All I was doin' was tryin' to get home.........It got us home, but it cost me a lot of labor and time.

Posted by bandi Steering sensor?

It registers Error Code 55 or SS on the dash.
He called it the steering sensor ... a google search revealed it's an error for a bad "Speed Sensor".

Ok, this is the verdict from my dealership mechanic:

The typed comment: "Axle seems to be extended (coming out from trans side too much, stretching boot)"
The written comment:
"
Belts Need Tightening
L/S Axle (front) noise
LF/LR wheel bearings noisy
ABS+CEL Lights on need diagnosis
Wipers Loose
"

On the 50 point inspection this is what is said (there's little colored bubbles checked off on the report.)
Green: Checked & OK. Yellow: may require follow up attention. Red: Requires Immediate attention


Yellow:
Drive Belts
Engine Oil
Air Filter
Front Brake Pads
Break wear RF/LF 3mm-7mm


Red:
Wiper Operation
Engine Management codes
ABS System Codes
Axles & Boots

Green:
Everything Else

The wipers were a quick Phillips head fix by my dad in my work parking lot today. Oil change is at 8,500 since the previous (I have the oil and filter, I was supposed to get the oil change done this weekend, after the axle repair on thursday... guess not) The manual states every 8000-10000 miles required. I'll have to redo the breaks, but the exact depth was 6mm so I've got some time.

Subaru advised me it is drivable but drive it slow under 40MPH, drive it locally, and they stopped using third party axles and HIGHLY RECOMMEND he should install a Subaru OEM axle, because it is STILL fucked up. Whatever aftermarket axle he put on there is overextending and STILL WRONG. And my wheelbearings like Samurai suggested are messed up.

I gave Subaru the list of Sam's suggestions of "things that could go wrong". They advised me before they inspected it you really can't tell if the wheel bearings are damaged without driving it for a while, than they will make noise, but it should be a gradual thing. Well they did the inspection and came back and said "The subaru mech could tell just from driving it into the garage from where I parked, the wheel bearings are noisy"

So... wrong axle AGAIN.
Wheel bearings FUCKED (gradual my ass)

It's up to my dad to deal with the idiot mech now ... we held him off, _{(when his toyota dealership fucked him over on a job ($2700 for two cracked manifolds he sent away at least 10-20 people including 4 close relatives from that dealership.)}

I'm now hearing from everyone I talk to "don't take it to Idiot Mechs Garage. I'd never take my vehicle there again".

Seriously though, my dad makes shitty decisions regarding what mechanic he goes to for car repairs... But the Idiot Mech did well by him a year ago. Must have been a fluke.

Posted by cr400 If an axel breaks with an open type differential, you aint goin' no place.

He installed TWO incorrect axles. I don't know what damage verdict on the first axle was. The axle stayed together, but "partially separated" and the boot tore. Now I don't know what the hell the scraping noise was, maybe just the axle gnashing inside the torn boot. If the car was front wheel drive, I'm certain it would not have been able to pull the car the 150 yards from the offramp to my work parking lot. Because the car was AWD, the real axle still had power.

The first axle size was way off.
The second axle is still off.
We're demanding he order the Subaru OEM halfaxle, replace the wheel bearings, and the Speed Sensor.

If he doesn't want to. We'll be taking it to Subaru Dealer and settling this in small claims.

NIGHTMARE........................Good luck to you!

Good luck with this, similar thing happened to my brother's old car right after he got off the highway and had been going 70 MPH!

with the older 'Loyale' style Subies, you COULD pop a drive axle or two out of the car and drive it home... I saw one roll over into a gully, get pulled out by a rusted to fuck Chevy LUV (remember those?) and then drive 15 miles home on 2 axles (one drivers' side front, pass. side rear)... the new Subes, I'm not too clear on how their AWD system works and how close to the old school Loyale they are.

BUT, seriously, you need to stay on thus mechanic and make sure that you car is fixed properly. I shudder when I hear of shoddy work. Back in 1998, I had the clutch fail in 1991 Cavalier RS. I took it to a local shop that I wasn't really comfortable with, but had to settle for because my primary shop was booked solid for a week or two and I needed my car. Keep in mind that the clutch had just started to fail, slipping in 5th gear during quick throttle. I had gotten the car stuck and had gotten the clutch hot trying to get the car out. Other than that, the transmission shifted fine. I got the car back the next day and you needed to be Conan to get the shifter from gear to gear... also, the clutch was whining and making noises... I told the mechanic that something was wrong and he tells me that the transmission was on it's way out most likely. Bullshit. The Isuzu gearbox was bulletproof. So, predictably, three weeks later, the clutch and tranny fail. I got the car into the garage I had wanted to take it to in the first place. My brother took it apart and found that the clutch disc had been installed backwards. The mechanic that had installed the clutch had used an impact gun on the transaxle to engine bolts... what a fucking nightmare. I never did get my money back for the clutch and replacement transmission.