Our 2002 Subaru Forester developed a worrisome noise in the left front wheel last spring which I supposed was a disintegrating CV (constant velocity) joint.
It came at a time when major automotive surgery wasn’t in our budget, so we parked the Subaru and Maria took over the Lexus while I celebrated late spring, summer and early fall on BMW motorcycles.
Good riding weather won’t last forever, so I decided on Thursday it was time to get the Subaru back in shape for winter.
I drove down to Gateway Tire where it was discovered that the left front wheel hub and bearings were shot. Also, the fuel line was leaking. If we continued to drive the car as it was it was just a matter of time before the wheel fell off or it caught on fire.
So I left the car at Gateway overnight and they made the repairs, plus an oil change and lube in time for me to pick it up after lunch yesterday.
I was a happy camper until I noticed a rather violent vibration in the steering wheel when I got up to 60 mph on the way home.
I took the car back this morning and it was determined that the right side tires were out of round, probably as a consequence of sitting in the same spot for more than three months. We knew the car needed new tires more than a year ago, so I green-lighted a set of tires at $100 a pop.
And the car was filthy, so I treated it to a car wash before I left town.
New rubber notwithstanding, the vibration reappeared on the drive home. I phoned Gateway as I turned onto our road and arranged to bring it back first thing Monday morning.
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