Five Star Subaru

Transmission work successful. On my first session with Five Star I got a transmission multi-flush as directed by the experts.  Now at the 3k mile checkpoint, the car performs better with every drive.  Any noise or sticking feeling in shifting has all but vanished.  I could not be happier with the huge improvement in all areas of driving.  Most important: this first diagnosis and repair gave my car a new life.  If I had not done exactly what Five Star recommended I believe the transmission would have failed and taken the car with it. Over the next sessions I had a relatively painless procedure done that is in my opinion one of the biggest improvements you can make for the least money.  Tire re-seating. Within the first month of driving it was clear I was getting a pretty unnerving shake above 50mph.  Of course you start thinking the worst, and wheel vibrations could be many things, so best to start out simple.  Check air in the tires.  After a few air fills and checks, very evident leaking. I called Five Star and explained.  They recommended re-seating each of the tires before going any further.  This often fixes a number of leaks, though some cases are not repairable.  It was the easiest possibility and quick to do.  The title doesn't do the service full credit.  The tire is indeed re-seated--on a wheel that has been cleaned, re-shaped and balanced to machine-precision.  At least one valve stem looked worn, so for a few more dollars I chose to get all of them new.  I learned earlier that the typical flat-sealing products will leave a giant glob of solidified foam inside the tire adhered to everything.  This chunk will then throw off the wheel balance as long as it is in there.  I've used them in the past.  Sometimes there's no other option.  While Five Star made no complaint about it and acknowledged the foam with humor, I have read this stuff is a nightmare to clean out, and yet it is a common phase of the re-seating service, par for the course.  This was in fact the case with at least one of my wheels, which seemed the most problematic wheel in the first place. With this procedure I could not believe how much better the car handled.  Below 50mph, I thought it drove well already.  I did not begin to know this car until I had the tire re-seating.  Driving was perfectly even and stable comfortably above 50mph.  No vibrations at any logical speed.  The tires are new, among the more economical variety.  No other suspension related work, just the re-seating alone made this much improvement.   The outpouring of positive reviews for Five Star speaks volumes.  Anything I write only adds to the much deserved accolades.  The organization and workflow of the whole operation models the vehicles themselves.  Always attention to detail.  Always exceptionally engineered.  There never seems to be anyone sitting down for longer than a few minutes, even those in the document sector are constantly filing in and out of doors.  I will specifically thank all of the technicians and writers who took the time to deal with this +certain modern classic+ of 20yrs.  Every visit is a bright light on the path to better driving. ____________________ ____________________