Thanks, I'll check the boots. I think I look at them when I change the oil, but as I said: wife says it has been clicking for some time (I assume a year or more). I also had the car in to the dealer for new tires: good price and a good check-out of the car as they look for anything they can recommend service or repairs on. They didn't mention any boots or joints. This was about 2,000 miles back that the dealer's shop took a close look at the car. In fact they recommended new front shoes and turn the rotors. I left the rotors alone and replaced the shoes myself. Can a CV joint "click" on a slow sharp turn and still work for thousands of miles?

Yep, a leak I put a 10 oz can in last July 3, and the system worked fine all the rest of that summer. That time the A/C was just low, not "too low" and it was still cooling, just not as much as it should. The additional (without gauge) refrigerant brought the delta Temp up to specs. The trouble shooting of no clutch engagement led me to just add another 10 oz can to see what happens. The engine was running with the A/C switch "on" and it took only 10 seconds of the fill (these cans can take up to 10 minutes to empty on a nearly full system) for the clutch to engage and about 3 or 4 minutes to empty the can. I'll let it run this way for a few days and see what happens (it is cool here in NJ right now - in low 40s this morning). If it holds for a week I'll just top off using a guage and some anti leak. If I can get the car through the hot weather of 2013 for under $50 invested, I'll take it and worry abvut next summer if the car and I are both still around. Both of "us" are Senior Citizens. Up to 2009 I had always taken my purchased new cars to a shop to have the A/C serviced. I have kept all cars purchased new for at least 10 years, the 2004 is obviously coming up on 10 years - so new car is on the possible solution list. A 1999 Mazda was my first time adding refrigerant myself, it worked out fine there too - also just added a can to increase cooling, and it worked. I traded that car in before much of a test on the pump-up, but I did keep that car through that summer that I added the refrigerant.

OMG, I love the Subaru commercials, especially the one where the Goldens are following a car being driven by a slobbering Bull Dog. I laugh every time I see it. I was driving down the freeway a couple of weeks ago and saw the face of a dog in the side mirror of a car just ahead of me. I was eventually side by side to the car and this dog, a Lab was almost human like in his behavior, sitting upright in the front passenger seat and facing straight ahead in of all things A Subaru!. It looked just like the commercials and was hilarious!

As we live in the land of ice and snow, and at the end of a mile long, private (not exclusive, just meaning the town doesn't maintain it, residents do), one lane dirt road, so at least one AWD vehicle is a must for us, and Subaru is our vehicle of choice. Right now I have an Outback V6, in the past I've had a 4 cylinder Outback and their larger SUV Tribeca, which was my fav car ever, but the gas mileage, yikes, the Outback is much better. If you are going Subaru I'd go with the largest engine, much better pick up and, per my mechanic, better overall because AWD vehicles are heavy and the V6 engine doesn't have to work as hard to pull the weight of the vehicle. My daughter has a 2012 Honda Civic Hybrid that we bought new, and while the mileage and fit and finish is very good, my 2004 (yep) Outback with 204k rides better even now than the Civic brand new, IMO anyway. Hondas have a well deserved reputation for being reliable and good in accidents, but they are not the best riding cars and yes, they are tight, the Subaru feels much more spacious in the cab. YMMV, of course, just my perspective, I am 5'9" and my DH is over 6'2" and a big guy, he barely fits in the Honda, but the Outback is no problem.