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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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Comments

  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    Kajko....I also have to deal with oxygenated fuel and "reset" in the fall and "reset" in the spring. At the same time I usually add a can of extra strength GUMOUT injector cleaner.It seems to help the computer adapt to the fuel change a little faster. To date I have never experienced any negative effects but other have. Historically I get 27+ in warm weather....22+ in colder weather. Considering your mileage has dropped that much.....doing a "reset" would be worth a try. Well, at least in my opinion.
  • lspivalspiva Member Posts: 49
    Hi,

    I hope that somebody will be able to help me find something that could prevent a rear bumper from all the scratches that I occur by parking my 03 Forester XS on a commuter parking lots. The parking is really tight and people basically park cars just an inch away. In some cases people just bump into my rear bumper leaving an imprint of their lisences plate holding bolts in there. I installed a rear bumper corner molding but I was wondering if there are something on the market (I tried to search and didn't find anything) that could protect the whole rear bumper from those scratches. Your help is greatly appreciated. Leo
  • burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Well, I got my Craftsman 2 1/4 ton floor jack and matching jack stands on sale. However, the rounded jack point on the jack doesn't mate well with the 4 jack points on my '02 Subaru Forester S. I lifted the car a little, but the jack points were so unstable that the jack wouldn't get the car off the ground.

    Me thinks I might've wasted $32 and should go back to my wheel ramps. Thoughts?

    burnsmr4
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    my craftsman 2 1/4 ton floor jack has a flat cup or bowl about 5 inches wide, it worked well on the Forester. What do you mean by jack points? I generally look under there and find something solid and go for it. I do remember the underside having a lot of plastic and some flimsy looking cross bracing. Where are these jack points, are they in the manual? Regardless, 32 smackers for a floor jack and 2 stands is a heckuva deal.

    John
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    On all subies the jack points are:

    Rear Diffy to lift the rear 2 wheels
    Front cross member to lift the front 2 wheels.

    Should be no problem for the craftsman jack.

    -mike
  • burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Guys,

    The four "official" jack points are under the doors next to each of the four tires. If you look, the plastic underbody trim under the doors sort of stops for about 6 inches in each of these spots. The jack that comes with the car sort of fits in these spots. A round jack point like the one on the Craftsman sort of makes for this little 1/4" of metal sitting in the middle of the round jack point. The round jack point pivots on this metal, making it hard to lift the car.

    I, too, noticed the plastic underbody stuff. Definitely didn't want to lift on that. Can we say broken underbody parts?

    Oddly enough, the Subaru tech I called yesterday told me I'd be safer going with the wheel ramps instead of the floor jack. :-\

    Thanks for the info on the jack points for the front and back. I take it lifting on the rear differential won't damage the unit?

    burnsmr4
  • gened1gened1 Member Posts: 256
    Have you tried sears for jack pads? also Griot's Garage under prepare your garage.

      #77778 Extra Rubber Jack Pad $4.95
    Just a thought.
    Gene
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    I use those 4 factory jacking points on my 2001 Forester and my wife's 2003 Outback with no problems. There is metal under that plastic. The plastic just sort of wraps around under the car. Definitely do NOT jack it up by the lower trim piece of the body, though! BTW, I use a small 2 1/4 ton jack, as well as a full size 3 ton, both Craftsman, with good results. I also use ramps whenever necessary, but you can't do tire rotations on ramps. Hope this helps.

    Len
  • turksteritisturksteritis Member Posts: 95
    Troops...i am very seriously considering a Forester x auto. I am a travelling sales rep in canada & travel about 60,000 kilos a year(40k miles) I travel in some very desolate area & in some very cold temps. I get paid by kilometer for my work so decent fuel mileage is a big help. I now have a 01 mazda tribute awd that is getting about 26 mpg hi-way( 22 us) I want a subaru but live 200k(120 miles) from a dealership. It would be nice to not have to visit the dealer but i am in that town for biz once a month. Anyway i need a vehicle that will go a lot of miles with good reliability & decent fuel consumption. I also need to pull 2 snowmobiles in the winter but not very far. How are the 03 subies holding up & what is the realistic hi-way fuel milage....thanks.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    The front X-member and rear diffy are actually listed as jack points in my SVX and XT6 manuals along with the side jacking points. The older subie manuals gave a lot more "user" information rather than the new lawyer-watered-down versions.

    We've jacked on the rear diffy 100s of times on subies at races and what not it is perfectly find to jack em that way.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I use a piece of pressure treated 2"x4" between the jack and the jack points. If you cut a thin channel into the wood it'll even hold it securely at those jack points and not damage the trim you mention.

    Don't get under the car until it's secure with jack stands, of course.

    The piece of wood I use is actually long enough to cover both jack points on one side of the car. That spreads the weight and allows me to lift both tires off the ground at the same time, for easy tire rotation.

    Leo: I've had wild dreams of securing a swimming pool noodle to absorb those impacts at parking lot speeds.

    turksteritis: how heavy is that trailer with the two snow mobiles? The auto Forester can tow 2000 lbs, the 5 speed 2400. You're supposed to have trailer brakes if it's over 1000 lbs, but that's also true for your current Ford.

    I think a 5 speed would get you about 27mpg on average, 25-30 on highways, a decent improvement from your current average.

    -juice
  • ddunbarddunbar Member Posts: 31
    My wife and I are planning to move this summer from the SF Bay Area to Chicago. We have a 2003 Forester X automatic, and I see it's rated to tow 2000 lbs. I know Juice has used his for more than that based on previous posts, but is that weight realistic as we cross the Rockies and potentially face the heat of August across the Plains? Also, any recommendations on where we'd get our best deal on a trailer hitch?

    Thanks.
    Don
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Not really - my estimate was for about 1500 lbs towed. I did not have trailer brakes and that was what exceeded Subaru's specs. It felt fine, BTW, with that load, including during braking.

    It made it up hills and around the suburbs easily, but I didn't encounter the elevations you will (with thinner air), nor the long distances.

    -juice
  • bkaiser1bkaiser1 Member Posts: 464
    I've used eTrailer.com and found them to be cheap and easy to deal with. I ordered a hitch for a CRV and it installed relatively easily...all for $90. The dealer wanted $300 for the same hitch. Also, 1800Hitchit.com has discount brand name hitches. I remember pricing them (and eTrailer)for my Outback and their Drawtite and HiddenHitches were around $100 (versus $300 at the dealer or UHaul).
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Get quotes from a Subaru wholesaler, though. I don't remember exactly, but mine was closer to $200, and of course it's a custom fit with the harness ready to plug-and-play.

    If you can find a Hidden Hitch or Draw Tite for half the amount (harness included) then go for it.

    -juice
  • happykathappykat Member Posts: 6
    Hi everyone, the update on my purchase adventure (after rejecting the 670 mileage "new" Forester) is that the dealer found me an identical new automatic Forester X with 80 miles on it at another dealer, at the same price of $19500 (that included the 4 options it came with from the factory: splash guards, tweeters, cargo net & the tailpipe doohickey). 80 miles was ok with me, it drove well & I was pleased with the under-invoice price so I got it, and I LOVE IT!!! I am having SUCH a delightful time driving it around. I can't believe how much fun it is to drive - I didn't realize that it would be such a pleasure. It is so great to have a vehicle that not only can go more than 2 miles and doesn't have parts falling off all the time (I know that is sort of a minimal requirement of car, but my standards had gotten pretty low after living with two very old cars) but is such a delight to drive, and can hold all my drums AND my double bass AND saddle, AND can do off-road stuff for my biology fieldwork. I immediately drove it out to my stable (more than 2 miles!) to ride my horse (then immediately fell off the horse, but that's another story). And what a classy-looking vehicle it is, too. (I got a blue one) I keep going outside to look at it.
      Yay, yay, yay. thanks for all your help & advice. I am definitely a happy kat today. -Kathleen
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Kathleen,

    Well, congratulations and welcome to the family! Good to know that things worked out for you.

    Remember to take it easy on the Forester during it's break-in period (it's hard, I know).

    First 500 miles: No hard acceleration and stops. Don't go above 4000RPM unless it's an emergency. Don't drive at one constant RPM for a long time (ie. don't use cruise control yet).

    500-3000 miles: Slowly start going above the 4000RPM mark. Try to keep varying RPMs. Change oil no later than the 3000 mile mark.

    Ken
  • singsassingsas Member Posts: 3
    OK folks, I've got 2,600 miles on my '03 Forester and am wondering when I can expect that rotten egg smell to go away. With Summer coming on and my moon roof open more and more it's becoming somewhat of a drag. I've seen it mentioned here but didn't notice it at first (probably because I bought it in January and had the windows and moon roof closed tight most of the time).

    Thanks....
  • kajkokajko Member Posts: 70
    Don, i also got my hitch at etrailer.com and the fit was no problem, i installed it myself. cheap. as far as the harness, i bought one from UHaul because their stuff has a proprietary plug so the one they sell fits both types (flat 4 and UHaul). I had to take apart both of the rear headlights, but at least i learned how to change lightbulbs if i ever need to.

    as a side note, i think it's great that the Forester has classy double rear lights (both position and stoplights). not many cars do.

    Kathleen, congrats on your Forester, U got our twin (blue X), though we went with MT. Don't forget to update your Edmunds profile...

    cheers, tom.
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    Kathleen: cool! Enjoy the new car. I love driving my wife's Forester, when she lets me that is!

    Juice: when you jack against that 2x4, where is the jack located (centered between the jack points)? Is the 2x4 on edge or flat? If the jack is in the middle of the a flat 2x4, I would bet that the jack points are taking very little of the load. Most of it it probably being transferred into the body near the middle 40% of the board.

    Craig
  • jtm4jtm4 Member Posts: 60
    Kathleen: Welcome to the club. I love my '98 Forester L. I'd love to have a new one but it would be hard to part with my '98. It's been a great car and, so far, I haven't been able to convince my wife that we need two Foresters.
  • sfdriversfdriver Member Posts: 35
    Hi Kathleen, Congrats on your purchase! Follow Kens' advice & enjoy the Forester for years to come.
  • jackleungjackleung Member Posts: 79
    Leo,
      
       My "metal" silver tailer hitch protect do this job pretty well. :)

    Rgds,
      Jack
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    If you ever want to switch lives, let me know. :0)

    Riding a horse, a double bass, drums, and biology field work?

    I get to sit at a desk, listen to the bass thrum of the air handler above my head and my cube mate drum on his desk, and the only biology field work going on here is what's growing in my coffee cup...

    Congratulations. I hope to join you in a new Forester soon.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    You'll smell the undercoating buring off for ~10K miles.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sweet, congratulations Kathleen!

    I'll let you in on an inside joke. When we talk demographics, we always say that Subaru owners, more often than not, are named "Dave", "Mike", or at least have a name starting with a "K". So it was your destiny! :-)

    Lately Steves have been making a come back. LOL

    Jim: welcome to Subaru's patented "New Car Stench". You're probably smelling the undercoating burning off parts of the exhaust (they're so coated to make the trip across the Pacific). Mine last a couple of months or so, but it's fine 5 years later, just a bad memory.

    Craig: yes, centered, and laid flat. The wood is bowed up a little at the sides, so it spreads a little more of the load than you'd think. Plus it's the tougher pressure treated stuff. I have rotated my tires 6 times now and the underside is completely intact.

    -juice
  • bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    ddunbar: We tow a 2000# Coleman pop-up camper pretty regularly with our '01 Forester S+ MT between, say, 5000' and about 9000'. To be fair, it is a manual (different gear ratios, no torque converter slip pulling up grades, possibly better engine braking), and we haven't crossed the Continental Divide (11000' at the Eisenhower tunnel), but we have never had a power issue. Quite the contrary - power is ample. It'll accelerate straight up in 3rd gear at 9000'.

    However, I strongly recommend trailer brakes if you're going to exceed 1000# and tow in the mountains. Engine braking is sufficient at 2-lane mountain road speeds (~40-50 mph) in 3rd and 4th gear, but less than confidence-inspiring at higher interstate speeds. We have some very long (10-15 mile) steep grades (5-7%) as you drop into Denver. You don't want to risk overheating your brakes.

    Trailer brakes also come in handy if you should get trailer sway in gusty cross-winds, which are common here. I've not ever had to hit the manual brake button (stretches out your "train", makes the trailer settle down and fall in behind your vehicle) on the brake controller, because our camper is low-profile and cross-winds have not been a problem, but it's sure nice to know I can if I have to.

    We installed a Draw-Tite hitch ourselves - 7 bolts and a couple of minor details with the muffler hangers and charcoal canister. Very easy install. I have a Draw-Tite brake controller and the OEM trailer light harness (to forestall any incompatibilities with the vehicle electronics).

    Let me know if you need more details.

    Hope this helps,

    -brianV
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Reminds me, by the way, I have photos if you get the OE hitch and want hints for the install.

    It's not hard, though. The toughest part was removing some over-tightened bolts that secured the old tow hooks I removed.

    Get a long shafted torque wrench, or at least a cheater bar.

    -juice
  • ddunbarddunbar Member Posts: 31
    Thanks all for the hauling and hitch advice as we head through the Rockies. We'd prefer to hire pros to do the work, but with all of the horror stories our friends tell of moving companies, we're not confident about going that route.

    Don
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    Completely off topic, but did you ever see the Richard Pryor movie, "Moving"? Talk about the horror story of moving companies! Funny flick, if you've never seen it, rent it. (BTW, if you love Saabs, you may want to avoid the part with Dana Carvey. Too funny!)

    Len
  • bsvollerbsvoller Member Posts: 528
    -juice: Might need a cheater bar to get the hold down brackets off (my were no trouble, but the car was just a few weeks old), but not for the hitch mounting bolts themselves. My instructions specified just 58 ft lbs for those, which struck me as a bit low, but I followed them anyway.

    -brianV
  • speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    On my way to work this morning I was stopped at a traffic light behind a Geo Tracker, and all of a sudden, BOOM! Chevy Blazer ran right into my back end, which caused me to bump the Tracker in front of me. Most important thing - no one was hurt. We all had seat belts on. Cops came and took care of the paperwork, Blazer admitted fault. Said he just took his eye off the road for a second to change the radio station.

    The Subie's pretty banged up. My rear bumper is a mess, and the mid to left lower part of the rear hatch and the handle mechanism is damaged. Looks like the point of impact was my rear license plate, it's gouged to the point of being caved in on itself. Luckily it appears the tailight panels and structure is intact.

    The front end has some bumper damage, but the hood has also been crushed a bit. Just looking at the hood itself it looks fine, but if you look at the gap between the hood and the quarter panels it's clear the hood has been raised up a bit in the collision.

    The real reason I'm disgusted is we just had our Subie in the body shop in January to repair a fender bender we got into in Chicago. This is the second accident in 3 months (neither of which was my fault, thank goodness). Sorry for the long post. Needed to vent a bit.

    Steve
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    58 lbs when you or I tighten them. Subaru has a knack for overtightening bolts, so you may need the cheater bar to get them off. Just ask paisan about some of the bolts in the front right suspension!

    Steve: bummer, though you're right in that the important thing is noone was hurt.

    I bet the front cross member below the hood is damaged. The hood might be saved. I imagine the grill is toast. Both bumper skins, prolly the rear hatch too.

    I bet that's $2 grand in damage, if not more. Yikes. I hope the guy has good insurance.

    -juice
  • speterson1speterson1 Member Posts: 228
    The funny thing is the grill *looks* fine, no visible damage. I'm positive I'll have to get a new rear hatch, though.

    Of course his Blazer looks fine. :-/ I hope the guy has good insurance too! We haven't even gotten our deductible back from our January accident yet! The body shop's gonna love us...
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Steve,

    Sorry to hear the unfortunate news. Good thing no one was hurt!

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    The Blazer probably was not even braking, then. Usually if they brake, the nose dives, and he'd be more likely to hit grille first.

    -juice
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Wow, sorry to hear the news.

    Greg
  • jaegermissjaegermiss Member Posts: 6
    I'm in CT, can anyone recommend where to buy/install a hitch? The guy I know at a dealership said not to get it from them.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    If you want to install it yourself, you can go to www.hitchesonline.com.

    Lots of U-Haul places install hitches, as well as Pep Boys and those kinds of places.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Trick Trucks also, places like that. Check your yellow pages.

    -juice
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    Any other '03 Forester 5-speed owners feel the same way?

    http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=34- 0437

    Bob
  • dcm61dcm61 Member Posts: 1,567
    I loved the hill holder in my '89 GL-10 Turbo.

    DaveM
  • psfod3psfod3 Member Posts: 63
    In Oct I picked up a 03 Forester X. I noticed that the front left of the car and the back left seemed a little lower then the front and back right. The dealer said that in transport they compress the shocks and it may take a few weeks till they fully pop up. It is now 6 montyhs later and the slight tilt is sometimes there and sometimes not. I can park on the same level spot on two different days and sometimes the front left is slightly lower and sometimes its not. The same holds for the back left. I have noticed some lean in the back of some 01 and02 Foresters. Is this normal or are the stock shocks or struts problematic. When I had the dealer check the suspension they found it normal and level but on different days it seems very evident
  • jaegermissjaegermiss Member Posts: 6
    Okay, you were right. U-haul is very reasonable. The guys at the trailer place recommended them.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Paul: take a peek to make sure the springs are all seated properly at their bases in the struts, make sure everything is lined up properly. Then I'd measure the highest part of the fender opening above the tire, and compare them side to side.

    Front to back is meaningless, though you could compare it to other Foresters. Also, be sure there is nothing inside the vehicle (like, say, a set of tools) weighing down one side.

    However, I'm pleased to announce you get a free lifetime membership to our OCD club! :o)

    -juice
  • rsay777rsay777 Member Posts: 100
    When I first bought the car 9.5k ago the HH was was too sensitive. Now however, it has loosened quite a bit. It does activate periodically on what appears to be level ground and makes it less than smooth on take off. Most of the time it is great on the hilly streets here in Portland OR.

    Bob L.
  • deanstahdeanstah Member Posts: 6
    Is the limited-slip differential worth it? I will be driving in the rain and snow but little if any off-road use.

    Input appreciated,

    DP
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I you're driving a FWD, open differential vehicle now, the X will be such an improvement that you'll manage just fine.

    If you've driven 4WD or AWD all along, and traction is key to you, then go with the XS.

    For snowy weather, the XS has a lot of other useful features, like wiper de-icers, heated mirrors that stay clear even in rain, and heated seats to prevent driver fatigue.

    -juice
  • deanstahdeanstah Member Posts: 6
    I currently have a 99 Pathfinder SE with LSD. I agree, the extras on the XS are tempting in themselves but I've lived without them this long. Is the LSD really necessary with the AWD?

    Thanks, DP
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    No, it's not necessary, but it does offer a little extra traction in some situations.

    I have a '98 Forester L (AWD, two open differentials), and it's been on the beach several times, on farms/orchards, and throug the sand/dirt trails in the Pine Barrens. It performed just fine. In fact I drove by a diesel GM pickup that forgot to air down his tires.

    Get the X, it seems like that's what you want. You can always get snow tires later, for cheap, and still save thousands.

    fitzmall.com has X models locally starting at $18,739, i.e. dirt cheap. Prices include freight, too. Autos start at $19,259.

    Their cheapest XS goes for $21,811. If you don't want the other goodies, there's no way, no how the rear LSD is worth the $3 grand plus extra. In fact you can buy an aftermarket Quaiffe front LSD for about $800 if it becomes important to you.

    The 2003 X has the 16" rims that were missing from mine (it came with 15"s). You're still getting ABS, AWD, power everything, side air bags, blah blah blah. It's still pretty well equipped.

    Good luck shopping.

    -juice
This discussion has been closed.