Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

10years

Randy, just some quick thoughts.

Was this a one tank calculation? If so then are many variables that could have led to this one time aberation.
Try topping off again, set the trip odometer to zero, run the tank down to less than 1/4, top off again, then recalcute MPG from the odometer and gallon used data. To really get a good average this empty and top off cycle should occur at least 3 times.

In my 03 X I notice about a 2 MPG drop with winter gas.

Switching gas brands could maybe cause the EPU to re-think
itself to your detriment.

Have fun.

p0926

John makes a good point, a large majority of people who post do so only when they have a problem. Therefore us "apologists" are merely trying to keep things in perspective. That and we honestly believe that Subarus are reliable :-)

I've had two Foresters (01 & 04) with over 100k miles between them. I've had a total of two CELs, both within the first year on the 01 and both were due to the same batch of faulty oxygen sensors (made by an outside supplier). For perspective, I've had more CELs on low-mileage (non-Subaru) rental vehicles during the same timeframe.

The word inordinate means "exceeding reasonable limits."

Yes but how does one define "reasonable"? If out of 150 owners, 50 of them posted with CEL issues then 33% would certainly qualify as "inordinate". But since we have no way of knowing whether there are 150 or 15,000 owners, there's no basis for determining what constitutes a reasonable amount.

-Frank

baydrive

Hi Everyone,

I have had my forester for one year now and I am happy to report that I have had no problems so far.I get my oil changed every 3000 miles (I am of the old school I guess) and I do put on many miles in a year. My 1 year old forester has 25,000 miles and in that time I have had only the routine maintenance. I have the tires rotated every 7000 miles and I have seen no uneven wear yet. I have enjoyed driving the car and have gotten used to it's quirks. I will never be able to open all the car locks on the first try (I always push the button the wrong way). I am challenged by the limitations of the CD player and in this day and age of outrageous gas prices, I will never get good enough gas mileage (I average around 23 mpg). I will however get the little lift that I feel driving the car. I have fun. I like the way the car looks and I love the way it handles. I feel that I made a good choice (debated between the RAV4 and the CRV). Just wanted to let everyone know.

randysch

(Also replying to joseph, a message or two before this one...)

No, not just a one tank calculation. I check my mileage on every fill up. It's been steadily going downhill for the last 6 weeks or so. That's been probably 6 fillups from at least 3 gas stations. The decline in mileage is consistent and noticeable. Next time I fill up, I'll ask about the "winter gas". Also, I did the same thing all last winter. But not any winters before.

I could handle a 2 MPG drop - but 7?! That's over 25%!

What's the "EPU"?

Thanks,
randy

speterson1

Hey superj,

I do indeed still have the pdf file with the detailed stereo installation instructions. You can download it off the web at the following address:

http://www.subaruparts.com/guides/CD_Changer_Detailed_Installation_Instruction.pdf

Enjoy, and good luck getting a deal on eBay!
Steve

ateixeira

LOL, that's a common tip in the Miata boards. Especially people that have heavy mods.

Honestly? Some people actually seek out older Miatas because the pre-OBDII models leave you with more liberty in terms of how much you can do.

Flashing cruise with the CEL? Interesting. Maybe it's a throttle issue, since the cruise control manages the throttle position. Keep us posted?

Gold Warranty - bingo, use Subaru Bucks if you have them. For instance, we have $300 right now, and that $850 mentioned above would cost us $550, a no-brainer considering you also get roadside assistance.

Plus it would be a lot easier to sell a 5 year old Subaru *with* a warranty than without, true for any car actually.

Just went over 80k on my Forester this weekend. Still happy and no plans to trade her in.

-juice

logtrail

Brought my 06 Forester to the dealer. Their diagnostic showed either a loose connection or a bad (??sensor) and they reset it. Have a new part on order in the event that the reset does not work. It did, for about a day, but now back to the CEL and flashing cruise light. And as some of you have said, there is a serious problem only if the CEL is blinking.
About the cruise light blinking. Service man said that when the CEL goes on the cruise is automatically disabled: thus, the flashing light.
He also heard my complaint about Subaru CELs and said that Subaru is no worse than the other 2 brands he services: Nissan and Hyundai. It made me feel a little better,but not much. By the way, the black electrician's tape over the CEL is a great idea.

andrelaplume

are they those new foreign deer imports I am hearing about?

Seriously, what are subaru bucks and how do you get them?

once_for_all

simple.

Apply for a Subaru Chase Mastercard.

You earn $3 Subaru bucks per $100 spent, up to $500 per year. The bucks are good for 4 years, so you can accumulate up to $2000 towards Subaru dealer parts, service, new car lease/purchase, etc.

Sweet deal.

http://www.chase.com/ccp/index.jsp?pg_name=ccpmapp/card_acquisitions/unsolicited/page/PFSC- reditCardDetails&sourcecode=4X4B

John

bluesubie

Click here to see if your area uses winter gas.

-Dennis

poledradog

I'm currently researching vehicles to replace our gas guzzling Dodge quad cab.

In the running is the Forester and the Outback. In the features list on edmunds.com, both are listed as having "rear ventilation" ducts for heating. Do these apply to the A/C, too? Here in the desert I don't really care about heating, but having rear A/C vents would be great to help keep the kiddos from roasting in the summertime. (So will not having direct sunlight from the rear window...both kids hate our Corolla for that reason!).

once_for_all

no ducts...

Probably because they aren't necessary. We are in hot central CA (100+) in summer.

Tinting windows is an excellent idea since there is a lot of glass on these vehicles.

The ACs are very good. The interior is relatively small. The 2nd row passengers are in the middle part of the cab.

It would be a different story IMO if there were 3rd row seats.

John

poledradog

Thanks, John. Good to hear a reply from someone who also endures intense summers (I'm in the Phoenix area...we get up to 115-120 in the worst parts of the summer). Not having rear ducts certainly won't kill it for me (good thing, since I don't know of any vehicles that have them aside from luxury SUVs and vans, which are way out of my price range and gas mileage tolerance). I'm glad to hear the AC is good...it's hard to tell on a test drive if you're not driving it in season.

-Lisa

once_for_all

important question though. I hear the Mazda 5 really struggles for cooling in hot areas. But, the front window is huge, big dash, longer cab, 3rd row seats, etc.

John

joseph50

Thank you, Dennis!

With my average drop of 4 mpg over winter months,
I figured out that winter gas costs me about an extra 40 bucks a winter.

joseph50

Has Subaru or some other concern ever published a US map with shaded regions depicting areas of concentrated Forester ownership?

grahampeters

G'day

The rear ventilation ducts are connected to the heat and air con system which is integrated. They run under the front seats through a small plastic trunking and direct heat/cool air to the rear passengers feet. Not a huge air flow. If a CD stacker unit is fitted under the passenger seat, that duct is blanked off.

Handy in a hot climate as well as cold.

Cheers

Graham

rsay777

I don't know about the map but I was in Durango Co. last week and I've never seen so many Foresters. I was in a work truck so I wasn't able to fit in. Good to get home to the comfortable ride. I've been known to drive 20 miles to the only Starbucks I know with a drive up window. Nice to have the cold weather coming and that good coffee drinking weather. Bob L.

once_for_all

Graham, I don't think the North American Foresters have these ducts. At least, my '03 does not.

But that doesn't surprise me--the Australian Foresters get several nice features and options that we don't.

Not sure about the Outback, the NA Outback has upgraded features that may include these ducts.

John

bluesubie

I believe Graham is saying that the floor ducts can be used for heating and cooling. You would just have to choose the floor option for the A/C, so I don't know how effective it would really be.

-Dennis

once_for_all

well, my bad, learn something new everyday. I just checked my Forester, and there are 2 ducts per front seat, situated at about the leading edge of the front seats when the seats are all the way back.

New appreciation for how well the Forester package is put together

John

ateixeira

logtrail: glad to hear the dealer ordered the part. Mostly because they seem to be aiming to please the customer.

I once saw a list of states and market share, and as you'd expect is was high in Colorado, Alaska, Montana, and all of New England, basically. I think Vermont was highest with a 7% market share there. The others were 6% or so.

Florida was just 0.5%! Not much AWD in the sun belt.

-juice

njswamplands

after driving in florida downpours i can not imagine not having awd.

p0926

Boy how sad is that? It takes someone from the other side of the world to point out features in North American Foresters :(o)

And Dennis didn't know either?!?! I'm afraid that you two will have to stay after school and study your owner's manuals ;-)

-Frank

once_for_all

properly spanked, thanks Frank.

John

PF_Flyer

Calling all Crew members! Time for our weekly foray into all things Subaru (and some other stuff) :P

PF Flyer
Host
News & Views, Wagons, & Hybrid Vehicles

The Subaru Crew Chat is on tonight. The chat room opens at 8:45PM ET Hope to see YOU there! Check out the schedule

jeep1988

When it is cold, do let your vehicle idle to warm the engine or just go when the engine is cold. I heard both ways. I always heard to not let the car idle for more than 5 minutes. However, I have also heard to not just take off when it is cold either. Thanks. :confuse:

PF_Flyer

What I generally do is use my ears when it's cold. Once the engine has started and oil has started moving around, the sound the engine makes changes. Well less than a minute, but as soon as the "please don't start me noises" have gone away, I'm off

ateixeira

I give it the 7 seconds or so it takes for the oil pressure to get established so the engine is lubricated.

But then I drive off, not waiting for it to warm up. I do avoid putting a load on the engine for the first few miles, i.e. no climbing steep hills and no WOT (wide-open throttle) until she's warm.

-juice

p0926

Yeah you don't have to wait long at all before you start driving (definitely less than a minute) but you also want to go easy on it until the engine reaches its normal operating temp (so no jack rabbit starts).

-Frank

Edit- Juice beat me to it :-)

PF_Flyer

So I guess I'll be testing the theory a bit in the morning :surprise:

bobw3

My Ford Freestyle has rear A/C ceiling ducts and I only paid $25K. I doubt if floor ducts would do much good unless you really had it blowing hard.

swwj

How weird is this, but we bought our '06 Forester last Saturday, and on Sunday I found out about the rear ventilation ducts under each front seat. My wife was fiddling with all the new compartments and such and, of course, lost her ignition key which she hadn't put on a ring yet, so I got the pleasure of finding it, and in the meantime, noticed these little ducts under the seat... funny, how I'd mine for a day and already found out this little known feature.

telebob

Over the past few months, my forester seems to be dying off the line. It has also been 'bucking' at low rpms. The problem has intensified until today when the 'bucking' continued up to 3000 rpm. The problem is worse in the cold and when the car is first started. The check engine light also came on today. Does anybody have any suggestions as to what this problem could be?

leo2633

That could be a symptom of a dirty/clogged fuel filter.

Len

ateixeira

Make sure you prime the fuel pump. I think you might have air or even moisture in the fuel lines.

A couple of suggestions:

1. Try to keep the fuel tank full, or at least half full. Especially if you will leave the car unused for a while. So fill up the tank before you leave to visit Grandma for Thanksgiving. Try a bottle of DryGas if it doesn't improve, that worked for Kate.

2. Prime the fuel pressure before you start each morning. Basically turn the key to the ON position but wait 3 seconds before starting it. You'll hear a Whirr. Then start it.

Those ought to help. But have that code checked to be safe. Good luck.

-juice

logtrail

Just had a chance to see if a 5'2" wide by 3'h sideboard would fit into the back of my Forester. It did. And the 06 has a hard black plastic on the floor and back of the rear seat so that when you put a heavy item in with the tray removed it slides in pretty smoothly. Obviously will also help keep the back clean with bags of mulch.

jamiek1

after i changed the time on the digital clock on my 03 Forester it would not light up when i turned on the lights...my husband checked the fuses and says that is not the problem..any suggestions and if it is the bulb ...is it easy to get to ...thanks for your help

mtbe1

My 99 has been 'bucking' from day one. It's exactly how you describe it. As soon as winter hits, it's like riding a bronco. Especially when first started and when cold. Once the engine warms up, it seems okay. Mine is a manual.

It mainly happens in first and second (slightly), seldom in third.

The 98s and 99s had a lot of clutch problems, but I couldn't convince the dealer of that. Now 120kmiles later, still the same clutch and same problem (at least that's what I think it is). My last car had 150kmiles and was manual: without problems.

On the check engine light...take it to Autozone. They will hook it up for free and tell you the issue.

mtbe1

My clock has been out for over 2 years now. Never bothered to fix it since there is another on the radio (two clocks in one car?).

So, if anyone has any ideas, I'd be interested too.

mtbe1

Can I change my 99 Forester's oil to synthetic after 120k miles? Or how about the 'special' high mileage oil Jiffy Lube tries to sell ya?

crashton6

Forum rules prohibit posting of direct links, but if you put Scooby & Mods together & do a Google search you'll find the info on how to replace that bulb. Quite easy really.

Chuck

logtrail

Just got the CEL (see my previous rant) repaired on my 06 Forester. Was some kind of sensor??The valve cover had to be removed and it took over 2 hours!
Has anyone figured out how to lock the car without the
remote (I like to travel light) and not arm the alarm system? Instructions are confusing and I cannot figure out a consistent way to do it. Locking all of the doors from the inside: no Locking all but the drivers door and then locking that after the door is open. I think that that worked once but I cannot replicate. Advice?

rochcom

The flourescent display clocks on the older models were temperamental and would become intermittent, then fail. It does not pay to repair them. A wrecking yard replacement would be in order. I am not sure if the '03 has these or the newer LCD clock.

cammel

Hello all, long time reader, first time poster!
Quick question ... has anyone towed around 3 kids (2 car seats and a booster) and 2 adults in a forestor? We recently found out we're expecting a third child (which is good) however, I need to know if my dreams of owning a forestor just went out the window ... I think I'm in denial about it (the car, not the baby) ... doh!
Perhaps Subaru will come out with a "Mazda5" type version of a forestor (i.e. 6 seater forestor) ... wouldn't that be cool! (someone tell me I didn't save these suburabucks for nothing)

mnf

Thats weird me too just in the last two weeks my light in my 04 has gone out off and on. It seems to work that when I open and shut the compartment on the dash with a slight slam it comes back on. I plan on having them look at it on my next service as I dont want to do that for ever.

Matt

ateixeira

I've done it, so I know it can be done, but it's not easy. The hard part is reaching all the buckles, especially for the kid in the booster.

You'd be better off in an Outback, which is a little wider, or even a Tribeca, which has 40/20/40 seats and would be by far more comfy. A basic 5 seat Tribeca is $29k and change now.

You can, sure, but the bigger models are just better suited.

-juice

p0926

In order to lock the Forester without arming the alarm:

Strep 1. With the key in the "on" position, lock the doors with the power lock button on the driver's door.

Step 2. Unlock the driver's door with the manual lock.

Step 3. Turn off ignition, exit the vehicle and manually push in the door lock before closing the driver's door.

Following the above steps will let you use your key to unlock the driver's door without setting off the alarm.

-Frank

mtbe1

Don't bother going to a wrecking yard to replace the digital clock in older Foresters. I just did a search on the internet and found how to fix it and it took only 15 minutes last night.

Plus, why replace a broken clock with another broken clock. It seems these are failing on all older models, so by replacing it, the replacement will have the same problem.

rochcom

It is good to hear that there is a cure. How about sharing the location of the repair tips?