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All trucks cheat, really, because the CAFE loophole was inteded for work/fleet trucks, not for trucks meant for private use. So even a F150 used as a personal car is cheating and getting around the original intent of the law.
-juice
Bob
In fact, due to other tweaks made in the suspension, the '06 and newer Foresters ride better and are even less "trucky" than previous years.
I do not know if it was formally reclassified as a truck in '06 (it's always been informally referred to as a truck or tall wagon by many sources) but if so, it had nothing to do with the clearance change, IMHO.
Elliot
I actually saw some snow flakes around 3pm.
If I hear a forecast for snow, they'll go on that evening.
-juice
Len
1. Turn engine on (NOT in ACC, Dont have to start engine).
2. Within 30 secs of ignition, clip/unclip seatbelt 20 times. (Seatbelt light will go on/off)
3. Confirmed by Seatbelt light staying OFF
That's it, no on/off cycles to do. This worked first time for my car - 06 LegGT. Setting will last until the microprocessor is reset or battery disconnected.
For a temp disable of chime, do the clip/unclip cycle 3 times only, will reset once ignition is turned off again.
But now that it snowed, my Forester is covered with salt, and I went over to the local DeltaSonic car wash. They insisted that because it is an SUV (although barely bigger than a Toyota Corolla) I have to pay the same surcharge as a Ford Expedition or a Hummer. That's a bummer, and I had them back up the whole line of waiting vehicles to let me out. It is too cold to use the garden hose right now, so I will go to a locally owned wash. I may be a cheapskate, but we Forester owners have our rights! We bought our smaller vehicles for a reason.
Brr.
-juice
-Frank
-mike
I do have 2 questions for the gurus on here. What ATF does the tranny use? Is DEXRON 3 safe or do I need to go get the stuff from the dealer? The fluid the manual calls for is impossible to find in NC. Does anybody have a component location diagram for the 06? I'm trying to find the shock sensor and haven't found it yet. I want to see if there is a sensitivity adjustment on it so thunder or cats jumping on it won't set the alarm off.
Thanks!1
I used to run Redline High-temp Synthetic in my ATs on the race cars (SVX and Impreza L) Expensive but good stuff.
-Mike
-mike
Erik
-mike
I imagine that tranny costs in excess of $3k so I definitely want to keep it going as long as possible. I'm going to check with a local oil supply and see if they have the Castrol stuff at a price lower than the dealer, otherwise I'm just going to stick to the dealer.
I still need to find that shock sensor so I can see if it is adjustable. Thanks for the info Mike.
Erik
-mike
PS: Shock sensor should be up under the glove box on the Forester.
Up under the glove box? That sounds hard to get to. What's under the carpet on the passenger side front? There's a little black box under the carpet with wires coming out. Is that the ECU?
Erik
Under the carpet is the ECU.
For the drain-fill yeah you get 3-4 quarts out, which is about 45% of the fluid, but it's better than nada.
-mike
Maybe it's because I know German cars better than I know Japanese and I don't really understand how the Japanese think. German cars were easy b/c I understood how they were made.
Thanks for the info Mike! As soon as the weather gets out of the deep freeze I'm grabbing the work light, getting the tools out and going hunting. If I can't adjust that shock sensor, I'm going to unplug the dang thing. It's way too sensitive for my taste and I think the neighbors would like to be able to sleep all night. Durn cats.........
-mike
I hated the "improvement" in the ride from my 04. I put STi "Pinks" on my 07 to take it back. Those lowered everything about an inch and made the ride "truckier" and lowered the center of gravity back to how Subaru originally designed the whole package before tweaking. I felt like I was driving on a pogo stick and going to tip over with the "new" ride of the 07. I bet soccer moms would love it, but not me. And and thanks SOA for removing all the road feel by boosting the power steering vs the 04 and taking the steering lock to lock from 3.0 to 3.1 turns.
And, I measured and the pinks brought the back wheel well top back to the old measurement of my 04 in terms of height. I tow so I was paying attention to the rear end. I can now once again accelerate through turns (like my 04) and am hoping the rear end won't drop over two inches in back due to the "improvements" when I put my pop up camper on like someone else complained about (on these boards) on the 07 vs 04/05s.
Sheesh, I wish I lived in Australia so I had about twice as many choices in my Forester when I bought it. HOw about a high low range tranny SOA? How about so many other things you don't seem to feel Americans can handle... But keep those soccer moms happy...they are your up and coming demographic...
There, now I feel better. And for all my seeming negatives, I still love my Forester. I just wanted to complain... I shoulda kept the 04 if I have so many issues... but didn't know.
The Subaru has, so far, been more reliable than any previous car I've had. I'll buy another one when this one hits 500k!
Rav4 is good. Bigger than the Forester and a lot more pep, but real world mileage will not be as good. Does have about 100 hp more though. Not a big fan of the Vue. Forester is a lot of fun. Much more agile and I think it has adequate power. Try them all and see what you like.
I absolutely love Foresters and Subarus in general. We've (hubby and I) switched to Hondas in 1997, but it was not as fun to drive as Subaru, plus it was trouble-prone (something you wouldn't expect from Honda but still), so we came back to Subaru.
I love everything in my new Forester (2006 2.5X) except too short cushion on the driver's seat (passenger's too) -- note that 2001 model had the same issue.
However, you can get used to it by adjusting the seat and getting your knees at just the right angle. I'm short, but I know many pretty tall guys who are very happy with Foresters - so I guess, one can always find a good position behind the wheel.
What I absolutely adore in Foresters is the utility. I've helped so many people move using my Forester as a "truck". You can fold the back seats and fill it to the gills, and yet be able to add a bunch of stuff on the roof rack.
My friends gave me a sticker for my Forester - An Official Mattress Transporting Vehicle - after I've helped them to move 2 mattresses at a time on the roof of my Forester.
My driving is 70/30 highway/city with a long term 26.5 MPG.
This car is highly manuverable, utilizes tight parking space, is a very good snow/rain car, and handles light off-road obstacle hoping pretty well too. For a small wagon the cargo area and roof rack can hold a surprising amount of stuff. Oh yeah the rear lift opens upward easily, no barn door swing syndrome that others have.
If I had to do it today I'd go for the Premium package.
Rav 4 with 100 more horsepower is the V-6 option at considerable more cost than a Forester. Their standard I-4 is comparable to the Forester in performance.
Take your time and test drive all the competing models.
Have Fun.
Ted
In no particular order.
Pluses - Great sunroof. Roomy. Handles like a car with lots of interior room for passengers and cargo. Fast, very fast, dusts the competition in this segment. Heated seats on high can cook eggs. Radio for what it is, is okay. 6 CD changer is great. Homelink, dimming mirror features not found on more expensive models.
Minuses - Needs premium. Tranny could use 5th gear. No steering wheel controls. High potential for accumulating points on driving record. Gas mileage could be better at times, but highway average mid-20s.
-juice
Fast forward to yesterday and my 30K service. I asked them to address the problem again, and again they could not replicate the condition. I note on the write-up the comment "Aftermarket tint on window, may be cause of."
Personally I think that's a crock and a cop-out on the service department's part. First, they acknowledged the condition at my last appointment. Second, if the tint were the cause of the problem, would it not occur at all temperatures and not just in the cold?
My seat-of-the-pants guess is that some parts (the window channel rubber, maybe?) are contracting with the cold and causing the window to rub against some part of the power window mechanism. The fix might be to remove the door panels and adjust the mechanism - something the dealer service techs seem loath to do. This is the only mechanical problem that I've had with the car to date. It's a minor one to be sure, and one I can live with (and have), but still one I'd like to have properly addressed before the warranty expires.
Any advice or suggestions are appreciated.
TIA,
Ed
On one hand, you could remove the tint and ask them to fix it.
But...that would require removing the door panel, and that's the type of action that creats squeeks and rattles. It may make the window operation smoother, but replace it with a rattle that'll annoy you even more (and might happen all the time, instead of intermittently).
Not sure what I'd do, I guess it depends on how bad the window problem is.
Check out this link for a similar problem that is common with Miatas (very slow power window operation):
http://www.miata.net/garage/garageinterior.html
-juice
-mike
juice: Interesting bag of worms. It will soon be warm enough to make the problem go away, and by the time the weather gets colder again I'll be out of warranty (unless of course I decide to go the extended route). :confuse:
Ed
I got hit in the rear bumper and got a dime-sized dent on the 1/4 panel. I actually decided *not* to fix it, as they would have to bang it out and repaint the entire driver's side of the car, all the way to the A-pillar.
So I just dealt with it and left it unrepaired, since it's barely noticeable.
-juice
What happens when it jumps its track? Does it fall down into the door or get stuck?
Juice makes a good point though that pulling the door panel off opens the possibility of leaving you with a constant annoying buzz or rattle.
-Frank
-juice
What happens when it jumps its track? Does it fall down into the door or get stuck?
It doesn't do either; it stays on track, keeps going up, but it catches and leaps ahead a bit as though it's trying to make up for lost time. That doesn't make sense upon rereading it but it's the best way I can think of describing it now.
Ed
-mike
Tx,
Kyle
Also, which trim package can I get a power drivers seat?
What is the best model, not the Limited? Best engine? I would get an automatic.
Thanks
Gary
The base X model has the bigger rebate, but get the Limited package for the heated seats, huge moonroof, alloys, and 6CD changer. All that stuff will make the ownership experience better.
The base engine is fine, but if you want plenty of passing power and would use it, consider the turbo. At higher elevations it'll really show it's worth.
If you drive conservatively, though, the base engine should be fine and more efficient, plus it uses cheap ol' regular fuel.
-juice