Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

tomb2 · June 2005

No, at least in the morning drive to work, about 25 minutes, the creak seems to maintain the same level of noise. It does seem to be less noticeable on the way home from work, possibly from the Forester sitting in the sun all day long in an open parking lot. At home it is parked under a tree and does not get the morning sun very much before I leave for work.

Tom

subspicious · June 2005

Looking at the 06 specs from the Subaru media page, it appears that the Forester has lost a significant amount of cargo space when the back seats are down. Went from about 64 to 56! Is this correct? If so, this puts it at a major disadvantage when comparing to other cars like the CR-V with a cargo space above 70!

Can anyone who has seen the 06's comment on this?

rsholland · June 2005

Don't know where those numbers came from, but the inside looks the same to me.

Bob

joseph50 · June 2005

During a flight trip to the Midwest I rented a new Chevy Malibu out of the airport.
I read a lot of good reviews about it, and was curious.
I sensed the engine was strong, but I felt I could not connect with it due to an extremely mushy pedal feel. Road feel was nil.
What a pleasure to get back home into my "tight" 2001 Forester.

ezshift5 · June 2005

..('06 that is): Where are you..?

..dealers clueless here on arr date....

..thought I saw "June" somewhere..

..nice to know interior (from avail storage feet[3] standpoint) looks the same!

...I can just feel that Naval Reserve pay squirming in my rear pocket.........ez

kavoom · June 2005

You will have NO problem with towing the 240 lbs. You won't even feel it. Now me and my 1500 pounds is a different story. The Forester will take a 200 lb tongue weight and is rated at 2400 lbs. You won't even come close. You could do two rails and two bikes no problem.

The Subaru dealer hitch is a class I hitch rated to 2,000 lbs. BUT it is rated only to a 1 7/8 ball. It will probably take a 2 inch ball. I am having a custom Class II hitch put on with a brake controller cheaper than the dealer hitch.

There are calculators that can help you figure these things out. Quite nice web page on towing actually. Check this out. http://www.rvtowingtips.com/what-can-i-tow.htm It has the Excell based calculators as links. It shows that even I will have no problem with my 1,500 lb trailer as long as I am careful and used the breaks that are being installed on the trailer. All the spec information for the calculators is on line. Just do simple searches (e.g. Forester curb weight) to find it all.

Subaru does say that you are "required" to use breaks on the towed vehicle on anything over 1,000 lbs. But I am sure motorcycle trailers won't even come close... :shades:

rdbandkab · June 2005

Actually, the tongue weight is my problem.....only with my current hauling set up. I have a dirtbike rack that is installed right into the 2" receiver.. It effectively is putting about 280 lbs right onto the hitch. This will be more in the area of 260 pretty soon.
The Xterra is ok(slight lightness in the steering) when using this setup.....but I figured the Forester would be a bit to small for this setup. And after an unsuccessful search for 2" receivers for the Forester, I think the single rail trailer will be the way to go..... But I've looked at the sight you recommended, and there's a lot of good info on hitch sizes and tongue weights there.

Thanks for your input!!!! I have no problem with towing a trailer, but I'll keep looking into the specs from the site you suggested..

rdbandkab · June 2005

Hello everyone!
In your experience, how are the insurance rates on Foresters? I realize there are a lot of factors involved.... I'm in the process of getting the coverage for my Xterra from my agent...

Thanks in advance! :confuse:

njswamplands · June 2005

my minivan. foresters have great crash ratings and excellent visibility from inside and handle very well. so if you get into a accident or need to see in parking lots or need to avoid something, you are in good hands.

jtm4 · June 2005

Looks like the '06 Forester will have a moonroof package and an all weather/Premium package. My wife and I want the moonroof but we don't need the all-weather, heated accessories included in the current premium package. I wonder what's included in the moonroof package, besides the moonroof, and I wonder what the price will be?

Jim
'98 L

subspicious · June 2005

The numbers come from http://www.media.subaru.com. You can find them in the product announcement and in the spec sheets. The spec sheets can be found by clicking the 'Forester' link under the 'Product Info' heading on the left margin of the webpage.

Why would the cargo capacity numbers be so much lower for the 2006 forester? Isn't reducing the cargo space a step in the wrong direction? I'm wonding if I should pick up a 2005 Forester for the extra cargo space.

vtdog · June 2005

I have tried about every car place on the net. Does anyone know if side window vents (vent shade/vent visor/etc) are made for an '03 forester ? If not, will Impreza parts fit?

thanks

204meca · June 2005

I am guessing that these are hard to find due to Subbies frameless windows Can you find these for other Subbies? Since there are lots more Foresters sold than Imprezas. I should think that if you can get em for the Preza should be avalable for the Forester. I am interested in these also, so please let me (all of us) know if you find them & how they impact your car (wind noise, visability...) after installed.

204meca · June 2005

After 3 weeks of looking & negotiating on a used 2003 FXS (post #16444 of 16524), it looks like I got the best price possible on this year & model. Tomorrow after a fine tooth comb go-over & several hour test drive, I anticipate purchasing the 03 I have been agonizing and bickering over since May 20th. Will post more on the buying experience page once the deal is done.

Today"s question is related to extended warranty. The in-service date will be 36 months tomorrow - that will be the last chance to get an extended SOA warranty. Of course the drivetrain warranty is in effect for 2 more years & 37K (I only drive about 12K / year). I was able to determine that it has had 4 oil changes so that should qualify it for the balance of original factory warranty.

I was able to find on-line prices at Curry Subaru (in Maine?) that appear to be discounted. 6yrs / 60K - original miles w $100 deductable for $530 for the classic warranty (covers all major components, but not as extensive as original 3 year bumper to bumper).

I can afford $1000 out of pocket expenses, but not $2,000. However, it seems highly unlikely, given the Forester's ratings & my mild driving habits) that something not covered under the drivetrain that will cost more than $500 - $1000 will go wrong in the next 3 years. Thus I am inclined to pass on the SOA Advantage warranty.

BUT, I thought I should get the opinions of the experts. I enter the buying zone tomorrow afternoon

nswartzb · June 2005

so, what would you (or others) say is good/fair price to pay for an extended warranty and maintenance plan?
for example, what should i pay for the following:
1. a 6yr/80K, Gold Plus, $0 deductible plan?
2. a 3yr/36K, 7.5K interval maintenance plan?
also, this may sound like a stupid question, but if the orginal and extended warranties only require that maintenance be done at 7.5K intervals, why get the more expensive 3.75K interval maintenance plan?
thanks-
-neil
ps the warranty and maitenance plan is for a 2005 Forester XS that i'm getting for $200 below invoice (plus i'm getting the $1500 rebate).

bluesubie · June 2005

That doesn't make sense. Email Subaru from their web site and see what they say.

-Dennis

subspicious · June 2005

Dennis,

I took your advice and contacted Subaru customer service this morning to ask about the 2006 Forester's cargo space being reduced by 10%. The answer they gave was that the cargo space specs on in the press release are correct, and that the reduced cargo space on the 2006 Forester is due to the "restyling" of the car.

I guess that form trumped function in this Forester redesign...

-subspicious

roopower2 · June 2005

Hello, 2003 Forester XS, approx. 44k, tires are nearly worn out (original equipment Yokohamas). Dealer recommends same tire at $150 for tire, tax, and balance. Any other recommended makes and models. Location is in South Georgia-no snow (but heavy summer downpours) but we will be spending next year in Washington DC (1 yr) then back to South Georgia. Very little to no offroad use anticipated.
Thank you, John

once_for_all · June 2005

I personally like the Yokos, but $150 is expensive. At one point SOA had indicated a business relationship with Tire Rack. The Yokos are $99 on Tire Rack.

John

eps105 · June 2005

John - $150 each for OEM Yokos?? What a ripoff!! That's expensive even for high-end Michelins. I wrote an extensive review several months ago about my Falken Ziex ZE-512 tires, which are top rated in Consumer Reports.

Check out this post:
eps105, "Subaru Forester (SUVs Board)" #15940, 20 Jan 2005 10:35 pm

I also strongly suggest you get a 4-wheel alignment from a reputable shop when you get new tires.

Hope this helps,

Elliot

roopower2 · June 2005

The dealer price of $150 for new Yoko Geolanders included installation, tire disposal, balance etc, but I agree it is too high. I looked at the Tire Rack comments from Subaru owners and it was nearly unanimous that the Yokohamas are not recommended. It seems like the most popular replacements are the following: BF Goodrich Traction T/A-H, Goodyear TripleTred, Michelin HydroEdge. Some people are also using Yokohoma Avid Touring for a cheaper tire. I hadn't considered the Falkens but will take a look to see if anyone carries them. Apart from next year in DC, we will likely not see snow again with these tires so top criteria is wet weather traction followed by noise (Yokos are loud).
John
Just Checked at Sears-$75 per tire for the Falkens. Anybody else with a good word for this tire?

cstone · June 2005

We have a 2004 Forester XS, and like the car very much. My only peeve so far is than when the car is wet--i.e., sitting in the driveway after a good, soaking rain--next time I open any of the 4 doors, several collected rain drops fall right on the seat of the door just opened.

I have never noticed this with any of the other 3 cars I've owned nor any of several dozen I've rented. Are Foresters configured such that the top of the door near the window hangs inward moreso than most cars???

cf :confuse:

204meca · June 2005

I too have been looking for tires & found mostly negative comments about OEM Yoko tires.

Tire rack will give you a list of 3-4 tires that are most popular for a particular model. When I checked the Kuhmo HP4 716 was amoung the most popular for Foresters.

Here is the bottom line: These Kuhmos are in the top 5 H rated times for tire rack & are only $53 each. They have a great balance of handling, wet & dry traction, are quiet & smooth riding. I know cuz I have them on my '92 Civic Si & '04 A4 1.8T. I cannot see the rational of buying well know branded tires that cost twice as much.(BF Goodrich Traction T/A-H, Goodyear TripleTred, Michelin HydroEdge) for minimal or no improvement in performance.

I don't know about the availability of Kuhmos on the E Coast, but in the Pacific NW you can order them from many stores & even Sears carries them.

barryo · June 2005

In August 2004 my daughter ordered Side Visors, Subaru PN E3610SA000 from a Subaru dealer she found in England using a Google search. She called the dealer and ordered a set for her '04 Forester and a set for my '05 Forester. I'm sure they would also fit an '03 Forester when they made the body style change.
The visors were expensive due to the shipping cost from England to New York. The dealer wrapped both visor sets into one package to save a little on shipping costs. The total cost for both sets came to about $400. Each set cost a little less than $100 and the shipping was a little over $100. I have zero regrets about spending $200 for my set and will get them again when I get my next Forester.

The visor is one piece of translucent dark-gray smoked plastic that extends from the side view mirror to the back edge of the rear door window. It attaches to the black plastic trim piece that runs just above the side windows using 2-way tape and 5 metal clips. It is a very secure attachment. The installation instructions are excellent and the visors are overall pretty easy to install.

The visors are so unobtrusive that you really have to look closely to even know they are there. And, they do a great job of keeping the rain out with the windows cracked open. There is no vision obstruction and I have not noticed any wind noise problems over the past 10 months. This is a Subaru part and the word Subaru is embossed in the visor over the rear window. I am thoroughly impressed with these visors would definitely get them again even considering the $200 price tag.

nswartzb · June 2005

does anyone know what are good/fair prices to pay for an subaru extended warranty and maintenance plan?
for example, what should i pay for the following:
1. a 6yr/80K, Gold Plus, $0 deductible plan?
2. a 3yr/36K, 7.5K interval maintenance plan?
also, this may sound like a stupid question, but if the orginal and extended warranties only require that maintenance be done at 7.5K intervals, why get the more expensive 3.75K interval maintenance plan? i guess the 7.5K plan covers the "major" maintenance, but you'd still have to pay out of pocket for the oil changes that don't fall on 7.5K intervals.
thanks-
-neil
ps the warranty and maitenance plan i'm look for is for a 2005 Forester XS that i'm getting for $200 below invoice (plus i'm getting the $1500 rebate).

nswartzb · June 2005

I know there is some debate about synth vs. dino oil, as well as changing intervals. that said, can anyone say whether the following oil change plan for a new 2005 Forester XS is a good plan:

- After first 3.75K miles/3 Months change oil & filter with dino oil -- from what i've read, i think this allows the engine to break in and the dino oil to fill in gaps etc.

- At 7.5K miles/6 Months change oil & filter with synth oil, and at every 7.5K miles/6 Months thereafter change oil & filter with synth oil.

FYI, the car will get 2/3 of its miles as highway miles; we don't plan on doing any rough driving, only 4 months of weekend winter driving -- from san francisco bay area up to mountains near lake tahoe for skiing; and, we're hoping to keep the car for AT LEAST 6 years/90K miles.

thanks-
-neil

mckeown · June 2005

URL with a Picture......I Must add, I am impressed.
http://partner.subaru.ch/public/bild2.asp?bild=E3610SA000

roopower2 · June 2005

Yep, my local Sears (Kumho) has them for $53. I don't know anything about this company but might be tempted to check them out.
John

cmuniz · June 2005

My first choice are HydroEdge if you're ok w/price. I have BFG Traction T/A and I really like them. They ride rough when cold, but in few minutes are ok. Ride,comfort,traction are great. A little cheapr than Michelins.

204meca · June 2005

I you want more info on the Kuhmo, go to tirerack.com, pull up the Kuhmo tire description and the look at the reveiws. The vast majority are very positive!

204meca · June 2005

For a new car where you have control over the maintaince, the Advantage Warranty would duplicate most of your new car warranty & be overkill IMHO.

That said, if you want prices, google Subaru Advantage & check out on line deals. Curry Subaru had the best prices I could find & listed all the coverages and option on their site (I cannot recall the site name, but it was not an offical Subaru site. I believe it had the word "products" in it -- was 2nd or 3rd site that came up on Google search).

nswartzb · June 2005

thanks.
any others?

204meca · June 2005

I am reading lots of negative posts about the "auto climate control". Apparently many think it is "too hot, too cold, too erratic, blows too much...". Are these just fussy folks or is this a general truism? I know those descriptions fit the auto climate control system on our A4 and would like to not have a similar problme on my FXS.

Has anyone tried this fix: ttp://www.geocities.com/samiam_68/SubaruCCS/SSC_Fix.htm

If so, did it do the trick?

mckeown · June 2005

I have a 2004 XS. Overall, living in NJ with cold winters and warm to hot summers, The Auto Climate control works OK for us, NOT Perfect. but OK.
In the winter, I find myself turning it up to 78-80. but then I no longer touch it. And I do travel alot between 5 states. When it's Cold outside and the vehicle has reached it's preset temp, I find the upper dash outlets blow cooler air than from the floor vents
In the Summer I leave it about 68. A/C seems to work better at regulating the temp, .
YES I Installed a small fan on the venturi inlet (similar to the fix described). What this does is allows faster response to changes in temp by keeping the airflow constant over the thermalcouple (interior temp sensor). The factory setup uses the blower to create a venturi effect sucking air in slowly at lower speeds thereby slowing the temperature change response. It's not an endall fix, but it does do away with some slow, wide temperature swings especially in the winter.
My $.02

ateixeira · June 2005

$530 for a Subaru warranty seems cheap to me. Do you get roadside assistance in the plan you were quoted? We do (for the full 7 years).

neil: sounds like a plan. Synthetic should easily last that long given you're not under the extreme driving category.

Those vents look good, by the way. I just open my door, and slam it once, then open it again. That shakes the water off.

You can thank aerodynamics and fuel economy for the disappearance of rain gutters. Forester actually has them near the roof rails, but there are a couple of inches on the sides where rain accumulates, that'll drip down.

HAL (Mr. Climate Control) can be tamed if you get a 2003, and 2004 and later models are tamer to begin with.

-juice

204meca · June 2005

Are these the ones from England?
URL with a Picture......I Must add, I am impressed.
http://partner.subaru.ch/public/bild2.asp?bild=E3610SA000

Yeah they look good, but $200 is a bundle. Most of these in the US cost about $50-70 for all 4 windows. I would sure like to find some for less than $100.

Do we have an entraprenuer in this crowd who wants to try and swing some sort of group buy to save on shipping?

204meca · June 2005

Thanks for all the advice, this site has been a tremendous help.
AFTER the purchase :surprise: , I discovered that the Subie had been rigged for towing behind some sort of RV (had an electrical connection in the lower grill fascia). So now I wonder if the 23K miles are miles that it was actually driven or if that number includes the miles it was towed. Anyone know if towed miles would show on odometer? I cant think of any negatives to it being towed -- am I missing anything :confuse: I hope not cause it is a done deal now

If interested in purchase details Forester buying experience forum

98in_cuse · June 2005

Hi - I just found this forum. I have a '98 Forester (manual transmission) with approx. 112,000 miles, no serious problems until now. Just recently the check engine light came on and I had the spark plugs replaced as per Subaru service recommendation, then the light returned. Now I am told that the real problem is that a valve guide is pulling out of one of the cylinder heads. It can be re-machined as a "fix" or I can have two cylinders replaced as essentially a "top engine rebuild". Given that I have yet to replace the timing belt, and the clutch may need to be replaced (still on the original one), can members of the forum give me opinions? I've done all the recommended maintenance and had the brakes reworked not too long ago. Right now I am thinking about treating the valve guide problem conservatively (i.e. wait) as there have been symptoms of this problem for a while (principally rough idle). As long as the check engine light is off at my inspection (Nov.), I might be able to squeak out a few more thousand miles. I know the timing belt needs to be done - our service manager says people have made it to 120,000 though they have been bugging me since 105,000. I wanted to keep the car a couple more years until the possible hybrid/complete re-design comes out. If I can't keep this one going however, I may be looking at an end-of-the-year 2005 or the 2006. Any thoughts on a strategy or the cylinder/valve guide problem would be welcome.

Thanks, Kathy

mckeown · June 2005

I would 2nd that. I would pay the $100 for them, but not the $100 to ship them. To bad my buddy doesn't travel to Australia/New Zealand anymore. They also have these listed. But I can't find an independent dealer site, Seems thay are all run by Subaru.au.

bluesubie · June 2005

IMHO, you should wait a little longer in switching to a synthetic if you're going to go the full 7,500 on your oil change intervals. Subaru's show high wear metals up until 20-25,000 miles. Those high wear metals will cause the oil's viscosity to shear down within 6,000 miles or so. Since you're naturally aspirated, it might be ok though. It also depends what oil and oil weight you're using.

In my XT, I switched to a blend at 3,750 and Mobil1 5W30 at 7,500 miles. The M1 sheared down to a low 30 weight in under 6,000 miles (it's actually low to begin with). Since you have an XS, it's probably not quite as hard on the oil as a turbo.

Run your synthetic for 6,000 miles and have it analyzed by
www.blackstone-labs.com . When I had the oil on my XT analyzed at 22,000 miles and the metals were just starting to come down to normal levels.

-Dennis

ateixeira · June 2005

112k miles is a lot, so do appriase it to determine its value, use Edmunds TMV tool.

Still, they often age gracefully, we saw one that sold on E-bay with 278k miles, so yours is still young compared to that one.

I would get the timing belt done because I believe your DOHC EJ25 is an interference engine, i.e. if the belt breaks the valves could hit the top of the pistons and that would likely be a total loss. (can others confirm that?)

Did you get an estimate for the work?

-juice

barryo · June 2005

Yes, the side visors in the picture are the same as the ones we got from England.

toasterpilot · June 2005

My mechanic took me for a ride to look for the whistle. As I explained previously, it only occured when moving and went away when the driver window was lowered at least 2 inches. No other window affected it.

When we pulled back into the parking lot he noticed that his auto glass guy was there so we brought him into the discussion. He found a piece of the windshield trim that was loose. The frame around the windshield has studs that this trim clips onto but one of them was obstructed by an excess of glazing material.

The trim looked perfect when the car was parked but lifted as the car accelerated causing the wind to flow under the strip and whistle. By lowering the driver window--only a couple inches away from this defect, I was able to change the air current around this area so as to stop the whistling.

Since Forester windshields are rock magnets, this could have been sloppy glazing of a replacement windshield (I purchased the car "pre-driven").

The glass guy didn't recommend trying to clean up the glazing compound because it might damage the glass. Instead, he told me to slide that bracket down to where it wasn't touching the clogged stud and glue the trim down with some (silicone) bathroom caulk.

Whistling a happier tune now,
David

tazereli · June 2005

I just picked up a full set of BFG Traction TA/T's for about 60 per from Tire Rack. I went a bit wider with a lower aspect ratio (215/60/15 vs 205/70/15 stock) to get slightly better handling. Plus the stock tires were only a bit cheaper (<$3 per tire difference). Since these are a bit taller than the stock size, does anyone know of an online calculator to determine how much it will throw off my speedo? From most reviews I read, they seem to be a good buy. Im storing them in the garage until this fall. Then they will be installed in time for winter. I just cant wait to get rid of the cheapo Pep Boys whitewalls my inlaws put on the car before they sold it to us. Yes white side is out.

Regards,
Kyle

ateixeira · June 2005

They are 10mm wider, but not taller. 60% of 215mm is less than 70% of 205mm.

-juice

dcm61 · June 2005

Since these are a bit taller than the stock size

A 215/60-15 should be shorter, not taller, than a 205/70-15 so I would expect the speedometer to show faster than actual speed. The equivalent 60 series tire would be 225/60-15.

does anyone know of an online calculator to determine how much it will throw off my speedo?

http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html

DaveM

nswartzb · June 2005

If i don't want to get my oil analyzed, but i want to be safe, could i just do the following:
1. dino oil & filter change at 3.75K/3M, 7.5K/6M, and 12.25K/9M.
2. synth oil & filter change at 15K/12M, and thereafter every 7.5K/6M
thanks again-
-neil

bluesubie · June 2005

Probably.

tazereli · June 2005

Im not sure why I thought taller. Maybe I thought they just looked larger overall.

Regards,
Kyle

kavoom · June 2005

BF Goodrich Traction T/A-

I see the Falkens are 75$?? I don't know about the Forester but like the TA's. I also hear I get to hydroplane at about 15 to 20,000 miles on the Yokohama's. I can't wait. But... I had BF Goodrich TA's on my 99 Outback Sport as original equipment and got 75,000 on em. I put another set on and when I traded in the 99 for my Forester I had 147K miles on two sets of tires and still had another 10K left. They only changed out two of em when they resold it...

Now that is a good tire...

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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