Edmunds dealer partner, Bayway Leasing, is now offering transparent lease deals via these forums. Click here to see the latest vehicles!

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

1…338339340341343

Comments

  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Oops, you're right.

    You can get an X Limited, though. You give up the leather and the wood steering wheel, but it's still well equipped.

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    My new Forester is mostly in the garage, not being used much at this time (the old one is doing all the chores at the moment). It will be probably Jan or later when I actually start using it for a daily commute.

    I wonder what would be the best way to maintain it in a good shape? Take it out for a drive once per week? I've heard somewhere it's recommended to inflate tires to the max - is it true?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    If you're not going to drive it until January, you might put it up on jack stands to prevent the tires from flat-spotting and give the springs a break. But it's probably not worth it. And you would have to trickle-charge the battery if you don't drive it around at all.

    Nah, that's overkill, just use it once a week, and keep the pressure up a little (maybe 33-35psi or so).

    -juice
  • applejfapplejf Member Posts: 40
    The X Limited is the one we bought; it is very well equipped. The only thing I'd like to have is leather seats, otherwise it has some good stuff.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Frank put Katskins leather on his Forester XT. I've seen one in person and thought it looked nice - as good at stock (more wrinkles but also softer).

    -juice
  • applejfapplejf Member Posts: 40
    Couldn't find Katskins with a Google but did find Katzkins leathers. Is that the one? They don't seem to offer anything for Subaru.

    I'd like to know more about this product.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Google showed me several here

    Don't give up so easily in your searches! :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yep, that's it.

    -juice
  • sricsric Member Posts: 4
    Thanks applejf ! That is some real world feedback. Nice to see there is another MT5 ( 5 speed manual transmission) officianado out there. My old RAV4 also has some jerkiness in re-acceleration of throttle in both first and second gear but I have adjusted to this. I found I became smoother on the accelerator in those gears over time and i don't consider this a fault any longer. The occilation and cold start-up " racing engine " thing is what concerns me as a possible design fault in the Forester ( if it is true ). I am also fairly pokey on the hyway, keep it between 60 and 65 mostly. Your engine is still pretty new. My guess is that that MPG is going to start getting better around 3000 or so. Keep us posted on this.

    Does any one else have experiance with the Forester with 5 speed manual drive train they'd like to share ?
  • prosaprosa Member Posts: 280
    When I bought my Forester X about 11 months ago, the dealership had about 25 Foresters on the lot and not one of them was a manual. They had to get one for me from another dealership.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Certainly that is as God intended it to be, don't you think?

    If man was meant to drive a manual shift, we would not have invented the automatic...:P
  • leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    If man were meant to drive an automatic, God would not have given him a left foot!

    Len
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    the dealership had about 25 Foresters on the lot and not one of them was a manual.

    Just goes to show you how popular the MT is, when a dealer is completely sold out :shades:

    John
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    LMAO!

    Talk about spinning! :P
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I never, ever have problems finding 5 speeds. Fitzmall.com has 6 in stock right now, and that's just the X model. Add X Premium and XT and they probably have a dozen manuals.

    No problem with supply at all.

    The 06 MT5 models sold out. Plenty of 06 autos left. So John is right! :P

    -juice
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    INFO........the Haynes repair manual is apparantly NOW available for our 2000-2006 Foresters.


    http://www.repairmanual.com/catalog/H89101
  • pete592pete592 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2003 Forester X and I have never seen a car that goes so suddenly and dramatically out of tune before in my life. Is this just the norm for Subaru boxer engines? Do they need to be perfectly in tune to maintain a decent amount of horsepower?

    After tuning, my engine will be consistently powerful until suddenly, one day, it will start to grunt when going up hills. After about 5 seconds of climbing, the engine instantly loses 500 RPM and I have to firewall it to get power.

    My previous car was an '87 Acura Integra, and this car practically never needed tuning. Is my experience unique?
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    I have 18,000 miles on 2006 X, and have never experienced such a problem, and it is yet to exhibit any need for a "tune-up".
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    My Forester 2001 has now 154K miles on it, engine never was tuned up (unless dealer did it and did not tell me for some reasons).
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That happened to mine and I ended up finding out a chipmunk had chewed through my spark plug wires.

    Change the spark plugs and plug wires, and the fuel filter while you're at it. 30k miles or 3 years, so you're due anyway.

    -juice
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    With Platinum plugs? :surprise:
  • tdennentdennen Member Posts: 4
    I have 3 Subaru's in the family, '99 Legacy Outback, '05 Imprezza RS sport and '06 Legacy Outback XT. My 99 does need fuel system cleaner from time to time. I also put in every 4th tank either mid grade or high test gas. This seems to keep in running well. After 8 years it's due to have the spark plugs replace as a preventative measure only. (50K miles)
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Yep I had Katzkins installed in my FXT. The advantage of after market is that you get to pick your colors. I chose a black with perforated leather inserts. You can see a photo here: Subaru Crew: Photo Gallery #1595 of 2530 Dec 31, 2003

    -Frank
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Here's the link: p0926, "Subaru Crew: Photo Gallery" #1595, 31 Dec 2003 1:50 pm

    tidester, host
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    I couldn't remember how to post a link :blush:

    Frank
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Show off. ;)

    Two-tone looks hot, I love it...

    -juice
  • martijnhmartijnh Member Posts: 24
    Hello all,

    I'm a proud papa of a 2 Subaru household. Our 02 Forester S (my wife's, almost 60k miles. All service performed on time at dealer) all of a sudden started running hot. Temp gauge never went into the red, but went over the middle mark where it should stay. Wife said
    'temperature spiked and would settle down'. I checked out the car at home, and this is what I found out (I'm a little handy with cars, but radiators confuse me):
    - Overflow reservoir is completely empty
    - When I removed the radiator cap, I see no fluid
    - In the 'tray' directly below the radiator I can see green liquid (radiator fluid)
    - I see a little bit of fluid seeping/dripping along a 'hook-eye' on the right front of the car.
    - Engine compartment smell like radiator fluid

    Doing a search on 'Forester', 'Coolant', etc. returns a lot of results (incl. info on recalls). We love this car and want it to get better. Some of you here must have gone through something similar and I would appreciate insight into your experience and what you learned.

    I live in the SF Bay Area (equal distance to Redwood City and Livermore dealerships). Any tips on where to get this fixed?

    :sick:

    Thanks,
    Martijn
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    I am assuming you just didn't top off with only water, but kept the 50/50 mix of coolant and water...

    Ask around, call around....a radiator shop would usually be your best bet. I am almost certain, from experience, that its a leak. It is always a toss-up as to paying for a new/re conditioned one as opposed to the time and labor to repair. If you know a reputable mechanic/shop, ask them who they send their business to. ;)
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    it is most likely a leaky hose. They do crack and swell over time, especially if they get petroleum products spilled on them.

    It should be easy enough to find. For plain old diagnostics, don't hesitate to fill it up with water, including half the overflow container. Start the engine and use a good flash light to try and locate it. You may need to drop the plastic engine guard (the one with the oil filter door). It may not start leaking until it gets up to temperature. Watch out for the fans turning on automatically.

    It is a bit early to have to replace everything, just the bad hose should solve the problem.

    You will need to drain and replace with the correct fluid.

    The worst case is that it is a leaky water pump. About as bad would be a hole in the radiator.

    In any case if it is leaking a lot (more than a casual drip) you should probably have it towed to the shop rather than risk overheating.

    It sounds though like a job within a DIY category.

    Have fun,

    John
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Quite possibly a bad hose, John, but since he was so detailed about inspecting it, I assumed he would have caught that.

    The coolant/water in the tray is exactly what I encountered with the pinhole leaks......
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I just found out today that if I turn the air fan knob to the position where it blows to the windshield, then recirc mode (that I always keep on) goes off.

    I love recirc. If it's not in recirc I smell fumes being sucked in. I also like sometime to have air blown to the windshield. I wonder if there is any way to trick recirc to stay ON when a air is set to blow onto the windshield.

    BTW, that was not a problem in my Forester 2001. Recirc was totally independent of the fan knob position.
  • stevecarstevecar Member Posts: 148
    I have a 2001 that had a head gasket recall. I'm not that mechanically inclined, but if the gaskets went bad and were leaking, wouldn't that have caused this? I live on the east coast, so I could not recommend dealers for you, but maybe this was part of that recall.
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    The coolant/water in the tray is exactly what I encountered with the pinhole leaks......

    You aren't saying pinhole leaks in the engine? You must be refering to the radiator? yes I have seen that, but not on a plastic radiator. Usually pin holes come from corrosion on metal radiators.

    It isn't always easy to find the leak. Sometimes they come and go depending on the pressure in the system.

    Joh
  • subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    recirc won't work on most modern vehicles including '00+ Subies when in defrost mode. This is to prevent the windows from fogging up. The owner manual even has a blurb about it.

    -Brian
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    There has actually been discussions in scientific forums about the DANGER of always using the Recirculate setting a majority of the time....

    First, Recirculate really isn't. The manufacturers have always used a mix. It is usually 20% outside air, and 80% recirculated. Scientists and Doctors have long had concerns about a car with more than one person using that setting as the CO2 levels rise. If there were a small leak in the engine wall, or the like, that would make the situation worse. :sick:

    Experts recommended using the Recirculate setting for short periods of initial cool-down, or on the hottest of days (110*+) only. Believe me, the indoor pollution you are breathing is much worse than the occasional smell of fumes you might get!
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Yikes. I use A/C in recirc mode to de-fog the windows. A/C in recirc mode makes the air dry not dump. Grrrr....
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I specifically conducted experiments with running for a long time recirc vs non-recir air. If I run in the recirc air, the cabin air filter remains very clean for a long time. If I run in the non-recirc mode, it gets dirty fairly soon. Maybe CO2 is a concern if running full recirc, but dust and small particles that I've observed being collected on the cabin air filter are much worse IMHO.

    Maybe I have a sensitive nose, but smell of fumes I'm getting is not occasional but always present unless I am on the nice empty country road. If there is traffic - I'll get fume smell and will feel nauseated.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    :P

    Air conditioning, by its very nature, dehumidifies the air.

    If you are sucking in very humid air, of course it will not work as quickly, or efficiently, as when it is drawing dryer (recirculated.) air.

    Ever notice the puddle of water under your car? That is the excess moisture the AC is pulling out of the air. It does that no matter what "mode" you are using. That is why it is efficient to use the recirculating setting initially, but less of a health risk to switch to outside air once the car has cooled down. :)

    And Kate, the fact that those dust particles ARE COLLECTED on the filter means the inside air is "cleaner". The cabin air filter remains "cleaner" because you are not taking in fresh, outside air, in the quantities you would using 100% outside air draw. Please don't confuse smells with things that can harm you, or your "feeling" sick at smelling them, that is merely psychological.

    You can be concerned about micro dust particles, but they are present in your home as well. Ever read about "Sick Home Syndrome" ? That is when a house is sealed too completely without bringing in clean, outside air! Same principle with your car. Don't worry about dust, worry about CO2 and chemical gases from all the plastic in your car and poisons in your carpet and mats.... ;)
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I have to agree, all that means is that your filter is working as designed. Be glad we have 'em! :)

    -juice
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I'm glad I have filter, and yes it works well, but I disagree with the statement that letting in air collected on 8-lane freeway in rush hour (and you know where air intake is located - pretty low to the ground) is a good idea. I'd rather take my chances with "poison" from the plastic inside the car when running full recirc.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    No one suggested you do that, Kate. :P

    However even some of the manufacturers suggest in their manuals that Recirc shouldn't be used most of the time.

    And BTW, the California Air Resources board did a study some years ago that showed air intake on a freeway, except in bumper to bumper, mostly stopped traffic, was no higher in pollutants than samples taken 1/4 mile from the freeway.

    On the Recirc setting you are still taking in 10-20% outside air, otherwise you would die in a sealed car re-breathing your own expelled CO2, I doubt you are breathing air any cleaner than if your windows were all down.

    But on longer trips, 1/2 hour or more, it is considered much safer not to use Recirc all the time. :)
  • sarakaysarakay Member Posts: 19
    I have a 2004 Forester XS and the other day I discovered a half-inch or so solid bump under the carpeting on the driver's side. It's about 4 inches away from the left foot rest, towards the seat. Does anybody know if this is something to worry about, or is it just something normal that I never noticed before?

    I haven't taken the carpeting up to investigate - the car is still under warranty so I'll let the dealer do that if it's something weird.

    Thanks!
    Sara
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Might it possible be the mat hook :confuse:
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    sure sounds like the mat hook. My '03 XS had floor mats as a standard item. Sounds like your mats are missing, or you now have aftermarket. It's also possible that the '04 did not come with floor mats.

    John
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Is it possible the carpet has shifted, and the slit for the hook is off-center? Or perhaps the slit for the hook was never made?
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    the hole is factory built and grommetted with Subaru floor mats, and with the accessory rubber mats.

    Sure, it could not be re-instlled correctly.

    John
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Flimsy little suckers. Mine's long gone, too.

    -juice
  • sarakaysarakay Member Posts: 19
    Thanks for the replies, but it's not the mat hook. The bump is actually under the installed carpeting, not just the mat, and it's only about 4" away from the left foot rest. The mat and the mat hook are both intact.
  • terry92270terry92270 Member Posts: 1,247
    Terrorists! A bomb!

    RUN! :surprise:
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Terrorists!

    I suspect you've been watching a little too much television. Let's try to keep it at least somewhat serious. :)

    tidester, host
This discussion has been closed.

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles