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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
Is this part of anyone's regular 'spring cleaning' routine? What are some of people's routines besides the obvious changing of tires?
I'm curious to hear reponses from Vermont owners as they are just south of us and share the same winters, although I am not sure if they salt the roads with as much abandon as Montreal city workers.
Thanks
Mike
thanks for the info! If memory serves me well, I believe stars used to be connected on Subaru logos back in 80s, weren't they?
It's funny, when I was looking at the new '03 oval logo, next to the one used on the '02 Forester, I also compared the Forester '02 version with one on a '02 Legacy, and the '02 Forester's is different from that one too! It's more compressed on the horizontal plane. It looks less oval, and more round.
Nothing like marketing consistency...
Bob
YetAnotherDave
-mike
-mike
I want to practice a little before I actually try a competition - missed that school in suburban Philly. I guess I'd better carry the balding OEM Yokos and 16" alloys to any auto-x or else I'll be in way over my head.
Still it might be an opportunity to show people that the Forester is underrated as a road car and defies conventional categorization.
Ed
Also anytime you come to an auto-x I'll make sure you get a good instructor. I'd just jump in, worst case you spin the car
-mike
Ed
-mike
My question is when does one change the spark plugs for a Forester? The owner's manual indicates at 48 000 km. But when my father purchased his Subaru, he was told that there was platinum tipped spark plugs installed which would have a 100 000 km maintenance interval...(This is also written in the Subaru Impreza 1999 brochure) Although, during our recent service inspection, there was regular Champion plugs installed. What gives with this false advertising Subaru of Canada?
Is it worse the extra $ for platinum tipped spark plugs? Are they more prone to be seized in the motor making them harder & costly to remove..
Thanks in advance for your responses,
Sil
Jeff: 2 green Foresters? You're my hero! ;-) What about tinting the windows on one of them? I paid $170 to have 7 windows tinted with SolarGard 35% dyed film.
Congrats to the new owners, Carlton, Jeff. Good luck shopping Rose. Try a no-haggle dealer if you don't feel comfortable negotiating.
Renato: what's wrong with a pop-up moonroof? ;-)
I just got quotes for a power moonroof for our new Legacy, $895 installed with a lifetime warranty. They put the biggest size that fits, or in the case of the Legacy a 17"x30" ASC model.
-juice
-mike
With the stock suspension, you can go 225/60R16 on an S, 205/75R15 or 215/70R15 on an L. Not much extra clearance from tires alone. I have 225/60R16s on aftermarket rims. My offset puts the tires farther out so nothing ever rubs. Springs are still stock, though I've always thought about the iSR ones.
Welcome cat. Feel free to drop in any time, we don't bite! Promise!
22k for a 2002 L model seems steep. I see them for around $19k at fitzmall.com. In fact I think that's high even for an MSRP, unless that's Canadian dollars.
I wash my undercarriage with my pressure washer. I use it to wash the car, so while I'm at it I spray the bottom side. Once, after going on the beach, I removed piles of sand, so if you drive off road at all definitely pay extra to have it done.
ECU re-programs are not rare, but uncommon. I've heard of one or two.
-juice
-cat
-juice
Unless of course you meant to meow more than once, in that case maybe you're hungry? ;-)
-juice
: )
-cat
I gotta go check out a 2003. I'm sure I'll end up wanting one, though.
-juice
:-)
Ross the Retired
Steve
Ross
I'm decided to change AT fluid on my 01 Forester (12000miles).
I have a klicking/clunking sound when upshifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. Dealer didn't found anything wrong with transmittion, but this sound is annoying, so I decided to change the fluid.
Can anyone recommend me the best ATF Fluid? (May be Mobil 1 ATF?).
Also, Is LubeGard worth it to add to ATF?
Thanks!
In fact if you chose a type with a different color, this makes their job easier. When the stuff coming out changes color completely you're done.
-juice
One of the best ATF is by Redline. Check out www.redlineoil.com. D4 ATF should work for Forester's auto tranny. It will reduce the torque converter lag and smooth out the shifting a little. It does work better than Mobil 1's. Actually I plan to replace ATF and diff oils with Redline stock after the '03 reaches 5K miles.
I also experienced the famous AT lag last week when I was merging into a highway. The behavior struck me as a combo of over-sensitive traction control, slow torque converter, and some engine control quirk. The report of reprogramming '02's ECU does raise my eyebrow.
BTW, the '03 manual says that the AT box take 9.8 qt of fluid! Wow! Is this a typo or what?
-bear
Go check it out and tell us your experience.
-cat
I am deeply in love with my 1999 Forester L and felt I could only replace it with something even better! I have scoured the Internet like an obsessed maniac trying to find pictures and specs and release dates since February. Thanks to EVERYONE who has posted useful info on the new 2003 Forester over the last few months.
So today was the big day... After reading here that people had already BOUGHT Foresters a week or two ago, they weren't anywhere to be found in the Philadelphia area until 1 PM this afternoon.
I sped to my local dealer who had a loaded Silver XS Premium with every option but leather with a sticker around $26,500. It had the gray cloth interior.
The first thing I did was sit in it and get the seat comfortable. I am pleased to say that I DEFINITELY was able to find an improved driving position over my '99 thanks to the improved height adjustment. (I am 5' 10" and always felt like my left foot was too cramped. If I put the seat all the way back, I was too far from the wheel.) Well, not in the 2003. It was perfect... except that the very top of my hair was lightly brushing on the sunroof trim.
From there, I left the front seat in position and moved behind it and definitely noticed the improvement in rear seat space. Not much, but good enough to keep my knees from rubbing, and there's a LOT more toeroom.
Now for the bad part. I tried and tried to be open-minded about the cloth seats, but I just couldn't stand them. I mean, I REALLY hated them. I don't know if it's the vinyl trim or the weird cloth lining on the armrests or what, but every ounce of my excitement went down the drain with the feeling that the interior just looked plain cheap. I mean deal-breaker cheap. My '99 L has the low-end cloth and I find them much more attractive, believe it or not.
Am I the only one that feels this way? At first I was in total denial. I WANTED to like it but I couldn't! So I walked across the lot to look at the other Forester with the beige interior hoping it would look better than the gray. It was worse! It was a weird beige, almost yellow. YUCK! Come on Subaru! You let me down.
So now, in desperation, I am seeking out another Subaru dealer that has one with the leather. It looks nice in the pictures, so I'm praying that it looks more upscale in person.
Has anybody compared the leather's looks to the cloth? Do you feel it looks a lot better and is worth an extra $700?
After my big disappointment, I am actually putting some serious thought to the LL Bean Outback for ~$2,500 more. With the V-6, nicer interior, and more cargo space, I might just step up. Any opinions here: loaded 2003 Forester XS Premium vs. LL Bean Outback?
-mike
The front diff. takes IIRC 2 quarts oil?
Don't quote me, I think I forgot.
-Dave
I didn't drive the 2003 but overall I still like the design of the 2002 and I am getting the sport grill which I think makes a big difference in the look. Just my two cents FWIW.
Gene
to the person getting advice on prices for 2002 forester: my dealer (Liberty Sub. in Oradell NJ) quoted me 21,308 for a 2002 black Forester premium. Automatic should be 22,000. If you are close to NJ give em a call.
The plugs are hard to access. On mine you have to move the windshield washer fluid reservoir out of the way, as well as the intake. So go ahead and change the air filter while you're at it. I'd also do the PCV valve and the fuel filter.
E: I'm sure you'll like the leather much better, and it's heated so you're all set.
The Bean is one fine ride, but quite different in character. It's more of a near-luxury car, very quiet. The H6 (not Vee) is so quiet you have to look at the tach to make sure it's on. It's not super quick - it's refined. And they geared it tall for good gas mileage and relaxed cruising. While I found it very nice, it's just not my style, I want something more fun.
I thought the 2003 fabric was OK, but tastes vary so check out that leather.
10 quarts? Seriously? My Miata takes two, though the diffy takes another quart for a total of 3. Our 626 used to take about 3.5 quarts. These Subies must be well lubed!
BTW, a $55k Bimmer should have better quality materials, but not necessarily better reliability - they've had 14 recalls already on the X5 alone.
Renato: Adler & Mandell in Rockville MD. I've personally used them twice. Friends a few other times.
BTW, Automotive News published an incentive of $0-500 for the Forester, probably depending on the number of sales, so don't be surprised to see prices for the 2002 at about $500 under invoice.
-juice
Where in the Philly area are there '03 Foresters? I have been to three dealers and have yet to see one.
Ed
-juice
Does anyone knows any Service technician in Columbus, OH who can flush transmission fluid and fill it using fluid that I brought with me?
Firestone Service can only flush transmission. - They don't accept fluid that i brought - only use their own.
Is it hard to fill out transmittion with my fluid once they flushed it? Can anyone give me step-by-step directions?
Thanks a lot!
• Yes, it does have lit power window switches, thank you very much.
• When you switch on the cruise control, the cruise button (still the lower left of the steering column) no longer has a orange light, but instead a green "CRUISE" lite now appears on the instrument cluster. As many of you know, I've long been an advocate of a "cruise engaged" light; well this is not it; but it's a better solution than what they had before. Still, I wished that the green light only came on when the cruise control was being used, not when you turn the switch on.
Bob
The LL Bean's leather seats don't have nearly as good side bolstering as do the Foresters; they won't hold you in place during brisk cornering as well as the Forester's seats. I think if you buy a Bean over the Forester just because of the leather seats, you'll be making an expensive mistake.
If you must have leather, get the XS Premium auto w/leather.
Bob
-mike
Bob
Bob - it's funny, I think you got a lot of stuff you were asking for, like the lit switches, lit key ring, rear wiper de-icer. Little stuff like that adds up. But that makes the cost cutting even more puzzling. Why no mud guards, cargo cover, cargo liner?
The Bean's 2-tone leather, not to mention the real wood-and-leather steering wheel, are all about impressing your passengers, while pampering you with luxury. Not hitting the apex hard.
-juice