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Magic erasers or Glass strippers (cleaners that polish and remove gunk from glass)
can help remove the excess residue
Same here, and I've never had a problem with build up or anything like that.
The glass even stays cleaner, because nothing (water, ice, dirt) sticks on it as easily.
My tip - apply before you wash the car. Then wash, and use a squeegee to clean the glass. Mine is spotless.
I just don't use the stuff you put in your windshield washer reservoir. That would only really cover the swept area of the glass anyway, not to mention it would miss the side glass, the moonroof, mirrors, etc.
I even do headlights and taillights.
I was very impressed; it was too bad I did not think about it ahead of time and ask my wife to get out the video camera.
Party at wes' house. I'll bring a camera.
Sounds like fun, though. And your report matches up with the videos we've seen of the Forester climbing up those off road ramps with its traction control system.
Err, what I mean to say is she needed gas, and let me take it for a while.
Any how, she was getting 23.something mpg, I decided I would try to get the best mileage possible. I drove from a suburb to another suburb and back, all streets with lights, no highways.
I actually managed to get 29.7mpg in town, with traffic, lights and all. At one point I was at 30mpg but it dropped just as I pulled in the driveway.
I was using every trick in the book - slow starts, coasting to red lights, very light braking. Good timing at stop lights is crucial.
Pretty amazing what you can accomplish if you try hard.
2009 PZEV Limited (auto trans).
My daughter (two years old today) had a great time riding in the car with me! She would say, "Whoa! Big bump!" and giggle hysterically.
Do you have a drawbridge to go with that moat that surrounds your house? Sounds pretty small though. You must live in one of those "starter castles" and this one came with a "starter" moat.
What was your plan if you didn't make it? Can't help but think the DW disapproval goes much higher when trying to navigate that one. I can already see the "What were you thinking?!" look that would be on Dra's face since I would have to ask her to drive the stuck or towing vehicle.
I can still remember the communal oh $@&% from my friends and I when my friend slid backwards on a similar muddy hill in the middle of nowhere impaling the rear hitch at the bottom. Wonder that one of us wasn't crushed before we got it free.
You have a manual, eh? That's nice. My 98 was a manual, but my wife was commuting from MD to VA and back and insisted on a slushbox this time around.
The EPA numbers are better for the auto, but I'm convinced the manual is more efficient. Consumer Reports got 3mpg better with the stick shift!
I only have a partial moat, and it is fairly small, but it really could pass for a moat (at least across the driveway) in the spring time when meltdown hits in earnest. Until the ice dam breaks at the end of the run, we can get quite a pond (about 8-12" deep) growing! It is an annual event to break out the pick axe for a chop-a-thon at some point each April. Only when we have a long stretch of cloudy-but-warm weather during April is that not necessary (because the snowpack melts evenly under those conditions).
Tripod. That's a good idea. I should probably pick one of those up one of these years.....
Ironically, I arrived at work this morning (driving my '98 Escort, as the Forester is now winterized and set up for my wife and children's use) and parked next to a 2010 paprika red Forester X Premium. Yep, it was the one from the local dealership that I tried to buy six weeks ago only to have my (very reasonable) offer rebuked. A gal that works in the building next to mine bought it over the weekend. I sure hope that extra six weeks on the lot did not lose the dealership the $200 off MSRP I had requested! :P Although, frankly, with the rugged package on it, I much prefer the looks and utility of the one I purchased. That black accent all across the bottom of the body really lends itself well to the "burnt orange" of the paprika.
Dennis
Interestingly, The" Glass doctor" , freely informed me that he was seeing quite a few new Foresters in his shop this year, and some like myself, some multiple times as well.. He believes that between the height of the vehicle and the straight up windshield angle, it is more likely to break when compared to other make and models. i do not know if this is true, however I will be calling Subaru USA to make a complaint and investigation. Anyone else have multiple windshield cracks?
have had 2 rock chip incidents with my 09 Forester X Premium in the 18 months
I've owned it.
The first occurred just weeks after purchasing; the second about 2 months ago.
In both cases, I have promptly had the chip repaired, and both times the repair
was successful (ie chips have not grown into full blown cracks neccesitating a
windshield replacement.
This is especially important if you have the heated windshield, as a replacement
costs $700 +/-(?).
I don't know if the root cause of this vulnerability is the height/angle of vehicle; or the windshield glass is extra thin; or if it is just a statistical anomaly that so many of us posting here have experienced this problem...
I recommend all 09/10 Forester owners check their insurance coverage for glass breakage, and add the $0 deductible for cracked windshield replacement to your policy...
Perhaps there is a partial clog within the cowl baffling that is preventing water entering the cowl from draining properly?
I take it this is OK to use on the plastics?
My wife cracked the windshield on her Mazda 626 twice, but my 98 Forester lasted 9 years without a crack, and our 09 is also intact.
Keep in mind how upright the windshield is, and make sure you leave plenty of distance to the car in front.
In your case I'm not sure anything could have prevented a crack - the car was moving in the opposite direciton and must've thrown that rock like a bullet right at you. :sick:
With the cost to replace the heated windshield WAY UP THERE, we're going to wait until winter rock season is done, and replace it next summer. This assumes the crack doesn't go crazy and wrap back on itself and impede her view.
Hers is the most crack-prone windshield of any vehicle I've ever owned, (and that's a lot of vehicles).
Thanks
This coat may cost $400-$600, but they will warrantee the windshield and replace if it gets cracked for 3-4 years, depending on the service interval you choose.
I got this fusion coat on my STI, and I'm really happy with it. It's like having permanent Rain-X, and it has survived many a rock hit without cracking. We should have got it on my wife's F-XT.
When we finally replace her windshield, we'll also be getting this coat on her windshield.
I doubt it has too much to do with the angle of the windshield; it certainly is not anywhere close to "near vertical."
If these are small chips in the middle area of the glass that are cracking, it probably does have something to do with the quality of glass. If the chips are at or near the edges, it is likely more bad luck than anything else; edge chips are always more likely to induce cracks.
I managed to find a set of 16" silver-painted steel wheels from a 2007 Forester on which to install the tires. I like them! They look pretty good on the car, but the smaller rim size, combined with the winter tires, makes for a much smoother ride. They are even somewhat quieter than the stock tires, though there is a subtle hum at highway speeds due to the open block design of the tires (Goodyear Ultra Grip Ice, P215/65R16).
Bob
That thing looks ready for winter.
Oh, man. Speaking of "ready for winter," my neighbors cleared a swath between the subdivision road and their driveway, which includes a couple of steep grades, in preparation for sledding once the snow flies. The terrain is kinda rough, but I am so terribly tempted to take the Forester over it. The only thing holding me back, other than the car's only being two weeks old, is that the angle of approach is pretty dramatic and once I get down there, there is no easy way out if the car cannot make it on its own....
It was a hoot. Back then it only had 7.5" of ground clearance, but it's light and with tires aired down to 18psi is floated well above the sand.
I actually drove by a HD diesel pickup who has forgotten to air down his tires.
The new Forester has wider tires, more than an inch extra clearance, and much better approach and departure angles. It should be fine so long as you don't stop in soft sand or go too crazy.
Drive smoothly and definitely wash the undercarriage when you're done. Salt water causes rust, big time. All the full-time beach rigs I saw were rusty.
The older Forester got hung up on the sand, while the '09, with more ground clearance, did OK.
Older Foresters had Limited slip Dif's in back, '09's rely entirely on VTC.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ki9ad5UCmwo
? Do you mean "never" try?
That sled hill next door to me that I mentioned last week gets more tempting every day. I think I am just going to have to do it before the snow flies (which is any moment now).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2yp1PkXizeQ
Most poeple just want to get out of the county fair grass parking lot on a rainy day without giving it a mud bath.
Nice. :shades: