Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

boba6 · August 2003

How do I refill the washer for the rear window wiper in my 2002 S? I go down some dusty roads and would like it washing again. The manual is no help. There's a small rubber "plate" on the inside of the upper part of the door where the wiper mechanism is, but it didn't want to come up and I didn't want to push it not being sure that's what is was.
Thanks.
Bob A.

subkid · August 2003

don't front and rear share the same tank?

gened1 · August 2003

I have an 02 and I am pretty sure that my window washer bottle that serves the front window washers also serves the rear washers when I need to wash the back window. The turn on is on the right stalk. I have never had it stop working so maybe yours is just plugged.
Gene

crashton6 · August 2003

The rear & front washers use a common tank. It's under the hood on the drivers side behind the battery.

Chuck

tincup47 · August 2003

On my wife's 01 Forester there is definitely just one reservoir for both front and rear. In fact the washer pumps are at two different levels, the rear one comes up dry first. This is a neat feature (if you know about it) that lets you know when you are running low on fluid. My wife thought the rear washer pump had gone out last winter when her fluid got low and didn't refill it. It ended up running dry when I was driving it and there was still a lot of salty slush on the roads. GRRRR. She was amazed it started working again after I filled the reservoir.

paisan · August 2003

What Tincup said. I've removed several bottles and the rear pump is higher.

-mike

irnmdn · August 2003

Let's keep the politics off this forum, Thanks.
-mike
...as long as it is not in line with your views. Point taken. Please check back some of your old posts in this forum.

War and Germany by paisan on Subaru Forester forum

I won't buy a German (or DC) car now after this nice little stunt they pulled on the US. I know several MB owners at work who have sold their MBs and are getting American or Japanese cars.

And as for the French, if it wasn't for us they'd be speaking German right now.

-mike

Mike, I got one word for you - hypocrite

subewannabe · August 2003

but a few of my local stations still sell "Racing Gasoline"...100 octane. I bet that will get your turbo spooled up! Probably get better milage, too:-)
Hardly seemed worth the cost of an experiment in my wife's A6, though.
Mark

paisan · August 2003

That was before we all agreed to not get political on here. So why don't you read ALL the posts from tht point forward. I'm glad you read through all 10,000+ posts of mine, guess you have nothing better to do with your life!

-mike

rsay777 · August 2003

Same tank on the 03's also. I hadn't used the rear washer for a couple of months and had to activate the switch for about 30 sec before any spray showed up. I guess the liquid either evaporated or boiled out.

By the way has anyone had any freezing problems with the tube that travels to the rear of the car? Like if someone in a warmer climate travels to a snow zone with a less anti freeze type liquid in the washer res?

Thanks, Bob L

paisan · August 2003

won't do anything for you unless you currently are getting pinging. You'd need to re-program the car to run on 100 octane in the ECU + Timing, to get it to help you out.

-mike

boba6 · August 2003

Well, I won't be so quick on the enter key this time. Thanks. I had thought they might be but couldn't see the hose in the back. Figured if they were, the front wouldn't work, but the pumps at different levels makes sense. Thanks for all the quick responses.
Bob

ateixeira · August 2003

Seth: I indeed forwarded that to Patti and she got it, in fact I noticed on another thread she's already on the case.

Racing fuel is for mega-high compression engines, i.e. engines designed to require it. Street cars won't really benefit from it, perhaps with the exception of high-boost turbos with ECUs that allow the timing to advance quickly.

-juice

stever · August 2003

Apologies about the chat; I guess the whole site was down due to a database hiccup.

Steve, Host

ducktapeguy · August 2003

90K and I just replaced the front stock pads with some Axxis Ultimates. My rear ones started squealing at about 75K, but still probably had 10-20K left on them. Weird, huh. I hope these last as long. The only pad the was really worn down was the inside front drivers side pad. Some of the other pads looked like they still had half their life left. I cleaned and lubed everything up, so hopefully they'll wear more evenly now.

lfdal · August 2003

Recognizing that not everyone with a Forester follows the XT group, I thought I'd cross post my steering column problem and solution over on this group. Expecially interested in hearing from the gearheads on the viability of my fix.

To recap, the car is only 10 days old, the column was cockeyed - see 1st link, the dealer told me "Tough luck - that's the way it is" so I'm going to be revisiting the dealer and opening a case with Subaru on Tuesday.

In the mean time I rolled my own fix.

The last picture is of the damage they caused replacing the console cover on the dash. All the white marks in the picture aren't dust, they're chips, dings, etc in the plastic.

First - as it was

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid77/pd20fd0d75b201460e3c8- - adc3034eca36/fb3cacd8.jpg

Second - the shims

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid77/p94dc3ec161394fd02584- - 35fd63151153/fb3c0147.jpg

Third - after the shims

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid77/p2c3e3b7a5c333061b9cf- - f1b1070f5bab/fb3bffa5.jpg

Fourth - what a great job of replacing the scratched cover - too bad they trashed the dash

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid77/p1ecc965ab32d69cdd984- - 4150d62ba446/fb3caccd.jpg

allhorizon · August 2003

From what I have read here, the dash of the XT is white plastic, painted black. Are other Foresters the same? If not, that alone is good enough reason for me to wait for the new model year (with the hope of pertinent improvements).

Sorry, but dash material quality has improved tremendously over the past 10-15 years. I don't want to buy something that is worse in this respect than a 15 year old used car. The dash of my 10 year old Golf, which was parked in the SoCal sun outside for its entire live, still looks like new.

- D.

lfdal · August 2003

allhorizon - I have to agree with that. Dash material is lagging behind many American car mfgs, much less Honda, Toyota, etc.

Again, it all depends I think on the price point & market they're aiming for - if they want to stay with the upper teen / low twenty k range, fine. But when you start moving into the upper twenties / low thirties, you really need to do decent job of material selection, especially for something like a dash.

Too bad too because they seem to use a really durable fabric, and IMO their leather quality is also very good.

Larry

anonymousposts · August 2003

Test drove a 2004 Forester X yesterday. We were looking for a XS premium package manual tranny but the X was the only one they had with a manual transmission other than an XT.

Observations: Drives great, lots of features for the price, roomy, engine seemed a little loud, and the clutch take-up was real close to the floor. Prior to considering the Forester the Honda Element EX 4WD 5-speed was the front-runner. Now we are confused. We like that the Forester is more of a real car than the Element but the Element is different and it's a Honda which is what we are used to.

As far as the engine and transmission in the Forester, the Honda 2.4L with manual transmission is smoother and more refined. But the Forester has heated seats, AWD, better safety, huge power sunroof, and other standard equipment that you can't get or is optional on the Element.

Pricewise, the Element would be about $900 less than the Forester.

Then if we do decide on the Forester we have to choose between a XS with manual tranny and sunroof or the XT without a sunroof but with gobs more power. Can't figure out why Subaru won't let you get a manual transmission with a sunroof in the XT but oh well.

rsholland · August 2003

is marginal at best. 3 good-sized people will do that in a blink. The Forester's payload is 900 pounds.

Towing on the Element I think is only 1500 pounds, whereas the Forester's is 2400/2000 (manual/auto). Note these tow rates are with trailers with brakes, otherwise, 1000 pounds for both Element & Forester.

Finally, the Forester is a "car" according to the EPA, and is subject to tougher crash/safety standards. Not so with the Element. Speaking of which, the Forester is one of the highest rated small SUVs in terms of safety.

Bob

once_for_all · August 2003

was a serious consideration for me prior to buying my '03 XS. The major drawbacks for me: lack of accessories and options, and REALLY bad gauges that reminded me of 1970 AMC Pacers.

John

anonymousposts · August 2003

The payload isn't a huge concern. Together we only weigh 300lbs at the most. We also won't be using the interior for anything too heavy duty so a bigger concern is towing capacity where the Forester does have a 900lb advantage. But we will only tow maybe a lawnmower and a small trailer at the most.

Where I think the Subaru is winning is features and the fact that it's more of a "real" car than the Element. That said, the Element is a smoother machine when it comes to the engine and transmission. I have the same 2.4L in my Accord and it's a gem of an engine.

lspiva · August 2003

Hi. I would like to get advise from you guys on the following matter.
I would like to replace the driver's seat on my 2003 Forester XS with an orthopedic-made one (Recaro or any other one). The reason for that is that I was rear-ended in my previous car and now my "old back pain" came back making me to park my Forester in a garage without taking it out. I just can't get in a car for a minute car without feeling a back ache.
The biggest problem is this seat has a build-in side airbag and a heating element. No aftermarket dealers in SF area want to take a responsibility to disconnect side air bag. They claim that it would shut down that entire air bag unit. SOA also claims that if replacement of my seat will cause any system problem, then the warranty claim might be voided.
Had any of you have to replace a driver's seat and how/who did that for them?
I am really appreciating your help on that.
Leo

paisan · August 2003

Most of the subie seats are pretty interchangeable. I'd just do it myself or find some other scooby folks who can help in your area. The recaro one would just need subaru-bolt on capabilities, which I'm sure they can do for you.

-mike

allhorizon · August 2003

anonymousposts,

the Forester's engine (as all export Subarus) is a boxer, and a boxer is a boxer ...

No argument here that Honda's engine is smoother. But the 2.5l boxer has plenty of torque down low, and does not mind to rev fairly high (although it may sound and feel otherwise, if you are not used to it). Chalk it down as "character" (or think "poor man's Porsche"). Still a very reliable engine, no matter what you feel and hear.

- D.

gened1 · September 2003

I just had my OEM Forester seat replaced with a powered Legacy seat and the only modification I had to have was power needed to be run to the seat. I Looked into this extensively and thought that I might have to go to a van conversion type of place. After attending the Syracuse Street Rod Nationals show, I contacted a street rod upholsterer here in Syracuse and it took him about an hour to take the old seat out( 4 bolts and unplug the seat belt wire) and put my "new" seat(reconnect the 4 bolts) in and power it. I didn't have a side air bag to deal with as it was a cloth seat replacement but I bet the street rod experts in your area would know how to deal with that. Subaru's too quick to say that any modifications will void the warranty. I wanted a Subaru dealer to hook my seat up originally seeing that they had experience with Legacy powered seats, but they said that it would void my warranty. To which I said what warranty. There is no Forester with a powered drivers seat and I was not going to replace the whole wiring harness just wire up the seat. They said "I guess you've got a point. Anyway the seat works like a charm and I don't have to hear " I hate those twisty things that adjust your seat" or" It's too hard to make your seat go forward and back" from my better half anymore.Keep looking in your area and I am sure you will find someone capable of doing what you want.
Hope this helps.
gene

kens · September 2003

gene,

That's a first -- Legacy seats in a Forester. Can you post some pics?

Ken

gened1 · September 2003

How do I go about posting pictures to this forum? I don't have a host site. Also I only changed the drivers seat to a Legacy powered seat. It was a little darker cloth so I bought two front seat covers that almost match the original interior. E-bay had a matching set of Gray take off Forester cloth seats but I was not sure that it would fit the Legacy seat. I just took the seat cover route and it looks pretty good.If I ever want to put the OEM seat back,it is easy to do too.

Gene

stever · September 2003

Check Town Hall Help linked on the left for pic posting instructions. You need a place to host the pics, since you can't just upload them here.

Steve, Host

lspiva · September 2003

Thank you guys for your replies.
It would be wonderful if I could replace my seat with Legacy or even better with Impreza.
I will try one more time to contact SOA in regards to that again.
Those "chicken"-mechanics at the aftermarket stores in SF area are scare to death to disconnect airbag unit. I guess I would have to go on the street to find someone who would do that for me.
I hate that I have to go that way, but it seems that I am getting close to sell my Forester because on non-cooperation of SOA and their threats of voiding my warranty.
Thanks again in taking time answering my request.

mfletouva · September 2003

I spent the weekend driving my mom's new Forester X. Really handles well. I was a little surprised by how rough the ride was--you really feel absolutely every bump on the road. Power was better than I thought it would be though, as was fuel economy. All in all, a perfect car for her.

One question, though, why does the left rear side window have a defroster, but the right side doesn't. I couldn't think of any logical reason why would side would have a defroster and the other doesn't. Anyone know?

Also, the windshield wiper/headlight/turning signal controls look right out of the GM parts bin, just like on my Intrigue. Now that GM owns 20% of Subaru (and the two are collaborating on an SUV), are they sharing suppliers?

leo2633 · September 2003

Actually, that grid in the left rear window is an integrated radio antenna. The defroster grid is in the rear window.

Len

joybell · September 2003

Rough ride? I, personally, love to feel the road and hear the engine when I drive. When I'm "riding" in a domestic model, I feel like I'm in a sound proofed balloon. Not fun at all. As for the windshield wiper/headlight/turning signal controls my 1987 Chaser had the same set up, so I would guess that GM took those from Subaru and not the other way around.

c_hunter · September 2003

Make sure the tire pressure is correct. It would not be uncommon for the car to have too much air in the tires from the dealer. More than one person has complained about a rough ride only to find the tires at 40 psi.

Craig

p.s. if the controls look like GM units, then it's an improvement for GM! Last few GM rental cars I got had the worst controls I ever saw. Much of the Forester switchgear is actually made by Nissan. Not sure about the wiper/turn stalks, but they look similar to ones Subaru used before the GM buy-in.

ateixeira · September 2003

Larry: looks level now, the guage that is. Can they touch-up the dash somehow?

I like the Element. To me, the catch is that you have to remove the front seat belts to let a rear passenger out, because they're anchored in the rear door. But as a 2-seater, it's great. I bet that's why a lot of empty nesters are gobbling them up.

The Honda 2.4l is nice and revvy. It makes more high-end power but I'd give the nod to the boxer for low-end torque. Honda uses short gearing to make them quick, as did Subaru with the XT turbo model. The trade-off is fuel consumption and noise on both compared to the X and XS models.

-juice

lfdal · September 2003

juice - what works really well on the black plastic is black shoe dye - not polish, but the real dye. My wife uses it on her riding boots as they get rubbed from the stirrups, etc.

Comes packaged just like regular liquid polish in a bottle with an applicator top.

Only took about 15 minutes to touch up, dry, lightly touch again. Waited overnight and used low-gloss Armor-All. Can't tell without a magnifying glass.

Larry

ateixeira · September 2003

Good tip to know.

I have a surface scratch along the top of my dash, but it's still all the same color. I've buffed it a little, it looks OK, only I notice it, noone else.

Mine is brown all the way through, though, at least it seems that way.

-juice

gmginsfo · September 2003

Good to see that some of us are getting creative on the driver's seat replacement thing. Does the Legacy seat scoot further back and adjust higher than the stock Forester's does? Those are what I'm looking for. While I was still up in SF, folks I talked to were warranty wary as well, but some suggested going to disability specialists, who might be able to work a fix. The Legacy angle sounds great to me; more deets and pix, please!

I'm thinking about putting one of those blond sheepskin covers on my dirver's seat, because I like to go shirtless a lot - too much, according to some - especially after I've worked up a sweat biking. Saddleman's are on sale now at Kragen for $29.99 each, but does anyone have any experience and knowledge here in terms of the proper size and any unforeseen concerns? I'm sure the heated seats are nice, but I'll never use them down here in SD, so compromising their utility is not any issue for me.

Discovered a neat thing while taking my '03 XS up to Mt. Laguna on Sunday: by turning off the climate control entirely and then turning only the outlet knob on the right to where you want it, you can rely on the airflow to ventilate instead of running the fan. In heater/defroster mode, you can finally keep your windshield fog-free on dry, cool evenings without running the AC and wasting gas. Don't try it in full defrost though; pushing that button will engage the compressor anyway.

My car handled the mountain roads well, although I did notice some "hunting" on the tranny's part, as others have mentioned. Gas mileage finally sems to be getting better, too. Just in time to keep up with those $1.99 @ gal. prices that we consider "bargains" down here now!

ateixeira · September 2003

At least one Outback owner was able to modify his seat track to move back an extra inch or two.

I don't have the need - I can't depress the clutch fully if the seat is all the way back and reclined!

-juice

mfletouva · September 2003

We'll check the tire pressure, that could be it. Joybell, I was actually comparing the ride to the Legacy that the Forester replaced, not an American car. Of course, as you know, American cars have all sorts of rides and noises--you cannot group them together! There is a big difference between a Lincoln Navigator and a Chevy Cavalier in terms of ride and NVH!

All manufacturers get their parts from different suppliers, so its not uncommon for different makes to have a few of the same parts. Nobody 'copied' anybody. In this case, the turning stalk on the Forester is exactly the same as the one on my old 2001 Olds Alero (which I traded). I was just wondering if maybe it was the same supplier. I looked at the old Legacy's controls and they were similar too.

Thanks for the tip about the radio! It didn't make any sense to me to have a defroster unit over there! I couldn't figure out what it was.

rsay777 · September 2003

if I'm not mistaken I think putting seat covers on a seat with side air bags is a problem. I think the air bag is deployed out of the upper side of the vertical part of the seat. I've been looking for something I can put on the just the horizontal part of the seat. Any ideas? Thanks, Bob L

lfdal · September 2003

I've seen covers especially made for seats with airbags. They're out there somewhere. I seem to remember they were marginally more expensive than regular ones, however.

Larry

gmginsfo · September 2003

The speaker installation guide cautioned against damaging the airbags in the doors when removing their upholstery to install the speakers. Isn't this where they're mounted in the Forester? Or in both places??? At less than 4K miles, I'm not ready for the "old t-shirt over the seat back" look just yet.

lfdal · September 2003

gmginsfo - there is one speaker in the each door. If you have the optional tweeters, they mount on the front doors near the mirrors. No speakers in the seats - I think the optional bass booster may be installed - under - the front passenger seat, if you have it, but not in the seat at all.

The airbags are actually in the outboard sides of the driver and passenger seatbacks.

I'd recheck the speaker info.

HTH

Larry

gened1 · September 2003

I feel that the powered Legacy seat in my 02 Forester does go up higher than the OEM seat did. As for farther back I don't know as I have short legs and never put the OEM seat all the way back.I would bet that if you went to a Subaru dealer and found a Legacy seat that you would be able to tell. As far as pictures I don't have a host to place the pictures into to be able to put them up in this forum.
John Mergen (of SOA via Subaru's MY Subaru website) gave me this info.
2003 Legacy GT models -8-way powered driver's seat
2000-2002 Legacy GT models-6way powered D.S.
2001-2003 6 cylinder Outback models-8 wayP.D.S.
2000-2003 4 cylinder Outback models-6-way P.D.S.
No Impreza seats are powered.
A drivers side power seat was standard equipment starting with the 00 Outback (all models) and the Legacy GT.
Side airbags were standard starting with 00 outback excluding base models (i.e. Limited, LL Bean & VDC models)all came with leather. Starting in 00 the Legacy GT Limited included side airbags with the leather seats.
My seat was from a 2000 Legacy with cloth seats thus no side air bag to deal with.
Hope this helps.
Gene

chassol · September 2003

Could you be specific about the brand of dye. I've found in brands that color sometimes varies dramatically when it shouldn't (In other words black is not always the same black).

I have the problem with the dash in my 04 XT and need to fix it. I've said it before and I'll say it again - WHY CAN'T THEY MAKE THE PLASTIC USED ANY WHERE ON THE CAR THE A SOLID COLOR ALL THE WAY THROUGH - WHY PAINT WHITE PLASTIC BLACK?????????????????????

Thanks,

lfdal · September 2003

I agree - the Outback dash is much nicer IMO.

I'll check the brand tonight and let you know - on my car its a totally invisible repair.

Larry

lfdal · September 2003

Had to run home for lunch and actually remembered to check while I was there. The dye is by Kiwi, and the bottle says Shoe Care Center by Kiwi, Leather Dye, Black.

Noticed on the back of the bottle it says manufactured by Kiwi for KMart which must be where I got it.

When I applied mine I used the applicator directly and then used a lint free cloth to wipe off the excess after a minute or two. Depending upon how severe the scratch, it might take two applications. I then let it set ovenight, buffed it very lightly, then used Armor-All satin gloss. Worked wonderfully, used it on my 03's dash as well.

HTH
Larry

chassol · September 2003

Larry,

Thank you - I really do appreciate it.

Stopping at K-Mart on the way home tonight.

Charlie

stever · September 2003

Long-Term Test: 2003 Subaru Forester

Steve, Host

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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