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Comments
The Cobb upgrades can improve performance with little effect on fuel efficiency, aftermarket tinting gives owners a choice in how dark they want their windows (35/20 for me looks great and keeps things much cooler) and the driving position seems to favor certain body types over others. I'm perfectly comfortable in mine for hours at a time. Telescoping wheel and steering wheel controls would be fantastic, as would a larger fuel tank and OEM tires specific to the performance levels of the XT, but for an extra 12 large I can live without; although I'm sure we'll see these things on the next Forester redesign. Plus a friend who rented an XC70 recently reported back that it drove like a truck. :P
After a tuning-related dip, I'm back to getting 23mpg in mixed freeway/city driving. Anything less than 18mpg can easily be blamed on purely city driving and local traffic conditions. 13mpg is ridiculous however, and at that point I think I'd either put my foot on a diet or take the car back to the dealership. This engine warms up within the first mile, and shouldn't be that bad around town.
Doug
-Frank
-juice
Also, met someone in a parking lot who had the same car and he's been having the trouble with rocks chipping his windshield, so he installed a plastic front "spoiler" which is curved to deflect the rocks. He says it's helped. Since I've read on here about others having this problem, I thought I'd let you know.
Also, anyone else having issues with heat in the drivers leg box area? It seems to be radiating off the left side of the console, because when I touch the corresponding side on the passenger's side of the console, it's not hot. Some nights it gets so hot in the legbox area that I double check to make sure I haven't accidentally pushed the seatwarmer button!
Samantha
Samantha
Sounds like the hood/wind deflector accessory, which SOA does not offer for the 06+ facelifted XT, as it hinders air flow into the hood scoop. I've communicated with SOA directly regarding this issue as I'm one of those who have had problems with cracked windshields.
Doug
:shades:
tidester, host
Apparently a few states let you tint your front windshield if you can produce a prescription from your doctor. Otherwise you may have trouble finding an installer willing to tint it for you.
This was a similar thread a while back:
tdoh, "2007 Chevrolet Tahoe/GMC Yukon" #985, 11 May 2006 10:45 am
Steve, Host
And you wouldn't expect it to either since it's really just a tall wagon on a car platform. So is the FXT for that matter :shades:
-Frank
-juice
I didn't remove the splash guard to look some more because I was too lazy to remove all the damn bolts holding it on. 4 bolts or 6 bolts? I say to hell with splash guards anyway. Geez, do I need to whip out my air wrench?
Is it also really that necessary to buy aluminum crush washers with every oil change? I've been re-using my Honda Civic one for 30 oil changes with no leaks.
My Subaru dealer throws them in when I buy oil filters.
-juice
Also, where is the oil filter located on the engine? Just a quick glance revealed only the transmission filter for me.
Edit: Also, if you're replacing the filter during your oil change, you'll require 5 qts of oil. There is a typo in the owner's manual stating you should refill it with 4.2 qts.
-juice
Kev
I've done that several times on my 04 XT to replace the cabin air filter. It's a little disconcerting the first time as you're not completely sure you have all the screws undone. So, just be observant to see if you have indeed removed the correct screws.
Lynd
Woodside CA USA
I was happy because even for a basic Bridgestone tire the price at Costco was about $99 per.
This is for size 215/60R16, what you have I believe.
-juice
There is still plenty of tread left, but the sidewalls are taking a beating, even keeping the pressure at 36/35 psi.
To answer your question, I have been window-shopping new tires for about 3 months now, and am considering the Goodyear Triple Tread, BF Goodrich Traction T/A, and Bridgestone Potenza G009.
The latter two are both high performance all seasons so should boost performance, and the GYTT generally gets excellent reviews as an all season tire, even in performance categories. To get the GYTT in an H speed rating, you'll have to go to "plus zero" sizing (225/60/16). I'll probably go to plus zero regardless of which tire I get though, just for the slightly wider tread.
And for a slightly more budget tire with good performance, the Falken ZE512 has an excellent reputation.
Doug
Stay away from Dunlop - weak, puncture-prone tires.
I've had good luck with various Bridgestones on previously owned Maximas, and on motorcycles. Still have Yokos on my '03 WRX, however.
Thanks, everyone, for the great rec's!
Lynd
Black means it got hot. Hot auto tranny fluid quickly loses its ability to protect the tranny.
Usually results in a much shorter life for the unit, hopefully you caught it in time.
John
I used a measuring cup to see how much oil went into the drain pan after removing the filter and drain plug...it measured 4 Qts plus 28 oz. I guess a little was stuck in the filter and wouldn't drain out, although I tried my best to measure every drop that came out of the engine. The only thing that has me concerned is is this: before I drained the oil, I checked the dipstick. The engine was cold and it looked like the oil level was well beyond the "full" dot. It was almost up to the "notch". It's funny how the manual tells you not to fill beyond the full dot when the engine is cold to allow for thermal expansion, and yet the factory seems to have done just that.
I'm curious to see where the level shows up on the dipstick after adding 4.2 Quarts and running it for a couple minutes to get some soaked into the oil filter, and then let it rest for a couple minutes just to see where the level ends up settling. Or even try 4.5 quarts for that matter.
God help you if you try to check your tranny fluid yourself. The dipstick is nearly impossible to reach. The dealer just kept saying "it's back there", and they were right, but I was lucky to get my arm back out. Quite frustrating, after a few fairly non-helpful calls to the service department.
I guess I'll just drive it awhile and check the fluid periodically before taking it to the service people. Still don't know why it would be black or why the transmission would overheat - I don't haul anything and have just had normal driving conditions.
Doug
-juice
Anyway, I had the dealer do a drain and fill as soon as I noticed it - only good for about 3.5 quarts, then I did 3 more drain and fills myself over the next month. It's been 8k since then (now at 36k), and the fluid is still red/pink.
When it was brown, it smelled really, really bad.
Don't know why it got that hot- no pulling trailers, no driving that should abuse the tranny. Also, never saw an AT overtemp light.
BTW - after all the drain and fills, I've found getting the stick in and out is an "acquired" skill. Still a pain, but less so now.
Replace Oil & Filter (I do this myself every 5K miles with MobilOne, or you can pay $20 at an independent service station)
Supply lubrication as required - Isn't the subie a sealed chassis? I don't think this is necessary.
Check & inspect for fluid leaks - You can bend over and look, it's free. :-)
Inspect & top off all fluids - Open hood, read owners manual section on maintanance, free.
Inspect tire wear & condition - Tires should be rotated every 7500 miles, costs about $20 a pop at an independent garage.
Check & adjust tire pressure - $2 for a tire pressure gauge.
Rotate & balance front tires - See above.
Check battery & charging system - Eh... I would have this done at 11K only if having issues.
Check all fluid supply hoses - Open hood, open eyes. Free.
Check & adjust rear brakes as needed - Ask the guys (or girls!) doing your tire rotation to peak at your breaks (free).
Insert fuel injector cleaner/additive $5 at the auto parts store, pour in gas tank
Check all engine settings - You'd need special equiptment, you can put this off until 30K if you don't have any issues.
Inspect axles and C/V joints - this is another "look under the car" item. If you don't know what the rubber boots look like or what a leaky axel joint looks like, you can have the oil change or tire guys peak at these items for you for free .
Check all lights - That's a no-brainer.
So ... in my opinion, even without being or knowing an auto mechanic, you can get away with this service interval for under $30. Sorry you paid a little more. :-( I think the service intervals themselves are very important. But I don't think you need to go to the dealer to have them done competently.
-Elissa
e
Skinny long arms would indeed be an asset for that dipstick.
BTW - It's unusual for the diff to go down, esp with so few miles. When that happened on my wife's OBW, it turned out to be leaking into the transmission. $4800 warranty repair.
I still don't pretend to understand why the diff fluid was going into the transmission and not the other way around i.e. slightly pink diff fluid.
But - then again my XT is the first tranny with brown fluid I've ever had.
Might be worth getting it checked, although under the 5/60 you've still got plenty of time.
HTH
Larry
This is an 06 XT with 13,500 miles on it. I did some backreading and coolant loss seemed to be an issue with earlier XTs (like the 04s) when the model was still new.
I considered just topping it off myself and keeping an eye on it, but with my car still being under warranty for the next two years, and the fact that this should not be happening, I'm making an appointment w/the local dealership to check it out for leaks and refill it. I want it documented unless problems should arise later.
Anyone else had this problem lately? Any suggestions?
Doug
Not really worried, this doesn't strike me as a problem.
John
With the windows up, it's not noticeable. Engine is running fine with almost 16k miles on it, smooth acceleration, power is all there, etc. Just this pesky noise.
I'm thinking it's maybe a heat shield or something, though a coworker mentioned that alternators can whine. Regardless, it's at the dealer who probably thinks I'm just hearing things. I did explain to them that I'd rather be driving my XT than the T&C loaner they gave me, I'm not sure they picked up on that though.
-Brian
I can't imagine it going away, I bet it'll eventually get louder or more persistent.
-Brian
Your car will last a LOT longer if you religiously rotate every 7500 miles. In fact you may be voiding the drivetrain warranty by failing to do so.
You should always replace all 4 tires at the same time.
John
FYI, over-inflation can cause wear just the same as low inflation.
"Driving like a maniac around corners" breaks down the sidewalls pretty fast, so moving them to the rear wheels only sets you up for a catastrophic, and possibly fatal, failure.
He's going to check if there are any bulletins out there on it, but he figures they'll just replace the power steering pump sometime next week.
-Brian
-juice
We all need to encourage, through praise, when a dealership employee does those things!
I have checked the other forum sites out there, would seem like my ps noise is isolated to just me.
-Brian
Again, I don't think I've read of any idler pulley issues with Subies, so this is an isolated incident.
-Brian
Don
I must have been living with the whiny idler pulley for a while, I can't remember my XT being this quiet. They also changed the oil, which wasn't necessary since I use Mobil-1, but a nice thing anyway.
The service manager really stepped up here as well. One happy camper here.
-Brian
Good thing they changed that oil however, as even using Mobil 1, it will void your warranty going over the Subaru change guideline.....