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Comments
Do you know whether accident rates have decreased at all in Canada since DRLs were made mandatory. I am curious.
Thanks.
tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
I don't see the advantage of DRLs. If visibility is the issue, why not have the tail lights on also?
Subaru lights shut off automatically, it's great. Never worry about it.
-juice
DLRs are of a big advantage in terms of preventing head-on collisions, and/or "T-boneing" someone who pulled out right in front of you at an intersection because they didn't see you.
The taillight issue is less important because: A) if you collide with another vehicle, you are at least going in the same direction, so the severity of the accident would probably be less, and
That's not to say that driving with all your lights on, all the time, is not a good idea. Anything that makes you more visible from the front or rear is good IMO.
Bob
The other thing is that I drive a Miata and many systems just put the brights on at 90%, which is extremely annoying.
-juice
-Frank P.
I'd actually prefer DRLs on my MV but not so much that I'm willing to dig around for a replacement module to switch out. I do tend to run around with my headlights on more than most folks and the dinger usually saves my battery. Auto off sure would be nice.
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Thanks,
-juice
(*BTW, as a VW owner from that era, I thought that pidgin German term was "fahrvergnugen.")
Ed
-mike
http://carpoint.msn.com/advice/standardart.aspx?contentid=4019432
I don't know why Subaru is not included.
Has anyone tried to soundproof a Forester? Wouldn't seem to be hard. Salesman said the extra soundproofing added to the Legacy in the spare tire area was one reason Subaru went to a donut instead of the full-size tire.
Steve
Steve: I replaced the donut in our Legacy with a full sized spare, and had to remove the foam insulation there. With the cover, the carpet, and the rubber liner we have on top of all that, we don't notice any difference whatsoever.
I'd rather have the piece of mind of a full size spare, personally, even if it were a little noisier.
-juice
Gene
Hopefully, one of the methods will apply.
I appreciate your response.
On the 2002/2003 right front strut tower is the DRL current limiting resistor (has a warning label on it about High Temp), and a 2 wire grey connector. This is the ground return resistor ONLY for DRL. Headlight ground is returned by the DRL relay when the light switch is activated.
To disable DRL, simply unplug the resistor connector.
Tidester, if this poses ANY issues with the Edmunds Board regulations, You may delete this message.
tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
On the brightness of clock etc, on the SVX there is an override to the dimming of the interior lights! So when I drive during the day I hit the "bright" switch and the clock, etc will not dim!
Man I love my SVX!
-mike
Ed
-mike
I just drove to Bethany Beach and we're talking 2 lane roads where passing is allowed in many places, and often mandatory if you're stuck behind a farm tractor. Headlight use is mandatory most of the way, and yes I think DRLs are sufficient.
-juice
-juice
-mike
http://lightsout.org/disable.html
now back to more interesting topics of conversation. Bring on the 2.5T!
It started to fall apart before it even left the factory because the rear brake shoes were assembled backwards. Junked it at 86,000 miles after every bit of chrome trim fell off, all of the dash vents fell apart, as did some of their replacements, the dash top split in half, a big spring popped up out of the rarely used rear seat, the timing belt broke at 44k, an engine mount broke not long after, the bumper mount broke, the heater fan control burned up, a door crank broke in two, the upholstery turned into flakes, the carpet wore out even though there were mats on top of it, a fitting popped out of the carb, blowing gas all over the engine (fortunately it was cold), the engine needed a valve job twice at 44k and 70k, the carb needed a rebuild at 75k, the ignition interlock failed in a car wash, the fuel gauge stopped working.... You get the idea.
OK, sorry, this is a Forester board. butr since someone mentioned VW...
Has anyone done any power mods on a '98 Forester?
Power mods? Some here have done the intake. Removing the silencer or use a foam/gauze filter is the quick and easy way, plus it's cheap. You might get 3-5 horsepower from that, it depends.
Pulleys are cheap, and claim +5hp. For a little over a hundred bucks, you can get a lightened pulley that turns the accessories a little slower. Reviews are mixed, some say it dims the interior lights, other love the increased throttle response. YMMV.
Exhaust would be next. Subaru's own muffler gives a factory stated +3hp gain, but a full cat-back system might give you 5-8hp for about $400. Get stainless steel, though, don't cheap out on exhausts or they'll just rust out.
Then there are headers, plus a less restrictives cat. By now you're talking major investment. A complete exhaust (headers, cat, cat-back) will set you back more than a grand. In theory you might gain 15 peak HP, but you also might give up some back pressure and low-end torque. For the 2.5l engine, the rule-of-thumb is don't exceed 2.25" diameter on the pipes, unless you're going to turbo charge it.
And that's the biggie. One guy on i-Club has a turbo 2.5l, and I think one other is planned. His 1/4 mile times at the track beat Mustang V8s, FWIW, but he's also spent $3-5 grand on it.
Pirates: it's normal for the cooling system to "burp", i.e. purge air, especially after a radiator flush that might leave pockets of air. Keep doing what you're doing until it stops, which it should after a few cycles.
-juice
-mike
I wouldn't cut corners with a turbo. Spend $3 grand and you have wires and devices all over the place, in the center console, glove box, etc. Install it right and you get nice brackets and stuff tucked out of the way.
-juice
-mike
We did the 30k today, on time and under budget. They also ran me 15 miles each way twice, once to work, once back to pick it up, no charge or hassle.
Used my Subaru M/C credits, came to $160 out of pocket ($360 total). Changed all the fluids, air filter, fuel filter, plugs, tire rotation and pressure (including spare), inspect everything (long list), csm, adjust drive belts, road test.
Also cleaned the engine compartment and replaced the front cupholders under warranty. My d.w. managed to break the one side somehow.
Nice to have that behind us. Now we just need to save our pennies for some new Dunlop SP A2's...
:-)
-brianV
Brian: e-mail parts@libertysubaru.com for quotes, they had the best prices I found for my cargo liner and leather shift knob.
-juice
I called my insurance company, they told me that the CRV's (LX 4WD, auto) quote is 15 percent cheaper than the Forester's( X, auto). Can any one explain to me why? With AWD, 4 air bags, ABS and a better bumper collision record, the Forester's quote is supposed to be very close or even less. Note that the CRV LX 4WD’s invoice price is a couple of hundred dollars cheaper, but I’m afraid you can’t have the CRV close to the invoice price.
Whose strut bars are you using ?
I have the 18mm rear sway from the original 2.5RS, also bolts right in. That was $82 at wholesale.
Get quotes from insweb.com, they'll get rates from 8-9 companies, and they do vary a LOT. When I bought it, the Forester was cheaper to insure under State Farm vs. the CR-V, but when we bought my wife's car Travellers had Subies more expensive than the CR-V (but less than the 626 V6 we sold).
We're not going to renew - I've found better prices and will change policies once ours expires (because it's alreay paid for).
YMMV but shop around. IIHS bumper tests could affect the CR-V's rates long-term because the bumpers earned a "Poor" rating. One guy on the CR-V thread had $1500 of damage caused when his daughter backed into a pole, ouch. What stinks is that's probably not worth claiming - your rates go higher for the next 3 years if you have a claim.
Bottom line: any differences are small. Look at the big picture. Which do you prefer? Buy the car you love, not the one your insurance salesman tells you to buy.
Jeff: I've only heard one person complain about that the air bag did not go off in a collision, but it was not a frontal impact, so it wasn't supposed to. A couple of us have been hit from behind, but not the front.
Maybe because the brakes are so good? :-)
-juice
-brianV
Tempting, but I'm holding out for a turbo!
-juice
My dealer told me they'd have to order from the factory, and that it could take 4-6 weeks. What I have since learned is that they omitted telling me that Subaru accepts orders only once a month--in my case, about 3 weeks after I placed the order.
So now I'm having to wait perhaps until early October to get a car I ordered in the middle of summer. The dealer can offer nothing other than "I don't know why your salesman didn't tell you. We'll let you know when it gets here."
Annoyed,
Greg
I went through the same deal in Spring --- but I caught the monthly window by one day. Still took 8 weeks...
All I can say is hold in there, it is worth it. :-) I'm at 1200 miles now and loving every minute of it.
Just need to figure out how easy the oil changes are going to be.
Drew
I've always purchased off the lot, even if it had fewer options than I wanted. Then I'd just buy the rest from a wholesaler and install them myself.
Hang in there, a couple of years from now you may not even remember. Meanwhile, what color? X or XS? 5 speed or auto?
-juice