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Comments
Len
Ken
I haven't posted in a while but now I'm looking for information or to hear your experiences with this. It seems that my low fuel light won't come on as my fuel level goes down while I'm driving or even running my '02 L Forester. Once I shut the car off and restart it the light will be on.
I haven't talked to the dealer yet, but I'm wondering what the list's collective experience is on this. Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.
Paul
Wow, Len, they replaced the whole thing? Is it significantly better? That's great that they were willing to do that for you.
Paul: my light will turn on while driving, so yours is defective. Ask the dealer to look at it.
-juice
What you're experiencing may be normal if you're only taking short trips when the tank is almost empty. The gas sloshing around may prevent the light from coming on during a short trip but after the vehicle sits for a little while the light should come on. If the needle goes below the empty line then the light should be on for sure. Otherwise, I can't think of a logical reason why the light would only work when you're not moving.
-Frank P.
If anyone is contemplating a leather steering wheel cover I highly recommend the Wheelskins brand. I just installed a red and charcoal eurotone cover on my L + Forester and it really looks sharp and only took about an hour. If I knew how to post pics I would.I ordered it through a company in Autoweek and saved some money to boot!
Gene
Thanks!
They replaced the pressure plate, clutch disc, flywheel, throwout bearing and pilot bearing at around 29K. It worked great afterward, light and smooth. However, I've recently been getting the chatter again when it's cold and/or damp. I've got about 41K now. I'm going to take it back again, but maybe not until I'm closer to the end of my 60K powertrain coverage. Hopefully I can stand it that long!
Len
There should have been some pulsing at the pedal. Did you have them turned and was this covered under the Sube Bumper to Bumper warranty? This is my first Subaru as well and it is performing beyond my expectations.
Gene
-Frank P.
I bought a 2001 Forester new and the rear wiper only makes one sweep every 6 seconds. I adjusted the ring on the stalk and it didn't make much difference. My dealer says this is normal speed, but I have been driving behind other Foresters in the rain and their rear wipers seem to go as fast as the front wipers.
Is my situation normal? Is there anything I can check myself?
Thanks,
Bob Studley
r.e.studley@att.net
maf03: at 48k I'm still on my original pads. :-)
If the dealer replaces them, I wouldn't worry too much. Be sure that whoever intalls your wheels torques them down properly, it only requires 70-75 lb-ft. Do not overtighten them, or let anyone else do that.
The intermittent was new in 2001. 1998-2000 models had one, fixed speed.
-juice
The rear wiper on the '98-'00 Foresters is continuous only.
The rear wiper on the '01-'02 Foresters is intermittent only.
The rear wiper control on the '03 Forester has positions for both intermittent AND continuous.
The reason why the adjustment ring didn't do anything for you is because that ring controls the intermittent timing for the FRONT wipers only when they are set to the intermittent mode.
There is nothing wrong with your '01 Forester's wipers. They are working normally.
-juice
Many Thanks,
Bob Studley
Check your lug nuts with a torque wrench; if the dealer overtightened them have THEM pay for new (not "turned") rotors.
good luck, YetAnotherDave
I was really deluding myself at that price, but it's a nice vehicle at the 24-25,000 level with less options. Dealer said I could get it down a little by having the rear spoiler (which I didn't even know was there) removed
Now 28,000 for a six cyl or a turbo...
Steve
If you're happy with a 5 speed and heated cloth seats, I've seen those for about $22,400. That's a bargain.
-juice
--'rocco
I was actually surprised that you even could get it that high on a MSRP basis. I guess my real point, assuming I ever have one, is that the best cost-benefit equation on this car is IMO around the 24-26000 MSRP, and, above that, it starts to tilt to the Outback VDC and Bean, which are also deals at Fitzmall.
Steve
Almost nothing stickers for less than $20k, so the Forester is very near the bottom if you look at the whole spectrum of prices.
Fitz has a 2002 VDC for $25.5k! Dang! I think I'd be pushing my wife to buy that if were still shopping today. For stability control and all? It's equipped like most $40-50k luxury cars are.
So yeah, if you want auto and leather, you may as well pay the extra $1500 and get the bigger car (the wife wanted the extra space). But a 5 speed cloth leaves a price gap that would still make me prefer the Forseter for me, personally.
Also, keep in mind that 2002 has a rebate and the 2003 Foresters don't (yet).
-juice
I noticed no pulsing, just a sort of pull. The dealer turned the rotors. I will check the torque on the lug nuts.
I also contacted Subaru USA and I now have a 'case number' if the problem occurs again.
Later,
Sil
Len
Later,
Sil
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
I was quoted 20k plus tax for a 2003 Forester x
with dimming mirror, security upgrade, splash guards and armrest extension.
$21,650 out the door.
Does this sound like a reasonable price?
Also, I got a price on the Impreza Outback Sport Wagon with armrest ext, fog lamps, hood deflector,splash guards and mirror for $17,734 plus tax and DMV. Is this a decent price?
Trying to determine which one would be better.
Thanks
My present car is a 1999 Ford Contour V6 Sport Edition with ABS. The car is 4 years old, and, I am just getting tired of it. I usually keep cars till just before they die, with previous cars being kept 7 and 9 years.
All the research indicates that among the safest, most reliable cars built today are the Subarus.
I love the Forester. It meets almost every single criteria I have for a car.
It's the right size. I live in a city and finding parking can be difficult.
It's roomy so I can move lots of stuff around.
The EPA mileage estimates are good. The cruising range is good.
Handling is good. Not what I can do with the Contour, but good.
BUT... after test driving two vehicles, there was leg pain in the calves. I have never experienced this before. Are the Forester seats shorter? Has anyone else experienced this?
I also checked on the Legacy wagons and the Outback. The outback in particular is a very nice car. I thought the Forester was quieter and smoother, and had a better driving position.
Then my dark, cheap side asks, "But if the Forester is built on an Impreza platform, with basic Impreza guts, why not just get that?"
So there you have it. Any feedback will be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
- Lou
The seat cushions are a little short, if you are of the tall persuasion. personally, this never bugged me that much, but I am not very tall. I will say that this is the case on a lot of the Japanese vehicles out there today...
2014 Mini Cooper (stick shift of course), 2016 Camry hybrid, 2009 Outback Sport 5-spd (keeping the stick alive)
What's really hard to judge for another person too is how important the extra $$$ for the Forester, probably compounded by sales tax and interest charges, are. I would imagine most people with a fair amount of cash in their pocket would opt to spend the extra, especially if one of the reasons above applies, but there will always be others whose philosophy is to save wherever possible, and the fact is the "guts" of the cars, as someone said, are pretty much the same.
Then we tested a Forester X. We could feel the difference as we got in - it is just roomier. The kids claim the back seat is more comfortable, and I know the front seat is.
We, too, are trying not to spend more than we have to. But, as my husband pointed out, you get so much more for the $1000 or so more you spend for a Forester, it just doesn't make sense to consider the OBS anymore.
HTH,
Tamara
Well, you might. Smaller cars cost less to buy, license and run. In this society it is common for people to drive around in huge empty vans or SUVs every day, vans whose capacity is put to good use perhaps once every other week when the family takes a trip. If we all choose to drive large cars whose capacity is rarely needed, both we and "the planet" pay some kind of price.
Lower cars generally handle better than cars that sit high off the highway. It is possible to modify a car with stiffer antisway bars to help it hold its composure during turns, but the same vehicle will corner better if it is low to the ground than if it is set up high. I personally need the extra ground clearance of a SUV to drive some of the places I go, but that is true of very few drivers whose cars are set up high. Higher cars give a better view of the road, which is nice, and can be easier to enter and exit than cars that sit low to the ground.
My only point: smaller *can* be better. Lower *can* be better.
Subie-less Steve
The OBS has more features than a Forester X. Those alloys are nice, for instance. It's light and sporty, and if you drive alone most of the time and don't need the space, go for it.
On the gears, reverse and 1st and actually right next to each other, physically, on the tranny. A while back Colin went as far as to show us a photo of the tranny insides. So if you go to 1st, then reverse, it has a shorter path to travel and engages quite easily. Though I'll admit I'm lazy by nature and never do this, and it's still fine.
Lou: get comfy first. A comfortable driver's seat is so important that I would recommend you buy something else if you can't sort it out. The new seats ratchet up like VWs, so try the full length of adjustments.
CEL right after 60k service? Could be a coincidence, or the dealer goofed doing something. There are tools you can buy that hook up to a Palm, if you know any gear heads they might have one. They can usually read and reset codes.
Did my tire rotation last night. 48k miles total, 20k so far on these tires. They look great, in fact they'll last another 40k miles at least, it seems. Nitto NT460, very good overall, just not in snow.
Also sprayed some lithium grease on the sway bar bushings. Yes, it's quiet, but better safe than sorry. There were dry.
My brake pads look good, too, in fact they seem like they'll last more than 100k miles. All this and quiet operation, I'm in heaven.
Lovin' my Subie.
-juice
Front headroom: 39/39.7
Front hip room: 51.6/53.3
Front Shoulder room 53.5/52.7
Front legroom 43.7/42.9
Rear headroom 37/37.3
Rear hip 51.6/51.7
Rear shoulder 53.6/52.9
Rear leg 33.7/33.7
It's unclear to me whether headroom #s factor in a sunroof on the Forester. For me, differences of less than an inch are essentially insignificant. I'd have to stick by my earlier comment that, room wise, the cargo area is where the difference is-a difference of 15%.
I have hauled an oversized clothes washer home, still in the box. Hatch closed.
The Forester is square-backed and can fit very large boxes that an Impreza couldn't hope to haul.
In fact, the entire greenhouse is very tall and boxy, and creates an open and airy feeling, so it *feels* twice as big, even though it's not.
Personally, I feel a little claustrophobic in the back seat of a WRX wagon, so does my wife. I couldn't talk her into one for that reason.
-juice
I do have a question. I wanted to pick up a few of those Tabs that hold on the skid plate, right inside the front fender wells. Since I don't have any in there I don't know what size to get. Do those Tabs have the phillips head or the rivet top? Also, what size diameter are they? There were many fasteners in the store and I wasn't sure which ones to get. Thanks.
98 Forester L
mlp1,
I'd get the rear diff protector just because it's cheap insurance, but if you really want to save the $50, then it's not an absolute necessity. However, even if you never take it off-road, eventually you'll run over something that will make it worthwhile. After one hard knock you'll be glad you got it. Besides, when you're 13 year old son starts driving, you'll want all the extra protection.
Little things like that add up. I think that if you're hauling 3-4 people regularly, than those benefits would justify spending more on the Forester.
Those tabs are push-type, no phillips or flat top. To remove them, use a small, flat screwdriver, and pull the middle portion out. Then you can just pull the whole thing out with your fingers.
I couldn't tell you their size, though.
Murphy's Law - I have 7 Subaru dealers very close by and have only had to pay a visit once in 4+ years. :-)
You could skip the rear diffy protector. It's more than 10 inches off the ground anyway. Look underneath - the Forester has a very clean underside, nothing to get caught up off road. It's not very high off the ground, but the lowest part is the front cross member - and that's a sturdy metal piece.
Drive a 5 speed Forester (and sample that Hill Holder feature), and an automatic CR-V, so you have the complete picture.
Both are good values. The Forester may cost a little more, but it offers more features and a longer warranty. Both are reliable, both are IIHS Best Picks for safety, both hold their value well, it's hard to go wrong.
-juice
Noticed a burning oil smell for a few days.
Crawled underneath and noticed a bit of grease-like material which had dripped down from where right front driveline goes into engine/transmission? case. Taking car into dealer on Wed. Wondering what questions I should ask dealer to make sure I get proper service versus quick fix/future problems.
Car has been driven normally, no off road.
Thanks.