Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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Comments

  • ddunbarddunbar Member Posts: 31
    After good mileage on one tank (24 mpg), our last tank was back down to LESS THAN 17. This is on a 2003 Forester X bought at the end of August. We don't even have 4000 miles on it yet, but it's not performing well at all on the gas mileage. I've been using Shell. That last tank was one of very few which has broken the 20 mpg barrier so far. We felt guilty enough about buying a car with an advertised mileage in the low 20s but it's been really bad to drop this low. We have the dealership look at it but they say they couldn't find anything wrong on their sensors. Any recommendations? Did we get a lemon?

    Don
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    Ok this is a dumb question, but how do u get the "zoom" feature to work?

    While I don't own a Forester, I can tell you my mileage drops horrendously during the winter months. My car's EPA ratings are 20/29 and I never even come close in the winter.

    - Lou
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    hmmm, buy a Mazda??? On Netscape go to view / Text Size and then larger. Just did it. I can read again.

    Greg
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    That is, I have turned to the "Dark Side" and use Internet Explorer, though I do like the latest versions of Netscape. They just don't have a google bar.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Google's plug-in toolbar works with friend's Netscape. Try again :-)

    IE is View|Text Size|Large etc. (or similar depending on your version).

    Ddunbar, I think you need to give it a few more miles - at least a thousand or two. And XC is right about the winter formulated gas hurting mileage. Even if the gas is the same, winter hurts mpg.

    Steve, Host
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Obviously, you need to switch to Opera! ;-)

    tidester, host
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    A Night at the Opera... Unfortunately, my Anti Virus software tends to think of Opera as a virus.

    I just tried to install the Google toolbar on Netscape 6.2 and it wouldn't take it.
  • ddunbarddunbar Member Posts: 31
    Thanks Steve and Lou. I'll try to keep calm for another thousand or two miles.
    I'm not convinced that winter should make that much of a difference here in the SF Bay Area. The weather is pretty mild year-round and the gas has MBTE or ethanol added throughout the year here.

    Don
  • rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    While my Goodrich Touring T/As (16")still have 4/32 of tread after 42,000, and they are still good in normal wet and dry conditions, I have decided to replace them. Although they had great traction in snow up to about half worn, they have now begun to scare me. They also hydroplane where there is standing water. Since it has snowed EVERY DAY here since the beginning of the year, and since, starting next week I will be driving 300 miles per week, I decided to forego any warranty adjustment I would get by waiting for them to wear down and err on the side of safety.

    I am looking at the Bridgstone Turanza LS - T, a new design that is said to be better than most all-seasons in snow and rain, and has a design that is claimed to maintain original traction as the tire wears. Reports by a small number (24) of users rate it as the best in snow of any all-season in the Tire Rack survey. It also rates very high in most other categories. The H-rated version is rated much lower in snow traction. Does anyone have any experience with this tire?
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Don't you just LOVE Windows! ;-)

    I'm just glad Bill Gates didn't decide to go into the SUV business.

    tidester, host
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I love Bill - you guys must have never lost dozens of spreadsheets using Lotus 1-2-3.

    More on topic, Japan's Subaru sees 2003 global sales rise 2.4% and the Forester is going to India.

    Steve, Host
  • kullenbergkullenberg Member Posts: 283
    Nokian now makes a tire that is M/S rated and is also a winter tire; the Nokian WR, has good tread life, and said to be excellent in snow.
    Cheers
    Pat
  • joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    Thanks for your report on the Goodrich tires.
    Snowing every day!
    This is a prescription for dedicated snow tires, no? Expensive and a hassle for sure, but it might save you from an accident.
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Don: I believe oxygenates are added mainly during the winter months as mandated by CA law. It costs the gas companies to use oxygenates so I think they would pull it in warmer months. Even with our mild weather here, I do see a slight dip (1-2mpg) during winter.

    rochcom: The Turanzas are quite pricey for an all-season tire, no? If it does snow a lot where you are, it might be cheaper in the end to get dedicated winter tires.

    Ken
  • psfod3psfod3 Member Posts: 63
    My 03 Forester came with a washer fluid that is too week for the recent cold that just hit my New Jersey area. It has been around 10 degrees out for the last 2 days and the washer fluid tank is frozen. Even extended driving would not melt it. I cannot find a indoor place to put my car so it can thaw out so I can drain it. As the container is only half full is there anything I can add to get it to melt and be usable again. It says it will stay below freezing for the next few days.
  • rsay777rsay777 Member Posts: 100
    bummer. Unless you can get some 120v out to your car and wrap the res with a heating pad etc. I'm stumped. I will add one thing, I found out the tubing for the rear spray comes off the front res so that will be frozen also. I'm not sure of the route but all the tubing will be frozen as well. You might be stuck until it gets above freezing. Bob L
  • rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    Thanks for the suggestion on the Nokians.

    As for dedicated winter tires, that is a good suggestion also. My past experience with them (Nokian Hakka 10's at the time) though, is that they were absolutely great in snow, but compromised normal wet and dry handling. And in a typical winter, I spent much more time on wet roads (thanks to the heavy use of salt) than snowy ones. After using them for 2 seasons, I didn't bother the next few years.

    The daily snow here has been an inch or two at a time and it is cleared fairly quickly. We normally have about 13 snows a winter, but in the past few years we have been spoiled with much less. After reviewing the recent tire tests in Comsumer Reports, I find that some dedicated snow tires have no better traction in snow than some of the all seasons, at least when new. So, I am looking for an all season that has superior snow capabilities. The Turanza LS seems to fill the bill. Consumer Reports promitsed to test it, but who knows when. Any other suggestions are welcome.
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    Well...I am not familiar with the 03 Forester....but you should be able to just pull out the washer reservoir and take it to a warm place to thaw out.
      This does not solve the problem of the fluid frozen in the lines but perhaps the engine heat would take care of that.
      Since no one seems to be checking....you also better look into what your radiator is protected to.
      Yikes
  • grahampetersgrahampeters Member Posts: 1,786
    G'day

    After a lengthy absence interstate and one replaced tyre (tree fell over in front of me and only safe route was over it as a guy was tail gating me - sidewall slashed and alignment not perfect afterwards - not sure whether the torn ligaments in the lower back were the tree removal, the tyre changing or lifting the boat off the trailer of a friendly law enforcement officer who came to help us drag the rest of the tree off the road) I can confirm that Geolandars last safely about 50,000 km or about 30,000miles.

    They are a Mud and Snow tyre and hence softer than straight highway tyres. Minimum tread depth is about 3/16 inch and they go off noticably below this. You should not compare a 4wd tyre for mud/snow with a straight highway tyre.

    If you are buying a Forester you are buying a far superior vehicle for poor conditions. You should not expect the tyres to stick to the road as you would a vehicle with less adhesion. Do you want tyre economy or to stay on the road?

    Cheers

    Graham
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    I replaced the stockers on my 01 Forester L at about 35K . Put on Dunlop SP5000s and while I was very pleased with the dry/wet perfomance I withheld a final judgement pending their performance in snow.

      I need to say that I live in the WNY snowbelt and we have had an extrordinary series of significant lake effect snows this year. If you know what a snow fence is....mine is completely under snow. Also note that the ski area I teach at has a historical snowfall average of 291"

      OK...enough background....the SP5000s have performed excellently in every condition I have exosed them to....dry/wet/slushy/light snow/deep snow. Have not tested them on black ice....but I expect they would be WORTHLESS as is every street tire I've ever heard about including CHAINS.

      I suppose dedicated snow tires would be a good choice ...but at this point given the HARSH conditions I routinely drive.....the SP 5000s were a great choice for me!

      Thats my story....and I'm sticking to it : )
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    I've had the SP 5000s on my Forester for about three weeks now. They've done fine in the couple of light snows we've had.

    For the record I got 41K out of the Geolandars, and I've had my Forester for three years as of Saturday (49K miles).

    Ed
  • ducktapeguyducktapeguy Member Posts: 115
    Anyone have any recommendations for new struts for a 2001 forester? The only ones I can find are either OEM's, or KYB-GR2 at tirerack. I haven't been able to find many other brands for the forester.
  • from_awayfrom_away Member Posts: 12
    Has anyone else had problem with dreaded check engine light coming on?

    My 2002 Forester has been doing this lately. I believe that I have a bad gas cap. Gassed up on a Wednesday; light on Friday; off following Tuesday. Gassed up on again on next Wednesday; light on again on a Friday. Still on as of today.

    I tighten and re-tighten the darn thing and it just doesn't feel and sound right when it's "clicking".

    Talked to dealer after first episode. Of course they think it should be no problem for me to drive 185 miles one-way for them to check it out. Tried to convince them to send me a new gas cap, but got nowhere with that.

    Any ideas what to do until such time that I happen to be in neighborhood of the dealer?
  • mckeownmckeown Member Posts: 165
    From_away, Be sure cap is not CrossThreaded. Living in NJ, and not being allowed to Pump-your-own, the attendants do this a LOT. I Always get out and check anymore. (my $.02)
  • jimbob17jimbob17 Member Posts: 77
    My miles per gallon has also dropped with the Forester 03 X in the winter but I have more days between fill ups. Where the heck am I going to go in January in NE Pa.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Where the heck am I going to go in January in NE Pa.

    Jack Frost and Big Boulder in the Poconos? :-)

    tidester, host
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    Any news from MSN or Daniel regarding his review of the Forester?
  • thorsettthorsett Member Posts: 8
    We just picked up our new red Forester, XS w/ sunroof, leather, and the whole bit. Replacing the only car I've ever owned, the lowest of low end '89 Honda Civics, also red, which has been my trusty companion since I bought it new more than 14 years ago. Sad to see it go, but the Forester looks a bit like the Civic's much older brother. Initial driving reactions are very good.

    I wanted to put in a really strong plug for Santa Cruz Subaru. From my initial contact with Sandy Charney and his no-nonsense competitive pricing and straightforward way of doing business, through my interactions with various others at SC Subaru as they found and prepped our car, every interaction was a pleasure. For any of you over the hill in San Jose, I recommend driving the extra miles!

    Cheers,
    Steve
  • huxley123huxley123 Member Posts: 10
    We had a CEL on about a month ago. Dealer diagnosed it as a O2 sensor problem. Was not very surprised -- somehow expected it after having lurked on this board for a long time.
     
    Btw, we have a '02 Forester S+ with leather. Bought it in Dec'01. Already put on 29K on it !! Got very excited an took too many road trips in Summer '02. Also, my wife had to serve as a construction site supervising engineer and the car picked up a lot of mileage that way. The car has been great for her especially while reaching off-road construction sites.

    We also love the zippy city driving it affords. The huge sun-roof is a huge hit with friends. And the cold weather package is really serving well in the continuous freezing temperatures up here in Upstate NY (tomorrow its supposed to be in single digits !!).

    Apart from the CEL, we have had problems with a rear seat belt buckle being defective, and the seams coming off the driver side seat leather cover. Once last month we also had the vibrations associated with ice accumulating in the wheel wells overnight. My wife was really scared by severe vibrations on the steering wheel as well the car as soon as she went above 40mph on the highway. The problem went away as the day progressed. Subaru should really do something about this -- I have seen it mentioned on this board before.

    In spite of all that, essentially we just love the car -- this has been our only car till now and we need another one -- something much cheaper and used. None of the Subarus are within our affordable limits and none of the other car we have test driven so far measures up to our Forester. Realistically, of course, we should not expect a 99 Civic EX or a 98 Accord to be have the same driving charactersitics as a Forester. But is seems our little Subie has more or less spoilt us....let's see what happens.

    Sorry for all the rambling. We have just sort of regained that first love we had with our Subaru while car shopping again, and thought it would be nice to share with people who share the passion.
  • lakepoplakepop Member Posts: 221
    huxley 123....I often have the ice in the wheels which results in the inbalance. My fix is to carry a can of windshield deicer in the car . If I notice the vibration...I pull over and give the wheels a little spray....WORKS.
       I usually check before I exit my garage ...but often forget.
       I also agree that Subaru could engineer this issue away.
  • mckeownmckeown Member Posts: 165
    Tidester, that's the area I grew up in. NY'ers always headed to Jack Frost, Just off I-80, and easier to get to. I prefered Big Boulder at Lake Harmony, Was Much nicer when I was a growing up. (my $.02)
  • roopower2roopower2 Member Posts: 13
    Hi. I just scored some splash guards for $10 on ebay for my 2003 Forester XS. One problem-they are white in color, the car is silver with the silverstone? cladding. Does Subaru sell spray paint to match? Or should I just paint 'em black like the ones on my BRAT and Legacy.
    John
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    I bought my 2 previous Subarus at Oakland (1993) and in Livermore (2000), but for my next Subaru I seriously consider Santa Cruz. I take my Forester there for service, and really got to know and to like those folks.

    thorsett: so, you worked with Sandy? was Nick (another sales guy) around? how much over invoice did you end up paying, if no secret?
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    "Any news from MSN or Daniel regarding his review of the Forester?"
     
    Lou- You're kidding right? I thought is was amazing enough that MSN bothered to respond. I'd probably die of a heart attack if Mr Heraud were to respond to negative criticism.

    -Frank P.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Some general thoughts:

    Bad gas mileage- Extremely hard to diagnose due to all the variables. Winter fuel mix, colder weather, change in driving behavior or commute, tire pressure, octane rating, ad nauseum... can all effect your MPG. And here I was feeling sorry for myself because my last few tanks have dipped below 25 MPG.

    CEL- I had it twice in rapid succession on my 01 Forester when it had approx 8k. Both times it was the same bad oxygen sensor (there was apparently a bad batch from the manufacturer). Then nothing until a couple of weeks ago when it came on again (43k). Odd thing is that it turned itself off after a couple of days (not gas cap related either). FWIW, my guess is that something like 90% of all CELs (across all makes and models) are gas cap related.

    Windshield- Still haven't figured out if the Forester's windshield is more prone to cracking or not. And if so why? It's certainly no more vertical that many other SUVs/trucks that are on the road. Regardless, I don't buy the softer glass argument since I'm sure that Subaru doesn't have a exclusive arrangement with their windshield supplier.

    -Frank P.
  • thorsettthorsett Member Posts: 8
    Hi Kate,

    Sandy called after my initial inquiry. He did the basic work, but when he was out Morgan looked after us. (She gets great reviews from colleagues who have dealt with her.) I believe it was Nick who prepped the car and went over it with us; he was also good to deal with. So you probably can't go wrong with anyone there. The first offer they made on the car was a hundred over; we didn't try to haggle it further. In exchange, they made no attempts to sell us on expensive extras or unwanted options. --steve
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Santa Cruz Subaru is a pleasure to deal with. Both the sales and service departments are top notch. I ditto Kate that my next Subaru will be bought from them.

    As for pricing and no-haggling, however, that is the norm with many Bay Area Subie dealers. Carlsen, Diablo and Marin all have similar up-front, no-nonsense sales. Most will show you invoice price and add their several hundred $$ margin. Santa Cruz just has nicer folks to deal with. ;-)

    Ken
  • entropy5527entropy5527 Member Posts: 24
    I have three Subaru's currently, and all three (2 Foresters and 1 Outback Sedan) seem to have had good luck with windshields. Our past car (Toyota Camary) went through windows in the Spokane, WA area at a rate about 1 per year (more if I actually replaced them when they were cracked at the beggining of the year). With 180,000 miles on the Forester and 6 years on the car I replaced the window because of the sandblasting from the "Sand" used on the roads here. My newer Forester has the factory window dafter 3 years and 55,000 miles, and the Outback Sedan has had one window after 4 years and 88,000 miles. I am very happy so far with the windows compared to the Toyota anyway...
  • jimbob17jimbob17 Member Posts: 77
    I dont ski. I dont like being cold and I dont like falling down. 8-)

    We do go there in the summer for the Blues Festival.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Then there's always Florida! ;-)

    tidester, host
  • dane7dane7 Member Posts: 4
    Yesterday, my local Subaru dealer performed the transmission recall repair work on my 2002 Forester. The work took about 3 1/2 hours and as usual, the dealer was very easy to work with. (They called me to set up the appointment, I never contacted them about the recall!) The mechanic did tell that the repair had to be done when the car was cold, so I dropped it off the night before. So far, after about twenty five miles, I can tell no difference.

    Overall, I have had my 2002 Gold Forester S for seven months and have 8,600 miles on it. No problems what so ever. I live in a very hilly area with narrow curving roads. The Forester handles very, very well, especially on slippery surfaces.
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    Are there any HP-Torque graphs on the web for the Forester?
  • kajkokajko Member Posts: 70
    Coach,

    the only document i was ever able to find is one from australia. i hope this link works. If not try searching for messages i posted or at the australian subaru site. the document includes this:
    image

    one dubious thing though is that 165hp = ~124kW, so australian foresters might be tuned a bit differently to get better mileage (or should it be kilometreage??!!)

    cheers
  • casecom2casecom2 Member Posts: 72
    Hey, juice and his Miata made an appearance in this morning's Wall Street Journal -- the "Me & My Car" feature in the Personal Journal section. Wow, first Business Week and now the WSJ ... what's next? ;)

    Did you talk to them about putting a Forester in there? (there ... back on topic ;) )
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Really? I'll have to check it out, then. PRLady, here from Edmunds, put me in touch with them.

    17mpg does seem really low after just getting 24mpg. Try to "clone" the behaviors from when you got that 24mpg tank, meaning take the same commute at the same time, if possible, driven in the same manner. Eliminate as many variables as possible to try to duplicate that mileage.

    If your windshield washer fluid froze, it may be that the alcohol from the fluid evaporated. You might try adding rubbing alcohol to see if that helps, but I'm not sure it'll melt what's already frozen. Disclaimer: I'm not sure if the alcohol will do any harm, so try this at your own risk.

    Another idea is to add a fluid that can withstand cooler temps, prestone makes stuff that claims to work up to -40 degrees, something like that. I've seen stuff that is purple or yellow instead of blue, maybe try some of that.

    CEL: try the gas cap first, but you have to reset the ECU to clear the light. Disconnect the negative battery terminal, wait 20 minutes, reconnect, start her up and let her idle til warm.

    Ice on the wheels? Try cleaning the wheels, even waxing them. If they are slippery, the ice won't stick. Works like a charm and keeps your wheels looking clean as a bonus.

    For those splash guards, yes, I'd paint them black. Subaru sells touch-up paint but I don't think spray cans are sold.

    The windshield supplier for the Forester is Carlex, who supplies them for many Japanese-brand vehicles, including Mazda, for instance.

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I was in WSJ a while back in the business section on Lease v. Buying cars. All the traders here think I'm a famous auto-consultant now (one of them pointed the article out to me)

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yep, just acquired a print copy myself, and sure enough mine is the first name mentioned. It's a very short feature, a little about the car and some of the owner demographics. Page D4 of today's WSJ.

    Cool, that makes the 4th time I'm quoted or mentioned in a car-related article.

    -juice
  • sfdriversfdriver Member Posts: 35
    I was at two dealerships last evening and the salesman at both places told me Subaru will have a small price increase ~$300 to $400 on most of their models. Have you guys heard anything about this? Maybe they're just trying to get me to buy a Forester sooner.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Haven't heard that, and it would be a first. They usually only change prices at the beginning of the model year.

    Forester prices have remained remarkably flat, I think my 1998 actually would cost you more than a 2003 X model if you added all the extra content to mine.

    -juice
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