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Comments
I installed Michelin X-1's because they're top rated for wet traction. They're expensive but I love 'em.
George
Hit KMart or Wal-Mart and get an air bed if you're gonna sleep in the car. I'm not sure about the width, but the length can be more than 8'. It'll easily fit a single, maybe a full?
-juice
Len
They do have to drain the transmission fluid out and drop the pan. The transmission has performed as well as before. I too, had my doubts though.I didn't realize that the 03 model was involved in the recall.
Gene
Never has a Subaru let me down so early in life. Anyone know a respectable mechanic near Nashville that can actually repair something, instead of whole replacement of anything with more than 5 moving parts?
PM me, maybe he can help
windy6
I live in Singapore and owners of
Turbo Forrestors are forced to purchase
Sparks plugs at US$11.00 each..
The serviceman says that these must
be used or the turbo will go kaput..
Is this BS? Or is there any truth to
it.. Spark plugs only generate sparks and
if I use normal and change them enough
there would not be a problem?
I know there are platinium coated
plugs but they simply last longer.
Regds
Allan
They recalled the brake master cylinder on mine and I got a free brake fluid bleeding. :-)
Matt: kids don't really need that much space. Some of the infant seats may require that you move the front seat forward a tad to lower the handle on the infant seat, but then you can move your seat back again. It actually holds the seat in place very securely and may be safer that way.
Once they are front facing, long-legged kids can kick the back of the seats, but that's true in just about any car. Our toddler did that a couple of time but some discipline stopped it quickly.
James: yowsah! 180k in 5 years? You a traveling salesman?
Try a junk yard for a replacement tranny. There's one in CT that specializes in Subaru, though it might be hard to find a late model tranny that will fit.
Allan: I wish we had the turbo here so I'd know how to answer that! But I'm sure Bosch has a fitment for it.
-juice
James: 180K!! Wow, that's the most I've heard for a 98 so far (I'm still at 82K). Are there any independent mechanics in your area that could do it?
Allan: The spark plugs won't directly impact the turbo, but it will hurt engine performance. You'll see rougher idles and misfires from fouled plugs. Platinum tipped plugs have a 60K service life. All others have a 30K life. You can shop around for spark plugs and not buy them from the dealer. Subaru uses NGK. Bosch is another brand, as juice mentioned.
Ken
http://www.fsautoparts.com/
-juice
Entropy - there is a company that is in the business of buying totalled cars at auction and pulling and selling the parts to both the retail and jobber markets, but mainly to auto repair shops on behalf of insurance companies. They recondition trannys and also offer warranties on some. Their name is LKQ Corporation, and their website is:
www.lkqcorp.com
I recommend you give them a call. They have locations all over the USA, and can drop ship as well.
-Bob
The mountains east of the continental divide have received up to 5 feet. One location is reporting 84 inches of snow (7 feet) ! I-70 is closed to the east and west of town. I-25 is closed to the north and south of town. Basically, they're just keeping the urban corridor open.
In town, the main roads have been plowed pretty well, but all of the side roads are completely impassable. The airport, all city and state offices and the even the post office are closed until tomorrow. In one suburb, they have declared a level 3 emergency, which means that anyone on the road not in an emergency vehicle or transporting someone due to an emergency will be ticketed.
Numerous roof collapses have been reported across the front range. Factories, gymnasiums, and gas stations - anything with a flat roof, basically - are at risk.
On our culdesac, only the biggest trucks are able to get out, with a lot of help from their friends. The Subie is parked in the garage until we get a plow in here, or significant melting occurs. The snow reaches to my hip, and I'm 6'. Drifts are deeper still.
Fun though. Power is on, we have heat, spent the day helping each other dig out, make sure the furnace vents are clear, etc. Good community day, really.
This will go into the record books as the second worst storm in Denver's history. The only one to top it occured over 5 days in 1913 - Denver officially recorded 47 inches of snow that time.
Cheers,
-brianV
Bring Cher with you Brian - I hear she got snowed in there and missed a concert date or two.
Steve, Host
Thanks.
Walter
Bobby- Haven't done it but wouldn't hesitate to buy from other than the dealer I go to for service. The sales and service depts at any dealership are normally totally separate operations. However, it wouldn't hurt to offer the local dealer the chance to match Fitzmall's price.
Brian- I thought of you today when I heard that Colorado was getting dumped on. Too bad you got so much at once. Kinda takes all the fun out of playing in the snow with your Subie :-(
-Frank P.
"“Lance” Fractures Hip in Mt. Bike Crash!
by Zap
While filming a Suburu commercial in Buellton, California last Thursday, "Lance Armstrong" crashed his bike exiting a stream cross and fractured his hip. While "Lance" was carted off to the hospital to get put into a cast, Rick Miller, veteran stuntman, former top American Speedway rider, and son of Dick Miller (the original editor of Motocross Action) was chosen to fill in for "Lance" after he quickly cut his hair and shaved his legs.
While the four time Tour de France winner was in attendance, it was actually a road geek out of San Francisco named Ashley who was filling in as Lance's camera double that got hurt. With Mountain Bike Magazine, as usual, having the inside track on everything, this report came from James Mitchell, an MB test rider and aspiring actor who was one of the riders being used in the commercial. According to the script, Lance comes upon a pack of Mountain bikers and proceeds to drop them. In their haste to catch back on, they start dropping like flies. Ashley apparently fell over exiting an artificial stream crossing and landed on a rock when he couldn't get unclipped. While the other riders are aboard Trek bikes, look for our boy Jamie aboard the Canondale Jekyll he brought up just in case they ran out of bikes (which they did).
Later in the day while he was riding alongside Armstrong, Jamie was sure to tell Lance that I'd warned him not to take the Texan out in a crash, at which point Lance replied, "I'd appreciate that!" '
I did manage to get the Subie out, just, after shoveling an additional 25 feet into the street. So tomorrow will be a work day afterall.
I'm gonna be a bit sore though. Man, we got a lot of snow!
Sorry I missed the chat, would've been a rare opportunity for me. Maybe next time...
-brianV
Maybe we can drag you to the Subaru Crew chat tomorrow night :-)
Steve, Host
I'm a student of (but not an authority on) history.
Trying to pass that hobby on to my son.
Regarding the snow storm, the good news is that we'll get to the Denver Auto Show tomorrow, after missing it tonight.
Looking forward to seeing the XT and an assortment of other vehicles with a buddy of mine. Should be fun.
-brianV
How about a quickie review for Forester fans?
2nd-generation Forester is a versatile SUV (Casa Grande Valley Newspaper)
Steve, Host
Juice: I do computer training all over the US. I found that if I drive to my work site from home in Idaho, I can get cheaper airfares and not have to fuss with pathetic 2WD rental cars. Nice to have my precious with me at all times. Getting maintenance done on it is a challenge though. I was hoping someone would compile a website of good non-dealer mechanics around the states (or world), but if that exists I have not seen it. Nashville Tennessee is not a hot bed of Subaru's, unlike Idaho were it is the state car.
Windy6: I am in Nashville Tennessee, is your brother close?
As for trannys... Almost any subaru tranny will bolt into your car. I'd look for the newest lowest milage one around, replacing it should cost the same as doing a clutch job. ~$500 or less for labor.
-mike
We are getting rain left over from that very same system. T-storms are possible here.
FWIW, I have had no problems using different dealers for service and purchasing.
-juice
I heard first-hand accounts of the storm from co-workers in our Loveland and Ft. Collins offices. Sounds like you guys got some serious snow! Be careful out there!
Ken
Thanks to all who've been thinking of us. The Forester made it out this morning just fine.
As long as it doesn't warm up too fast, we'll be fine, but otherwise, we'll have flooding. This storm delivered roughly half of our yearly precip in 2 days. People think Denver is always snowy, but that's really not the case. It's very mild here.
I guess some folks who were stranded at the airport were pretty frustrated, but it baffles me some. What did they expect? It's the biggest snowstorm in 90 years, the second biggest in history. They had adequate food, water, power and heat. Could've been worse, much worse, in fact. 5 years ago, when we last closed the airport, things were nip and tuck out there for a while. Ah well, they'll get out today, and everyone can chalk it up to experience.
-brianV
First is manual vs automatic - I've always driven manual cars & like them, but auto is simpler in some situations. I saw some older posts about manual Foresters having touchy clutches, and also some posts about reverse-to-drive lag times for automatic. Are these really annoying problems, or is everyone pretty much pleased with their choice of manual vs automatic? How much does it affect mpg? (This'll be mostly a city car used for short-distance cargo-hauling).
I drove 2 automatics & liked them fine. I just did a test drive of a manual today, but the Forester's battery died and then it ran out of gas. So not really a useful test drive. I got to go a whole 100 ft or so before the Forester started dying. During that 100 ft it seemed like a fairly touchy clutch, but that may be just part of my getting used to a new clutch.
Second question is whether or not to get an alarm. Dealer guy was amazingly unhelpful at explaining what the alarm actually does and what sets it off. How does it actually work? I've never had a car with an alarm and I don't want it if it's easy to set off accidentally, and definitely not if it's one of those motion-detector kinds. It doesn't make any difference for the insurance.
A third, more minor question is about the sound system. Are the speaker upgrades, tweeters, & subwoofer at all worth getting? We checked out the tweeters & there was indeed a slight improvement in extra-highs with the two extra little tweeters (probably just due to the little tweeters being line-of-sight to the face), but it was pretty minor. How're the speaker upgrade and the subwoofer? Worth it or not? Anyone know who actually makes the Subaru speakers & CD player, & where I could find specs or reviews?
Thanks VERY much for any advice!
Brian: We just got the wet stuff here, even at the higher elevations. Got about 2" where I live. Next time the news channels do a "Storm Watch 2003" I'll let you know so you can prepare.
Marsha
Regarding the sound sytem, my wife has the premium speakers, tweeters and subwoofer in her Outback. They sound great, in my opinion. A big improvement over the stock speakers, and they are made specifically for the stock headunit's relatively low power.
I hope this helps in your decision making. Good luck with whatever you choose.
Len
I agree with Len on the sound system advice. We have the Subaru stock CD player and speakers, and the speakers are certainly nothing to write home about. I have the bass and treble settings tweaked and it sounds fine for us, but the premium sound upgrade would definitely help. With our stereo the default settings were really bass-heavy.
We don't have an alarm system on our Subie, but then again we live in a town where no one even locks their doors.
Good luck and keep test driving if you're not sure...
Steve
Having said that, we own 2 manual Subies. We like the control, the efficiency, the sportiness of it. However I'll admit that with 2 kids we will strongly consider an auto next time.
A factory alarm is better than aftermarket, at least per insurance claims. I don't have it, but you'll get insurance discounts and piece of mind.
I have the premium sound speakers. They are slightly better than the base speakers, but audiophiles will get their money's worth from places like Cruthfield.
I swapped them out myself and it is extremely easy to do. All the stuff is pre-wired, even the tweeters and the amp, if you decide to go aftermarket.
Also, you can get a take-off 6CD changer slightly used from a WRX owner for under $200 nowadays. I bought two of them a while ago, $250 each, and installed them myself. Again, it is very easy on the Forester, only slightly harder on the Legacy.
These WRX guys get XM or Siriux satellite head units, so you and I can capitalize and get a 6CD+tape for next to nothing.
-juice
This alarm is possessed. It goes off while driving down the road, intermittently. Since the maker is not well-represented here, we have little recourse in getting it fixed. If it gets worse, I'm going to disconnect it.
Occasionally, I hear other car's alarms going off as they go by (driving by that is), so our problem is not unique.
Just food for thought...
-brianV
I agree with Ateixeira about upgrading to a WRX unit - you can get one from Ebay from about $140 to $210 - try not to overbid! Don't let the salesman talk you into getting the expensive cd-changer add-on option for the X. With the WRX unit, you get a tape player, plus all the controls & displays are integrated.
Speakers & tweeters - easy to upgrade. Subwoofer is more work, I'd stick to the subaru sub - easier to install, unless you're a real audiophile.
many thanks, Kathleen
You use the existing remote that comes standard with the car. The blinker light is already built into the dash, so if you install it later, no need to worry about adding more lights or extra wiring.
I'm very happy with the 5-speed, I do some light off-roading, meaning logging roads, and feel there is more control over the automatic.
Factory speaker upgrades are not worth the cost. The originals are essentially cardboard that look like they came out of an old TV. The upgrades are a little better, but for the same money, you can get much better aftermarket speakers.
The factory alarm, at least on the older models, is fine. Mine went off too easily at first, but it was easily adjusted. If properly adjusted, the shock sensor will go cause the siren to chirp once if someone jostles the car. This is a warning that the alarm will go off if there is further tampering. It will go off in full siren mode if the car is hit, kicked or rocked, and will also go off if a door is opened. It can be set to disable the ignition automatically when it is turned off (requiring that the alarm be disarmed before the vehicle will start again). That is what qualifies it for an insurance discount in most states. If activated, the alarm will reset itself after a period of time to protect the battery from running down.
Question for the manual guys. How does the manual give you more control off road or slippery conditions? I've never tried off-roading in a manual, just my auto. but it seems like most off-roaders favor autos, the reason being the torque converter. Since most off-roading is done a low speed, you want all your torque on the low end, and that's exactly what the torque converter does. Plus you don't have to slip the clutch to crawl at slow speeds. This is probably even more important since we don't have the low range option on our foresters.
A low range would be ideal.
http://www.autocd.ru/s02for_e.pdf
I have never slept in the 03 X but it has to be better than sleeping in the 71 Chevelle. I had to sleep in the Chevy because I refused to pay the exorbitant hotel rates. I'm 6'3 or 4" so if I had to I'd sleep diagonally. I keep a sleeping bag in the car.
Last week I went on 5 days training in Northern Va. I took a provided car and although it was a good ride I wished I had the Forester especially in the fog and rain on Interstate 81 between Lebanon and Hazleton.
I have those car ramps that I've used ONCE to facilitate changing my own oil. Sadly, they tilted my '99 Mercury Cougar V6 back so far that a lot of oil didn't come out of the pan because of the angle (stuck in the filter).
If I get a floor jack and some jack stands, which i think will work better for me, what should I get? SEARS had a Craftsman 2 1/4 ton floor jack and 2 jack stands on sale for $30. But the guys at the Craftsman counter in SEARS expressed concern that this jack might not lift the car up far enough to facilitate underbody activities.
Can someone recommend me a set or a minimum for buying a floor jack and jack stands? Thanks!
burnsmr4
I also do have a 2 ton floor jack and jack stands. I use these when I rotate the tires.
Please don't only use a jack to lift the vehicle and crawl under it. At the least use the jack stands to secure the vehicle.
The Rhino ramps are very easy to put in place and drive up onto. And to make the decision easier, the ramps were $20 at AutoZone.
-Brian