Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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Comments

  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    that maybe it's not a case of either/or but and/both?

    You wrote, "So, from where I stand, either Kelley prices are still VERY generous, or else Portland dealers are bloodthirsty pirates." The two are not mutually exclusive. :)

    I think one way to get an idea of the value of the car is to shop it around the used car dealers and find out what they will give you, and also to check comparable vehicles.

    I happen to think that Kelley prices are very high, generally speaking. And while the two are not mutually exclusive,I'm sure Portland dealers are quite nice. :)

    - Lou
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Naming dealers is ok, but please don't plug individual (i.e. mention) salespeople. Or post their contact info, links, etc. Thanks!

    Steve, Host
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    If all goes well, I will pick up my new Forester XS tomorrow afternoon.

    What are some things that I should look for?

    Tire pressure should be? 32psi?

    Any other things I should be on the lookout for during the PDI?

    - Lou
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    The jpgs were fine - check your email :-)

    Steve, Host
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    gvmelbrty asked "Did you see Kym's reply to your message about potential boost gauge blockage?:"

    No, but she no doubt posted it in the other forum. I'll go there in a few minutes, but thanks for the highlights. If, as she says, the boost gauge doesn't block regardless of side, I guess I'd rather have it on the left. Sure wish I could quickly track down an XT in Portland that has it; there may still be time to instruct the port which side to position it.
     
    "another person says that if you install it yourself, it will mount on either side."

    It only appears to cost about $30 above the parts-dept cost of the gauge kit to have the port-of-entry install it. I'd rather if it gets screwed up, they do the screwing...

    Thanks for the heads-up.

    -jack
  • subewannabesubewannabe Member Posts: 403
    i am going to have so much fun watching for jack's posts once his XT finally materializes! ive commited to waiting until fall, and im thinking i will be wanting the same car, same color , even ,as jack has ordered. by the time i get around to it, it will be like ive driven it for 5 months!
      Jack, can I send my kids to oregon and let you haul them to a local school for a couple weeks? (they ultimately whined their way into my selling my eclipse convertible...too cramped and too windy in the back seat.)
    Mark
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    Subewannabe wrote "i am going to have so much fun watching for jack's posts once his XT finally materializes!"

    I'm afraid they'll be very dull for quite a long time. I'm a fanatic about long, gentle break-ins. That means a minimum of 1,500 miles before I'll ever use anything close to full throttle, hard braking, or more than 4-5000 RPM. I only drive about 750 miles/month, so that's two months away. Until then I'll only be able to describe the ride, cornering, noise levels, and so forth. You'll undoubtedly get reports about the XT's performance much earlier from others.

    "i will be wanting the same car, same color , even ,as jack has ordered."

    Copycat! Can't you be original? (-;

    "Jack, can I send my kids to oregon and let you haul them to a local school for a couple weeks? (they ultimately whined their way into my selling my eclipse convertible...too cramped and too windy in the back seat.)"

    Depending on how far back the front seats are set, Foresters don't have any extra space in the rear - especially kneeroom. Have you taken your clan to a dealership and loaded them into one?

    - jack
  • maverick1017maverick1017 Member Posts: 212
    For those of you who have installed a auxilary tranny cooler can you tell me where the feed and return lines are located on the radiator?

    Thanks
    Mike
  • mojavemaxmojavemax Member Posts: 7
    Looking to buy a new Forester 2.5x come August - competing choice is a Honda Accord V6 coupe - another story...
    Anyway lots of Subees in my family - this will be my first. My sister just had a problem ($$) with her Legacy Outback wagon (auto) tranny secondary to inequal tire pressures in all 4 tires. Or at least that's what she was told. I was surprised to hear about this. If true, how big of a problem is this & how does one avoid trouble (ie, how often to check tire pressure, how many psi off can one be, what's a good accurate tire gauge, how often to rotate tires, etc).
    I've emailed a local dealer - even the owner directly - with this question/ concern - 3 times - and no reply. Is this a dirty little secret? Say it ain't so!
  • rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    The Kelley book that you get in booksores and at newstands has one set of prices. The Kelley book that the dealer gets has another set of prices. They are published for their respective markets. The true price is what you can negotiate. Unfortunately, just when you have what seems to be a great deal on your trade, you will be hit with a not so great deal on the new car.

    At a "pay one price - no negotiation" type dealer, the opposite may be true, you will pay a rasonable price on your new vehicle, but they will make it up on your trade. The overhead and profit have to come from somewhere. Caveat emptor!

    At one "pay one price" dealer, trade-ins are typically bought at 30-40% less than they are sold for, with the dealer explaining that they are bought from you by the new car division and then sold to the used car division and each has to make a profit, plus there are fix-up costs before resale. At this particular dealer, the latter is true, they do replace worn brake pads and tires, etc. But they have to make 2 profits?
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    I picked up my 03 Woodland Green Forester XS today. I am very happy! The dealership was outstanding. It was by far the most painless car buying experience I have had.

    Everything was ready at the appointed time and everyone was extremely professional and courteous.

    It drove even better than I had hoped for and the only preventing me from really testing it was the traffic I encountered on the drive back.

    Oh well, I was relaxing to the soothing sounds of "Rythm of the Saints".

    - Lou
  • jimbob17jimbob17 Member Posts: 77
    Lou CONGRATS does it have an inspection sticker (in regards to your penultimate post).
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    Yeah baby!! No Inspection for 4 years :)

    - Lou, who knows what penultimate means cause there are a lot of vocabules in his vocabulary :)_
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Congrats Kim and Lou! Finally buddy! You earned that purchase just shopping for it! :-)

    Mike - ask paisan. Maybe in the Subaru Crew - Modifications topic.

    Steve: if the Accord has a limited slip differential or traction control, it would have the same problem. Different rolling circumference in modern cars with these features will be a problem.

    -juice
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    My wife's Toyota Sienna has an tire pressure indicator that lights up when a tire has lost about 10 pounds of pressure. It does so by judging the difference between the the number or rotations over several hundred rotations while the steering wheel is straight ahead.

    This would be a good thing for Subaru to add.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Ten pounds seems like a lot. I do recall that the manufacturers were lobbying for cheaper (and less accurate) tire sensors.

    Steve, Host
  • perezc1perezc1 Member Posts: 11
    I'm thinking about replacing my two-piece AM/FM Cass. head unit + one disc CD player with a 6-disc double din unit. I assume that the stock changer from a 2003 WRX will fit in my 1999 Forester. Correct?

    BTW: I'm swapping out the unit because the OEM CD player died. It was one year and three months old - bought new from the dealer when I purchased the used 1999 in early-2002. My dealer wouldn't fix/replace it under warranty (one year parts and labor only). They wanted $280 (and four weeks) to fix! The '02-'03 WRX units are going for under $150 on Ebay/I-Club.

    Does anyone think I should pursue Subaru to get it fixed? I could probably file a claim with AMEX under their extended warranty program, but is it worth it?
  • burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Which oil filter, if changing your own oil, would you use? Fram, Purolator, or Subaru OEM? I'm doing my own 26,250 mile oil change, and I want to know which one to use.

    Thanks,
    burnsmr4

    P.S. - Any way I can change my username to something else? I'm tired of this one, but I still want all my old messages.
  • forestergumpforestergump Member Posts: 119
    I think most OEM units are configured in standard DIN settings. I also think that you can get a much higher quality new unit from name brand manufacturers (Alpine, Eclipse, Kenwood...) for the same or slightly higher price than a used unit purchased off E-bay. IMHO.
    -Bob
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Not without a lot of hassle and you'd lose your posting history (posts would still be there, but there'd be no way to connect them to your new id) ....

    Steve, Host
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    Well, on the Sienna, it's trying to tell you when a tire is going flat. It'd have to be more accurate if you wanted it to be useful for AWD preservation.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Something else to keep track of on my Outback. Oh well....

    Steve, Host
  • crashton6crashton6 Member Posts: 245
    I've been using the Purolator PureOne filters. Seem to work well for me. I think oem Purolator also would be fine. As far as Fram goes they were once one of the best, but not since they were bought out by another company. Sorry but I don't remember which one.
  • tkevinblanctkevinblanc Member Posts: 356
    The Napa Gold oil filters are manufactured by Wix and are pretty well regarded. They're expensive compared to the cheapies - about $8 (at least for my Trooper).

    The Fram filters aren't so well thought of anymore.

    Here's an interesting, if not completely scientific link...

    http://www.frankhunt.com/FRANK/corvette/articles/oilfilterstudy/o- ilfilters.html
  • once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    Tire pressure and undue stress on the center differential have led to some lively discussions here. Subaru mentions that all tires unloaded must be within 1/4" circumference range, and they also change rear tire pressures (according to vehicle load) to try and keep them close. Yours is the first case of where I have heard of transmission damage pointed to unequal tire pressures. In any case, check pressures regularly--I do at least once per month.

    John
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    ...though not so much for my Forester (I use the OEMs or Purolator there) as for my '63 Studebaker. I'm surprised sometimes by the parts I can still get for the car there. My NAPA guy knows me by name now.

    Ed
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I read somewhere that the Subaru OE filter is just the Purolator filter without the anti-drain back valve. Our filters don't need the valve since they mount vertically under the engine block (and also causes a mess when you unscrew them!).

    I've been using Purolator -- cheap, readily available and virtually identical to the OE version.

    Ken
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Chris: yes it fits, in fact I've done it ('02 radio in my '98). It's an easy job, easier than on a Legacy (which I also did).

    Get the 6CD. Don't hassle with getting yours fixed. Why? Because the 6CD costs about $140 nowadays on E-bay or Nasioc.com. Plus you get that back at resale, so it ends up free!

    I have two cassette players collecting dust.

    I got lucky on oil filters, found a clearance at Target when they stopped carrying them. Bought about a dozen Car & Driver filters, made by Champion Labs and rated highly in that study, for 25 cents each! I bought every one that fit all 3 cars we had at the time, wish there had been more! I have 5 left now.

    -juice
  • ivestorparkivestorpark Member Posts: 31
    Consumer's Reports did a study on oil filters around 1987 and they rated the Fram filter the best, although the study was somewhat limited to (if I remember correctly) Motorcraft, Mopar, Fram and Purolator. I've also heard that Purolator isn't worth anything, but it was just somebody expressing an opinion. Wish CR would rate oil filters again.

    I'm going to be buying an '04 Forester this summer with 5 spd MT. A Subaru salesman told me several years ago that the filter on Forester AT is in a different spot than the Forester MT. Is this so, and how difficult is it to get under the SUV to change the filter? Will the Forester have to be raised slightly, or can I shimmy under the undercarriage to change the filer. thx
  • rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    The Consumer Reports study is very out of date. But it was based upon the efficiency of the filters in removing dirt. The Fram did well then, but is apparently of a different design now. The other study (on the web) is based upon a visual inspection of the filter's innards. While that may give a clue as to how well it filters or how long it may last, it is not very scientific. It would be great if CU would do a new study.
  • lfdallfdal Member Posts: 679
    A series of posts a few months back from a person very unhappy with the brakes on their Forester (or Outback)?

    They complained about the pedal going to the floor and lousy braking....

    First off, I know there's nothing wrong with my brakes, they work fine, as does the anti-lock feature.

    But tonight coming home I had to make a detour and part of that involved decelerating around a corner at about 30-40mph (gradual corner, I wasn't pushing it, but was braking steadily). This corner had a series of small potholes that caused a lot of wheel bounce and caused the brake pedal to go much lower than normal. It also caused the anti-lock's to kick in (I could feel the pedal pulsing at the same time). It was an interesting experience - for someone unsure of their brakes or how the anti-locks worked it would feel like a loss of braking.

    I wonder if that's what they experienced?

    Larry
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    I believe Car Quest filters are made by Wix also. Subaru filters are Purolators. I got them for $4 apiece when I bought 10 (12?) from Liberty Subaru. Did the same for my Sienna. Bought a case online. Not sure who makes Toyota filters.

    Greg
  • c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    That's pretty typical behavior for braking on a real uneven road with ABS. You don't even have to brake hard. As soon as the wheels start hopping and turning at different speeds, it tricks the ABS into kicking in. Definitely a wierd feeling.

    Craig
  • kate5000kate5000 Member Posts: 1,271
    Steven,

    congratulations on your new Forester. You can find a lot of useful information on Foresters and other Subarus at the Owners Club Subaru Crew thread here at Edmunds. Stop by, and please post some pix of your new Forester. I think you won't regret coming from Accord to Forester. We have both Forester S+ and Honda Accord EX wagon in my family, and I find Forester a lot more fun to drive.

    --Kate
  • enchantedboyenchantedboy Member Posts: 4
    I just purchased a 03 Forester X. I like to camp. I might do some off road travel. The dealer wants $395 to install protector.
    The dealer is also offering an interior protection package for $200. Guards against spills
    and fading of interior surfaces for 5 years. Are these prices worth it?
    Also, can I buy a cabin air filter and install it on an X model?
    Please reply.
  • xccoachlouxccoachlou Member Posts: 245
    Has anyone used ScotchGuard on the cloth seats and interior carpeting?

    What kind of protectant should I use?

    Thanks,

    - Lou

    P.S. At the subaru site, the rear differential protector is $105
  • ivestorparkivestorpark Member Posts: 31
    Can't comment on the protector, but it's probably high. Is there a non-dealer shop in your town that could install it? It shouldn't be that hard to install if you have a garage and a drill.

    As far as the cloth protectant, save yourself $195. Buy a can of Scotchguard or similar type spray that you'll find in any Wal-Mart or K-Mart and spray it on your carpet and upholstery. It's the same thing that the dealer will do. I'd do it every couple of years though.
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    ifdal wrote "series of small potholes that caused a lot of wheel bounce and caused the brake pedal to go much lower than normal. It also caused the anti-lock's to kick in (I could feel the pedal pulsing at the same time). It was an interesting experience - for someone unsure of their brakes or how the anti-locks worked it would feel like a loss of braking."

    Wife's '91 Grand Caravan has a mediocre ABS system. Anything that triggers the ABS (slick spot, bumps, etc) drops the brake pedal about halfway to the floor. Very disconcerting, especially for my wife. What's worse, the on-off cycle time of the ABS seems like at least 2 seconds between lock and release. I can pump brakes far faster than that. Newer ABS systems are better (including the system on our '97 Concorde), but I'd rather we hadn't ordered it on the van.

    - jack
  • ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    Enchantedboy asks "I just purchased a 03 Forester X. I like to camp. I might do some off road travel. The dealer wants $395 to install protector."

    That price seems outrageous to me. The 2004 Forester Port Packages May 1 2003 list shows the differential protector installed price (part P3A) at $69 (dealer cost) and $105 (MSRP). A reasonable price to have the dealer install it is probably a bit above these numbers, but $395 sounds like highway robbery. I'd check with another dealer...

    - jack
  • burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Hey, folks,

    Thanks for the oil filter information. Looks like I'll stick with Purolator or the OEM, esp. if the OEM only costs me $4. I use a PureONE filter on my wife's '98 Volvo S70. No trouble yet from it, and it fit perfectly.

    By the way, I'll be back when I read the 700+ messages I missed BEFORE I posted that oil filter question. Jeez...you guys talk to much and too fast. ;-)

    Later,
    burnsmr4
  • lfdallfdal Member Posts: 679
    I think the protector is definitely worth it, especially when the shop slaps a jack under the rear and lifts the entire back end off the ground - much rather have them apply the jack to the protector than to the rear diff, although Subaru says the diff should handle it....

    But the price? Outrageous! I could see $60 for the part and maybe 0.5hr for the labor, but when I bought mine at the same time I took delivery the dealer installed it at "cost", $58.00. The mechanic said that they do so many of them it rarely takes a half an hour.

    If I were going to pay to have it done after I bought the car I would expect to pay the going rate plus labor - but still no more than $125.00 or so total.

    But... since you just bought the thing you should feel free to let him know (nicely of course) that you're not thrilled with his pricing model and ask him if he'll reconsider. Especially if he'd like a happy customer.

    Second the motion on the Scotchguard - used it and had great luck with it. But there's the caveat of making sure it agrees with your fabric in terms of colorfastness. Colorfastness - did I just mis-invent a word?
    HTH

    Larry
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Fred: I seriously doubt that the filter is in a different place. In fact I'd bet on it.

    The auto does have a 2nd filter for the tranny itself, maybe that's what he meant?

    Jim: I installed the diffy protector, $395 is OUTRAGEOUS. They should be scolded for even quoting that absurd price. It took me a couple of hours to install that plus the hitch, and I'm a novice at home with no lift!

    2 hours labor is reasonable, maybe even just one hour. Even at $80 per hour your price quote is more than double. The part itself wholesales for about $70 IIRC, still nowhere close to $395.

    -juice
  • lfdallfdal Member Posts: 679
    I just saw it for $54.00 on the web. Do a web search on Subaru parts - I've seen several sites that have them for about the same price. They all claim that its the OEM part.

    HTH

    Larry
  • lfdallfdal Member Posts: 679
    Oil filter - It's a piece of cake to change, although unless you're really thin (I'm not), it's nice to raise the side of the car up a bit. I still don't have to raise it high enough for the wheel to leave the ground.

    Cabin air filter - according to the web site I looked at all the 03's have the spot for the cabin air filter. I'd check with your parts department. Filter costs in the $30-40 range depending. You do have to pull out the glove compartment however - 7 or 9 screws I think, and be sure to pull straight back as there are a couple of plastic inserts that fit in holes.

    juice - bet you're right on with the transmission filter theory.

    Larry
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I use rhino ramps to change the oil. It's nice to have room to work!

    -juice
  • erics6erics6 Member Posts: 684
    My mechanic charged me nothing to install it on my Outback. He told me it took him a couple of minutes to install it.

    I got the protector at cost (or close to it) from Quality Subaru, back when they were still in business. I think you can get it for about $55-$58 from online dealers now.
  • fargfamfargfam Member Posts: 30
    Well, we finally made our big purchase. After much contemplation and researching, (much thanks to everyone in the Subaru forum) we ended up with a Java Black 03 XS Premium w/ Leather.

    Like most Forester enthusiasts, I really had my heart set on the XT. (Again, thanks to the Subie forum) My wife and I decided this probably wouldn't be the most economic vehicle with a baby coming in Aug.

    I did my 3-4 quotes through the internet and was able to get a price at $23,890.00 with the following options added: Popular Equipment Group 1D, Group 2, Premium Sound Package 2, air filter, and Armrest Extension.

    We went back to our first dealer, who said over the phone she would be able to beat that price, to make the final purchase. When we got there, the car was parked right out front ready to go. (We pretended not to notice.)

    After the test drive, we discovered that every option we asked for were not installed. In the end, the dealer was able to match our price (we were hoping to hit $23,000) with everything specified. (We thought this might be possible since the 04's were coming and most dealers had plenty of 03's in stock.)

    Since they weren't able to beat our lowest price, (they actually wanted $26,000 and said our price was in the "negative") we were able to negotiate a free dinner and use of a loaner car upon installation of the remaining equipment. Finally, we decided this was fair enough.

    We later decided to add window tinting and a 3m ClearShield protection film to the front. This added approx. $1000.00, which we paid in cash.

    More to come on the overall driving experience. Anyone have any info to share on ClearShield/StoneGuard/etc.? Does it work?
  • enchantedboyenchantedboy Member Posts: 4
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    One catch - with the Forester you have to unhook the exhaust from the hangers, so it's more work than it is in an Outback. It's still not difficult, though.

    -juice
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