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Comments
First, I've read at one time or another, that the horizontal engines are difficult to work on and when needed, are expensive when they do get worked on by a mechanic. Is this a true statement? How much compared to a conventional engine?
Second, the all-wheel drive system - are these expensive to maintain? How reliable? And, compared to a front wheel drive system are they more expensive to maintain?
Thanks, Juice! I see your name in this and other of these forums and you seem to be respected and well liked thus the reason I'm addressing you.
Are they difficult to work on? Well, spark plug access is tougher, because access is tight. Any mechanic worth a dime will have the proper tools to compensate for that. Plus, with plug life at about 60k miles nowadays, it's not much of a concern.
Besides that, you generally do the plugs with a 60k or maybe a 30k or 90k service. At those times, you're also changing the air filter, fuel filter, etc. So do things in the right order and it's not any more work.
But, besides the plugs, many other things are actually easier than average to access. All the user serviceable items are bright yellow and easy to use. By that I mean your fluids: PS, brake, oil, clutch, etc.
I consider myself handy, but I've never gone to a mechanic's course or anything like that, and I'll be doing my 60k service myself.
The AWD system itself is sealed and requires no maintenance. Problems are as rare as Pink Flamingos in the Arctic, and even then it's usually related to unmatching tire sizes.
What is required is fluid changes to the rear differential, the only real difference from maintenance for any old FWD vehicle. Even then, it's no more complicated than an oil change. Remove the top plug, remove the bottom plug, drain, replace bottom plug, fill, replace top plug. Not exactly rocket science, but the bolts do require lots of force to remove.
Again, any mechanic worth going to will be more than prepared to service your Subaru.
Your profile says you need a dependable mid-sizer to take your family camping. A Forester is a compact, but otherwise fits the bill. An Outback fits the bill also.
-juice
Cool, eh?
-juice
However, having a flow meter will give you an accurite MPG reading. As for clicking off, if you always self-serve that works. I always fill up in NJ where it's illegal to self serve so You never get the same amount of fill every time.
-mike
-juice
-mike
Same goes for those of us in Oregon. Your state and mine are the only two in the entire nation having lawmakers who don't think the populace is intelligent enough to safely pump gas. Astounding, isn't it? I'm completely convinced that the minimum-wage school dropouts working the gas pumps are far more conscientious than we would be.
Riiiiight.
also - about 17 years ago i was the recipient of one of those min.wage gas pumping jobs - ok cash at the time for a 16 yr old although i quickly graduated to restaurant work for better pay pluse that kept me off the streets and in the bars
BTW, to my fellow econmisers who like their air on screen, as the Brits might say, the trick of setting the airflow to the desired outlet and then switching off the whole system works in full defrost too. Just make sure you're got enough speed to get the air in without having to turn on the fan and thereby engagin the A/C.
-mike
-mike
Mike- I'm not sure that's true. Maybe if you always fill up at the same station but if not, I would think the different flow rates at different stations would cause the pump to to shut off at different times.
-Frank P.
-mike
On the other hand, if you could have the dealer install one and warranty it as part of your Subaru's overall warranty that would lower the risk considerably.
Dealer's seem to have a lot of latitude in what they're willing to warrant. My Mercury dealer warranted the add on security system as OEM even though it wasn't Fords/Lincoln Mercury's.
Larry
In Oregon, fines are levied against station owners if customers are found pumping their own gas. It's as if we live in a [non-permissible content removed] state.
I'd far rather pump my own, and it's not only about waiting. I'm also far less likely to chip my paint or carelessly spill gas on the fender. Laws against doing-it-yourself are idiotic. There have been at least a dozen attempts to overturn Oregon's law over the years, but lobbying by small station owners and old folks invariably defeat them.
How else would one do it???
But...like I said, if you have a running average, you smooth out any variations, i.e. one tank has a little more, another has a little less, the average is still accurate.
In my charts I have used more than a thousand gallons, so the difference in fill up between my very first and my most recent tank is completely insignificant.
-juice
Surprise - the Santa Fe and Sorento both scored above average. The Koreans have come a long way.
-juice
How else would one do it??? "
Using either flow of fuel or like juice said over a long period of time it will average out.
-mike
Thanks in advance
Pros?
* roadside assistance for the life of the warranty
* better resale if you sell before the end of the term
* known expenditure, planned payments
Cons?
* extra cost, you may not need it
My wife had a bad experience with her previous car, so we got one for her Legacy. My Forester's warranty just expired and I don't have one on it.
It's fitting, because she already got a flat. The dealer also rolls out the red carpet for her.
-juice
John
-juice
Actually, the fill port being on the passenger side is more a result of the Forester being designed in Japan where people drive on the left side of the road. But it's nice to think of it as a "feature".
Ken
I guessed it was frozen - no ice on the outside though, tapped it gently a few times, walked back ... ... nothing. At this moment I was ready to walk away, but fuel was low, so no other choice than to try again. Oh did I mentioned that I already swiped my credit card before realizing that the door was stuck
So, I ended up sticking piece of paper underneath the release lever (alone at the moment), and kept tapping, trying to pry it off. Eventually it happened, so 15 minutes later off I went.
Subaru is, among other things, a winter car, so this should have been thought of more thoroughly. Subaru, how about some rubber gasket around the fuel door. And, how about connecting that door's release lock to central locking system. Or, even better, both. I've seen those features on cars twice cheaper.
Oh, on the good note, thanks to the fill port being on the passenger side of the vehicle, there was nobody behind me. So, at least, no additional unnecessary honking and fingers extended. And, believe it or not, side where the fill port was located, did play a role in my decision between CRV and Forester.
Just needed to went a little,
K
Begs the question: what advantage does one side vs the other hold in its respective country? I see at least 80% of cars in Fresno have it on the drivers side (to their chagrin, I might add).
John
-juice
Crack the rear window, that might help.
-juice
One thing to note, is my wife usually gets better mileage than I do on a trip. I believe it's because she does 55-65, while I do 70-80. She sometimes gets +2mpg compared to me.
-juice
John
I could get the base secure behind me but, after installing the carrier part into the base, I could not put the driver's seat back to where I normally keep it without pushing the seat and base up. Only by pushing the seat far up - and I mean about 4" closer to the steering wheel - would the seat and base rest flat on the rear seat cushion. There is no way I can safely and comfortably drive the car in that position; bear in mind that I'm a pretty short guy at 5' 7".
So how do you do it? Ken, juice, any of you other first-gen Forester owners? I know lots of families tote babies around in these cars!
Ed
We had the Evenflo On-my-way infant seat. I set the base all the way back, up against the rear of the seat. Then I could fit it behind me. It also fit in the middle, when we had just one kid. With two kids I have our 4 year old behind my wife, and the baby behind the driver.
To move the handle down I had to move one of the two front seats forward slightly, but then I could slide them back again and that actually helped secure the infant seat better.
Experiment with the placement of the base, see what works. Get help - 2 people can secure it more tightly than one. Some fire stations and car dealers will even help you do that.
-juice
HTH, Owen
On my Forester, I have a Britax car seat installed in the middle of the rear bench, rear facing of course. In this configuration I found that the back of the car seat just touches the back of the driver's seat. I'm 5'8".
On my wife's Jetta, we have a Peg Perego infant seat with detachable base. In this case, I had to push the front passenger seat up and install the infant seat behind it. There was no other way I could fit the infant seat (center or behind driver seat) and allow for a comfortable driving position for me.
Ken
The center position sounds like a good idea. Owen and Ken, do either of you have the armrest extension? I do and wonder if it would need to be removed. juice: maybe I will have to play with the seatback adjustment; I like to sit fairly straight up but maybe could come up farther.
Thanks again,
Ed
Do you have the middle lap belt? If so those were not auto-locking, you'll have to use a clip to keep it tight.
-juice
The way I look at it is that this is just a temporary inconvenience. Sooner or later, they'll need a toddler seat.
So I would recommend that the car seat goes on the passenger side and your wife sits behind you for the ride home. I've used this configuration numerous times and noticed no real weight difference in terms of handleling.
Ps. Use a pacifier to prevent "Baby Melt Downs" during the drive home.
My XT has no sunroof, so there's more than enough headroom for me (5'11") even with the seat at maximum height. And then, with the seat adjusted to give me plenty of legroom, I can get out and sit in the left rear passenger seat with adequate kneeroom.
My wife tended to sit back there most of the time, unless the baby was asleep.
-juice
MikeF
ballistic: as juice pointed out that's a feature of the new-gen Foresters. Sort of a tradeoff there; I like having the front/rear adjustability over the overall seat height of the new cars, but here the latter would be of help.
fargfam: That's the likely answer for the trip home.
Thanks,
Ed