Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

ateixeira

RX AWD is like the manual tranny Foresters, except it adds traction and stability control.

IMO VTD is a better AWD system.

-juice

mnf

Thanks, the reason I ask is we purchased a used RX 300 a year ago for my wife and after driving a AWD last winter from a FWD it was a pleasure. So when I started looking to replace my Honda Subaru was of course my first choice and now I am looking forward to Winter ... BRING ON THE SNOW...

jlk

I bought a new 2005 Forester X last month with auto tran. I have never owned a Subie before so I am not sure what I am about to describe is normal:

1. Whenever I start the car (no matter the engine is cold or hot), I can definitely feel some vibration coming from the engine before it kicks in and starts running.

2. Whenever the car is idling, I can feel very minor vibration from the lower back area of my car seat.

Has anyone experienced this from their new car? What could have caused the vibration? Since the car is still under warranty, I guess I need to pay a visit to a Subie service center.

edunnett

No sure about your vibration but my Subie (2004 XT and previous one: a 2001 Forester S) tended to vibrate a little at idle and take on a "giddy-up" vibration on starup - particularly the automatic. I think it has to do with the boxer (horizontally opposed cylinders vs inline) engine generating a little shake at certain times. If it's gentle, I wouldn't be concerned. But since it's under warranty, why not take it to your dealer? As I've learned though - best to accumulate some dealer-worthy stuff before you head down there - so you're not a cry-wolf kinda customer like me. ;-)
elissa

baydrive

I also have a 2005 Forester X automatic(for about 6 weeks). I don't know if this is the vibration that you are feeling but I too have a slight vibration. I noticed this when I test drove the car at 2 dealerships. At the first dealership I test drove the car by myself. When I was at a light and the car was idling , the steering wheel had a noticable vibration.....it was annoying. When I went back to the dealership I told him that the car seems to be idling roughly. On the second test drive at another dealership the salesman went with me. When I came to a stop this Forester also vibrated.....slightly....I pointed it out and he said that it was just the way the engine was. I had had manual transmissions before this car and in effect when I was at an idle I was in nuetral and never felt a vibration. This car is an automatic and the engine is in drive.

In any event, the car that I bought has this slight vibration too. Anyone else in the car can not sense it. I am assuming that it just is how this car idles. That coupled with the fact that I am hyper sensitive about the car now and might be looking too closely for something. I figure that when I go back to the dealership for the first service I will mention it but I really feel that it's probably nothing.

p0926

A minor vibration while at idle is a trademark of the boxer engine. I don't have a link handy that explains the reason for it but IIRC it has to do with the layout of the boxer engine being ideal from a balance perspective and therefore balancing shafts are not required.

Think of it as the equivalent of a Harley's unique exhaust note :-)

-Frank

chickpea711

Can anyone give advice about the roominess of the cargo space for a stroller (without the 60/40 fold down in operation) and how car seats fit into the rear seats? Any parent advice about having to put the car seat in the rear side seats rather than in the middle?

Thanks!

jlk

Thank you Elissa, baydrive and Frank. All your feedbacks have put my mind to ease. I wonder why the salesperson did not mention it.

ateixeira

The cargo area is one of the biggest strengths. We had the Evenflo On-My-Way system, and that comes with a big stroller. It fits in the cargo area when folded, and in either direction (front to back or sideways), which makes it more versatile to load cargo.

In many small SUVs our stroller would only fit width-wise, and then it took up the entire cargo floor. In the Forester it took up about half.

LATCH anchors are standard and it's actually easier to load the seats on the sides, though the bench is flat so the middle will work also.

I'd suggest taking your child seats with you. Some fit better than others. Take your stroller also, fold it up and try it out.

Rear leg room is tight, but you get it back in the cargo area.

-juice

pert

hello first time user bought a 04 forester xs used i live in deer country and want to put a brush guard on a full size one that will cover lights and grill does not seem to be much aftermarket stuff for the subies like the thing id also be happier if it was the xt hey any body out there has a few leads thanks in advance pert

tazereli

The only aftermarket full brush guards were downunder in Australia. I can remember the website but do remember the response from them that shipping would be ratherexpensive to the states. I was only half-heartedly looking though. Good luck in your search.

Kyle

maverick1017

Made one for older Foresters, not sure if they make one for the newer ones.

Mike

a_bum

We want to put a trailer hitch on our new Forester mainly to use for a bike rack. The dealership wants $350 (parts and install). I can purchase a Draw Tite hitch for about $110 but I'd have to install it myself.

Can anyone provide any insight on how difficult it is to install a hitch?

c_hunter

It's pretty easy. You will need a torque wrench, and hope the hitch comes with instructions! (it's sort of obvious, but instructions always help).

I've installed hitches on a bunch of vehicles, and they all have about the same level of complexity. It's usually a simple job.

CRaig

fbkord

My 2002 forester (bought it new) just went in to have its engine replaced!!!!. The pistons have failed. It has 20000 miles on it. A year ago the transmission was replaced. Twice!!.
Is there a course of action I can take with Subaru? Although I have not paid for any of the repairs (it is under warranty), I believe this car will continue breaking down. I was told there was a subaru representative in this forum.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
I have taken care of this car. All maintenance work has been done according to the required schedule.
Thank you.

c_hunter

Wow, that is surprising! What were the symptoms of these engine and transmission failures?? Were they caused by anything in particular?? The only time I have heard of such a problem was when an owner got their car serviced at a quick-lube chain -- they drained the transmission instead of the engine, and then proceeded to add more oil to the engine. The combination of an overfilled engine and a dry transmission caused a double failure in that case.

Patti is the rep from SOA -- her forum is here:

c_hunter "Subaru Crew: Official SOA Presence (aka Patti)" Nov 25, 2004 9:36am

Definitely have a chat with her, she's always been a real help. If you haven't already, call the Subaru 1-800 number and open a case with them, just to make sure they are aware of the issues you are having.

Craig

fbkord

Thank you Craig.
All services have been done by my subaru dealer except the last one which was a simple oil change. There is no problem with the amount of oil in the car or the transmission fluid.
Last year the transmission started hesitating and slipping. They replaced it only to have the same problem occuring a month later.
I have not had any problem with the tranny since.
However, the engine started making knock\king noises about a month ago. I took the car in to have the noise checekd and also check the coolant system because I noticed the reservoir was low.
They called and said the pistons in the engine had failed and I needed a new engine.
I really take care of my cars. I think I have a lemon.

mckeown

I don't want to be the bearer of bad news, but at least Subaru is taking care of your problems. I also Owned a 2002 Forester. Mine was a 5 speed. In the 30 months (56K) I owned it, it had 7 front oxygen sensors replaced, the clutch (for shudder) and I really had to fight Subaru to get that done. Check engine light was just part of my daily drive and I started with Piston Slap (which sounds like what you have) which I reported by 18K. Subaru dealer and Regional Rep listened and both said it was normal. I left the car for a week for them to use. An hour after starting, the knock was still there...and they said this was normal.
My 2002 Forester was the Worst Subaru I ever owned. It was my 6th since 1978. And I never had to fight with Subaru so much in my life. I remember when my 85 GL wagon had a heat shield rattling after 9 months, Subaru replaced the Center Exhaust section, I didn't even ask them to. Now it's a different story.
My point is, You ARE getting it done, and it sounds like without any hassle (other than your own).
I did replace it this past May with a 2004 Forester. Now I have the car I expected to purchase over 2 years ago. Just hope this continues as my past Subaru experiences and not the more recent.

oareagle

There must be something about 2001 and 2002 manual Foresters.
We, too, had all sorts of trouble with our 2001 anual L model. Almost from the start, we had problems with shudder and gear grinding/engagement. Since 2001, we've gone through four new clutches, two TSB services and a total transmission replacement. They were all covered under warranty, but not without a lot of grief, letters to Subaru headquarters and, most recently, a month of the Forester being in the shop.
When the transmission started grinding again (six weeks after the transmission replacement) we decided that was the last straw. We traded in the Forester for a new Honda Accord EX V6 coupe, which, with its traction control, handles the wet stuff as well as all-wheel drive, thank you very much.
We've owned four Subarus, and we have had no problems with our 2001 Outback Limited Sedan, which we hope to keep for another five or six years. But there must be some sort of curse on Foresters. I know I won't be getting another Forester. Depending on how my Honda and my remaining Outback experiences play out, we might be leaving the Subaru fold entirely. How long can it be before there's an AWD hybrid Accord ...?

mpgman

very close to getting a Forester! Yikes! Sorry about the problems but hope these are isolated to just a few cars.

The dealer wants $405/month for a 12k/3yr lease with 0 down on a car with a MSRP of $23,500. I think that is too high. Credit is very good so that is not the issue. Anyone out there with Subie lease experience? They were offering $249/month for a 12k/48 month lease and 0 down but I didn't want to go that long and be out of warranty. That was for a base X with auto minus a lot of the goodies I was adding. Are Subies better off bought than leased? Thanks.

c_hunter

Well, our Forester was a great car, and I know many other people who have had great experiences with them. I do feel sorry for the problems other folks have had, however! But overall, I'd say problematic Foresters are a small minority (little consolation if you are one of the few!).

mpgman, forget the potentially-confusing payment numbers and focus on the bottom line. You should be paying invoice or slightly below invoice on an 05 Forester. You can use Edmunds tools to price out a car with the options you are considering, and then see the MSRP and invoice prices. You can work out the payments from that point. These payments can be used to put lease deals into perspective.

I have always financed my Subarus, and then sold or traded them 3-4 years later with equity of at least $2000-3000. So from my standpoint, I have been better off buying/financing. Some lease offers are attractive (I have seen the Subaru "Sign and Drive" program you are referring to and it looks good at first glance) but you have to remember that at the end of the term, you have invested all that money but you have to give the car back to them (or pay some pre-defined cost to buy the car). I have always found leases to be either a) an obviously a poor choice, or b) an unclear choice. I have never seen a compelling or obviously good lease offer that I could really understand. So I guess I can't comment whether or not it's a good idea. I do think you won't go wrong by financing the car as long at the rate is 4.9%/60mos 3.9%/48mos or better.

Craig

ateixeira

paisan might be able to get you a bull bar, he's here on Edmunds, too.

The hitch on my '98 Forester took seven 17mm bolts. You have to disconnect some stuff and then reinstall, but it's not too tough. I used a jack to help lift it, and some tie-wraps to hold it in place.

-juice

edunnett

Well, depending on your state's lemon laws, you may qualify for coverage under that, however it seems as though the lemon laws don't favor consumers very much. You'd be better off working through SOA and your dealer for retribution; if that fails, you may consider dumping it as your drivetrain warranty draws near to ending (after 50K miles or 6 years I think).

I had a bunch of small (and some not-so-small) engine and transmission problems with my '01 manual transmission forester and was worried about the cost to me when it was no longer warrantied (dealer replaced the rear diff, 1st gear and synchro, axle joint, oil pump, piston pins, etc...). I had everything repaired under warranty, sold it for blue book excellent (while it still WAS in that condition) and got an '04 forester. I think I made the right decision and I hope the new owners have had nothing but reliable service from it but I wouldn't be so sure.

Elissa

p0926

you may consider dumping it as your drivetrain warranty draws near to ending (after 50K miles or 6 years I think).

Elissa- You got it reversed, it's 60k miles or 5 years :-)

-Frank

ateixeira

Maybe you got a Friday 5pm build. ;-)

But more seriously, we see reports of the reliability that are averaged out. That means one person could still experience 10 times as many problems as the next. In fact, with a large enough sample you can almost be certain of that, and I mean for any car, any brand.

Right now there's a guy in the B9X threads complaining about his Lexus RX tranny, ready to trade for a Subie. And don't mention the word "sludge" to any Lexus 3.0l V6 owners.

-juice

fbkord

Thanks for the info Elissa.
I would like to resolve this issue with SOA based on the facts. I wouldn't mind if they gave me an extended warranty on the car.
We'll see what happens. Are you happy with your 04 forester?
fbk

chipchipowski

Hello,

     Would someone please advise me how to program my alarm ('05 2.5X) for passive arming? The manual says to have the dealer do it. I prefer to be able to try either mode at my leisure. Thank you.

lfdal

If its like the 03's and 04's there's a jumper wire that needs to be connected inside the drivers side kick panel. It should be mentioned, albeit hard to find, in the owners manual.

I've done this for all 3 of our Subaru's and had no problems with it. BTW - don't depend upon the dealer to know this - I had to explain it to them and show them in the manual because they didn't think it was possible. Sigh.....

HTH
Larry

detroitwheelz

Wow, 15 MPG, too bad! I purchased my 2000 last June and thought that my average of 20 MPG (occasionally using AC here in L.A. county) was bad enough.

ateixeira

Any work they do is guaranteed for a year or 12k miles, so if that stretches beyond your warranty you get some extra coverage.

As they say, YMMV. I average 25.1 mpg and my '93 was only rated 21/27 by the EPA. The new ones are rated as high as 23/30.

-juice

brc2004

I just finished an 11 hour Roadtrip from Hell (yes, the Sunday after Thanksgiving). I managed to drive through pouring rain for the entire time, as the cloud front followed me northeast.

My Forester came through like a champ, but now, two days later, I notice that every time I Iower the window and then raise it, it is covered with moisture**. There must be water in the window wells. I'm not sure if this is going to cause mold, or if there's anything I can do to dry them out.

Any suggestions?

[**This may have been caused by having to repeatedly lower the wet window to pay tolls.]

p0926

The doors have drain holes to allow water to escape. If you can hear water sloshing in the door when you open or close it you've got a plugged drain. It's also possible that it's just taking a while for the residual moisture that's there to evaporate. This could take a couple of days (especially if there's high humidity).

-Frank

ateixeira

Some of us OCD Club crazies have been known to put de-humidifiers inside our cars, but I don't think it would help with the interior of the doors.

-juice

4mygrey

We always buy...a far better deal unless you just don't have any $ to put down or can't make a large payment or the rates are really high... And if you do have great credit you can take the dealer cash offer right now ($1000 or $1250 or something) instead of low rates, get the car below invoice, and still have the finance guy find you a rockbottom rate with a bank; we got 3.9% for 63 mos and still took the dealer cash rather than subaru rate of 2.9% (can't do both) and made out way better. Final payment was about $370 including $1850 trade, $5500 down (XT premium w/security, splashguards, bumper cover added). Interest rates are great now for buying cars.

gouldn

I just got back from a 1400 mile road trip (SF->Portland, back). With 72K, the car should certainly be considered broken in! I kept track of mileage with each tank and found that the car is very sensitive to speed. The first tank I averaged about 80 mph, and I got 26.5 MPG. The 2nd tank I slowed down to a 75 mph average and got 27.5, My best tank was 28.2 MPG keeping the cruise set at 70 on I-5. So I guess we all need to slow down!

The car is a 01 S with Automatic. I do have the roof rack crossbars on ... and I would assume that costs me at least 1/2 mpg.

mpgman

Thanks. Got spoiled by some of the Accord offers. Same MSRP as the Forester but a hundred less a month. Was thinking of leasing considering that cars are losing investments in terms of being worth less the minute they leave the lot and decrease thereafter. Thought that nothing down put the least amount of money at risk but the lease deals are not that great unless one goes for the 4 year one. I'd really like to see side head curtain air bags and just know that if I buy an 05 they will be standard in 06! Understand that the side seat air bags are head and torso but see that the Legacy now how as the curtains. Can't wait though. Need a car.

4mygrey

About the air bags... it was a litte scary to read about them in the manual... you are supposed to sit perfectly centered in your seat, facing forward, not lean on the door, not rest your arm on the ARM REST...all of this is ok while driving but I guess I'll take my chances while in the passenger seat and hope that we're not in an accident while I'm napping...in which case the dang thing would apparently shoot out of the seat into my back. Yes, I wouldn't exactly call that a marvel of engineering...the side curtains would come from above, no? I guess that would be preferable!

grahampeters

G'day

Subarus have two water seals areound the outside of the window. It is worth just checking that the area between the two has not got water sitting in it. A quick wipe with a dry cloth whilst the front window is down will do the trick!

If the water is on the inside, running the air conditioner and heat together will dehumidify the interior very rapidly.

Cheers

Graham

p0926

The airbags are designed to best protect you when sitting normally in the seat. If you're leaning against the door and sleeping, what's the difference with a seat mounted airbag hitting you in the back or a ceiling mounted airbag hitting you in the head/neck?

-Frank

4mygrey

That's a good point. I just feel like there has to be something better, for the way that people actually ride in cars...I don't think I'm the only person who sometimes naps on the door or puts my knees or feet on the dash (also bad, probably worse). And in this case, it seriously says in the book (with a picture to illustrate), "Do not rest your arm on either front door or its internal trim. It could be injured in the event of SRS side airbag deployment." I'm sure they are just covering their butts, but come on...given that the center console is useless as an armrest, this means no suitable place for either arm? Perhaps at least that part would be resolved with side curtains. But I don't know, it's not something I know much about. I was just a little alarmed to read all this in the book.

ateixeira

Pretty soon they'll mandate helmets. ;-)

-juice

satolsa

My 99 Forester's front cat converter just died on me. The dealer told me it would cost me $650($488part+Labor+Tax)I just got married last week, and paid $300 to replace a cracked headlight. After market part is only $200~210. Has anyone replaced it with after market part? How is it working?

ateixeira

Try an on-line wholesaler, that way you can get OE parts but cheaper.

E-mail parts@libertysubaru.com to get an idea of wholesaler prices.

-juice

chipchipowski

Did you check your warranty booklet? Emission control devices including catalytic converters are usually covered for much longer than the original warranty period. In California it is covered even longer. What state do you live in?

mpgman

Are there are two of these? Just like cars with 2 mufflers? Costs double to replace?

satolsa

Yes. The warranty ends after 80k miles. My Forester has 110K.

leo2633

I had to replace the front cat (out-of-pocket, of course) on my '01 Forester earlier this year at about 95K miles. It currently has 104K.

Len

dlb14frost

Picked up an XS on Tuesday and now I see there is a $1300.00 rebate. UGH

jlnorwood

I just bought my XS on Saturday! Arrgh! I paid
$24,100 for the XS with Moonroof, plus a few other upgrades. I'm betting the bottom line probably wouldn't have been too different, at least that's what I'm trying to tell myself.

ateixeira

Yeah, it takes a while for dealer to drop prices to match the increase in the rebate.

For a little while they try to bump up their profits.

So don't sweat it, it probably would have been a hundred or two, i.e. not significant in the big picture.

Enjoy the Subies.

-juice