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Comments
I'll combine hypov's advice with Ross' great name and officially name my Forester: "The Shinrin Raven", or just "Raven" for short. (Shinrin = Forest in Japanese).
That was fun. Thanks for the replies everyone.
Ken
My low beams work great on my Forester. Check to see if yours have been aimed properly. It could be that they're aimed a tad too low causing the cut off to be where you want light.
Ken
Sandy is off to her spiritual home (the sand) on Saturday. We're off once again to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We'll be in Rodanthe, but this time I want to explore a bit more. I'd love to hit Carova, if it's not too far away, and maybe take her on a Ferry to some of the southern islands.
You can bet I'll have pix.
-juice
It would be cool to see some action shots of Sandy in the sand. How about some powerslides or rooster tails from all four wheels? :-)
Sequel to Crouching Tiger! LOL!
Ken
1. I installed Polk Audio 2-way speakers front and rear over the weekend. Easy install - perfect fit for rears, not 100% alignment of mounting holes in front. Kept in OEM tweeters in upper door panels. Sound is about 50-75% better - an improvement over OEM but not dramatically so. For the price still a good deal and far better quality materials than OEM. On the downside disconnecting the battery for the duration of the install reset my ECU so I'm back to crappy gas mileage (135 mi. on 1/2 tank so far, 80% city) for a couple of tankfuls. Resetting the ECU has its advantages but here's a blatant disadvantage; must fuel economy suffer every time you disconnect the battery?
2. The improved speakers help drown out an irritating rattle that has developed in the dash somewhere in or below the instrument cluster. More noticeable on rough pavement (e.g., most of Pennsylvania), it sounds a bit like a teletype machine. I have removed everything from the change box/fuse lid and the dashtop binnacle, as well as removed the ignition key from the key ring, to eliminate those posible sources of noise. Still it remains.
3. Cleaning dried wax from unpainted plastic: an old worn out toothbrush with a little Simple Green worked well, but left the plastic on the door handles and roof rails looking dull - the "new car" sheen is gone from them. I picked up a bottle of Mother's Back to Black at lunch today and tried it out on the rear bumper step. Looks very good - dark but not greasy looking like Armor-All and the like. May have a winner here, just hope it's not something that washes off after the first rain.
Ed
Glad to hear the speaker install went well. That's about the same kind of improvement I noticed with my Sonys and Polks -- not drastic, but noticeable.
Unfortunately, your engine will run rich after an ECU reset. It's being conservative until it can figure out the optimal settings for fuel economy. My fuel economy usually is back after one tank.
Another thing that works well for removing wax is Meguiar's Paint Cleaner. It's designed to remove old wax and other gunk so it'll do well on your plastic parts.
Ken
I never really named any of my vehicles though I have been leaning toward "Chester" for the Forester and "Harold" for the Lark. I tend to think both are male but the Stude is a little milquetoasty. After all it spent almost all its life as a grocery getter for a little old lady in NJ (even had a single shopping cart-shaped dent in one door to prove it). If I could remember the character's name in "Doonesbury" who carried the torch for the late Lacey Davenport I might name the Stude after him.
Ed
It's boxy, white, and has a huge hole in the roof, sounds similar to Forester—so "Toaster" is a perfect name.
Bob
Ed
As for car gender. I need to check under my OB's rear bumper to see if it's a he or she. Since I bought the rear diffy protector for it's sport outings I guess that makes it a him. Now for a name.
Greg
Greg, I never thought about it, but Rufus also has the diffy protector so that may be why I think of him as male. LOL
Ross
I care for it like a complex, smoothly-operating, capable machine upon which I will depend for many years. (I never sell cars: always run them into the ground or donate them when they become too much trouble.)
I always referred to my old Loyale by some name, here is how it was changing over time:
"new car" -- when bought new, in addition to old Escort
"red car" -- when Escort got traded for another (gray) Loyale
"Subaru" -- when gray Loyale was replaced with Honda Accord
"old car" -- after I bought my new Forester (Silvius)
I'm afraid, if I always refer to Silvius as "Him" as was suggested here, my husband can get some wrong ideas :-)
I think tincup47's rationale is fairly accurate. I might even go so far as to speculate that, because motor vehicles replaced horses (which usually had names) as transportation, people continued to name their means of transportation. Aircraft and ships are usually referred to as "she" or "her" though I cannot recall the reasons why.
Ed
My Dakota, on the other hand, has always been a "he" because of the raw untamed power. "He" blasts through the world while "she" tip-toes.
I think Ed is on to something with the horses. I have been known to pat the dash after a spirited adventure, and mutter "good boy" or "good girl" with a smile on my face. I feed it well and it treats me well. Maybe I was a cowboy in a former life!
Regards,
Frank
By the way, I am getting a very lousy mileage, 20-21 mpg. in mixed driving. With my previous car, a 2000 5 sp. maxima GXE, which had a 3 liter 222 hp engine, I was always getting at least 23-25 mpg. Must be the AWD + auto transmission...
kens - what Sony's did you buy, and were they for front or rear? For Home Theater Sony makes pretty lousy speakers (although their electronics are decent), are their car speakers any better?
I saw some websites showing 4 inch for rear doors, others 6 1/2. I assume the 6 1/2 speakers work if you remove the plastic "holder"?
The size of the front doors should be 6.5" and 5" for the rear. I personally feel Sony speaker are quite lousy.
I got 21mgh also. Maybe because I normally drive 75-80mph in freeway.
Rgds,
Jack
Ken bought Sony Xplod 3-ways for the front IIRC; I wanted to keep the same brand front & rear, plus I already had the tweeters in the upper doors (may want to replace them someday). Crutchfield is running a sale on them now.
Hope this helps,
Ed
I brought my Forester at January and the dealership (Ron Price at San Francisco) offer me the Subaru Maintenance Plan and I felt service on every 3750 miles a little bit long. So, they offer me to pay a little more to have 2 sets of coupons so that I can do it every 2000 miles. Everything seems fine when I do my first 3 services at San Jose(I work there). But I receive a call today from the manager after I did my 4th service at Santa Cruz Subaru saying that their claim of the coupon was reject by Subaru since "coupon was used on 4/30/01,and again on 6/18/01". Here is the email that I ask him to remind me:
Jack-
The coupon we used for your service (coupon # INB-02),was already used at another dealership(the records indicate that this coupon was used on 4/30/01,and again on 6/18/01- the second claim on this coupon was rejected by Subaru). Our claim on this coupon has been rejected as well. Please send me the next coupon in sequence (should be coupon # INC-03), or please remit $42.00 to us to cover the price of this service.
Thank You,
Bruce(Subaru of Santa Cruz)
Is SOA not allow my car to have 2 sets of maintenance coupons? If so, how come dealership at SF would sold me a package like that? If not, how should I resolve it?
Thank & Rgds,
Jack
Thanks
http://www.thule.com
http://www.yakima.com
Good luck
Mike
1. My Yokos have been rim leak city from the very first week. There is plenty of tread left in them, so they're not ready to be replaced. Apparently the Forester is very sensitive to any change in tire pressure. If there is a 1-1/2 lb change in tire pressure on any tire, the car will pull toward the side with the low pressure. I've had the tires "cleaned" twice and they're performing better now, but I watch them pretty carefully. My mechanic tells me the problem is alloy rims.
2. I've haven't named any of my Subarus. Having a somewhat superstitious world view, maybe I figure it's bad luck. I named my first car, a silver Mazda 323, Jezreel. On January 30, 1996, at 17 below on black ice, I flew over the guard rail on Shephard Road on the Mississipi River side (St. Paul, MN), rolled over twice (on snow) and stopped suspended upside down by my seat belts. Six people stopped to help. I walked out without a scratch. The car was totalled, but the driver's cage held. It was a good car (always started, even at 23 below) with an appropriate name (biblical), but for some strange reason I've tended not to name my cars after that!
3. Anybody have any ideas of what tires for the Forester are good in snow as well as rain and dry? I will check the Tires, Tires, tires board, but I was wondering if there was a good all around other than the Aquatred 3, which can be problematic. I had a set of Duralons (Fleet Farm) on my old Legacy (love of my life) that could not grip in snow for love or money -- my wheels would spin at stop lights. I'd have to put it in 3rd to use the limited slip differential to get out of that again and again. I haven't used the Yokos on snow yet, but what I am hearing ain't great.
Noelle
Racks -- Actually, the Subaru OE racks are streamlined so they're quieter than the standard Thule rectangular bar or the Yakima round bar. The advantage of aftermarket racks are that they allow you to use the full line of that manufacturers accessories. However, Thule and Yakima sell adaptors that allow you to use the factory rack.
Noelle -- Unfortunately, you're not going to find a tire that excels in all type of weather conditions. Rain, snow, ice and dry all require different tread characteristics that are not good for one another. The best is to purchase separate summer and winter tires. All-season tires are always going to be a comprimise. Check out a site like Tire Rack (www.tirerack.com) and shop around for a tire that best suits your needs. For example, if you only see light snow, then an all-season tire may suffice. If you regularly drive in deep snow, you'll be much better off with dedicated winter tires.
Ken
Ross, I'll let you explain the psychological reasons as to why people name their cars and have emotional attachments to them ;-)
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
P.S. I like "Chester" too. How about "Rover" or "Charlie"?
Now, all he need is a Code of Arms to complete the picture. ;-)
Yet Another Dave
On a more serious note, has anybody put on a wind deflector for their moonroof? My moonroof gives a high-pitched whistle when we drive over 65 with it closed. Also, I love driving with the roof open, but sometimes find the sun a little strong on my eyes. The wind protector looks like it might solve both of these problems. Anybody's experience would be greatly appreciated.
-Frank P.
Wait a minute. Juice?
I think it's a warranty question.
Joe: I put a "Windflector" over my aftermarket roof, and it's reduced the buffeting when I remove the glass significatly. It was $30 at Pep Boys, universal fit with two-sided 3M tape.
To translate: bought Forester in 5/00, in 6/01 at 8250 miles the wheel bearings went bad. They do not have parts in stock and have to order them from Costa Rica at 3 times the price. Is this right? What is the length of my warranty? That's my question.
It's a common problem, and here they are replaced for free under warranty. Usually there were over-torqued to begin with. Our warranty is different than yours, I think you get 2 years. I'll try to answer in my broken Spanish:
Melita: Es un problema comum aqui. Subaru of Amercia cambia las balineras por la garantia, e no pagas nada. En geral, ellos usam torque demasiado na instalacao. Pienso que su garantia es de 2 anos, entonces no deves pagar nada.
Francis: we aren't "normal". You knew that, right? ;-)
Noelle: I'd replace the valves. I doubt the rims themselves are bad. Air leakage is rare - I don't think I've ever heard of another similar problem on these boards, or Yahoo, or I club, for that matter.
-juice
http://isuzu-suvs.com/events/index.html
-mike
Mike
Gas Mileage. Automatic transmission. I get between 19 and 20 in city. Just did a drive from Houston to the Tennessee and South Carolina with our two young boys and with our Walmart "Jet Bag" affixed to to the roof rack loaded with 4 suit cases and other items. Drove 75-80 mph. Got 24 mpg. FYI
-juice
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
I had to ask about 4 people to finally agree on what they meant by "balinera".
-juice
(Sorry, I know I shouldn't pick on sentence structure in a post -- especially since my own can get darn sloppy -- but the mental image of the kids up there with the Wal-Mart "Jet Bag" just gave me a chuckle.)
No entiendo la palabra "balineras". Por favor, explica detalladamente qué son.
No es normal que te cuesten 3 veces su precio. Quizá te estém cargando el precio de la importación de un país a otro.
Espero que a pesar de todo disfrutes de tu Forester. El mío tiene casi tres años y 70.000 kms., y no ha tenido ni un solo problema.
Un saludo cordial,
Tomás
Wish I remembered the 6 years of spanish I took in school. Have enough problems with Inglish.
Greg
This link lists "balineras" with various bearings (not for Subaru though).
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
-juice
Now, if I only know what you said. :-)
Juice - I forgot it's Portugese (sp) you speak, and here I am a 'coo' to think Brazil=Spanish. ;-)
Reality Check: World Wide Web shrunk the world.
It's a big continent!
-juice
...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html
"[He]...set a land speed record for street-production cars on the Bonneville Salt Flats. (He got a factory-built Subaru up to 178 mph)."
Anybody know any details about his setup?
Good on you for having a go at Spanish as well. What is it with Portugese speakers and language? My skill is restricted to ordering a beer and finding the toilet in any country I visit.
I had a limo driver in Geneva some years ago who conducted an extremely complicated philosophical discussion with us each day in English. I asked him how many languages he spoke and replied "Only six properly..." Yes, and about ten others passably!
My daughter's mate arrived in Australia from Brazil last year with no English, now tops the class at it (spoken with a broad Australian accent) and has also mastered German sufficiently well to top the class. Disconcertingly, she asks us to speak "English English" (ie.. neutral recieved pronunciation without Australian accents) for her so she can master that as well. I am not sure whether I should feel impressed or worried.
On the wheel bearing question that melita is asking, it seems to be a recurrent problem (mentioned in these pages) with wheel bearings being overtightened. Once done, there also seems to be a problem with damage to further components and hence merely replacing the bearing may not fix the problem.
There have been spates of posts on this issue on the Forester board from time to time over the last year or so and hence I suspect the local dealer should be aware of the problem also.
Cheers
Graham
Thanks for your understanding and support in me trying an answer in Spanish. We all know this in an English speaking forum, but should not forget that the main point is communicating and trying to help. I only did my part.
(Actually, Juice may not remember me, but he helped me in the past with background and intsllation hints for a rear sway bar. Forever indebted...)
For all of you interested, here goes the translation:
Melita. At least in Spain, Subarus get 3 years of warranty or 100K kilometers, whatever comes first
I don´t understand the word "balineras". Please, explain what it is in detail.
Is not normal they charge you 3 times their cost. They may be charging you their import duty when bringing from a different country.
I hope you enjoy your Forester anyway. Mine is 3 year old and has got 70K kms., without a single problem
Best regards,
Tomas
-mike