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Comments
I think a lot of it is perception (based on what our tech. group has advised). Once again, as a reminder to all, if it is something that you find troublesome, your dealer has access to information that can change the perception but will not affect braking performance.
Patti
I agree that it's mostly a perception issue (which is why I put "soft" in quotes), which will vary among drivers. Personally, I don't find the 91 L or 00 GT brake feel much different than my 93 Civic. Thanks for the reminder about what the dealer can do; I'd forgotten about that.
..Mike
..Mike
Do you have a reference to the information the dealer has to change the perception of the soft brake feel? Is there a service bulletin number or something like that?
I am taking my Forester for its 3,000 mile service and need this perception changed desperately.
Thanks for all your assistance and care.
Daniel
I was anxiously awaiting H6 in the Forester line, but now started wondering: do we really need H6? So far, I had no problems with outrunning anyone on the uphill or freeway merging (that cannot be said about my old Loyale and husband's Accord). Of course, if we towed something that would be a different story.
I'm also very impressed with A/C: it was 57-97 (depending on elevation) outside, and A/C kept us all nicely cool running at the minimum setting.
Sound is so-so. I should have opted for premium sound, or I should look into the automarket. Bass is OK, but there's something funky with the treble. Oh well, you cannot have everything, right?
Strange thing: after going uphill almost all the time (0 - 10000 ft), on the twisty roads, my mileage was exactly the same as for the flat freeway driving: 22.8 mpg. Both old Loyale and Accord usually do about 30% worse in the mountains.
master cylinder, if I recall correctly... Nothing
that applied to your Forester though. The first
thing to do is make sure the brakes are bled
properly and fairly often --once per season would
be ideal, once per year at bare minimum.
After you are sure the fluid has no air or water
in it, the pedal will have two distinct zones. For the first 1-2" of travel the pedal will be soft but the brakes will be grabbing. After that first distance, the pedal suddenly becomes firmer and you must apply a fair bit of force to attain maximum braking.
I prefer a single stage brake booster, the pedal
feels the same for the entire stroke. It's more
difficult to modulate the brakes when the first
1-2" requires little effort and the rest of the
stroke requires a lot.
-Colin
kyotz -- I've heard other owners mention the "soft" feel of the pedals. Like Colin mentioned, you can have the feel adjusted a bit. Rest assured, Subarus have better brakes than most vehicles in it's class. How many other models in the same price range get dual caliper, 4-channel ABS brakes? In fact the 2001 OB gets even larger front disc brakes.
kate500 -- I agree that the H6 is not as big a necessity for the Forester as with the OB. I regularly go to Tahoe with a full load and the H4 does fine. What I'd like to see the Forester get the upcoming Impreza turbo engine. In fact, the FHI engineers who originally designed the Forester thought the EJ20 Turbo engine was the best match for what it was intended to do. Only the US got the 2.5L standard because they felt that US customers favored low-mid end torque.
Craig
The information was provided to the dealers via a "technical tip" vs. a service bulletin (a more informal communication method.
Tony: congrats on the new purchase. I also have a Forester L.
fido rs: welcome! I'm sure you'll be right at home in the Mods topic, we've been pretty active lately.
Colin: the RS a "truck"? I was LOL.
-juice
Sorry if you weren't able to attend, they flew away and I'm all out.
Second, I'd like to point out what a class act Patti Mickel is for the wonderful catered basket full of goodies delivered to the same event! We truly appreciate your thoughtfullness!
(psst: Tati loved the Oreos!)
Finally, a special thanks to Garry Grimes, another class act, for putting the event together and inviting the Crew.
Gettysburg is worth the drive. It was crowded! We had to fight to find enough parking spots to park in a group. We enjoyed the munchies, handed out T-shirts, and took a nice scenic bike ride around the battlefields.
We also talked shop for quite a while. I met FrankMc from the Crew; always cool to put a face to a name.
If anyone can attend the Fall Folliage Tour, I strongly recommend it. They'll have a Gimmick Rally and Tour, and it should be just as fun as Gettysburg.
Hop over to the Events topic for more details.
-juice
I really want to thank everyone who has helped, especially Juice and Paisan. I know I asked a lot of questions, especially about the Forester, but after driving the Outback and working things out, this is best for me for now. Besides, I told my wife once she gets her license and feels comfortable driving I'll give her the Outback, and I will go for a new (Grand?)Forester! Mike thanks for coming down and introducing me to Mark in person. He is definitely a nice guy, easy to work with. No pressure and very inciteful.
Patti for your wish list, how about variable interval wipers, front and back, on the Outback; and autodimming side view mirrors to go with the rear mirror.
Sorry for the long post but I am excited and again , thanks all!
Mark
They'll be mounted on magnetic backing and I'll take some pictures at the next autocross this Sunday.
-Colin
Enjoy the ride!
Craig
You are the BEST!
Thanks a lot to you and SUBARU. It is extremely refreshing to find a company that is dedicated to their clients in this manner.
This is really appreciated.
Thank you,
Daniel
Mark: congrats. OBs and Foresters have a lot in common, to each his/her own!
Edmunds Live in NJ? Hmm, how far is that? It was so fun I wouldn't mind going again. Seriously. How far is that from DC?
Colin: call it a belated b-day gift. Hopefully the extra 5-6 horses stickers provide will help your lap times.
My web site has been updated with Gettysburg photos, plus some intake changes, and a few fun snow pics with Loosh. Check it out here.
-juice
I cracked up at that photo of the coffee can. Who's was that? Here's a cool tip: paint a "Type R" (the R *must* be a capital red) on it and it will add another 20HP. Amazing, but true.
Ken
I also read in the owners manual (do people still read manuals?) that the A/C will shut down when certain loads (hills, acceleration, etc) are placed on the engine. This may have been what I felt on acceleration. I'll wait until after the break-in before I re-test any acceleration runs.
Thanks,
-Tony
If the information on the site is accurate, they seem like a wise investment. On my darkish color blue,the film would be nearly invisible close-up.
GPS Navigation: The Magellan unit looks fine, but I am planning on replacing my 6 y/o Garmin 95XL with the Garmin 295 color, it is an aviation unit that has street mapping capability. I've never used one in a vehicle, but handheld GPS units have come a long way and we use them for navigation on the ground at JFK for taxiway identification!
Break in: Is the owners manual clear about break in procedures? On the same subject, how is the owners manual in general? Well written or will I need to ask Colin for advice every other day?
Signed, Soon to join the Soob ranks!
-James
Craig
Ross
Drew
Just wanted to say that I had a good time at the gettysburg meet on Saturday, and that I hope I can find a way to go to the next one (or maybe Edmunds' Live!!).
teddy_b
P.S. I am also glad to be a new member of the town hall.
Welcome aboard.
-mike
If you are interested these are the directions to the Englishtown location:
FROM THE SOUTH
New Jersey turnpike North to Exit 8 to Route 33 East. Go 8 miles to the Englishtown exit. Take Route 527 North. Go through Englishtown.
Right onto Gordons Corner Road. Go 1/4 mile; make a left onto Pension Road. Go 2 miles, entrance on right.
I hope to have my Outback on Friday so that I can still go Saturday with my wife. I am curious how this compares to the Jeep 101 we attended last year.
Welcome aboard.
..Mike
PS - LOL, paisan!
..Mike
Ross
Thanks. Actually, me and my brother were looking forward to seeing your xt. I also hope to meet u soon.
-teddy_b
teddy_b
Ken: I just rested it on my exhaust as a gag. I wonder how it would sound? And hey, I thought yellow was the color for stickers that added the most horsepower?
Tony: yes, I RTFM'd (read the ... manual) and was surprised to learn about 6-7 things about the Forester early on. The new VW commercials poke fun at that, have you seen them?
James: like me, you'll be in the Mods topic asking Colin questions twice a day.
That's right, Edmunds Live is this weekend. No can do. I've been to several Soob events in a row, and it's my turn to watch the baby.
Bummer. Teddy was dying to go. Could'a given him a little early driver's ed, ya know?
Good point, no XTs or SVXs showed up.
-juice
-teddy_b
I recently purchased a Garmin Streetpilot and mounted it on the lid of the storage compartment on the dash. The streetpilot has a larger screen than the portables, and it is possible to download various detailed maps from your PC. It is also available with a color screen and an exterior arial.
The unit is very easy to use and possible to manipulate even while driving. OK, it is almost as bad as a cell phone. The only draw back is that it does not give directions to a location like the unit in the Acura does.
The unit is not quite portable as in "stick it in your pocket and go", but quite transportable between cars and the boat.
I got mine at 4X4books.com. They had the best prices. If you get it, also buy the carry pouch. It protects the unit very micely when you transport it between vehicles.
Daniel
Mark - follow Edmunds' link to OneSource. At least you'll have 3 quotes to compare.
-juice
Thanks!
Stephen
a. They are huge profit centers for the companies that offer them. That right there tells me they aren't a good buy.
b. Reliability is one of the main reasons I bought a Subaru in the 1st place.
If you're still considering, you should wait until your original manufacturer's warranty is about to run out and decide then (yes you can do that). If you do decide to get one, I'd go with Subaru's. Otherwise, you may have trouble getting the issuer to honor any future claims. Especially if it's significantly cheaper (you get what you pay for....yes this is over simplified but you get my drift).
-Frank P.
YOU might be able to do that, yes. I cannot. Whether or not you can depends on the state in which you live-- hmm, or perhaps the state in which it was purchased. Yes, I think the purchasing state. Anyway, some states have created protection laws like what you describe. Most people don't have that option and they either buy it when they buy the vehicle or not at all. That said I'd opt for not at all, unless the vehicle had been troublesome AND you could get a great deal on the extended warranty.
Another reason why you might want one is if you don't have proper savings. You should of course have at least 20% of your annual income available in conventional savings-- if you don't, surprise purchases can hurt, like a costly powertrain repair. Again I say no thanks and instead make sure you have adequate savings... many Americans don't though.
Always read the fine print too. Some extended warranties are co-pay on certain items, or parts only on certain items, etc.
-Colin
-mike
Craig
You also forgot the Cadillac Catera / Opel Omega. The Omega is more attractive.
-Colin
Back to Subaru stuff!
Let's talk Subaru. Who here has or intends to buy a dedicated set of winter tires & wheels for their AWD Subaru? I went without last year and to be honest it wasn't much better than not having AWD. AWD + crappy all seasons (RE92's, thank you Subaru) doesn't help you stop or turn.
I'm going with snows this year.
-Colin
You mentioned a while back that you were considering changing your order to a Premium S instead. What ever happened with that?
Ken
In Australia, there is a strong demand for a larger family car with a powerful engine. Rear drive is preferred as towing boats and caravans is very popular. Automatics are the preferred choice for most drivers. Given that many Australian roads are unmade, handling on dirt is a key factor. When ABS was first introduced, the programming, originally set for European conditions was found to be unsafe here with most drivers being able to stop more quickly without it on dirt. The technical reason for this is complex but essentially turns on the most efficient braking pattern on gravel being about 15% slip which allows a build up of a slight wedge of gravel in front of the wheel. Mercedes, the first major manufacturer to introduce ABS reprogrammed the system although I never felt happy about the brakes on my European C Class when on gravel or snow. I figured I could get shorter low speed braking distances by slight modulated locking of the brakes.
The Commodore and the equivalent Ford, the Falcon are excellent cars although a little on the agricultural side after sophisticated European cars. Japanese imports are far more popular than in Europe and Subarus far more common than in England. Somebody described them as sort of Saab like quirkiness which seems to fit. Incidentally, if you are a computer programmer or tech-head, the car of choice is a hot WRX. There is one in our office car park that has a trick pearl effect paint job which turns from pink/purple to gold/yellow as you walk by. It looks as awful as it sounds but somebody obviously thinks it is lovely.
Holden here do import several model ranges, including the Vectra which is made by Opel and or Vauxhall. One of my colleagues has one which I have not driven to compare to the European version. I anticipate minor suspension and tyre variations from the UK version.
Cheers
Graham
Stick with the name. Sounds like it fits! Just what do you do in Belize? I didn't know there was any chance for a Subaru there.
Cheers
Graham