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Comments
I've done a lot of things over the years but for the last 24 I've been doing that. Not incorrectly converting things but teaching. LOL
and where in NY did you pick yours up for $24.5?
I got it here: http://www.bkcars.com/
Len
It's easy to apply and does not stain the black trim (plastic and rubber), and worked as advertised. Water beads right up and runs off. I also tried my wax test: toss a rag on the hood, and it should slide right off and fall on the ground. It passed, so I was pleased.
There may be better products (like Klasse?) but with a busy family life the ease-of-use factor was important to me, and the Bullet Wax met my needs.
Give the guy some credit - he asks for a portion of the VIN, and follows up constantly with registered members to keep the data up-to-date.
CR, JD Powers, and Strategic Vision all base their scores on a survey filled out at one point in time. True Delta is in touch on a continual basis.
I'm not actually. I was amazed myself that it performed so well. There's an internet video available of it smashing into a stationary barrier at a fairly high speed and the passenger compartment survives relatively intact. I'm not so sure the Expedition would fair as well.
You really need to get past the overly simplistic mass = good mentality
-Frank
And also, if I want Bluetooth option, must I also purchase Navigation System option? (I want Bluetooth, but I already have a portable GPS that I am happy with.)
What model has these options, plus spoiler & raised roof rails? (But I DON'T want leather interior.) Thank you.
I am interested in the 2.5X/Auto. I am looking for a family friendly (expecting first child) and safe small SUV. The Forester seems to be exactly what I am seeking, but I am slightly concerned since it is a first year model. I did not read about any major problems in this thread. Has anyone had any major problems or regrets about buying the 2009 Forester? Is anyone still having problems with some of the minor problems listed in this thread? Thanks for your feedback.
-Robert
All models except the base 2.5X (w/o Premium Package) come with roof rails. The spoiler comes standard on the turbo models and as a port or dealer installed accessory on the NA models.
At a steady 70 without the air on, fuel economy was a little ahead of the EPA number at 24.6, but at 75 with the AC on it dropped measurably. Average for the whole trip was 22.8, including some stop and go on the Kennedy back in Chicago. I'm not unhappy with that, but my Acura TL stays in the 28-30 mpg range on the highway, so I think that'll stay the summer road trip car in the future. The only other minor gripe is that the steering is a little light at speed--it's great around town, but you have to make a lot of little corrections on the highway.
Overall I couldn't be happier with the Forester--it's got probably the best balance of comfort, utility and performance of any car I've ever owned, and for the price nothing can touch it.
Doors sometimes buzz around 55 - 65 degrees (interior metal clearances ?). Rear seats and rear storage areas can rattle over bumps. Roof Light Console can make loud creaks and snaps (fixed by adding internal plastic liners / silicone spray).
Auto trans clunks once in a while when downshifting. Sunvisors feel cheap.
Trim around transmission is __really__ easy to scratch.
Other than those annoyances, XT-L works fine and is proving a good trip car. Engine's responsive w/ very little turbo lag. Mileage is 18 (in town w/ cold engine) to 27 (on freeway, crusing at 65 - 70 w/o AC)). Handles well with little lean. Is really nice to be able to accelerate in turns w/o spinning front/rear out.
XT-L's real test, however, will be this winter.
I am glad the hear that the drive train is basically the same from the past several years. It sounds like there are just some minor annoying things.
Kurt, how frequent and annoying is the buzz around the door? I'll be moving to the Northwest soon where it is always 55-65 degrees.
At speed the road noise masks it out.
It seems loudest between 55 and 65 degrees. At high or low temperatures I have not heard it.
If you are looking at a vehicle try lightly rapping outside of door near the rearmost latch mechanism. If you hear a hollow buzz or rattle after your rap, then you may hear the buzz while driving.
My XT-L was built in January 08, so Subaru may have fixed this by now.
I live in the Northwest with those temps. I'm getting no buzzing or rattles or sounds from the doors or anywhere else with the 09. If I have something sitting loose in the console, glove box, floor or in the back somewhere it will rattle.
Paint anywhere on the vehicle scratches easily or at least more easily than other vehicles I've owned. You have to be extra careful about any hard edged objects touching the exterior paint. Use plenty of soap and water to clean the exterior - the more water the better for avoiding scratches.It might the same for a new Toyota, Mazda, Nisson or whatever. I don't know.
I'm getting better mileage than some are reporting here but I have almost 10,000 miles on ours. I don't baby it and drive it normal - no hot rodding but usually a bit above speed limits. I'm still checking the mileage with a calculator. Sometimes after resetting the trip meter the mpg readout will be under 20mpg and then slowly creep up. Sometimes I just reset it while driving and it can jump to 28 and as high as 33 or even more. Then it will lower to like 27 and then settle to about 25 for in town type driving. If I let it creep up from say 18mpg after resetting it from a stop it will gradually climb to about 25mpg. Like I said on my previous post, we got an honest almost 28mpg for the whole 7,000 mile trip.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/safety-recalls/carcrashtest/crashtestvid- eo.htm
It does OK for its size, but there is a chance of head injury, and it does "Good" but it's not a "Best Pick" like the Forester is.
Patrice: the stereo opening is double-DIN, just about the most universal size you can find. Since you do not want leather, get a basic model and then swap it out entirely. You can get DVD capability, GPS, hard drive, backup cam, etc, all for probably less than OE pricing on the GPS.
Roberts: my only regret is that our 2009 Forester is my wife's car.
5K miles on it now. I live in the Pac NW.
I too haven't experienced the various issues raised on this blog regarding rattles, squeaks, buzzing, buttons popping out, other misc sounds, etc. My Forester runs solid and quiet - even over uneven pavement, speed bumps, etc.
I do have to agree, however, with this post comment about the quality/durability of the paint finish. My Forester is the metallic gold color, and I understand that certain darker pigment colors are "softer", but compared to other vehicles I currently own and have owned in the past, I think the Forester paint finish is substandard. This assessment is based upon the scratches and nicks I've picked up so far, and upon a close up detailed eval of the paint finish. The paint thickness seems marginal...(?)
I've also read that Subaru uses an environmentally friendly water based paint type, so maybe that is a contributing factor. And to be fair, my other vehicle currently is a Mercedes - which probably has the best, most technologically advanced paint finish system in the industry (and yes, you do pay for that!). But in any case, it's a disappointment, because I do love the color and how the Forester looks. I just hope it will hold up. [PS - will post pics soon, I promise!].
No car is perfect and they all have down sides. The new 09 Forester is no exception. The interior material quality and the paint bug me but the rest of the car is great. I've own dozens of vehicles over the years and all of them were a compromise. I'm getting old, LOL.
On a side note. I'm afraid the only criteria for cars in the next few years will be gas mileage. People will be giving up what they really want for they need. It will be interesting to see how the automakers respond. What does Subaru have up it's sleeve for cars like the Forester?
Diesel and CVT coming in a few years.
1 1/4" square opening as opposed to the usual 2". I would like to get a bike rack for the hitch and would like to know if I will have to buy it from subaru or is there after market bike racks that fit a 1 1/4" trailer hitch? :confuse:
When purchasing a bike rack, I decided not to buy a 2" hitch rack which
came with an adapter down to the smaller 1 1/4". Instead I bought a lighter,
less expensive rack (mfr'd by Bell) which matched the Subaru hitch directly.
It still holds 4 bikes. I bought it at Joes on sale for about $69. It also folds
down so you can open the rear hatch with rack installed. I'm happy with
it.
I'd appreciate comments from current owners. If you have pictures, that would be great too. The pictures in the the brochure and on the website don't show much of a difference.
Thanks!
I think ideally I would like the Spark Silver with the gray interior; unfortunately that's not an option.
It seems that the Steel Silver looks dark in some pictures and in the paint chip in the brochure. When I was at the dealer it didn't seem too dark but now that I am home, I am not sure.
I had a 1.25" receiver on my 1998 Forester, usually with 3 bikes on it, and never had a problem. 2" is more universal but like you said, it's heavier.
Someone asked about the fuel tank - full capacity is 16.9 gallons.
Does the steel silver look darker in certain light?
I don't trust fuel guages nowadays. They start way above Full, end way below Empty, and they always seem to move faster near the middle mark.
I use one of the 2 trip odometers plus the trip computer's avg mpg readout.
At first I was getting frustrated thinking that each ding is reducing my resale and mad that it keeps getting dinged because I didn't get to trade it in for a new Forester because there aren't any out there. Then I realized that if I had, all this damage would probably have been visited on my new vehicle which would really have p***ed me off.
Actually, I learned a valuable lesson when I was 10. I got a new soccer ball as a gift and it looked really nice. The leather smelled great and the black and white patches were so shinny. I was afraid to take it out to the field and play with it...until a friend said "what are you going to do?..look at it all day?!" A few months later all the paint was taken off from the ball from continues use. It was now brown and you could not smell the leather at all.
So I expect to get a few dings and dents here and there. Especially since I live in NY. Its all part of normal wear and tear. So enjoy your wrx and don't sweat the small stuff.
I'd say it was because the guy behind you got going a little too fast!
I bet they were on a cell phone, or texting. :sick:
I just filled out a survey from Subaru and one of the things I complained about was the color selection. Though I must admit, I went to the Audi Driving Experience and the color pallette for the A4 was very nearly identical, in fact I specifically recall lots of white/black/gray/silver and just 2 colors - red and blue. Sound familiar?
The only difference was Subaru offers a green while Audi only has beige.
I think right now the trend is for customers to go with subtle, conservative colors. Neons from the 90s are out.
If anyone else has heard odd sounds while turning I would appreciate the info.
I'll keep an eye on it and try to better replicate.
I listened very closely and the sound is definitely inside the columm just outside the dashboard, not being generated outside the passenger compartment.
My guess is, given the steering wheel has numerous controls requiring power/data to be transferred to/from them, either a power induction coil or other device that is not properly fastened down is vibrating for a given steering wheel position.