Heating Issues in 2005 Outback?

I have recently purchased a 2005 Subaru Outback. I was immediately impressed by how quickly the heater heats up.
However, and this is a big however, my feet are always cold.
1. There's no option to only have the footwell vents on, the footwell setting also blows the defogger (and actually pushes more air to the defogger than the footwells when I turn it all the way up). The dealer told me that there was nothing they could do about this, and that all Subaru's do this so people don't unwittingly drive with a foggy windshield (and yet its fine to turn off when you put it on vent/footwell? bs?). The dash vents dry out my eyes in a hurry and the footwell blower is always underpowered regardless of setting.
2. Also, the vents for the driver side footwell blow into my shins rather than my feet due to their location. Has anyone made an attempt to get the air by your feet where it should be? I was thinking of rigging some visors or hip-shot ducting to redirect the air.
Its just an unpleasant feature in an otherwise awesome car for the winters in Buffalo. Does anyone else have these problems, have they found solutions? Any input for a newbie would be appreciated very much.
However, and this is a big however, my feet are always cold.
1. There's no option to only have the footwell vents on, the footwell setting also blows the defogger (and actually pushes more air to the defogger than the footwells when I turn it all the way up). The dealer told me that there was nothing they could do about this, and that all Subaru's do this so people don't unwittingly drive with a foggy windshield (and yet its fine to turn off when you put it on vent/footwell? bs?). The dash vents dry out my eyes in a hurry and the footwell blower is always underpowered regardless of setting.
2. Also, the vents for the driver side footwell blow into my shins rather than my feet due to their location. Has anyone made an attempt to get the air by your feet where it should be? I was thinking of rigging some visors or hip-shot ducting to redirect the air.
Its just an unpleasant feature in an otherwise awesome car for the winters in Buffalo. Does anyone else have these problems, have they found solutions? Any input for a newbie would be appreciated very much.
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Comments
Have you noticed whether the footwell only mode allows you to recirculate? It should...
Also, some air always flows from the two outboard dash vents, regardless of setting. The defroster (all vent openings for the defroster are on the top of the dash: two near and directed at the front side windows and a long opening across the front of the windshield) should only have active air flow in one of the two defrost settings. There might be a perceptible amount of air moving due to warm air rising, but it should not be strong enough to bother your eyes or even to notice unless you put your hand over the defrost vents.
Yes, it does blow into the shins rather than directly on the feet; at least for the driver. I would imagine a deflector could help direct the air correctly, as long as it does not interfere with pedal operation. I have never felt it to be a problem, but then I have more circulation issues with my hands than feet.
Living in Fairbanks, Alaska, I am quite aware of the different heat settings available on the car, but I do not like the seat heaters - they burn my rear. Well, okay, I do appreciate them at -40 and -50F, but only until the car's engine warms up enough to pump heat into the cabin!
-mike
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