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Be advised you are not buying 'HID' lights when you simply get blue bulbs. You are buying 'HID-look' lights and there's an important difference.
The "look" bulbs merely restrict the spectrum of light put out on the road to the shorter (blue-er) end of the spectrum for a blue look currently considered trendy. From a vision perspective this is a no-no, denying your eyes the colors they normally process with. This causes eyestrain, slows recognition of objects, and annoys oncoming drivers.
Of particular importance, the longer the lightwave, the less light scatter back at the driver when particles are present (dust, fog, rain). Since these "looks" only use the shorter lightwave frequencies you have more glare, which contributes to the eyestrain mentioned above.
For all around performance, I suggest the Phillips WeatherVision bulbs which put out a natural light spread for less fatigue on long drives. They're tough to find but worth it - particularly if you drive in foul weather. As for bulb life, I've used several different PIAA bulbs over the years and have uniformly been disappointed. PIAA has good customer service though, and once sent me 4 bulbs in a good hearted attempt to keep me happy while they tried to resolve a short life issue on the pricey Ion Crystal bulbs.
IdahoDoug
Mike k
bit
I used a hand pump for the tranny gear oil. They are purpose built. Just do it on a warm day so the oil is thin.
bedsond: yahoo! Sweet, our 626 was the same way, except it needed it at much lower mileage. Keep on runnin', you'll soon be in the 1/4 million mile club. :-)
-juice
juice- The hand pump also worked great when I had to remove gear oil from the tranny. (Followed the "service manual (incorrect @4.2L)" vs, the "owner's manual (correct @3.7L)" fill volume for manual tranny.)
Jim
Thanks!
Patti
I read something interesting the other day, for example Sunoco and Citgo does not import oil from the mid east. These are the two major ones. One theory is that try no to buy mid east oils the other is to buy so the sooner they run ou the better for us is.
There was an article on gasoline brands and octane in this past Friday's NY Times. They were talking about consumer loyalty and whether or not one brand is better than the other.
Someone from Consumer's Union said that CR was going to do a brand comparison, but found the differences were too small to do the article. He then went on to say that he mainly uses Sunoco 94.
-Dennis
Oh well... trying to track down the Phillips Weathervision H1 (55W) IdahoDoug mentioned...
Funny thing, I wrote down the bulb name Friday and put it away for when I would need it in a couple years and POOF, my bulb blows Saturday night...LOL!
Ralph
-juice
They also took a look at the brakes and rotors(they had told me I had to cut the rotors). This time they said they were bad enough to be replaced, again under warranty. Since they had everything up and off, I had them do the brakes (F&R) at the same time.
I now have a new clutch, rotors, and brakes. When I aksed why the brakes and rotors went so early ~36k, they said the parts Subaru at that time was using were not up to par. Now supposedly they have been improved. Time will tell.
Mark
PS: Hey Mike- I'm ready for the 48hrs 2 now!
-juice
I think there were problems with the Hellas. I switched over to Philips Vision Plus pretty early on so I never got to experience the useful life of the Hella, but a friend of mine with them had one go out in about a year too. The Philips I've had have been great. I think I've lost one well after two years of use. The other one is still working fine.
Ken
The following is edited from a direct e-mail I got from Subaru Dealer rep, Patti Mickel. This was most helpful and is a great example of the dedication Subaru has for resolving owner's concerns (but you already knew that, right?)
My friend is going to a local place to retrofit (add spacer blocks) to brake & gas pedals. She will file for the reimbursement. BTW, the spacer blocks will cost $400 installed.
Thanks again,
Brad
======================================
I saw your post on Edmunds. I'm sorry about your friends problem and please convey my concern.
1st - please ask her to call 1-800-SUBARU3 and relay the information on how she was treated by the dealership. We take issues like this very seriously.
2nd - there are places that can modify the vehicle though out the U. S. Please check the yellow pages. If that doesn't work, our Customer Service Representative can call the dealer for a recommendation. Subaru does offer a vehicle modification program for folks with a handicap or disability. If your friend can get a note from a Doctor stating that the change needs to be made to accommodate her for her stature or for her leg/back problem, she will be reimbursed for up to $500 for the change. It shouldn't cost more
than that anyway. Once again, the Customer Service Rep. can help her with this.
Patti Mickel
Quality Control/Training Leader
Customer Dealer Services
Thanks!
Patti
And I do like the DRLs - people stop and don't pull out in front of me as much as with my car w/out DRLs.
Ralph
-Dennis
Recently, my gas mileage, which was slowly but steadily improving from an abysmal 18 mpg city when I purchased it dropped from 22-23 mpg city to 12-14 mpg.
The Subaru dealership in White Bear has told my fiance that this drop in mpg is due to the recent cold temperatures combined with city driving. Now, while I'm a vector biologist and not a mechanic, I don't believe that this would cause the mpg to drop by %50. Three or four mpg I'd buy but I'd like someone knowledgeable and independent of subaru to comment on this topic.
The subaru dealership told us to record the gas mileage on 3 tanks of gas and return if the problem persisted (although we had recorded this problem on two previous tanks after we noticed it dropping).
I'm curious if anyone else has had issues with gas mileage on 2002 foresters and if so, was the problem ever fixed and if it was fixed what was responsible for the trouble?
My thanks to anyone who takes time to answer this problem, if it persists I'm going to have to consider buying another vehicle from a different company. I'm not at all happy about Subaru's service in this matter thus far.
Oxygenated fuel plus cold weather driving does affect gas milage, but 50% does seem extreme. I don't think I could get to 12mpg even if I tried! Sounds like the dealer is giving you a bit of a run-around.
I'd give Subaru customer service a call to get a case started (1-800-SUBARU3) in conjunction to following up with your dealer.
You're still within the 1st year mark where dealers should be very good about addressing concerns.
Ken
Regarding your mileage, I agree with Ken, the cold weather combined with oxygenated fuel will certainly cause your mileage to drop but 50% is an extreme amount. However, I've no other explanation for the fall-off.
-Frank P.
-Frank P.
I've seen my share of trailer light problems. However no experience with a subaru...
Then is there corrosion on the contacts/plug to the car? How is the ground wire on the trailer and car? Sometimes you can't rely on the hitch to provide the grounding. Rust proofing can insulate the hitch from the car. Double check the connections for the wiring. Most cars its just a matter of following the wire back to a tee-connection. It could be near the spare tire? or maybe in or near the rear tail light? not sure with a subie.
--jay
Thanks for all the feedback. We'll try to use a different fuel and see if that doesn't help. Otherwise I'll try the customer service number that was provided by KenS in the previous post.
Thanks!
Patti
If you think your mileage is bad with your Forester, try asking someone with another SUV.
In addition, the radiator has been replaced twice (not because of external damage, but due to faulty construction according to the dealer). I'm not sure if the two are related.
I haven't had any other problems, but feel like I need to sell the car before the warranty is gone. Subaru has worked with me and replaced everything under warranty, luckily, but I am nervous. Any information would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Mark
-mike
Once again, I'm sorry but please be assured that everything is documented and you shouldn't have another similar problem.
Thanks!
Patti
Happy Thanksgiving!
Patti
Thanks Patti, I probably will have the dealer look at it and let you know if there's a problem. Happy Thanksgiving to you and hope you're doing and feeling better!
-Frank P.
Keri
-Dennis
Just a note to your superiors; in part because of your participation on these boards and the responses you've submitted to those lucky enough to receive your assistance in times of trouble, I chose to purchase an '03 X almost four months ago.
I was unsure of leaving the Honda brand but felt more confident to do so with your presence and the support of SOA standing behind you.
Regards,
pnassmac
Frank: check the spare tire well to make sure the harness is plugged in right. It's at the back of the well. Then follow the wiring through the grommet that leads to the underside. Could just be loose or cooked to a well-done standard if it hit the exhaust.
-juice
Ken
-Frank P.
Don had told me, and Diane confirmed this, that Subaru feels the clutch disk is a wear item. In the past when they have tried to get it covered under warranty they have been turned down. Thanks for the heads up though.
I did tell Diane that she has a good group out there looking out for their customers.
Mark
Came out of the stores on Monday to find some careless eejit ( I would call them something stronger but foul language is not allowed on this forum)anyway two large dings high up on the right rear quarter panel, one of them the paint is broken.
There used to be some outfits around here who specialised in fixing stone chips in the paint but I have not seen them in a while, I guess I will try fix the mark in the paint as best I can,it is not a big chip but to me at the minute it looks to be about two foot square.
Called the paintless dent removal guy to take care of the dents, but because the panel is double skinned I had to remove the interior panels to get him some sort of access, hopefully tomorrow the dents will be gone.
Needless to say my mood for a couple of days was foul, If I had found out who did it I would have beat the crap out of them.
Cheers Pat.
This story, purportedly true, happened to an aquaintance of mine in Detroit years ago and will make you feel better about the 'door dingers' of the world.
He was in line at the grocery store and happened to look out where he'd parked his Civic when two huge guys got out of their Ford pickup next to it. The driver paused with the door open to look at the Civic, then said something to his friend as he twice banged to door into the Civic. They walked on into the store.
The Civic owner walked out and found a nasty door ding in his Civic and briefly considered his options. Noting a tool crate with a couple hammers in the pickup bed, he drove the Civic to a parking lot around the corner and jogged back. He grabbed the hammer in a rage, and took a fast lap around the pickup, bashing every panel several times as he did so. Then he smashed out a couple windows before tossing the hammer onto the driver's seat and running back to his car.
I do not reccomend this strategy, but it must have felt pretty satisfying, no?
IdahoDoug (who hates door dingers, and has his own story too)
Mark
-Colin
Like Colin said, it's just a machine. How can I not forgive my daughters?
Jim
I got out for a quick look and told him not to worry about it. I noted the WWII veteran plate on his car and asked him about it. We chatted for 10 minutes or so on a warm California Sunday morning and nothing else mattered. He told of incredible depravity, losing friends and what it was like to be under fire for days at a time. To him it was yesterday.
I went on to meet friends at the coffee shop and he went off to his errand and we both took something from the incident. I hope some day when I'm 80 and scuff some young executive's fancy new car with my old LandCruiser I get treated the same way.
IdahoDoug
I'm no mechanic, but my 00 OB was in for a new timing belt adjuster (warranty) and resurfacing of front brakes...some pulsation (again warranty), and my service guys calls me to tell me that my pads are very thin and only about 30% left (pads usually replaced at 10%)!!! I only have 36,000 KMs on it!!! I drive 50/50 highway and city, and don't think I drive my car too hard. Is this normal?
My service guy tells me I am better off changing now since my new pads will be going onto freshly surfaced rotors, therefore, significantly reducing on-going pulsation in the brakes. And because they've got the disks off for resurfacing, they are not charging me for labour...just the cost of the pads. I was considering trading the car in latter part of next year, as it nears 4 years old, but I don't think 20% brakes will last me that long, so I told him to go ahead. Still, it seems odd that the brakes wear so quickly. Is this common for Subs?
However, my vehicle is a 5-speed and lighter so that may make a difference.
I drive about 80% highway.
Ken
As to the pulsation, be advised that thinning the rotors with machining them is a textbook method for making them warp more easily. The correct way to fix this would be to apologize that the original rotors warped so easily and install a set of new thick rotors that are less likely to warp. Also, check for overtorqued lug nuts, which also cause warped rotors and are an epidemic in the fast paced vehicle service world....
IdahoDoug
I take extremely good care of my car to the point where I make sure never to ding another car, I know how it feels when you come out and see a bloody great ding on a car that cost me a lot of hard earned dollars, and a lot of time and effort to keep in nice condition.
It may be just a machine but to me there is never a good excuse for just pure carelessness.
Cheers Pat.