Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

kens · December 2000

Lauren,

Thanks for clearing that up. That makes it even more strange -- I couldn't imagine treadwear in 4 months being the culprit. Did you do any towing with the Forester? If the Subaru dealer is right about the size difference, then I would suspect a quality control problem with the the tires. I would explain to the Sears manager about the needs of AWD vehicles and see if they can verify the problem. Also, check to see if there is a treadwear guarantee for the tires. If they do agree, I would get a different brand.

My concern is that there might be something else wrong that's causing the "jerkyness" you described. First, however, you need to rule out the possbility of the tires.

Good luck,

Ken

calessan · December 2000

I took my car to a glass shop today and they said I won't need to fix it in order to pass state inspection. So I'm just going to leave it - especially since it might get cracked again later this winter. If it does crack again, my new policy has no deductible for windshield repair or replacement. Thanks for all your suggestions!

Cristina

paisan · December 2000

Glad we could help. Hopefully others will check their policy to make sure they Zero deductible on the glass coverage!

-mike

lark6 · December 2000

Hi folks,

I'm back from SC with a couple of questions. First, how have you all dealt with the problem of having your Soob's window glass freeze to the weather-stripping? I left mine parked in an open-air long-term parking lot near the airport while I was gone. It snowed and thawed while I was gone and there was ice between the glass and the strip. I was afraid I would tear up the strip when I pulled the door open.

Second, have any of you dealt with Hadwin-White Subaru in Conway, SC? They're primarily a Buick-Pontiac-GMC dealership and, if I recall correctly, were taken to task on one of the national news magazine shows (20-20, Dateline, I don't know which) for among other things reselling lemons (the GMs, not the Subarus). Due to my parents' health I have a feeling I'll be spending more of my time down there in the near future. H-W is the closest dealer for many miles; the next closest are in Wilmington, NC (75 mi.), Charleston, SC (100 mi.) or Columbia, SC (120 mi.). If they are as horrific as their reputation I might be better off flying down and renting a car each trip.

As always, thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Ed

hammersley · December 2000

Ed: Here's a couple potential solutions:
I've used aerosol silicone spray applied to a cloth, then wiped on the weatherstripping. Not a complete cure, but a big help.

I'm fortunate that I have a heated garage available at work, so I can leave all the doors open to dry out once in awhile. Not an option for most, but the silicone thing usually works.

Cheers!
Paul

lark6 · December 2000

Thanks, Paul, for the tip. It'll come in handy with the blizzard we expect here in the Northeast.
My Soob is rarely garaged; although we have an unheated two-car garage at home, my wife's Accord gets one bay while my '63 Studebaker gets the other. I figure the Forester can handle the elements better than the Stude.

Thanks again,
Ed

bluesubie · December 2000

Ed,
I've also had good results with the silicone spray. I've read to not to spray it directly because the aerosol chemicals are bad for the seal (plus it makes a mess).
I'm originally from Myrtle Beach and had my '97 OBS serviced and H.W. a couple of years ago while visiting my parents. It was only for an oil change and I didn't have any problems (now I do my own). I liked the way the service area was set up because you drive into the service bay. With any dealer, it's a good idea to check their work thoroughly. Any problems just call SOA.

Dennis

amishra · December 2000

Garages are a mixed blessing in winter, especially if the temperature differences between inside and out are high they can cause accelerated corrosion. Quick changes in temperature can also cause cracking in glass or stress fractures in metals.

As for keeping your windows from sticking, you might want to try a silicon lube on the rubber. Just make sure to wipe up the excess!

see the following if you're interested in more:

http://www.roadtestonline.com/MAINTENANCE/tomt/tt-winter-salt-02.shtml

forest7 · December 2000

Have had my '01 Forester I since late March. Around the Oct time frame noticed the driver's cloth lower seat cushion becoming wrinkled. All of the other cushions are fine and regularly used.

Will be going in for service in January. Need some advice on how to discuss with dealer. Is this a problem for anyone else and is the cushion replaceable with no cost to me?
Michael D.

logger2 · December 2000

Had my 98 Forester in for an oil change yesterday and wanted the technician to check an oil leak from the front of then engine. He told me it was from the front crank seal and would change it at the same time as the oil. No problem right, wrong - after taking the cover off the timing belt area, he noticed the timing belt tensioner was not working properly causing the belt to rub on another part and is now worn out. So, an oil change now becomes a timing belt tensioner and belt replacement. This stuff in addition to changing a wheel bearing, sway bar linkage and clutch in the last seven months is starting to make me thing the certified pre-owned car I bought is a bit of a lemon!

mark212 · December 2000

One of the options on the forester01 S+ was an air cleaner. Is this available after market? If so where is the best place to buy and what is involved in installation? Has anyone had any experience with after market alarm systems? Dealers in the NY area do not order cars with factory alarms and charge $500 to install.

amishra · December 2000

why not install the factory alarm yourself? I installed the alarm in my Outback myself - took about 2 hours

subaru_team · December 2000

Hi Michael. The dealer should be able to handle it with no problem. If you run into one, call us (I know you all know the number 1-800-SUBARU3) and tell them that Patti at Edmunds referred you. Ask the Rep. to speak to me about your situation.

Happy New Year!

Patti

subaru_team · December 2000

FYI - we (Subaru of America) do not "Certify" used cars. However, it sure sounds like you have had your share of problems. The clutch and sway bar may have something to do with the previous owner, but there is no way to say for sure. Is the dealer taking care of everything to your satisfaction? If not, let us know and we can get involved and try to make sure all is made right for you.

Cheer up - there are not many customer's that we can't help!!

Patti

noclass · December 2000

Your local Autozone Store now carries K&N airfilters for the nice price of $41.95, part # 33-2075 is listed for the 96-99 Outback model only but works just fine in all the Legacy's for those years.

Garry
www.subaruclub.com

crashton6 · December 2000

You can buy the air cleaner & the alarm from www.qsubaru.com . The air filter looks like an easy install. The alarm system should be easy also.

paisan · December 2000

I think the original poster was referring to the Air Filtration system for cabin ventilation, not air-filter for engine breathing!

If it is the Air Filtration system, you need to get it from a subie dealer of which Qsubaru is!

In the NY area, try Staten Island Subaru/Isuzu, talk to Mark or Ira 718-979-9595 they can and will order anything you want, and do have some with factory alarms.

-mike

torek · December 2000

No one ever replied earlier to my question about 15k mile maintenance -- is there really any point to the expensive testing the dealer wants to do, or should I just change the air filter and call it done? :-)

Also (but perhaps I should put this in "mods"): I looked for the fender flares that Juice mentioned ages ago, in the dealer's "Forester accessories", and did not see them. Where does one get them and how hard are they really to install?

Chris

nypdau · December 2000

Well, my enthusiasm for Forester snow performance is somewhat dampened

Just a day after posting a rave in the "meet the members' discussion I now find that my Forester has a pronounced shimmy at speeds over 60mph. I can only attribute this to having driven in the snow here in nyc yesterday. I did not do doughnuts or any other maneuvers other than powering into and out of parking spots, and even then a minimum of maneuvering was required. So do you all think I just need an alignment? I just had the dealer rotate the tires last week too. Any suggestions would be appreciated!
James

blane · December 2000

nypdau:

Do you park your Forester outdoors? Or indoors?

Since you mentioned that you were driving in snow yesterday, you reminded me of an awful wheel imbalance or shimmy that I experienced about fifteen years ago. This was also a day after having driven in slushy snow. The stuff had frozen into a solid block on the lower inside of one of my wheels. When I drove the car it didn't break loose until I brought it into a shop for a wheel balace job. That was when they discovered the ice block, hit it with a hammer to break it free, and sent me on my way. No problems since.

paisan · December 2000

It's snow packed in the rim. It happens to my trooper and basically any car I've driven through mounds of snow that have alloy or wheels where snow can get caked on. Don't fret, just try to kick the snow out of the crevices gently, or hit some bumps and loosen it up.

-mike

kens · December 2000

James,

Sounds like ice build up in your rims. Clear away the snow and make sure you don't have big chunks of ice on your wheels. Waxing your wheels helps prevent ice build up somewhat.

Ken

bluesubie · December 2000

The minimum that should be done is what the maintenance manual states. There are dealers that love to add-on a lot of extras. I've seen price differences of $115 in my area because of this. Find out what your dealer changes and/or inspects. If it's not by the book, tell them that you only want what's in the manual.
Dennis

nypdau · January 2001

Blane, Paisan and Kens:
You guys were right on target. I knocked a good sized chunk of ice off the right front wheel, problem solved! I absolutely would have been trucking into the local garage for an alignment had it not been for this forum:) Thanks again.

James

mark212 · January 2001

I have been trying to find qsubaru on the web without success. What is the correct web address?

crashton6 · January 2001

Sorry I gave you the wrong web address. It's http:/qsubaru.homepage.com/ I just tried to go there but couldn't. Maybe they're down for the holiday.

logger2 · January 2001

The dealer where I bought the car isnt much help. I moved since i bought the car and haven't been back. The dealer in Nova Scotia Canada have graciously fixed all that is wrong with my car and did call the regional service manager about the timing belt thing. However at the time he would not do anything about the car. Since then I have written a letter to subura customer relations in Canada to see how I make out. Sorry about the 'certified' thing, i didnt mean it to be like a formal certification thing. The dealer promised that every lease return subaru has a thorough inspection before resale and is good to go and even discouraged me from buying an extended warranty!! Thanks for all your help, I'll let you know how things turn out.

Jason

lark6 · January 2001

Dennis,

Thanks for the input on both topics.

I grew up between Aynor and Conway - graduated from Aynor HS - more detail than that and you'll really think I'm a redneck. I rented an Outback for a visit in July and drove my Forester down in September. Used both on a lot of dirt roads in the swamps of Horry and Marion Counties. I found the Forester superior in that regard (though I had to be careful as the OB had SC tags and the F has PA tags) so I've made the right choice for now.

Ed

bluesubie · January 2001

Small world! My dad went to Aynor H.S.! That was in the early 60's I believe. I went to Myrtle Beach H.S. in the '80's, currently living in NJ and my parents are now in Loris. Not many Subies around there. There should be though, Subes love rainy weather and dirt roads. :-)
Dennis

p0926 · January 2001

Qsubaru's (AKA Darlene) homepage is maintained by Juice who has deserted us for the Brazilian sunshine. Not sure when he'll be back but it shouldn't be too much longer. You can always call Darlene at here 800 number (which of course I don't have cause I usually just get it off the web). Can somebody help?

-Frank P.

hciaffa · January 2001

After about 6 months of ownership of our 99 Forester I, we noticed that our seats were starting to wrinkle and I mean badly. When we took it back to our dealer my wife was told they all do this and its because of the entry and exiting of the vehicle. I have owned many cars with cloth seats and never have had this problem. Its got to the point now that on the passenger and drivers seats that the outside seat back bolster is so wrinkled and it feels like its separated from the foam material, it almost sags. I can't believe SOA would design a vehicle so 'that they all do this' but then we have had nothing but problem with this vehicle and if its that 'they all do it' or they cannot find or duplicate the problem!!!

lark6 · January 2001

How 'bout that! South Carolinians NOT named Dave who have Soobs and live in the Northeast Corridor!
I graduated from Aynor in '81 and my mom did in '57. We lived - my folks still do - between Cool Springs and Bayboro, which is pretty close to Loris - clser to Loris than Myrtle Beach, actually. They own a weekend house on the Little Pee Dee in Marion County; it was taking all those dirt roads through the swamps to get there where I gave my Forester its best workout.

I currently live in Bucks County, PA, about 40 minutes NNE of Philly. Any more of this small world talk and we'll have to take it offline - which I'd be plenty happy to do. (Apologies to the rest of the board - it's so rare to find Southerners who reverse migrated!)

Ed

intrigue2 · January 2001

i'm thinking of replacing the bridgestone re92's on my 2000 gt limited sedan with michelin pilot xgt h4's. has anyone had experinece with michelins,or any replacement tire for that matter. the bridgestones have 20,000 miles on them, but they don't feel as sur-footed as when they were new. i'd appreciate your feedback.

locke2c · January 2001

For less money (from the tirerack) I would get the Dunlop SP Sport 5000 if your goal is a good performance all-season.

Much, much better reviews than the XGT H4. The only good Michelin XGT is the PILOT XGT and you pay for it ($160 ea in 205/55-16).

-Colin

tlima · January 2001

I second the Dunlop brand. Replaced original Goodyear Gatorbacks on my Ford Probe GT V6 with Dunlop SP 4000s a few years back. These were 225x50 16's. The 4000s were an all-season performance tire with much better dry grip than the summer-only Gators and performed much better in snow.

New Forester will get Dunlops (if available) when the time comes.

-Tony

bluesubie · January 2001

The first time I went in the mud with my OBS was on a dirt road off highway 90 after 2 days of rain.
I think my dad used to live in Cool Springs. My e-mail address is in my profile.
Dennis

rolrsk8 · January 2001

On my '01 Forester, I have to remove the plastic
'skid plate' to get at the drain plug and filter.
Any problems with leaving this skid plate off
permanently? It's a real pain having to remove
it every 5000 miles.

paisan · January 2001

It does protect your engine from un-necessary splashing which could harm stuff inside?
It's funny, since the steel skid plates on my Trooper aren't required to be removed for oil changes! (Then again I don't need a jack either

)

-mike

torek · January 2001

It is kind of a pain to remove, but I keep it on myself.

I do not need a jack to do oil changes on the Forester. I just drive it up onto the thin/flat side of a pair of 2x6s, which gets it an extra 1.5 inches up off the concrete -- just enough room. (I had real ramps for the Acura, where the filter is behind the engine, but I lost them in a move long ago.)

Chris

p0926 · January 2001

Hi gang- Well, the dreaded CEL came on a couple of days ago. I religiously tighten my gas cap with a least a 1/2 dozen clicks so I knew that wasn't the problem but knowing the Forester's reputation for having a sensitive CEL, I figured it was just an anomaly. So, I figured I'd just disconnect the battery and reset the CEL. No such luck, the CEL came right back on. I couldn't get an appt until this AM but the service rep said it was okay to drive as long as the CEL wasn't flashing. Anyway, after spending an hour at the dealer, I got my Forester back. Turns out the problem was a bad "Air Fuel Sensor". This seems vaguely familiar. Has anyone else experienced this?

FYI: I'd normally do a search of the entire topic but unless I'm missing something, that function doesn't exist with the new software. Hopefully Edmunds will restore this useful feature in the near future.

-Frank P.

kate5000 · January 2001

I've read in Forrester - Continuer III thread that Forester w/o security system have a nice feature of automatically locking the doors when engine is started.However, when security system is installed, this feature is lost, and security system needs to be reprogrammed, to get it back. My Forester S+ that had "security system upgrade" as a part of option pack F3 installed, before delivery. Therefore, I never even suspected it had an automatic door lock, but now I really want it back.

Does anyone know if this reprogramming of security system is something I can do on my own, or does it require a visit to the dealer?

locke2c · January 2001

Kate, what is your remote shaped like? Rectangular or ovoid?

The dealer can reprogram for sure, but if it's ovoid then it's Alpine and I might be able to help if you want to DIY.

-Colin

subearu · January 2001

hey, what about us Outback owners? does this work for us too? I don't have the security system upgrade and it has never auto locked on us so far.

-brian/subearu

kate5000 · January 2001

Technically speaking, I think it's neither, but probably closer to rectangular although with ovoid corners... it's type of remote that's standard for Foresters 2001 S and S+, as per brochure.

oldjayhawk · January 2001

Two weeks ago I posted a message reporting a low-volume whining noise inside a brand new '01 Forester S Premium with AT. I picked up the new car from Fitzgerald Subaru in a Maryland suburb just outside Washington in December. The second day after I picked up the car, I noticed the whining noise that sounds like a jet engine when the car was going at 15 MPH to 45 MPH (at over 50 MPH, the engine noise drowns out the whining noise). The whining noise was there whether the car accelerated or decelerated (more noticeable during deceleration).

Since no one in this chat room told me that they had a similar experience with their Foresters, I took the car to Fitzgerald Subaru yesterday (the noise is still there). The dealer told me that the noise came from the rear differential and they had to special order a new rear differential for me. When the new differential arrives (I don't know when), the dealer would put it in free of charge (still under warranty because my car had only 700 miles). So for all Forester owners out there, if you hear a low-volume noise that sounds like a jet engine, have your Forester checked it out.

Patti: I am really disappointed with Subaru's quality control. I bought my Forester from the dealer when it had only 9 miles on it (on a day immediately following the arrival of the car at the dealer's lot). The dealer test drove the car on the day before I bought it and yet the dealer did not notice the problem with the rear differential (or the dealer chose to ignore it). In my excitement of driving the new car home for about 15 miles, I did not notice the whining noise. But I could definitely hear the noise the second day after I bought the car. Because of this problem, I changed my recommendation to my friend who has been looking to buy a car with AWD. I originally told him to consider Subaru. But now I would tell him to NOT consider Subaru. U.S. customers deserve better quality control from an automobile manufacturer than this. U.S. customers also deserve better quality control from an automobile dealer than this. It really bothers me that a dealer would sell a new car to a customer with a mechanical problem that the customer detects the second day after taking delivery.

Jay

paisan · January 2001

You bought it from a Mall. I bet if you bought it from a smaller dealer that was dedicated to subarus, you would have not had the problem. I know my dealer is only Subaru and Isuzu and they actually care about the cars and aren't just some kids selling the cars. The bigger the dealer the less likely you are to get personalized or caring service. Kinda like going to Burger King as opposed to a mom and pop type place. 1 bad car doesn't mean that the whole Subaru line is bad.

-mike

tincup47 · January 2001

It might have been that the noise was getting louder as more miles were put on it. Maybe you didn't hear it because it wasn't there initially. All manufacturer's have problems, the true sign of a quality company is how well they respond to them. I find Subaru to be excellent in this regard. The fact that Patty is on this board is one sign of this excellence.

paisan · January 2001

Thanks for the description. I think I have the same noise in my Trooper, on the front axle. Everyone thinks it's the T-case, but maybe it's the front diffy. I shall have to investigate this with my dealer.

-mike

ateixeira · January 2001

I think there is an access panel in the plastic cover, so if you don't mind reaching in a bit you can do it without removing it. It may get a bit messy, though.

I'd leave the cover on because it keeps the engine bay clean. It may also help aerodynamics some.

Let's see what the fix is before we jump to conclusions on that rear diffy. It could just be low on gear oil.

-juice

kens · January 2001

My cargo cover developed a rattle right where it clips into the side of the cargo area. Driving over bumps would cause the cargo cover to "jiggle" a bit so I took a couple of wide rubber bands and simply wrapped them around the errant end of the cover -- no more noise!

Ken

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