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Comments
Patti (who Rocks ;-) ) got me in touch with a senior rep at SOA who then set up an appointment with the district technical manager at Santa Cruz Subaru two weeks from now. They even are arranging for a loaner/rental since Santa Cruz is a bit of a drive from work. The entire process since Patti stepped in has been fantastic.
I've been checking and double checking on nearby hills to make sure I can have all the conditions nailed down as to when the problem occurs. Contrary to my original assumption, the problem seems to happen intermittently regardless of the number of passengers in the vehicle. The other day, I tried coasting in first down a steep hill and 1st gear popped out several times with just me in the car. Yesterday, I had two other people in the car so I tried the same hill again. This time, it happened just once and I couldn't get it to occur again despite numerous attempts.
I'm wondering if there are other conditions that might influence the outcome. The last thing I want to happen is not being able to replicate the problem at this big meeting.
Ken
There's obviously no guage for the tranny temp, but you can try to remember how many shifts were done at that point since it was started.
-juice
I too have been considering synthetics, mostly to lengthen the change intervals. The fiber filters allow you to do this, as they can trap more dirt than standard oil filters.
As far as expense goes, I think the fiber filters cost at least $10, but if the intervals increase, the cost differences for the synthetics vs standard diminish.
-Tony
It's strange since it's always happened with the engine and tranny fully warmed up. I've also had a range of passengers (0-4) and a variety of slopes. The only thing consistent is it's inconsistency. There's gotta be some other variable(s) I'm overlooking.
Ken
The whole car seems to vibrate (high frequency) a lot when it reaches highway speeds, >60 mph. I realize the Forester is not exactly a car but I expected the ride to be a little smoother than what I'm experiencing. The vibration seems to affect the whole vehicle (as opposed to shaking the steering wheel noticeably more) which leads me to believe that it is just the way it's engineered. It's like having one of those massaging chairs built right into the car.
I don't want to be paranoid and take the vehicle to the dealer for everything that I'm not used to in a car
Is this just the way the Forester drives? It certainly seemed a lot soother when I test drove it.....
Thanks for any info,
- Jan
Tony: even if you go synthetic, I'd do an oil/filter change at least every 7.5k miles. It's a relatively long interval already.
Jan: check the tire pressure. Some people prefer firm handling, others a softer ride. Subaru recommends 29 psi up front and 26-29 psi out back (pardon the pun).
If actually found those too soft for my liking, so they may be perfect for you.
-juice
Good luck!
-Colin
The Forester should be as smooth as any passenger car on the freeways. Check the small things first -- tire pressure or abnormalities to the tire tread/sidewalls.
If those are okay, then have your wheels balanced. It's possible that you may have thrown a weight. Sometimes swapping the position of tires can also get rid of vibrations.
Ken
-mike
Ken, the jumping out of gear is more likely to happen when the transmission fluid is warm there are less clearances involved when the fluid is cold. Using a cold engine as an example bearing rattle in a worn engine is not apparent until the oil gets warm and thins out hense all the shady dealer dodges with oil thickeners.
Juice, you took the words out of my mouth regarding oil changes 7500 miles between changes is a very long interval and if you consult the owners manual 7500 is the interval in ideal conditions, however in severe operating conditions the interval can be half of that and if you interpret all the exclusions we all operate our vehicles in severe conditions it is false economy to try and stretch oil changes it is a case of pay me now or pay me later I do not think I have ever heard of an engine dying from too many oil changes.
Cheers Pat.
112mph is fine though. ;-)
Pat: fair enough, but do you know of any engines that died despite religious 7.5k mile oil changes as well as 30k and 60k services?
Let's face it, it's not the engine that dies, it's the accessories that it pulls. You're much more likely to lose your A/C, water pump, or starter than a blown top end.
I change the oil myself so I watch it coming out. I even put it in a transparent container to take it to recycling. That way I closely examine the condition it's in, and can adjust accordingly if I see anything that looks odd (very dirty oil or grit, for example).
I also chart my mileage at every tank, so I can tell when it's not running 100%.
-juice
I worked as a commercial Refrigeration & air conditioning mechanic and used to go as far as having my oil analysed.
I too change my own oil and I use castrol syntec synthetic it gets up around the top end quickly in the extreme cold we get up here. I change every 3500 miles costs about $25 oil and filter and I consider the cost very cheap insurance.
Cheers pat.
Still, I keep receipts and don't race, so I'm covered under warranty for 60k miles. Plus I'm following Subaru's own maintenance schedule.
Some automakers have gone to 10k mile service intervals, even longer. Consumers complained about service costs.
Cheap insurance? Maybe. But I have 3 cars and do them all at once, so it's $75 in my case. I change all 3 whether it's early or not, just because I'm already greasy!
The Soob does the bulk of our work so it gets the highest mileage, so I tend to follow its interval and do the other two in our fleet a bit early. If I went to a 3k mile service interval I'd be doing about 15 oil changes per year!
-juice
It was a toy and my baby, Incidently I did a rear disc conversion on this vehicle made a hell of a difference.
I still think I will stick to my 3500 mile changes even when I get a Sube.
Cheers Pat.
I too had the "rough ride" >60mph you mentioned. Went to the dealer after having the car 3 days. They did a balance, which seemed to improve it a bit, but it was still there. I thought that I would have to live with it, but after about 2k miles, it slowly worked it's way out - today, with about 6k, it is silky smooth. The only thing I can think of is (1) Suspension needed to break-in a bit (2) Tires had flat spots that worked their way out.
Juice:
I agree, 7500mi on standard oil+filter seems like a bit much as it is. Switching to synthetics w/fiber filter should allow 7500mi intervals with good protection. I've always changed dino between 3-3.5k. When the car hits 10k (and well broken in), I may switch to synthetics and lenghthen to 7.5k, otherwise, stick to dino, but consider a 5k interval...we'll see.
-Tony
I didn't experience this with my Yokohamas, but the ride on the Goodyear LS on our VW Jetta smoothed out considerably during the first 1000 miles.
Ken
The tire size (235/60-16 on mine) may make about a 1 mpg difference, given odometer error caused by the slightly larger circumference. That's still only 19.2 mpg combined and 21.2 highway, which still isn't in the ballpark.
(I used the calculations at http://www.miata.net/garage/tirecalc.html, which gives the circumference and revs per mile for any tire sizes you input, which allows calculation of what my mileage would be with the standard 215/60-16 tires that come on the Forester S , which are nearly the same circumference as the 205/70-15s that come with the L model.).
I'm going to reset the ECU as soon as it stops raining, and I'll let the list know how it turned out after a few tanks of regular.
I do like everything else about the vehicle, but the mileage ... whew!
cdb420
One interesting point about the estimated MPG. We (auto manufacturers) do not "create" those numbers. The government test the vehicle under IDEAL circumstances with brand new vehicles. They grab cars from our inventory (so as not to have one that was manufactured differently to get a better rating). It is rare that folks actually get the exact numbers posted in the brochures and on the sticker.
One other thing that might help - get a thorough service done. Your dealer can check things out to make sure your operating a vehicle that is in good shape maintenance wise. It can really impact your MPG (include the fuel filter/air filter, etc.)
Further on Ken's point, try to check the age of tires when you buy them, if that's possible. Older tires harden.
cdb420: I use that tire size calculator too, but keep in mind there are real-world variations it does not account for.
Doing the math, my tires should be only 0.2" bigger in radius, but my ground clearance is up a whopping 0.75" minimum.
I can't explain it (less deflection? manufacturer variations?), but that would mean my diameter is also off by more than that. Not coincidentally, my mileage (as shown, not actual) is down slightly from my average since I swapped tires.
-juice
Cheers Pat.
-juice
I know my daughter will treat this one the way I did I am glad it is going to her and not a stanger. If it would not bore you I can give you a list of all the mods done over the years.
Cheers pat.
I used to get 26 MPG in 90% highway driving.
Just did 15K service from dealer last week.
My forester is more powerful than ever,
I feel like that I have to take her to the highway
once a while to stretch up, otherwise she's going to explode.
She's been perfect so far,
let's see if she can improve the MPG after 15K service.
Peace
Sean
Depending on which part of the country you live in, you may be getting oxygenated gas in the winter time. Oxygenates are known to affect performance including gas milage. Try experimenting with several brands of gas.
Ken
..Mike
..Mike
1989 honda accord EXI> in Canada LXI in states,its lowered 1.25 inchs,15 inch pirelli p6000 tires, 15 american eagle alloys, cross drilled brake rotors, stainless steel flex hoses, motul silicon brake fluid, rear disc brake conversion, engine mods. ported and polished head 3 angle valve job,custom ground camshaft,honed and polished intake manifold. dc sports header.pacemaker cat back exhaust,akimoto intake with k&n filter, full leather interior,kenwood cassette with cd changer controller also has remote control,10 disc cd changer 200 watt 4 channel kenwood amp.infinity 6 inch speakers with tweeters and separate crossover in front pioneer 2way speakers in rear,. has a clifford cyber3 alarm system to protect all this, oil pressure and voltmeter gauges mounted on A pillar,it has 60000 miles total, and has all origional paint, never accidented and never winter driven she is quite a package and has given me a lot of joy over the years I have never shown the car although it is in show condition this was all done for my own pleasure.
Cheers Pat. PS every thing under the hood is either polished or chromed
Just to keep you updated. My case number is 283670.
Thanks,
Wizkid
Filter overview: http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/oilfilters.html
Filter analysis: http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/oilfilterstudy.html
Oil: http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/oil.html
Root site is at http://members.nbci.com/minimopar/index.html
Talk about repairs. Passenger side quarter panel and door are history.
At least I was OK, and it wasn't the (much newer) Soob. His insurance is going to pay!
-juice
PS Subaru uses Purolator as is OEM supplier, and those are on the recommended list. $4 from qsubaru, too, with the washer.
that's what you get for driving a non-sube...
-mike
-mike
Why do I attract crazy drivers? Seems I'm blind-sided every year or two. I've been hit maybe 4 or 5 times in the last 10 years, and it was never once my fault.
The other guy had a brand-new Saab 9-3. Temp tags and all, and it was his daughter's car. He's bummin' worse than I am, since he had far more damage. His entire bumper fell off, and he lost some lights, the hood, and the quarter panel on the driver's side.
So much for the laws of physics. My tiny Miata held up far better.
-juice
Glad you're ok.
Dennis
Hope she's back on the road soon, Juice!
-Colin
I can't open the passenger door (the front panel blocks it), but besides that everything works OK.
That's the 2nd time it was damaged (remember the antennae bent?), and I just bought it. No luck, I guess.
It won't be a big deal because it's our 3rd vehicle anyway, and at least it's not sunny and warm.
-juice
Patti
Ed
Sorry to hear about the accident! I'm glad to know that you are okay and that the Miata will be okay.
Ken
Sandy is my primary transportation so no big loss. Blanca will be back in action by the time the weather warms up.
-juice
By the time the new rear differential the dealer ordered came in, my car had accumulated about 1,450 miles. They put the new rear differential in and the low-volume whining noise disappeared when the car runs at 20 to 45 mph. However, I now hear a whining noise at a even lower volume when the car runs at highway speed at 50 to 65 mph (the noise is most noticeable when the car is cruising on a highway at 55 to 65 mph).
Does anybody have a similar experience with a low-volume whining noise when a Forester is cruising at a highway speed? Or is the noise a price I have to pay for owning a all-time all wheel drive vehicle?
Old Jayhawk
Cheers Pat.
KarenS
Host
Owner's Club
Is the noise more like a rumble? It could be something completely different like a wheel bearing or simply the noise of the tire tread.
You might want to get the dealer to sit in the vehicle with you again so they can hear the noise.
Ken
Any ideas when I should switch to synthetic? What is a break in period for H4? Should I also use a more expensive oil filter?
Juice, what is your opinion on using synthetic in Subaru products and do you see any benefits?
Even in the synthetic vs. dino oil debate, there is one thing we all agree on - do NOT use synthetic until the engine is broken in. I'd wait at least 15k miles to allow proper wear for break-in.
After that, it depends. Do you autocross? Redline regularly? Tow or otherwise push the engine really hard? If so, it could make sense, but then I'd also swap the L for a GT, definitely.
-juice
the oxygen sensor being replaced three times in my
2000 Forester S 5 speed with 18,700 miles. This
makes the fourth sensor since I bought the car.
Does anyone have the same problem or know if Subaru is working on this problem?? THANKS!!!