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Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
I need help on figuring how to use the roof rack
that came on my Forester. I need to occasionally carry a 4' x 8' sheet of plywood & can imagine other loads, but this silly rack has curved crossbars across its top and the sidebars along the roofline from front to back are also curved.
My internet searches tell me Subaru dealers sell accessories including a "round crossbar"-- is THAT what I should be looking to purchase? My topside requirements will probably be light.
On Subarus I've seen with working racks, I often see the Yakima name scawled on a front airfoil. Is that the way to go? Looks awfully "yuppie" and an overkill to mount a rack over a rack.
Thanks for your advice!
For what its worth, on a recent 2400 mile trip I averaged 24.7 miles per gallon. My biggest complaint: the seats are quite UNcomfortable. Which leads to my first question:
Is anyone familiar with any custom seats available for the Forester?
My secondary complaint is the red needles against dark backgrounds on the gauges. I'm partly color-blind, and if the sun is coming from the rear of the car the gauges are nearly impossible to read. My second question:
Has anyone removed the clear plastic window over the gauges? I'd like to open that thing up and paint the needles white for better visibility.
Oh, this is my second Subaru. Back in the late 1970s I owned a 1973 GL 1400. Quite a sporty little rocket of a car!
Thanks,
Scott
www.airforcebase.net
I have a Yakima rack on my Forester. It is the same aftermarket rack that Subaru sells for the Forester. You would probably be better off buying it somewhere else because you could probably pick it up on sale.
I know some people leave the stock crossbars attached to the side rails and just add the aftermarket rack, but I took off the stock crossbars and just have the Yakima towers and round crossbars.
You can see photos of my Forester with the Yakima rack here:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=968020&a=7095490&f=0
There is also a photo on Juice's webpage although I haven't been able to visit it lately. Juice, is your webpage still up?:
http://thejuiceman.homepage.com/soob.html
I have been considering getting a wind deflector as the Yakima rack creates more wind noise than the stock. I'm wondering how well they actually work. Any body else have experiences with wind deflectors on roofracks? I have been very happy with my rack.
Hope this helps,
Skip
P.S. Here is the Yakima site. They sell towers especially for the Forester, it's called the Crosstop:
http://www.yakima.com/choose_my_rack/step3.asp
Thanks for all the great info' on racks-- especially pointing out the Yakima "choose my rack" page. With that info', I was able to search the net more confidently.
4 Yakima Crosstowers (fit Forester rack)
2 Round Crossbars
MSVP ~ $150.00 (and an additional $38.00 for 4 SKS lock cylinders)
One of the web discounters www.ageebikes.com displays "farings" (windscreens for racks) and a device called a "windjammer" that attaches to the front crossbar of the Yakima roof rack to reduce noise. See
http://www.ageebike.com/YAKIMA/YakimaAcc.htm#windshield
Thanks, again, Skip.
Yes, Yakima makes the accessory roof racks and attachments for Subaru. The stuff is identical except for the logos. I "won" a set of the crosstowers on ebay last spring for a price much lower than MSRP. I did have to buy the lock cylinders and crossbars myself - I went to REI (http://www.rei.com) where I get some of my money back as a dividend. I didn't want to go through the trouble of attaching a fairing (the big "yuppie" looking thing you describe) to the car, but the round bars are fairly noisy, especially with carriers attached to them. With last year's REI dividend I paid for one of those "windjammers" which is basically a little plastic airfoil that clips over the round bar. I haven't tried it out yet.
I run a setup similar to Skip's: Yakima crosstowers, crossbars and lock cylinders, with a kayak carrier made by a no-name company out of Long Island. I run no crossbars at all in the winter and when I know I won't be paddling for a while. I haven't had the factory crossbars on the car in almost a year.
Ed
Given you had that smell, please have your dealer check that out. No matter how unlikely, it's just too risky not to have it checked.
I just wash my L's cladding, and leave it untreated (no wax or protectors used). I love it. It's like Teflon - nothing really sticks to it, and it's very scratch resistant.
$20 for an oil change ain't bad, but I spend about $9. $4 for an OE filter with crush washer, $5 for oil. Plus, I do all 3 cars on the same schedule, so instead of $60 it's about $25.
Yes, the alignment on a Subaru is tricky. I'd have them look at that non-centered steering wheel again.
Homepage.com went out of business. I moved my photos to PhotoPoint, and guess what? It's no longer a free service. It's only $10 per year and I'm just going to bite the bullet this time. It's here now:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1400062&f=0
-juice
I have a 95 Subaru Legacy with 102K, in wonderful shape and have learned that many tires these days develop a belt separation problem that causes a slight pull to the side that the problem tire is on. The suspension on my wagon is in perfect shape and I just had it aligned so when it pulled to one side, only after the tire warmed up I took it back to the Alignment shop, they rotated the tire and it now pulls to the other direction. I have had this happen with 2 other sets of tires where one or more will develop this problem. So in regards to Skip's situation he may wish to consider this, if it tracks correctly when the tires are cold and pulls when tires are hot to have them rotated and if the direction of the pull changes it is the tires.
Remember Subaru says that if you don't rotate the tires regularly that the difference in wear can cause a binding to occur in the all wheel drive system causing an expensive failure. Replace all 4 tires at the same time and rotate them frequently. Thank you Chris
-Steven-
I have a 95 Subaru Legacy with 102K, in wonderful shape and have learned that many tires these days develop a belt separation problem that causes a slight pull to the side that the problem tire is on. The suspension on my wagon is in perfect shape and I just had it aligned so when it pulled to one side, only after the tire warmed up I took it back to the Alignment shop, they rotated the tire and it now pulls to the other direction. I have had this happen with 2 other sets of tires where one or more will develop this problem. So in regards to Skip's situation he may wish to consider this, if it tracks correctly when the tires are cold and pulls when tires are hot to have them rotated and if the direction of the pull changes it is the tires.
Remember Subaru says that if you don't rotate the tires regularly that the difference in wear can cause a binding to occur in the all wheel drive system causing an expensive failure. Replace all 4 tires at the same time and rotate them frequently. Thank you Chris
Any infor on this? I meet with the service center next wed. I have to take off half a day of work to do this each time I go in.
Also have a rattling noise near the drivers side right by my ear. sounds like it is in the seatbelt. Driving me nuts. I just have been getting the run around though. A 2001 vehicle I don't think I should be hearing all this sounds like I did in my 1984 Sube! Thanks michelle
I saw that some of you guys are doing the oil change yourselves while the car is still under warranty. I want to do the oil change myself too but wondering if it's gonna affect the warranty or not (not sure how likely, but you might need to prove that the car is serviced regularly as described in the warranty booklet to keep the warranty).
Thanks
pkleung
As for equipment, the cargo cover is now standard, as are DRLs and an intermittent setting on the rear wiper. That goes for all models. Options prices should be the same.
Michelle: someone came up with a fix for that rattling seat belt. Read up (not too far) and you ought to find it.
John: bad ECU, injector, or plug wires? I'd have a dealer take a look, either way.
pkleung: just keep receipts. By law, they cannot refuse to do warranty work just because regular scheduled maintenance was not done at their dealership.
-juice
In the cold, my car seems a bit jittery on warm up, but these slight vibrations disappear after the second stoplight. I'm eager to see if the hand massage on the steering wheel goes away with the arrival of warm weather.
-juice
Keep up the good work.
Has anyone else noticed changing gas mileage during their break-in period? How much more of an improvement can I expect?
For the record, I've got a manual transmission in my Forester, and I usually drive 60-70 mph. I've been using the Forester for my longer trips, and keeping my old Civic for my short (< 10 miles) around-town errands.
Karin in California
Does the "rattle" conincide with bumps? I found that the hood on my Forester was a bit loose and driving over expansion joints on the freeway or an occasional speed bump would cause it to rattle a bit. It was a muffled rattle coming from the front right part of the vehicle.
The sound drove me nuts for a while until I found out about the rubber stops the hood sits on. The stops are located above each headlight on the top of the front grille. They're threaded so turning them 1/4 turn raised them enough to secure the hood.
Ken
Kens, I really think you are on to something. While being careful to go at constant speed and rpms, the rhythm of the chatter "pulsated" - quite possibly in response to freeway joints. It will be the weekend before I am back on the turnpike again, but I certainly will act on your suggestion and report back. Thanks much.
Irv. checking for brother Don.
The it was creating wasa faint, but distinctly metallic (hard) rattle/tapping while on the freeways. When going over speed bumps in parking lots, it would make a "ku-thunk" sound.
Irv -- As far as I know, the 2002 Forester is going to have only minor changes. 2003 is the model change.
Ken
1) Fit the Yakima roundbars with pipe insulation, put the kayak on top and strap it down.
2)Get some of those Mako Saddles and strap the kayak to them
3) Get one of those kayak stackers so that I can transport the kayak on it's side
What do you recommend? As far as the "windjammer" is concerned, let me know how that works when you try it. That appears to be the easiest mod for wind noise. On a different note, it sounds like you have one of those REI Visa cards. How do you like it? I was thinking of getting one myself.
By the way, If I recall correctly, you live in NJ don't you? I live in PA but work in NJ. Maybe we could get together for a paddle some time. I just got a great deal on a Dagger Cypress kayak, expedition model. I also have an Old town canoe. What do you paddle?
Michelle: That rattling noise near the driver's side right by your ear....I know it well and just got rid of it. At first I thought it was the seatbelt housing, but it wasn't. It turned out to be a small square access panel at the bottom of the drivers side rear door. If your rattle is the same as mine, all you have to do is pop that piece off, fit a rubber band around the four prongs, and pop it back in. The rubber band acts as a gasket....no more rattle.
Chris: Thanks for the info on tires and alignment. My Forester only has about 6500 miles on it, so I would hope there isn't a problem with the tires. I just had the tires rotated when I was to the dealership this time. I think my steering wheel is just a little off center at this point. I'm going to try a new dealership next time. This weekend is opening day of trout season in PA....so maybe I'll get it in next weekend.
Juice: Sorry to hear about the webpage. I've been away from the board for a while. Is Photopoint really charging now? I have a few photos on there myself, but was never charged.
Talk to you all later,
Skip
zing
picturetrail
webshots
btw, skipd, I tote my kayak upside down so if it does get a flat spot, it's not on the hull (I'm usually upright, lol). I'd carry it on its side, but the upright would interfere with the canoe hauling I do.
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Your Dagger Cypress is very close in size/shape to what I have, a Perception Carolina. The stackers don't work very well with touring boats from what I've seen - better with whitewater or squirt boats. Something to do with the curvature of the hull. Makos are nice but expensive, as are those "Hully Rollers." My rack is a real cheapie - four basically U-shaped cradles with molded-in ridges. They secure to the crossbars via U-bolts which hook beneath the bars, through 2 holes in the cradle, and held in place with large fancy wing nuts. I dipped the U-bolts in rubber coating so that they don't damage the roof when I drop them.
Since you also plan on hauling a canoe maybe the pipe insulation is the best bet. Much cheaper and can conform to both types of hulls.
2. I don't have an REI credit card which is a bit of a bummer. REI offers 10% patronage dividends if you pay with cash or use the REI card, but last year they dropped the dividend to 8% for those who pay with non-REI credit cards. I'm not angry enough to stop shopping there and I don't know that I need another credit card, but if my spending at REI continues to increase I may have to consider getting one and closing out one of my other cards.
3. I used to live in NJ but live and work in PA now - have been over here since before I started posting on Edmund's. I am almost as close to NJ as you can get in PA, though; the Delaware River is about 1/2 mile east of my house. I grew up in SC, though (hence the Perception; trying to boost the nontourism part of the SC economy). I did buy my rack in NJ, at Paint Island Canoe & Kayak in Bordentown.
I paddle the middle and lower Delaware and some eastern PA lakes as well. Have paddled in the Pacific and Strait of Juan de Fuca in WA, and plan on doing some paddling in the Florida Keys in the near future.
Will keep you posted - please do the same!
Ed
Steve: thanks for the links, you're a great host! The catch is, it took me several hours to download all the photos and add captions, and I really don't feel like going through that again. I'll just pay the fee.
Who knows? With my luck, if I switched to a free service they'd shut down next month!
sport33: it may not have been there. I doubt it matters which way the crush washer goes, so long as it's there. They get as flat as a pancake when you tighten the drain plug.
-juice
Anyone have infor on the "popping" noise? It really sounds like it is coming from the rear. After the Sube Dealership lubed the latch in the back it was ok. But now it is back big time. Every turn or bump and it "POPs". And we have lots of bumps in Alaska roads. I live on a 18% grade mountain road.
I tried to find a post last fall in the archives but no luck. I could swear someone said there is a problem with the latch.
mich
Careful about how you describe it. To help resolve a popping noise from the rear people may recommend Gas-X!
;-)
-juice
clubphoto
These were offered up by other members on Town Hall. Usual disclaimers, and no guarantee on how long they may be around and/or free :-)
Don't forget chat brake tonight 5/P, 8/E.
Steve
Host
Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Ross
If I go with that option, should I top it upside down or right-side up? I suppose I would also need to be careful about how tightly I tie down the bow and stern.
By the way, it sounds like you live very close to me. I live in Montgomery Co. very close to the Bucks Co. line. I cross the Delaware every day on my way to work. We should keep in touch.
On the webshots site....There is a very good piece of free software to be had on that site to use photos for wallpaper and screensavers. You can use your own photos or download thousands from the site. Check it out.
Talk to you later,
Skip
Skip: see if you can make it out to the SCOA covered bridge tour. It's in central PA, and you'll find details at:
www.subaruclub.com
-juice
Thanks...
The noise I had from the rear of my Forester was coming from the right side of the rear cargo cover. If you guys have this cover, remove it for a day, and see if the noise goes away. I put heavy cloth tape on the cover and snapped it back into place. It's not 100% fixed, but much better.
Racks:
Yeah, I just spent the bucks on a complete Yakima system for my '01 Forester with Mako saddles. Expensive, but worth it as I plan to keep the vehicle and the kayak forever. Plus, nothing but the best for my "baby"; hand built from a CLC kit. If interested in building one yourself, go to http://www.clcboats.com.
-TonyL
Ross
1) Front end cover $91.46
2) Moonroof air deflector $57.72
3) Trailer Hitch $189.54 (Installation esperience/advice would be appreciated.)
4) Roof Cargo Net $101.36
Thanks!
Just got a Forster S with manual in Jan and started out with about 22- 24 mph overall. I have about 4000 miles, and it is now up to 28 mph highway and about 24 city. Everything I have heard would indicate that it will take until about 10,000 miles+ before you get a realistic idea of what your mileage will end up being. Driving habits and type of driving will always determine the final outcome.
But isn't a great car?!
Ron
If I can track down the info on those cheapie cradles I'll post it here.
Skip: maybe we should take the Delaware paddling offline. Actually the last time I did that I found that one of the Subaru Crew is a distant cousin of mine!
Ed
I have an aftermarket cargo net, from WalMart IIRC, but I recommend the Subaru OE one. Why? Well, it's about the same price, and it has 4 anchors instead of only 2 on mine. Plus it's a custom fit.
I have a "windflector" for my pop-up moonroof, but it too is not OE. It works great - without it I was not able to remove the moonroof glass without major buffeting, while now I can. It still helps to open the rear windows a little, but now it's usable. Again, I'm sure the OE one would offer a custom fit. Mine uses two-sided tape.
Finally, I have the hitch, with lots of instructions and photos here:
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1400062&f=0
Look under General Mods to see the moonroof and windflector, and under Hitch and Skid Plate to see the Hitch tips. I also have the bike rack that fits into that hitch.
-juice
Bob
>>But isn't a great car?!
I love my Forester! It's the most luxurious vehicle I've ever owned (just FYI, I'm coming from driving a 1991 Honda Civic which has been utterly reliable but a bit, um, spartan).
Glad to hear that you're seeing 28mpg for highway. I drive pretty gently with a very light touch on the clutch, so I'm hoping my mileage will continue to improve. Mainly, I just have to keep a sharp eye on my speed. My Forester is so quiet and powerful that I frequently glance down at my speedometer and realize that I'm going a lot faster than I thought!
Karin in California
Fronts appear to be in phase. I will probably try to reverse polarity on both fronts to see if it makes a difference.
Has anybody else encountered this when upgrading? I have factory installed front tweeters in the doors. Does anybody know if high-pass filters are used in the front circuit to limit low frequency response?
Thanks in advance for any info.
-RickH