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Comments
Ross
I hooked up my bike carrier for the first time this past weekend onto my 2001 I Premium and discovered that, although it is not going anywhere since the bolt is securely seated in the hitch mount it wobbles an awful lot; almost as though the carrier itself is too small for the hitch seat. Am I missing a part, perhaps? It came mounted when I bought the car so there were no instructions with a parts list. Does anyone know anything about this or has experienced something similar?
I spent the 3 hours in Anchorage yesterday having my "Popping" noise checked and the "noise" from the seat belt area, alias door panel.
Conclusion: The mechanic said, in a note to me, that he will order the "latch" and replace it although he thinks the dust, rough mountain road, and 18% grade e.g., my driveway will always cause this problem. Now, I might be mistaken, but I thought these Sube vehicles like the Outback and Forester are made for non-pavement, smooth, alias, city roads! This put me out just a wee bit. If the Forester can not handle any other road conditions other than city driving then maybe they should re-think their Ad's. Also, I had specifically told the manager at Sub that this is the 4 time on the popping noise and it is pretty much the latch so order it and have it ready for my car. NOW I have to wait and go again to have it replaced. This cost me a 3/4 of a day of work! However, no noise coming from the driver side seat belt/door panel.
I also have a bike rack that Subaru installed for me. IT is a little "loose" even when the bolt, which I hate, is secured as tight as possibly. But it works. I hauled my bike from Anchorage yesteday and again, I don't live on a smooth paved road either. But I do hate the way the bolt has to be held with the allen wrench and a socket wrench. The pin clip that came with the hitch does not work with the bike rack so it is a pain to take off and on. There are not too many parts just a bolt, washer and that is it.
mich
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards
Dale: I have the bike rack and it does move from side to side slightly, but it isn't noisy and the bikes do not touch the car. I use bungee cords to secure the bikes, plus the straps they provided with the rack.
If you are swapping all four tires for brand new ones, it won't matter which ones go where. I would rotate them from their previous position if they were used before, front to rear and vice-versa.
-juice
Ross
Thanks for the tip on Liberty Subaru. I'm going to take a ride up there tomorrow to take a test drive. I called Danny Cohen and made sure he'd be there. I told him I was referred by a satisfied customer, which he was happy to hear. I'll compare the 5 speed and the automatic, and hopefully, find a color I like. I'll keep you posted.
Thanks to all, especially Juice. I've really learned a lot from your posts to this Town Hall topic.
Len
-Frank P.
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html
Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket and Accessories message boards
I do the same marking procedure for the summer tires when it's time to winterize. We only put about 10k miles/year on each car, so it saves a separate rotation job.
Cheers!
Paul
Got it at North Park Subaru in San Antonio...service was okay...paid $100 over invoice. Am thrilled too that Subaru's are rare here in these parts. Have had several folks ask me what it is.
more later,
Ross
I have several questions.
1. Around the plastic trim bezel around the gauge package (in front of the turn signal stock) there are several horizontal slits. What are they for? I assume in the Japanese ver there is auto climate control.
2. Other than Bridgestone Duelers, BF Goodrich Long Trail's, and Pirelli Scorpions, are there any other manufacturers who make the 205/70-15 tire in a SUV style as opposed to a passenger tire?
3. Do any companies make air filters and interior air filters for the 01 L model, or do I have to buy genuine Subaru filters?
Thank You
pej- Welcome to the Subaru CEL (Check Engine Light) club. Unfortunately, Subaru's emissions systems are particularly sensitive and that problem is exacerbated by the fact that there's also a bad batch of emissions sensors out there. So, in all probability, you just have a bad sensor. As long as the CEL doesn't blink but stays on, the vehicle is okay to drive. Just call the dealer and set up an appointment so they can pull the error code and replace the offending part. It won't cost you a thing and shouldn't take more than an hour or so. And yes it's still an inconvenience!
Sean Patrick- You're right about the sound system. I've got the upgraded speakers and it still isn't that great. There are a number of after market possibilities if you're interested in upgrading. And yes the Forester's back seat room isn't the greatest, but then you knew that when you bought it right? I can't comment on the tires since mine is an S. However, have you tried sites like TireRack.com for different tire possibilities? There are several alternatives to the OE engine air filter but I don't know of any for the cabin one.
-Frank P.
Thank you Kris, for telling me about Liberty Subaru. It was the easiest car buying experience I've ever had. No haggling; they gave me a price of $110 over invoice, without trying to push any extras, such as window etching, extended warranties, etc. I highly recommend anyone in the New Jersey area going to Liberty Subaru to purchase their next (or first) Subaru. I can see why they are #1 in N.J.
I feel like a little kid looking forward to tomorrow!
Len
pej: don't sweat a CEL. No big deal. If it were it would be blinking any way. Let the dealer look at it.
Dixon: air vents for #1? I'm sure you can find several aftermarket engine air filters, but the interior air filters will probably have to be OE. Not sure about the tires - I went to a passenger car tire.
Sweet, Len. Congrats to you too. You really did your homework - hope you like your Forester even half as much as I like mine.
-juice
Sean -- Unfortunately, I came up with the same tire brands when I did a search on Tire Rack. One thing you might want to note is that the "SUV" tires that come with our Foresters are pretty much passenger car tires. They may have a slightly more aggressive tread pattern, but they're closer to passenger car tire construction vs. truck tires. For driving on unpaved roads and snow, a decent all-season passenger car tire will fare well.
Ken
-Frank P.
Stephen
-Jason
The fabrics do differ slightly. The L's is kind of rough and durbale, while the Premium's is softer but perhaps less sturdy.
-juice
Having said all the above, if uncomfortable seats is the only thing you don't like about your Ranger, I'm not sure I would ditch it so quickly. Have you tried aftermarket seat cushions? There are a variety of types with many designed especially to offer back support.
Good luck and let us know what you decide.
-Frank P.
I've found the front seats on my 98 Forester S to be comfortable after 53K miles. They're firm enough to provide comfort on long drives and the side bolsters work well to hold me in my seat when I'm taking on the twisties.
The actual seat cushion material should be the same across the different trims. The fabric is different and may make it "seem" different. The S fabric is softer and grippier. Whenever I drive my friend's L, I feel like I'm sliding around.
Ken
One quick question for you all..... how does one remove the speaker covers? I already know I'm going to upgrade them. Also, what size are the speakers (visually, they look like 5 1/4) and, since I have the tweeter upgrade but no other speaker upgrade, will I encounter any crossover issues?
-Steven-
The speaker covers have a notch on the bottom. You can put your fingers there and just pop the covers off. I think there are 6 clips holding it but I had no problems in my '01 (Silverthorn).
I do not have the tweeter upgrade and there were no high frequencies, so I put in some Kenwood KFC-1668S I got from Crutchfield for ~$50, in the front. It made a significant difference, but frankly, it still sucks overall. The only difference I hear is in the high end, which you already have with your tweeters.
My wife has an '01 Premium (Black) with the higher end stereo that comes standard with everything but the L. She ordered it with the tweeters and the sub-woofer, but NO speaker upgrade. Her system is about 1000% better than mine, and sounds great. One of the "Manheihm Steamroller" Christmas CD's sounds fantastic in her Forester. Very crisp and clean.
I only mention all this so you don't expect miracles from just the speakers. I would bet that your system already sounds better than mine because of your higher mounted tweeters. What we need is some more power to make the speakers dance cleanly... I hate it when they dance dirty!
The fronts are 6.5", but the rears are smaller, 5" or 5 1/4" if my memory serves me. Kens or someone else who has already done the deed can give you the exact size of the rear.
Good luck!
Frank
After driving it for one day, I must concur that the factory speakers are of poor quality. I had an aftermarket Pioneer CD receiver (180 watts) in my other car, along with 6 Pioneer speakers, and that system was excellent. I know I'll have to replace the factory speakers and add a pair of tweeters soon! Two questions: 1)does anyone know of an aftermarket subwoofer that will fit under the seat, or do I have to go with the Subaru subwoofer? 2)will aftermarket tweeters fit right into the factory openings? I noticed the picture of the factory tweeters had a bracket on them; I'm wondering if the brackets are necessary to mount the tweeters. I guess I'll be pulling the grills off in a day or so to have a look.
After one day, I've enjoyed the car very much. It's very comfortable, quiet and responsive. I'm glad I chose the Forester.
-Frank P.
Otherwise, the Forester RULES! We are working on a name now.
-Steven-
First Team Auto Mall or Shelor Auto Mall in Christiansburg, a
I've been debating CRV v. Forester for a couple months now & I think the bottom line is that I cannot see putting ANYONE in the Forester's backseat for any ride over 15 minutes.
Yes, I know it's safer, nicer, and faster but **PLEASE** can someone tell me if the backseat legroom on the 2002 Forester is any larger??
Thanks a ton,
~Connie~
-Frank P.
If you want more rear legroom buy the CRV, or wait till '03. The '03 Forester will be brand new. BTW, there will also be an all-new CRV next fall.
As the owner of an '01 Forester, I can say that the back seat certainly could be roomier, but I've sat there for well over 15 minutes without any problem.
Bob
-Frank P: Thanks for the great feedback on CEL. I will be checking with my dealer. Will keep you posted.
-juice: Thanks for the feedback. I'll be contacting the dealer. Will keep you posted.
Are you also using 87 octane? If the problem is an engine pinging, a change of gas grade might be interesting to try -- or do octane ratings affect engine performance only at low speeds. Comments, anyone?
Thanks.
Joe
I have no clue were they are coming from either, there are obviously not intentional either. I don't drive the car on anything other than pavement and don't drive it much. COuld it be that the paint job is no good and that the slight things on the road will make a shallow scratch?
~L
Do you have a dark colored Forester? I have a black Forester S and I find that it's not so much the paint quality as it is the color. Dark colors are beautiful when clean, but show off everything.
A couple tips for keeping it looking sharp:
- Wash your vehicle frequently. Dirt on your pain will make it easier to scratch when it contacts something.
- Avoid automatic car washes. Wash by hand if possible. If you have to run it through a car wash, make sure it's a brushless type.
- Keep a good coat of wax on your vehicle. The wax will not only help protect the paint, but it also will hide very light scratches.
If the scratches sill bother you there are several other ways you can get rid of them. A non-abrasive polish (I like 3M Hand Glaze) will take off a very, very thin layer of the clear coat and blend in the scratch. Do this only when the above methods don't work anymore and it bothers you. You don't want to prematurely wear away your clearcoat.
Ken
I would like to know about the bike attachments and what recommendations others might have. Looking at the Subaru accessories list I can get the roof rack attachment or the attachment that slips into the hitch. I would be carrying two bikes and one of the bikes has a thicker than usual frame (if that makes a difference attaching the bike I don't know).
thanks for any suggestions.
Dennis
I prefer to use a roof mounted bike rack because it keeps my equipment out of harms way (parallel parking, rear-ending).
I would recommend getting aftermarket bike racks. The Subaru bike racks are actually made by Yakmia, but chances are they're marked up by the dealer.
Also, if your bike has a fat frame, you might want to consider getting a fork mount bike rack. The Subaru OE rack (same as Yakima Anklebiter) has limits to how thick the downtube can be.
Ken
Also - the OE bike rack tilts out of the way, so you can open the hatch even with the bikes still on. In fact I do this all the time!
Congrats to Leo and Steven. Finally, Leo!
Laurie: I've heard complaints of the paint chipping easily, but that's probably because a lot of AWD owners rally cross. My paint has held up pretty well, though.
-juice