Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

forestergump · August 2003

You could try something like a computer keyboard cleaner in an aerosol can. I would probably try something like isopropyl alchohol, which seems to get almost any sticky stuff (like kids' messes) off, as long as your material can take it.

ken_from_nj · August 2003

ahh - i love to hear stories from good 'ole Taxachusetts. NJ is the same - pay the tax at time of registration. often on private sales when the holder of the physical title gives that title to the new buyer, the seller has to write down his name/address/odometer reading & sale price. it is that which you bring to DMV when registering the vehicle and you pay the tax based on the sale price. if you have good relationship w/the seller & paid cash - perhaps you can get them to write a lower number than actual sale price thus pay the tax on the lower number. not that i endorse this - just stating what i've heard of....

ateixeira · August 2003

Yeah, just use something that evaporates, so you don't end up with a mess.

-juice

lark6 · August 2003

This is more of a general maintenance & repair question but it's Forester-specific so I thought it better posted here.

The vinyl/rubber "dead pedal" on my '00 S has come loose from the carpet. I use that term loosely because it's not really a pedal but just a rubber pad that had been glued to the carpet. I've tried reattaching it using contact cement, Permatex silicone adhesive and spray headliner adhesive but none of those have done the trick. Is it time to go whole-Martha-Stewart-hog and use a hot glue gun?

When I test drove an '04 XT a couple of weeks ago I noticed that the dead pedal is a lot more substantial now, and the pad is held in place with a plastic rivet or stud. This leads me to believe that the problem I'm having isn't unique. Has anyone else experienced this as well?

Thanks,
Ed

erics6 · August 2003

Oregon does have a high income and property tax, to make up for the lack of a sales tax. Overall, I think we're somewhere in the top 25 of states if you look at overall tax burden. We also have one of the highest unemployment rates in the nation.

I have to admit, for those of us who buy cars more often than we should, it is nice not to have to pay sales tax on each purchase.

Eric
(Looking forward to my 05 Legacy with no sales tax.)

kens · August 2003

Ed,

The dead pedal pad on my 98 S is still fine.

Ken

#noname · August 2003

jdanis - I don't have the paper work with me. If you send me an e-mail I'll send you the messy details.
I bought at Westboro Subaru, found them easier to deal with than Ogilvie, they also gave me a better trade in. My brother also leased his Legacy GT there.
I read some of your posts (vs CRV) and I too was worried about it being to small, down sizing from a Caravan. I have two little rug rats 4 and 6 and a dog. So far we have had no problems going to the cottage for weekends. Food, clothes, the dog and boat gas all fit in the back. It's a bit tight but manageable. The only thing about the van I miss is the ability to put my bike or furniture in the back and still take the kids which didn't happen often but it was there when you need it. Having said that it did come in handy when the boys were younger. It was great to be able to just open the back door and put the stroller in without taking it apart.
I see a ski box and a bike rack in my future.

ivestorpark · August 2003

...in NV sales tax for vehicles is computed on the MSRP for the vehicle, not what you actually paid. So buyers who can shop and negotiate are penalized for their knowledge and skills. All other states that I know of the tax is computed on the actual price paid less trade in, if applicable.

raybear · August 2003

I can't believe some of you guys have actually posted that you're seeking a way out of paying sales tax on a public forum!

ballistic · August 2003

We Oregonians have no need to seek a way out. Every time the politicians propose a sales tax, we rject it.

njswamplands · August 2003

oh its ok to talk about the hideous nature of sales tax in private but not in public??? didnt we fight a revolution for this right???

stever · August 2003

I think Ray was just trying to protect some individuals from the revenuers - some tax collectors may be interested in checking to make sure everyone is paying their fair share.

There is another legit reason for the question since Oregonians who purchase in California need to know how to avoid CA taxes for a car that's going to be registered in OR.

Steve, Host

mfletouva · August 2003

Its too bad you Oregonians keep on electing FEDERAL officials (i have a few specifially in mind) who never met a federal tax they didn't like!

stoner420 · August 2003

Many people don't maintain a lot of truly personal information in their
Edmunds' profiles (me, for example)... the taxman would have to go to an awful lot of trouble to try to correlate anything based on posts here!

Besides, avoiding taxes is American as apple pie.. (unless you're one of those types who thinks paying taxes is good for the soul)

PS: How many people actually pay "use taxes" to their state for out of state purchases where they didn't pay sales tax (we have this in CT, for example... you are supposed to fill out a form stating how much you paid and pay the sales tax to CT.. it's only on cars where they can actually enforce this because you have to register it with a gov't agency)

paisan · August 2003

Isn't illegal last I checked. Corporate America does it all the time. Not paying taxes is illegal. I guess Ray we shouldn't talk about speeding on here either? I'm sure everyone on this forum does the posted speed limit all the time....

-mike

ballistic · August 2003

The issue turns on the distinction between 'avoiding', which is legal, and 'evading', which is not.

As for "Its too bad you Oregonians keep on electing FEDERAL officials (i have a few specifially in mind) who never met a federal tax they didn't like!"...rest assured that this Oregonian has not assisted in the election of any pro-tax fed officials.

oldshoe · August 2003

I know this topic has been talked about ad nauseum so forgive me, but I have some questions about my first oil change (3750 miles)...

1. Is it critical to take it to a dealer or can I go to Wal-Mart ???

2. If I go to Wal-Mart , should I request they use anything in particular...

3. Anything else I need to check at 3750 miles ???

Thanks, JO

ballistic · August 2003

Jo, not sure what make of car you're referring to, but for Subarus, the first oilchange is at 3,000 miles - not 3,750. Also, my dealer performs that first drain-and-fill for free; I believe that's generally true for all Subaru dealers.

If you go to Wal-Mart (etc) you no nothing about the quality of the oil filter cartridges they use, or the oil for that matter. Also, their minimum-wage employees will have little or no familiarity with your car. This can lead to great misfortune. Foresters have shrouding panels underneath the engine. One of those must be swung away to access the crankcase drain plug and oil filter. One horror story circulating is that an unknowing employee went underneath, thought the transmission drain plug was for the engine, and drained out all of the transmission gear oil. Then he refilled the transmission with 5-30 engine oil instead of much heavier gear lube. Result - a wrecked transmission.

My recommendation: Go to the dealer or to a garage that specializes in your make of car - or else perform the oilchanges yourself.

stever · August 2003

That was also the subject of a recent (rerun?) call to Car Talk on NPR by a fledgling medical student - a botched d-i-y job in this case.

I usually do it myself, and I've been known to pick up the oil and filter at Wally World.

Steve, Host

c_hunter · August 2003

Someone took their car to Pep Boys, I think. They drained the transmission, and then overfilled the engine with oil. Transmission (an auto) was shot after a couple of miles. I'm sure the engine was affected too.

Craig

gened1 · August 2003

mysubaru.com and my owners manual say 3750 miles for my first oil change. While I did it at 3000 mi.I could have waited and been ok according to Subaru.
Maybe the 03-04 interval is different?
Gene

kurt32 · August 2003

My wife's 2001 automatic trans Forester has been intermitently acting up. At speeds around 65-70 mph she experiences jurking and surging. Occasionally this will also occur at slower speeds, but only after first traveling at higher speeds. The dealer checked it out at the last oil change, but found nothing wrong. A friend who is a Chrysler mechanic said that they occasionally see this sort of problem causes by foamy trans fluid. Has anyone ever experienced a similar problem? Any suggestions?

ballistic · August 2003

Gene, the spec must have changed since then. Page 42 of the '04 Forester Warranty and Maintenance book stipulates 3,000 miles or 3 months. So does the excellent, informative cars101.com website maintained by a large Seattle dealer. According to that site, the 3000 mile 1st change has been consistent for year 2000 and newer Subarus.

Here's their link:

http://www.cars101.com/subwarr.html

ballistic · August 2003

"Someone took their car to Pep Boys, I think. They drained the transmission, and then overfilled the engine with oil. Transmission (an auto) was shot after a couple of miles."

I can understand how if a manual transmission got drained by mistake, someone might drive it far enough to wreck the gearbox. But if the transmission in question was an automatic, inadvertently drained until no more came out, I guess I'm perplexed as to how an empty automatic could even move the car far enough to get out into traffic, certainly not without feeling very strange.

gvmelbrty · August 2003

Subaru of America has posted the 2004 Forester brochure in PDF format on their web site.

-tom

gened1 · August 2003

I checked the site you refer to and it is kind of misleading in a way. While it (and I might add many other informed sources) states that oil/filter changes should be perfromed at 3000 miles there is an asterisk number 1. If you scroll down to that asterisk directory it states for severe service perform every 3750 miles. Perplexing information.
Also Up top it states to follow the vehicles owners manual too.
Now, I always change a vehicles oil and filter at 3000 miles but some vehicles that have the maintainence paid by the manufacturer suggest that the oil and filter be changed a much longer intervals. i.e. Jaguar 10,000 miles.
anyway just my .02 worth.
Gene

ballistic · August 2003

Gene, the asterisk and 3750 don't refer to the FIRST oil change on a new vehicle. That is clearly called for at 3,000 (but only for the FIRST change). What the asterisk and 3,750 refer to is the standard, ongoing 7,500 mile change interval; in severe driving conditions the standard interval should be reduced to 3,750.

lfdal · August 2003

Jack - When you drain an auto tranny you never get all the fluid out, unless you spend a lot of time turning the engine over slowly etc until you empty the torque converter, etc.
I think on average you'll get about 4-5 quarts out, so there's still enough to make the car go. Not for very long mind you..... but it will go until the transmission over heats, burns the fluid, and then self destructs.

The other cause of confusion for the econo-shops is that nice looking oil filter right in plain sight - too bad its really an external transmission filter.

Larry

ballistic · August 2003

Having never attempted to drive an automatic whose fluid has been drained, I'll accept that it might move the vehicle somewhat, but it's still difficult to imagine that its operation (upshifts, downshifts, and so forth) would feel at all normal.

ohsubeguy · August 2003

Juice ...

This is your reminder. You were going to help me get in touch with Patti.

#12027 of 12091 by ateixeira Aug 20, 2003 (1:30 pm)
Remind me on Monday and I'll put you directly in touch with her. She does not follow every single thread here, time constraints don't allow that.

ohsubeguy

lfdal · August 2003

I supppose it varies from mfg to mfg, but when the dealer left mine 3 quarts low after the 30k filter and fluid service, the fluid did appear on the stick when I checked it w/o the engine running and cold in the dealer's service lot (not the best way to check it but after all it was the dealer that did the work, and it was late when I picked it up, and there wasn't time to warm up the engine and check it etc, etc, (more excuses as soon as I think of them).

It wasn't until about three days later after I'd run the car for a couple of hours running errands that it started to shift "funny", and then "funnier".

When I got it home and couldn't find any fluid at all on the stick with it hot, I let it cool overnight and drove it straight back to the dealer the next morning. They did the service all over again, at no charge. I hadn't run it hard enought to really "cook" the fluid or thay'd have had to use one of those in line fluid flush machines.

It was still running fine when I traded it 13k later, but I have no idea how much overall service life got reduced. That was a Mercury product.

I hate letting other people work on my cars.....

once_for_all · August 2003

I put gear oil in my VW Rabbit 5spd "tranny" and it turned out to be the bell housing. That resulted in a new clutch! Gotta laugh at ourselves.

John

ballistic · August 2003

Nobody would call me an optimist, but evidently I'm far too trusting in these matters. I can't ever remember picking a car up from service and doublechecking correct levels in the crankcase, transmission, etc. I'm not doubting that doing so would be prudent, I've just never done it. I get in and drive away with (evidently) misplaced confidence that the service department covered the bases.

originalbitman · August 2003

I even had a Subaru dealer overfill my Legacy by a good quart. It was my wife who insisted on checking it after the service was performed.

bit

gmginsfo · August 2003

Loaded up my '03 Forester XS with 5 guys, all 6'+ers, this weekend for shuttle service after a meeting to AMTRAK and was pleasantly surprised to see that the H4 held its own with no real loss of zip. The gang was pretty comfortable, too and everyone raved about the sunroof.

Re: spills into seatbelts and other places, a decidedly low-tech solution that works: carry a large paper napkin in the armrest and unfold it beneath the drinks before you put them into the cupholders, bringing it up halfway around the cups so they're cradled in it. (Think "swaddling clothes!") This has saved my interior - and pants! - on many occasions. When you're done, fold the napkin back up and put it back into the armrest. Unless you're a real slob, it should last you several weeks at least.

Re: the great tax debate, US Supreme Court authority states that there is no duty to pay excessive taxes and nothing wrong with minimizing your taxes. The problems come when you start trying to avoid them.

Finally, who's paying what for unleaded these days? Cheapest in SDiego seems to be around $1.97 - and that took some looking! >:[

rsholland · August 2003

for regular in Howard County MD, 20 miles west of Baltimore.

Bob

xccoachlou · August 2003

I filled up Monday at $1.449 for Regular. Saturday afternoon it was $1.629. What happened?

stever · August 2003

We jumped to $1.79 in Boise and my orange fuel light is on in my OB.

Gas Prices Get Pumped Up (BostonChannel)

I'm sure the upcoming Labor Day holiday has nothing to do with it (wink/nudge).

Steve, Host

stoner420 · August 2003

There are no major market disruptions, other than the pipeline problem in Phoenix. It's just the standard pre-Labor Day any-excuse-we-can-find-the-blackout-did-it price gouging.

I paid $2.09 for 4 gals of 93 this morning, then saw someone selling for $2.04 down the road @#$@$

kens · August 2003

It's seasonal gas-gouging by the oil companies. I've heard excuses from the blackout to the pipeline rupture in Arizona.

BTW, most of you are still paying gas prices lower than what we "normally" pay in CA. Welcome to our world! ;-)

Ken

gened1 · August 2003

If the President was serious about terrorists he would put a stop to the gas "terrorists" that are fleecing America. But then he is an oil man and I guess he profiting too!
Gene

paisan · August 2003

Let's keep the politics off this forum, Thanks.

-mike

ateixeira · August 2003

ohsubeguy: e-mail me with the specifics on your case, I will make sure she gets it.

I still haven't seen Patti post, though she did mention she'd be back this week.

What to get from Wal Mart? If all goes well, a receipt for your records. But I'd check the fluid levels before driving off, just to be safe.

-juice

mfletouva · August 2003

I hate ignorant comments. Gened1, you just realized that you equated an Exxon executive to someone who kills people for a living, right? And by the way, I'm sure the President is thrilled with the high gas prices, that sure will help his reelection bid. Think before you write.

gened1 · August 2003

It's the economy... and at least my Subaru is affected by it.
Gene

gened1 · August 2003

What in the world are you sniffing?
I hope it isn't gasoline.
Either lighten up or stay away from the keyboard.

ateixeira · August 2003

Let's stick to cars, err, SUVs, err, Foresters!

-juice

paisan · August 2003

We agreed a long time ago to leave politics out of our discussions here, if you'd like to go troll elsewhere for your political discussions, please do it elsewhere.

-mike

mfletouva · August 2003

A while back someone had asked which dealership we got the good deal on the Forester X Auto was. I wanted to wait to take delivery, but everything went fairly smoothly (small hangup because it was registered in MA but purchased in RI), but the dealership was Anchor Subaru in North Smithfield, RI. They have a large inventory and were very straightforward, there was virtually no haggling over the price and it was also the lowest.

ohsubeguy · August 2003

Juice ...
Just sent you an email concerning the issues I've been having with the dealership from which I got my Forester. After reading, if there is any additional info you think Patti might need let me know.

Thanks for your assistance. I hope Patti will be able to get my nightmare resolved.

OHsubeGuy

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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