Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

drew_ · May 2001

...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!

http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html

Drew
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kate5000 · May 2001

I bought one in KMart and use it my Forester -- soon will be 1 year. No problems with CEL.

scho2 · May 2001

First day I've had to really get out and drive our new Forester S (blue ridge pearl) with 4spd auto. I haven't owned an auto trans car for 20 years (all 5 spds recently) but decided on auto for this one since most of our driving is stop and go around town. Love the car so far, but I've noticed that I have to do a lot of braking going down steep hills or manually downshift to 3rd or 2nd, because the car does not seem to want to automatically downshift. Shouldn't the car automatically downshift or am I doing something wrong?

kens · May 2001

Dave: The S tires are also H-speed rated. IMO, they're a good balance for what the Forester was designed to do -- mostly on-road driving with occasional light-off roading.

Ken

joseph50 · May 2001

Consumersearch.com registers the Geolanders as tires most highly recommended by the most tire testers they checked. Upon closer search of one of the testers, Consumer Reports says they are most excellent in emergency situations, miserable in the snow.
(Don't base a decision on the car based on the tires - they can always be changed!)

ateixeira · May 2001

Carl - sounds like you are already doing the right thing - using a low gear.

-juice

kpedersen1 · May 2001

So list members, what ARE, in your opinion, the best tires for a Forester S,in the snow??? All responses appreciated. Kris in NJ

tlima · May 2001

I'm a little late here, but the things you describe occur with my '01 Forester L Auto as well.

1) "Engine shudder on start-up" Yeah, I posted to this board when I first got it back in August and the Folks here agree that the boxer configuration tends to do this as each cylinder "catches". It's normal for this car/engine and ALL Foresters should do this. After a while, you don't even notice it.

2) My car does this too. If in Park, there is a slight bump/vibration, but in "D" with foot on brake, smooth as silk (well almost!). Big 4 cylinder engines tend to not have the smoothest idle. In fact, I had an '88 626 with a 2.2L engine that would shake your fillings out in "D" w/foot on brake. Boxer is much, much smoother than most. I noticed that your previous car was an Oldsmobile (maybe with a 6 cyl?). I too moved from a very smooth 6 cyl back to a 4cyl engine. People who make this transition will tend to notice this stuff more.

3) I have the same faint whine/whistle you describe. It is more noticeable when it's cold. I believe that it is coming from the auto tranny. It could also be the fuel pump as it occurs only when accelerating.

It's actually good to hear that you are having the same things occuring with yours. I am not overly concerned about them. If they change (noise becomes louder, harder starting, etc.) it's off to the dealer we go....

-Tony

drew_ · May 2001

For more information about tires, check out the Tires, tires, tires topic in the Aftemarket & Accessories message board. There is also a dedicated Snow and winter tires topic that you might want to have a look at.

Drew
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Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

jei · May 2001

are snow tires. I have a '99 Forester "S" with 16" alloy wheels. Last year I bought a set of 4 "take-off" 15" steel wheels (those used on the "L") to which I mounted 15-215 Cooper XGT winter tires. They are great in ice, slush & snow - and perfectly OK on dry or wet pavement. The Geolandars are poor in snow, so for a few bucks more, I save them for spring thru fall.

John

logtrail · May 2001

Scho2,
Don't know about the newer models, but my 1999 downshifts automatically from high gear going down steep hills over 45 miles per hour. It will upshift when it gets on a level
stretch, or I can upshift by shifting down to 3rd and up to 4th manually. You may need to check with the dealer if yours is not downshifting (or they may have changed the system since 99).

PDouglas

bigfrank3 · May 2001

From the manual:

"While going down a hill
When descending a steep hill, depressing the brake pedal will cause the transmission to downshift to 3rd gear, thus applying engine brakeing. Reacceleration for a short time will cause the transmission to upshift normally.

NOTE
In some cases, depressing the brake pedal on a downhill grade does not result in an automatic downshift to 3rd gear. This can happen when the automatic transmission fluid temperature is very low, for example, during driving shortly after the vehicle has been parked for an extended period of time. When the ATF temperature has risen to a certain level, automatic downshift normally takes place. In the meantime, downshift manually for engine braking as required. Also, downshifting when braking downhill will not occur at speeds above approximately 50 mph (80 km/h)."

Regards,
Frank

rsunico · May 2001

What should one pay for a new 2001 Forester L 5-speed (base price)? I found a dealer that will sell one for 18900 firm (has tail piper cover, rear rubber mat).

Also what is the proper brake in procedure. I was told that in the first 500 miles not to exceed 4000 RPM. Someone told me not to use the cruise for the first 4000 miles. Others say first oil change s/b @ 1,000 (another said at 3,000).

TIA...

montereybay · May 2001

Many thanks to all who have posted comments re Subaru and Passats! After reading 100's of posts, I went with Forester S (manual tr). So far (120mi), so good, except for weak sound..I recall some post about that - is it okay to upgrade speakers yourself or does that violate warranty?
A so-so deal, 2002 model for 22850 with the rear differential protector, air filter & arm rest extension thrown in.
I look forward to continued comments on Forester boards. Thanks again, everybody!

PB

laramie2 · May 2001

Folks: ...Got 1,600 miles on my blue ridge pearl 2001 Forester L (auto trany) bought down in the lowlands of Denver (John Elway AutoNation). All the good things I read about on this board concerning the utility of the Forester in bad weather's been brought home to me recently. Laramie, Wyoming's received three serious spring blizzards this month; all the accessing highways and interstates closed each time, and the town's roads in wretched shape f'sure. I couldn't have asked for better tracking and stability with both drifted snow and ice. It's hard to conceive of a little rig better suited to this high (7,300 ft.), open, windy country. As per some earlier advice from here, I picked up a set of WeatherTech floormats which are perfect "as advertised." A bad run over freshly sanded roads to Cheyenne after one storm gave me some pinpoint paint pocks so I snagged a full coverage bra from the Bruce Titus Auto Group and am likewise pleased. ...Keep the good advice coming!

cynrobinson · May 2001

I bought a new Subaru Forester three weeks ago. Along with the manuals I found a "dealer preparation checklist-service department" that itemizes what should be detailed prior to delivery to the owner. It has not been completed. a copy is suppose to stay in the "dealer file."

what should I do about this checklist? Is there a position I should take with the dealership, i.e. provide me proof of preparation or let it ride because maybe it's just paperwork they didn't complete? Do I need it completed to enforce my extended warranty?

p0926 · May 2001

montereybay- Congratulations and no, upgrading your speakers won't violate the warranty.

Cynthia- It most likely means nothing. Subaru puts blank pre-delivery checklists in the glove compartments of all their cars prior to shipping them to the dealers. It's mostly likely that the dealer just used his own form to conduct the pre-delivery inspection. If you're concerned, you can ask the dealer to show you his file copy of the completed checklist. To answer your 2nd question, lack of this piece of paper has no effect on your extended warranty.

FYI: Any potential car buyer should know that every dealer has to complete a pre-delivery checklist and the salesperson is supposed to go over it with you as part of the delivery process. You should never leave the dealership without having the the saleperson fully cover all aspects of vehicle operation.

-Frank P.

ateixeira · May 2001

Renato: the first scheduled oil change is at 3000 miles, though some do it earlier. The break-in period is 1000 miles, and that's when you should keep it under 4000rpm and not use cruise (generally vary your speeds).

Under $19k for a Forester sounds like a deal to me. That's less than I paid 4 years ago!

PB: go ahead and yank out those speakers. It's not hard and will produce the best cost/benefit among stereo upgrades.

Cynthia: each dealer probably has their own PDI (pre-delivery inspection) checklist. That one is probably provided as an example. Given you have the extended warranty, I'd be even less concerned.

Congrats on the new Forester.

-juice

nygreg · May 2001

My dealer specifically told me to have my OB back to them for an oil change at 3500 miles (which is "free" from this dealer), then 7500 miles and then every 7500 miles. I now have 900 miles on and plan to have it changed for the first time at around 1000 to 1200 miles. If Subaru uses break in oil, which I believe they don't, I would wait until 3000 miles.

-greg

peterson10 · May 2001

I'll go back and check, but 18900 is, I believe, BELOW invoice-cost (incl. "destination"). For a 2002 with a few extras, thats incredible. I'm about to buy the same car at 200 over invoice, so I'm jealous.
Dave

sweeneyjoe · May 2001

The Forester S+ I just bought came with a brush guard. Since I really don't plan on doing much off-road driving, I don't have much use for it. Anyone want to buy a three-day old brush guard for the $284 invoice price (including delivery)? If so, email me at sweeneyjoe@msn.com.

canadiancl · May 2001

I would keep it for looks.

erzhan · May 2001

I brought my 2001 Forrester L auto for $350 under invoice.
I think - because 2002MY already in stock

ateixeira · May 2001

Sweet. That's basically the entire holdback, so the dealer did all that work for free.

Congrats.

-juice

stuener · May 2001

Juice: It's been a while. I am unable to pull up your web page, or Darlene's for that matter. I would appreciate an update on both if you had them. Thanks keep up the great info.

stuener

kens · May 2001

Stuener,

We're all out of luck. Homepage.com went out of business and took down juice's homepage. QSubaru went out of business so Darlene can't supply us anymore.

juice managed to transfer most of his photos to his Photopoint account, which I'm sure he'll post soon after reading your message.

Ken

armac13 · May 2001

can be found at this link:

http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumList?u=1400062&f=0

Ross

skipd · May 2001

Sounds like you have the same exact Forester as me. 2001 L in Blue Ridge Pearl, auto tranny. Don't you just love that deep, rich blue color? Looks like we both have good taste.....congrats.

By the way....you mentioned weathertech rubber floor mats. Are they a perfect fit for the Forester? Where can I get a set of those puppies? I'm in desperate need of good rubber mats. You wouldn't beleive all of the dirt, gravel and mud I accumulate in my Forester over one weekend.

Thanks,

Skip

laramie2 · May 2001

U-bet...blue ridge pearl is a "knock yer eyes outta yer head" paint job; got lots of nice comments on it. I ordered up those WeatherTech mats on the web...go to http://ultimatetruck.com/Products/wtfloormats_01.asp?categId=40&make=Subaru

These mats are made in England...will capture a quart and a half of water without getting it on your floor, and fit the Forester quite well. I'm thinking about getting the one piece mat for the back seat floor next. The price? About twice what you'd shell out for el-cheapo's, and worth every cent (in my humble opinion). Hope you like 'em...

leo2633 · May 2001

Skip,

You can go to the manufacturer's web site directly at www.macneilauto.com/store/ They sell the Weather Tech mats and have a few pictures of them. I bought a set of four for my '01 Forester and they are nice. They're pretty heavy, and you can trim them to fit. They have score lines to trim along. I fit the rears by trimming the outer edges off both mats, and by removing the top outer curved corners (easier to understand once you see the mats). They now fit perfectly around the front seat rear floor mounts. I also trimmed the driver's mat under the accelerator pedal, as the mat prevented it from going all the way to the stop on the floor. You just trim along the squares. The front passenger side mat didn't need any trimming. One of the front mats comes with the left-front corner relieved, and it fits perfectly around the driver's left foot rest. I also trimmed this mat under the accelerator pedal, as it prevented the pedal from going all the way to the floor. Here's a hint: if your Forester has the factory carpet mats, take the rears and put them under the front Weather Tech mats. The floor has a depression in the center, and the square carpet mats fill it in perfectly under the rubber mats. I tried leaving the factory front carpet mats in place under the rubber mats, but they were too bulky.

An update on fuel economy: with about 1600 miles now logged, I've tracked four full tanks so far. I got 32.00 MPG on the first and 28.28 MPG on the second. These were on Sunoco Super 93 octane. The next two tanks were 28.21 and 31.39 MPG, both on Sunoco Plus 89 octane. Average for four tanks has been 29.97 MPG. I hope this will go up to low thirties when it is fully broken in.

leo2633 · May 2001

PS: I got them in black. The gray looked a little lighter in color than the existing mats and carpets, so I went for the contrasting look. It coordinates nicely with the dark armrests, steering wheel and dash. The red stripe does look a little cheesy, but I might try to remove that with some solvent in the future.

ateixeira · May 2001

Thanks for pinch-hitting while I was at work, guys!

HOLY COW, LEO! You going down hill both ways or what?! 32mpg is sweeeeet! I have yet to break 30, but I'm still happy with my 25.1mpg average.

-juice

leo2633 · May 2001

I forgot to sign my two previous posts regarding the Weather Tech mats. Sorry.

By the way, regarding the crush washer on the oil drain plug (as was discussed on several earlier posts on this forum): it goes with the flat side against the drain plug. I changed my oil last week for the first time and I checked it as it came from the factory.

juice: unfortunately, only downhill one way! Otherwise I could coast! Seriously, I travel about 90% highway during off hours, so I don't hit much traffic, which helps.

Len

skipd · May 2001

For the info. on the mats fellas.

Skip

rsunico · May 2001

I just picked up my 2001 5 speed Forester L in Pearl Blue (I paid $18900). Took a bit to get used to clutch (I'm used to Peugeot and Saab) but I drove up and down a few steep hills in the Hudson Valley and I loved the way it handled. 5 speed is the way to go.

By the way, the dealer (Libery Subaru in Oradell, NJ) has a few more 2001 left and they are on clearance to make room for the 2002 Foresters. They even lowered the price on the green 5 speed to $18650? -- $375 less than I paid 4 days ago!!! They have 1-3 L automatics left (roughly $19,200) and a few 2001 S w/sunroof for 22,???. Ask for Jeff Miletta (I guess you can tell him that Renato referred you). I am NOT affiliated w/ this dealership... but was pleased w/ the way I was treated (avoid Lynnes in Bloomfield, NJ).

Anyway the break in is 500 miles, keep it under 4000RPM. First oil change at 5 mos. or 3000 miles.

Chat with you all on Thursday!

sundhario · May 2001

I will probably get a Forester I/in the next couple of months. I'm shopping around for some prices. I've received a couple quotes for about 23099$. Is this too much? What is a typical price?

Also, has anyone had any problems having people in the back seat? Is the rear leg room too small?

Thanks!

canadiancl · May 2001

if you're a double amputee! Just kidding. Seriously, it is a little tight. But you'd have to try it to see for yourself.

cellmates · May 2001

speterson1 · May 2001

Is a graphic to remind you what side of the car the fuel door is on when you get ready to fill up, so you know how you should pull up to the pumps. After the first few fillups you won't need it anymore, but hey, what the heck.

Steve

ateixeira · May 2001

Renato: congrats. Mine's a 98 L and I love it.

Sundhar: is that Canadian or US dollars? The price is very high for an L model if you mean US dollars. People usually pay under $20k. An S goes for around $22k, and the S Premium picks up at around $23k and up.

-juice

cellmates · May 2001

I ran the spell check on my previous message (last time I do that). Here is the correct message:

We have had the car 2 weeks now and are enjoying it very much. I didn't have a great experience with the dealer pep though; all tires at 44psi and the manual transmission fluid was not topped off. Service manager said that the "other" dealership forgot to do the tires (even though the sticker said they were the ship to dealer). When I asked about the trans fluid he said it was actually ok the way it was (about 1/3 way between F and L on the L side). I then asked how much oil needed to be added when the stick read L and he said a very small amount (fraction of a quart). When I told him the manual said that transmission oil capacity was 3.5 quarts he told me that it didn't hold anywhere near that amount (I think he was thinking automatic). At that point, I gave up and said I wanted it topped off anyway. After top off it read on F and I noticed the shifter was a little smoother when I left the dealer. The only reason I checked in the first place was because the manual said to check it 1 per month and add as necessary. Oh well, we are satisfied with the car at 2 weeks. BTW - 1st fillup we had 28mpg.

ateixeira · May 2001

28mpg and you're complaining? Boy, that's one tough customer! ;-)

Join us tonight for the chat.

A lot of dealers forget to air down the tires. If they are busy they rush the PDI (pre-delivery inspection) and can miss a lot of that stuff.

Anyhow, it seems like you'll be a good owner in terms of servicing, so I'm sure your Forester will be fine.

-juice

stever · May 2001

I deleted your "duplicate" post. Remember that you can edit your message within 30 minutes of posting. Thanks,

Steve
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Vans, SUVs and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards

drew_ · May 2001

...at 6-7pm Pacific/9-10 pm Eastern. Hope to see you there!
http://www.edmunds.com/chat/subaruchat.html

Drew
Host
Vans, SUVs, and Aftermarket & Accessories message boards

vtwoman · May 2001

Hi everyone. Finally tonight picked up my new 2002 S Premium Platinum Silver, with Leather seats. It's very exciting. I paid just about invoice. Thanks to all of your wise comments and advice. Looking forward to learning more about this wonderful car each day as I get used to it. About the tire pressure, what is this air down?
After reading the last few posts, should I rely on what the dealer set tires at (I haven't checked yet) or is there a better pressure I should start them at? Thanks, Susan

armac13 · May 2001

and congratulations. The "air down" refers to the fact that in transport the tire pressure is usually very high ~45-50 psi. Dealers often fail to adjust to a more normal value. I'm currently using 35f, 31r. It's a little bit harsher than standard, but I like the increased responsiveness and I suspect the gas mileage and tire life will be improved - my cornering is often a bit "spirited" but don't tell anyone. Enjoy!!!

Ross

leo2633 · May 2001

I had the 5 rear windows on my '01 Forester S tinted today. I chose a 15% metallic film. It appears black from the outside, and looks very sharp on my Aspen White Forester. It's a bit darker than the factory tint in my wife's Honda Odyssey van. While driving it tonight, I could hardly tell that the rear window was tinted when looking at the headlights of the vehicles behind me. Thanks to all who weighed in with advice on this subject a few weeks ago. All replys were greatly appreciated.

I also stopped at the dealer today and picked up an interior air filter kit. In the 2001, the housing already has a removable door on it, which is held in place by spring clips, so no cutting is necessary. Just pop it open and put the two filters in place. (Hopefully it will really be that simple!)

Next project: speaker upgrade.

Len

pattim3 · May 2001

Welcome! Thanks for your purchase and let us know if we can help you in any way.

Patti

p0926 · May 2001

Susan- Congratulations! You're the 1st one I know of who purchased a Forester Premium with leather (it wasn't offered in the 2001s). Just above invoice for a 2002 is a really good deal too.

Len- 15%? I've heard of 20% and 5% but didn't even know that 15% was an option. I'm glad you're happy with it and bet it looks great. Can you post a picture?

-Frank P.

peterson10 · May 2001

Next week I'll be picking up my spanking new Forester (2002 L). It'll look great along side the Outback (both are white, naturally). The only extra we're putting on it (at least for now) is the rear dust deflector. My ten year daughter thinks the back-end looks "out of proportion" without it: geez, the things kids learn on the streets these days!

We debated about having a CD player installed, but the single disc player alone will set me back $350! For that kind of money I can buy a top-o-the-line 50 disc changer for my home. Has anyone found a reasonably priced alternative? Have any of you audiophiles replaced your OEM unit with something better and, if so, are you interested in selling the old unit?

Dave

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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