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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
By the way, Boone, NC has a ton of Subarus since we get snow in the winter.
So are you in Syracuse or one of the smaller towns closer to the lake?
The click is the sound made by the torque release mechanism that prohibits you from over-tightening the cap.
So whether you do one click or 100 clicks, makes no difference at all.
Sly
A friend at work had a Villager van and wanted to downsize, I suggested a Forester and he got one. He makes the trip to upstate NY for the holidays and thanked me for a less white-knuckled drive up there.
He liked it so much he just got a Subaru Gold warranty so he's covered for the next 100k miles!
-juice
you referring to? The 'lovely' Onondaga or Ontario?
This is not even close to my record, though. I hauled an oversize clothes washer home (seats folded), a large gas grille (big shiny one, kids in the car), and even 5 sheets of plywood, though those went on the roof.
-juice
Sly: Thanks for the click wisdom--I'll still give it one extra click to be safe. I like the altitude theory because that sounds cheaper than the clogged valve. The CEL has only gone on three times and always when I was cruising on interstates. All three times I was coming or going to a mountainous region.
Bummer, we used to get a 1/2 day credit, so you took 1/2 day off but got the full day to go sledding.
Not with a Subie. The rule says you have to "try" to get in and can only take off if you fail. He ain't buyin' it.
-juice
-Frank
Hey, I didn't write the law, your congress did. :P
But you now get to call me an Alien.
-juice
John
Regards,
Kyle
'02 Forestor L
John
Lemme see--$100 less for 4 much better tires? Should be a no-brainer.
The question is though, can I get Falkens via Subaru and still use my Subaru Bucks. Now that would be a killer deal.
John
pert: slight suspension lift. XT is now 7.9" and others are 8.1". Only a small gain from taller springs I believe. You can see more fender gap.
Though some say it's the new engine being tucked in better, so the front cross member is higher up. Haven't actually measured though.
Dealers usually have a limited selection and Falken is not one of the big brands so I doubt it, but ask.
-juice
I don't think the minor changes are the type of thing that make CR wait to forecast reliability for the 2006 Forester.
I have the current issue and the Forester is very much Recommended. Reliability forecast is better than average.
That article is just plain wrong.
-juice
John
"Subaru's track record of reliability as a brand is not the best, if J. D. Power and Associates 2004 Vehicle Dependability Study results are called into question"
Oh boy! Here we go again dragging out that useless JDP survey :mad:
-Frank
(I learned about big snows in the 9 years as a grad student in Binghamton),
I bow to the TA's but don't know about them on a Forester.
Regards,
Kyle
Has anyone else heard of the problems with the original geolanders?
I spent another $100 Subaru Bucks on accessories. Only problem is, I'm not accumulating any! LOL
-juice
Len
Click here>>> Hakka Snow Tires
Chuck
Needless to say about 500 miles later the light reappears. It is unnerving and I don't know whether it is just a Subaru idiosyncracity, like some sensor gone wrong, or should I should I take it to a local mechanic, who has little experience with this car, for a better deal on a catalytic converter. I can't put $1100 into this car.
I have been shopping for a new car (believe it or not I love the scion XB), but all of my research tells me to buy another Forester. I'd rather not because the service issues are so difficult. Also I would like to get another car with better mileage. I am trying to wait until all of the 2006 models appear so I can make a decision. But I feel like I have the sword of Damocles over my head!
How much life is left in this car? If it is indeed some sort of catalytic converter, are there aftermarket parts that will fit this car? It drives great if I ignore the CEL. I really cherish reliability and peace of mind, but I don't want to get rid of a perfectly good car.
Your advice is desperately needed!
A cat can be as little as $80 for just the part. Labor is $85 per hour or so at the dealer, less at your indy mechanic.
The vehicle is still worth a few grand at least, so yes, I'd fix it. I bet you can get it done for $400-800, and that's just one or two car payments. Will it last you another month or two? I'd say yes, very likely a lot longer than that.
132k is a lot of miles, fix it and don't sweat it. I'd still consider it a very reliable vehicle is this is the first major failure. On some brands that would have happened at 80k miles or fewer.
-juice
Brake pads can be scuffed to rid the squeeking. They get glazed over when they get too hot. Try to avoid panic stops, because the pads and rotors get hot, plus if you hold the brakes down they cool at different rates. Also check the torque on the lug nuts to see if they might be overtightened.
For the pinging, that's a bit odd. I would let the dealer diagnose that since it might be a symptom of some problem, perhaps a bad knock sensor.
-juice
You probably can get some place like your local Autozone to read the CEL code for free and reset it. If all it really needs is a new Cat, You will eventually have to fix it before you sell it but in the meantime I don't think you're going to hurt anything by continuing to drive it. It won't pass an emissions test but I doubt that you have to worry about that in Alabama
-Frank
Our brakes are fine. Do you do a lot of local driving? That sometimes glazes the pad surface because of frequent, slower speed use. Just a thought.
Could it be that their non-aggressive appearance makes them immune to electronic or human eye detection by law enforcement, Hmm?
I have found that a high dose of a strong fuel system cleaner (Techron concentrate, or possibly BG) does help. I added Techron for 3 straight tankfuls and the problem is much lessened, but still present to a small degree. The bad part is that doing this is nearly as expensive as using higher octane gas.
I must have bad luck with this. I've owned 8 new cars since 1984 and 3 have done this to one degree or another. Its certainly not unique to Subaru.
I've manually advanced the timing on the Miata, but it pings like crazy if I'm at too low rpm going up a hill, e.g. using 2nd gear while coasting to go up hill. Sounds like a hammer banging on my block!
She's just begging for another gear.
-juice
IMHO, Forester drivers should be let off with a warning.
Don't feel too bad about the rough shifting - the manual isn't all that smooth either. Partly I think a result of the AWD system - alot of things to have to mesh smoothly.
Now, do you *really* think he would have let me off if I were driving my Miata? HA!
-juice