Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

c_hunter · February 2002

Michael, why didn't you have those options added on at the dealer? Or do it yourself? The brush guard, CD, and security system are add-ons anyhow. No reason you have to get them installed at the factory!

It does take a while to order Foresters, since they are made in Japan.

Craig

darube · February 2002

In the manual for my 2002 Forester, it says that I should change the oil at 3000 mi, 7500 mi, and then every 7500 mi thereafter. The salesman made a point of this when I was shopping for the car.

Last week, I brought the car in to the dealership for a maintenance item, and was talking with the service writer about this. He said that I should have the oil changed every 3000 mi, regardless of what the manual says. He said that more frequent changes are needed because of the oil breaking down....not because of the car's capabilities.

So....what is the truth here? I must admit that when I hear different stories from within the same organization, it challenges my already shaky faith in the automotive profession.

p0926 · February 2002

Steve_Host-"The search function isn't optimal" Sheesh... talk about an understatement! More like the search function is non-existent. If Joe visited the townhall a couple of years ago then he remembers the useful feature Edmund's used to have where one could download the entire topic and then use their browser to search for specific words of phrases (hint hint).

-Frank P.

p0926 · February 2002

Kowski- Yes the Forester is an excellent vehicle but you will of course need to test drive one to see if it's the right vehicle for you. If you decide to buy one, the avg delivery time is 8 weeks (Michael's case being the exception rather than the rule) and in most parts of the country they can be had for a few hundred over invoice (as listed on Edmund's). Good luck and let us know what you end up with.

-Frank P.

tidester · February 2002

Regarding the less than "optimal" search function, I am assured that Edmunds will be fixing it! I can't say yet exactly when that will be.

tidester
Host
SUVs

declansdad · February 2002

Craig,

I think the main reason I had to wait so long is that the dealer stated they had trouble finding a S model with a 5-speed in the Silverthorne color. Also, the time frame in which I bought the car was nearing the end of production for the 2000 models and beginning the 2001s. I believe the dealer did install the options that I requested. Looking back, it was worth the wait (small lesson in patience).

Michael

p0926 · February 2002

Dave- Although there is friendly disagreement about how often you should change your oil. In this case it sounds like the service writer is just trying to pad the dealership's bottom line by getting you to pay them $25 to change your oil twice as frequently as necessary.

-Frank P.

p0926 · February 2002

Tidester- If you're right, that'll be great news. Edmund's is such a wonderful resource already but an actual search function would really be the icing on the cake!

-Frank P.

helcol · February 2002

I now have a whistle when I drive after I installed the hood deflector on my 2002 Forester L, has anyone else experienced this? Is there an adjustment I can make to have my quiet drive back? I contacted the dealer and they said adding anything on would change the air flow, called the 1 800 number and they were not any help either. I thought I would try this board as I visited the site to read up on the Forester and knew there was good information posted on it in the past. thanks.

paisan · February 2002

Jump into the isuzu trooper section on the SUV area on edmunds. They are currently or recently discussing wind noise after bug-guard installs. You may get some good hints from them.

-mike

FrankMc · February 2002

I really don't think that it is a service writer trying to increase his business. There are a large number of people who still believe in 3k Oil changes. If you tell them the manufacturer recommends 7500 miles they will tell you "the manufacturer wants to sell cars". Consumer reports did a study on NYC taxi's in which they compared changing oil at 3k or 6k and found no difference in engine wear... The 3k guys response "I don't drive a NYC taxi".

Frank

ateixeira · February 2002

So, the Forester aces the Moose Avoidance test, with a low center of gravity, but fails the MOUSE Avoidance test? :-)

I'm also concerned about the next generation gaining weight. I hope it's not more than 100 lbs or so heavier than the current models, 150 tops.

The hitch - there are 7 bolts. You do need to lower the muffler. There are rubber "hooks" that you can slide off, my hint is to get them wet to make this easier.

You have to remove two tow hooks first, one on each side. Those same bolts can be used to secure the hitch. I do not recall removing any bumper mounting bolts, at least on my 1998.

You do have to remove the vapor canister (holds fuel system vapors) and some tubing that connects them, and then re-install it after the hitch is in place. It's easier than this sounds. Forget a tube and you'll get a CEL, most likely.

I had torque specs on my installation sheet, I believe.

I will e-mail you the photos I have, since homepage.com and PhotoPoint both went under, and took my sites with them! :-(

-juice

asplundh · February 2002

I don't know if I'm being too picky or what but there are a few things bothering me. I have a 2002 L with about 6700 miles on it. I have complained from the beginning about the way the vehicle pulls to one side,usually left.

The dealer I purchased it at told me it was the tire pressure. They let out some air and it did nothing. I went back and this time they said they definitely would do an alignment. It seemed better but only for a short while.

I took it to another dealership and they said it was pulling left and a rotation of the tires would fix it. Now it's pulling to the right and when they removed the back left wheel they scraped up all around the lugs and also portions of the wheel now show black where it was silver before. Can the scraped up wheel be made to look right again I was about to call the dealer and complain.

Thanks

ateixeira · February 2002

Photos were just e-mailed to you, Joe.

One more thing - you have to remove one of the exhaust hangers, and reinstall it below the hitch. I damaged mine slightly while doing this, but managed to twist it back into shape.

-juice

ateixeira · February 2002

The wheels are painted, so they may be able to polish it a bit.

Your tires may be out of round, or worn unevenly, if it was driven with bad alignment for 6700 miles.

-juice

kens · February 2002

I would try going to an independent shop that does only alignments, if possible. My experience has been less than stellar with the dealer or general-purpose shops. You might pay more up front with a specialist, but I think it pays off with a straight tracking vehicle and even tire wear.

A friend of mine had his alignment done at a local Subaru dealer despite my warnings. Several thousand miles later, he began noticing uneven wear on his brand new tires. He finally took it in to the shop I recommended and it turned out that the dealers alignment equipment were not calibrated properly resulting in all four tires to be consistently off.

Ken

jaurelio · February 2002

Got 'em....thanks! Pictures are worth thousands of words.

If you (or anyone else) can get the torque ratings on the bolts, it'd be appreciated.

Joe

p.s. I do remember the old forum search from a couple years ago. I tried to do that again, but found that I couldn't.

jei · February 2002

I second what Ken says. Well worth paying for the right top quality independent suspension & alignment shop to check and fix alignment. Small $ for peace of mind, longer tire life and avoiding time-wasting run-arounds or repeat visits. I finally did that around 50K for my '99. The car has held the alignment well, as of around 85K.

John

ateixeira · February 2002

I will see if I kept the instructions. They remind me of Ikea, i.e. pictures with very little text, and almost useless.

-juice

subaruf99 · February 2002

I have experienced this three times now. When I move at a slow speed like in a stop and go traffic, my engine just stalls. The last time it happened was about two years back. I put the car in parking gear and restarted and it worked fine.
This is sort of like rebooting your PC!!!
Anybody else experienced any problem like this?
Any ideas why this may be happening?

ateixeira · February 2002

I think idle speed is regulated by the ECU (i.e. not manually adjustable), so I would start there. On my Miata, tightening the slack on the throttle cable created a higher idle for me, FWIW.

-juice

tidester · February 2002

subaruf99,

Have you tried downshifting in slow traffic?

tidester
Host
SUVs

subaruf99 · February 2002

Tidester,
No - I haven't. I have an automatic and I just leave that in drive?

bsvoller · February 2002

-jaurelio I bought an aftermarket class II Drawtite hitch instead of the OEM model. The torque spec on my hitch was 58 ft lbs, for what it's worth. I doubt that the torque spec on the OEM model would be different...

Hope this helps,

-bv

silface · February 2002

Got this from the Subaru Canada site: "It's a great way to start the New Year, said Norio Osakabe, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Subaru Canada, Inc. We are looking forward to breaking even more records as the redesigned 2003 Forester goes on sale this spring and the all-new Baja crossover vehicle joins the lineup later this year." I hope it will be good news on Wednesday!

Sil

rsunico · February 2002

Since someone is on the oil subject. What are the pros to switching to mobil 1 synthetic? IF I switch, what are the correct oil change intervals? Thanks! P.S. I can't wait until Wednesday to see what the new Forester looks like (I'm personally praying for more horsepower).

kens · February 2002

There's quite a bit of debate over the benefits of synthetic oil in our engines. Without a doubt, synthetic oil does have better properties than conventional oil. It flows better at low temperatures and resists breakdown better as well. The benefits of synthetic oil are probably more apparent in high-performance engines or those that operate in severe conditions.

Our engines are not as demanding and can get by just fine with regular oil. It's probably overkill to use synthetic but you can expect:
- slightly better gas milage ~1mpg
- quieter cold startups
At least that's been my experience.

As for the change intervals, yes, you should be able to go longer with synthetic. The exact amount depends on your driving conditions, but it's not uncommon to go 5-7K miles between changes without problems.

Ken

rictom · February 2002

Did I miss the final post from the guy whose dealer was trying to screw him out of the cdplayer he had paid for on the invoice?

Last I read the dealer was trying to get him to pay for installing the cdplayer.

Thanks

p0926 · February 2002

Ken- Except for severe conditions, you can go 5-7K between changes without problems with plain old dino oil. If I spent the extra $ on a synthetic, I'd expect to go 10-15K between changes.

-Frank P.

simon_dedalus · February 2002

Ah . . . an update is wanted.

I called SOA on Wednesday of last week and dealt with Judy (instead of Patti?). She had a few days off at the end of the week, though, so I didn't hear back from her until yesteday.

After she looked at my faxed purchase copy, she said that I'd be getting the CD player and installation for free. She couldn't promise that the dealer would pay for those up front, but she did say that SOA would cut me a check to reimburse anything I had to spend.

She was going to try to contact the manager yesterday (good luck!) and said that she'd get back to me with the final details as soon as she could.

Cheers to SOA!

Jeers to the Dean Team dealership (somebody had asked which dealership it was) in St. Louis!

Thanks again for all the concern and thoughtful advice,

Paul

kens · February 2002

Frank -- Just being a little conservative since this topic sometimes sparks debate.

Paul -- Glad to hear that everything seems to be working out. It's true -- SOA does care about us.

Ken

subaru_team · February 2002

Hi Paul - sorry I was away for a bit. It seems that Judy has the right "spotlight" on your dealer situation and it is being brought to the right folks attention. Thanks for giving us a chance!

Patti

subaru_team · February 2002

Hi! You should have a dealer check it out. For a couple of $$$'s - better safe than sorry. Is it still under warranty? If it is, they can check it at no cost to you. I think it would be worth the trip.

Patti

subaru_team · February 2002

Keep in mind that we (the manufacturers) provide the minimum suggested intervals for oil changes. I don't know if there is any data to indicate when oil actually breaks down, but, for my personal vehicles, I change it every 3K. It's good to get under there and scope things out anyway. Just my $.02.

Patti

barbny · February 2002

Hi gang, I've been lurking here for awhile since I got my Forester last Fall, but now I finally have a question...

This morning when I went to start my baby she started right up but stalled immediately, after about the 3rd time I gave her a little gas and she stayed running. This is the first time I've had this happen but it's also the coldest morning we've had (single digits) all season.

My husband had a remote start installed for me for Christmas (gotta love that guy!)but I don't think that's it since it's worked flawlessly for 2 months now. (I highly recommend them to anyone living in snow belt!)

I'm taking her in for an oil change next week so I figure I'll have the dealer look at it, just thought if anyone had a similar problem, I'd know what to look for.

Thanks for your help!

Barb

rsholland · February 2002

Could be bad gas, with some moisture (condensation) in it that froze? Always try to keep your gas tank full in the winter. This helps prevent that situation.

Bob

cgphil1 · February 2002

Not sure if anyone has posted this before but if not, here is the link to the 2003 Forester on the SOA website. Click on Forester and it will take you to the 2003 models.

http://www.media.subaru.com/

hypov · February 2002

Looks tapered towards the back, maybe it's the angle but the roof line looks lower in the rear. Nice alloys :-)
In-window antenna. No HID :-(
Looking at the foglights, I wonder if it is detachable?
And, 2.5XS... what would that be?

-Dave

tidester · February 2002

Welcome aboard! We're glad you finally decided to come out of the shadows and partcipate in the discussion. We're looking forward to hearing more from you!

tidester
Host
SUVs

lakepop · February 2002

Looks like we will have to wait at least one year for major changes. The 2003 Forester 2.5 XS appears to be a cosmetic tweek to me. The changes are nice , but nothing major.

Back lid says 2.5 XS...?????

Anyways thanks for the good link and an early peek at the new Forester.

canadatwo · February 2002

hopefully: eXtra Strength

ie: 180+HP, higher torque, better power & torque curves, better mileage etc etc.

paisan · February 2002

Based on the hood and grille.

And let's hope the 2.5XS means there will be a 3.0XS as well

Also looks to have some nice ground clearance.

-mike

canadatwo · February 2002

Not really.

They managed to take most of the "awkwardness" out of the previous design.

Much more attractive for me anyway.

And, we have yet to hear how they have improved the mechanicals and ergonomics etc.

I think what you see is basically what you get for the next 4 or 5 years.

Except maybe a Turbo in 2004.

Otherwise "GREAT JOB SUBARU!"

Can't wait for more pics and info!

declansdad · February 2002

Anybody notice the lack of a keyhole on the rear liftgate? Does that mean all models will have keyless entry standard? Looks the the liftgate handle is just below the "BA" in Subaru.

Seems to me that the outside mirrors are smaller than my 2000's...maybe to cut out wind noise?

Michael

kate5000 · February 2002

re: Forester 2003 pix. Not a major departure from current looks but a nice refreshment... let's hope XS does stand for eXtra Strength...

storyteller · February 2002

This isn't going to win contests for the cutest ute in the world, but it looks better than the current model to me. I like the fender flare on the new one and the cladding looks more like it belongs. Whole car looks more organic, more together, more like a SUV and less like a modified Impreza.

I like it.

kens · February 2002

Whoa! Nice scoop on the link! I didn't expect to see the 2003 Forester official photo today!

I do like the way it looks overall. Not a huge change but enough to keep it interesting. I've noticed there is more consistency with the current product line -- corner lights and fog lights are more Legacy-like. The back is kinda strange on the photos, though.

Don't forget that even though the sheetmetal changes aren't that big, the chassis has completely changed over to the new Impreza.

Ken

kens · February 2002

Did anyone notice that the 2003 Forester was also riding on new tires -- Geolandar G900s?

Ken

dhdunn · February 2002

Okay, I was going to write something snide, but Paisan took care of that in a very witty way. But Paisan, why couldn't one pick up babes in a Forester? okay, i'm naive!!

But seriously, is your husband more concerned with the car's performance, or whether or not the ol' testosterone count is goign to go down. I'd recommend 2 things:

1. Buy the Forester
2. Buy some viagra just in case...

I hope he doesn't choose an inferior product because of marketing. A car is a car - if it sucks it sucks. The Forester happens NOT to suck, so who gives if most of the people purchasing it are women?

...just one man's opinion. And yes, I'll be purchasing a Subaru Forester - I think it accentuates my feminine side, and I hear that's REALLY good for picking up babes...

d

paisan · February 2002

GM is beginning to seep in... Trailblazeresque lights.... Pontiac fogs...

-mike

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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