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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Thanks!
Patti
Jim J.
Is yours an auto or 5 speed? On 5 speeds, the front diffy shares gear oil with the transmission. That's something that probably should have been checked at 30k miles, possibly even changed (60k at the latest). Do you have a service history (receipts)? If so, you'd have a stronger case.
If the original owner neglected the gear oil, I wouldn't be surprised.
varmint: thanks for the update. The mounts would be different on the 2.0l turbo vs. our 2.5l boxer, at least I would think so. Probably just a coincidence, those are the only two cases I've heard of.
James: wow, 110k miles already? Believe me, that list is short compared to my last car, which was totalled at 107k miles.
I have a fix for #4: black electrical tape. Cut a little piece out and cover that CEL. ;-) If the cats were bad they'd clog up and the engine wouldn't even start.
Patrick: the radiator cap is rated for a specific pressure. Excess pressure should be vented into the overflow container, not via the radiator cap except in severe situations. They are cheap - replace the radiator cap.
-juice
"A replacement for the popular turbocharged Forester GT will not be available until late next year."
While rumors had a US version of the turbo Forester show up early next year, I am doubtful of that now, given this piece of news. They have an existing Forester turbo market in Australia and you would think they'll get the new model there as fast as possible.
I hope it won't be 2004 before we see it. Perhaps "next year" was a typo?
- D.
Bob
I have a question which I know I could answer by doing a testdrive at night. But before I go to that trouble, I wanted to ask y'all for some input on this.
I don't have great night vision, and illumination of the road at night is very important to me (not that it isn't to anyone else!!). From those of you who own Foresters, I have the following questions:
1. How would you rate the way the Forester's headlights light up the road at night?
2. Where is the improvement, and how much, when the foglights are one as well?
3. How well do the brights light up the road? The only "complaint" I have about our Explorer is that the brights don't really do anything, and illumination is actually WORSE, not better, with them on.
4. When the brights are on, do the foglights go off automatically?
5. Can the foglights be turned on WITHOUT the headlights being on?
And lastly, a non-headlight light question. How well is the inside of the car lit up by the interior lights ("dome setting" I think it used to be called??) at night? Can one see pretty well in and around the car?
Having asked all of this, I realize that what I really need to do is testdrive the car at night which I plan on doing when the funds are there to buy. But I wanted to get an idea to begin with from you experienced owners out there. Thanks!!
dh
I've been very pleased with the Forester's lighting and would say that it's the best I've driven with standard halogen lights. The Forester uses H4 bulbs which are far better than what you find in other vehicles. The beam pattern has a very nice sharp cutoff that illuminates the road and road signs very well. I've installed Philips VisionPlus H4 bulbs in my Forester and have even brighter and better beam cut off than with regular H4s.
2. Where is the improvement, and how much, when the foglights are one as well?
The foglights, straight from the factory, only illuminate 5-10 ft in front of the vehicle. You can easily adjust them with one screw to angle them upwards to increase the range to 20-30 ft. With this adjustment I find them very helpful on dark roads and poor weather. They produce a nice bright area immediately in front of the vehicle.
3. How well do the brights light up the road? The only "complaint" I have about our Explorer is that the brights don't really do anything, and illumination is actually WORSE, not better, with them on.
The brights light up further down the road, but you do lose some lighting near the front of the vehicle.
4. When the brights are on, do the foglights go off automatically?
Yes, but people have found ways to modify the wiring to enable this.
5. Can the foglights be turned on WITHOUT the headlights being on?
No, the foglight relay taps into the headlight circuit.
And lastly, a non-headlight light question. How well is the inside of the car lit up by the interior lights ("dome setting" I think it used to be called??) at night? Can one see pretty well in and around the car?
The interior dome light is mediocre on it's own. It casts a fairly dim light in the cabin. However, the Forester is equipped with two map lights on the front overhead console that do a good job in illuminating the driver and passenger area.
Ken
Patti -- I think CR should hear from SOA. :-)
Ken
Unlike Ken, I (really) don't like the low beams. There is a harsh cutoff edge, which I don't care for. You have to be careful not to "over drive" the headlights. It can be a problem on hilly/curvey roads, when the front of the car tends to rise and dip with the contour of the road, resulting in either no light on the road (nose pointing towards the sky), or the light cuts off right in front of the vehicle (nose pointed towards the ground). It can cause wildly differing lighting scenarios depending on the type of road you're on.
On a straight level road they seem okay, but that's it as far as I'm concerned. I don't think it's a problem of being mis-aimed, I think it's due to the harsh cut-off of the light.
<< 2. Where is the improvement, and how much, when the foglights are one as well? >>
Just a few feet in front of the bumper. Frankly, I don't see much use for foglamps, at least the ones I've experienced.
<< 3. How well do the brights light up the road? The only "complaint" I have about our Explorer is that the brights don't really do anything, and illumination is actually WORSE, not better, with them on. >>
The Forester's high beams are very good. I totally agree with you about the Explorer's high beams. I too have one, and the high beams are terrible.
<< 4. When the brights are on, do the foglights go off automatically? >>
Yes, just like that on the Explorer. In fact, I think all OEM foglamps are set up that way.
<< 5. Can the foglights be turned on WITHOUT the headlights being on? >>
No.
<< And lastly, a non-headlight light question. How well is the inside of the car lit up by the interior lights ("dome setting" I think it used to be called??) at night? Can one see pretty well in and around the car? >>
The only problem I have with the interior lighting, is that it can be very difficult to find the ignition key hole, because there is no lit key ring. The all-new '03 Forester (XS model only) will have that lit key ring feature. Currently only the Legacy GT and Legacy Outbacks have that feature.
The driver has a lit "auto" on the driver's window. I wish all the windows were lit (this may[?] be on '03 models); I have the same wish for cruise control, and power mirrors, as they are currently unlit. These features are lit on my Explorer.
Bob
That's interesting how our opinions vary widely on the low beams. I like the sharp cutoffs -- they remind me of e-code headlight patterns. I guess it's a trade off of reflectors that scatter light in a general pattern vs. those that are focus them directly ahead of you.
Ken
In urban driving, they're fine; but in rural driving—especially on hilly and twisty back country roads, where there is little or no other light to be found I do not like the Forester's low beams one bit.
The only good thing about them, it makes me slow down at night...
Bob
The foglights as installed do nothing but illuminate the pavement 4 feet in front of the car. Ken - where is that adjustment screw? Does anyone know how I could tint the fogs yellow? Yellow light 25 feet out could be useful in real fog.
John
Look right at the bottom of the foglight. There should be a screw with a spring wrapped around it. Just get a screwdriver and adjust to your liking. Keep in mind that the adjustment only goes so far -- you won't be getting a second set of low beams with these.
As for yellow fogs, I thought you could buy yellow tinted bulbs.
http://catalog.com/susq/hella/bulbs.htm
Scroll down to the "Yellow Star" bulbs.
Ken
I stopped by the Subaru dealer where we are on the way home from snow shoeing with my 9-year-old, and "stuffed" her in the back of the car. I had not had any of my family in the Subaru, and she gave it her thumbs up. I was very concerned about the room back there. So, I sat in the driver's seat, and had her sit directly behind me. Both of us were bundled from our outing, and we both had hiking boots on, so it was the best possible way to test leg room. Now all I have to do is fit my 11-year-old 5'4" all leg daughter back there, and we'll be fine!!
dh
Bob
Mike
John
-mike
As lousy as my Explorer's headlights are, I don't have this problem. The same can be said of our '92 Prelude and '96 Impreza Outback. I have no low beam problem with any of those cars.
Bob
1. Miata with aftermarket E-codes. Fantastic. Wonderful pattern, light where it counts.
2. Subaru Forester. I agree with Ken - pattern is similar to E-codes, just not as defined. Good for a stock system, though.
3. Mazda 626. Not very good. Spread too thin.
4. Miata with stock sealed beams. AWFUL. Unacceptable, you drive around blind. Trading for the E-codes was like night and day, literally.
Too bad I haven't seen an E-code conversion kit for the Forester, those are truly fantastic. But the stock lights are the 2nd best I've tried. In rural areas I simply use the brights (when I can), which are quite good.
My dome light was moved back to fit an aftermarket moonroof, but it lights up the back seat for the baby, and the two map lights up front serve the parents. I'm pleased with that.
-juice
Ken
-mike
E-codes: At $300/side I'll pass!
Ken
Patti
Steve
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-mike
Or where I might find out ?
Here's the deal: We're looking at the MPV for later this year. I want to tow with the MPV, which comes with a donut, and since the tire size is the same as my Forester, I'm wondering if I can't snag the spare from the Forester and save myself the expense and storage of a full-size spare for the MPV. And yes, if this question strikes anyone as a bit anal, I'll plead guilty as charged...
juice ? me thinks you might have some insight here...
Don't know 'bout the lug bolt spacing, didn't check.
-Dave
- Hutch
Offest is 48mm for the 16"x6.5" Forester S rim. I believe all Subies use 100mm spacing and 5 lugs.
Jim: looks like Rimmer may bring back their supercharger kit (about $3 grand I'd guess). I say you should be the first! :-)
-juice
-mike
Unfortuantely, there are no engine mods that give big bang for the buck. That's the downside of a naturally aspirated engine.
Think of it this way -- if simply replacing the air filter added so much power, wouldn't the manufacturer do that to begin with? :-)
Ken
Mike
-mike
Better fuel efficiency, but they are not specific. The old manual was 21/27, auto was 22/27, so I bet the new one is 21/28 for the manual, and the same for the auto.
Bummer - the lit key ring is only on the S model. This seems silly, how much could it really cost? And to have it two ways?
-juice
I did not see heated seats mentioned... or is it just assumed to be there... in Canadian models I mean.