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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Comments
I still say the Tonka hints at the next F150. What surprised me was the Dodge concept, previewing the Dakota replacement, that did NOT copy the Ram's styling. Bad idea, IMO.
-juice
I have a 2002 Forester S, MT, with about 4000 miles. I love this car and haven't had any problems. However, I've noticed twice when I've started the car, that it hasn't sounded as smooth as it usually does. It sounds like over the normal engine purr there's a putt putt noise (sorry, that's the best way I can describe it). The noise continues for several miles (until I get to the highway and then I don't notice it). Once I'm off the highway (30 miles later) the noise is gone.
Each time that it's happened, it's been the morning after I got gas (Shell, unleaded, same as always). I get gas when I'm about 1/4 full - I fill it up/don't top it off and drive off. Stop the car, go grocery shopping, drive off (no noise) and go home (about 5 miles since I got gas). Next morning - putt putt.
Any suggestions?
Scholli
-juice
Have you ever noticed those "Calvin" stickers on Chevies with him peeing on Fords (and vice versa). They are ALWAYS on pickup trucks. I thing this could be a great topic for a psychologist's doctoral dissertation!
The scary thing is that these "truck boys" are out there on the highways in their ill-handing, overweight vehicles... and they have something to "prove".
Please pardon my off-topic tirade.
-james
Bob
If European makers are not doing this than they are behind the curve, and Subaru is ahead.
Bob you troublemaker.
Greg
On standardizing: I can see why smaller engines are used overseas, with gas costing triple what it does here, but Bob mentioned things like center consoles and cup holders. That's different. Does the US have a law requiring better cup holders? ;-)
-juice
Yeah, I should stay away from the pickup forums. Unfortunately, I do like trucks, and am constantly being baited into often idiotic discussions.
Bob
Example: in one thread we were debating the merits of C&D comparos. So finally I concluded that C&D measures all performance scientifically, polls all editors to get varying opinions, and then...proceeds to award the one with the biggest ad budget!
Other times you're just dealing with trolls, so it's best to move on and return a few days later.
-juice
Bob
Mo
OK, I swapped out for premium speakers, but I do not have the tweeters. The basic speakers are something like 15/20 watts, and the premiums are 20/30. Plus you get two-ways instead of cheap dual cones. I notice the difference, but I would not call it audiophile quality.
If you pop the grille cover off the front speaker, check if it's a two way. If so, you have premium sounds. I bet you don't - you probably have a dual cone.
The base head unit is 75 watts, so at under 20 watts per channel, the premium speakers are adequate for that system, IMO.
-juice
As usaul, it's all about brand marketing, I'm guessing.
I've been thinking that for quite a few years now and I can't believe someone has finally verbalized it. The only thing I would include are the clowns with their monster SUV's who think it's cool to sit on your bumper regardless if you are in the hammer lane/snail lane or in stop-and-go city traffic or 75 on the highway. I think they are all generally cut from the same mold.
But wouldn't everyone pretty much want the same thing? A sturdy cup holder that holds a variety of sizes securely, and is easy to clean?
-juice
Jim J.
Bob
Ken
Jim J.
Since I haven't gotten around to looking into buying the service manual yet, can anyone tell me the torque for tightening the drain plug?
Paul
Also, this is my first car with ABS, and I decided to try a hard stop going down the hill on my infrequently traveled road. I'm glad that I did! I was not expecting that the pulsing was so severe. My initial reaction was to pull my foot off the pedal. I braked several times so that I could feel comfortable just pounding the pedal to the floor while steering. I'd recommend to anybody else who has never used ABS to give it a try in a praking lot or deserted dirt road sometime.
After reading some of the posts here I got curious and popped off the front grills, sure enough they are 2-ways. BUT the rear speakers are not. Just the basic cone system and both of the cones have bends or semi-collapsed sides!
Anybody know what the story should be?
While I'm at it, does anybody experience a high pitched whistle from the wind on the drivers front side? After much experimentation, I think the problem isn't the gasket or door seal. It seems the wind noise is being generated by the drivers side rear view mirror. Just my amateur guess but I would welcome any educated feedback.
And one more thing. The accelerator pedal is very touchy starting from a standstill. In other words when the light turns green I have to be oh-so-careful or else the car lurches forward. I guess this will save me money on gas in the long run, but it seems a bit extreme.
Thanks to everyone for making this such a great meeting ground for all of us Subie owners!
-Donn
I thought most manufactures now do this in order to provide the appearance (at least on a quick test drive) of large amounts of power. "Hey I just tap the pedal and she goes...just imagine if I put it to the floor..."
<<Each time that it's happened, it's been the morning after I got gas (Shell, unleaded, same as always). I get gas when I'm about 1/4 full - I fill it up/don't top it off and drive off. Stop the car, go grocery shopping, drive off (no noise) and go home (about 5 miles since I got gas). Next morning - putt putt.>>
our new forester had a "clack clack clack" sound on start up once the temps got cold. at first the dealer said it was likely the valves just being noisy. i insisted they listen to it, so we arranged to have them look at it in the a.m., and dropped it off that evening. they called back, said it was the timing belt tensioner. they replaced it as well as the timing belt. it was definitely more pronounced than just the "tap tap tap" of valves. don't know if "putt putt" is the same as "clack clack" or even "tap tap", tho. ( :
dean
cincinnati, ohio
'02s+
As for touchy accelerator pedals, I have a m/t and I haven't noticed that. However, I cannot drive Ford cars or truck because I find that their accelerators are way too touchy for my taste; it's almost like they have no springs at all. My Subaru's pedal feels like it has plenty of spring/resistance, similar enough to every other car that I have driven (Chrysler, GM, Mazda, and Volkswagen), and certainly much better than any Ford. Perhaps the issue is an auto transmission lag or something?
The tradeoff is in the size of the side mirrors (the S models are big, especially compared with my wife's integra side mirrors). Personally, I like the larger mirrors...as for the wind noise, just turn up the stereo a little bit.
Michael
-mike
Audio. Crank up your treble, and put your ear next to the grille. If you can't hear anything, go to:
Visual. The tweeters grilles pop off. (Look for indentation behind bottom section, insert small screw driver.) Pop off the grille to see whether tweeter is behind it.
Forester +
Liked the new exterior lines, very clean, not angry (What's with GM these days anyway, their design team needs Prozac, I swear...)
G900 Yokos increase UTBQ wear rating to 320 (from 200)
Leather interior was nice if you like that (I don't - personal preference)
Head liner and visors now much nicer.
Brake booster and front rotors noticeably bigger
Forester -
Really don't like the dash, it's chinsy-looking hard plastic, with a rough texture that will attract dust and be harder to clean
No noticeable difference in the rear seat room, sorry. I've mentioned in the past that the '01 MT had more leg room than the '01 AT, and I'm comparing my MT to this AT. They seem about the same now, so perhaps there is a difference afterall - might be apples to oranges... Certainly not a big improvement.
With the leather interior at least, a lot of the "cubbies" are gone - there are now no cubbies in the door mounted armrests, for instance. We use ours all the time ! sigh.
New hatch seems narrower.
On balance, the Forester wasn't a slam dunk. I was disappointed by the interior, despite the leather.
I talked to the factory guy I bought my car from 2 years ago, but he didn't have any information as to cross model year compatability yet. We'll have to wait for the service guys to get their training before we'll know if the new clutch and brake booster can be used on the earlier designs.
Baja, general
The passthrough to the cabin from the bed is quite small - no bigger than the one on my wife's '95 Sentra.
Even with the bed extender, a pair of mountain bikes filled the bed with their front tires off. There are mount points for the bike forks on the forward rail behind the rear seat.
Despite the previous discussions here about cladding, etc, it looked pretty nice overall.
Future directions
My factory guy said he strongly doubted that the '04 Forester would be a 2.5. It'll be a 2.0 LPT tuned to make less peak horsepower and more low-end torque.
The Baja in its present incarnation will be a short-term, short-run vehicle, due for a major revision after just a couple of model years.
The reason we're not getting more H-6's is production capacity, plain and simple. GM so far has been pretty hands off, but they are providing additional plant, which Subaru desperately needs.
The big wagon for '05 on the new platform will be tall, more like the Forester or a mini-van than the Legacy/Outback.
Sorry for the long post...
Even with the marginal increase in rear legroom, was the rear seat any more comfortable than the current rear seat? In a nutshell, is the rear seating area a nicer and more pleasant place to sit in, than the current model?
Bob
Steve
Host
SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Prolly something you'd need to try for yourself...
As for wind noise, I found mine to be from the side view mirror. Doesn't really bother me as it is the only noise I hear (everything else is solid) and I like the large mirror size. Currently, driving a Lumina rental with these tiny mirrors that force me to double check before changing lanes.
Greg
YetAnotherLuckyDave
However, a couple of things to remember and for me to inquire about:
- "Decorating" the car with Glass Chalk: My idiot groomsmen decided to use Glass Chalk from Axius to decorate my car, which transported me and my bride in lieu of a limo. The morons completely ignored the warning about using the stuff on anything but auto glass. I spent $40 and 2 hours the day after the wedding in 2 different car washes and at 3 auto stores trying to get the stuff off not only the windows, but also the wheels and tires.
- Honeymoon damage to rear quarter panel: Damn lighthouse. I didn't care to see it, but the budding photographer in me insisted that I park outside the Tybee Island Lighthouse near Savannah, GA and take a picture. I'll never forget it either.
Anyway, despite Glass Chalk paint on my car and some stupid damage on a vehicle for which I've not paid a cent yet, I got married, happily, and we're almost through our first week together. Wish us luck, and give me some ideas about what to do with the idiot groomsmen (and the dumb blonde bridesmaid).Do not let your idiot groomsmen (and the one dumb blonde bridesmaid) use this stuff on your Subaru at your wedding. Take it from someone who's still getting the stuff off (finally learned to remove it with mineral spirits and/or a little paint thinner).
I stupidly backed into a yellow concrete post near the lighthouse which was supposed to protect a fire hydrant. I now have a softball-sized dent in my rear quarter panel. Also some scraped paint on the bumper.
Any suggestions? Body shop says I owe them $800 to get it fixed. I think I can get a dent wizard type to do it for less. If you know of local Atlanta independent body shops that work on Subarus, please pass them along. If you can recommend Subaru body shops in town other than Conley, also pass them along.
Cheers,
burnsmr4
Suggestion: Double date with them, have them get to know each other, edge them towards romance and encourage them to marry. (1) They deserve each other, and (2) You can return the favor.
Chief
burnsmr4
The changes are pretty impressive. I am seriously thinking about making a purchase. The turbo would be nice but I don't want to wait another year, or think it's really needed.
Congratulations, it sounds like you are still in seventh heaven. That's great.
Consider your dent as a beauty mark. All Subies get one. My hood has been scratched (daughter walking on it) and my OB lost a tooth (bumper cover over tow hook). Need to get that fixed. Small compared to a wedding!
Greg
Ken