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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Hope this helps : )
Gina: have it checked out by a dealer. I'm sure it's nothing.
-juice
(wish it came on the Outback),
YetAnotherDave
-juice (a huge fan of unpainted cladding)
Cleaning them is very simple too. I just give them a quick swipe with some soapy water, hose it down and I'm done. Since the paint is a matte finish, I don't even bother wiping off little water beads with a towel.
Ken (sees the logic in upainted cladding but letting people know that painted aint that bad)
I just bought a forester in Taiwan. I have test-drived Mazda tribute 2.0 and 3.0, ford escape 3.0 and honda CR-V. The noise from those cars made me to choose forester as my best choice. The only problem is in Taiwan SUBARU is not a popular company. People in Taiwasn tend to buy card made by TOYOTA, NISSAN, MAZDA, HONDA, MITSUBISHI and FORD. I feel I am like an orphan. Anyway, glad to see a discussion board here.
Chuanfang Lee
Steve
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-Dave
The good news is that my CD player still works.
Actually from looking at a few of your past posts in your profile, I think you are just trolling to get some people hot and bothered. If you don't have anything to add to the discussion, then don't :-)
Steve
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Steve -- Nice catch.
Ken
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
Ed
Ross
I just bought it for one week. I can't find any solution from the user's guide.
Thanks in advance.
Lee
I am living in Taipei where we just had an 6.3 earthquake. I was on the road then seeing the overhead bridge and buildings waggling.
Sorry, my English is quite poor.
Chuanfang Lee
Your English is quite good. And you shouldn't apologize for it when writing to all us Americans who barely speak one language, let alone two or three as so much of the world does!
Welcome to this discussion. We enjoy voices from outside our borders, and I'm glad none of those waggling buildings landed on you or your Forester.
Steve
Quite an undertaking ang creating a lot of interest. Project is to be completed shortly and if its not excessively expensive or too complicated it would be a great mod for Forester owners.
While I've never had the "check engine light" come on in the almost 2 years I've had my Forester, it usually is the result of not tightening the fuel cap tight enough. I always twist it until I've heard 6 or so clicks. It does no harm to twist too much so always give it a few extra. As Steve said, the light should go out in a couple of days. If not, see your dealer. I hope you stay around the boards - we have a lot of fun and share a great deal of (sometimes) useful knowledge.
Ross
troyy2k "Nissan Murano" Apr 21, 2002 8:31am
Steve
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SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
I also read two reviews there by Forester owners and was interested in what they had to say about the Bridgestone Blizzack WS-50 and the Michelin ARctic Alpin. Will those two be okay year round, or are they winter only?
Any experience with any of these? Any other recommendations. The consensus on Tirerack seems to be (and I agree) that the Bridgestone Dueler H/T D684 need replacing too soon. Ours has less than 30,000 miles.
Thanks!
I would be interested in hearing from Forester owners with experience with the BF Goodrich skins.
They have my attention as eventual replacements for my 2001 Forester S.
Thanks,
Joe
I also like the sound of the Goodyear Regatta 2, rated 8.9--dry; 8.1--wet; 7.8--snow; and 8. for noise, and 8.3 for tread wear.
The BF Goodrich Control T/A M65 ratings look like this: rated 8.3--dry; 8.2--wet; 7.5--snow; and 7.5 for noise, and 8.5 for tread wear.
I'm also slightly leary about having tires sent from TireRack and then taking them to an unknown tire center. How did that work for you who've done it? Did you have an alignment done too? What about rotating and balancing and in the future? Last summer I told Sears about the price I'd found on TireRack for Dunlop Sport 5000s for my Miata and they matched it. But they don't seem to have the tires I'm interested in for the Forester.
Any more opinions? Advice? Thanks!
One other heads up is regarding Tire Rack survey results. These are subjective results within each tire type so you really can't cross-compare numbers from one tire category to another. Also, keep in mind the total number of miles used in each survey -- the higher the number, the more reliable the results will tend to be. Finally, don't place too much weight on a 0.2 difference between tire ratings. Given that these are subjective scales, the difference is probably just noise.
Having said that, what kind of driving do you do outside of winter? If you do tend to drive long distances and are willing to give up some cornering performance for a quieter ride, choose touring tires.
I've ordered from Tire Rack before and had the tires sent to my house. I just loaded them up in the back of my Forester, drove to my local tire shop and had them mounted on my wheels. Shop around, however -- sometimes it's cheaper if you buy and install through one shop rather than mail ordering from Tire Rack. Some shops offer lifetime balancing and rotations if you buy through them.
It's always a good idea to get an alignment when when you do get new tires. I personally think it's best to get the alignment done while you still have your old tires on. A good shop will not only be able to correct your alignment, but they can look at the wear on your old tires and adjust your settings (within spec) based on the wear pattern to maximize tire life.
Ken
I hope this helps,
Len
(I mentioned these in a previous post, but didn't really do them justice. BFG makes some very good tires. The Precepts are made exclusively for Discount Tire--ours were $83 apiece for 225/60R-16s.)
P.S. If you buy tires over the web, it's best to take them to an independant garage that doesn't have an interest in selling tires.
That way you don't run the risk of an unscrupulous tire dealer that sells the same tire substituting one of their own out-of-rounds for a good one of yours.
Like others on these boards, I recommend 16" size for "summer" use. I bought Dunlop SP Sport A2s in 225-60R16 size through my local tire & suspension shop, who is also a Tire Rack preferred installer. Only slightly more than buying directly from Tire Rack then taking the tires to a local shop for mounting and balancing. This way I got lifetime balancing & rotation - a better deal for about $10 more per wheel. The SP Sport A2s are terrific for the Forester. Very responsive, comfortable; great in both wet and dry. Passably good in snow & slush -for all-season tires.
I'm interested to hear experiences with BF Goodrich touring tires. Couldn't find out much about them in my research this winter. I have also seen several references to Goodyear Aquatred IIIs being out of round.
Checking alignment (at a first-class shop) is a very good idea. It may well save premature wear on those new tires!
Good luck.
John
I do like having the security of lifetime balancing and rotation, though, so I'll be shopping around.
'11 GMC Sierra 1500; '98 Alfa 156 2.0TS; '08 Maser QP; '67 Coronet R/T; '13 Fiat 500c; '20 S90 T6; '22 MB Sprinter 2500 4x4 diesel; '97 Suzuki R Wagon; '96 Opel Astra; '11 Mini Cooper S
Ken
Yesterday I was going to change the oil on my other car, a 1971 VW bus. As it turns out my drainpan/wasteoil storage container was full. So I throw it in the back of our Forester and head for the recycling center to empty the old oil out of it. Along the way I stop at 7-11 for my mid-afternoon coffee and when I come out of the store I look in the back of the Forester. To my horror I see a large puddle of old, used, black, smelly motor oil. Luckily for me it was contained in the rubber tray that covers the cargo area of our 02 L model. Needless to say that the tray got a good scrubbing when I got home. You know, I never even thought about that tray when considering which make and model car to buy. THANKS SUBARU !
Paul
thanks,
Scholli
The A/C works when it feels like it, and it usually doesn't on the hottest day when we are driving long distances! It also conks out on short distances too.
When it works, it works great. Like an icebox. But when it doesn't, forget it.
I have taken it to a couple dealers and no one can figure out the problem. Most of the times I try, it works great for them and they think I'm nuts.
Help! What should I do????
-kathy
I have the hitch bike rack on the back that we got from Subaru. I do like it because I don't want to haul bikes up to the top of the car...just asking for scratches and dropped bikes!
It works well, assembles quickly, no complaints.
my 2 cents.
-k
First off, you probably can get a better price on the bike rack by going to a sports store. The Subaru rack is just a rebranded Yakima. Chances are you're going to pay a little more just because it comes with the Subaru name. Check out www.yakmia.com for more choices.
As for the roof or hitch, each has it's advantages & disadvantages:
Roof Mount:
+ Doesn't block rear visibility
+ Bikes don't stick out the sides
+ Safe for parallel parking
- Need to lift the bike over your head
- Got to remember to remove bikes before pulling into garage
Hitch Mount:
+ No lifting to mount/dismount your bikes
- Total cost (including hitch installation) more expensive (not an issue if you already have a hitch)
I went with a Yakmia Steelhead roof mount system.
Ken
Also, keep in mind that the AC does cycle on and off even when it's on the coldest setting. You can tell just barely when the compressor shuts off, but it shouldn't be enough so that it feels like the AC has completely stopped.
If the dealer route fails, call 1-800-SUBARU3 and have them open a case # and pursue it from that end. Have patience and it'll be taken care of.
Ken
If you do go with a hitch mounted rack, I'd look into the Access LT by SoftRide. They have a patented swing out design that holds the bikes parallel to the ground when you pull the rack back to get access to your rear hatch.
It holds 4 bikes, is easy to use, cost is comparable to the Yak's and Thules, but IMHO you get a better design: less sway, easier access to the hatch with the bikes on, very durable and more versatile, since you can replace the bike bars with a ski rack, or mount the whole thing on a wall bracket in your garage for bike storage purposes. We bought ours at REI.
Check them out at www.softride.com.
hth
anyone can help is much appriciated.
To answer your question 98forester.....this is a quite common problem in some of the Foresters.
Attributed to various things but take it to your dealer..he should be well familiar with the problem. I suspect both a bad batch of bearings and more significant ..over torqueing by the installer.
Hope this helps....we really do need a SEARCH function!
Chuanfang Lee: orphan no more, we'll adopt you as our Chief Correspondent, Asia Region. Welcome! :-)
A CEL should not be a big concern as long as it does not blink. If it blinks, park it and call a tow truck. With a solid light, take it in when your next oil change is due, and they'll reset it and read the codes to tell you what it was. Usually its a vaccum leak in the fuel system, which could be a gas cap.
Go away, Troll! Know what's funny? Whenever someone comes here and basically says his Forester spontaneously combusted, we find out it's a troll. Remember the Hondabro debates got ugly, and suddenly a troll shows up and has major complaints? The pattern is always they same - they show up out of nowhere, come up with a creative story, and then vanish, never to be seen posting again. So the only two "lemon" Foresters here were ... bogus!
Paul: I love the cargo mat, too. I can hardly believe that's one of the things they cut costs by removing from the 2003.
I have the hitch and hitch mounted bike rack. Another advantage is that you can still use the roof for a cargo carrier, which I do.
luvacat: ask the dealer to scuff the pads to remove any glazing. And tell your spouse/significant other not to ride the brakes (kidding). Also, when you wash the car, make sure to spray the brakes, especially the rear drums (from the inside) if you have an L to get the dust out. Finally, when you rotate the tires, spray on some brake cleaner because they get filthy. While you're at it spray some lithium grease on the sway bar bushings to prevent suspension squeeks.
-juice
The "Car-B-Q" feature looks cool, too. (A barbecue grill built into a small table that mounts on the Softride rack when the bikes are off). One of the many things that I could almost certainly live without, but want to have anyway.
Hondabro, what a blast from the past! It's become easier to pick out trolls as we amass more information here. Sometimes checking the user profile gives it away too.
Ken
On that wheel bearing issue, is this maybe something to put in the Subie FAX sheet juice and Bob have been mulling over?
Yeah, Ken. Another thing trolls have in common - no info in their profile. Though some regulars also don't publish info.
The FAQ list ended up being a link to Subaru's site, which already had one. FWIW the new wheel bearings on the Impreza are of a different (more fault tolerant) design and no longer have such problems.
-juice