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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)
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Hope your Forester isn't picking up seismic activity. :-)
-Dave
PS, even after ECU reset, I clocked 31.5 MPG at 65mph w A/C on. 2002 L 5 speed.
You know, it's on my list of things to do.
I'd do it myself, but I have enough hobbies.
John
mckeown: Reedman is about 10 minutes from my house. They don't sell Subarus (ironically, no one in Langhorne does). They have a large "test track" which is basically a 30-mph loop around their inventory lot. Not a way to test drive a car in anything resembling real world conditions.
Ed
-Dave
Ed
Hey Ed (lark6) - Trade you a Jersey superfund site for a dozen of your Pennsy Potholes.
Query - Has anyone succeeded in making those OEM Bridgestones stay balanced?
Jeff
but all those years to suddenly become overly sensitive last night. Then again maybe it's the old age thing, the alarm I mean :-)
-Dave
I just talked a dear friend OUT of buying a Ford Escape and INTO getting a Forester. That should earn me a few points toward getting into Heaven some day. She is gorgeous, which may be why the male salesman gave her such a good deal: $14,000 for a '99 with 33,000 on it and many options and a warranty.
Steve
Here's a couple suggestions to help the problem. It sounds like the shock sensor is chirping. If it's defective, you'll have to take it in, otherwise you can try these to reset it....
First, look in your owner's manual to see if you have the small pamphlet for the installation of the security system. It is a small supplement. It describes how to do a system reset on the security system. I don't have it in front of me, but it goes like this:
1. Pull the negative terminal on your battery.
2. Get under your dashboard and pull the 2 fuses to the security system/keyless entry. You may need to use the plastic fuse puller hidden inside the fusebox in your engine compartment, just above the battery. Note: These fuses are UNDER the dashboard, above the brake pedal, not in the fuse box. You will have to lay down with your back on the drivers seat and your head near the gas pedal, looking up. IT IS VERY AWKWARD. You will see two fuses midway in a harness leading to a black box. I think they are red, 10 AMP fuses, but don't hold me to it.
3. While you are looking up there with a flashlight, you will also see the shock sensor mounted to a brace. It is a bit larger than a matchbox and has a small dial on the side. You may want to fiddle with that dial to adjust the sensitivity of the shock sensor. It may simply just need to be fiddled with to fix a bad contact. It's worth a try!
4. Wait about 15-20 minutes to make sure the memory has died. (I don't know if that is necessary for the security system, but that's the way to reset the ECU, so it can't hurt.)
5. Reconnect the battery terminal.
6. Insert your key in the ignition and turn the key to ON. Make sure it is on ON, not Accessory.
7. With the ignition at ON, get back under the dashboard and reinsert the two fuses.
8. Turn the ignition back to off. You will have to reset your clocks and maybe your radio stations. (My radio stations kept).
This is, in fact, the same process for resetting the ECU. I did this a week ago based on other postings suggesting it could help my transmission.
My transmission was shifting very jerky and the dealer said it was mechanically OK, so I tried this and IT WORKED! I call it the automotive equivalent to rebooting a computer!
As a result of this, your transmission may shift differently at first until it relearns your driving patterns.
Hope this helps!
Elliot
[Note -- I'm not insensitive to those NYCers here in the forum. I was just curious. If this post offends or rubs you the wrong way, yell to the Edmunds.com folks to remove it. I don't mind.]
Regards,
burnsmr4
But in the ad the mother and daughter see another bunny in the wild, and drop theirs off where the saw the other one (alive).
-juice
I saw an ad for Raybestos New Quiet Stop pads that are designed to stop this semi metallic squeal. I called the subaru dealership if they had heard of it and if it would help but of course they had no idea what i was talking about.
anyone have an idea if these will stop the squeal?
Subaru dealers are going to use OE pads, which are a compromise of noise levels, durability, and stopping power.
If you want to try aftermarket pads, you'll probably have to use an independent mechanic, or DIY.
-juice
-mike
I did not order the alarm on my pending Forester. Glad I didn't now, there will be my son's Harley parked right next to it in the garage. I do think it is a "cute" problem though. Harmless but no doubt annoying and embarrasing.
Donna
I see so much talk about the Forester tires here. They look "pretty" but is there something I need to be aware of when I get mine? I mean like some extra caution?
Also, ran to the hardware store today for wood stain and was delighted to accidently run into a display for Lexol leather cleaner. I had never heard of it until it was pointed out to me here.
Donna
Brian
Any ideas? Thanks.
Steve
Take the crate to a dealer, Steve. You gotta test drive it in the conditions you see every day.
-juice
Steve
I haven't tried this on the '03, but my guess is that hopefully Subaru did not take away any useful functionality. I'd be curious to know if anyone has tried this on the '03....
Elliot
Steve
Maybe a used 1998-2000 model?
-juice
Jeff
Got my copy of C&D and read through the Forester preview. Not much that's news, but I found something that I thought was an error. They report on the weight savings that Subaru made with the use of lighter metals, but they state that the overall weight hasn't changed. I can understand how that's possible, but it's not what I've read here. C&D lists the curb weight as 3200+ lbs for a 5 speed equipted 2.5X. That's way more than Edmunds is listing. I checked Edmunds for consistency (sometimes they get numbers mixed up), but Ed seems to be on the ball.
Anyone got another reliable source for the US specs?
I don't have the brochure in front of me, but I was impressed when I read that the XS Premium with a moonroof actually had about the same curb weight as my basic model.
I'm not sure, but I hope that means the payload has also increased. It was 900-1050 depending on the model, so this means it could be even better. Payload was class leading and the margin may have increased.
-juice
Varmint, I noticed that statement too. I don't have an answer. I also noticed C&D seems to prefer the new CRV over the new Forester. I'm surprised C&D didn't test the up-market-XS model though. Maybe it was too expensive in their minds? In fact, Honda did very well in their truck selections: CRV, Pilot and Odyessy were all category winners in their eyes.
Bob
- D.
I also thought that the weight was an error. It's not the sort of thing that C&D often goofs up, though.
I'll be on vacation w/o Internet connection - I'll rely on someone else to do it!
Thanks,
- D.
C&D indeed included the 2003 X into the comparison. If you pay attention to the photo which has compact SUV candidates all line up, you will see a silver X there. The comparison focused more on the truck nature of the cars, i.e. the utility side, it's not a surprise that they would pick CR-V. CR-V simply has a big rear seat/cargo space. C&D loves BMW and Honda cars. This time CRV had a bigger engine so it easily defeated Escape. When they do a compact SUV comparison in the future, probably you will see another different result.
C&D often makes small mistakes or distorts facts ... on purpose or not.. who knows. The same article also claimed that people sat in '03 as low as sitting in a sedan. Ok, C&D, find me a sedan which gives me a seat as high as the Foresters. I also do not buy into their 0-60 numbers. The C5's number is the same as E46 M3's? Mmm... I still feel UK's Car magazine is much better than C&D. Even R&T is better sometimes.
-bear
Bob
On the other hand, the previous generation CR-V had left quite a bit to be desired, especially in the powertrain area. Honda did a good job in updating the CR-V (although I personally like the styling of the previous model better) and it just as may well deserve the top seat.
I'm also curious as to why they chose the X vs. the XS.
Ken
Donna
As for the X vs XS issue, that may simply be what C&D was offered. Magazines often do not get a choice. They take whichever press vehicle is available at the time they are writing their article.
Another possibility is that Subaru is trying to avoid what happened with the original Forester. Back in '98, they used the top end model as their press vehicle. Even though it had tons more equipment than the competition, many reviewers labeled it, "expensive" (by 1998 standards). Edmunds even made note of this in their '99 comparison test. It's possible that this time Subaru used a base model to prevent any misconceptions about value.
I suspect that Honda did something similar with the new CR-V. Notice that most reviews are for the 5 speed. Since power was a primary criticism of the original CR-V, Honda may have issued more 5 speeds. They tend to be faster and would improve the perception of power.
It may just be marketing at work.
The invoice says the glass came from PPG and shows a list price of $617.55. Since it was billed directly to the insurance company, there was a big discount.
Glass 253.20
Labor 45.00
Gaskets, etc. 46.20
------------------------
$371.95 with tax
It is a nice, neat installation and although the color is slightly different, it does have the graphics at the edges and looks like factory glass.
One interesting phenomenon. It has greatly cleared up visibility. Looking closely at the old glass (after only 64,000 miles), it hss wall to wall small pits, giving it a slightly frosty appearance compared to the new. It looks like the glass on my son's car with 160,000 miles on it. So, the new windshield is a welcome addition.
-mike
Steve
Why would any car manufacturer offer a magazine a test vehicle that wouldn't present that particular brand/model in its best possible light? As was mentioned by Varmint, C&D has no (or very little) control over what models they get for testing. I'd be very surprised if C&D "requested" a bottom-feeder Forester X (with the implied threat of being better able to "punish" Subaru) over the high-zoot XS Premium.
Bob
Why would any car manufacturer offer a magazine a test vehicle that wouldn't present that particular brand/model in its best possible light? As was mentioned by Varmint, C&D has no (or very little) control over what models they get for testing. I'd be very surprised if C&D "requested" a bottom-feeder Forester X over the high-zoot XS Premium.
Bob
the 2.5XS might be too much, eX-ceSs. ;-)
tom
I'm still breaking in an '03 XS-P, a dramatic contrast to my '89 Acura Integra w/ 145K miles. A few comments:
There is now an oil/filter change access 'hatch' provided, unfasten six captive screw fasteners and a panel (~1 foot square) pivots aside to allow access to the drain plug and filter.
The sunroof moves about 2/3 of the way on the initial activation of the open/close, a second press completes the motion.
I think the 'Bright' button overrides the dash light dimming at night to help in seeing the controls.
I'm not sure yet if I like the auto climate control, so far I generally use manual operation. It's too eager to invoke the AC for my taste.
The auto-dimming mirror is very nice, although I would like more dimming - the mirror is still one of the brighter objects in my field of view at night with cars behind me.
This isn't a dealer forum, but a previous post disparaged Morrie's in the Minneapolis area. I'd been emailing Morrie's and Scott Putnam of the Bloomington dealer (he of subaru.net fame) for about 6 months, expressing interest in the '03 release. Of three emails, Putnam only gave a terse response to one. I wandered around that dealership in late May, but the personnel ignored me. I bought from Morrie's at MSRP (high initial demand), they've been very courteous (understandably, given the money they're making). Still, my impression is quite positive so far. I do have to mention the mileage at delivery was 170, the car was mistakenly sent to Duluth and driven down to Mpls; also, the initial tire pressure was 45 PSI, resulting in squealing tires - easily fixed. Can't speak yet for their service dept.
Don