Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

rsay777 · August 2002

I had the air filtration added to my 03X and noticed that the glove box was installed crooked. I thought I'd attempt to mess with it myself now because in the future I will change the filters myself. My question: how do you get to the filter? the manual shows 9 screws for removal of the glove box I can only find 7. Any advice would be appreciated.

renzj · August 2002

Looking to add Ventvisor (or similar) to my wife's 98 Forester. Having trouble finding a source. Any ideas?

beachfish · August 2002

Regarding the question of why the brake lights don't stay on when the clutch pedal is held down to activate the HH...I'll guess that they don't expect you to hold the pedal down any longer than it takes to move your foot from the brake to the gas.

My advice is to use the brake until you're ready to move - then clutch, shift, release brake, give it the gas and go. Holding the clutch down will eventually wear out the throw-out bearing. You'll know when it starts to go because of the loud squealing whine that just gets worse.

The good news is that they can rebuild the clutch for about the same money while they have it torn apart fixing the T-O bearing.

John

ateixeira · August 2002

Congrats Robert. I'm sure you'll get used to the HH.

Golden: great story! That proves conclusively once and for all that frameless windows seal just fine, thanks. That's why the Porcsche 911 and BMW M3 coupe both use them.

27 mpg with bikes is great.

The air filtration on my '98 is accessible from under the glove box, so I don't have to remove it. I'm surprised they'd move it to a less accessible location.

-juice

goldencouple1 · August 2002

I was reminded by another topic that I wanted to comment on the height of the Forester and its utility re: an on-top bike rack.

One of the reasons we chose Forester was the lower roof height. In our exhaustive analysis we favored both ground clearance (higher is better) and roof height (lower is better). Forester had the best combination. This was in anticipation of using an on-top bike rack. And we were quite pleased with Forester, once we had the rack and were putting the bikes on top. Lindsey (the other half of Goldencoupe1)and I are both a tad under 6 feet tall, and we are just tall enough to get the bikes up there without having to stand on anything. A CRV, RAV, Escape/Tribute, or Santa Fe would be too tall. And to be honest, when I have a bike over my head and L and I are forming the four-armed monster that is necessary to fasten the bike down to the rack, a Legacy wagon starts to look pretty good -- the Legacy wagon being our second choice to the Forester.

eps105 · August 2002

There are indeed 9 screws. When I got my 03 Forester last month, I took it all apart out of curiosity.

The locations of the 9 screws illustrated in the instructions are correct, but I guess you need to have good spatial relations to interpret where they are 3 dimensionally. I am guessing that you missed the two near the bottom which are a little elusive. I recall needing to use a short-shafted screwdriver so it didn't scrape against the center console. I believe they are kind of down below the glove box door, accessible with the door shut, but my memory could be wrong.

Be careful - there are two other screws that hold the door hinges to the interior of the glove box. These do not need to be removed and will hinder reassembly. (I should know.)

Elliot

sjbrody · August 2002

I agree that it is reasonable while waiting at a stop light to shift into neutral, but if I am on a hill, waiting to make a left turn at a gap in traffic, I would not shift into neutral. It would be nice if the brake lights stayed on while the clutch was depressed to alert cars behind me that I was not moving. With the Hill holder it is very easy to get into the habit of only holding down the clutch pedal rather than both the clutch and brake pedals in this situation.

By the way, what is the logic for requiring the AT if you want the leather seats? I must admit that I am very happy with the gray cloth seats on my XS.

Spencer

kens · August 2002

Forester bike rack -- I'm 5'8" and I don't have any issues putting my bikes on my Yakima Steelhead racks on top. I'm sure this wouldn't have been the case if the Forester were any higher. One thing you can do for extra height is to open the doors and step onto the chassis while lifting the bike over your head.

AT & Leather -- My guess is that by bundling the two features, Subaru expects to make more money than by allowing an independent leather option.

Ken

ateixeira · August 2002

Or step on the tires, which I've done to load my rooftop cargo carrier.

Subaru probably figures if you want the luxury of leather, you probably want automatic. Also, if you agree that 5 speeds are sportier, they may figure a grippy cloth seat is better suited to holding you in place during aggressive driving.

You can always get aftermarket leather. I've seen a Forester equipped like that, and it looked better than the OE leather did.

-juice

paisan · August 2002

Subaru produces very small #s of vehicles. The AT&Leather is probably 2 options that are most commonly ordered together, so they just churn out a bunch of em, rather than have to piece-meal it all together. Makes sense, same reason you can't get manual windows and door locks on the impreza TS.

-mike

kens · August 2002

Yes, one could also step on the tires too. I didn't mention that one since it's a little trickier balancing yourself on a tire. With a bike over your head, you don't really have a free hand to steady oneself.

Also, I think the Forester is manufactured as 90% AT and 10% MT, if things haven't changed.

Ken

teresapoet · August 2002

Ken,

You made me so homesick for Berkeley (and hungry) with your mention! That and Crepes-a-Go-Go are a couple of the things I miss most about living there.

Teresa

kate5000 · August 2002

I thought the best pizza in Berkeley is Zachary's, not so? A friend of mine is looking to buy a house in Berkeley/Albany area. Her main criterion: the house has to be within 10 mi of Zachary's!

paisan · August 2002

I'd think the best Pizza in CA would be near the closest Fed-Ex or UPS place. So you could have it flown in overnight.

-mike

kens · August 2002

Teresa -- You bet. I miss living in the East Bay too. I used to live in El Cerrito and I'm now in San Mateo. Lots of great places to eat on Shattuck Ave including Chez Panisse!

Kate -- Zachary's is good too, but it's Chicago-style deep dish pizza, which I personally don't care for. Their "thin crust" is better, but it's still a little heavy for me. Cheeseboard Pizza is a lot more simple. You've got to try it once.

Mike -- I know, I know. As a native New Yorker, I still feel the best pizza in the world comes from the Big Apple. There's nothing that beats a hot slice fresh out of the oven! I'll tell you what -- FedEx me a couple of pepperoni slices and I'll send you some Cheeseboard Pizza. ;-)

Ken

ffsteve · August 2002

Agreed on the pizza situation here.

I once carried a frozen Gino's East pizza (deep dish spinach) back to San Diego from Chicago. When I stepped off the plane, I thought I was going to be mobbed by all of the Chicago greeters waiting in the terminal who recognized the box!

Next time I'll wrap the box in plain brown paper.

And it travelled well. We cooked it up the next night - was wonderful.

paisan · August 2002

I'll look into the logistics of it

-mike

corvallis · August 2002

We bought a 2002 Forester recently and occasionally hear a soft backfire sound when put in 2nd or 3rd gear. Our service department says they are in touch with Subaru, who is aware of the problem. Subaru says they believe it's in the exhaust system but unsure what is causing it or what to do about it, but that they believe it's a minor problem and are working on it. Anyone else having this problem? Any suggestions?

ateixeira · August 2002

Ken: good point, not while carrying a bike! :-)

I step on the tire to arrange things in the roof top carrier, and to tie it down. Of course I have both hands free.

We had some good Hawaiian pizza (pineapple and canadian bacon) when we visited SD, I forget the name of the place. But yeah, nothing beats NY Pizza. Any local place.

corvallis: I've heard of backfires from mis-tuned aftermarket exhausts, but it's not common with the OE exhaust. Is yours OE? If so maybe there is a leak or something. Hopefully the dealer can trace it.

-juice

mrluther · August 2002

Anyone who has a 02 MT Forester is used to this sometimes not so soft popping sound. It does sound like a backfire, when I installed a K&N air filter it reduced this problem by 50%. Noone has been able to tell me what it is,what causes it, or how to make it go away. I just turn up the Rammstein cd and hope the detonation isnt ruining my engine!! Mike

P.S.- I had my first oil leak in my forester at 15k last week. A plug inside the timing belt cover assembly was leaking engine oil out of the timing cover on the drivers side. I had a joyful tear in my eye to see my new suby following in the tradition of all its forebearers, cant wait for the cam seals to go in this one!!!!

mckeown · August 2002

This is a complaint I have seen on this board for over a year and as the Service Rep., Who has confirmed it, has told me and others to live with it. Someone suggested the Tailpipe Extension would help......NA...Still pops. When I installed the Compass mirror however, I disconnected the battery and during the next month (retraining) the "pop" was gone. Sad to say it's back. 1st-2nd or 2nd-3rd shifts when RPM's are above 2700. (retraining did fix my bucking from a dead start). As far as the "pop".....Well if this is my only complaint, it is minor. Just hope it doesn't take out an oxygen sensor.....

ateixeira · August 2002

mike: you qualify for OCD membership in our club. You caught it early, way to go.

The pop is probably unburned gas, right? The ECU should lean out the fuel eventually.

-juice

brianknobular · August 2002

I didn't see any replies to msg #7233, where masan asks "Has anyone taken the warnings off the visor of a 2003?" Well, anyone had any success? Or is this a hopeless cause?

(I'm still working my way to clinical OCD, but perhaps this stupid gov't inspired message in my peripheral vision will do me in.)

ateixeira · August 2002

Mine are different - they are plastic. I guess I could use an exacto knife, but haven't had the courage. The warnings are rather large.

-juice

burnsmr4 · August 2002

...how long did you leave the battery disconnected? What did you have to reprogram?

Thanks,
burnsmr4

ateixeira · August 2002

I've heard 30 minutes to reset the ECU. It takes about one tank of gas to re-learn how you drive, and until it does it'll run rich and your mileage will be poor.

-juice

wyoreb · August 2002

i recently returned from a trip to hawaii.

in two days driving around honolulu/oahu, i must have seen 50 '03 foresters. incredible. in the 3 months they've been out, i think i've seen one on the road here at home (colorado).

only thing i could think of was that the rental car companies are using them.

if i would have known that i could have rented an '03 forester, i would have gladly traded my rental ford taurus in for the pleasure!

lakepop · August 2002

I believe resetting your ECU via the battery disconnect will result in putting the ECU back to the factory presets.
Lots of variations on how to do the reset and can be useful in clearing a "non blinking" CEL as the result of a minor glitch such as not tightening your gas cap / overfilling trying to round off a fill up or adding an engine mod like a CAI.
I "reset" twice a year to help adjust to the oxygenated fuel used in my part of the country. It just helps the ECU adapt a little faster by reducing the data base.
Note that resetting the ECU in and of itself should have less impact on your mileage/performance than the way YOU drive the machine.

ateixeira · August 2002

I'm seeing more and more '03s also. Noticed about 3 of them in one day. Before that, I had only seen 2 total!

lakepop: so I'm to blame for driving aggressively? :-)

Funny how that throttle obeys your command, no?

-juice

lakepop · August 2002

Yep....thats how it works! But the mileage penalty is pretty small compared to the fun factor.

burnsmr4 · August 2002

...goes back up after an ECU reset by disconnecting the battery?

Thanks,
burnsmr4

lakepop · August 2002

Mike....no set answer for this. Your mileage MAY go up right away. Then again it may take a couple of tankfulls. Remember the reset takes you back to factory settings ....then as you drive it, it modifies (learns) to your driving. Note: depending on how you drive...it could go DOWN!

I have never experienced a major drop in mileage with a reset. Overall I average 27+ and only drive agresssively on occassion ; )

mtngal · August 2002

I've been thinking about what has been said about the ECU and what it does. My question is this - does it somehow take into account the air differences at high altitudes, and make appropriate adjustments? Or doesn't that matter any more with the new engines?

kens · August 2002

lakepop makes a good point. It can be the case that your milage improves after an ECU reset. I guess it depends on your driving conditions up to the point of reset. However, I've always noticed a drop in milage much like juice. I typically get 25-26mpg. After an ECU reset, it will drop to 22-23mpg and then work it's way back up over the next tank or two.

mtngal -- Yes, the ECU monitors many variables, one of them being the amount of air flowing into the engine. Much like other vehicles, our engines use a sensor (MAP or MAF depending on your model) that measures the amount of air coming in. At higher altitudes, the engine should sense less dense air coming in and make the appropriate changes.

Here's a neat link to read through:

http://www.howstuffworks.com/car-computer.htm

Ken

grahampeters · August 2002

G'day

My understanding from talking to the Subaru of Australia tech who replaced my ECU is that it only holds about the last twenty minutes of data.

Certainly, I have found that if you modify your driving style dramatically (from hard to very gentle) the throttle behaviour and fuel usage alters dramatically initially and then more slowly over the space of about twenty minutes. After that time, there is no appreciable alteration in behaviour.

Cheers

Graham

gopirates · August 2002

Hello all, I have a '01 Outback and currently looking at the '03 Forester as our other car. I went to the dealer today and took in my printed out info from EDMUNDS. On a XS 5sp model-this is without the sroof and leather-he is quoting me $22468.55. This is everything, tags, title, tax, etc, out the door.
This comes to be $100 over invoice. How does it sound to you guys? Or is the XS not worth the extra $ and should go with the X?

kens · August 2002

Graham,

That's an interesting tidbit of information, but it seems to conflict with what I observe after an ECU reset. If the ECU does in fact only retain the last 20 minutes of data then I should be seeing similar gas milage before and after a reset given that I drive the same way and all other enviromental factors are the same.

However, I have always observed a significant drop in gas milage after an ECU reset (approximate 5 mpg less) than compared to the normal variation I measure (usually within 1-2 mpg).

I've read in numerous posts at i-club that the ECU averages readings from the last 10,000 miles of driving. Whether the interval is truly this long, I don't know, but my experience seems to indicate that the learning process takes at least one full tank of gas for my vehicle.

Ken

ateixeira · August 2002

$100 over is a bargain for such a new model, in fact I'd ask over the phone what fees they tack on to that price, 'cause it's almost too good to be true. Ask if that includes freight, for instance, and any advertising or processing fees.

The dealership owner's got to eat! ;-)

FWIW, after I got a new battery, which resets the ECU by default, my gas mileage plummeted, by about 5mpg, too.

-juice

daniell · August 2002

I have a 2002 Forester S auto with 11K miles. I am experiencing the (well known and discussed) hesitation when starting from a dead stop. Although I have not received the recall letter from Subaru yet, my dealer is aware of the problem, and is going to have the ECU reprogrammed next Monday.
Those of you who had it done already - is there a clear improvement? Also, when you disconnect the battery, whil this reprogramming need to be redone?

Thanks,

Daniel

forester13 · August 2002

My 2003 Forester 2.5X has 3,200 miles on it.. and i've been hearing very slight engine knocking when pulling torque in third gear. Don't tell me I have to put higher octane gas in this vehicle!

ateixeira · August 2002

It should run fine on regular. The engines do have a knock sensor, so perhaps it's faulty.

I would have the dealer test it under load (i.e. test drive accelerating up hill), to try to duplicate the problem.

It can't be too bad - if you had unburned fuel passing through the O2 sensor would trigger a CEL.

-juice

subaru_team · August 2002

You may want to try a few tanks of a different brand vs. higher octane. Maybe run 2 or 3 tanks from a different manuf. and listen to see if you still hear it. If you do, the dealer should check it out for you at no cost during the warranty. Let us know?

Thanks!

Patti

ateixeira · August 2002

http://www.edmunds.com/reviews/roadtests/roadtest/70217/article.html

They compare the interior to best-in-class VW and call it the most fun-to-drive.

-juice

lark6 · August 2002

Why not just come out and call it an Outback Sport with SUV poseur styling cues? That's more appropriate now than in '98, as they now both have the 165hp EJ25.

What startled me a bit was their '98 review. I can understand the less spacious and and more body roll than a Legacy OB part, but feels slower? No way. It's lighter than a Legacy OB. And less fun to drive than the last-gen OBS? Not when it's packing 137hp. (Sorry, OBS owners. ;-) )

I think all can agree it needs more punch.

Ed

goldencouple1 · August 2002

Nothing in it changed my opinion. Automotive writers are idiots.

What I'd note in the review is the conclusion that the 2003 Forester, like prior Foresters, is a great all-around car. That is why we got it. I just think the idiot that wrote this review could have been more positive...there's a lot to be positive about.

tidester · August 2002

Automotive writers are idiots.

Wrong! Brent is a skilled, knowledgeable and respected writer.

Go ahead and find fault with an article but spare us the cheap ad hominem attacks.

tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories

tincup47 · August 2002

Automotive writers tend to write their personal opinions with whatever prejudices they already have, which may or may not agree with yours. Is that better tidester? I've also found they tend to look at vehicles that have major changes in a more positive light than ones that have merely been refreshed. Reviews are just one persons (or small group of people's)opinion and should be looked at as just that.

tidester · August 2002

That an individual writer brings his own perspective and "prejudice" into his writing is a truism. (Else we could create a computer program that would write and we'd all be none the wiser!)

I am objecting to flat out belittlement and namecalling. Stick to objective criticism and we'll all be happier!

tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories

paisan · August 2002

Seems a bit harsh. Journalists should learn to live with criticism, heck they ARE not Objective in their reviews so why should we be objective with them?

-mike

tidester · August 2002

You may be as subjective as you wish - as long as you do it with civility and avoid the cheap ad hominems. There's nothing harsh about expecting a minimum of decorum and respect.

tidester
Host
SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories

Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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