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Subaru Forester (up to 2005)

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  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    In previous posts, some owners have commented on the fact that their Geolanders didn't last as long as hoped for. However, I was checking the tread depth on mine this weekend and at the 38k mark, there's still several thousand miles left on them. So my question to other owners is at what point did you have to replace your Geolanders and what did you replace them with?

    -Frank P.
  • burnsmr4burnsmr4 Member Posts: 318
    Someone posted a note saying that they couldnt' get Geolander OEMs to replace damaged ones on a Forester. I OEM replacements at TireRack.com, although they're a bit pricey.

    Regards,
    burnsmr4

    P.S. - Any chance that Edmunds could jump on the "threaded discussion board" bandwagon and do away with this lengthy, single topic message system? Folks ought to be able to selectively catch up through the posts, especially when they've missed, say, 100+ posts. Just a suggestion.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    P.S. - Any chance that Edmunds could jump on the "threaded discussion board" bandwagon and do away with this lengthy, single topic message system? Folks ought to be able to selectively catch up through the posts, especially when they've missed, say, 100+ posts. Just a suggestion.

    By and large, Town Hall members seem to prefer this "conversational" format rather than threaded discussion. Nevertheless, I'll inquire once again!

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I think the users would probably like threaded but since Edmunds so far has been reluctant to go to that format, everyone is just hanging in there with whatever format we get.

    -mike
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Tidester- While you're inquiring, how bout checking on the status of regaining a viable search function? Tks!

    -Frank P.
  • beachfishbeachfish Member Posts: 97
    That's a possibility? I'm speechless. Not really.

    Of course I'd rather have threaded. Do it! (Please)

    John
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    While you're inquiring, how bout checking on the status of regaining a viable search function? Tks!

    I'll do that! It was actually on Edmund's agenda but the person who created the agenda has moved on and we have to start lobbying again. Also, the recent system changes haven't gone quite as smoothly as we'd like resulting in other improvements being pushed back.

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Regarding the threaded post issue, I checked on it and the answer is an unequivocal NO! And, for a very good reason. With well over a MILLION existing postings on the Town Hall boards the task would be onerous to say nothing of countless other problems it would create. We'll be staying with the existing system.

    The search function issue will be revisited after as our current server problems are resolved.

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • eps105eps105 Member Posts: 216
    Subaru Mouse (#7400)
    I received the mailing almost two months ago and did get my Forester mouse. It works great, and it's wireless. My guess is they only sent it to current Forester owners. (?)

    Flip Chart(#7403)
    Believe it or not, I did cross-shop the Buick Rendezvous when considering my 2003 Forester. I wanted to determine whether or not I needed a step-up in size from the Forester. I also would have seriously considered the PT Cruiser if it had AWD and a peppier engine. Sounds to me like Subaru's marketing is on top of things.
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Town Hall has been around since ~1997; the early "www" days, in other words. Those of us who grew up on BBS's and Usenet have eyeballs that are "used" to the conversation style of boards and (many of us) prefer it. I suppose I could change, but ... (I suppose all those eyeballs could switch from Windows too, but don't hold your breath this decade, LOL).

    When they fix the software/server bug that's been hammering us the last few weeks, the search engine will get revisited. They even took the beta version away from the hosts trying to speed the boards up :-(

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    Frank,

    A friend of mine has put on the Dunlop Sport A2's on his Forester S and likes them.

    Ken
  • originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    Isn't that the name of a Ben Stiller character?

    bit
  • declansdaddeclansdad Member Posts: 120
    My geolanders are showing lots of wear so after some research, I've just purchased the Dunlop Sport A2. I get them installed on Friday, but I'll keep you posted about their performance.

    Michael
  • jimbob17jimbob17 Member Posts: 77
    We have Douglas Firs next to our driveway. Do y'all have any suggestions about what to use to get the sap off cars?
    Please dont say remove the trees we've had them far longer than any of the cars.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    We have lots of Pines upstate NY at my place in the Mts. Rubbing alchol ASAP on it gets it off. If you let it bake on you are finished.

    -mike
  • kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    bit,

    Zoolander! LOL!

    Ken
  • joseph50joseph50 Member Posts: 235
    When Paisan says "finished," believe it.
    I was fortunate. With my previous car the pine tar had baked onto roof and hood. In a singuarly selfless gesture, a friend who worked at a small dealership in upstate PA took me in after hours, opened all the bay doors, turned on every fan in the place, and for 45 minutes elbow rubbed with what I swear was *acetone*. (I had worked with that stuff as a cleaning agent when working at a chemical factory in the early 70's.) A few coats of wax made the car presentable, and I got a decent trade-in value on it. Lucky me to have such a good friend.
  • bhanna261bhanna261 Member Posts: 11
    I have almost 38,000 miles on the Geolandars on my '01 S Premium. The shop told me they are good for at least another several thousand miles. I do mostly highway driving and rotate them every 6,000 miles. Have them inflated at 32psi in the front and 30 in the rear. When I do replace them, I'm not sure what I'll buy, but I've been happy with the Yokos so I'd definitely consider them.
  • mckeownmckeown Member Posts: 165
    Having dealt with Trees (Pines mostly) and "Chip & Tar" roads most my life, have found the best remover of Tar and Sap to be either Denatured Alcohol (found at Paint Supply stores) or Kerosene. After either are used, clean off the oil residue with a mild soap. Been doing this since the mid 60's with good results.
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    You will like the Sport A2s. Have them on my OB. Very quite, and nice riding. Let me know how you like them.

    Greg
  • declansdaddeclansdad Member Posts: 120
    This sounds silly, but I'm really looking forward for Friday (installation day). I have off the next week and expect to spend alot of driving time in my forester!

    I'll keep you updated.

    Michael
  • jdub3jdub3 Member Posts: 6
    New '03 XS Auto,Silver..way cool so far. Into various outdoor activities in PNW. Plan on getting a Yakima torpedo for cargo. Does anyone have an opinion on how these work for toting downhill ski's? Any noise or vibration issues? Only complaints so far: intermittant buzz/rattle in dash and tires with 54 #'s psi upon delivery.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    They ship the tires at that high psi to avoid flat-spotting, though dealers should air them down during the PDI. It's about the most common mistake any dealer will make.

    Brian: nice kit, we should all be so prepared.

    For parts, I had luck e-mailing parts@libertysubaru.com. Their prices were slightly lower than the two dot-coms commonly referred to.

    Doug: your e-mail is not in your profile. I have 3 steel wheels from a Legacy plus a donut. I used the 4th to replace the donut. You can buy a matching 4th from Tire Rack for $38 to complete the set. E-mail me at ateixeira@ifc.org and let's discuss.

    masan: engine braking will brake all four tires when you let off the gas, so it'll feel a bit more sudden than if you are used to 2WD. This is an advantage in hilly areas, because your brakes won't overheat if you can use engine braking properly.

    Bob: we test drove a Rendezvous also, though mostly because the wife got a freebie for trying it. We looked across all sorts of classes of car, van, SUV, wagon, and hybrids inbetween.

    -juice
  • synthiasynthia Member Posts: 10
    Hello All!

    I've really enjoyed reading all the postings! You guys are great and I am hoping somebody can help me out. I fell in love with the Subies last year and (showing great restraint) decided to wait for the 2003 models to come out.

    I FINALLY picked up my new 03 Forester XS Premium (Silver w/ leather) yesterday! I went the Car Bargains route and happily got it for $100 over invoice from with Gillman Subaru in Houston. I had several other competitive bids, but Gillman has a relationship with my credit union that made the paperwork easy, plus the internet sales guy (Milton) had sent me info in the past from several inquiries.

    That's the good news...now for something else...

    I drove 20 mi to an appt after picking up my new car. After the appt (1.5 hrs) the car was hard to start and then dies as I back out of parking spaces, at stoplights, stop signs, etc. BUT, only when I first start up and maybe 10 or 15 min after that. Before it stalls, it ides roughly. Then a lot of warning lights come on. After that, things smooth out and are ok. Then I park the car and the whole sequence starts all over again when I come back and re-start.

    This morning, less that 24 hours after picking it up, I took the car back to the dealer. On the way, it stalled 4 times at stoplights (I was afraid to take the freeway) and halfway there the AT TEMP light started blinking at me (even though it was past the stalling stage.)

    It's now 4:30 pm - they've had it since this morning - and the computer diagnostics haven't turned anything up...everything comes up fine. It's still in the shop and they say they cannot replicate what I have observed (which is TOTALLY hard for me to understand.) I have been told that they have contacted Subaru to see if any other problems of this nature have turned up.

    At this point, I am afraid to drive the car - I can't depend on it to not stall if I am merging with traffic and I am afraid I will get rear-ended at a stoplight. I sure hope they can provide me with a loaner car...or a replacement. I am having to borrow a car from a friend today to get to my biz appts and I don;t know the status for tomorrow.

    I think I recall someone else who had this problem?

    If anyone has any suggestions - please post! I am wondering if I am the 'one in a million customers' who has bought a lemon...

    Any thoughts, opinions, moral support, etc. are most appreciated!!! Having fallen in love with a Subie, this is really hard to take: this is so far my worst mightmare come true...
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    I'd get it back to the dealer ASAP. If you're afraid to drive it, have them come pick it up. Obviously something's amiss. As to what, I have no idea. Certainly let your sales person and the manager know.

    Offhand, it doesn't sound like the car was properly preped, and/or the dealer screwed something up during the prep.

    Bob
  • jimbob17jimbob17 Member Posts: 77
    Thanks for the response. I'll remember the alcohol tip and also try the Kerosene Kure. I'll let you know what happens.
  • synthiasynthia Member Posts: 10
    to reholland: Thanks - the car is in the shop. Still no word.

    Hope you are right about it not being prepped properly - the odometer showed 8 miles on it when I picked it up.
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    Hmmmm - I've been having issues with getting into the chat since the end of June. I have our IT group looking at it, but they keep saying that it's something here at Edmunds. I didn't read other's post with issues, so I assumed they were wrong. Is anyone else having issues coming in through Explorer?

    Any help would be appreciated!

    Patti
  • masanmasan Member Posts: 77
    Synthia, how disappointing! At the very least, the dealership needs to get you in a loaner car ASAP. You should not have to borrow a car from a friend.
  • jdub3jdub3 Member Posts: 6
    Anyone have the tweeter kit option. Seems like an OK deal. Advice needed. 03 Forester.
  • goose15goose15 Member Posts: 6
    When i change il in both my 2001 and 2002 foreresstter. it tkes 4.6 quirts to bring oil level to full mark on dip stick (level ground oilat operating temperature. Owner book says 4.2 quarts are needed. How come??
  • subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    Sorry - Just got to your post. Please call 1-800-SUBARU3. Please ask the Rep. to start a case. If you have your VIN handy it will speed things up. Please let the Rep. know to e-mail me (just say Patti and Edmunds) and let me know once a case is started.

    I'm really sorry about the problem. I hope it is just a dealer prep. issue, but we will get to the bottom of it and get you in a loaner.

    Thanks!

    Patti
  • lmn908lmn908 Member Posts: 34
    Does anyone have the subaru kayak stacker that attaches directly to the factory roof rails? Can it fold down flat against the roof when not in use? We currently have a yakima kayak stacker, but you can only fold it down if you have round crossbars, and continually putting it on and taking it off is not very convenient.

    Thanks.
  • masanmasan Member Posts: 77
    I haven't had a problem getting into chat using Explorer. Make sure the cache has been emptied. I'd try another browser, perhaps Netscape, Opera, or Mozilla would do the trick in the meantime.
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Patti,

    The problem has been at the Edmund's end. We recently moved our web hosting software in-house and there's been a wrinkle or two. Rest assured that every effort is being made to fix the problem. I am off-site and things seemed to be working pretty well today - I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    From my last post you can see that it is not a browser specific problem. However, I personally use Opera and find it generally more responsive and faster than IE. It's worth trying it out. Also, Mozilla (which I like!) is very good too but it's still a little quirky.

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • sneezy2sneezy2 Member Posts: 20
    Synthia, what a bummer! :(
    I just visited the Gillman Subaru days ago to test drive a 2003 Forester X. Really liked it and was thinking of buying one sometime in the next couple of months. Doing business with Gillman is a possibility for me, although now it will be influenced by how this dealer handles your problem! I think that the way they deal with this challenge will likely reflect their general attitude of service and customer care.

    I was surprised to read your story.
    It seems you got an excellent deal on the price, though. Let us know how everything turns out. I hope it will be a happy outcome.
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    I run a software firewall that also has an ad popup switch. If I forget to turn the popup switch off, I have trouble getting into chats. So check for any ad blocking software that may interfer with the java script. Alternatively, you can try to get into the chats with the html option that's somewhere in the preferences.

    We cc'd your message upstairs so maybe someone in our IT dept. will have some ideas for you too. Let us know!

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • armac13armac13 Member Posts: 1,129
    I had exactly that problem. It took me several weeks of missing chats to finally figure out that it was my firewall that was causing the problem, specifically the pop-up switch. Now I can get in, but the universe has been conspiring to make me miss the chats for other reasons. Maybe this Thursday??

    Ross
  • steverstever Guest Posts: 52,454
    Don't look for me, unless my wife decides not to take me out for dinner at the new Indian restaurant :-) (Hear that Tidester? Another reason for you to come visit Boise!).

    Patti is likely behind a physical firewall - mine's software (ergo my thinking it was the popup software part causing my problem). Are you behind a software or "real" one?

    Steve
    Host
    SUVs, Vans and Aftermarket & Accessories Message Boards
  • tidestertidester Member Posts: 10,059
    Did someone say Indian??

    That is a good enough reason to visit Boise!

    tidester
    Host
    SUVs; Aftermarket & Accessories
  • subiedaddysubiedaddy Member Posts: 22
    jdub,

    i've had my forester x manual for about two months now. the one option it came with was the tweeter kit. it makes a difference and sounds great (we're talking about the door mounted ones, right?)
    i don't know how the after market audio components compare, but the tweeters come in handy. i recommend upgrading the sound from 80 to 100w (or more) if you listen to a lot of music.
    the max volume on the single cd player, the standard on the x, is 40. alone that doesn't mean much, but classical music cd's have an inconsistent volume level and i get to 40 or near it on the freeway at times. without the tweeters i would not be... not have been... satisfied.

    and if you ever feel like rocking out, well, you will wish you had an upgrade, aftermarket or otherwise. course then you won't hear the engine, which sounds bea u ti ful-

    hope this helps

    j
  • p0926p0926 Member Posts: 4,423
    Synthia- Wow! I can only imagine the huge disappointment you must be feeling. From the symptoms you describe, it seems impossible that the dealer can't replicate them and that the computer diagnostics haven't turned anything up. Hopefully by the time you read this they will have figured out the problem and you can drive happily off into the sunset. If not, you're in good hands with Patti. While the quality of customer service varies significantly between dealerships, corporate Subaru's customer service is among the best in the business and I have confidence that you'll be taken care of. Please keep us posted.

    -Frank P.
  • nygregnygreg Member Posts: 1,936
    Dead battery? Somehow, that thought popped in my head. Anyway, good luck. I am sure once the problem is figured out, you will fall in love with you new car.

    Greg
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I also thought about a faulty battery. Could also be the ECU.

    Keep in touch with the dealer and do call 800-SUBARU3 to open up a case. Ask the dealer to drive the car when it is cold, even if that means leaving it overnight and then driving it first thing in the morning. Also make sure the test drive is more than just around the block.

    -juice
  • barnowlbarnowl Member Posts: 18
    this is my first post, but i've been an avid reader of Forester, Outback and WRX boards...thanks to everyone for all their knowledge, experiences and insight!

    i'm writing because i like the new '03 Forester XS but am apprehensive about this Hill Holder Clutch....especially posts that question the ability to "roll-back" when Parallel Parking or descending a sloped driveway ( cases when you want to roll back with a little occasional help from the engine....)

    i've always owned Manual Transmission Cars and don't need a Hill Holder Clutch so my question is:

    can it be disabled by a Subaru Mechanic ?
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Can't you roll back by holding the clutch in? I think it only grabs when you release the clutch.

    Just a guess, I have not sampled one yet.

    -juice
  • barnowlbarnowl Member Posts: 18
    ..i haven't sampled one either....but it seems from advertising and the brochure that the Hill Holder Clutch works by pressing in & holding down the clutch, with the vehicle in gear, then pressing and releasing the brake pedal, leaving the brake engaged. ....this leaves your right foot free for the accelerator...all good for moving forward up a hill, but could be a hassle when intentionally desiring to roll backwards.....

    if this is the case ...then i'd prefer the Hill Holder feature be (safely ) disabled...
  • rshollandrsholland Member Posts: 19,788
    The ones I've driven, I have not found any problems with. If you're used to driving with a clutch, it will be a breeze.

    Remember, it only engages if the front of the car is pointed up hill—no matter how slight the hill, otherwise it acts like any normal clutch.

    Also the car has to come to a complete stop before it engage. It doesn't work with rolling stops.

    Bob
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