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My Subaru Forester is a Lemon!
oregonwave
Member Posts: 1
in Subaru
I purchased a 2007 Forester 3 months ago, it was a very bad experience! Many dashboard rattles,and the dealer they could fix only a few, I realized the car was cheaply made, after 5 times (they had the car 4 weeks of the 9) and with Subaru Corp. just telling them to fix it yet they couldn't, I dumped the car and got a Honda CR-V, its well made and a steal at a comparable price as the Forester. But after my experience and talk with a few other people who owned them,was wondering why Car&Driver and Edmunds would rate the car high?? My personal experience would rate the car as a poorly built 'rattle trap'.
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-mike
Bob
You got a Friday 5pm build.
-juice
Though I agree that rattles in general and dash rattles in particular are extremely annoying, I personally wouldn't consider a vehicle to be a lemon due to them. My definition of the term lemon is any unrepairable defect that renders the vehicle undriveable for practical purposes.
Hmmm, I guess in cases of extreme OCD, a dash rattle would fit that description :P
-Frank
For a vehicle a lemon is a vehicle that is defective in one or many areas. Legally the term is applicable in most instances when the defect can not be repaired after multiple attempts.
Neither are relevant to the situation described by the originator of this topic.
-mike
Here is the legal definition for each state:
http://autopedia.com/html/HotLinks_Lemon2.html
I'll let you folks debate whether a rattle is considered serious.
-juice
-juice
Hmmm....would a dash rattle cause death or serius injury? :sick:
"An owner may not receive a refund or replacement under AS 45.45.300 - 45.45.360 if the manufacturer or distributor shows that the nonconformity complained of does not substantially impair either the use or the market value of the motor vehicle"
:surprise: That's a tough one to prove either way. That's when you tell the arbitrator, "Check please!" :P
And if we find a CRV with the same issue we can question the entire C&D and Edmunds rating of the CRV also?
I don't think C&D or Edmunds rates something has high with the assumption that there will NEVER be a problem. I also don't think the rating is meant to account for bad dealerships.
Consumer Reports does NOT gather large samples. They only survey their subscribers and the number of survey's returned is often quite small for many makes and models.
The sample size used by CR is much smaller than that used by JD Power.
JD Power may have a bigger sample but I wonder about how they measure "quality". They rated the H2 poorly due to low gas mileage, and that really has nothing to do with quality.
In fact, the H2 consumes fuel with the best of 'em.
the heads on these are attached with 4 bolts. so the pressure on the head gasket is uneven. Depending on use, around 80,000 - 100,000 miles, the head gaskets go. When the head gasket blows, a bunch of bad stuff can happen. Sometimes, due to coolant loss, the motor can overheat, and since the blocks are aluminum, that means new motor. In other cases, like mine, the gasket leaked antifreeze into a cylender, constantly washing oil off of the cylender wall, reducing lubrication, destroying the piston ring. And because of the aluminum construction, and the boxter design, you can't just pull the motor and rebuild it like you can a chevy. You need a new motor. Several thousand for the motor itself, and a couple thousand for the install.
Creaks and groans are one thing. But a new car should need a new motor after 80-100 thousand miles. Even if you catch the gasket problem early, and only need new head gaskets, that a couple thousand dollar repair. That shouldn't happen either.
And, to boot, Consumer Reports doesn't seem to publish this issue widely. So its hard to know if the newer models will be better, or if they are gonna go starting at 80K, too.
Buy a Honda.
-mike
False.
They use 6. Whoever gave you that information, well, let's just say they are a very unreliable source.
Here's a pic that clearly shows the SIX bolts.
Think about it - if your mechanic only used 4 bolts, NO WONDER the gasket failed! LOL
Buy a Honda.
I presume you used the same source for that recommendation? :P
I mean, c'mon, nobody's perfect. Ask any last generation TL/CL V6 owner about their transmission. Half of them aren't on their first.
Thanks,
Kyle
PS..."questionable" trolls are amongst us...
-mike
The 99 model was a bit of a hybrid - they went to SOHC but they still used the short block from the 98 models.
By 2000 they were using the new block design and kept the SOHC.
The Outback and Legacy waited until 2000 to get the SOHC design (at the same time as the redesign), which is probably what paisan is remembering.
-mike
The CRV was literally shaking while idling, and I could hear something rattling in the back as I was driving. It was also fairly windy out and the CR-V felt like it was really getting blown around. The Forester on the other hand felt tight and well built. Guess anyone can have a bad day on the manufacturing line. ;-)
I bought a 2006 Forester X, and at first the clear plastic covering the spedometer, etc. on my dash squeaked, but it does not do it now.
Overall, it's been a dependable car so far, but at first I thought it had some annoyances -- probably because I had a good vehicle before the Forester that had many more features (sunroof, multi-CD player, etc.). I think it was my mind trying to pick the Forester apart and that I had a so-so dealership experience that left a little bit of a bad taste in my mouth at the start of ownership.
I switched to the Forester because it had a better safety rating and better fuel economy than my previous vehicle.
There is a TSB out regarding this issue in Outbacks, not sure about Foresters - go to www.subaru.com and click the "technical info" link under the Owners section. You cannot look at the TSBs there without paying, but it will give you a TSB name and number. The one for the Outback is called, simply enough, "Dash Rattle."
My dealer is equally incompetent at hearing & fixing this rattle. I finally found and printed out three TSBs relating to interior rattles my car has. I took them to the dealer today and set up an appointment for the 28th. I hope it is cold that day and the technician's ears work because I really want a rattle-free car when I get it back.
Good luck - here’s to a Rattle Free future!
For the Legacy/Outback, the TSB is 12-96-06. Go to www.thel7.com/tsb.html and you can look at the entire TSB. Dash clips are indeed the problem. The "fix" itself seems somewhat hokey, but if it works and the dash remains securely attached then no big deal. I will try to update once my car has gone through the ringer again on Monday.
-Wes-
Yet they don't go around saying the Nissan Rogue is a horrible car based just on their experience. Then again, it's not like people with half a brain will pay heed and take words like yours to the grave. Those who do, I wonder how they've gotten this far in life.
Funny how the people in this world act based just on their own personal experience.
My husband is in love with the foresters, we have had no mechanical problem in over 3 years, only had to replace brake pads, we did replace front rotors although they probably would have been okay, and of course tires.
I traded my old Santa Fe in for a 2008 CR-V in February, with only 12k miles on it and I love my CR-V but its not the same in the snow, its more comfortable than the subaru, but they each have their pros and cons.
It has been years since we had a troll on these boards.
Welcome and lets have some sport with you!
Graham
I have 3 jeeps. NEVER had any trouble with them and they all have over 200k on them. 91 Cherokee, 2000 GC 98 Wranger.
I have had 5 Subarus. Never a problem.
I have had 1 Honda, 1988 Van-O-Wagon. Biggest POS I have ever had.
And Hondas are good cars. However, the CRV 4x4 system is very poor.
Hondas are great cars. I just got a very poor example of their work.
I have 3 Honda MC and they are all Fantastic. No porblems at all.
So it really is just the luck of the draw sometimes.