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I think between the upgrades to Impreza, the new Forester, and the upgrades to Outback (VDC across the lineup), Subaru is a very compelling purchase for many people right now. With the instability in the economy, it is all about value, versatility, and longevity.
Okay, well, maybe not, but I am antsy to see what the debut of the 2010 Legacy/Outback brings....
Heuberger wanted like $335 for the side moldings installed.
Better is a 2005 Ford Escape
Better is a 2007 Santa Fe
Better is a 2008 CRV
Best is a 2009 Forester! :P
Something's going on with the 2009 Forester's re-fueling door? I need to slide a credit card into the slight opening that the unlatching lever provides. If I use my fingers, I usually end up re-latching the door. Sometimes it take two people to get it open, one working the lever by the driver's seat and the other working with the credit card on the passenger side. I've held up a lot of other drivers waiting in line to refuel.
It's back at the dealer for the 3rd time. The first time they lubricated it and said it is working as designed. The next time I complained, they said they discovered a previously unknown adjustment. It opened about 4 inches when they demonstrated their success. They showed me how to dress the gas cap tether. The first time I went to get gas I had to use my credit card again. The last time I went to get gas it wouldn't open at all. It took two of us to get it open.
Well like I said before, its back at the dealer. They indicated others are having the same problem and the factory is aware of the situation. I have my doubts but they did give me a loaner while they figure out what to do.
Is there anything in the pipeline to improve this poor design? Has anyone else seen this problem?
There could also be friction of the spring on the body that might exacerbate the problem.
Another thing to watch out for are creaks from the sunroof. Part of them are caused by the moonroof inner cover rubbing against the metal deflector, and possibly the uppermost edge of the moonroof trim. My latest fix was to use a dry lubricant on both the inner part of deflector, and the upper edge of the moonroof door rubbing against the deflector. Only time will tell if this works for sure.
they look really nice on my metallic gold colored Forester.
My XT is averaging 21 mpg in mixed driving. It's got around 800 miles on it now. The other day after a fill up the computer shot up to 30mpg as I coasted around town. It didn't last of course, but it was interesting to see.
Haven't fully grasped the functional differences b/w the manual and auto AWD systems. Would the manual AWD system function "better" in snow than the auto?
I'm considering leasing a 2.5 X Premium and wouldn't be opposed to a manual. Don't know how a manual will affect the residual, but it would save $1,000 on the cap cost.
Any input appreciated. Thanks!
-Frank
stock amplifier in the head unit. The subwoofer system I added is (just like with
the Subaru factory subwoofer system) a powered unit - which means it has
an additional amp to drive the subwoofer. The Infiniti system I installed is a
combined package - ie the amp, subwoofer speaker, crossover circuitry, bass
boost adjustment etc are all combined into one self contained "box", to which
you must provide +/- V power, left & right speaker wiring, and a frame GND
connection. Not very difficult.
Most 6.5" speakers are pretty efficient and don't require a lot of power to drive
them, so using the stock Subaru head should work just fine. But I believe there is no way to get good solid subwoofer level bass without adding a secondary amplifier.
The other place I've wondered if the auto might be better was going up a very rutted firetrail with lots of loose soil. I felt like I needed to be somewhere between first and second and did a lot of shifting back and forth.
The hill holder clutch is great. I drive in SF a lot and even after a year I still say "heyyy thats nice" every time I need to come to a stop on a steep hill.
Originaly I was going by the trip computer but when I saw 16mpg I thought something was wrong.
I filled up the tank (16.9 gallons) and drove till the low gas light came on (2.7 gallons left). Then I subracted 2.7 from 16.9 and saw how many miles the car drove. The average came out to around 16...so the trip computer was correct.
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
I am not sure what can be done to address the problem. Certainly, driving further just to achieve better economy is not going to do your pocket any favors. But, you might make a point to take a tank-full of longer city-only trips to see what effect it has on your economy. That could help narrow down the factors.
To give you a comparison, my wife drives our 1998 Dodge Caravan a couple times a week, for about 12 miles each direction (it is cold each time she starts out). Her economy last month, with temperatures between freezing and zero F, was about 16.5. Each tank was fairly consistent, with all between 16 and 17. During the last tank, she used it for a couple of trips to a friend's house about 20 miles away, piggy-backed with the trip into town (which is the opposite direction). So, she was actually driving the van 30-40 miles or more while warm. The economy on that tank, with only those 60 or 70 extra miles mixed with the normally short trips (about 250 miles total on the tank), was 17.5 and the temperatures were between -15F and zero that whole tank. It does make a difference.
One thing that can help is when making multiple stops, start with the farthest and come home. That way, when making the other stops and restarting the vehicle, it is already warm. I always did it the other way around and picked that tip up from a high-mileage site. Instead of hitting the Starbucks near my house, I stop at the last one before work now.
Anticipate red lights and start coasting much earlier. Done perfectly you don't stop, but instead you blend into the speed of the traffic as it accelerates on the green light.
Coast down any hill that is steep enough to maintain your speed. The instantaneous fuel consumption drops significantly if I coast instead of "driving" with only a light touch on the accelerator or even off the gas pedal entirely.
I did see a definite improvement in overall economy doing these with the truck and WRX. They won't turn your vehicle into a Prius, but every bit helps and these are free.
Old bit of Canadian mileage wisdom. If you are in anything close to cold weather, get a block heater and use it.
The pressure on my tires are good, so thats not the issue.
When I take the car out for the weekend on a long highway ride the economy shoots up. At one point I was seeing 34mpg.
On one particular day I filled out the tank and drove into manhattan. I drove around 40 miles and was getting about 23mpg.
Right not my car reads an average o 15.6 mpg. The gas gauge needle drops quickly. I guess there is nothing that can be done in that respect. Its a good thing gas prices have gone down.
Thank you for the valuable input....
2000 miles a year at 16mpg means only 125 gallons a year consumed so if you achieved the advertised 20 mpg you'd save 2 gallons a month.
Do you have a block heater? They can net 1-2 mpg improvement in average cold weather (much more for severe cold weather). All of the benefit comes at the beginning of the trip because the ECU will run rich until operating temps are hit. In New York and given such short trips, it might really help and the great thing is that block heaters for Subies are cheap like borscht, literally a tenth of what some other manufacturers charge.
When first put into drive, I hear a whizzing sound as if some screw mechanism or motor was engaging. When I then accelerate forward, and with a light foot, the front wheels lurch the car forward, sometimes with a chirp. It is as if the central clutch is not properly engaging or something.
This behavour is recent (it did not occur after I changed my tires from Geolanders to Nokians around 1000 miles ago). The car did not do this when new nor up through 5400 miles. The roads are not wet or slippery.
Is this a quirk of Foresters when they break in? Or am I facing real trouble here?
Whatever it is, it's not very encouraging for a mostly new car using a "tried and true' carryover AWD system.
Good luck....
I'll ask my dealer about it when my XT (given the tentative name "White Fang") goes in for its next oil change (within a few weeks) or if it gets worse.
My web search shows after market devices that disable the safety features of the navigation on different cars, but they seem to need elaborate installation and I don't know how they’d work with the Subaru. Any feedback in this area would be appreciated.
Jim
Currently, I am driving an old '98 Ford Escort w/ MT. I put Amsoil 0w-30 in this car as well, but the owner's manual states this car uses ATF in its manual transmission (?!).... seems odd, but I did not take the time to verify this and/or switch fluids. There is no heater on the transmission, and at temps as "warm" as -20F, the transmission is so gummy that it is difficult to maneuver the gear shifter. I went from an average economy of 35 this summer to as low as 24.5 (average for November) so far this winter.
For my 1998 Dodge minivan, it was achieving mileage of about 15 mpg last winter with amsoil engine oil and Chrysler ATF+3 transmission fluid. This winter, with the same engine oil and Amsoil synthetic universal transmission fluid, it is running 16.5 to 17. What's more, that is with my wife driving it almost exclusively this winter, and she usually gets about 1 mpg less than I do as a result of driving habits. Last winter, I was the primary driver.
For me, the first 2 miles are so are all about warm up, so on a 4 mile drive that means you're engine isn't being efficiently at least half the time.
I drove our Forester last night, fully warmed up, and zero'd the trip meter to see how high I could get. I was going 55 or so, drafted a truck for a little bit, and coasted down hill when I could, and was able to hit 36.0mpg, my personal record.
That's not practical all the time, plus it didn't include the warm up, but so far on that tank we're getting about 26 mpg or so, so it's the warm up and the less efficient driving techniques the rest of the time costing us that 10mpg.
I remember an instant improvement in FE when I switched to synthetic in the old WRX.
Let's see, people asked about reliability, well I got good news from TrueDelta, that web site that registers VINs of actual vehicles and tracks reliability as things happen, and they actually said the 2009 Forester was a stand-out among new models this year. They singled out 2 of the best new cars, and it was one of them.
Kurt commented that the non-turbo engine was responsive, and I have to agree, in fact I've said that all along. volkov mentioned it was the higher compression (agreed) and that the gearing was the same in the 1st three gears. True, except the turbo has a taller final drive ratio. So effective gearing is taller on the turbo, another reason the non-turbo feels more responsive until the turbo spools up.
As mentioned here, the Ltd model does have the power seat. So as you step up among the naturally aspirated models, you get a lot of the content of the XT. One thing you don't get is the telescoping wheel, but the position is fine for both me and my wife, so we don't miss that.
kurt: what do you mean by "dry lubricant" in post 2635? Just curious.
TPMS saved us, too. It went off and sure enough, one tire had low pressure. I know some people complain and don't want to see more idiot lights, but this one is actually useful.
Liquid Wrench and a few other companies make this, usually sold at Home Depot and other builder supply stores.
Wrt the Nokian WRG2's, they seem to be doing fine. Pressure is 34 front, 32 rear (PSI). They've definitely made the XT's ride less harsh on small bumps, and seem to grip the road better.
So far the front doors, with vibration supression insulation added by the dealer under warranty, have stayed quiet.
Jim
My Subaru will warm up well in two miles, my chrysler takes 6 miles at highway speeds.
Jim
I have had my 2009 Forester 2.5X 4AT for three months, now. I love this car -- best car I have ever had -- no problems, so far.
I have been reading the forum with interest. One question I have is:
When you are refering to the engine being "warmed up", are your refering to the blue light going out or some other criteria.
Here in West Virginia winters are not nearly as severe as many of you are describing, yet, the cold weather effects are quite noticable.
Thanks for your comments. I have learned alot from these forums.
Bill
West Virginia
In my experience, the engine can warm up at different rates than the rest of the car. In terms of engine operating efficiency, the blue light turning off is a good indicator that the engine is warmed. But, in very cold weather, accessories and drivetrain components, like the transmission and differentials, could take longer to warm as it is all based on heat-by-friction. The more they turn, the more the fluids warm, but the colder it is, the more heat is required to warm them to normal operating temperature. The parasitic loss on the engine is all a matter of the fluid viscosity (resistance to movement). Therefore, the lower the viscosity of a fluid at a given temperature, the less energy will be used to move that component. In a differential or transmission especially, that translates to more energy at the wheels.
When choosing fluids for a vehicle, you want to go with the fluid that will give the best protection at the lowest viscosity within a given ambient temperature range. Fluids that work best at extremely cold temperatures are not likely the ones that would provide the best protection at extremely high temperatures (typically >100F), so I would not likely put the same fluids in my car here in Fairbanks, Alaska as I would in, say, Florida.
All automatics are winterized here with a pan heater on the transmission. Manuals are not, as the fluid can (should) be swapped out with an appropriate gear oil.
Amsoil universal ATF has the best cold-weather properties I have found, but even it will get very gummy at -50F (according to the temperature ratings - I have not experienced those temps with the Amsoil yet), but at least it is still quite fluid at -30F, which is a far more common winter temperature here than -50!