Ask the Car People.SM


Subaru Forester (up to 2005) - READ ONLY

18028 messages,  Last post on Nov 02, 2006 at 7:19 AM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Wagon



Messages Page 1656 of 1804

#16545 of 18028 HAL by ateixeira

Jun 07, 2005 (7:04 pm)

$530 for a Subaru warranty seems cheap to me. Do you get roadside assistance in the plan you were quoted? We do (for the full 7 years).
 
neil: sounds like a plan. Synthetic should easily last that long given you're not under the extreme driving category.
 
Those vents look good, by the way. I just open my door, and slam it once, then open it again. That shakes the water off.
 
You can thank aerodynamics and fuel economy for the disappearance of rain gutters. Forester actually has them near the roof rails, but there are a couple of inches on the sides where rain accumulates, that'll drip down.
 
HAL (Mr. Climate Control) can be tamed if you get a 2003, and 2004 and later models are tamer to begin with.
 
-juice

#16546 of 18028 Re: Side Window Vents (vent shade vent visor, etc) [mckeown] by 204meca

Jun 07, 2005 (7:24 pm)

Replying to: mckeown (Jun 07, 2005 12:31 pm)
Are these the ones from England?
URL with a Picture......I Must add, I am impressed.
http://partner.subaru.ch/public/bild2.asp?bild=E3610SA000
 
Yeah they look good, but $200 is a bundle. Most of these in the US cost about $50-70 for all 4 windows. I would sure like to find some for less than $100.
 
Do we have an entraprenuer in this crowd who wants to try and swing some sort of group buy to save on shipping?

#16547 of 18028 Bought it the 03. by 204meca

Jun 07, 2005 (7:25 pm)

Thanks for all the advice, this site has been a tremendous help.
AFTER the purchase , I discovered that the Subie had been rigged for towing behind some sort of RV (had an electrical connection in the lower grill fascia). So now I wonder if the 23K miles are miles that it was actually driven or if that number includes the miles it was towed. Anyone know if towed miles would show on odometer? I cant think of any negatives to it being towed -- am I missing anything I hope not cause it is a done deal now
 
If interested in purchase details Forester buying experience forum

#16548 of 18028 Opinions on aging Forester by 98in_cuse

Jun 07, 2005 (8:18 pm)

Hi - I just found this forum. I have a '98 Forester (manual transmission) with approx. 112,000 miles, no serious problems until now. Just recently the check engine light came on and I had the spark plugs replaced as per Subaru service recommendation, then the light returned. Now I am told that the real problem is that a valve guide is pulling out of one of the cylinder heads. It can be re-machined as a "fix" or I can have two cylinders replaced as essentially a "top engine rebuild". Given that I have yet to replace the timing belt, and the clutch may need to be replaced (still on the original one), can members of the forum give me opinions? I've done all the recommended maintenance and had the brakes reworked not too long ago. Right now I am thinking about treating the valve guide problem conservatively (i.e. wait) as there have been symptoms of this problem for a while (principally rough idle). As long as the check engine light is off at my inspection (Nov.), I might be able to squeak out a few more thousand miles. I know the timing belt needs to be done - our service manager says people have made it to 120,000 though they have been bugging me since 105,000. I wanted to keep the car a couple more years until the possible hybrid/complete re-design comes out. If I can't keep this one going however, I may be looking at an end-of-the-year 2005 or the 2006. Any thoughts on a strategy or the cylinder/valve guide problem would be welcome.
 
Thanks, Kathy

#16549 of 18028 Re: Side Window Vents (vent shade vent visor, etc) [204meca] by mckeown

Jun 08, 2005 (2:45 am)

Replying to: 204meca (Jun 07, 2005 7:24 pm)
I would 2nd that. I would pay the $100 for them, but not the $100 to ship them. To bad my buddy doesn't travel to Australia/New Zealand anymore. They also have these listed. But I can't find an independent dealer site, Seems thay are all run by Subaru.au.

#16550 of 18028 Re: Is this a Good Oil Change Plan? [nswartzb] by bluesubie

Jun 08, 2005 (6:30 am)

Replying to: nswartzb (Jun 07, 2005 12:26 pm)
IMHO, you should wait a little longer in switching to a synthetic if you're going to go the full 7,500 on your oil change intervals. Subaru's show high wear metals up until 20-25,000 miles. Those high wear metals will cause the oil's viscosity to shear down within 6,000 miles or so. Since you're naturally aspirated, it might be ok though. It also depends what oil and oil weight you're using.
 
In my XT, I switched to a blend at 3,750 and Mobil1 5W30 at 7,500 miles. The M1 sheared down to a low 30 weight in under 6,000 miles (it's actually low to begin with). Since you have an XS, it's probably not quite as hard on the oil as a turbo.
 
Run your synthetic for 6,000 miles and have it analyzed by
www.blackstone-labs.com . When I had the oil on my XT analyzed at 22,000 miles and the metals were just starting to come down to normal levels.
 
-Dennis

#16551 of 18028 Aging Forester by ateixeira

Jun 08, 2005 (6:36 am)

112k miles is a lot, so do appriase it to determine its value, use Edmunds TMV tool.
 
Still, they often age gracefully, we saw one that sold on E-bay with 278k miles, so yours is still young compared to that one.
 
I would get the timing belt done because I believe your DOHC EJ25 is an interference engine, i.e. if the belt breaks the valves could hit the top of the pistons and that would likely be a total loss. (can others confirm that?)
 
Did you get an estimate for the work?
 
-juice

#16552 of 18028 Re: Side Window Vents (vent shade vent visor, etc) [204meca] by barryo

Jun 08, 2005 (8:28 am)

Replying to: 204meca (Jun 07, 2005 7:24 pm)
Yes, the side visors in the picture are the same as the ones we got from England.

#16553 of 18028 Whistle Found by toasterpilot

Jun 08, 2005 (9:01 am)

My mechanic took me for a ride to look for the whistle. As I explained previously, it only occured when moving and went away when the driver window was lowered at least 2 inches. No other window affected it.
 
When we pulled back into the parking lot he noticed that his auto glass guy was there so we brought him into the discussion. He found a piece of the windshield trim that was loose. The frame around the windshield has studs that this trim clips onto but one of them was obstructed by an excess of glazing material.
 
The trim looked perfect when the car was parked but lifted as the car accelerated causing the wind to flow under the strip and whistle. By lowering the driver window--only a couple inches away from this defect, I was able to change the air current around this area so as to stop the whistling.
 
Since Forester windshields are rock magnets, this could have been sloppy glazing of a replacement windshield (I purchased the car "pre-driven").
 
The glass guy didn't recommend trying to clean up the glazing compound because it might damage the glass. Instead, he told me to slide that bracket down to where it wasn't touching the clogged stud and glue the trim down with some (silicone) bathroom caulk.
 
Whistling a happier tune now,
David

#16554 of 18028 Forester tires by tazereli

Jun 08, 2005 (9:29 am)

I just picked up a full set of BFG Traction TA/T's for about 60 per from Tire Rack. I went a bit wider with a lower aspect ratio (215/60/15 vs 205/70/15 stock) to get slightly better handling. Plus the stock tires were only a bit cheaper (<$3 per tire difference). Since these are a bit taller than the stock size, does anyone know of an online calculator to determine how much it will throw off my speedo? From most reviews I read, they seem to be a good buy. Im storing them in the garage until this fall. Then they will be installed in time for winter. I just cant wait to get rid of the cheapo Pep Boys whitewalls my inlaws put on the car before they sold it to us. Yes white side is out. Regards, Kyle

Messages Page 1656 of 1804

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement