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New Subaru Forester Owners - Give Us Your Report!

225 messages,  Last post on May 22, 2008 at 1:40 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Car Buying, Wagon

Messages Page 20 of 23

#188 of 225 Silver paint coming off! by khool

Nov 06, 2007 (12:38 am)

I had to ask if this is a common problem with post 2006 Foresters. The silver paint that is used on the center console (housing the stereo, air-con, etc.) is coming off - and I've barely had the car two years.
 
Has anyone else experienced this? Is really only on the ashtray cover (for now) - but I'm not a smoker and have hardly ever opened it.
 
Surely Subaru aren't that cheap with the materials. Having said that, I'm also noticing that the paint scratches and chips easily (Obsidian Black).

#189 of 225 Re: Silver paint coming off! [khool] by ateixeira

Nov 06, 2007 (9:21 am)

Replying to: khool (Nov 06, 2007 12:38 am)
We've heard people complain of thin paint. Since they stopped using solvent-based paints they just don't adhere as well. They don't harm the environment, though.

#190 of 225 Re: Silver paint coming off! [khool] by demeter

Nov 09, 2007 (3:45 pm)

Replying to: khool (Nov 06, 2007 12:38 am)
I bought a 2007 that is now 7 months old. The center console is the color you have and is already scratched.
I have more of a problem with the cheap plastic that they use on the sides and glove box. It dents and scratches a little too easily. When I made a comment to customer service I was told that I should tie everything down so nothing shifts and I wouldn't have that problem.

#191 of 225 Re: Silver paint coming off! [demeter] by khool

Nov 09, 2007 (5:32 pm)

Replying to: demeter (Nov 09, 2007 3:45 pm)
I got a similar response. Service is not one of Subaru's strong points mind you. In the two years I've had my car, it's gone back for warranty claims around 30 times. Many of which are repeat (2-3 times) to fix the same problem, or to fix a new problem caused by careless mechanics. Most of the issues have been with poor fit and finish - lots of creaks and rattles.

#192 of 225 xt impressions by ejhara

Nov 24, 2007 (6:35 pm)

Just a note to say how happy I am with this vehicle at 7500 miles--07 sports xt Forester 5 speed. It is fast (have to watch it or get in trouble), tight, and gets decent mileage (23 around town and 27 on highway). Power explodes in any gear, any speed. Have used mostly premium, but an occasional mid-range fill-up doesn't seem to hurt it. Sunroof is enormous, and a bargain. Am going to activate the Sirius soon--any advice? Service experiences have been good, as was my most recent buying experience. (Had to pay a documentation fee--big surprise.) This is our fourth Subaru, and it's easy to see why we see so many of them up here in Northern Michigan--great value, good mileage, excellent traction, and in the XT's case, reviewed well by both enthusiast magazines and CR. (That is a rare combination.)

#193 of 225 Re: xt impressions [ejhara] by ateixeira

Nov 26, 2007 (9:39 am)

Replying to: ejhara (Nov 24, 2007 6:35 pm)
Congrats. Good to hear how happy you are with it.

#194 of 225 2 years of ownership - disappointing by khool

Nov 26, 2007 (2:48 pm)

Well, I've had my Forester for 2 years now, and I must say, it has been the most disappointing purchase I've ever made.
 
From the very beginning the car has had multiple problems to do with fit and finish (rattles, squeaks and creaks), and poor service from the dealer (Docklands - Melbourne, Australia).
 
Easily over 30 trips back to the dealer, quite often needing 3-4 visits to fix the same problem. Twice I've had the dealer call me to offer to keep the car for 'as long as it takes' to go through and fix all the issues, and both times they've come nowhere near a permanent solution. I've been waiting almost 2 mths to have the latest issues fixed, seems their too busy to worry about warranty claims.
 
I've now resigned to the fact that the car is a bit of a lemon in this regard (the latest issue is an annoying creak in the dash when I brake hard) and have made the decision to sell it within the next 12 months.
 
After my experience, I will never touch Subaru again. And I certainly won't be recommending them to potential buyers.

#195 of 225 Re: 2 years of ownership - disappointing [khool] by p0926

Nov 27, 2007 (10:02 am)

Replying to: khool (Nov 26, 2007 2:48 pm)
Some people obviously have a much lower tolerance for creaks and rattles than others but I can sympathize with your annoyance with both the squeaks and the dealer's inability to stop them. Having said that, proclaiming the car a lemon and swearing off ever buying another because of the fit of trim pieces seems a bit extreme. It's certainly your right but there are plenty of car owners who own real lemons who I'm sure would love to trade vehicles with you. After all, compared to having to replace an engine or transmission, a squeak in the dash, while annoying, doesn't affect the drivability or safety of the vehicle.
 
-Frank

#196 of 225 Re: 2 years of ownership - disappointing [khool] by ateixeira

Nov 27, 2007 (10:16 am)

Replying to: khool (Nov 26, 2007 2:48 pm)
That's a bummer, sorry to hear about it.
 
What model did you get? I know the powertrains are different, is yours a 2.0l?
 
Though the Forester is only built in one plant (Gunma, Japan) and the interiors should be similar.

#197 of 225 Re: 2 years of ownership - disappointing [ateixeira] by khool

Nov 27, 2007 (1:55 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (Nov 27, 2007 10:16 am)
I have the 2.5 litre XS Luxury (leather, sun roof, climate control, etc.).
 
The car drives beautifully, it's just not built well. They've had to resort to things like stuffing rags under the carpet to take up kinks, sliding foam between panels to stop rattles, and even using double sided tape to keep exterior panels from falling off.
 
What irks me even more is that the dealer has no sense of duty-of-care when they have the car. I've had entire panels re-sprayed due to dealer carelessness (scratches), kick panels replaced (the dealer broke one) and had to replace a window due to overspray from having a panel repaired (the one the dealer scratched).
 
Don't know about you, but when I spend $45K on a new car, I expect it to be of reasonable quality and I expect the dealers who service the car and are representative of the brand to have a reasonable standard of service and care factor.

Messages Page 20 of 23

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