Ask the Car People.SM


2009 Subaru Forester

3747 messages,  Last post on Oct 15, 2012 at 3:22 PM

You are in the Subaru Forester Forum.

What is this discussion about? Subaru Forester, Future Vehicle, Wagon

Messages Page 331 of 375

#3298 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [debating] by occking

May 21, 2009 (6:35 pm)

Replying to: debating (May 21, 2009 3:23 pm)
Since 2005, during which time I have owned a 05 Outback, 06 Tribeca, 08 Nissan Altima Hybrid, and early March 09 Forester, I have "maxed out" three Subaru cards every year, entitling me to $1500 each year.
 
I am not exaggerating here, I really have earned $6000 through end of 2008, and already $300 in bucks this year. In fact I applied for, and got a 4th Subaru card a few months ago as every year I maxed out all three.
 
Now, I am not the weathiest person around, and I do pay my credit card bills always within the the grace period. I am proud to say I have never paid one ounce worth of finance charges on any credit cards my entire life (64 right now)
 
I do a fair amount of travel for work, and many of my expenses are reimbursed. Think about it, at 3% you need to spend almost $17,000 per year to get back $500 in Subaru bucks.
 
We have a few gasonine credit cards, like a Shell that always pay 5%. Had a Hess card that until recently also paid 5% but since they changed it to 3% I have closed that account. Have a Mobil Exxon card that they had a special on a few months ago, gives 15 cents a gallon with no time or amount limit. As long as gas remains below $3.00 per gallon, that is my best deal. Also have a Sears Master Card that gives 5% on supermarkets, drug stores and gas stations & can earn up to $300 per year rewards for those cards. Must difficut part is wifey remembering which card to use!
 
Here in Massachusetts you can pay car insurance via credit card. Same for homeowners. Oil deliveries, propane, doctors, etc. My wife now on Medicare and any who knows when you are in the "bubble" expenses for drugs can easily come up to $5000 - $6000 a year. That's $200 in Subaru Bucks.
 
The list goes on and one... When I got my Forester in March I had accumulated $1200 in bucks which I used at the time, already have $300 in bucks and next month should max out that card, then switch to another one.

#3299 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [occking] by morin2

May 21, 2009 (7:02 pm)

Replying to: occking (May 21, 2009 6:35 pm)
Wow - that's an impressive amount of subaru bucks. I had no idea that you could get more than one - but I barely reach the $500 limit annually, so one is fine for me. In addition to regular everyday purchases, we pay for cable,electric, and cell phones monthly service with the card. I'm 10 years younger than you - but like you, have never paid a cent of credit card interest. In fact, on large purchases, I offer to pay cash if there's a cash discount - otherwise its the subaru card. I don't know if I can pay my auto insurance by credit card, but I'll ask - with 2 teenage drivers, its substantial, even with liability only for them. I just sent in the homeowner's by check - darn it.
 
We also use the ExxonMobil card strictly for gas, and the BP which, paying 5%, is better when gas gets over $3 (it also pays 2% for travel and restaurants). I find myself using BP gas more than Exxon because our BP has slightly lower ethanol content than our Exxon (I occasionally test the ethanol content).
 
There's enough to worry about at the checkout line just making sure everything rings up correctly - so its understandable that your wife might not remember which card to use. My wife made a chart that she printed out & we put it in our wallets, so we can refer to it wherever we are to use the right card.

#3300 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [occking] by ateixeira

May 22, 2009 (8:18 am)

Replying to: occking (May 21, 2009 6:35 pm)
You're the Subaru Bucks champ for sure.
 
We used $1400 worth for our Forester and have $400 already for service, though I'm sure the next $100 will come soon.
 
For us it takes about 6 months to max out on the Chase Subaru card, and like you my wife puts her business expenses on there, and gets reimbursed.
 
When we hit that limit we use our Shell card, which only gets 1%.
 
I guess we're not maximizing our rebates for the whole year, but we don't want to have any more lines of credit open because we're in the process of re-financing the mortgage.

#3301 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [ateixeira] by occking

May 22, 2009 (9:29 am)

Replying to: ateixeira (May 22, 2009 8:18 am)
Sears had (we are "grandfathered" so not sure if still offer) a card that pays 5% for all supermarkets, drug stores and gas stations, limit up to $300 cash rewards.
 
Shell did, at least until recently have cards that paid 5% for all gas purchases. Had a Hess as well but discontinued it because they dropped to 3%.
 
I just hope the Subaru cards continue with all that is happening in the credit card industry a lot of these programs will probably be discontinued. Discover also has a card that pays 5%, but only on certain items that change every three months. Sometimes clothing, sometimes motels, sometimes restaurants, etc., but I have enough going on already that becomes too complicated.
 
I open and close credit card accounts all the time. Go to a Penny's or Macy's or Kohls & they beg you to open a new account and get 10%, maybe 15% off entire purchase for that day. I use it once, then cancel it.
 
I know for younger people, or those without the good credit I have that would cause a problem opening and shutting accounts like I do, as that would surely have a negative effect on their credit score, but at this stage of my life I am not worrying about being turned down for credit. Interesting, I just went on line last week to get "free credit reports" Of course once you sign up, if you do not cancel within a week or so they will automatically bill you every month for their services.
I checked my credit scores & cancelled immediately. By the way, pretty proud of what I have, Trans Union 768, Experian 780, and Equifax 806. I really don't know why there is such a difference between all three, as they all show essentially the same info.

#3302 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [occking] by ateixeira

May 22, 2009 (11:12 am)

Replying to: occking (May 22, 2009 9:29 am)
I agree about not wanting to keep track of what purchases to make and when, just keep it simple.
 
To clarify - the Shell card gives 5% back on Shell gas purchases, not any gas purchases, AFAIK.
 
Our credit score was quite good so the re-fi should go through without a hitch, hopefully.
 
Yes Subaru PLEASE keep the deal alive with Chase, it's a sweet benefit for owners!

#3303 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [ateixeira] by xwesx

May 22, 2009 (3:36 pm)

Replying to: ateixeira (May 22, 2009 11:12 am)
Wow, great info! Thanks for chiming in, king!
 
All those credit cards certainly sound too complicated to me. We use only our Subaru card, though we typically max out the rewards after five to six months. I *wish* it took us a whole year to do it, but I usually put all my expenses on there, and those can be substantial during the building season.
 
I did not know you could have more than one Subaru card, but I may look into that in order to maximize my benefit. Once I hit the cap on the rewards, using the card provides no benefit other than the convenience of consolidating my month's expense under one account. A second card will come in real handy after we finish paying for our house in a few more years, since we will probably be tripling our building expenses for a year or two after that to finish construction.
 
I'm almost embarrassed to say that I have no idea what my credit score is; I suspect it is decent enough. I do that free credit check once a year to verify the activity on my reports, but it does not provide a score.
 
occking, do you simply submit another application for a Chase Subaru card?

#3304 of 3747 Re: Thanks again for the handy info [xwesx] by occking

May 22, 2009 (3:46 pm)

Replying to: xwesx (May 22, 2009 3:36 pm)
Yes, It's easy, just go on line & apply. I assume if you have good credit it will be approved promptly. Even when I got the 4th card a few months ago, I was approved immediately. Just have to keep track of the rewards as it will cut you off without notice once you hit $500. On the anniversary date it will automatically start again. At your Subaru dealer you can probably get a brochure about getting a card, I believe you can get $25 jump start in Subaru bucks when getting a new card as well.

#3305 of 3747 Resetting Shifting on the '09 Forester by kurtamaxxxguy

May 22, 2009 (5:18 pm)

For those plagued with rough shifts from their 4S AT'S, my service tech recommended the following procedure to reset the transmission so it can try (again) to learn proper shifting:
 
Warning:
This was advice provided to me, and I take no responsibility for any drivability issues that may result from it. You might want to verify this info with your own service adviser before attempting it.
 
1. Remove (-) (black) cable from the vehicle 12v battery.
2. Turn ignition key to ON.
3. Depress and hold brake for 2 seconds. Repeat this several times.
4. Reconnect the (-) battery cable to the 12v battery.
 
What happens?
All the computer memories in the vehicle will be erased. IE, all stored radio stations are deleted, altered factory presets are reset to defaults, all engine and transmission "adaptive knowledge" deleted, etc.
 
The vehicle basically starts from "zero", and as you drive it, it will relearn your behaviors and adapt the transmission and engine responsiveness parameters appropriately.

#3306 of 3747 Re: Resetting Shifting on the '09 Forester [kurtamaxxxguy] by ateixeira

May 26, 2009 (12:26 pm)

Replying to: kurtamaxxxguy (May 22, 2009 5:18 pm)
You basically reset the ECU, including the engine and tranny computers.
 
The brake trick is just a way to speed it up, so any residual power dies down and it truly resets. We used to tell people to wait 20 minutes.
 
A couple of caveats:
 
* you'll lose your radio's memory, so preset stations are gone
* have the remote handy, you may need to lock/unlock if the alarm goes off
* first tank will have poor mileage, it starts rich and leans the fuel mixture gradually
 
I would also capture any error codes if you have them first, else they are lost.

#3307 of 3747 Front Strut Brace for 2009 Limited by imm19

May 27, 2009 (6:37 pm)

Hi everyone,
Do you think this one will fit on 2009 Limited
http://www.perrinperformance.com/products/show/463/Strut-Brace-Front?category=8&- - model=31
It is listed for 2009 XT. Also, do you have any other suggestions from your own experience?
Thank you all

Messages Page 331 of 375

To POST a message, please Sign In.

Advertisement

Browse by Category

Browse by Vehicle
   View All Vehicles

Browse by Board
Browse by Topic
View All Topics

Edmunds Community

Advertisement