I 'popped' into my local Subaru pain dealer this week to pick up some automatic transmission fluid.
A round trip of 120 miles, so it's not that local really, but it is the nearest one to me: goo.gl/maps/CZWjx
I had a chinwag with a mechanico in the workshop who seemed to know a lot about Subarus,
well he would do wouldn't he, anyway, I asked him about checking the valve clearances at the next service
(it's a boxer engine remember) to which he replied, yep, no problem at all but,
if they do require adjustment it's quite a job apparently,
How much would it cost to do them then guvnor?
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
"
£1000
:-))
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Had the Outy valve clearances adjusted (yes adjustable like VTEC Hondas) by my LPG man a few weeks ago whilst he fitted the flashlube kit.
The bill for the lot including the kit and fluid was less than a ton.
Think you need to get on the Fozzy forums D and find yourself a good indy in your area.
:-)
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>>Had the Outy valve clearances adjusted by my LPG man
Ah yes, LPG ... mechanico did mention that as it happens, seems it can wear the valve seats causing these ere blimmin clearances to close up, like.
But then I'm a'telling you something y'all know already of course.
Engine out job to adjust the clearances on a Scooby Foz - hence the £1k.
But it's not all bad news gord, they don't require checking until the 60,000 service and it's quite rare that they require adjustment, I hear.
Geezers on subaruforester.org reckon they've gorn twice that mileage before checking em, and found them 2b ok.
Re: 'a good indie', I know plenty of good'ns but, Subarus are few and far between down these parts so I'd rather deal with a pain dealer and pay the extra wonga, knowing that genuine Scoob parts will be fitted by peeps who know
(a little) about Scooby Doos.
At least the Subaru dealer in Ashburton isn't a glass palace emporium.
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>> Had the Outy valve clearances adjusted (yes adjustable like VTEC Hondas) by my LPG man
Liquefied petroleum gas men do that? All mine does is bring a full bottle and takes the empty one away!
Last edited by: L'escargot on Sat 8 Jun 13 at 12:03
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L'es you're an infuriating wag sometimes...;)
It wasn't running terribly smoothly on petrol but stangely it was when on gas, mentioned it to my LPG man and he said he'd had a ungassed Outy in recently with similar lumpy running.
As expected the Mitsi dealer turned out to be as much use as a chocolate teapot (we've already found the same) but he did the valve clearances and fixed it, ours simiarly cured.
He's a very handy bloke, really old school, himself and his partner specialise in maintaining and refurbing classics and they take great interest and pride in their work, the conversion he did on the old Benz has been nothing but a complete success.
Thats disturbing news about the valve clearances on a Foz being an engine out job, i assume yours is the 2.0 litre NA, i wonder if the 2.5T has the same rather nasty bill waiting for the unsuspecting.
Are the valves adjusted by shims on yours?
I really like the Foz's but am unsure whether to take the plunge or not.
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>>Are the valves adjusted by shims on yours?
Nay gb: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3GZB6JhtE4
>>i assume yours is the 2.0 litre NA
Yep.
>>I really like the Foz's but am unsure whether to take the plunge or not
I luv it, so much so, I would be prepared to fork out the £1k if I really had to :)
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>> >>Are the valves adjusted by shims on yours?
>>
>> Nay gb: www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3GZB6JhtE4
Looks simple enough, i bet some handy make specialist indy's have sussed out how to do the job in situ.
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>>Looks simple enough, i bet some handy make specialist indy's have sussed out how to do the job in situ.
Aye, where there's a wheel, there's a weigh, and if it exists, I'll find e'e ;)
Problem with valve clearances isn't the noisy ones, it's the tight ones that cause a problem.
In my mobile tuning days I would be called out to a car running like my wife's custard, low compression on one or more cylinders, due to a valve having no clearance at all, this occurred more on OHC engines whereas OHV jobbies would become loose/wider over time, making a racket something like a (say it softly) Simca AGHHHH!
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>> I really like the Foz's but am unsure whether to take the plunge or not.
I wouldn't GB, their awful cars, really they are. Besides we don't want them getting too common on here :)
On 2003 on Foresters it looks like adjustment is not needed. Also it seems that the early Forester used shims, the later ones have a bucket acting directly on the cam, so if they need adjustment you need to take the cams out.
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>>I wouldn't GB, they're awful cars, really they are
^ I'm with this geezer ;)
>>the later ones have a bucket acting directly on the cam, so if they need adjustment you need to take the cams out.
:-((
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Well that's 2 'man jobs' I've carried out today, freed orf the seized petrol strimmer.
Changed the engine oil and filter using a genuine Subaru filter + about 4.5 litres of Millers XF Longlife 5w-30
Also drained the auto transmission oil and replaced with with genuine Subaru stuff, there is a filter exactly like an oil filter on these Jatco transmissions, so I replaced that as well.
Next job is to replace the diff oil in both diffs when I get a roun tuit.
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>> Next job is to replace the diff oil in both diffs when I get a
>> roun tuit.
Let me know how easy it is to loosen the drain plug on the rear diff :)
Getting mine done next week. The gearbox oil level was around the minimum mark and was done 20000 miles ago so it's being done for peace of mind.
I fitted my DAB head unit last Saturday complete with windscreen aerial. No facia replacement needed on these - the centre console unclips then you unscrew the original stereo from an internal chassis and replace with the aftermarket one. It all went fine. I invested in some trim removal tools and they worked a treat.
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>>Let me know how easy it is to loosen the drain plug on the rear diff :)
Will do, I'll be using Millers EP 75w80.
Your gearbox is a manual I believe, the autobox holds about 8.4 litres of fluid, but only about 4 litres drains out via the sump plug, so I'll probably do another 2 or 3 drains to make sure the fluid is like new ... expensive yes, but not as expensive as a new auto transmission :)
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>> Your gearbox is a manual I believe,
Yes, the centre differential is a sealed unit inside the gearbox and also includes the front differential. So a gearbox oil change services all of these. Takes around 4 litres.
Yours has the centre diff in the gearbox with the two separate front and rear diffs.
I'll be using Motul Gear 300 for the rear diff and a combination of Motul and Redline Lightweight Shockproof for the gearbox - supposed to improve shift quality which is OK on mine but I might as well do it anyway.
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You've got a Haynes manual I take it corax?
I'm just about to check my front diff oil as it happens, I haven't ordered the diff oil yet (from Opie) but I see that Motul is 'good stuff', as is Amsoil, Mobil etc. and of course Castrol is up there with the best of em.
When doing a rear diff oil change, I see the Yankees put the rear of the car up on ramps but I wonder if that's absolutely necessary, as (A) I don't really fancy getting under a car that's up on ramps,
and (B) I haven't got any anyway :)
I like these BTW: www.amazon.com/dp/B000AMMN9O
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>> You've got a Haynes manual I take it corax?
No, I just get everything from the 'web these days - someone usually has a better or quicker way of doing a job anyway.
My tame mechanic will be doing mine as he has a car lift. My back is a bit dodgy and the last thing I need is to be rolling around under the car at ground level. He is very reasonable so it's a no brainer really. If the filler plug is tight the job will be much easier on a lift.
It took me a few minutes to find the dipstick for the gearbox - be careful not to contaminate the end when you push it back in the hole, which is hard to see. I shone a small torch down there.
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>>be careful not to contaminate the end when you push it back in the hole, which is hard to see. I shone a small torch down there.
Thanks for that, I'll check it later on this afternoon when the currant bun is on the front of the car :)
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>> Thanks for that, I'll check it later on this afternoon when the currant bun is
>> on the front of the car :)
It might well be easier on your car being a non turbo auto. On my manual the dipstick is behind and under the intercooler and it just pulls out of a hole in the top of the gearbox - it's a bit murky and dark in there.
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>>It might well be easier on your car being a non turbo auto
It was a piece of cake AND it was nice and clean around the area - probably never been orf road in its life!
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>> My back
>> is a bit dodgy
Part of the reason I bought the car was the higher driving position with it's lower pedals, and this has really helped my back. I get out feeling fine now. In the Avensis my sciatica would play up due to the high pedals in relation to the seat and my back would really twinge for a few minutes when walking.
This is far better and has made me decide to go for this kind of car in the future.
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Yep, my front diff oil is okay, nice and oily too so it must have been changed at some time presumably.
Rear diff drain plug looks accessible, bit of corrosion around it from the road salt, I've given it a dose of Plusgas but I think I'd rather see a decent long ring spanner on the plug than a socket which could slip orf and damage the corners, I'll have to have a look at Snap-on, Britool, Facom etc.
Re: bad backs, I will get back to you on that one as I have a lot of history in that area ;)
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My back first 'went' in the mid 80's due to bending over car engines all day, it's gorn now and again since then of course, but the last time it went, about 3 years ago I was in absolute agony!!
I really was dis-abled, I couldn't even get out of bed without being in agony, so I used to roll over on to one side, and have a slash in a bottle.
No-one really knew how badly I was really suffering, and when I used to sit on the throne for a big job, even that was killing my back and I would just sit there in tears, more from self pity really I suppose.
In the end I got to thinking this has gorn on for long enough (2 weeks!) so I decided to do something about it.
I ordered a:
www.amazon.co.uk/Bodi-Tek-BT-BMAG-Bodi-Tek-Magic/dp/B001V5INF2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1370782705&sr=8-1&keywords=back+stretcher
Plus a firm memory foam mattress and (touch wood) I haven't had any back trouble at all in the last 3 years.
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Same with me but I do exercises every evening to loosen up the back, and it works. Might try that device though - looks promising.
Turning point for me was around two years ago, when it went and I couldn't move. The nerves jangling in my left foot made it feel like it was on fire. For days afterwards I had to sit down before I couldn't tolerate the foot pain anymore - standing made it worse. Basically the back had gone into spasm.
I saw a physio, who besides giving me manipulation outlined some exercises which I do to this day. The important thing is to keep the back stretched and flexible BEFORE it has a chance to get so tight it does the same again.
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>> Might try that device though - looks promising
It's not for everyone though of course, could even do more damage with some conditions I'll wager, so best to have a word with your physio about it.
Here's a similar devious device:
www.amazon.co.uk/HomeClinic-Deluxe-Magnetic-Therapy-Stretcher/dp/B00477EG02/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1370783263&sr=8-3&keywords=back+stretcher
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>>Rear diff drain plug looks accessible, bit of corrosion around it from the road salt, I've given it a dose of Plusgas but I think I'd rather see a decent long ring spanner on the plug than a socket which could slip orf and damage the corners,
Did the rear diff on my X-reg S-Turbo manual - drain is a 13mm square plug (1/2 wrench will go in but not quite be a tight fit) and filler is about 19mm nut - has a wee wire coming out of it (squeeze-clip release) which is presumably hooked up to the "Rear Diff too hot" warning light - maybe turbo only.
Manual gearbox is a 17 or 19mm bolt similar to oil sump bolt, not the Torx T-70 mentioned on the US websites (wasted 3 quid getting the T-70 before I stuck my head under the car!).
Different years/models may differ of course.
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All the drain plugs on my 07 2 litre XC are 17mm nuts - how cool is that!
No diff warning light, so no wire.
I've put my 1/2 drive 17mm socket on the rear diff filler plug, but due to limited access I'd have to use an extension bar which is a no no if I have to use my trolley jack on the critter, so it'll have to be a l-o-n-g ring spanner job.
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That's it, I'm a happy bunny now, I found an old Acesa (Spanish) 8" long 17mm ring spanner in my what-passes-for a tool box these days.
Plusgas a'plenty on the rear diff filler plug, good old trusty (rusty) Halfords 2 ton trolley jack under the spanner,
lift, lift, lift the car in the air, and wait.
Voilà - eventually the weight of the car won out over the stubborn nut, so that's another man-job done.
hehe!
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Depending upon how I could get a spanner onto a nut I've used a similar process where I jack the car up, put on the spanner with the other end on a brick, then lowered the jack letting the weight of the car act on the nut - such a satisfying non-skinned knuckles method.
Only killed 1 spanner doing it too ;-)
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I guess the cracked bricks were just collateral damage.....
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Engineering brick.
My house's main walls are made of 3 courses of the stuff - was a hoot watching a 100mm vent being drilled out with presumably inadequate drilling equipment.
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More-than once I've put a spanner on a crankshaft pulley bolt and the other end on a brick,
then clicked the engine over on the starter motor, using a remote starter connected to the solenoid.
Not strictly City & Guilds of course :)
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This is the way an engine should look :
Pic 2: www.scoobyparts.com/acatalog/our_car.html
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Ah, a travelling ironing board. (Wouldn't mind one tho'!)
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Front brakes changed (discs and pads) - lower bolt in both brackets were utter swines to get out.
Couldn't get access with a breaker bar without having the car on a ramp so was a 17mm socket and lots of swearing and 3-in-1 on the driver side.
The passenger side had obviously been attacked in the past and was semi-rounded... this quickly became almost fully rounded and needed a 5/8 hex socket hammered onto it and similar grunt to remove.
Once that was done the discs'n'pads took minutes. Took over two hours due to the flaming lower bolts.
Just a heads-up for the Foz owners before you try the same ;-)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Tue 11 Jun 13 at 08:32
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>> Front brakes changed (discs and pads) - lower bolt in both brackets were utter swines
>> to
>> Just a heads-up for the Foz owners before you try the same ;-)
Had mine done when I got the car. The discs were shocking. Corroded to hell. My mechanic showed me the old front discs. There was an imprint of the pad on the inside of the disc where they had corroded to it. Obviously left standing for some time, and the previous owner lived near the sea.
It's a pleasure to look through the spokes and see bright new metal.
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- - - corax, have you ever con-sidered downloading one of these ere Subaru repair manual PDF's.
I was going to buy the Haynes manual, but I cee'd it's a Yankee version and not well regarded, it seems.
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Haynes manuals are very dumbed down now, lots of how to check the oil and tyre pressures, and make sure to top up the washer bottle.
I had one for the series 3 Land Rover that you could have nearly rebuilt it with.
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Didn't know you got a Subaru Dog.Looks like you are enjoying yourself good luck with your car.
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>>Haynes manuals are very dumbed down now, lots of how to check the oil and tyre pressures, and make sure to top up the washer bottle
Just as well I saved my £17 then.
>>Didn't know you got a Subaru Dog
It's old but nice Dutchie, like me :)
www.flickr.com/photos/43576259@N04/8734811602/
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>> this quickly became almost fully rounded and needed a 5/8 hex socket hammered onto it and similar grunt to remove.
New M12 bolt with spring washer was £3.50 from Subaru so shelled out and replaced the wrecked one.
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>> I'll be using Motul Gear 300 for the rear diff and a combination of Motul
>> and Redline Lightweight Shockproof for the gearbox - supposed to improve shift quality
... and it has, significantly. I've been using the car for nearly a week now, and the shifts are lovely and smooth now. Before it could be difficult to get into second from first when cold, or first when creeping along in traffic. Much better now, and glad I had it done.
However - my mechanic isn't what you call the patient type, and likes to get the oil in as soon as possible. Result - when he did the gearbox it blew back on him and the engine.
" I've cleaned it up as best I can. You might get a bit of burning off for a few days."
A bit? Stopped at a junction on the way home and smoke is wisping out of the air scoop and bonnet. And it stinks. And still hasn't yet disappeared. Cheers mate.
In some ways I wish I had filled it up myself but he informed me that the drain plug was a pig to remove. So maybe not. The rear diff plug however was easy, and oil removed was very clean. Gearbox oil was a bit dirty. May have been left but I have the records to show it to be done. Who knows though.
Last edited by: corax on Mon 17 Jun 13 at 19:42
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I used www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Castrol-Universal-75w-90-Semi-Synthetic-Gear-Oil-75W90-1-Litre-1L-/161024205022?ssPageName=ADME:L:OU:GB:3160 when I changed the rear diff oil on Saturday, the stuff I drained out didn't look too bad IMO, I'll do the front diff when I get a roun tuit, although it looks okay on the dipstick.
My auto gearbox oil didn't look none too clever though which is why I changed it, trouble is y'all can only get out 1/3 via the drain plug so um gonna do it again and again until I'm happy with it, box changes okay though [holds breath]
This Scooby doo has given me a renewed interest in jamjars, I've owned and worked on so many over the last 40 years, that most cars bore the t!ts orf me TBH but, strictly between thee and me, I've got a Subaru baseball cap,
a Subaru 'mug', and I've even bought some Meguiar's for it.
:o}
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I've got a Subaru baseball cap,
>>
aarrgh, run for the hills, please please don't tell us you wear it backwards..;)
Must admit the Outy does have a certain sort of utilitarian charm too, its noisy has a hard ride is pretty quick, but makes up for its shortcomings by sticking like the proverbial to a blanket, has typically Japanese simple and functional controls and switchgear and very cheap to run on the gas.
Only let down by the dealers, plus Mitsi's parts aftermarket and enthusiastic indy network simply isn't there.
I'd really like to try one of the very rare 2.0 turbo Outlander1, Mitsi's version of Forester XT, i like rare but a bit too rare even for me, so if its going to be a faster full time 4WD then a Foz it will have to be.
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>>please please don't tell us you wear it backwards..;)
Hell no, I'm not that bad, yet, although I did wear my Chicago Rangers (my initials) b/b cap back-to-front while I was underneath the Foz at the weekend :)
I wouldn't say Subarus are easy to work on gb, easy for you of course, but they're a tad unconventional,
even changing the parking light bulbs are a bit of a pain, but then that makes them even more interesting :)
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>> Must admit the Outy does have a certain sort of utilitarian charm too, its noisy
>> has a hard ride is pretty quick,
The Forester is mechanically very quiet, but there is some road noise which could easily be sorted. Wind noise too but it doesn't bother me. There's nothing worse than a droning engine at high speed.
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My Lancer (auto) was quite noisy over 50 MPH, I find the Foz much quieter.
And as for wind noise, well, I thought it was normal to hear it through the drivers side door (upper window area)
but this thing is sealed tight 'n quiet with the window wound up.
The engine, well, it's a boxer innit :)
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>> My Lancer (auto) was quite noisy over 50 MPH, I find the Foz much quieter.
>>
>> And as for wind noise, well, I thought it was normal to hear it through
>> the drivers side door (upper window area)
>> but this thing is sealed tight 'n quiet with the window wound up.
Must have had a fault then dog, my lancer is the quietest car at speed I have ever had. Knocks spots of any VAG, ford, Vaux,
Just as well really, you have to knock the car down a cog at times as it so gutless.
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May have been because it was an auto Zed, I've noticed it on some of my previous auto cars in days gorn past,
my Cavalier SRi auto was a tad noisy (boomy) too, whereas the manual wasn't.
My Almera 1.8 auto sounded a tad strained as well, engine wise, above 50MPH.
At least the tyre noise on the Sub drowns out the engine noise.
:}
Last edited by: Dog on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 20:45
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>> but, strictly between thee and me, I've got a Subaru baseball cap,
>> a Subaru 'mug', and I've even bought some Meguiar's for it.
Now, dog, I had this image of you and not a bad one at that, of a tall sunburnt ex hippy type striding around the Cornish hills, gazing out to the horizon with your trusty canine steed.
Mention of a baseball cap with Subaru written on the front in large letters has blown that out of the water.
Won't be long before I'll be running a clay bar over mine :)
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>>I had this image of you and not a bad one at that, of a tall sunburnt ex hippy type striding around the Cornish hills, gazing out to the horizon with your trusty canine steed
You're not wrong :)
>>Won't be long before I'll be running a clay bar over mine :)
I've washed mine every weekend since I've had it, I like the smell of that Meguiar's, it would make a good aftershave.
(whatvever that is)
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Nothing wrong with baseball caps.....drove back from St Annes yesterday (took my old Mum away to stay on her own for a few days) and wore my 'Ernies Coffee Shop, So. Lake Tahoe ' cap backwards roof down. Probably the oldest chav on the Fylde yesterday. Until I stopped at Aldi Preston to buy my AA 2014 road map @ £1.79 when I found myself seriously outnumbered.
Last edited by: legacylad on Mon 17 Jun 13 at 22:33
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I had a Pink Floyd baseball cap, bought at the *"Brain Damage" concert in Earls Court c1994.
:}
*PULSE
Last edited by: Dog on Tue 18 Jun 13 at 07:13
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Bin waiting for some fine weather to set about replacing the front parking light (as they call em) bulbs.
Ad the bulbs for weeks but, there's many threads about em on subaruforester.org and I was kinda worried about having to remove the front bumper FFS!
Took me all of 10 mins to do the job with a pair of Wilko long-nose pliers, it's on the previous model Foz which is the PITA to do.
:}
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>> Took me all of 10 mins to do the job with a pair of Wilko
>> long-nose pliers, it's on the previous model Foz which is the PITA to do.
Marvellous Dog, can't wait for that little job then :(
Better make sure I put some good quality ones in.
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LED seems to be the way to go corax, I might fit some amber coloured ones before the dark eves roll in.
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Had some minor fun couple of weeks ago with the S-Turbo:
Brake pedal went to the floor crawling in a queue of traffic.
Pulled up down a sidestreet to see fluid dripping out of a popped brake line just as it goes into the OSF flexi-pipe.
Steel brakelines with plastic coating so no corrosion... except where the joints are at the end of the lines, as there is no plastic there.
Replaced all the pipes as the rest looked fairly corroded at the same place on the other 3 calipers.
And the flexi hoses as the metal joints on those looked a bit ropey.
Ah well.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 22:25
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>>Brake pedal went to the floor crawling in a queue of traffic.
Scary! - the joys of owning an older vehicle, I'll have a crawl-under sortie mañana, and check em out.
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>> Had some minor fun couple of weeks ago with the S-Turbo:
>>
>> Brake pedal went to the floor crawling in a queue of traffic.
>>
>> Pulled up down a sidestreet to see fluid dripping out of a popped brake line
>> just as it goes into the OSF flexi-pipe.
>>
>> Steel brakelines with plastic coating so no corrosion... except where the joints are at the
>> end of the lines, as there is no plastic there.
>>
>> Replaced all the pipes as the rest looked fairly corroded at the same place on
>> the other 3 calipers.
>>
>> And the flexi hoses as the metal joints on those looked a bit ropey.
>>
How old is the car and were those brake lines original ?
Would that not constitute a recall if the brakes were failing with original brake lines factory fit and the vehicle having been serviced according to the Subaru engineering specified schedule ?
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>>How old is the car and were those brake lines original ?
13 years old, and they all looked original (ie. no copper bits and all similarly degraded).
I've had the car 3 or 4 months and the last 3 or 4 years' worth of service stamps are bargain basement services I reckon.
The rear discs I replaced after I bought it were the most corroded I've ever seen on a car and I imagine were original (the rust was shiny and smooth but cracked off in big flakes) - the front discs likewise: no wobbles and stopped nicely but the innermost of the disc surfaces were very lippy.
I think the car has probably had a lot of salt exposure underneath - spent its life in the Highlands and Fife.
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>> The rear discs I replaced after I bought it were the most corroded I've ever
>> seen on a car and I imagine were original (the rust was shiny and smooth
>> but cracked off in big flakes) - the front discs likewise: no wobbles and stopped
>> nicely but the innermost of the disc surfaces were very lippy.
>>
Don't kid yourself, my Volvo has the most knackered rear discs I have ever seen, they were brand new in December 2012. I've got the receipt to prove they were replaced by an approved Volvo workshop - yeah right ;-)
Last edited by: gmac on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 23:58
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>> Brake pedal went to the floor crawling in a queue of traffic.
Heilige Scheisse!
Just as well you weren't bearing down at 90 odd on a blind rural mimser turning right across you eh?
Brakes have given me a lot of grief over the years, but that has never quite happened to me. Pumping the pedal has always had some effect however ghastly things were.
I could tell some stories.
Last edited by: Armel Coussine on Sat 6 Jul 13 at 23:49
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Brakes still worked, just felt more like pressing the clutch - presumably the split circuit design was kicking in as one caliper was squirting fluid.
But indeed, 5 minutes earlier I was burning round Edinburgh City Bypass at the correct velocity....
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Ye Gods all that grief when it could have been so easily avoided if previous owner had simply kept underside clean and sploshed some grease on the blooming brake pipes.
Mine are 17 years old all original and if you scrape off the grease/waxoyl are as good as new underneath.
Why are people so concerned about waxing the body with the absolute right blend of aromatic waxes as recommended in ''Detailers Anal'', washing with the two bucket method lest a solitary dust particle put a single hairline scratch in the mirror finish, yet underneath where everything important resides lies criminal neglect and years of accumulated salt corroding the thing to death and engine oil that has to be dug out, bizarre.
People never cease to amaze.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 7 Jul 13 at 00:17
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Green thumb from me gord, you're sooo right there of course ... when I first opened the bonnet of my Sub, I was quite disheartened to see a mess as if an oil seal had gorn, but it's actually waxy rustproofing, sprayed everywhere,
even on the fusebox FFS!
Hopefully, a blob or two has found it's way onto the brake pipes, but I will be having a butchers.
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>> Why are people so concerned about waxing the body with the absolute right blend of
>> aromatic waxes as recommended in ''Detailers Anal'', washing with the two bucket method lest a
Because it's easy GB. There aren't many people prepared to be rolling around under a car getting rust and god knows what in the eyes, but I agree that if you really want to preserve the car you need to sort out the underneath.
I had an old can of Dinitrol that I've never used because I've always had enough Waxoyl, but I gave it a try and was well impressed. It goes on like an oily liquid, very fluid and covers large areas quickly. I don't know if it's supposed to be like this because the can is over ten years old, so it might have changed it's composition :)
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>> Because it's easy GB. There aren't many people prepared to be rolling around under a
>> car getting rust and god knows what in the eyes.
I'm not convinced C i think its lack of knowledge, even here some people are under the impression that rust is a thing of the past, servicing comprises of an oil change every couple of years or so, and thats about it for anything under the skin.
Never used Dinitrol but i keep hearing good reports.
My MB has gorn in for some work whilst i'm on holiday, CHG is weeping oil outside so its going to be changed, they usually need replacing around 100k on those engines.
Valves to be checked, new timing chain, new water pump and thermostat, new heat exchanger behind the oil filter, first time the engine's ever been dismantled...large bill expected.
Next it'll be into my body man for some tidying up, might get him to remove the sill covers and see about a full underbody refurb....even larger bill expected.
If i go that far i'll shove it into Doncaster for a full pro waxoyling too...another bill.
:-)
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 7 Jul 13 at 11:33
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>> I had an old can of Dinitrol that I've never used because I've always had
>> enough Waxoyl, but I gave it a try and was well impressed. It goes on
>> like an oily liquid, very fluid and covers large areas quickly. I don't know if
>> it's supposed to be like this because the can is over ten years old, so
>> it might have changed it's composition :)
As i have always said on here, waxoyl is very ineffective as it traps water and does not get into all the seams, its simply too thick and can never be effectively applied by an amateur.
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>> As i have always said on here, waxoyl is very ineffective as it traps water
>> and does not get into all the seams, its simply too thick and can never
>> be effectively applied by an amateur.
When I have sprayed Waxoyl, I have always warmed it and diluted with white spirit.
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I had exactly the same happen to me going into Highgate one evening in the old MGB, when one of the rear lines let go at the union.
As I approached the tail of the traffic queue, I hit the brakes and the pedal went straight into the floor. Brown trousers time(!) A couple of pumps later and the split circuit / dual master bit did its stuff. Mucho relief.
I pulled over, worked out what was going on and drove it the rest of the way home very gingerly with only the front circuit working. It got a set of rotproof copper pipes all round shortly after that. Whose daft idea was it to make brake pipes out of steel anyway?
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>> Steel brakelines with plastic coating so no corrosion... except where the joints are at the
>> end of the lines, as there is no plastic there.
I noticed that Lygonos when I had the rear wheels off last weekend. The solid pipes are sited well - out of the way of crap thrown up by the rear wheels (unlike BMW), but a small bit of bare metal where the pipe goes into the flexi pipes. I brushed some waxoyl in there on both sides of the car.
After your experiences, I think I'll be having a look at the front too.
My old corroded front discs had an imprint of the pads where the car had presumably been sitting for some time. In the service history the previous owner had complained about a bang when moving off in the morning. She must have left the car for fairly long periods, and the car lived near the sea for a while.
I had a slight palpitation when I first looked under the car and noticed a very rusty rear cross member, until I realised I was looking at part of the tow bar :)
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www.youtube.com/watch?v=yO7wMYa3dcU
Danish video on factory Dinitrol treatment.
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Det er en meget grundig behandling, jeg spekulerer på, om bilproducenterne anvender et lignende produkt på nye biler i disse dage.
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Latest job: speaker upgrade.
Car had an aftermarket Kenwood head unit when I got the S-Turbo, 4x50w jobbie - stock speakers are crappy paper cone efforts that distort above conversation volume.
Got another Kenwood head unit from Halfords ( www.tinyurl.com/Kenwood-BT ) for a hundred squid to add Bluetooth as this wasn't on the - sound quality better than the one tthat it replaced but speakers still gash.
Rear door speakers replaced with 4" (5 minute job), front door speakers are 6-6.5" and very shallow - also have weird 3 screw points rather than usual 4.
Using front door speaker spacers for a Corsa (ugh the taint of Vx...) the new ones fitted fine.
Now (semi-)pimping choonz from the Foz!
Pre-2002 Forester has wee panels over the speakers that simply pop out - later models I believe are door-card-off to get to the speakers.
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I'm quite happy with the sound system in my 07 jobbie, quite happy with the oomph from the 2.0 non-turbo engine.
I'm H A P P Y :)
Happy with the Runway Enduro tyres, more-than happy with its load carrying capability, I took 35 bags of fire ashes plus a load of other rubbish down to the recycling centre yesterday.
I can't believe the amount of ash from 60 bags of Taybrite, gonna burn Welsh Anthracite this winter:
goo.gl/HGmjQ (ebay)
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>> I'm .......... quite happy with the
>> oomph from the 2.0 non-turbo engine.
Well give us some figures then. Power, torque, acceleration, top speed etc.
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>>Well give us some figures then
Dunno L'es, I just drives it, and it drives very well IMO, bit like a sports car in a way, reminds me of the Dolomite Sprint I had in the 80's.
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This'll give you some idea my friend, don't look at the MPG figures though!
www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304276490935/
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>> This'll give you some idea my friend, don't look at the MPG figures though!
>>
>> www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201304276490935/
>>
Not as imprezzive as an Impreza.
;-)
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>>Not as imprezzive as an Impreza
S'based on the Impreza, so the 2.5 turbo jobbies, as owned by Lygonos and corax, should achieve a similar ear to ear grin :))
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>> S'based on the Impreza, so the 2.5 turbo jobbies, as owned by Lygonos and corax,
>> should achieve a similar ear to ear grin :))
Mines the 2.0 turbo Dog, around 174 bhp, plenty fast enough for me. As I recall, Lygonos has an older S turbo with around the same power output as mine, but he originally owned one of the mad 226 bhp 2.5 jobbies.
I got the 2.0 because I wanted to avoid the more expensive tax and there seems to be a few issues with the 2.5 like blown head gaskets and broken rings.
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>> he originally owned one of the mad 226 bhp 2.5 jobbies
Yikes!
>>there seems to be a few issues with the 2.5 like blown head gaskets and broken rings
Double yikes!!
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>> he originally owned one of the mad 226 bhp 2.5 jobbies
Which he bought a Prodrive Performance Pack for: 260hp 300lbft - 0-60 5,3s.
www.prodrive.com/up/06MY%20Forester%20PPP.pdf
That's a torque curve ;-)
>>there seems to be a few issues with the 2.5 like blown head gaskets and broken rings
Doesn't really affect UK ones - more of an issue of early 2.5 engines in the US, N/A and turbo.
2.5 was used largely to get better emissions than the earlier 2.0, and had a VTEC style system (AVCS) to help tractability.
I am lead to believe that the earlier 2.0 tolerates hard tuning better than the 2.5, however.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 11 Jul 13 at 20:12
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>> >> he originally owned one of the mad 226 bhp 2.5 jobbies
>>
>> Which he bought a Prodrive Performance Pack for: 260hp 300lbft - 0-60 5,3s.
>>
>> That's a torque curve ;-)
>>
Not really, my 330d had 245hp and 389lbft and was easily capable of 50mpg, probably still gave 30+mpg whilst delivering those performance figures too. Just sayin'.....
I wish Subaru would develop their boxer diesel to give some more power and maybe fit it with an auto.
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>>I wish Subaru would develop their boxer diesel to give some more power and maybe fit it with an auto.
Like Honda with their lack of a small petrol-turbo, these two manufacturers are showing how much they are geared to the US market - they must both be losing many sales to other manufacturers due to this.
Good as Honda's NA petrols engines are, they are basically the same as they were fitting 10 years ago.
The game moves on.
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>>I wish Subaru would develop their boxer diesel to give some more power and maybe fit it with an auto.
Y'all could always look at one of these: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/subaru/brz-2012/?
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>> Y'all could always look at one of these: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/subaru/brz-2012/?
>>
Who's the person at the top right corner of the page wearing a chequered titfer and an inane grin?
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>>Who's the person at the top right corner of the page wearing a chequered titfer and an inane grin?
Dunno, I use Adblock/Chrome.
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>> Y'all could always look at one of these: www.honestjohn.co.uk/carbycar/subaru/brz-2012/?
>>
Would it not be better to buy the Toyota badged version if one were interested, if for no other reason than Toyotas better warranty...or have Subaru upped theirs to 5 years/100k now?
Would be interesting to compare servicing costs too, though that might well vary across the country anyway.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Fri 12 Jul 13 at 08:11
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>> Double yikes!!
If that's not enough Dog, there's always this -
tinyurl.com/l3wytyp
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That's a lot of horses corax, a lot of money too, nice though, pity my engine bay doesn't look like that.
Great cars to drive, a real drivers car with a delightful Boxer engine, I should have bought one years ago :)
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2.5 turbo has less lumpy cams than the Impreza version which means more torque lower down the rev range, and better fuel economy.
IIRC it may have a slightly smaller turbo also which also improves mid-range pull.
The only real side-effect is that the Forester lump doesn't tune as easily as the Impreza for very high power outputs.
The 2.0 NA Dog has is presumably one of the "VTEC" style efforts which has 156hp and red-lines around 7000rpm
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>>The 2.0 NA Dog has is presumably one of the "VTEC" style efforts which has 156hp and red-lines around 7000rpm
I nearly took it to 4000rpm yesterday on my way back from the tip.
:}
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Eh, I should have mentioned, the 35 bags o' ashes weren't full, still a lot of ashes though ;)
Now if I was a'burning wood, I could put all the ashes on the jardin!
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>> Using front door speaker spacers for a Corsa (ugh the taint of Vx...) the new
>> ones fitted fine.
Now that's interesting Lygonos because I cannot find a set of front speaker adapters for a Forester anywhere apart from America. I know about the weird 3 screw mounting. My speakers are around 6.5" also. I want to upgrade - I've already installed my Kenwood DAB and aerial. If I can do the speakers I will also stick some soundproofing on the inner door skins.
Could you provide a link to the Corsa spacers?
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Autoleads SAK-3001 - 14.99 from Halfords
Slight jiggery-pokery was required in getting the spacers screwed into the 3 door mounts - the bottom 2 holes were fine and minor drill action through the plastic spacer to get the 3rd screw in ok.
Once that was done the speakers were simple to attach to the spacers.
I soldered the original speaker wires onto the new speakers as they clip into a socket on the door.
Rear speakers only make a marginal difference in Foresters as the fronts do all the work.
The S-Turbo has space for tweeters but no actual tweeter speakers, there is however wiring for tweeters that works. The XT likely has tweeters already (my 58-plate did).
If you have the 'subwoofer' in the boot, forget about it as it is simply a passive 6x9 speaker with barely enough grunt to mimic a mouse fart.
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>> Autoleads SAK-3001 - 14.99 from Halfords
Thanks for the info - I'll be looking into it.
>> If you have the 'subwoofer' in the boot, forget about it as it is simply
>> a passive 6x9 speaker with barely enough grunt to mimic a mouse fart.
If I ever get to that stage I'll put an In Phase under seat active subwoofer in. Hopefully enough to provide bass fill in and make itself felt over road noise at speed.
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Changed the auto transmission fluid on my Forester for the 2nd time today.
The Jatco transmission has a capacity of 7.9 litres of ATF but, only 2.5 litres drains out via the sump plug,
the rest being held within the transmission itself.
I will carry out another 2-3 drain and refills so as to have the fluid in as near new condition as possible,
via this method.
The alternative method is via a power flush which replaces all the fluid in one operation but, that costs money!
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The best thing I've done so far is change the transmission fluid with upgraded/aftermarket. It's like a different gearbox - light and easy to use with no notchiness.
One of my wheel bearings is starting to go. I think it's the front nearside, but I'll wait till it gets a bit louder. Not too long though as it can wreck the hub.
I love this car. It's fast when I want it to be, cruises effortlessly on the motorway, reasonably economical when driving normally, considering the four wheel drive and breeze block aerodynamics.
Visibility is first rate - none of this peering around thick front windscreen pillars. Reversing is a cinch.
Air conditioning is powerful and it was quick to warm up in chilly weather. Ventilation is good.
Best thing though is it's rarity. I hardly ever see another on the road, if I do it's usually silver. I saw a mk1 Forester in dark green. That's a nice colour.
Last edited by: corax on Sat 20 Jul 13 at 14:59
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>>Best thing though is it's rarity
You can just imagine what it's like down here then - there's not a Sub pain dealer in the hole of Kornwall.
Yep, I likes it as well (did I say luv!) it's surprising how so much better all round it is than my previous car, even though it's 'only' a 2 ltr non-turbo, it still goes like stink when I want it to.
And it's sooo comfortable to drive, holds the road very well, ignores Policemen (sleeping)
The ole woman likes it too (and the car) she even manages to reverse it okay considering I never did get around to having reversing sensors fitted - I sent the Fresnel lens back = useless!
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Good thread from HJ about Foresters and Subaru's in general.
www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=54239
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I dig what some cat says on the owners reviews:
"Porsche Boxster levels of acceleration in a car that looks like a breadvan - no chavs trying to race off the lights in this one!"
:o}
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I think that was my review on HJ ;-)
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I'd never have guessed, Lygonos.
;-)
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>> .......... breeze block
>> aerodynamics.
You can't tell what the aerodynamic drag coefficient of a car is just from the looks. For example, the drag coefficient of the 1960s Hillman Imp (0.38) was lower than that (0.4) of the E-type Jaguar of the same era.
www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=35321
www.getcarspecs.com/jaguar/1969-jaguar-e-type
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>> You can't tell what the aerodynamic drag coefficient of a car is just from the
>> looks.
Maybe L'escargot, but compared to my old Avensis it is a breeze block.
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Toyota Avensis - 0.28
Subaru Forester - 0.36
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What is my 2nd generation Foz, same as yours I wonder?
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New model is 11% better than outgoing model at 0.33, so I'd presume yours is roughly the same as mine - it's basically a facelift.
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Still a veritable breeze block then :)
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>> Pre-2002 Forester has wee panels over the speakers that simply pop out - later models
>> I believe are door-card-off to get to the speakers.
Yep. One thing that irritates is the amount of road noise and the poor speakers, so I decided to fit some decent replacements and install some sound proofing at the same time.
Using internet guides I got the door cards off, and it really wasn't too bad a job, but glad I had some trim removal tools which make all the difference to the amount of pressure you can use without fear of damaging the trim.
I installed some speakers using Corsa adapters (Thanks Lygonos). These only needed slight modification by filing a notch in one of the plastic lugs because one of the screw holes missed by a few millimetres.
I cut up some sound deadening pads, fed them through the inner door panel and attached them to the inside of the outer door panel using a wallpaper seam roller. I used Silent Coat - brilliant stuff that is easy to cut and apply. The front doors in particular resonate badly when rapped with knuckles. I also added some to the inner panel and around the speaker hole.
Then I applied closed cell foam matting to the inside of the door card over a piece of deadener - the reason being to stop them buzzing from the poor powerful speakers. I bought the closed cell foam in a thin 3mm size. I think any thicker and you'd find it hard to get the door card back on.
The result is outstanding. Far better sound quality and the speakers are much better isolated from road noise, which is still there, but coming from other places. And there is no door vibration from the extra bass.
Rear hatch and boot area now I think.
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Love ... it's what makes a Subaru a Subaru :)
www.subaru.com/owners/index.html
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Interesting link especially as it shows cam belt replacement due at 100,000 miles rather than 60,000 miles for UK cars; referring to my previous 2006 NA petrol. Why the difference?
alfalfa
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I think it's the law in the US that timing belts must not need changed within 100,000 miles.
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I haven't got a clue alf, I only posted the link for the access to the (what I assumed were) workshop manuals
that turned out to be owners handbooks.
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Carried out yet another drain and refill of my automatic transmission fluid today, the third fluid change in 3 months.
I'll do one more next month and that'll be it, I must say the gear changes are much smoother and it doesn't clonk when y'all select a gear.
I'm using genuine Subaru ATF which has to be delivered by courier from Ashburton in Devon as there isn't a Sub dealer in the whole of Cornwall.
£46 for 4 litres delivered x 4 = £184 :(
Preventative maintenance see, 70,000m almost, I reckon the gearbox is good for another 50,000m now :)
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Did the final one today, I drained the ATF after having left the car standing over night stone cold, it seemed the sensible thing to do really rather than warming it up first like y'all do with the engine oil, in fact I wonder if I really need to warm the engine oil up before I drain it, being I use 5w 30.
So that's it then, 4 ATF changes in 4 months, and the gearbox changes are very smooth, the engine sounds well too after running it for 4 months with Millers full syn oil, it fact it sounds better now than when I first brought it home.
Can't beat DIYing it really, then you know it's carried out properly, like.
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>> Can't beat DIYing it really, then you know it's carried out properly, like.
>>
Isn't that the truth, should be good for a long spell with you now D, have you attended to any visible rust on the suspension, brake pipes and the like for the forthcoming salt bath?
The lad and meself servicing his recently bought 07 plate S60 shows just how you really shouldn't trust garages to maintain things like brakes properly, as you rightly say you can't beat DIY, then you know its right...parking brake shoes were disintegrating just as Gmac one of our flock advised they might be, but the rest of the system hadn't seen a mechanic for many a year.
I've got a sticking rear caliper piston on the Mitsi, it hasn't responded permanently to the usual cleaning and working in and out so got a seal kit and a new piston for the side thats sticking, soon as the old MB is back i'll get that done, an hour should see it all done.
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>>, have you attended to any visible rust on the suspension, brake pipes and the like for the forthcoming salt bath?
I had a shuftie when I was doing the diff oils gb, and it all looked okay for a 6 year old 70,000 miler, but I'll have a closer look ASAP just to be on the safe side.
As I say, it's running extremely well, and (touch wood) I've had nowt go wrong with it so far, I'm even still happy with the Chinese Runway Enduro tyres but I haven't had to use them in anger yet ;)
S'funny ya know, 12 years ago I was trying to decide whether to get a Disco or a Foz and I decided that the Foz looked a bit boring really so I went for the TD5, I didn't keep it all that long before I outed it to some farmer up in Darset, but I find the Scooby so me I reckon it's a keeper!
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>> so I went for the TD5, I didn't keep it all that long before I
>> outed it to some farmer up in Darset,
One bloke has a Disco at work, he's already spent a fortune on different alloys and getting it professionally rustproofed. It'll not be long before he gets bored and sells it.
Another bloke had a Discovery and heavily modified it before buying a Range Rover, but he has a low boredom threshold and loves working on cars. He'll have something else before long too.
It seems to me like they are the sort of cars that need fettling - the Subaru's just work year after year with good servicing, and they don't need to have manufacturers 'weaknesses' rectified all the time.
What made you sell yours dog?
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Actually I think it may have been a 300 TDi with the 4 pot engine, anyway, I was an up-country mug back then, and I thought we needed a 4x4 living up at Warleggan on Bodmin Moor, I even bought some snow chains for it which I never had to use :)
It cost me a lot of money at the time and it was white with various external embellishments - looked the biz, but it just wasn't me really, and I just didn't need a vehicle like that at all, so I flogged it, lost oodles of wonga, and bought a Saab 900.
I liked the Forester within one mile of the test drive in Southampton 4 months ago, and I still like it just as much today ... I'm not an A2B merchant though, if I don't bond with a jamjar, it's gotta go - whatever the cost may be ;)
Cop hold of this corax: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhfI94pF10M
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I cant get the sarnd to work Doggo??
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Sorted.......................
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>> Cop hold of this corax: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhfI94pF10M
Like that.
I find I'm getting a lot of looks from other motorists in my car, I suppose because it's rare. I haven't seen another in my colour since I bought it. I have no trouble finding it in car parks :)
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Thats a tasty treat D, why are the greys from Japan so much more yummy, and tastefully modified in most cases, than the ones we see here...or are there just as many chavved versions over there which end up wrecked like most of their counterparts in the west.
Its not just imports either, LR send Discos to China that you won't see here, NA V8 petrol autos on normal size tyres and steel springs, proper useable spec that with much less to go wrong...where only the very basic Diesel farmer jobbies here had steelies and proper wheels.
Last edited by: gordonbennet on Sun 6 Oct 13 at 10:47
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I never realised it was a grey import gb, I was more interested in what was under the bonnet.
It looks a nightmare to work on though, not that you'd need to work on it of course, being Japanese ;)
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That one is too nice for me. I'd be worried about pranging it.
The suspension and brakes will be properly sorted for the power though.
The twin pot calipers on the standard cars really aren't that special, and I think that it would be inadequate for the 2.5 turbo if used in anger. The Impresser has four pots.
Last edited by: corax on Sun 6 Oct 13 at 11:29
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>>That one is too nice for me. I'd be worried about pranging it.
You originally posted it on this thread of course effendi, remind me what colour your Forester is corax por favor.
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>> You originally posted it on this thread of course effendi, remind me what colour your
>> Forester is corax por favor.
You're getting your wires crossed, this is pretty much the same as mine
www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2002-SUBARU-FORESTER-XT-TURBO-BLUE-GREY-LPG-12MOT-6TAX-FSH-/231055128710
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Ah yes, I was a'thinking it was green/grey for some reason, s'nice.
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Latest bit of fun over past 2 days was a smell of burning rubber when coming to a standstill/slow crawl after driving for 15 minutes.
Pretty much the same smell as an alternator belt about to shred, or a jammed vacuum cleaner belt, in fact.
Examined the belts, including timing belt - all looked in fine shape.
Culprit? Small tear in the inner CV joint gaiter allowing CV grease to splatter onto the exhaust.
Hoping the CV joint will live on after replacing the gaiter - grease looked crud free and the joint appears undamaged....
**EDIT** ~ I was a'thinking it was green/grey for some reason
That's mine - similar to this one:
images.exchangeandmart.co.uk/images/mmo/p1/62/154/524/2012-12-11_15.17.02_400.jpg
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 17 Oct 13 at 00:40
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They look nice in green with the two-tone effect, more sort of Forester-ish, if you get my drift.
Are green cars still looked upon as being unlucky? .. I can think of 3 green cars I've owned, a Capri, 240Z, an MGB, and I'm still here.
Eh, I contacted the pain dealership who have serviced my Forester from new, to establish what exactly has been replaced at the last few services.
Cambelt was done last year, as was the spark plugs, which last for 60.000m apparently,
obviously not Champion N9Y's then :)
Now (and this is the biggy) the engine has had regular transfusions of Shell Helix HX7 10w 40 semi-syn, well, that's half the price of the Millers full syn that I fed it so, the question is, is Shell Helix good 'stuff', or not?
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Who's that annoying tit on TV, Dom something or other? He has a mean looking Subaru, doen't he?
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Doesn't he drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, or am I a'thinking of somebuddy else?
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>> Doesn't he drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, or am I a'thinking of somebuddy else?
Yeah, he drove a standard Lancer,not an Evo but I think he drove an ASX in the last series. They seem to be as black as coal inside, a bit too much.
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Ah, yes, it was a later model Lancer than mine and the other old duffers though.
>>I think he drove an ASX in the last series.
I think you could well be right ;)
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>> and the other old duffers
>> though.
Ooh, not much escapes his eye, you'll be lucky to get away with that one
:))
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>> as black as coal inside, a bit too much.
Rendering maneuvering difficult corax?
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I'm the tit then. Yes, of course it's a Mitsubishi or Mitsibushi as a life-long friend insists on pronouncing that marque. Don't like to correct him though - or should I?
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I pronounced it as Mitsibushi for years until I got the Lancer, strange really, being as I've owned 4 Mitsubishi's.
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>> Rendering maneuvering difficult corax?
Don't bring that word up again AC :)
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Missed the "o" out didn't he? Because he's getting old I expect...
;-)
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>> Missed the "o" out didn't he? Because he's getting old I expect...
Ah, but it was the transatlantic version you see. Just keeping you on your toes.
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Well, if he was a colonial then that would be acceptable. We wouldn't want him going on about "colors" or "flavors" or the like now would we?
;-)
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Mainly for Corax and the Dogman.
ebay account 'impartsb46' comes straight from the Subaru (and formerly Daihatsu) importer.
Just got 4 brand new 16" alloys for £160 delivered (originals looking a bit tatty with a couple of slow punctures.
www.ebay.co.uk/sch/impartsb46/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_ipg=&_from=
Loads of autoglym stuff as well as Subaru/Daihatsu odds'n'sods
Another 4 alloys for sale - for 1998-1999 Forester S-Turbo but exactly the same fitment for all Foresters to 2008 (other than the 2005- XT which has 17" wheels)
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Thanks for that Mr Medicine Man, I had my old Sub MOT'd last Friday, it passed with no advisories :)
Had it a year now, it's been as good-as-gold and I still enjoy driving it like I did from day 1.
Took it to my 'local' main dealer in Ashburton, Devon, for the MOT, a round trip of some 120 miles AND they charged me £54.
The missus likes to visit the Friday market in Totnes you see so all is not lost, might have to move there next year as it's full of sandal-wearing-yoghurt-knitters, like us.
:-)
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Totnes, Arjades? Don't suppose you know The Maltsters Arms in Harbertonford?
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No Sir, Piggy will know it I'll wager, I'm quite un-familiar with Devonshire really but, the more I get to know the county the more I/we like it.
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Just fitted a new rear anti-roll bar to my S-Turbo.
20mm diameter Whiteline job (BSR 20 for my model)
Fitted it plus new rear drop links in under an hour.
Fantastic transformation to the handling - understeer dialled out, rear feels nice and flat on bends - even better now it's wearing 4 Goodyear EfficientGrip Performance tyres rather than the mis-matched guff that it had.
Old drop links were gubbed so knocking at the back has gone too.
Great for getting those apexes right (but of course not for driving like the hippo's yawn on the 'Lunacy' thread)
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 8 May 14 at 20:48
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You don't do too bad, for a doctor, doctor, I couldn't see many/any softy Southerner GP's crawling under their car in *winter.
*Well, it's been like a day in October down here today.
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28 degrees, blue skies here. Not bad for late autumn.
Mind you, it rained last Thursday, which was the first time for about 7 months.
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Suggest it's high time you visited the picturesque village of Offington Soddery Mark!
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Can't Runfer, its too far.
Somebody mentioned sangria in an email this morning, which somehow linked to me drinking some.
And when I say "some"........
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Cardinham hourly observations
1500 Fog 11.9 °C W 18 mph 33 mph 0.3 km 1009 hPa, Rising
1600 Fog 12.0 °C W 17 mph 32 mph 0.7 km 1009 hPa, Rising
1700 Light Rain 11.3 °C W 19 mph 34 mph 1 km 1010 hPa, Rising
1800 Low-level Cloud 10.6 °C W 18 mph 36 mph 4.5 km 1010 hPa, Rising
1900 Mist 10.2 °C W 16 mph 32 mph 7 km 1010 hPa, Rising
2000 Low-level Cloud 10.1 °C W 18 mph 32 mph 15 km 1011 hPa, Rising
2100 Low-level Cloud 10.1 °C W 17 mph 33 mph 13 km 1011 hPa, Rising
Last updated: 2131 on Thu 8 May 2014
:-(
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Here's a vid of the Polo rear ARB being fitted (by a friendly ned) and subsequent handling change.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9QKz4Ik4Qo
More hassle than the Foz was (Polo doesn't have an ARB as standard) - did mine with the rear wheels up on ramps and like-for-like replacement of original components.
For a little over £100 I can see why it's touted as the most cost-effective handling improvement there is.
Last edited by: Lygonos on Thu 8 May 14 at 22:51
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Seems to be a fairly straightforward job - once you get down and dirty, bet his wife wasn't best pleased about using the patio table as a workbench though :)
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Quite remarkable, Lygonos. Very interesting.
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My 8 year old Forester is still going strong, Had it 2 years now and still luvin it.
I still like getting behind the wheel which, considering I'm 62 and have owned about 45 cars over the years, is quite something I think, because I had rather gorn orf cars to a certain extent before getting the Sub.
Another thing about it is I can drive say 150 miles like I did yesterday to Newton Abbot & back, and feel like I could go on and do another 150 miles no trouble at all.
I like the way it inspires confidence in driving, how stable, secure, and sure-footed it feels.
I suppose the Impreza platform helps in that respect.
I think I'll have to keep this one going for some time though, because I don't fancy the later model Foresters, and I can't think of any other car I would rather have.
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Do you still make a round trip of 120 miles for ATF or do you get it delivered? ;-)
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I went past the Sub dealer at Ashburton yesterday funnily enough, on my way to Newton Abbot. It's quite an ok journey really - on a nice day.
I only bought loads of ATF when I first acquired the car, so I could change the stuff about 5 times all told, so as to get all the old ATF out of the talk perverter.
I check it regularly and it's a nice cherryade colour (remember that!) so I'll leave well alone for now.
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Ashburton, that's the dealer my father-in-law buys his Foresters from - he gets on well with the dealer.
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Still got my now 15yr old S-Turbo for bashing around in.
I think the DMF is showing sign of dementia but the engine runs sweet as a nut to the 6500rpm red line as it always has.
My colleague who previously was a BMW/Audi fanboy is on his 3rd Foz in the past 4 years having originally had a 2.0 manual, a 2.0 turbo auto, and now a 2.5 turbo auto.
Get a turbo one, Dog - you'll never look back ;-)
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...3rd Foz in the past 4 years...
So much for built to last. What does he do to them?
};---)
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>>So much for built to last. What does he do to them?
Traded up to newer models.
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>>Get a turbo one, Dog - you'll never look back ;-)
Yes, they must certainly have some oomph in them, my 2.0 auto goes quite well when I ask of it.
The only car I have owned with a turbo, was a Peugeot 306, which picked up its skirts and ran quite well.
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Had my Outback for 9 months now and have to admit I love it, I can see why these things become family retainers..... It's really comfortable, roomy and goes anywhere. It isn't a thing of beauty, is thirsty by UK standards (maybe 28mpg round town and 42mpg on a run) and is not particularly fast. The CVT auto is excellent, really I mean it - unobtrusive except when accelerating hard up a hill. Purportedly reliable too.
Over here the Forester is very popular, it (along with the Outback) suits the driving conditions well, I can see that in the mettled road and (understandably) CO2 / fuel consumption obsessed UK they're not going to be such a good fit for the market conditions. If I were in the UK, a diesel auto Outback or Forester would be on my list of candidates although as other posters have said, the petrol turbo is a lot of fun, pity they don't put that engine in the Outback as the alternative (here) is a rather thirsty 3.0 six.
I'm looking at a manual forester 2.5i for when my oldest get's her L's since I want her to learn in a manual, that or a Toyota Hilux perhaps.
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>> a Toyota Hilux perhaps.
I adored, used, abused and wrecked a couple of HiLux around 15 years ago. Just great pickups that would go on forever and cope with anything.
But I am not so sure about the new, and very plasticky, ones.
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Ashburton Motors have been Subaru main dealers for over 23 years, decent bunch of grease monkeys down there too.
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>>I adored, used, abused and wrecked a couple of HiLux around 15 years ago. Just great
>>pickups that would go on forever and cope with anything.
Fantastic beast. I adored a G-reg one to death at about 200k (gearbox made it not worth repair). It's replacement, an M reg, is still going strong, no idea how many miles it must have done.
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I love Subarus. I'd get one if I could afford it. Love everything about them, horizontally opposed engines, 4wd whether you like it or not, even the shortage of differentials... tail out, yee-hah!
Son-in-law's got a pretty little white turbo estate one. It may have two turbos, unless one is an engine-driven supercharger... The inlet and exhaust piping has to be seen to be believed, Laocoön eat your heart out... chewed up a turbo once and that cost an armanaleg, bits of turbo vane right back to the rear exhaust box. My sister in Kiwiland has a big jeepy one which I enjoyed greatly when there. And the soninlaw's mother has one of those flat-sixes, creamy unit that. Fuel consumption worth every penny.
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>>Fuel consumption worth every penny.
I'm with ^this^ Giza.
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>>Son-in-law's got a pretty little white turbo estate one. It may have two turbos...
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subaru_Legacy_(third_generation)#B4
Maybe one of these.
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>> Maybe one of these.
I think he did get it from Japan actually Lygonos. Two sequential turbos, different from each other.
I really like it but I've never dared ask for a go in it. I'd hate to be turned down.
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Subaru - -
