The Dude

Hey, if you need another transmission before 100,000 miles you don't need an extended warranty. You need to buy your cars from another manufacturer. Unless you're pulling stumps with your Sube, the AT should go at least 150,000miles before a major overhaul.

What are the "lemon" laws in Florida? If your description is accurate, it sounds like you have a bad car and an even worse dealer. I'd be looking to bail on the whole situation. My other suggestion would be to involve Subaru of America to the greatest extent possible. See if you can get the SOA area manager involved in this mess. There is a HUGE overcapacity worldwide in car manufacturing, and the Chinese haven't even entered the US market. Perhap Subaru's greatest vulnerablity is the extremely inconsistent quality of their dealerships. SOA is very aware of this problem. I would not hesitate to go directly to SOA for a resolution to your problems. MY MOTTO: FUJI HEAVY INDUSTRIES IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE SUBARU I CURRENTLY OWN. Take care of me, and you have customer for life. Screw me, and I'm buying my next car from one of the twenty other car companies that are BEGGING me for my business.

Plus, your 95 2.2L should be a non-interference motor. With an interference engine you only get one shot to get the timing belt right.

Mismatched tires would affect the center differential, not the AT itself. What is the total weight of the passengers, cargo, boat, trailer and motor? Is it over 2,000 pounds? Are you towing over hilly terrain when towing with the boat? The 4EAT is generally considered to be a reliable AT. Something is up with your car, driving style, or towing use. My concern? The next time your tranny takes a dump you'll be way out of warranty, and even a great dealer will have a hard time giving you a break. BTW, I got 200,000 miles on my 99 Forester AT without a hiccup. I have a gross towing weight of about 2,000 pounds when I hook up my 19' sailboat. I tend to put the AT in neutral at a stoplight, especially in hot weather. It's better to wear out the cheap shifter than let the engine and torque convertor fight against each other.

Know this, Subastic. You are learning to "swim" in the deep end of the pool. Once you have done it, replacing the plugs on a Subaru is no big deal. However, with those mile high rocker arm covers, you literally can't see what you are doing. DON"T even think about changing your plugs without access to a torque wrench. You'll also need a collection of metric sockets, extentions and swivels. It's not brain surgery, but the procedure requires some finesse. Cross threading the spark plugs would be my biggest concern.

A better answer is that the MT is less sensitive to unmatched tires than the AT. Run a Subaru MT with unmatched tires long enough, and you'll be looking at an expensive new viscous differential. The spare tire on a Subaru MT is for short term use only. The original matching tire is to be repaired and re-installed ASAP. By the way, over the seven year period that I have been on this board there have been a number of MT drivers that have ruined their viscous differentials by running mismatched tires. That being said, over 90% of the people posting with center diff problems are AT owners.

An aftermarket ATF cooler is a good idea. But they are cheap for a reason. They are only finned aluminum pipes that cool by conduction to air. If you're thinking of towing a GL in a hilly area, like say, Olympia WA, I think you're begging for trouble. The gross towing capacity for any car is MINUS the weight of the passenger and anything else being carried in the car. I don't know the weight of a GL off the top of my head, but I'd say with a trailer, driver, and any passengers, you're way over the limit. Abusing an AT by towing over the limit doesn't always result in immediate failure. Abuse usually shows up as dramatically shortened AT life.

I agree, the RAV4 went from being way smaller than a Forester to being way larger. Also, the RAV4 can now be equiped with a V6. Tme will tell, this is the first model year for the new RAV4. I decided NOT to pay for the dubious priviledge of being a beta tester. The new RAV4 can't match the safety or collision rating of the Forester. Also, the third seat is something of a joke. I'm glad to see big improvement in the RAV4. When manufacturers are forced to compete for market share, all consumers usually win.

Here's the deal. The check valve on the fuel pump may be a tiny bit leaky. It won't hold full fuel pressure for ten or more hours. It takes two seconds for the fuel pump to repressurize the fuel delivery sysrem. As long the engine starts easily after the two second wait, I say no big deal. If the check valve is leaking, the small amount of gas (about four ounces) is just draining back into the fuel tank. If it really bothers you, change out the fuel pump. My 99 Forester has always needed two seconds before starting, and the car has 200,000 miles on it, and the original fuel pump. Use the two seconds to meditate and attain an alpha state before you start your morning commute. Or check your cell phone voice messages. If you use the car every day, the extra wait is going to cost you twelve minutes a year, so don't let those seconds slip by.

Like I ALREADY posted, even if the crankshaft keyway is destroyed, the crankshaft CAN BE REPAIRED. Several people on this board have welded and re-machined in a new keyway. You're just going to have to hold tight and see the mechanics at the dealership have to say.

Usually only one thing causes a loose crank pulley. The bolt holding the crank pulley was UNDERTORQUED when the timing belt was replaced. If that is the case, the crank keyway will be badly mangled. The dealership may even suggest a new engine. Other have on this board have repaired the keyway by welding and maching. Let us know what you find.

It COULD be the fuel pump. First thing in the morning turn the ignition all the way to the "on" position but do NOT engage the starter. You should be able to hear the fuel pump coming on. About a two second wait for the fuel pump to fully pressurize is NORMAL for many Subarus. It was for my 99 Forester which I drove for 200,000 miles. It probably would've gone another problem free 50,000 miles. These cars have some very strange idiocentricities, but they seem to keep going on for a long, long time. Relax, enjoy, and come to appreciate their strange little quirks.

Sure. The rings may have become prematurely worn as a result of the engine oil losing visocosity through overheating. Or the rings may have lost their temper("spring") through overheating. Replacing the rings will only cure excessive oil consumption IF worn or slack rings are the problem. There are a number of other areas where leakage could be causing oil consumption. If your cylinder liners are worn, for example, replacing the rings will not help you. Replacing the entire engine would be the preferred way to go. A "short block" would include a new block, liners, pistons, and piston rings. This a probably a "good faith" effort by Subaru to solve your oil consumption problem. Subaru has already indicated that they will not go the more expensive route of a short block replacement. I hope the new pistons rings fix your problem.

Jacek, I reluctantly agree with you. I say "reluctantly" because Subaru of America seems to be developing a lousey reputation for often not taking proper care of their customers. But, there is no " hotter than normal " reading on a Subaru coolant temperature gauge. The gauge's arrow moves in distinct stages. Anything above the normal arrow position indicates an overheating condition. And that means stop the car immediately. You can't knowingly continue to run a car that is overheating and expect the manufacturer to pick up the pieces. Especially if the cause of the overheating is because the operator failed to keep the coolant at an adequate level. All alumimun engines are especially prone to damage from overheating. Fair is fair, I don't see Subaru at fault at all on this one.

I woud add one other reason to buy a Forester. For a car of its' size, the Forester is one heck of a tow vehicle. I live in South Carolina, so snow isn't much of an issue. But, I needed a car that could tow my 1,500 lbs. sailboat, could carry a lot of electronic gear for my business, had a worthwhile roof rack, and wasn't a gas guzzling full out SUV. As a side bonus, the Forester is a great handling car and a lot of fun to drive. It has PLENTY of power for normal driving. Another bonus, the highest crash ratings in its' class I would agree with many of the points raised by the other posters. AWD vehicles require extra maintenance. The Forester has cramped back seats, OK in a pinch, but not really a family car. It really is a niche vehicle. But if you're in that niche, it's a pretty good car.

The big deal isn't even the cost of all that extra oil. It's all the extra time you'll waste and the aggravation you'll go through always checking the oil and topping off with can after can after can. And here's the big kicker, if you forget to check your oil even one time, you could be in serious trouble. In less than 2,000 miles of operation your car could more than two quarts low. And two quarts low is where most experts say you're at great risk of permanently ruining your engine.

Let me say this, all car manufacurers set oil burning standards impossibly low. No matter how much oil your almost new car is burning, I can almost guarantee you the amount will be above the ridiculously low oil burning standards set by the manufacturer. The reason? The only practical way to fix a new or low mileage engine that burns oil is to replace it with a new one. Using the Subaru recommended oil change interval of 7,500 mile you would be adding between 7.5 and 11.25 quarts of oil between oil changes. That's absymal, and your dealer is lying to your face. He probably could use a swift kick below the belt. My Subaru with 200,000 miles on the clock uses less than a quart between 5,000 mile oil changes. The "standard" for oil consumption used by many car manufactures is one quart per thousand miles.That is an insultingly low standard, and one set by self serving bastards to basically stick you with an oil burning lemon. Go figure. Hey, buy some oil company common stock, you might as well get something good out of the situation.

Try driving the car on a slick patch in second gear. The AT should be locked into 50/50 AWD in 1st and second gears. The result might help point you in the right direction.

My 99 Forester had snap out panels that made speaker replacement a breeze. My '06 has no snap out panels on the doors. How do you replace the factory speakers? Does the entire door trim panel have to come off. If so, would someone please give a clue on how to remove them? Also, do the newer Foresters still take a 6" round speaker? Thanks.

I highly recommend a locking gas cap. If for no other reason than to keep things OUT of your gas tank. I would much prefer that someone siphon 5 gallons out of my gas tank than drop a handfull of hard candies INTO my gas tank. I have a stant on my 99 Forester, and it has never caused a problem with the CEL. If I ever found the stant broken off the filling port, I would probably has the gas tank drained immediately as a precaution. My 2006 Forester has a locking gas port cover.

Setright, I have have to say that the head gasket failure rate of the Phase I 2.5L DOHC engine was abysmal. There were just way too many Phase I failures to blame operator abuse. I owned a 99 Forester and I have just purchased a 2006 Forester. Obviously I like the car, but I do have two criticisms for Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru). First, Subaru is way too slow in rectifying known problems with their cars. The wheel bearing, clutch, and head gasket problems with the early Foresters went on for YEARS before they were finally fixed. Want to bet that in couple of years I'm posting that the fuel level sensor in my 2006 isn't working? Second, a far more serious problem is that Subaru "runs away" from serious product defects instead of standing up to the plate and taking care of their customers. Subaru basically screwed 2.5L Phase 1 owners once they were out of warranty.

Here's my advise, acquire an inexpensive digital volt meter (DVM). We are living in the electronics age. A DVM is the electronic equivalent of the pocket knife, every guy in the know should have one.

People don't like it when you make fun of their names. Probably your car is pissed that you've called it a Forrester for the 86,000 miles. Start calling your car a Forester, and it might start acting nice for you. BESIDES, your post appears to be somewhat misleading. Master cylinder-replaced under recall, no charge to you. Air intake sensor-replaced under recall, again no charge to you. I am curious, were the head gasket replaced under warranty? Same question on the rear wheel bearings, were they replaced under warrainty? My 99 Forester went 200,000 miles with a grand total of $175 for out of warranty repairs. I'm not all that unhappy.

The MT has a viscous center differential. This unit can only be replaced, not repaired. USUALLY when they fail, you silently lose AWD. In fact MT drivers often don't even know that the viscous differential has failed until they unexpectedly get stuck in the snow-the rear wheels won't spin!!! I only remember one or two posts where MT owners said that their center differentials made noise.

Admittedly I do a lot of highway miles, but I got 150,000 miles on my rear brake shoes. I actually had more brake wear left, but I had the parts so I replaced them while I was in there anyway.