Daskuppler

For everyone's reference, here is Bilstein's response: 'Our B6 dampers are intended for the OEM spring, the dampening profile would not be optimal for a 20-30% increase nor will the travel of the dampers be optimal for a lift spring, this will keep the dampers at the top of their travel and will cause premature topping out." So despite Primitive and Rallitek offering stiffer springs as a package, they are not compatible and not recommended for use with B6 dampers.

Hello Everyone, I have a '14 Forester and a new Chamberlain MyQ enabled garage door. I am assuming the garage door uses rolling codes so I understand that I need to do the second part of the programming and press learn on the opener then go back to the car. My problem is that the first steps are not working. I cleared all codes by holding Homelink 1 and 3 buttons until they flashed rapidly. I then pressed and held Homelink 1 and the functioning garage door button and waited for the rapid flash. It never comes. I repeated for Homelink 2 and 3 with the same results. Am I doing something wrong? Is the mirror bad? This is the only vehicle we have with this functionality so I cannot crosscheck it on another vehicle. The remote Keypad learned in just fine though. Cheers

This car replaced a 2000 Legacy and I drive an Impreza. It was big change going from the 4EAT to the CVT and the ride height. It's been a great vehicle, it is just time for new struts so I thought I would see if there were any upgrades that were worth spending money on. I have had good experiences with KYB in the past and it looks like that's still the rout to go since there are a lot of complaints about the Billsteins, even the B4s. There is no expectation for it to perform like the legacy, though it does pretty good with good rubber on it. I'll look into some new sway bar links and see if there is any support for alternative suspension.

Makes sense. I was trying to reduce body roll and say a little, but it seems like the aftermarket stuff just isn't well designed right now. That's kind of what I was reading when I started researching more. Thank you for your input!

Hello Everyone! My 14 Forester premium has 90k on it and it's definitely time for new suspension. I thought I was all set and was just about to order Billstein B6 struts and King springs.... Then I started reading that's a bad combination and not recommended. What is everyone running and are you happy with it? I am a spirited driver on asphalt and gravel. The car sees rocks, snow, ice, mud and everything in between. The car is also frequently loaded and tows periodically.

Good call on the CV boot, the axles are fairly new, but there was a small hole in the passenger one. That accounts for the smell, now I just need to find the leak. I'm working on another vehicle at the moment, but I'll delve into this one shortly.

It's definitely not anti freeze, no sweet smell. It smells similar to axle grease, but nowhere near as potent. I'll check the cabin filter and look around the engine bay and see if I can find anything. The car does have an emissions cel that comes and goes along with an issue filling up with gas (the pump auto shuts off at about 2 gallons if left at full flow).

For what it's worth, my wife purchased a 2014 several years ago with 20k on it. We now have 97k. The car has burned 1qt of oil every 3k miles since we got it and Subaru refuses to acknowledge that there is a problem. Both of us have owned Subarus for years and we have had. More problems with her car than anything in the past. That being said, it's still a fantastic vehicle, just carry oil :,-). The most serious repair was a wheel bearing at 90k. We are hard on vehicles (frequent dirt roads, hauling, towing, and high rpms as we are always in the mountains). We have the CVT and have had no problems, I change the fluid every 30k and it is always dark, but still red when doing so. Fuel economy is fantastic and they are great (as usual) in the snow. I would but one again, but wind but an older one over a newer one of you could find one with lower or comparable mileage.

So what would be a possible cause? I know there's a leak in the system somewhere, but if it's not likely to be in the cabin, what could cause the smell?

Thank you for the tips! So it's not really necessary to replace the valves and o rings unless the seal is taken apart?

Hello Everyone, I have a 2002 Impreza TS. The AC went out last Summer, I recharged it this Summer knowing that there was a leak somewhere. I recently started smelling a chemical Smell in the cabin with the AC running. I'm assuming it is refrigerant since I know there is a leak somewhere. I would assume it is coming from the evaporator, but I don't know that much about the system. My understanding is that it is accessible from the glove box, is this true? Is there anything else I should look for when I tear it apart? Could it be leaving from anything else? What else should be replaced? I was planning on relaxing all of the o-ring gaskets throughout the whole system just to be sure since the system has been purged. Can I refill it myself with auto parts store canisters or do I need to pay a shop to ensure a proper charge?

That's indeed what the stealership said. I found a local company that would rebuild them for me for 179 a piece. They will be done tomorrow. Do you know why they stopped the program? It seems everyone did since you can't buy them ANYWHERE.

Sounds good. I'll call Subaru and see if they have any remanufactured ones. There were none available on the website. I have an extra vehicle so I can always pull them and have them rebuilt.

Hello Everyone! I have a 2014 Forester N/A with what I can only assume is at least one bad front CV axle. I get a rather bad clicking coming under turning. Anyway, what is a decent brand to use for a replacement? usually I use remanufactured axles from NAPA but they don't offer any. NAPA only has new Cardone axles for $204 each. Subaru wants $390 on their parts website and probably even more in a dealership. I have heard Cardone has gone the way of cheap china and aren't worth much as a new set. So I ask, what would you put on? The vehicle is driven pretty hard (light offroading, heavy acceleration/braking, hauls weight, etc. It has 93k on it so I'm a little disillusioned with OEM, especially looking at an $800 bill to do it myself. Cheers, Andrew

I would prefer to keep the ramp I already have inside so it is not exposed to rain, snow, ice, rocks, road salts, bugs, etc. I use the roof for a roof box on trips and the hitch is frequently used for a bike rack or trailer. There may not be a good option for interior storage, I was just hoping someone somewhere had seen something that might work or had an idea.

Hello Everyone, I have a '14 Forester. The current issue is trying to store a ramp for my pups (one had had 4 knee surgeries, the other has displasia). The ramp is just in the way all of the time and really limits room for said beds and other stuff, especially if we are on a trip. I thought about building as platform for the back to slide it under and put a bed on top but I was hoping for something to go on the ceiling. I like the idea of the molle racks, but in not sure it comes out far enough to clear paneling if I were to strap the ramp on it. Any ideas?

I'm looking at the Nameless axleback 5" muffler bolt on kit. Does anyone have any experience with it? Looks like it is popular on the XT and relatively new for the NA motors.

Hello Everyone, My Forester developed a nasty rattle which was tracked down to a failed tack weld and rust on the heat shield above the muffler. Attempted fixes failed so I dropped the muffler and looked around. the seam on top of the muffler is failing and split open and the rest of the heat shield is toast as a result. Does anyone have suggestions on which muffler I should put on? I do not want stock, I would rather upgrade and get a little more high end torque/hp, even if it is negligible. I'll sacrifice the low end torque since the engine is frequently revved pretty high (lots of high altitude and mountainous driving)...What can I say, I like the skinny pedal. Also, would I need to reroute pipe or could a new one just be welded up in place? I have a trailer hitch installed which does reduce available space a little. I could potentially gain access to a welder, but I'm not going to be able to bend pipe to do any further modifications. I'm looking to increase sound but there's no need to be obnoxious.

If I identified it properly, it is sitting under the rear bumper right next to the tank. If it is not rusted, it should come off pretty easily.

Thank you for the input. I definitely need to look at it and see what I can find. It's annoying to take 10 minutes to fill the tank! If the car had been topped off, I presume the excess fuel flows into the canister; would the fix be to drain the canister or are they damaged for good at that point?

It is not driven terribly frequently, but never sits for more than two weeks. The car is not typically topped off as long as I've owned it (since 2011). I'll look for a diagram and see what I can figure out. I have a scope camera as well so maybe I can get a sneak peak into the hoses and such.

Hello Everyone, I have a 2002 Impreza TS with 120k on it. Recently, I have been having issues filling the gas tank. When fueling, the pump shots off after about 3/4 gallon if on full flow. From what I've read, this is likely something to do with the EVAP canister which is $125. I know they are on there to control fumes and meet EPA compliance. Is there a way to bypass them or are they essential for the engine to operate properly? It seems like one could simply disconnect the breather hose from the fuel tank or at the canister and it would solve the problem in exchange for a thrown code. Thoughts? Thanks, Andrew

Hello Everyone, I have a 2014 Forester Premium with the plastic knockouts where the XT has fog lamps. Someone backed into the car the other day and kicked the bumper out a little bit (no biggy, no scratches, and it pushed back in). Apparently, there was some damage behind the scenes to the black plastic cover as a recent trip down a rough dirt road resulted in the loss of the plastic piece. I know you can pick up the plastic trim piece for under $20 and the OEM fog light kit is over $200. Are there any other options that don't look jenky? Also, since this car did not come from the factory with the lights, do I need to wire in a switch or are they tied to the headlights? I presume it it is all pre-wired except for a switch? Would it be possible to tap into the headlight circuit (I have LED lamps so draw on that circuit is low).

Hello Everyone, I have a 2014 Forester 2.5i without climate control. This morning the HVAC controls were dead when the car started. It was cold, but only in the high teens this morning. After driving for a little while, everything came back on. The entire cluster was dead. Any ideas? Fuses all look good, all connectors at the back of the cluster were tight. A head unit was installed a couple months ago, no other work performed. Parking brake safety switch wire was wired direct to ground. I'm at a loss and have been unable to replicate the issue. Google research points towards a control module, but I think they are only installed if climate control is on the vehicle. Thanks

The fluid is fairly new, about a year old and is Amsoil. I guess I'll just stick with the usual premium pads and rotors from the local auto parts store. I'll be honest with the oil, I never verified what Subaru put in our what they never was when I returned the the second check. I did run another 4000 miles before the oil change which would have been enough to burn close to a quart and it was not low. I'd rather not have to add oil consistently on an engine with 65000 miles.