sadarahu

What would be your recommendation fro Subaru Forester 2007 to get god new tires. I want full season tires (probably not the top and most expensive but also not the cheap crap). Usually there is point where the effectivness VS efficiency cross. I would tend to get the tires which are good for light off road driving. There are known brands (which I'm familiar with) and they are pretty expensive but there are also brands that are new ( I do not know them) but perhaps might be good as well. I would definitely prefer tires which are less noisy (not concerned much about guaranteed millage as I might have new Subaru at that time...) I appreciate your insight. Arthur

I bought Forester 2007 from the dealer. 2 weeks later - I have a strange sound while driving coming from the back. I'm 60yrs/o so drove few cars and have sensitive ear. IT sounds to me there is a problem but not sure what this could be. I have a friend mechanic but he is an older guy and his hearing is not the best. He will look into it in a few days but I would like to hear your opinions as well so I do not spend and replace parts that do not need to be replaced. I asked for advice at the Subaru shop but they want to charge for everything (even a mechanic listening for a 2-3 min while driving). They said it could anything from transmission (God forbid) through the differential axel (or whatever you call it) to the wheel bearing. In my opinion it is the last one but here are some test I did and want to listen what you have to say (if you have any technical knowledge. I'm not a car mechanic but I'm enough technically inclined to have some basic knowledge. The sound is kinda repetitive bruming,... huuh huuuh huuh,,,,, like. Initially I tought that is because the car has 4WD so it might be normal. I remember though driving Isuzu Amigo, Toyota 4Runner (owned in the past) I did not recall sound like this. So.... I did some testing: 1. When I drive faster the sound increases in frequency but the noise is the same 2. When driving 40mp/h I put the lever on N gear the sound is still present 3. When I shut off the engine the sound is still present (no change). 4. We tried so far to lift all 4 wheels and put it on D gear but after a moment certain wheels stop spinning (I know this is normal). So far I discovered some vibration from transmission but it is har to determine if the sound was still present (I would rather say - no). 5. The tires are quite new (I would say about year or 2 old) but are crap - cheap. I'm thinking about replacing them although I doubt this is a tire issue. This car has about 80k miles so I'm hoping I do not have to do any major repair right after the purchase. Now here are my questions: - any other suggestions to test weather this could be a bearing, transmission, tire or differential issue ? (I know putting a car on a rack where the wheels can spin and touch "the ground like" would be the best but I do not have that option). - are inner/outer the bearings for the front and the back are the same ? - if it is differential issue what could this possibly be ? The transmission runs smooth and I see no issues as far as driving, accelerating etc. although it seems to be some vibration when I move the lever from N to D but it is not significant. I'm on a limited budget at the moment so trying to get the car to the perfect condition the most efficient way. I will soon need to travel 5-8k miles so need to make sure I do not need any repairs while traveling (as it is usually bigger cost and lots of stress). Thank you - ARTHUR

Received the radio today, but no installation kit :-( DISAPPOINTED. I also see this radio has no dial (which I really prefer). Waiting for CRUTCHFIELD to respond.

Thank you guys. I'm really thrilled with your responses. It is all very helpful and educative. I already bought the car so perhaps in a few years I switch to the newer model (although I do not like new design, and style). I'm kinda old fashion pal so more important for me is off road behavior (when I'm traveling). It looks like I have at least one year to think about possible maintenance costs. As far as buying a newer model I had to consider the fact to get credit or pay cash. Since I went through very serious transformation of not dealing with banksters anymore (no CC, no credits nothing to owe....) I only buy what I can afford. Perhaps in a year or two would be able to pay $36k for the latest mode but for now I deal with what I have and so far I am happy. The radio I ordered should come with the free harness so thank you for the suggestions. This is really nice site. Just wonder if there is anything that needs protection under - when going off road. Last year being stuck in mud my Toyota Yaris somewhere in Georgia I got some minor damage of few things so would like to know it there is anything that's crucial, exposed and worth some protection ? Thank you all. ARTHUR

Thank you all for your input. Hopefully this will be useful for others. I have a chance to buy Forester 2007 /80k so I made a decision based more (at the moment) what was available (or for-sale). Still have few questions thought and I really appreciate. It has been a nice surprise to me to get responses so quickly. 1. I travel long distances several time a year (3-7k miles). Is there any way to check and tell the condition of head gasket (as it is known to cause issues) ? 2. Does it make sense to replace the head gasket now to make sure I will have no problems when on the road ? I would appreciate if some of you who did that could report a cost (so I can have a rough idea how much can pay for the labor). I have met one guy some time ago who claimed that after viewing some YT videos he did it himself in a garage. I do not have a garage and lift so woill have to rely on the mechanic, but knowing how long (hrs) it would take will also could help. 3. Since OEM radio sucks (does not even play MP3 CDs, I ordered this KENWOOD http://www.crutchfield.com/p_113KDC125U/Kenwood-KDC-125U.html?tp=5684&omnews=13703054 radio/receiver. Any tips for replacing ? I see my Forester has nowhere antenna so I was wondering how to deal with that ? 4. Are there any issues with puting on bigger tires ? 5. Any lift kits, protectors etc to make suspension higher (to go off road). I've seen some kits on YT but no info which is worth the money and where to buy it. Thank you - ARTHUR

I'm considering buying used Subaru (probably 2008). I'm founding lots of confusing info on-line regarding the MPG. Some say it's the same some show difference by 2-3 miles/G. It seems that outback is a bit heavier and I wonder you you people can confirm if both models have the same MPG or not ? I would also like to know what is general trend, another words which of the tho would you prefer ? Thank you for you time and replies. ARTHUR