forester2002s

I see that you're tri-lingual.

Yes. And taking photos with a digital camera costs nothing. So mark the pulleys, and take loads of close-up photos of the t-belt, tensioner, pulleys and idlers BEFORE disassembling anything. This is good insurance, and has saved my bacon more than once.

Here is one thread from 2007. The suggestion is that Subarus newer than 1995 have a lifetime warranty on seat-belts. http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=71939&highlight=seat+belt+warranty

As an aside, I try to always wipe the blades clean each time I fill up with fuel. One swipe with a wet paper-towel will reveal all: A black gooey slime that comes off the rubber blade. Get rid of it, and the wipers will work better.

If replacing studs is your plan, you may want to consider replacing all 5 studs. I wonder how the 2 studs failed. Was the wheel subject to an excessive sideways force, e.g. by hitting a kerb? And did this cause damage to one or more of the remaining 3 studs? A visual inspection won't tell you enough; there may be hidden cracks in the studs.

My 2002 Forester has 3 tethers: left: centre; & right. But it's tight getting 3 children in the back. Right now I have 2 child-seats, left and right. And a booster-seat in the centre (no tether needed). That takes up all of the space (from side-door to side-door).

If this is an automatic, then don't add 80W90 oil to the transmission. An automatic needs an ATF such as Dexron. Check your documentation to see which type of Dexron ATF you should be using.

And not just snow, ice and slush either. The softer rubber in snow tires has a higher coefficient-of-friction than all-seasons (especially at low-temperatures). That means a shorter braking distance on dry pavement too. As for handling, I do notice a deterioration in handling with my snow-tires fitted. I find that at freeway speeds, the car doesn't track as well when fitted with snows. Instead of the usual rock-steady straight-line handling, the car will drift a little to the left and right. It's not much, my wife doesn't notice it. Maybe I need a front-end alignment, but I'm not sure because the handling is fine with the all-seasons.

Ditto

I agree. And, if the drain plug has a magnet, make sure to clean off all the furry stuff from the magnet. And, for new car owners: My practice is to change the transmission and diff oils soon after the gears have been run-in (within a few 1000 km), and after that at the recommended intervals. From my industrial experience with gears, I know how important clean oil is to the longevity of gears.

My 2002 Forester's OEM spare-wheel (steel-rim) has a 48 mm offset, and a bore of 56.1 mm (BTW anything with a smaller bore would not fit on the hub). A year ago, I bought 4 new steel-rims with 42 mm offset and 57.2 mm bore. They fit just fine, and the car handles well, even with the slightly non-standard 42 mm offset.

This is text from the FSM for a 2002 Forester. Your car may or may not be similar (there is also a sketch of the nozzle, but I know not how to post it): 11. Rear Washer Nozzle S902789 A: REMOVAL S902789A18 1) Remove the high-mount stop light. <Ref. to LI-23, REMOVAL, High-mount Stop Light.> 2) Remove the washer hose from the washer nozzle. 3) Open the clips on the underside of the hood with a thin screwdriver or other tool, and remove the washer nozzle.

Take note that (in the UK news article) that there is a difference in gallons between the UK and USA. So the 43mpg quoted in the article presumably means 43 miles/Imperial Gallon. This translates to 34.4 miles/USgallon.

#1 Good Question! #2 Great Answer!

I used to think that All-season tires were OK, until I got stuck on a hill packed with wet hard-packed snow/ice. My new (last year) snow tires are awesome, and make a huge difference to traction and braking. Below about 5C (40F), the rubber compound on all-seasons gets rock-hard! Do the fingernail-test, and you'll see how much softer the rubber on snow tires is.

I drive a 2002 Forester MT. I find that hesitation is worse if I start the engine and then drive off immediately. However if I start the engine, wait about 10-seconds and then drive off, then there is no hesitation.

- 'liter' in the US. - 'litre' just about everywhere else.

I live in a semi-rural area in Canada, and I love my Forester. I do my own servicing (I agree with nipper's comments about preventative maintenance). I usually get my parts from an independent parts store; I've also bought parts online from www.autopartsway.ca . I'll go to the Subaru dealer for parts as a last resort. The only repair that I did not do myself was to have the clutch replaced; I had that done at an independent shop. Subaru's AWD are fantastic for Canadian snow. Just get some good snow tires; they make all the difference; don't be fooled by so-called 'All-season' tires, the rubber is far too hard at cold temperatures. Go for it! Get a Subaru! Eh!

Have you done a search for 'hesitation' on this board? There have been dozens of similar questions here, with loads of commentary.

And if RF might be the problem, try: - removing the new relay from the car altogether; does the offending 15" wire still cause no-start? - looping the offending wire back, and touching it to the +ve terminal of the battery; does the car start? - try pointing the offending wire in a different direction; does the car start? - try coiling the offending wire into a tight coil; does the car start?

Everything that you ever wanted to know about GL-5: http://www.lubrizol.com/DrivelineAdditives/AutomotiveGearOil/GL5.html

According to Wikipedia, VDC is very soon going to be required on all new cars: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_stability_control (scroll down to 'Laws')

Ditto. Plus the satisfaction that I get out of it.

Fuel filter: Yes, those rubber-hoses tend to get glued on to the filter pipes. Try rotating the rubber-hoses around the pipe instead of pulling them off. Use a pair of pliers to grip the rubber, and rotate back and forth a bit; try squirting some WD-40 into the ends of the rubber - it may help. Once free, just pull the hoses off.

I would check the oil level in the diff, ASAP. If the oil-level is OK, I agree that the diff is unlikely to fail suddenly. However if the diff is low on oil (or no oil), then it could seize-up at any time.