Subaru

[NMP]

The AWD system is happy when all four tires rotate at the same speed. Be sure you check tire pressure frequently and follow the recommended pressure on the doorpost decal.

My 2006 Forester easily towed a 16 ft. Lund and 30 HP outboard. It was an animal in snow - the only problem I had was getting other cars out of my way. Bad news: in spite of maintaining it absolutely by-the-book it needed head gaskets at 83,000 miles.

It got replaced by an F-150. I don't miss it.

 

[Spazdog]

Originally Posted By: bigjl


Once you have driven a Subaru all year you realise what good predictable handling really is.

Though in my experience you need to get the geometry done, usually using camber bolts at the back, to get away from the factory safe understeer....



Apparently, the steering is better on Subarus with right hand drive.

I really wanted to buy a Subaru Outback Turbo. All black instead of the garish Easter egg yellow with grey plastic cladding that most seemed to be painted. It steered so slowly. Felt like it had 12 turns lock to lock. It has as much body roll as any giant OldsmoBuick.

Going into a corner was like "Turn....c'mon turn! TURN! OH NO! It's going to fall over! We'll just apply a little more gas and get that rear diff in on the act and...NO! THAT MADE IT WORSE! NOW IT'S PLOWING TOWARDS THE OUTSIDE OF THE CORNER!"


I'm still intrigued by Subaru, but that one was one bad example of chassis tuning in an AWD.
I really feel like I could have cornered better in a Ranger....'course a Ranger doesn't have a 210 hp turbo flat four.

 

[millerbl00]

Head gasket would be a problem. So I have had all major brands and none can make it to 150k much less 100k without major problems??

 

[joaks]

Nothing new enough to have CVT is old enough to have head gasket problems.

 

[Seventh]

Spaz- They're ALL bad examples of chassis "tuning" in their bone stock form, but the plethora of aftermarket suspension and steering bits makes it one of the MOST tune-able chassis platforms out there. You can make it whatever you want it to be, but they're not great at anything (handling-wise) right outta the box.

It's also a very tire-sensitive vehicle. You can make or break the handling with a poor tire choice, more so than other cars IMO.

Even though I live in CA I have a hard time picturing myself without one. They've been very good to me.

 

[sopususer]

Originally Posted By: joaks
Nothing new enough to have CVT is old enough to have head gasket problems.


Exactly right....If you are still concerned about head gaskets, Subaru has completely addressed this issue with their new FB 2.5 motor.

The coolant lines for the head and block are completely separate now.

No coolant will leak from the gaskets no matter what - because the coolant no longer flows through the gasket at all.

Recent gasket improvements all but solved the issue, but with the FB blocks ( now used on the Forester, Impreza, Outback, and Legacy) that chapter should be completely closed.

 

[doitmyself]

I have the Subaru Forester on my list of possible replacement crossover vehicles. My concerns are:

- The perfect tire myth? Is it true that if you damage a single tire at mid life (20 to 40K miles), you have to replace all 4 in order to maintain awd symetry? If true, does this add to total cost of ownership significantly?

- After 100k miles, does repair/maintenance of the awd system drive ownership costs up? I.E. - more complex? Or, is the system good for 200K miles (my set point for reliability).

- Oil consumption.....the Forester forum has some scary threads about high oil consumption with the new FB engine. Real, or just internet bloat?

- Finally, tapping the sheet metal of a 2013 Forester, it seemed a bit tinny to me. Just my imagination?? Do they do o.k. in the rust belt regarding salt?

 

[cptbarkey]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself

- After 100k miles, does repair/maintenance of the awd system drive ownership costs up? I.E. - more complex? Or, is the system good for 200K miles (my set point for reliability).


yes there is extra service that needs to be done, such as front and rear differential oil changes, rear cv joints that do not exist on fwd cars (failure is very rare though).

AWD also eats more gas than FWD, not a huge amount but its about a 10-15% penalty.

the bonuses of AWD outweigh these negative items. Should be obvious since i own 3 subaru's in various states of repair and disrepair.

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I have the Subaru Forester on my list of possible replacement crossover vehicles. My concerns are:

- The perfect tire myth? Is it true that if you damage a single tire at mid life (20 to 40K miles), you have to replace all 4 in order to maintain awd symetry? If true, does this add to total cost of ownership significantly?

- After 100k miles, does repair/maintenance of the awd system drive ownership costs up? I.E. - more complex? Or, is the system good for 200K miles (my set point for reliability).

- Oil consumption.....the Forester forum has some scary threads about high oil consumption with the new FB engine. Real, or just internet bloat?

- Finally, tapping the sheet metal of a 2013 Forester, it seemed a bit tinny to me. Just my imagination?? Do they do o.k. in the rust belt regarding salt?

- The old mantra from Subaru of America was that all four tires need to be no more than a quarter of an inch difference in circumference.

- Change your front and rear diff fluid according to the manual (replace if it says inspect) and you shouldn't have a problem. I've never had a problem with any Subaru AWD system with 1-3 Subaru's in my household at any one time since 1997.

- Good question. If you look at the post where someone posted stats in that thread, it seems to be internet bloat. However, there is someone there that is getting a replacement engine. Some of my theories are changing the factory fill too early and breaking in the engine too easily (by the book). These ARE new engines though and there are consumption threads popping up all over different Subaru forums where a 20 weight is specced (Outback, Impreza, BRZ). The dipstick is also difficult for some people to read.

-No problems in the rust belt. In fact I drive my car on the beach and do not always wash it immediately afterwards.

FWIW, a redesigned Forester comes out in the Spring.

-Dennis

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: joaks
Nothing new enough to have CVT is old enough to have head gasket problems.


Based upon the history of the 2.5 engine, I wouldn't bet on that.

 

[fdcg27]

Coolant was never the cause of HG failures in Subarus.
Bypassing the HG with the coolant may mask the symptoms, but it won't solve the problem.
The HGs must still seal the heads and block.
The FB may be immune to the HG failures that have been seen in every model year of the older 2.5, but only time will tell.
I still like our Forester, the head gaskets are fine, and my wife loves it (it's been her DD since we bought it new four years ago), but we should share known potential problems with prosective owners.

 

[Trav]

I like Subaru's a lot. I had my old thing out last night in a snow storm for fun. Awesome little snow beast! I cant say enough good things about them, really.
The only thing i don't like about Subaru is the enviro weenie image of the wagons.

 

[Norm Olt]

1. You can tow 350 lbs. with a twenty year-old Honda GoldWing. Not a problem with any current Subaru model, engine or transmission.

2. Subarus have been for the most part very durable. The "head gasket" issue was very short lived (IMHO) and only affected a few models: unfortunately, those few individuals who actually had the "problem" can't seem to ever forget that it was a limited malady which was corrected a long time ago...

Try rear wheel bearings on the SVX if you want to see a problem that took a while to find a solution, and what it really had to do with was correctly preparing the replacement parts (shipped with the wrong grease: almost like cosmoline vs. the synthetic grease they needed).

3. Make that "extremely durable"!

4. AWD is only an unnecessary (and useless!) benefit if you never happen to drive in the rain: every one knows that!

5. The AWD mpg "penalty" becomes almost moot when you look at the almost 30% highway mpg increase in the 2012-on Impreza...

Cheers!