Hi, I have just bought a 2017 Subaru Forester XT. I was looking to get a full sized spare wheel to replace the space saver spare wheel. However, the Subaru dealer has told me that it will not fit in the wheel well in the boot, even partly. I have posted on the American Subaru forum and someone with a 2014 Subaru Forester XT has confirmed that a full sized spare tyre will not fit in the boot. They have fitted a swing out tyre carrier to their car. They have said that you will need a trailer hitch which the Subaru dealer should be able to install and then a swing out tyre carrier. Trailer hitch is American English for towbar. A detachable towbar from a Subaru dealer costs £645.00, including fitting. The Hitchgate Solo swing out tyre carrier from Wilco off road in the U.S. costs £1,150.00 plus however much delivery and import taxes would be. So this is not a cheap option. Plus the cost of the full sized spare wheel. Has anyone in the UK fitted a swing out tyre carrier to a Subaru Forester? I presume the number plate would need to be put in a different location? I guess someone with one of the new e-boxer Subaru Foresters may have done this, as there is no room to fit any kind of spare wheel in the boot? In a way I would quite like to do this, despite the expense. For quite a few years I had a Suzuki Grand Vitara from 2004, which I have just sold. This had a spare wheel attached to the rear door. David

I have a problem when starting my 2012 XV diesel after a long-ish run. i.e., when the engine has been fully warmed up—when I come back to the car, it sometimes makes a rather unpleasant sound when I turn the key and start it. It sounds to me as if the starter motor may not be engaging correctly. The car has never failed to start, and it doesn't require turning the engine over a lot. Has anyone had experience of this?

Hey guys, just after some reassurance that the Fuji timing guide I fitted has enough clearance as it's much tighter than OEM on the left side. It won't sit any higher than you can see, so is that by design?

So it turns out that the full sized spare wheel does not fit in to the wheel well at all, and sticks up from the boot floor around six inches. This is more boot space than I am prepared to give up. Also, the Subaru dealer said that they were unable to find a bolt long enough to secure it to what the space saver spare wheel was bolted to. So I will give up on this idea for now and keep the space saver spare wheel. I will have the money I paid for the full sized wheel refunded. What I don't understand is that the space saver spare wheel must be the same diameter as the wheels on the car, only slimmer? So why won't a full sized spare wheel go some of the way in to the spare wheel well? I was prepared to make something out of wood to raise the boot floor around 2 inches, but 6 inches is too much. The Subaru dealer said that it might be possible to get a steel spare wheel that would fit. That he thought would be better than the space saver. However, there would still be the 50 mile an hour speed restriction for this wheel. The XT has 18 inch diameter wheels, but I don't see why this would make any difference.

Hi, I’ll stick a few pics in to see what you all think. Never thought of that before, I seem to be stuck in the 1970s where tech is concerned! Lol. (Needs a wash as it’s been dusty here)