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I had my battery killed by a hardwired dashcam, forgot it came by default motion sensing recording enabled and no timeout.

Greetings, I'm a brand new member casting about for some help with my Suby. It is a 2006 Outback with 112,000 or so miles. I LOVE this car! Anyway, several days ago I found a dead battery so I charged it and the next day, dead again. (BTW, the battery is a DieHard 18 months old.) Today I removed the neg battery cable and found a current drain in excess of 2 amps!!! with everything turned off. Duh, I wonder why it went dead? Anyway, I removed every one of the fuses in the cabin and engine compartment and never saw a drop in the staggering current drain. I'm at a loss as to the next steps. Would an OBD2 scanner shed any light on the trouble? I've been a shade tree mechanic all my life but at 81, I'm slowing down. I would be most appreciative of ANY suggestions of what to do next! Thanks in advance for your help! David

I will keep trying. Interesting comment as i have had bonnet open. Thank you-I will close and retry. to be honest I do not know what im doing. I recall my first forester and having to put a pin into keypad but that was with the seller. So long ago Ive forgotten sequences and do Inuse star button or hash before/after? Is there a handy guide on the internet somewhere to getting keyfobs and alrms going ? Ive tried searching through the subaru youtube videos. Most not for 2006 era vehicles, or for UK variants.

If it were me I would try every sequence in turn and ensure that I am sat in the drivers seat with all doors and boot/bonnet closed. Sometimes its a case of trying different variables and seeing if the outcome changes Please let us know how you get on with it all

Hi, my 2006 Forester is totally immobilsed. Been off road for a couple of months, and was turning it over until the very cold snap a few weeks ago, battery died. It needs to go for MOT but will move on to my property and SORN (not an issue). Car is immobilised but I can gain entry by key. Central locking does not work remotely by fob. Ive put a brand new car battery in. The car was completely without power for a few weeks. New batteries in both original fobs. Windows and lights work. On insertion of key in ignition, indicators flash rapidly and alarm will trigger after 30 seconds, can only turn off alarm by turning off ignition. I have original silver key code stickers. The code might have been changed by previous owner - I had no need to use before battery change. I believe the alarm is a Thatcham sigma system with the multifunction keypad and i have original Subaru paperwork including ECU serial no. Its a second vehicle bought because of memories of another Forester years before and has generally been reliable, and body is in great condition as is interior but probably not worth a lot, and nothing in current state so I just need to understand costs to balance whether it is economically viable to fix this issue before I start other work - and how to/what do I do next? Local-ish auto locksmith doesnt want to touch Subaru and another wont give any estimate before arrival. Im in a town with no nearby Subaru specialist. Can you advise how to reset keyfobs/code to immobiliser and alarm / solve the problem? Thanks in advance.

It a pretty simple circuit in terms of modern auto electrics,, you either got electrical pulse at the lock when activated or you haven't . If you have then it tailgate latch side issue, if you haven't it fuse/wiring/relay/module/button related . 5 minutes with a multimeter and a basic scan tool should give enough data narrow down area to investigate further ... Latch actuator and button are quite common failures on these . This the problem with all this electrical crap on modern vehicles, mechanical principles of boot release/opening far better, lasts pretty much forever, less parts thus less environmental impact & if did get an issue it generally easier/cheaper visual inspection and adjustment/repair . Move onto something like a Tesla which rammed full of pointless low quality electronics and software and purposefully engineered barriers for diag/repair options and the drama and cost is literally insane ... Point here is buy vehicles with a lot of thought and take a lot more thought on how you spend money trying get repairs ... Don't assume newer is less maintenance and hassle as in my workshop reality is newer it is the more goes wrong and the more ballache and more cost to resolve it ...

My first thought would be wiring from the car coming through to the tailgate which is encased in a rubber gaitor. What tends to happen is when the tailgate is opened and closed it bends the wires to the point that they break. If this has occurred it is difficult sometimes to see it where it is located but you can also test for continuity with a multimeter. Also, if some wiring shorted out then possibly check all the fuses to see if any have popped. Also, check for all earth points leading to and from the tailgate for corrosion.

I would start with removing the bonnet switch, cleaning and examining it - test with a multimeter that there is continuity when opened/closed and also the connections for dirt, corrosion, etc. If all else fails then bypassing will work, but not sure how many thieves would pop the bonnet which they still have to enter the car to release so its not a major thing in reality.

I have a 2012 XV SE diesel and the tailgate has stopped opening. Thus far I have replaced the latch, replaced the switch in the tailgate, had the wiring checked (£85) only to be told it's not working! Central locking on all doors works fine from key and door lock on drivers door but the tailgate is dead. Apparently all the wiring form car through to tailgate is fine . Any ideas where to look next please?

South lanarkshire

It looks like there may be an issue with the bonnet sensor, does anyone know if this is adjustable or would it need replacing. A few times after I've opened the bonnet to check levels etc. the car alarm triggered when I locked the car. It seemed to cure itself after a couple of goes but then the alarm went off for no apparent reason at bedtime in a hotel car park! So now I feel I can't trust it and I'm locking the car with the key

The parts are all individually balanced (or at least should be at manufacture stage if they of any good brand/supply source) clatter at tickover a problem but probably not balancing, bad balance be much much worse at higher revs .

I'm thinking of replacing my dual mass on my 2013 XV diesel with a single mass, I have replaced a dual mass on a Navara with a single mass twice – the first time the Nissan garage spent a lot of time dynamically balancing the new assembly – the second time, in a smaller business, they didn't do so well, and the vehicle had a horrendous clatter on tickover... Have people noticed this on their Subarus?

Made light work of it the machine definitely saved our backs 😅

Thats a great outcome and worth the hard work and effort then, Never seen a digger used to load an engine in before :-)

Lincolnshire

Well the engines in and running sweet as a nut didnt have to swap anything over the injectors are bang on no rough idle, smoke or any sign of them needing coding.

So, another update done to FC7BHM151-070. This is the latest update for my 2022 Outback. Map still showing version 40849, need a subscription to update that it appears and links for contact details for that are not working! I believe there was an update in November 2025.

It's possible, but it definitely "comes on" around 40 kph and then goes off above and below that speed.

Thank you. I will look again at what is available on line.

Maybe a hunt for seats on eBay may result in some more info on what fits what... Some retailers use the search facility to put in the models that the seats will fit and this can be helpful to know before jumping in to buying them

There is a follow on update FC7BHM141-070 that has brought the new style display onto my 2022 Outback. Linked car to home WiFi to update.

I think the part number is 81611VC000. Although this is from a site in the States and is for a WRX, this seems to be the same on the battery cover on my Outback: STM Tuned Inc.Subaru OEM Battery Positive Red Cover for 2022+ WRX (8161...Genuine OEM Subaru factory replacement battery positive terminal red plastic cover for 2022+ WRX.

Sutherland

I've just acquired my second Legacy, a JDM 2011 Subaru Outback 2.5l, and I have seen replacement seats for the 2004-2005 series that I like. The vendor is not sure if they will fit, so I wonder if anyone on the list can give me advice about this. Thank you for any help or advice you can give me.