wrcguy Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 I have a 2006 Forester XE Auto with Self Levelling Rear Suspension. As is common with this type of suspension, it fails. Mine was lop sided on the OSR, so after investigating the cause my garage diagnosed a failed rear damper. Price for a genuine Subaru replacement is £483.00 plus VAT. Garage recommended changing the pair, so that would have ben just over £1000 with fitting !!!. No way could I justify this for a 10 year old Scooby, as much as I love her. After a lot of research, I came across a company called http://www.subaruforesterparts.co.uk. Really really helpful guy called Sean runs it. Clearly knows his stuff as far as Foresters is concerned believe me !!!. Recommended fitting a replacement pair of Pedders rear shocks and springs. My concerns initially were that maybe the ride height would be different and the car would look imbalanced. Absolutely not true and i have now had Sean / Pedders fit this suspension to my Forester and it has totally transformed the car, drives and handles so much better. Price is unbeatable as well. £342.95 for the pair and currently on sale on eBay......Look here !!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122226501420 What this guy does not know about Foresters is not worth knowing and I highly recommend him. Totally trustworthy and an all round top bloke Sean is based near Enfield, North London and will either fit for you or supply and ship. Whole job took about 30 minutes !!!! Hope this may help anyone in a similar predicament. Brian 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treaney Posted November 21, 2016 Share Posted November 21, 2016 Brian: Thanks for the positive story re Sean/Pedders. If you are wondering what to do with the money you saved, a donation to Subaru Owners Club never goes amiss 🤔 Sent from my SM-T550 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrcguy Posted November 21, 2016 Author Share Posted November 21, 2016 OK, thanks for that !! May well do !!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr B Posted November 22, 2016 Share Posted November 22, 2016 You can beat peddars kit price by £100 you can fit the kyb struts (kyb shocks can be found under £50 each inc p&p) KYB excel-G come with 2yr warranty and kyb do non sls springs or suplex range has springs aso, both giving oem ride height. If wanting specific ride height, tow or carry lot of weight or firmer handling then springcoil.co.uk do custom spec springs for SG at about £120 a pair and they A1 quality . 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Wilkins Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 On 21/11/2016 at 5:40 PM, wrcguy said: I have a 2006 Forester XE Auto with Self Levelling Rear Suspension. As is common with this type of suspension, it fails. Mine was lop sided on the OSR, so after investigating the cause my garage diagnosed a failed rear damper. Price for a genuine Subaru replacement is £483.00 plus VAT. Garage recommended changing the pair, so that would have ben just over £1000 with fitting !!!. No way could I justify this for a 10 year old Scooby, as much as I love her. After a lot of research, I came across a company called http://www.subaruforesterparts.co.uk. Really really helpful guy called Sean runs it. Clearly knows his stuff as far as Foresters is concerned believe me !!!. Recommended fitting a replacement pair of Pedders rear shocks and springs. My concerns initially were that maybe the ride height would be different and the car would look imbalanced. Absolutely not true and i have now had Sean / Pedders fit this suspension to my Forester and it has totally transformed the car, drives and handles so much better. Price is unbeatable as well. £342.95 for the pair and currently on sale on Ebay......Look here !!! http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/122226501420 What this guy does not know about Foresters is not worth knowing and I highly recommend him. Totally trustworthy and an all round top bloke Sean is based near Enfield, North London and will either fit for you or supply and ship. Whole job took about 30 minutes !!!! Hope this may help anyone in a similar predicament. Brian This is really helpful, I've got a 2009 Forester which handles very poorly, a bit like a boat, under steer and worse when under load. I will try the guys you suggest. Thanks David W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrcguy Posted December 19, 2016 Author Share Posted December 19, 2016 Hi David, glad you found the article useful, I am delighted with my Pedders rear suspension. If you can't make it upto Sean, you can have them shipped to you. I actually had mine fitted at Pedders themselves in Buckinghamshire after Sean arranged it. Very straightforward DIY job if you feel upto doing it yourself or a Garage would fit for you I am sure. On a separate note, I also had a problem with my NSF Headlight. It was permanently full of condensation and after talking to Sean, he offered to re seal the unit for me as apparently this is also a common problem. Had tried before unsuccessfully to locate a secondhand one. Thanks to him I now have perfect rear suspension again and condensation free headlights Hope this helps and good luck and do contact Sean. Regards Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Wilkins Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Thanks Brian, I will definitely follow up the suspension in the New Year. I discovered something else on Sunday, the glass sun roof has a crack (at least 6 - 8" long) from the OSF corner inwards diagonally. I think I can get this replaced as part of my insurance (cost approx. £900!) and from initial enquiries with Nat Windscreens the glass and frame with seals would be replaced but not the tracks. I am a little concerned because I have heard there can be issues with the motor and I don't want to have to replace that as well, which the insurance would probably not cover. When closing your sun roof does it stop at certain points, needing you to release and deactivate the button or does it just close in one steady action? My vehicle is the new shape on a late 2008 plate. Thanks David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrcguy Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Hi David, sorry to hear about your cracked sunroof, good news that you can claim on your glass cover section of your insurance though, otherwise that like a lot of Subaru parts would be a very expensive repair. Co incidentally I also have a similarly issue with mine and often struggle to close the roof in one go with it stopping intermittently. I often have to resort to exerting a bit of pressure on the sun shield as it closes to help it on its way. I haven't investigated replacing the motor, particularly now winter is here. I will ask Sean's advice about it for mine and would suggest you do the same when you speak to him about your suspension. Just a thought though. Not sure when you're MOT is due but my shocks were quite bad when the originals came off and would very likely have failed it's MOT. Might be worth sorting depending how bad they are of course, before your MOT is due. hope this helps regards brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Wilkins Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Thanks for your further thoughts. Sounds like the insurance company want to attempt a repair of the glass, if that's possible! Will let you know what they do. Best wishes David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrcguy Posted December 21, 2016 Author Share Posted December 21, 2016 Ok David, be interested to hear how they get on?. Will let you know if I find a cure for the sticking mechanism as well Speak soon Brian Sent from my iphone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrcguy Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 Hi David, I have been doing some research into the other thing we discussed about the sticking sunroof and according to some people, the way we both have found it to work is a common issue. Some people say that it is meant to be like that, but I am not so sure ?. Anyway, a couple of people have pointed me here, so have a look and see what you think. There is a Youtube Video link for you to look at as well 1) Reset the sunroof motor. (1) Close the sunroof lid completely, and then push the switch to close for more than 1 second. (At this time, the sunroof operates 50 mm (1.97 in) each intermittently. And also the switch is needed to push for several times.) (2) Open the sunroof lid approx. 400 mm (15.75 in). (3) Close the sunroof lid completely, and then push the switch to close for more than 1 second. (Sunroof operates automatically by performing this operation.) Hope this helps !!! Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Wilkins Posted December 22, 2016 Share Posted December 22, 2016 Thanks Brian, these YouTube videos are brilliant, really helpful. Takes the mystery out of it. My insurance company have asked me to get a quote for replacing the glass from Subaru dealer, which I'm now waiting for. When it gets done I will ask them to check for dirt / gunge on the rails. Will try realigning the motor as per your description and let you know if any different. thanks again David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wrcguy Posted December 22, 2016 Author Share Posted December 22, 2016 No worries David, just thought it might help us both really ?. Will have a go on mine when I get the chance and let you know how I get on. Could be good option having dealer change the glass on the roof as with it all apart they could very easily look closely at the rails and mechanism etc. Not sure how heavy the glass is to remove but could be a 2 person job. I do have a garage but like most people I can't get a car inside it !!!!. Be a bit nicer to do inside a cosy garage as opposed to on my driveway at this time of year . Also, these are the Pedders rear shocks I had fitted. http://www.subaruforesterparts.co.uk/_p/prd1/4511656601/product/forester-sf5-1997-2002-ezifit-rear-kit Speak soon and let me know what your dealer says ?. Incidentally I noticed your profile says you are in Devon. My Forester was originally supplied by Pollitts in Exeter !!!! Brian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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