Servicing for a 2007 Forester XT Auto

[JoeCoppen]

Hi I’ve just purchased a lovely second hand Forester from an elderly driver.  She had taken very good care of it.

I want to investigate how much a service will cost? Where best to get the work carried out and what my options are.  Two dealers quoted me £330-£340.

The car has covered 35k miles and been serviced annually by its previous owner.

 

thanks 

[Judd]

Well bought, i thought mine was low mileage at mid 40's but yours is a rare gem.

Not many Subaru indies about, two options of good ones i know of, either Zen performance at St Ives Cambs who you'd have to travel to, or you could ring Tim Farmer who's mobile and lives in Lincolnshire, he's on 07880 661866 and will obviously come to you.

Make sure whoever does the job includes stripping cleaning and re-lubing the brakes properly.

[JoeCoppen]

Judd thank you mate that’s a blessing to know.   Have you modified yours? 
any suggestions on tasteful additions to improve the drive and capability of the car?

[Judd]

LPG conversion, also bought a set of Rallyflaps for the STi version which with a minor bit of jiggery pokery i made fit the standard XT, good rally style flaps have made a massive difference to the amount of mucky spray the car kicks up (mine are plain black), i've also extensively rustproofed the car as i do with all long term cars.

We run the standard 17" wheels with a summer set of tyres,  but i already had the alternative 215/60 x 16 wheels with almost new winter tyres which we used on the previous Outback, so obviously they go on during the winter season, if i didn't already have the winter set i'd probably have fitted a set of Vredestein Quatrac all seaons tyres for all year use, the ride is noticeably more comfortable on the 16" rubber though being winter rubber its softer compound..

Standard brakes all round, more than adequate and cheap and simple to work on, as is everything about the car apart from spark plugs, after a couple of years the engine light came on, auxilliary air pump failed (they all do that sir) and they've been removed and programmed out.

Be aware, if and when the exhaust needs replacing do not think that you can get the right aftermarket jobbie supplied anywhere, you can't, and i nearly dropped a clanger over this, but thanks to Mr B a regular poster here who warned me at the last moment and i avoided that mistake.  The standard system on our cars is 2.5", the aftermarket replacements they try and sell you wrongly are the 2" system meant for the 2.0 litre NA model, instead i had a stainless system made and fitted at MIJ Walsall while i waited for just under £300 (plus a drink for the lads) which was £50 cheaper than the mild steel wrong system was going to cost anyway.  If you have a poke nose on this forum you'll find a thread from me and some pics of the fitted system.

Other than that it does everything we ask of it,  i overservice all my cars anyway, and on that note if yours is the automatic you'll find the gearbox has its own external spin on transmission filter, looks like an engine oil filter but works the opposite way, filtering only part of the oil constantly unlike the engine filter which filters all oil continually, i've changed that and given the car a quick gearbox oil change every now and again, possibly even easier than an engine oil change, seriously these cars are so easy to work on.

No visible modifications as such, i like the fact it looks like an ice cream van with no XT badges, only the bonnet scoop giving the game away and only petrolheads would know what that means, so you don't get hot heads in hot hatches trying to prove anything.

 

[JoeCoppen]

Credit to MIJ in Walsall.  Fantastic job and a lovely burble.

[Judd]

Blimey you didn't waste any time.

Yes, they're ok at MIJ and being Walsall/West Mids plenty of decent little cafes around to stuff your face at while the jobs being done.