Leaderboard

Soon as the snow was gone I decided to give it a quick rinse over and take it for a essential "spin dry " Started to dry it off by hand a bit and soon noticed blisters in the paint ,about 30 on the roof alone Some down the drivers side rear 1/4 and on the front bumper It was painted by a reputable company that does bmw main stealer paintwork 3 years ago this april . So thought I'd take it to the body shop that carried out the paintwork , just to see if he had any idea why this happened and how much to put it right . The paint shop is owned by Rick Kerr

unfortunately environment and H&S good excuses to make cheaper products and they can make more money not just through cost reduction but through fact you need 2 or 3X the replacements due to short service life (great for environment is all that extra service parts and packaging) . Don't get started on electric handbrakes lol, classic stupidity partly to cause complexity and make you need use professional services and require more equipment and service/repair data . Amazing thing as well is most vehicle owners will have no idea how use their electric brake in an emergency Lot of hass

car stereo aerial cable?

Had plenty of snow on the Suffolk coast in the end 😎 I've played in the snow in the scooby plenty of times over the years .So I didn't bother going out in it, mainly due to salt but also not wanting some ken block wannabe in a fwd slamming into me either 🤐 Ended up looking like a fugly Tesla cyber truck 😥 Started to melt now , hopefully a few days rain to wash the salt off the roads and I can use it for something essential 🤔

Things progressing along. Sub frames are off being blasted and painted gloss black. Head is skimmed, new valve guides and been reseated. Lot of carbon build up so needed to be acid bathed and soda blasted A few more pics. New engine. And some lower trailing arms that were a bit beyond their best

GSF current 60% off brakes oil and filters.

Hi All, I eventually took the plunge and bought black wheels. Happy with the result. So much so I plant get the front grill and door handles powder coated black, so sync things up...or maybe I am loosing the run of myself...;-)

just come thru post......spot weld drills.....roll on good weather 😃

Compared to our Landcruiser (a completely different system with electric pump for brake assistance) yes the typical Forester brakes feel poor in comparison. I don't think this is a fault as such its just that where so many modern cars are overservoed, Subarus are more old fashioned in that regard requiring more pedal pressure, no trouble stopping our Forester but it requires probably twice the pedal pressure required in other overservoed or overassisted vehicles, i prefer that to the too soft braking of the Toyota but my wife prefers the other way round, by the way the handbrake is excell

Interesting. My grandson is approaching 17 and hopefully looking to buy a car. His current favourite is the Dacia Sandero which is based on the Renault Clio, not last years or the year before but this years. It’s just won the What Car “car of the year”. These kind of brands often treated as a joke mature over the years can become real competition with better equipment and much improved reliability as the brand develops. I remember only too well when I bought my Skoda Yeti the fellow members of my walking group regaling me with the old jokes, how do you double the value of a Skoda? - f

Excellent! Thank you! This is what I have done and hopefully all is well, I believe when I first did the gaskets I used the sohc method and that may be why I had a weep of water from the cylinders. Thanks for the help @savage bulldogs

And in other news the Polo G40 arrived yesterday

Engine work well underway now. Head being separated and new block has arrived

That’s brilliant, thanks a lot mate for the detailed response and ideas. Honestly I’ve got no interest (currently) in having more power. She’s an old girl and needs looking after 😉 I’ve got this beast when I want to tear it up with the boy racers! Haha

No updates or mods? are you feeling ok, i'm very worried about you,,,,, lol looking good dude

So haven't had any updates as I've just been (essentially) driving ,grinning ,cleaning and repeat 😎 Did take a few pics after using it to price the plastering in a barn conversion . gotta say the 2.1 and the new geo set up lapped up the country lanes 😜 Literally, it was filthy when I got back 😂 well impressed with the xmas pressie clay cloth company snow foam n lance is a great bit of kit . Took another vid which shows the difference between normal ,first two blips of the throttle and anti lag enabled. you can hear the idle change o

and how many after a drive let it tickover for cooling period to stop excessive heat build so it cools down evenly so it dont leave hot spots

Up to v4 (early 98 ) the ecus aren't remappable without fitting a esl daughter board, so either that or a aftermarket ECU is needed to change ECU map parameters . That v5/v6 ECU is remappable using just software (ecutek) but unfortunately it wont fit into a v3/v4, due to different ecu harness plugs and engine loom differences . If you're after a cheaper alternative ,a stock ECU from a v3/v4 wrx would plug n play ,as long as the injectors are the same size /colour as your current v3/v4 uk . WRX's generally run the same engines and turbos as the uk counterparts of the same version but

Yes it is the aerial cable for the car stereo

Water pump best done unless it very low miles (use oem pump only, they about £95), they do tend last 200K with ease but I be changing it unless ultra low mileage where it silly throwing totally serviceable quality parts away . Your problem is if does turn into bigger job the price at dealer get stupid fast and they might not be as flexible at solution paths . At point of engine build you be better off sourcing used engine or donor vehicle for simple swap . (get a lot cheap thanks to subframe corrosion) Hopefully they done some due diligence already such as leak-down test so know what hea

Kits for the sumitomo calipers are quite pricey, hard chrome piston kits under half cost of stainless and stainless kits good 35% more expensive than lot of other caliper stainless piston kits unfortunately . Price for doing it yourself will mount up if need refinish/paint caliper by times include cleaning/prep and refinishing products . If finish still good then general diy strip and rebuild with decent kit is viable and may save money, as soon as needs total finishing you generally always better off using professional services unless want the project and even more so when got recommended

A couple of pictures attached of my daily drives

tbh £2500 is around where i would guess given your age. Most specialists wont go near you till your 25, Try the price comparison websites. Young + performance car = bend over and take it dry when it comes to insurance.

A contributing factor to wheel bearings failing is sticking brakes. If they stick on they cause the hub to run far hotter than it is designed to do. Lack of use, lack of maintenance and poor repairs are the main causes of sticking brakes. Pads can stick in the carrier, slides can corrode and stick, brake shoes can drag. Always a good idea to strip the brake pads out, clean the caliper carrier, grease the pads each time the car is serviced. With the rear pads removed, its a good time to check the function and adjustment of the brake shoes (if fitted)

That I wouldn't know as I am not familiar with the HSD product. @Tidgy what is the standard ride height of your motor and what are you running with your setup?

autodoc are okay, comes from germany generally, is about 3 different websites that bassically same suppliers. Prices can be good and if buying several items shipping cost is minimal extra ....

Thanks for the links & help. I'll take the wheel off and measure the discs that are on the car. That's the easiest way to work out what I need.

Just looked 2010 Forester up, hopefully yours are 294mm vented, Brembo come up at £69.50 for a pair, the small discs 280mm are much more expensive for some reason coming in @ £146, and no i wouldn't be paying that either and would be looking elsewhere. Ebay try listing 124191353678 for smaller Brembo discs plus pads £128 all in, i have no knowledge of the seller this is just an example for you after 5 mins searching. Also, never used these people but prices look keen enough, bookmarking them myself. https://www.autodoc.co.uk/car-parts/brake-disc-10132/subaru/forester/forester-sh

Ahh yes - Hopefully that will work

Since my last post I have got what I believe to be the correct inner CV boots. I believe the lack of grease was caused by the boots being wrong, and so it all leaked out. I packed lots of grease into the joints, and re-assembled with the right boots and clips. So far everything seems to be good, no vibrations on the limited test drive I have been able to go on. Once lockdown is over I will be able to give it a proper test with some longer journeys just to check everything really is sorted once and for all. Ah yes, I worked on Classic cars for a few summers not long ago and they were all v

Great post Judd. And very helpful too. Sounds like Brembo discs & pads at the front, along with a good strip & service and maybe switch in a set of Brembos in the rear, to match the existing Brembo discs, wouldn't do any harm. I'll check the handbrake adjustment. I did wonder about replacing the rear drum shoes at the time but didn't because A) The new shoes didn't look like they had any more meat on them than the ones already on the car and B) They seemed rather expensive for shoes that don't even have to work on a spinning wheel, all they have to do is hold. ( As an aside

Hey everyone, I thought I would recommend Helensburgh Subaru to anyone looking for a Subaru in the West of Scotland. I usually deal with a gentleman called 'Gavin' there who has provided great service. Thomas 🙂

Gotta soft spot for old v dubs a mate of mine has a transverse swapped 500hp 1.8t in a mk2 golf syncro . And a self converted 3.3 turbo 4wd mk1 golf that's a absolute animal pic of the syncro . Engine teardown is coming along nicely 😎

now you let cat out the bag.....yeah you dont earn no claims and limited to mileage,,,but you can up mileage and make bespoke insurance policy...my past cars for 18years are ford cortina mk2 1600e then triumph 2000 mk1 estate and now a brown dolomite 1300 but back too your age they may not insure you til your 25,,,sorry age is a factor...but phone up and ask

Thank you, I literally do just that! with the autotrader reg plates and checking how much they would be lol. "no amount of training or intense courses will prep you for how people behave on the road" my mum says the exact same, the amount of accidents I've nearly been in from other people driving in silly ways is endless. I say nearly and only because Im overly cautious on the road for stuff like that, almost too aware or other road users! I'm not scared of it, but I just don't want to deal with the insurance and stuff that comes with it. Then I'll have no chance at a scoob... Not h

@savage bulldogs one for you chum?

I would suspect you have wrong springs on the monroe shock, the spring is specific to SLS or non SLS and is a chance SLS spring been used and that result in low height and sagging quickly with trailer tongue weight . Do your measuring again as service data diagram below as measuring from ground no good as different tyre/wheel combo's give different heights and pedders stupid for using measures like that . For guidance look at this thread > You will need buy a spring compressor tool and may also need buy new rear drop links as if rusted they easier cut off and ne

seeing as we keep getting hundreds of seperate threads with YouTube vids; why not have one thread and whack em all in here? :) i'll get things going

Here is a video link to the 2020 Subaru Levorg:

Wheel nuts all tight, wheel bearings all good, suspension good, anti roll bar links not worn etc? Correct wheels with the right spigot fitment? Transmission oils at the correct levels? If you had a centre diff in the locked position you get weird sounds and sensations as the transmission winds up, though i'm unsure if a Forester has a centre diff lock even as an option.

Low quality / cheap tyres tend to do that. I almost change wheel bearings because of that. Just a thought.

After building the 2.1 ,fitting the alk ,buying and mapping the linkg4x..... Think I'd be sleeping in it if I spent anymore on my "budget build " atm but hey it's only January, so maybe once the dust settles 😊

I generally drive off boost for the last 5 mins of my journey but if I dont get chance and stop sooner than planned , my alarm has a switchable integral turbo timer function 😊

heatcycle.....you see loads of driver get in the car turn key and floor the crap out it when it cold.boy racers are prone for it you should let the car slowly warm up,try not to engage the turbo to boost...but you know what drivers are like

Coming along nicely, looking quite clean for a uk car too . If the car is a investment (ie you're hoping it will go up in value then sell),it would probably hold its value better with the stock block refreshed at some point when needed . If you intend on lightly modifying it the classic 5 speed is only rated to around 320hp (safely) and the stock block will run the same levels . If you intend on aiming higher than that then I'd say get a 2.1 built and save for a stronger 6 speed . Then it would be the engine deck type,internals and budget that would be the limiting factor for h

I think you’ll see MPG etc. improve as Subaru get used to hybrid power trains. This is their first foray into it so it was bound to be sub-par compared to the competition. Excited to see where they go with the e-Boxer.

Thanks ernieb Ive had two earlier model XVs and neither had any lag at all...in fact they were very slippery taking off it could just be an individual car difference I suppose and perhaps it will resolve with use....only 11,000km .....the high revs is off putting as you say but Ive found the car needs to be driven slightly differently to other gear box cars.....if you use progressive acceleration it will wind up nicely without the high revs...it is not a fast accelerator and I am careful overtaking. The Hybrid is smoother and more powerful than the normal XV ..I found that test driving. W

I don't get a stutter so much as very slight lag between power demand and power delivery which I've always characterised as the CVT design. It's very much better in this car than others I've driven with an CVT. My car is not a hybrid but I did a very long test drive, best part of an hour, as part of the UK pre launch. I found the hybrid even better than my current car, the battery boost giving a noticeable boost over the pure petrol only engine. The thing that always gets to me is the high engine revs to get the maximum acceleration. One of the problems with this type of issue is one

Sf5 Forester. 2002. 2.1stroker. Cdb. Brass rings. Rcm omega pistons. Manley rods. Nitrided 2.5 crank. Dual thrust bearings. 14/12 head studs. 2.5 killer b oil pick up. 11mm oil pump uprated valve. killer b crank windage tray. fuji racing sump baffle plate. Razor sharp knife edged inlet dividers, gasket matched. Cosworth 10mm o-ring thermal spacers. tgv flaps & bar deleted, divider removed, gasket matched & polished. 1050cc id's. fuel rails & hoses. pfr7's. Modine deleted. 2 port water

looking good - that bumper protector is a nice idea as we have the plastic sill protector you have on the impreza but that doesn't stop the mad scramble from a mis timed jump