jingaloonies

2 years of Forester ownership & totally fed up, so time to head back to Skoda, from whence I came. Bought an ex-demo diesel from dealer near Edinburgh in Oct 2017. Since then, 4 trips back there for repairs under warranty. 1. Aircon flexi hose replaced 2. Aircon condenser replaced. 3. Both front bottom arm rear bushes replaced. 4. Section of exhaust fractured at flange, replaced. All visits needed a 100 mile round-trip, fuel at my cost. To be fair, no quibbles about work as long as I had full (any or non-Subaru) service records, which I did. Courtesy car available as & when, all work completed quickly so I was back under way again. However, very disappointing from the reliability point of view, since I bought my first ever Scooby on that reputation, along with the space & load carrying ability I need. Recent test drives in Skoda Karoq & Kodiaq are leading me back there, quality of fit & finish, along with driver & passenger friendly bells & whistles make the driving experience way ahead of Scoobies. Maybe I had a bad'un, but back to Skoda I go. 10 years of Skoda ownership,3 yrs in Octavia estate & 7 yrs in Yetis. 2 yrs in 140 L&K + 5 yrs in 170 Elegance & other than regular services, only faults were a failed sunroof control switch & failed heater element in driver's seat, so nothing compared to 2 yrs of Forester ownership. Adios & I have no intention of going anywhere near Scoobies again, I still have at least 15 yrs more driving left, but by then, maybe all our diesels will have been taxed to the hilt to get us off the roads. Nissan Leaf etc. just don't do it for me, not enough load room or range. Anyone else had similar problems with Foresters, I'd be very pleased to hear?

I had Yokohamas from new, on my 66 plate Forester & they were terrible at the front, much the same as your experience. Try Vredestein Sportrac5, they are much better. Usual disclaimer, I have no connection with that tyre maker or any particular dealer other than a very happy Vredestein user.

Wee bit late catching your post, but my 66 plate Forester needed an aircon hose & condenser in under 1 year of my onwership. It was an ex-demo from my nearest dealer near Edinburgh, got a good deal. Now had it's first MOT & passed, but the exhaust has fractured at one of the flanges of the y-piece & the TPMS flagging up spurious alarms when all pressures are good. Soon as it's fixed. I'm trading it in & going back to Skoda, a brand I had for 10 years, but needed more room than a Yeti & the then new Kodiaq was a wee bit over budget.

Nearly 2 years into Forester ownership & very disappointed. I bought into the Subaru brand on the reliability reputation. Just under 2 years ownership, 1 aircon hose, 1 aircon condenser & next week, part of the exhaust system will be replaced, fractured & it sounds like an old Fergie tractor. Constant TPMS alarms when all pressures are correct. Not the experience I was hoping for after 10 years of 3 different Skoda models apart from usual servicing, I needed 1 sunroof control switch & 1 driver's seat heater element. Looking for another Skoda, probably a Karoq, or if the budget can stretch a wee bit, a Kodiaq. The original tyres were Yokohama Geolander, but front ones were gone by 25k miles,no grip, steering very woolly & washing out at anything more than a 45 degree angle, particularly on damp or wet roads. I now have a couple of Vredestein Sportrac5, a complete contrast, they have so much more grip & control. Usual disclaimers, I have no connection with any specific tyre supplier other than a very satisfied customer of Vredestein. Very interested to hear of other folk's experiences.

Thanks for all your help, dealer has done a check & it's been the DPF regenerating. Not an issue I'd come across before, but looking at various websites, I've nowt to worry about. However, with the recent warm weather, found that the aircon ain't working. First diagnosis was a leaking hose on system, that was changed then it was pressure tested & found that the condenser was faulty. After that was changed, all well for a couple of days then what sounded like the aircon compressor started making one hell of a racket, so not wanting to cause further damage, potentially, back it went for another inspection. Fortunately, not the compressor, turned out to be part of a heat shield around the turbo was split & it was just conicidental that when the aircon comp was running, enough vibration on the engine to start the clattering of the heat shield. A quick dab with the mig welder & all silent again. The technician told me that this is a fault known to be developing & a recall will be on the cards soon to fit a re-designed part. All staff unfailingly helpful & accommodating with provision of a courtesy car f.o.c every time & parts supply was swift, as was fitting. However, in the 7 months I've owned the Scooby, it's had more trips to a dealer than 7 years of Skoda Yeti ownership & 3 years of Octavia ownership, not quite what I was expecting from a brand renowned for it's reliability, one of the main reasons I went into Subaru ownership & believe me, I did a lot of research as this will probably last me ten years or more. Dealer is 55 miles away so it's costing me fuel every trip, but fortunately, I have family close by so I can always grab a coffee with them. Any others had similar problems detailed above, I'd be very pleased to hear? If I have any further problems, I'll be looking to get the car replaced, as I paid the deposit on a credit card with the associated protection. Cheers the noo from a very sunny Scottish Borders.

OK, oil cons has settled down a lot & after checking many other sites on the subject & talking to the dealer who sold me the car, it looks like the smoke is most likely the dpf regenerating itself. This is totally new to me but after reading the manual more thoroughly, found some info, although the warning light has not been on. It's going in for a check in 10 days & have the aircon looked at, that's not working & with the weather warming up over the last week or so, has been necessary. As an experienced motorist, I know to give the aircon a spin every week or so in the cold weather. Thanks for the assistance given above & I'll keep you posted on what the dealer finds. Cheers.

Morning, all, new to Subaru ownership but not owner's fora. Took ownership of an ex-demo Forester Diesel 66 plate with 9k miles on a few months ago, now has an extra 4.5k miles, economy on the up, was 38.1mpg when I got it, now creeping up to 41.7mpg. That's the good news on consumption, but the oil is dropping slowly, not dramatically, but noticeable over my mileage. There's a very visible cloud of smoke after driving in traffic around the Edinburgh area in the lower gears at low revs & accelerating onto less congested roads & changing up through the gears.It then clears completely on the open road & it doesn't seem to make any difference if it's cold or up to normal operating temp. Is this a common and/or well known aspect of Subaru diesels, or have I got a duff one, any suggestions welcomed. My previous daily drive was a well used Yeti 2.0 TDi with the 170 bhp motor & oil consumption was negligible between services, usually every 16 to 18k miles & that had 73k miles on when I sold it. Cheers for any ideas.