Judd

Oh well done, good choice, manual? auto? colour? Pity they've moved away from offering LPG conversions, but for some reason the official converters for several makes failed to universally fit Flashlube dispensers and one thing Japanese engines must have is flashlube (oil dispensers) running with LPG or valve seat recession is almost a dead cert after a while, as with many things the ship spoiled for a hap'orth o' tar. Even if flashlube is fitted, it uses the product (cheap enough and as simple as topping up your washer bottle) but as so many car users are bone idle and seem incapable of lifting the bonnet, if the lube runs out it might as well not have been fitted in the first place. The LPG specialist who converted cars for Mitusbishi didn't fit flashlube, and VSR was a big problem on Outlanders, then the converter went out of business...one has to wonder if that was due or in any connected to vsr problems returning re-warranty work? Happy retirement anyway.

That 02 sensor sounds a bit like ''aircon just needs a regas''. Might well be true and the seller himself is certain that's all it needs, but a new sensor might not fix the issue and the real problem might be 10 times the expense, and it beggars the question if that's all it needs why not put one on and flog it for more as a car that needs nothing doing. Other than that it sounds OK for the money, presumably you've searched the MOT history online to get an idea of any mot problems and mileage consistency?

Do Subaru still offer LPG converted cars new with full warranty?, if so that puts them in a whole new segment for economy. We've had two Subarus LPG converted, a previous H6 Outback and the current Forester XT which was converted about 3 months ago, no better on fuel obviously but at around 56 to 60p per litre it's less painful at the pumps...obviously if you are buying new or still in makers warranty then you'll only want to consider this if Subaru are still supplying pre converted cars.

Yes it does come out quickly, but next time you change your oil if you screw a Fumoto Quick Drain Valve in place of the sump plug, your days of ever spilling a drop of oil are over, you could do the job in your best suit on the living room carpet. I had one on a Hilux previously (not recommended for my current Landcruiser sadly, presumably due to sump design) which similarly would chuck 7.5 litres of oil out at a tremendous rate, a Fumoto valve made life much easier.

Old thread i know, but times have moved on in the rustproofing world, and this last winter and the amount of salt used will have taken its toll, if you haven't been under your car yet since the winter you might be in for a shock when you do. I had a brand new Hilux professionally rustproofed and whilst it was a decent enough job it was nothing to write home about considering it was over £400, i thought then and know now that i can do a better job myself. I have rustproofed cars before with good old Waxoyl, but its such a filthy horrid job, what with having to thin the stuff down and heat it up on the cooker to get it to flow, plus the inevitable splashes in the kitchen you can soon get in trouble with the boss. I'd heard of but seldom used Dinitrol, but i did read about Bilt Hamber's rustproofing products, and on one forum a chap had tested various sheets of unpainted steel with the various maker's products, and after subjecting the panels to a good salt bathing periodically left them out in the open to see how they fared. The BH treated panels were far less rusty than the others, the worse of which you might as well have not bothered coating at all. So, up to now i've treated 4 vehicles with Bilt Hamber's products, from their rust destroyer/converters and zinc spray paints through to their superb underbody and cavity waxes, i alos use their wax polishes and car and wheel washing products, finished rustproofing the Mrs' Forester this last Sunday. Where BH win hands down on the rustproofing products is the large aerosols and the simple but very effective probes for cavity wax application, over the 4 cars treatments i've never had one single blockage, which will be music to the ears of any users of previous generation products where you spent half the time unblocking the pipes and wiping up spillages. BH is not cheap stuff, but IMHO the quality plus ease of use and far less wastage when compared to the previous stuff, makes it no more expensive in the long run, and the smell doesn't last for more than a few days after treatement. Typically you will spend around £130/150 on aerosol waxes and zinc paint to treat a Subaru well, maybe a little more to do a thorough job of an Outback sized car, roughly £220/250 of product to do a Landcruiser well, that's coating the ladder chassis fully inside and out as well as cavities and the whole of the underbody and inside all doors etc. For a Forester sized car i suggest 4 to 6 750ml cans of harder underbody wax, 2 or 3 cans of softer setting cavity wax and maybe a couple of cans of zinc spray paint to coat surface rust on the subframes before you start wax coating, and pick up some really hard chassis paint, i use a two pack which is hard as hell. The most important job is preparation, you must clean the car thoroughly underbody, i have a right angle lance fitting for my high volume pressure washer which is ideal to get the under body clean. Then get each wheel off and the car up in the air....get a large thick polythene sheet and drive the car onto it before you start...and get to work with wire brushes and glass paper, rubbing down all the surface rust on the suspension and subframes, then i sprayed the derusted areas in zinc, then painted them in hard black 2 coat paint the following day, you could allow this to dry then for a week and the following weekend you'll whizz the wax sealing process off in about 3 hours. I poked the cavity wax probes up inside the doors through the drain holes, into the boot, inside the bonnet strengthening frame and inside the wheel arch liners from various points, if you put the near enough meter long probes in as far as they can go and press the trigger you'll hear and feel the spray as it passes along and the fine mist will appear from any holes nearby, a very satisfying sound that is too, also useful those cavity probes for getting the product into the suspension/subframe nooks and cranies. Body box sections you will find various rubber bungs which can be removed so the cavity stuff can go all the way along, refit bungs. I unclipped the kick treads and did the insides of the sills, we have a boot liner in cos its the dog carrier, when the liner comes out for cleaning i shall unclip the trims and feed the probes down into the insides of the wheelarches and inside the rear wings. Don't forget to whip the spare wheel out and see if any damp has got in and been trapped near the rubber centre bung, now is the time to treat it. The underbody wax is obvious how and where to apply. Before waxing though no harm in painting the exhaust in heatproof paint whilst you're there. There you go, you've rustproofed your car as good as or maybe better than the professionals and saved yourself lots of cash, its still going to be a filthy job, so good overalls, latex gloves and preferably goggles (which can be a pain as they steam up) and a breathing mask and a hat of some sort...baby wipes are good for getting drops off your face which you will inevitably collect. Then just give it a good wash underneath every spring, then have a quick poke nose see what needs topping up, half an hour later you're back on the road. I have no association with Bilt Hamber other than as a very satisfied customer, and i get no freebies or discounts other than taking advantage sometimes of buying several tins of product to get the slight bulk discount they offer on their website which anyone can, if you have access to spraying equipment then they sell their products in bulk packs too, so you save even more.

2008 Forester XT. LPG converted a couple of weeks ago (running really well), on Sunday i fully rustproofed the underbody and cavities with Bilt Hamber's finest, yesterday Monday repacked all 4 front driveshaft CV joints with fresh grease...precautionary measure having seen how hot the inners especially can get on our previous Outback. Have a Fumoto quick oil drain valve sitting in the desk waiting to go in the sump at next oil change in the autumn.

You might notice the top edge of the light unit where the side lights are housed can become very dull due to sun damage. If it looks dull use metal polish or even T cut to polish the plastic and then put a generous coat of wax polish on the area. I didn't need to change the bulbs on ours, simply polishing the lens improved things no end.

I had this problem, rare model, on our 2002 Outback H6, the centre silencer has a by pass valve fitted so when under serious power the centre box can go almost straight through, no aftermarket anywhere with this and a full OE system is getting on for a grand, the car only cost £70 more than that to buy. The answer for us was a day spent at MIJ exhausts Walsall, who fabricated a cat back system in stainless steel, all for £325 inc vat all fitted, you have a choice of tail pipes to suit your taste. It was slightly louder than we would have wanted but not uncomfortable, this was mid-range fitment, they will fit a quieter more standard system or a much more sporty system depending on your preferences. I have no affiliation with the company other than as a satisfied customer, and yes i would use them again, but you will be there for many hours so if this solution is of interest it would be worth planning going shopping or to the cinema or something to while away a few hours, as it was we had the dogs with us so spent a warm but long day in the park about 1/4 mile away near the canal. When i was getting quotes, most others were around twice this price, some three times, when i queried why so expensive they tried to say there would be no warranty or poor quality at that price, that could not be further from reality, the exhaust was of solid construction which showed no signs of deterioration over time and has a lifetime warranty anyway. They also offer some exhaust pre made by mail order for DIY fitting, whether your car is pne such i do not know. Alternatively maybe you have another exhaust specialist nearby who could make one up for you at a fair price...indeed if you are Yorkshire based then i understand West Yorks has one or two places such as MIJ who are realistic on charging.

Well i took the plunge and bought the Rally Flaps, literally because there was nothing else worth bothering with and none too sure the Gorilla jobbies from the USA would have been any better fitments, much depends on any differences in any bodykits fitted to various models. The rears went on as designed, the fronts required new holes drilling in the flaps and the stainless support brackets supplied with them, it would have been very awkward to do the job without removing one wheel at a time. Happy with the product.

You may not want to hear this but what its on now compliments it, it looks 'right', none of the others do the car any favours IMHO. But one man's meat etc.

Good Grief Andrew, i thought i was the only one left who believes in tip top servicing being the way to keep motors running well, and if you do all the stuff like this yourself its cheap as chips, rather happy to find i'm not the only one out there. I tend to buy 5W40 full synthetic of a good make in 20 litre packs when its on offer, i use the same oil in my Landcruiser, however i thought i was getting a bit low on oil and had another 4x5 litre packs delivered, only to find i still had a box with 4x5 litre packs still in the garage So now just about to start on the Fuchs batch and then it will be Elf, is being slightly bonkers an advantage i wonder or is it compulsory for those of us who delve under cars regularly

You trade noise economy and road handling/grip to some extent when choosing a more offroad style tyre. If your next tyre is marked M&S that means it has a certain percentage of tread 'gap' so should be a bit better in the mud, but if your Yokos were nearly worn out then not much hope no matter how good they were....note M&S has nothing to do with cold weather or winter rated tyres, winter rated have the mountain and snowflake symbol, M&S is a different standard applying mainly to tread pattern though obviously many if not most winter tyres are M&S rated too. Just one thing though, did you switch off the Traction Control (whatever three letter acronym its known as on your model), because in heavy conditions such as snow or mud that can work against you by braking individual wheels when a bit of welly and power to the wheels might have done the trick...ask me how i know this, now i wonder who couldn't get his wife's Outback resplendent on its winter tyres up our snowed in driveway a few weeks ago when my Landcruiser romped up without a murmer? and i wonder who shouted oaths out loud about 5 hours later when it suddenly dawned on him that he hadn't switched off VSC, which was stopping the car putting power down when needed, doh! I have Yokohama GO15's on the Landcruiser and for that beasty they are lovely and handle surprisingly well (winter rated too, though aimed at all season), but they might be a bit industrial for a Forester, even if you can get them in size.

I believe the filter was only fitted on Foresters up to 2008, so probably ended with SG9. Its not imperative to change it anyway unless the gearbox has suffered or had a rebuild, from what i have read up on these things, because the filter doesn't work quite like an oil filter where all oil (except under high pressure) goes through the filter medium, it appears only a percentage of the oil flow goes through the ATF filter medium at any one time, hence why for those cars fitted it would be a mistake to fit a standard oil filter (some 1/4 of the correct ATF filter cost). I changed my SG9 ATF oil the other day, and agree with you what an easy job, probably easier than changing the engine oil, i intend to swap a sumpful annually to keep a good percentage of fresh oil in the box all the time.

You only have to browse ebay to find several legacies with engine problems up for sale at any one time, dismal failure rate. It wasn't Subaru's finest hour and i can't for the life of me wonder why they didn't make the H6 3 litre into a Diesel instead from the start, its a less troublesome engine overall, and 6's always run smoother than 4 pots, so should have been a better bet from the word go.

OK, 10 litres of Millers Millermatic SP111WS ATF oil turned up from Opie, and i've just changed the first sumpful, always found Millers to be good oils and their technical people always helpful if you contact them with a query. The job is as easy, if not easier, than changing the engine oil so don't be afraid to have a go yourselves if yours is due, just under 4 litres came out so i put 3.5 back in then topped up to the right level with the engine running, for ease of accessing the dipstick tube i had some 10mm plastic pipe which fitted nicely in the tube and cut it to length so a small funnel pushed into the other end propped up nicely between the pipes which run beside and to the rear of the intercooler, 2 minutes pouring gently and that fresh oil was in. The old was still nice and red but obviously less translucent than the new, and it still smelled good, result. I plan to swap an ATF sumpful annually as i do with my other autos, so keeping a decent percentage of fresh oil in the system at all times. The ATF filter i mentioned above i have been reading up on, now it appears some people have put a standard oil filter in place of this ATF filter, and from what i read that is a mistake, possibly a costly one, because the ATF filter works entirely differently to a normal oil filter. An oil filter is designed to filter all the oil going through the system continually, the relief valve opening for straight through oil flow only when the filter cannot cope with the flow, agreed? The ATF filter is designed the other way from what i understand (this from one knowledgeable chap on an Outback forum who cut them apart to see the difference), where the normal oil flow isn't all filtered and only a percentage of the oil flow goes through the filter medium, apparently if an oil filter is used instead there can be oil shortage problems for the gearbox due to this difference, however due to the part time nature of the filtering it appears the correct filter can last the lifetime of the box so i'm in no hurry to change it at the moment, especially given the low mileage of the car, but that is one filter which will be the genuine part only. Much of the science of this is above me, but if anyone would like to comment on this ATF filter situation i would welcome it, and also happy to be put right if i'm barking up the wrong tree or got the wrong end of the stick, which wouldn't be the first time. I'm leaving the other transmission oil jobs till the warmer weather comes, and secondly till the road salt has all disappeared, once its cleaned fully underneath in the spring and up in the air i'll change the other oils and coolant. Regards Judd

Wrong answer, apparently they only designed them for the STi with full body kit. Back to the search.

I'm much obliged to me learned friend for that info, if i get the right answer from the seller then ordered they will be.

That sounds promising David, thankyou, existing holes in the car used? no drilling into the shell involved?

Thanks Mr B, yes i have sent message to seller, but was hoping someone here might have tried a set already on a forester so an independent review. They are fairly priced and if the fitting method is up to the mark and the fitting not going to rust up in the first year then i shall probably get them.

This SG9 needs some decent sized mudflaps sharpish, it throws up a storm of muck. Apart from importing some Gorilla Flaps from the USA and getting stung for import duties, again, making them some £150 for a set, the only decent ones i've found here are the Rallyflapz seller on ebay, item number 182634248571 What i don't want is to start having to drill holes, and the seller doesn't say too much about the method of mounting, experience tells me that which isn't mentioned in glowing tones there is usually a reason why but would like to find out before buying then having to return due to poor fittings. I see some of the Imprezza owners on the forum seem pleased with them. So has anyone bought them for Foresters, or are there other custom cut straight flaps that you would recommend, i don't want the sort that are moulded around the side of the body behind the arch, they usually rub the paint, the flat STi type are preferred in plain black with no logos or writing. Many thanks Judd

Hi all, my first proper post after declaring mesen on the newbies forum. Righto, we bought a 2008 SG9 2.5 XT with 27k on the clock last week, it's my Mrs' car, and replaces her trusty 2002 H6 Outback...which has been a completely reliable workhorse, pity its the heavy road tax but it was a decent price so we wort of wrote the extra £200 per year off by saving over a grand on what it would have cost from the typical dealer...doesn't this sound grand in theory eh, man maths at their best. The morning after we got her i changed the engine oil and filter, it now has Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 running through the veins, i've just had the wheels off and the pads out and checked all is well in the brakes dept and suspension, it is, all piston and sliders are free, its had a replacement set of pads once by the look of it a new front caliper and possibly new rear disc/drums at some point, difficult to tell, anyway the brakes don't need any new parts for the forseeable...which makes a change to the cars i normally buy where the brakes are neglected, and a new paper air filter should be here tomorrow, and being a tight wad i've washed and dried the cabin filter...yeah i know you can't take it with you. So, i'm making plans for the major service i'm going to do this spring, will be ordering the parts in and would welcome input that helps and might stop me dropping a clanger. 1. Will be renewing all transmission oils, GL5 seems to be the standard for diffs agreed? Presumably there's a transfer box just like the Outback, that also ok with GL5? 2. Renewing the auto transmission oil, now when i looked at MIller's oil chooser the oil recommended was the equivalent of Toyota WS (world standard) which is synthetic and equivalent to Dexron6 full synthetic, is this correct chaps? obviously the autobox needs the right oil and i need this to be absolutely right, i still have some Dexron 6 left over from the autobox change on my Landcruiser (yes that WS stuff), i always buy oils in bulk, much cheaper that way and it doesn't hurt when you are as obsessive as i am about maintenance. 2a. There's an oil filter (similar size to the engine oil filter) on the gearbox, is this a Subaru only part or is there an equivalent available, ie from Mann, Purflux, Mahle or similar good quality makers? anyone know the part number please? 3. Spark plugs, changing the Outback plugs was a horrid job and if its as difficult then i'm likely to entrust that to a good specialist...i used to do lots of mechanical work over the years and still do most things but i'm far from a spring chicken now (understatement of the year) so if its as awkward as the H6 was then i'll think twice, also which plugs please, bear in mind i'll put Iridiums in so they last as long as possible, so which plugs lads and shall i DIY? 4. The brakes will get a full strip clean and lube with the correct brake grease, i'll paint the calipers and unswept parts of the discs in black, have done this for years cos i hate to see rusty discs and calipers and not all that keen on bright colours either...this car is a not to be at all memorable, boss's orders....i'll change the brake fluid, is 4 acceptable? 5. Coolant, its green colour at the moment which means its probably standard glycol, not too bothered about the colour but which coolant would the collective suggest. 6. For the rustproofing i shall once again use Bilt Hamber's finest products, which have served me well and is a delight (well as nice as this job can be) to use compared to everything else, very much due to the brilliant probes that come with the large cavity aerosols, forget the nightmare that some old fashioned rust preventative products were to warm mix and apply, thankfully times have moved on. Will be derusting and painting the suspension and subframes in some seriously hard paint, and painting the exhaust with Zinc paint. 7. OIl filters, i've had good service from K&N oil filters on the H6 (Mann's due to the shape only had about 2 turns of thread holding them on, blow that, binned it), but i can get Mahle filters for less than £5 each delivered (usually buy them half a dozen or more at a time because my cars get oil changes every 6 months), so what's the thoughts about filters? 8. Eventually when i need to replace the brake friction materials or discs, i've been having excellent results with Brembo, they have that nice soft progressive pedal that one used to get with Ferodo back in the day, so would be happy to stay with them, what the thoughts? 9. The CV joints all appear fine, don't suppose there's any grease points on the propshaft(s), my Landcruiser still has greasable props but they took the autobox dipstick away with the later transmission, not a good move Toyota, thankfully Subaru haven't done the same, so, any other transmission maintenance i haven't thought of? I think thats it for now, sorry about the long post, i know i tend to waffle but you'll either get used to it or tell me to clear off :-) Thanks for reading, i'd welcome any input please and some reminders about the really important things i've probably forgotten cos i is old and forgetful. edit..oh and what specialist in Northamptonshire or nearby would you lot use please? Regards Judd

Thanks lads. I'm a big fan of BIlt Hambers rustproofing products, luckily proofing a Forester is going to be a heck of a lot easier than my Landcruiser was. I treated the Outback the first year we got it, the only really rusty part was the rear subframe (if anything's going to rust that's the part), but i made an especially good job of that and its still solid, the Forester is in much better condition underneath, as it should be having only covered 27k from new, and i can't wait till the weather breaks so i can make her all good again. Anyone else find that their cars seem to respond to TLC and mechanical sympathy and they pay it back in spades by giving years on end of trouble free service, not saying they should be driven like Miss Daisy all the time, far from it, just make sure they have clean quality fluids and allow them to warm up and cool down a bit before and after asking (especially turbocharged engines) them to work hard.

HI all. Hope you've got room for a little un. On second Subaru, well in all honesty it's my wife's car (i'm a Landcruiser fan), its a really low mileage Forester SG9 XT which we've just bought, she had an Outback H6 before which despite being stupidly cheap to buy has given 4 years reliable service without a single hiccup, here's hoping the Forester will be as good. Hoping to contribute when i know something, or think i know more like, and be very happy to receive wisdom when needed, i'm a big fan of proper servicing and rustproofing for a long trouble free life, so it will come as no surprise i've already changed the engine oil less than 24 hours after purchase, the first of many oil changes to come, looking forward to the good weather when i'll go right through the car, all oils and fluids will be changed, not looking forward to the spark plugs but doing them will give a good excuse for cursing, and then serious rustproofing will start. Cheers for now Judd