SebP10

Welcome! I can't comment explicitly on the Outback, but the floor vents below the front seats on my 2016 Levorg and my wife's 2017 XV both blow A/C when set to feet. Neither car has any other vents in the rear so I can't confirm how they may work on an Outback, but, as Subaru interiors are not very sophisticated, if the Climate Control decides it needs to cool then all vents that are active will blow cool air. Hope this helps (although may just be another variable in your quest for the truth!)

It was a job that I've needed to do for a long time, but without a spare wheel it's a pain in the whatnot! Not made easier with a sloping drive, either. I took it to work on the 24th and it didn't sound healthy when cranking in the morning. I left it idling for 5 mins or so to clear the fog (way more than mist) from the windscreen, but my commute, even taking the scenic / fun route, is under 9 miles so it still didn't get a good charge, so was still grumpy on the 28th. However the Optimate is now green, so 50-odd hours @ 530 mA (600 mA charge less the 70 mA drain) have topped it up nicely. I'll swap the cars over later so the Levorg can have some 100% renewable electricty too (well, it is according to the recent adverts for our energy supplier anyway!)

After many, many months of general procrastination I finally got my BTM engaged and swapped the wheels from front to rear on both sides, despite a 3t jack failure (lifted enough to get it on stands but then refused to lift to remove the stands; new seals or skip for that, then!) After managing to get the height on a 2t jack (not easy with almost 9" of ground clearance) the car is now on charge for more elastictrickery as it's been a little sluggish starting recently.

If it has HIDs you will notice that after switching on they take a couple of seconds to reach full brightness. (FWIW, our 2017 XV has HID low beam but just a standard halogen high beam. The difference in colour is very noticeable, with the HIDs being white to the halogen's yellow.)

Managed to get an indicated 40 mph (60 limit) at the apex (no crossing of the white lines) on the only fun corner on my commute 😁 (it's a K-right, with a very, very slight camber.) Wasn't trying too hard, just thought I'd see what she could do. Still on the OE Geolanders. Only 3 mph less than the Levorg has managed, too 🤔

Found this info on a North American XV site: From the Service Manual: Front: Cambor: 0 degrees 10' +/- 30' Caster: 5 degrees 58' Steering Angle: Inner Wheel - 38.5 degrees +/- 1.5 degrees Outer Wheel - 34.0 degrees +/- 1.5 degrees Front Wheel Toe-in: 0 +/- 3mm Rear Wheel Toe-in: 3 +/- 3mm Thrust angle: 0 degrees +/- 30' Link here... https://www.subaruxvforum.com/threads/xv-crosstrek-oem-wheel-alignment-spec.1768/

Our 2017 XV lost a lot of DAB channels a year or so ago, as did the Levorg and the portable DAB radio in the garage. I've tried rescanning several times and non of them pick up as many stations as they used to. It makes me wonder if it is a signal strength issue round my way rather than something specific to the cars? You could try driving somewhere open and high (whilst it's still allowed!) and trying a scan as it may be that once they're stored it will find them. Hope it works as R6 is the best station (IMO!)

The service booklet states to inspect the auxiliary drive belt(s) annually and replace at 100,000 miles.

Don't know if you've made a decision yet, but Tyre Reviews has just posted a new video on all-season tyres... May be worth a watch if you haven't taken the plunge.

As above for All-Season tyres, but look at the TyreReviews website or on his YouTube channel for some interesting tests. I've had Vredstein Quattrac Pro tyres on the Levorg since Dec last year and they are very good in the cold and wet. We didn't have much of a winter down south last year but they came 2nd in an AutoBild All-Season tyre test (See TyreReviews) to the Michelin CrossClimates, which seem to be the class leader. I only went for the Vredsteins over the CrossClimates (and Conti / Goodyear / Nokian) as they are asymmetric, which makes wheel rotation easier. They are also 3PMSF stamped. MPG dropped slightly, but grip is more important. But any All-Season tyre from one of the top brands should be fine.

Hey Ned! I haven't replaced them (still under drive-train warranty, so avoiding doing anything to affect that yet), but the videos just popped up on YouTube suggestions, and the extra lift on the bonnet seemed like a good tip (nowt in the handbook, obviously.) The two I watched both did them without messing around with engine mounts, they just took the battery out for the N/S and the airbox for the O/S (links below...) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLet3J2KAT0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DuAv2ZcjN-I&t=376s It looks a bit fiddly but straightforward. There is no need to mess around with engine mounts, and the second video completed the job in 30 mins-ish. I'm not so concerned about working on it now (once the warranty expires.)

Found out (from watching a YouTube video on spark plug replacement) that there's an extra hole in the bonnet for the stay. This puts the bonnet practically vertical (and gets the stay lower) for better access when working on the off-side cylinders. Probably not recommended when it's windy!

My wife took the XV to Aylesbury today to have the front brakes replaced. The car was cleaned inside and out and she paid for it to be bombed too. They also checked the sat nav for updates as the car is coming to the end of the three year free period (something I have had to do myself up to now.) All in all she was very impressed by the service. There is no doubt that we will use them again in the future.

I saw that too. However, given that manufacturers are charged €95 for every 1 g/km of CO2 they emit over 95 g/km, I doubt it will be coming anywhere near Europe.

No, we use Northampton, although the XV is going to Aylesbury on Friday for front discs and pads. I saw that they got the Customer Care award last year in the Subaru magazine, so we'll see what they're like. Well, the Mrs will as the Levorg is in for its 4th service. Front and rear diff oil change this year. ££££! The service history is electronic now, but the dealer should print it off for you if you ask. I just keep the service receipts in the folder as a record.