Brack

Permanent all wheel drive 60% power to front and 40% to rear wheels under normal driving conditions. Maybe you are looking at the X mode button? which when turned on takes away power from slipping / spinning wheel/s to give more power to the wheels that have grip.

Thanks Mr B, yes I checked for broken wires at the tailgate exit to body but didnt see anything obvious unless broken inside the cable insulation. Did find some green in the loom so water has got in somehow. I thought about trying a different tailgate loom but where do you stop paying money with no results. Anyway Im happy with the set up that I have now - Mark attached a wire cable to open manually from inside the tailgate door, each end screwed into a block connector so that I can grip and slide it to open. Contacted my insurance to inform them as it is a wired in modification - they are fine with it. Had this Forester for 6 years now, it has been so reliable with no problems apart from wear and tear parts and the tailgate. My next Subaru will be an 05 or earlier I think, taking advice from your previous posts. Although this one seems to go on forever 🙂

Tailgate switch failed completely in the end, took off the tailgate exterior garnish panel, bought a new switch, checked it for continuity and soldered it in but still no joy, tried a different lock / actuator from the breakers - still nothing, even after trying a different garnish panel. Took the car to Mark my local mechanic who fitted a solenoid at the lock and a remote control unit in the engine bay - I now have an extra fob to open the tailgate which works 100% probably saving me a fortune at an auto electricians 🙂

Surprised you dont have Aux, in my 08 XS its under the armrest in the storage box. theres a 12v socket next to it which is handy, I have a bluetooth adapter plugged into Aux powered by a usb adapter plugged into the 12v socket.

An FM Transmitter might be an option for you (Ive never had or tried one) - they pick up bluetooth from your bluetooth device and convert the signal to FM radio signal that can be played through your car radio. As I say ive never had one so I dont know how good they are - maybe have a look at some YT videos to get an idea.

So does the fob still work to deactivate the alarm? The pin input instructions are on page 10 in the alarm instruction booklet mentioned earlier if you have it. Best wishes.

The pin number comes from the factory on small silver sticker labels - they could still be in your handbook wallet - mine are stapled to a form called "Subaru UK Certificate of Compliance" I found mine in the Alarm System Operating Instructions booklet. - worth a quick look.

It looked narrow, you had a sensible speed .. nice video.

Pleased you have got it sorted🙂 - Ive just been through all of this with mine, it was getting harder and harder to open untill it completely stopped opening at the switch. I took off the rear panel and changed the micro switch, also the lock actuator but still no joy. Ended up going to my local garage for advice - Mark fitted a solenoid onto the tailgate lock with a remote control box fitted in the engine bay for me. I now have two fobs (original fob and tailgate fob) The tailgate is opening fine now with the new fob.

I'd try putting a new battery into one of the fobs anyway and try it - look for the sell by date on the new battery blister pack - your 4 month old battery could be a lot older than you think, it could be months and months before they are sold and you end up with a battery that wont last as long as it should.

Hi, well you have bought one of the best cars to do it in - enjoy your Forseter 👍

Nice little lane mate, lovely to see Forester's out and about 👍

If its the same kind of lock set up as mine - try pressing the tailgate release button twice when you open it (once for partial and again for full release) then the motorized closer might just close it properly for you...it works for me although mine is manual closing...worth a try though.

Even better .. I Press the tailgate release button twice now (once for partial and again for full release) makes latching closed very easy compared to before. Cheers

Looks like this chap found a way round it on his Outback.