martin1981

Cool well apparently the car is nearly ready so if anybody wants the parts they'll have to let me know by today coz I've got nowhere to store them now !

Just as an update to this, car is still in the garage so if there's any interest in these parts at all, even if it's an offer to take everything including the gearbox then it'll be better than it being scrapped! Car had 79000 miles, one-owner and all official Subaru service stamps. Cheers.

Oh yeah, oops, I misread your profile thing. I don't know what that version is like compared to the 2004/5 version. I'm not sure if the insulation is there, can't remember! I'd be surprised if the previous owner removed it though, coz it was one-owner and all Subaru official service stamps, plus they didn't change anything about the car at all. Will post back here next week once I've upgraded the speakers and put the damping in to let you guys know how it went! ;)

Hey, no not yet though I'll possibly be getting one, currently having an uprated decat fitted which will make it slightly louder already though. I'm not saying it's terrible and it could also be to do with the tyres I've got at the moment which are quite cheap (and I'm thinking of changing). Could be improved though so I can hear the stereo better, I've found I have to crank it up quite loud at motorway speeds. Think I saw a discussion elsewhere about sound-proofing on these cars as well (possibly on forester.org, think it was talking about the 04 or 05 versions...), so I'm obviously not the first person who's considered it worth doing. Plus as mentioned above it seems like it'll be quite a cheap upgrade seeing as I want to change the speakers anyway. Is your one the 2007 version? Could be the cabin is a bit more refined? My one is 54reg, in the documents it says first registed Jan 2005, so not sure if that means it's the 2004 or 2005 version...

Hey, thanks for the detailed response. :) I think the silent coat mat bulk pack looks very good... I guess the spray is more for the areas it's harder to put the insulation, like engine bay etc.? I think what I'll do is get the bulk pack and see how that improves things when they install that. And if I'm still not happy look at the spray perhaps. The mats should be enough though I reckon. Cheers!

Hi I'm having a 6 speed gearbox fitted to my 2.5 Forester XT today, including prop shafts/drive shafts etc... So there's quite a few bits available. I'm posting it here because the parts section of the forum is down at the moment. I thought I had some garage space I could use to the store the parts in, however it turns out I haven't so bit of a problem knowing what to do with the parts. If anybody wants to put an offer in please let me know ASAP, becasue I'll probably be getting the car back tomorrow and I won't be able to store them at home so worst case scenario I may end up scrapping everything which seems a bit of a waste. Anybody looking please let me know cheers.

Thanks I would really appreciate advice on the best kit to go for for these cars, if anybody has experience? Otherwise I'll just go with whatever is recommended by the car audio guys I guess. Cheers!

Hi looking for advice on possible remaps I can do to my Forester 2.5 XT. I'm not needing to dramatically increase the performance at this point, just want to consider options that won't affect the fuel consumption too much and give me a bit more power. Also I would consider changing the exhaust if it's necessary with the remap, but I don't want to make the car too noisy and I'm kind of happy with the stock exhaust really, so won't change it if I don't need to! I'm just today having an uprated decat pipe fitted though, which I'm told will make the exhaust a bit more free-flowing. Also will any kind of remap mean I will need to start using either 97ron rule or V-power?? I don't really want to be in that situation really, unless I can use 95 as well, without causing issues. So will reconsider remapping at all unless I can keep using 95ron (I say that now might change my mind though!) Best remaps to do for me at this point? Any other components that I would need to change in order to do the remap, like fuel pump etc.? (I would prefer to be on the safe side as I'm going to be doing some long road trips and want the car to be as strong as possible). Looking into doing this probably next week so any advice much appreciated. I'm also a little bit tempted to look into upgrade the turbo as well. But if I do that, firstly will it affect the fuel consumption a lot? (I guess for normal driving it should be the same??). And what other components would I need to upgrade if I do that (intercooler etc.?), plus which remaps are advisable? Cheers!

Actually just to update this, my friendly local car stero shop who recently fitted a head unit for me have just told me they're very happy to fit the sound proofing kit at no extra cost, when I'm having the new speakers put in... So all I'm looking for now is recommendations on the best kit to use for this car that will give me the maximum amount of sound insulation, so I can buy the kit myself or ask them to order it in? Cheers!

Hi just wondering if it's a viable option to look at sound damping for my Forester 2.5XT? Also if so is there anywhere reasonably close to London that I could take the car in to have this done (rather than trying to do it myself), and for reasonable cost? If not I guess if I find out the best kit to order I could do that and when I have new speakers fitted they should be able to do that as well? I noticed there's a place called noise killers, but it's quite far away, in Manchester. I'm looking to upgrade the speakers as well, and looking to try and make the cabin a bit quieter as I'm planning a few very long road trips. Cheers.

Subaru parts section seems to be empty... So not sure about posting there? So... Does anybody need and want to put an offer in for a Subaru XT 5 speed manual gearbox, plus there will be various other bits e.g. shafts, diff etc? Have to let me know by the end of the day today though, or first thing tomorrow morning because I don't have storage space for the parts that are coming off any may have to scrap them otherwise....

Hi guys, well I'm going to post elsewhere on the forum about other issues, because I am looking to do some mods now (despite what I said before!), and it's a bit muddled to talk about lots of different issues on one thread. I've decided to fit a 6 speed gearbox(!). I saw a good deal on one, and since I was planning to replace the clutch anyway I've decided to purchase this and have it fitted, which is being done as we speak (I also wanted to strengthen up the car a bit as planning some long journeys). I'm a bit nervous actually but will see how it goes... There's a lot of parts coming off the car (including obviously the original 5-speed gearbox!), so I'm actually going over to the Subaru parts section now to post about that. It's a bit of an issue for me as I don't have any storage space to keep the parts (thought I could borrow some garage space but I can't any more), so I'd have to sell them pretty quick if anybody wants them.

Hey guys thanks for the extra tips and yeah sorry for going way off topic! Judging by the reviews the Goodyear Vector 4 seasons sound great, think I will try them if I can get them in the right size. Cheers!

Hi guys thanks again. I think I'm definitely going to try the flex stoppers and/or EBC brake pads. Will post back here to let you know how it goes. Can't really be bothered with the wind stoppers because it's not letting water in and it's only at motorway speeds that the wind sound is even noticeable, and even then it's not to the point of being annoying (originally I was concerned it was a problem with the seals but no water is getting in so it should be fine). I do think I will be keeping this car for a couple of years now, so was thinking about the gearbox kits. Had a little look on Ebay but they seem to be well over 1k (usualy 2k or more actually) so don't think it'll be worth it really. The current gearbox seems a little clunky but it's fine and does the job so I'm not gonna worry about it. The only reason I was thinking about it was because I spoke to the owner of one of the Forester XTs that I was going to view (but was too slow and somebody else bought it). He said he'd upgraded the gearbox on his and it was a very successful upgrade. I think I'm basically happy with what it has for the time being so will live with it for a while and see how it goes. Only other thing I was going to ask was recommendations on tyres... The ones that are currently on there are quite cheap ones and don't seem very grippy (they are definitely legal but don't have loads of tread left on them either). I don't really want to have separate winter tyres and normal tyres if I can avoid it, as don't really want to faff about changing wheels/tyres. But does anybody have any tips on decent all-purpose tyres that would be ok for normal driving but a bit more grippy perhaps so would work in the snow as well? (if this snow does turn up!). I seem to remember reading in a review of these cars somewhere that they were good on snow/ice even without the winter tyres, or is that misguided to assume that? (possibly thinking of a trip to Europe as well so may be an issue even if it doesn't snow here! ;) )

Thanks guys for all the new info, brilliant forum I love it! Gambit yes there's a lot of glare in the pic but it covers up the scratches on the bodywork ha ha! ;) Which don't bother me much to be honest as they're really not bad and the main thing is the car seems to be mechanically absolutely 100% sound so far. Also looking underneath the car considerably less rust and more tidy looking than the example that I viewed earlier (my other concerns about the clutch/gearbox being stiff on that one were confirmed as well because the one I've bought was considerably better and drives a hell of a lot smoother). I'll definitely look into the flex stopper as that sounds like a really good solution. Are there any brake pads you can recommend as well which might be a bit of an upgrade from the standard ones that might help as well? To be honest I've been driving it around a bit today and have almost got used to the brakes. They're still not really good enough though. If the flex stoppers improve them significantly though I'm sure it will be fine (don't want to get into Brembo or anything like that as it's overkill). I did a long drive in the car yesterday, from London to Durham and back again. It was p***sing it down with rain almost the whole way there/back, and the wind noise wasn't even very distracting at all really to be honest. Will look into it though. I really don't think water leakage is an issue either, I got back in the car first thing this morning and it was bone dry. Another thing, I was expectin the XT to be a bit more juicy than it turned out to be. It's only really when I put my foot down that I notice the needle starting to go down. I think because this one is so well serviced perhaps that helps a bit? I was expecting it to be something like my Mitsubishi VR4 Legnum which I had for about a year and a half. It wasn't anywhere near as bad as that, especially when I use the cruise control. The consumption on the VR4 just wasn't acceptable really. However the performance of the XT is very similar, so I'm really pleased with it in that respect. I was thinking at the back of my mind I'd have to probably change cars again fairly soon if the XT turned out to be very juicy. However the mpg was totally acceptable and I really think I will keep hold of this car for quite a while now. So I wouldn't rule out the idea of investing in a new gearbox if I'm gonna keep it for a few years, that's something I'm definitely going to look into now. Cheers.

Oh yeah very minor niggle, on the motorway the wind noise is coming through the drivers door, so I guess the seal isn't 100% effective. I would imagine this is quite common on these due to the design of the window though? And even on a long journey I didn't find it too distracting at all, and got used to it after a while. However if it could be fixed cheaply I'd probably have a look at that

Hi guys it's been a while since the last update, having unsuccessfully bidding on 2 or 3 Forester XT's I was getting a bit demoralised... I'd almost resigned to the fact I was going to find the right one for me, and that I would end up with a Mondeo ST220 or Volvo S60 T5 (or maybe S60R) instead! Even somehow even managed to talk myself into beleiving this would be a good idea and that I liked fron wheel drive!! ;). However I saw one listed on Saturday, had my first day off work for ages on Monday so decided to go and have a look. Didn't take long to decide, and I've ended up with this... I did a very long drive yesterday and this thing is absolutely solid!! It's had only one owner from new, completely standard with no mods, 78,000 miles and only official Subaru services (including cam belt change at around 51,000 miles). A few very minor bodywork issues, to be expected, but very tidy, pretty much immaculate interior as far as I can tell and more importantly everything works perfectly! To be honest now I've done quite a few miles in it just on the first day I think I'm totally happy with the performance. Really don't think I need any more power than it's got (though I'll look into the remapping options if they don't affect the mpg). However I do really want to upgrade the brakes, probably not to anything fancy/high maintenance (e.g. Brembo) but hopefully something a bit better than the stock brakes, which I don't think are sufficient for a car of this power. Will have a look around the mods bit of the forum for ideas... In terms of suspension I'm very happy, it feels absolutely solid and I really like the clearance so don't want to start mucking about with it probably (unless there are components like bushes which could be usefully upgraded). However I'm quite interested in anti sway bars, which somebody else mentioned to me already. Apart from that, slightly longer term I'd be interested in finding out about gearbox options (including maybe 6 speed conversion, as it could do with the 6th gear). Might not be practical though due to the cost of fitting, I'm keen to find out what the options are though and the prices, just in case. So will have a look for those on here. Cheers guys!

Hi I have sent a PM and am touching wood that it hasn't sold, but have not heard back yet! Hopefully I'm not gonna miss another one as I haven't seen a great many come up in the last month or so! :) Cheers.

Previous messages suggest it might've been sold??? If so then :( If not I'm very interested, let me know, cheers.

I'm interested in the car is it still available? If so I will send a PM. I'm close to Hampshire as well, cheers.

Hey yeah I'm looking out for them now... I just saw another decent example today and made and enquiriy but it's sold already! That's two potentially decent ones that have passed me by (both 2005). But I'm not in a rush so will hang around. However I STILL have a few more questions before I go and view more cars!! ;) Firstly I've now uploaded the pics I took of the first car I saw. I just want to know if I was right in thinking this is quite a lot of rust all along the exhaust?? However I have read rusty exhausts are quite common with Foresters so maybe I was being unrealistic for a car of this age? (this was a 2005 example). Lastly (definitely the last question for now!!), I've just started thinking about the possibility of the 2.0XT version rather than that 2.5 (would definitely be looking at the tubro version in both cases though). Because really it's the car that ticks all the boxes for me, in terms of clearance, space, AWD etc., and if I really think about it I might not need the extra power, unless the 2.0 seems underpowered for a car of this size or something like that? Is the 2.0XT much less juicy than the 2.5? Any other comparisons/opinions about the 2.0/2.5 versions? Cheers.

Nope, actually I've not even seen one on the road yet!! And I have been looking quite hard... ;) Will keep you posted cheers.

Hi sorry for slow reply yeah I'm definitely going to check the for sale bit regularly from now on... Haven't really had a chance to look for any cars this week but going to start keeping an eye out from now on! Will let you know if I end up getting one, cheers!

Hi thanks again for all the info! I've actually found two new websites today which I hadnt seen before and go into a bit more detail on the spec changes year by year, and some suggested mods (though the link to your mates one was a bit more involved in terms of the mods): http://www.cars101.com/forester.html http://www.caranddriver.com/features/2006-subaru-forester-news So, my conclusions so far... I understand that the 2006 engine onwards is improved, though the higher tax band is an issue. Also if I was gonna go for that engine it makes more sense to go for the 2007 version, to (hopefully!) avoid the secondary air injector issue... However to get a decent, well kept 2007 example would cost a few £1000's more than 2004/5 in similar condition. And obviously from the modded example you posted above the 2004 versions can be modded very successfully, so to me that kind of cancels out the base engine of the 2004/5 not being quite as good. So if I go for one of these that's prob what I'll do. If I wasn't planning to mod at all then I'd prob go for 2007. Anyway at least I think I've got my head around all the different versions/specs now... I'm not in a rush really (Skoda just passed major service with flying colours!) but should have some time next week to view some more Subaru's hopefully. Will post back here if I end up going for one, great forum cheers! :)

Hi thanks for the extra info. To be honest there's still a lot of grey areas for me, getting my head around the differences between different years/models. For example I was looking at a website today with different options for clutch upgrades for the forester XT, which listed completely different options for the 2004/2005 versions. I thought they were exactly the same but that would seem to suggest not. Also you've mentioned the engine was changed in the 2006 version. Any idea exactly what the changes were? I'm aware of the secondary air injection system mentioned above (added in 2006) but have no idea about any other differences. Also I don't have a clue what the differences are between the 2004/5 versions. Seeing as its usually quite a long way to go to view decent examples of these cars (and I've already had one bad experience!) this lack of knowledge makes me a little wary to say the least!