Tony Hals

Good move and you can get a custom made dog guard to fit in the car. bearing in mind that you need to restrain your dog when the car is in motion-by law. I now have a Forester- very reliable - but have had several Outback's including the 3 litre with a creamy 6 engine. that 3.0 also carried two Great Dane dogs. Just a minor tip that I experienced today. Your ignition key is called a Radio Transmitter and you should carry a spare 'button type' battery for it. Make sure it's not a Chinese one. The Forester security system would not operate yesterday when I pressed the Key ( transmitter) button. so so I put in a new key battery ( I had a pack with use by date of 2025) I did try several and could not fathom out why. I went on to Amazon and ordered a pack of CR1620 ( made in America) which were dispatched overnight. They arrived today, so put one into the key,, went outside in the rain ,pressed the key button and yes the security system came on. Did not venture out into the rain to start the Forester - but it's a Subaru, always starts first time. Happy motoring, I have now had a Subaru since 1989 and when they reached 250,000 miles they were kept on as a work horse. It's just amazing what a Forester with its low gear transfer box can achieve working in the Forests where I once lived in Herefordshire.

I have owned Foresters from the very first model, therefore some 34 years of ownership. The only trouble I had was firstly the Diesel model, which I disliked and secondly, a 2.5 Turbo. it had Porsche like performance but I over revved it and blew the head gasket. My current XLN ( year 2004 ) is wonderfully reliable and should last me for many years, it even carries my Great Danes.

I had a 3.0 Outback. The engine was wonderful and compared with the 3 litre engines of my Alvis cars for the creamy output. Wish I had not changed it for another Forester, although I still have the Forester, which is such a reliable car and can carry two Great Dane's.

I have owned Forester's since they first arrived in this country. Throughout the years, warning lights have been a bane. One morning recently, I went out to the 2004 Forester XLN and the key would not unlock the car. Opened said car with the key manually put key in ignition and all the lights on the dashboard came on as usual, but not the starter motor. So, fully charged the battery in situ but uncoupled. Put a new battery in the key. Followed up - after battery had fully recharged - by using the key in the usual manner. . Car started immediately and the warning light went off. and stayed off for some100 miles before coming on again. My reaction is that I will continue driving the car until July when it goes in for an MOT and get the warning light sorted.

I purchased a new 2.0 diesel Forester in 2010. Got rid of it after a year. Have always had a Forester since 1990, including turbo- Porsche like performance- have studied road test reports on all Forester models and decided that the - used - Forester XLN that I purchased some 6 years ago (_2004 model ) is the best I have owned. So, do not buy a diesel version.

If I could afford it, I would buy the new Solterra,.Fully electric and lots of equipment. My current two Foresters are now ancient but have been very reliable. Note, that two Great Danes can fit into a Forester. You can always upgrade a sound system !

Strict servicing and do not over rev. Should give you joy for years.

I have owned a Forester since they were first introduced to the UK. ( 1989 I think ) I do not recommend the Diesel model, you would be disappointed. The 2.5 Turbo Petrol will give you a huge grin, with its Sports car like performance, but likely to give you head gasket problems. Go for an XC or luxury model, manual, with an additional low ratio gear lever and all season tyres. and it should rarely let you down. I have an XC and an XLN -which I prefer. -The XC has given me some problems with the electrics. One of my Foresters -regularly serviced - gave me 250,000 trouble free miles and in 2010 - living in deep forested land- during the huge snow falls, climbed the steep forest hills -in low ratio - with ease. It was my work horse and carried my two Great Danes also.

Having owned Subaru's since 1989, out of all the models, I fell in love with the Outback 3 litre. A wonderful creamy engine and a joy to drive. Upgraded to a spanking new Diesel Forester and disliked the diesel engine, but stayed with a Forester (Petrol, currently have two ) but really miss the 6 cylinders.

Any decent garage can do a diagnostics check for you. At worst, it's an emissions problem and perhaps an expensive new part. At best, it's a sensor that needs replacing.

Where can I purchase a reconditioned Differential, to replace my very noisy one. Any ideas on cost?

Now a new problem. The welding underneath is now completed, but the key will not start the Forester, although the ignition lights come on. Now, what I thought was a rear wheel bearing turns out to be a noisy differential. Any ideas what a reconditioned one would cost?

Is it an issue with the battery in your key? The key has a transmitter that needs to send a message to your starter motor.

Can anyone please advise? in the space of a week, all the keys for my two Foresters have failed. An hour ago, I drove my 2004 Forester 100 metres to put the rubbish bags out. It unlocked, started and drove both directions. I parked and the key would not operate the locking system. Put the key in the ignition, turned key, all lights came on, but engine /starter motor did not react. Same thing happened with my 2007 Forester last week. It was due to go to a garage for some welding underneath -that's another horror story- With the 2007 Forester, I called out the RAC. The key problem was not solved, but with the ignition turned on, he connected the car battery to the starter motor and started the Forester so I was able to drive it to the Garage. It's still there, so I don't know if they have solved the keys problem. Yes, I have purchased a pack of 3v 1620 batteries as specified in the hand book, but none of the 4 car keys now work. In some 30 years of owning Foresters, I have never been put in the predicament of being without a vehicle. CAN ANYONE PLEASE ADVISE?

I purchased a 2010 Diesel Forester 2.0 brand new. ( Turbo Version ) hated it from the start and thought the gearbox was awful. Soon went back to petrol Foresters.

I have always owned Foresters since they first arrived in this country and apart from a new diesel version, which I ordered to my spec' I have loved every one of them. So dependable. You will gather that I am an experienced Forester owner. For 10 years I lived deep off road in a hillside Forest and all of my manual - and the one Automatic - coped well with the mud and snow, with the advantage of the low ratio box in the deep snows of 2010. When I got a 2.5 XT I ended up with permanent grin, driving a Wolf in Sheep's clothing, the performance is amazing. However, do bear in mind that the Turbo versions of the Forester must be treated with respect and not over revved. A blown head gasket is expensive to replace. Rust should not be an issue, if you clear any mud from the wheel arches on a regular basis. Find a tool that you can use to scrape behind the arch rims.

I have had a Forester since they first came out and currently have two ancient but reliable ones. They both have the 2.0 litre engines. I did dabble with a 2.5 Turbo and loved its performance, but it developed head gasket problems. Also purchased a new 2.0 Diesel Forester, but disliked it. In my opinion, the Forester is one of the most reliable used cars on the market. One of mine -my favourite a XLN model - has 128,000 miles on the clock, tows heavy weights and carries lots of heavy equipment, I recently used it when moving house, amazing what you can load into it. It drives beautifully and still tackles the 'rough stuff' with ease. the low ratio box is great in the slippery stuff. Reliable, but the downside is warning lights. They indicate a problem that is usually not serious, but you need a good mechanic to do the diagnostics and do a repair, often easily sorted. Spares are expensive though.

Look on Car Guros. Plenty of UK cars on the market Legacy, Forester and Outb from £1500 upwards. I suggest you look at 2007 om wards models.

I REMOVED FUSE 18 ( CRUISE CONTROL) BECAUSE THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT WAS FLASHING AND I DO NOT USE OR EVER WANT THAT SYSTEM. IT'S MADE NO DIFFERENCE, STILL FLASHING ,SO P UT THE FUSE BACK IN. NOW THE AIR CONDITIONING LIGHT DOESN'T COME ON. I PURCHASED THE 2007 FORESTER XC A FEW WEEKS AGO FOR MY WIFE AS I HAVE A 2006 FORESTER XLN AND SHE LIKES DRIVING IT. HER LITTLE VINTAGE SINGER LE MANS IS ROOFLESS AND AS WE ARE MOVING INTO HILL COUNTRY IN WALES, A SECOND RELIABLE CAR IS ESSENTIAL -WITHIN A LOW BUDGET - . IT WAS FINE WHEN SHE TEST DROVE IT. CHRISTMAS EVE WE LOADED UP THE XC LETTING IT TICK OVER FOR SOME 20 MINUTES WHILE WE LOADED UP. SHE SET OF, TO STAY WITH HER 93 YEARS OLD MOTHER, SOME 100 MILES AWAY, ONLY TO RETURN 5 MINUTES LATER WORRIED THAT THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT AND THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHTS WERE ON. I AM UNABLE TO TURN THE CRUISE CONROL OFF READING MY MANUAL, IT POINTS OUT THAT WHEN THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT COMES ON, THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT WILL ALSO START FLASHING. THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ON MY XLN CAME ON LAST YEAR AND WAS FIXED BY -A SPACER - BUT MY XLN DOES NOT HAVE CRUISE CONTROL THANKFULLY, ACCORDING TO MY MANUAL, ICANNOT DRIVE THE 15 MILES TO MY FAVOURED MECHANIC, SO HOW DO I DISABLE THE CRUISE CONTROL SYSTEM?. ANY IDEAS WOULD BE APPRECIATED. DID THE 20 MINUTES ON TICKOVER FOUL UP THE ENGINE, HENCE THE WARNING LIGHT AND OTHER FLASHING LIGHT PROBLEM?

Not sure if it will help others, But the cd function on the audio system showing error 99 I have cured. Using a narrow plastic spatula from the kitchen -about the same thickness as a cd - I pushed it in and moved it about. Yes, error fault disappeared and cd details came up. pressed eject and a tatty old cd came out. Inserted a rarely used cd and yes, all is working well.

I have just joined (the Forum does not let me access an introduction) My first Subaru was purchased in 1988 and I have always kept a Subaru in my car fleet ever since. In the 1990s I got my first Forester and apart from a couple of Outbacks, have always had a Forester. Currently I have a 2006 Forester XLN 2.0 and a 2007 Forester Xc 2.0 ( also in our fleet, is an 83 year old Singer Le Mans. The Forester XC is a recent addition, because the vintage car is not suitable for my wife to do winter visits to her mother, a long distance away.. Reliability being paramount , I purchased the second Forester because I cannot fit into the tiny Le Mans. My wife loves listening to talking book CDs on her journey. Help. The CD player gives the message Error 99 and will not eject or accept . any tips ?