flat6

The "facelift" EDM 1.6 (MY 2017>) had many small differences - including suspension settings, addition of EyeSight, and changes to the CVT programming. Different transmission to yours, it's the TR580, yours is the TR690.

Yes, fitted as standard to UK supplied cars, usually fails prematurely resulting in saggy rear. There are several non-SLS options for replacement.

I've just realised It was actually done by Keith Price Garages in Abergavenny, Simpsons did some warranty work (new steering rack). It was done as part of the 3 year/30k service. It's due in for it's annual service in a couple of weeks - I'll ask them for a breakdown and further clarification.

There is a transmission cooler on my 1.6 Levorg in front of the radiator. I tow, and had Simpsons Subaru in Swindon change the CVT oil last service, along with the diffs.

My 1.6 is pre set to 10k miles, which matches what it says in my service book and handbook. I'd say the correct interval for the 2L n/a is 12k.

There are some good vids on youtube. This one will scare you, it's a GD, but pretty much the same as a GC.

Very nice. I had a '99 wagon with PPP and the Prodrive suspension. Nice and light and very rapid. It would be worth removing the sill covers and clean it all up, it's a sludge trap and rust area in there. Rear strut towers are another risk area, it would be good to drop the struts and treat/paint up there. Mechanically they're tough as old boots, it's rust that kills them.

What a lovely country. Looks like rural Wales, but with palm trees. And sunshine

I've had mine since January2020, it's a very good car. Loads of space, very good to drive, well screwed together, lots of safety tech. It's been totally reliable, no problems at all. Plenty of poke, it has the same performance as my old Mercedes 6 cylinder 2.8L E-Class estate. Great handling. Servicing: it's worth getting it done at a Subaru dealer once a year for software updates etc, in your case it would mean an annual trip to Keith Price in Abergavenny. Levorg 1.6 is a very underrated car, the CVT is perfectly matched to the sweet smooth engine, and behaves very differently to other CVTs.

I've been using Continental All Season Contact on my last 2 Subarus. They are great in the wet, snow, and mud, and wear well.

That issue only affects the 2.5 turbo lump from later on. The only thing yours might develop is piston slap when cold, which is nothing to worry about - my old '98 Forester has been doing it for about 10 years. It's now a farm vehicle and still runs ike clockwork at 180000 miles. Pretty much the same engine as yours, strong and simple, easy to work on.

I believe so, yes. Apparently it's the best map out of the 3 final years. Pretty sure it would be plug and play, but best check before going ahead. There's probably some more info on this on scoobynet.

I still have a '99 ecu, which is remappable I believe, from my old turbo 2000 (I replaced it with a Prodrive one). Happy to part with it for £30 posted.

You should probably read the fault codes to find the current status - there are up to 21 separate fault codes for the system: As long as the 2 valves are closed, it's not necessary to remove them and fit blanks. The air pump itself can also be left in. You just have to remove the 3 fuses relating to the system, and get into the ECU to disable it and remove the codes. My '06 Forester XT had this done at 50k miles, it's currently on 150k with no problems. There is an alternative to re mapping the ECU on non-turbo cars - a simulator box from these people in Aus: https://asukaautoparts.com/pages/subaru-air-delete

Rear subframe mounts ok? These just killed my '98 SF Forester.

Yes, secondary air pump. Useless thing. Hopefully the valves are closed, if so, just remove the relevant fuses and get the code mapped out. This will explain it: https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/secondary-air-pump-failure-my-solution.381954/

Go to www.partsouq.com, Put in your VIN, you'll get full parts catalogue with diagrams for your particular car.

That's a good list. But I'd add a couple of things: Oil separator plate, next to the rear main seal. They can leak copiously. There's updated ones available, it's a known issue of EJ20s of that era. It's probably been looked at already, but strip out the boot, and thoroughly inspect the inner rear wings, particularly where they meet the rear wing outers. This is where the wheel arch rot starts, tired rear light seals can let water in and it stews in the voids. And the rear strut towers of course. Your garage of choice knows their way around these cars better than most, so you should be ok.

Continental All Season Contact are also similar. I had them on my Outback, and currently on my Levorg. With a Subaru, premium all seasons are all the winter tyre you need in this country. The Contis are as good in snow as full winters, and excel in cold wet conditions. I leave mine on all year, they've been great in hot summers too.

UK Turbo 2000s are not as desirable/valuable as JDM STIs, and probably never will be, due to being a watered down version. Still a great car though. Whether it's a good investment at £10k depends on how long you keep it. They're getting rare, rot has killed most of them.

The CVT on my Levorg 1.6 turbo is superb. Far better in every way to the old 5 speed auto. A lot of people seem to dismiss it out of hand, without ever driving one, assuming it acts like a Yaris or something. I've owned every type of Subaru gearbox, 5 and 6 speed manual, 4 and 5 speed autos, and imo the CVT is best of the lot. Having said that, it doesn't work as well on a non-turbo car - the Levorg has max torque from 1800 rpm so doesn't need to rev as high when accelerating unlike the XV and Outback.

No problems or complaints here, I tow a car trailer or caravan with my Levorg (TR580 CVT) - it's a very good auto box, great for towing as it's never in the wrong gear. Tales of failures are overblown, many Outbacks and Foresters with CVTs have done over 200,000 miles with no issues. Despite what Subaru might say, they do need fluid changes at 30k miles, especially when towing.

Try https://springcoil.co.uk The springs for my '06 Forester with non-SLS KYBs came from them. Also https://pedders.co.uk they have a variety of springs for Foresters.

I think a good all season tyre is all you need with a Subaru in UK winters. I currently have Continental All Season Contacts on my Levorg, and have used them in the past on my Outback 3.0R also. Very good grip in the cold and wet, and not much different to full winters in the sort of snow we get here.

I had similar poor wet performance on Geolandars on my Outback, and changed to Continental All Season Contacts. Massive improvement in wet performance, and as good as a full winter in snow. I now have them on my Levorg, on 17" wheels, in 225/50 size. Ride much improved over the 18" STI wheels it came with, and terrific wet grip. They wear well too.