Mr B

What year (2006 !) also do a pic of your switch pack original and replacement, top and bottom if possible showing any numbers and wiring sockets . Some questions are faults same with both switch packs you got or slight differences in faults . Who refurbed the motor and what extent work done to it . The motors generally fail to water ingress and worthwhile repair is not viable route generally when cheap and easy get used (keep reading) The passenger rear motor is exactly same as driver front (besides drain port plug clocked position needs changing) so could be used for diagnosis in a pinch . Used rear motors make best replacement as genuine quality and rear don't suffer water ingress as clocked with motor housing upwards, also rear motors generally get lot less use cycles .... You in Newport that the home town of the once great MOLE & SON factory ...

Lol that is complete garbage . Ride height was purely simple hydraulics within original struts. no structure fitted or removed that interferes with physical fitting and the tow bar mounts to chassis not suspension . It looks like the pf jones company are listing 10 of them on eBay !? Wouldn't be giving them any business though 🙂 Hunt online for kit and job jobbed, the Forester is easy one for tow hitch fitting ... If you have any good breaker yards around you might be worth a call/visit as any 02 to llate 07 forester tow bar would be good and it be cheapest way if stumble on a fairly clean one .

I would assume still available and someone will have stock . plenty listed online/ebay etc . Just buy online and either fit yourself or use local garage . Peddars is approved and even sold via main dealers, at the worst if had heavy trailer tongue weight you may need change out springs but check what spec kit you got from peddars and contact them on that if needs be or if need/want custom springs speak to springcoil who done a lot of work on forester SG coil springs . Pulling a used one is a PITA unless particularly minimal rust , OEM tow kit wiring is nice to have though .

The SH model is a complete redesign of rear suspension not using a strut setup . Aftermarket shock option on these is Bilstein or Monroe, I've used Bilstein B4 (do B6 versions as well) as they good quality product and tuned more towards our rougher B style road conditions .

you touch roughly or spill water on anything when done the radiator ! Pulling plug at tank only eliminates pump, harness could be shorting, check relay/fuse box and try split circuit down and don't overlook visual inspection ability to find likely area of fault .

New radiator will be sensible cost effective solution . NRF Nissens or Denso sensible options. NRF can be had silly cheap off eBay seller carpartsinmotion as regulars in eBay coupons so pretty easy wait for 15 or 20% off coupon code .

well really depends on condition of rest of it and mileage . possibly 800 to 1,200 to right person ! always try high as can come down but can't go up ... If it really clean and I mean really clean you be better doing an engine swap, if it more good average you probably find a very to proper clean replacement in mid 2K to mid 3K range .

If you Foz XT super clean fix it, if not sell yours for repair and buy another, don't sell as scrap as you won't get a lot . No idea why want use your heads, if engine cooked to death and been having long term heating issues heads likely not great at best or garbage at worst . A good used engine can be anything from 500 to 1K pending on luck, time you willing wait and how good/complete it comes . Good job on swapping heads involve machine shop costs and is fair few parts want replace make job a no ballache and no come back effort . If found good donor engine for pretty much straight swap it could be as low as 1,400 and if start stripping heads as well it going be 2K and up easily for worthwhile effort . Rebuilding from new short block going be over 3K assuming your heads good enough and need basic machine shop services but if they bad then you need source them too . Sensible option is source used engine or MOT failure with good engine then scrap donor car and your engine for bit of cash back . Main areas to effect what you do is true condition of your car and how long you can wait find good used engine/donor car .

looks pretty close to factory height . measure it from wheel centre to arch folded lip and compare to the chart . If do want/need tweak height further you could add 5mm to 10mm spacer above the top hats (can buy these pretty cheap online) . Spacers are not a 1 to 1 ratio, add a 5mm spacer any you gain closer to 7mm measured at wheel to arch ... Go enjoy the Fozzy now it got it;s dignity back ...

If you need any detailed help just ask, I done loads of these sigma alarms and they fairly easy resolve. Might not be so easy if messy disconnection . Ideally want pinpoint the parasitic current draw first rather than guessing . Really not that hard narrow down the circuits drawing current and any mechanic worth paying could do it . If it is the alarm you can buy used alarms pulled from vehicle and with they keyfob supplied so can easily program it. 80 to £150 normally gets alarms parts, swapping parts and programming can be DIY job .

Well I would suspect alarm disconnection likely area to be issue, that garage just palming you off, least they could of done is few basic checks . don't get too many parasitic issues on that vintage Fozzy but alarm poorly disconnected could cause it and certainly needs looking into . If you near me I would of looked at that as expect conclude something within an hour . I generally never remove them as cheaper/quicker repair with used parts and better end result . Seems it constant fault it not going be that hard find root cause. Is the siren still under the bonnet ?

you need do a parasitic draw test, either current clamp or voltage drop across fuses to see how big a draw and hopefully pinning it down to a circuit then individual items on that circuit . The sigma m30 alarm is a possible culprit, either main module behind glovebox area or siren/backup battery on bulkhead under bonnet . If is alarm used alarm module parts can fix that cheaply and the siren can be opened and 9v battery replaced . If you not up to multimeter/amp clamp testing take it someone who can, should be easy find as constant fault .

Main issue is will you like auto ! I think you going have drive one and conclude that yourself . 150K plus is what I class as upper limit buying used, pending on use and quality of care they can be A1 beyond that but wear and tear niggles will occur higher the miles and harder the use and you likely incur more minor faults/repairs on higher mileage examples, having said that most very low mileage cars can be garbage as short journeys in rough roads wear them out quicker so don't go crazy chasing ultra low mileage cars . All you got do is conclude you like auto box and make proper effort buy cleanest example you can find and don't be afraid over pay a little for proper clean example as it will pay you back 10x over . I will say from my experience cleanest examples I find always tend be automatics and also auto prices not as high as a manual for turbo model . Turbo engine and auto box can have more expensive faults over non turbo and manual transmission so be thorough and be prepared have spend on at least one fault get it A1 . Just be diligent and if not 100% happy walk away, plenty 04 to 06 XT models available if willing travel and can wait 3 or 4 months for right one crop up . Good time of year see them cropping up too . Once you get one and happy with it look into quality underbody coatings like lanolin based products and good quality cavity wax for inner arch front c frame and sills . Keep on top of underbody protection from day 1 on a clean base car and you get 20 to 30 years out them . Hope you sort one out and fall in love all over again 🙂 ....

set of winter tyres and rims is best result, some all seasons not bad but in many cases it a mix of trying be good at it all resulting in not very good at any conditions . Not biggest fan of bridgestone, think they could of done lot better for forester vx and outback odels for uk climate and vehicles likely usage .

unfortunately battery swapping is just a band aid covering poor electrical engineering choices on sleep mode activity and parasitic draw values . I can see same dilemma in 6 to 8 years as the diesel issues which is off to scrap for 300 quid as no repair solution at acceptable cost and owners fed up/bankrupt from constant issues and diagnostic bills .

if goes away in neutral it gearbox output side, could be low oil and lets hope it is but also highly likely be shaft bearing .

What was failing first, bottom end or turbo, is just as likely bottom end bearing debris effected turbo. The reality is if you want hassle free cheap motoring stay away from subaru diesel and any modern dpf diesel as they all garbage due to the emission equipment that an engineering joke and environmental disaster . The EZ20 diesels are extra garbage due to crank failure and bottom end bearing issues . Used engines are so expensive as demand far exceeds supply due to fact they all will fail terminally due to crank issues that not really been fully resolved . We get loads of 2008 to 2013 dead diesels and 99% of them are scrap at 300 to 500 quid value as no way owners going front the repair cost and we can't put much guarantee on engines due to known issue with cranks, injector learning and dpf issues that not really fixable without re-engineering at mechanical and software levels . . Had quite a few dragged on the flat bed and off to the crusher from my yard. Is absolute disgrace to owners who bought this expensive garbage and bigger disgrace to the planet that got absorb all the waste created from constant repair parts and service chemicals make it work to mot emission standard and then crushing of the junk 😞 If you could see the chemical waste and part waste from my garage for modern dpf diesels compared to older cars you would realise they exact opposite of environmental benefit . Even I myself could not buy them at scrap value and repair for resale without financial loss . As it already been messed with it hard trace exactly what happened and a teardown would be a full strip hot tank and rebuild and I probably want use newest crank revision in rebuild cover myself and you from more grief . Ideally oil and oil filter should of been examined for debris before new turbo ordered let alone fitted . about best case scenario for professional effort from someone who actually knows what they doing on EZ20 rebuild and making effort build it right is likely 4.5K . you could cut some corners and probably come under 2.5K if your internals turn out in tolerance & serviceable condition but you could be back to square one within months as these engines fail so easily . The problem also is anyone who knows what they doing and got a lot of work flow don't really want touch them thus quotes are high as only do it if good earner ...

headlight height level sensor link Can buy oem or universal arms that you cut to length .

^ should be an easy low cost fix then. Use the image in post above which subaru service manual data to measure your before and after heights . Drive a few days before do final height measures .

Not a shock I recall dealing with, looks about right length in images . Do you know the springs you got . SLS springs have roughly 12.5mm thick coils , light duty springs 13.5mm and the RA6028 are 14.5mm rust and coatings differ measures fractionally but if you measure under 13mm you can be pretty sure it sls springs and if under 14mm light duty springs and benefit from RA6028 . Lot of the cheap and even known brand springs are not great spec and can be slightly short or lose height in couple weeks of use . Only ones we genererally use are KYB springcoil custom springs or oem and perhaps kilen suplex when needs must .

^ Sounds like a plan I have seen some of the cheap off brand eBay struts turn out short as the spring perch sits lower than should . most of the time it down to people using the wrong springs (new SLS springs as if part match via vehicle reg/vin that what computer show correct part) or reusing the old SLS springs . If you like saving money do not buy any cheap brand suspension parts because they are all garbage either in fitment/spec or durability .

20% off the KYB struts via carpartsinmotion on eBay until May 7 (PRICEWINS) bargain at £46 for made in japan part . I'll be making most of it put some common decent preferred quality parts in stock and maybe a few carlyle tools .

Get the Japan made kyb excel G shocks and the matching non sls RA6028 springs and you done proper for under £200 . https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/323874493110?epid=248894226&hash=item4b686c92b6:g:XXsAAOSw0eNdQ~n5 If you used original springs that why it still sags and if replacement springs sls spec then it still sags. Hard beat KYB and the shocks and springs as listed in this thread are proper non SLS spec that give ride height in service spec range . What shocks did you use ? is likely just the RA6028 springs on shocks you got will give correct height . Pedders are decent enough but they overpriced and companies are milking fact most people clueless and assume it hard get other normal options which isn't the case .

^ standard model arms are the same length and part numbers , I done a few forester impreza and legacy and lateral links cross between lot of them . best way see what same is look it up in the subaru parts list as it shows all other models that use the part . Later lateral links with ball joint drop links differ and wide track differs .

Forester SF rear lateral arms are same parts that can be found on G10 G11 body code impreza and B11 legacy, no length difference .