Mr B

Good luck and maybe you get some snow to play in. chase up any glitches and use warranty to the max as these models can get expensive sorting issues if unlucky .

I'll be interested in the verdict ... being a diesel be fussy as that era is a PITA on Injectors and ecu firmware itself.. Clutch is indeed junk too, new one and dmf along with precise adjustments to pedal stops is only way get them in good range of bite. I done a couple clutches on these now and they come out in a mess even at under 35K which shocking, Dealers like blaming driver clutch technique but the issue is clutch used not good enough for the torque output, you won't get a Subaru tech admit that though as could end in an expensive recall . Surprised with their reputation they had that on sale without doing obvious glitches first and more so when priced that high. Be sure it perfect and push them hard and quick for faults while on warranty as bills can get silly and hard cure on diesel running issues .

If you lucky, drivers side tends be seat internal assembly (pressure switch from driver in/out of seat) but you get lucky sometimes and wiring or plug knocked by stuff pushed under seat or seat movement itself. Worth checking voltage/earth to seat base before fully concluding element/thermostat or seat switch related. good luck .

Usual 2 faults are connector wiring under seat knocked off/damaged so check that. Heater elements/thermostat or seat pressure switch the other, these need seat base stripped or used seat sourced.

Michelins are indeed a great tyre, just some struggle with a £600 tyre bill .

The Michelin are good but those Maxxis AP2's shouldn't be overlooked when cost important, they done very well in winter and season tyre testing against big names, they not the best but they matched or got close to some top name brands, before £ drop you could get these fitted at £85 which a bargain option that still gave good performance low noise and fuel economy .

crossclimate is nice. another option for this size at under £100 that I seen on couple customer XT's is maxxis AP2 all season XL One moorland owner rates them high and uses them on farm track, winter rain ice & snow, b road and motorway. rating and cost good too .

lol :-) are the tyres in good health and even wear between the set .bushes and mounts in good order Gearbox oil level and condition ok ? Could be worth dropping gear oil as can check oil state and debriss and try new oil a little over max and see if noise alters. Hard thing pin down over the internet, bang it on a lift and run it in gear and should be able pinpoint issue with stethoscope hopefully .

does it do it at 40mph with clutch dipped ? if goes away as clutch dipped it likely box related. Driveshafts normally clunky noise along with some mild droning noise, worse turning on a particular lock . Most likely wheel bearing (not overly expensive but try use ntn or at least jap made bearing), on a straight road when noise is present rock steering left to right if noise stops as load transferred wheel bearing it is. Putting it on a lift and running it in gear and using a stethoscope is way we do them when no physical evidence in hub exists. As noise/vibrations will be carried along driveshaft towards box and from drivers position sound will appear more central.

SF is great as easy remove from front and got some rear access as you point out, SG is PITA and got force hand into rear of bumper between plastic shield :-/ clips and plastic sh1te on the front underside of SG is appalling, almost french bad :-O got to love the SF, probably best car they ever designed and built in a general vehicle usability/longevity perspective .

It H3 bulb from what I remember so bulb base held in metal socket in housing which in turn is connected to the fog light loom earth. They can get bit scabby so likely good clean and some elec contact spray will have it all sorted . socket on loom can get very scabby and packing with silicone grease once cleaned can help keep it trouble free.

It increased NVH (noise vibration harshness) from the new pitch arm harder bushes .

awful spray too as not stripped much skirts left on, door fittings, bonnet fittings etc, will be overspray signs and poor edge finish everywhere, someone wasted 2.5k :-/

You can beat peddars kit price by £100 you can fit the kyb struts (kyb shocks can be found under £50 each inc p&p) KYB excel-G come with 2yr warranty and kyb do non sls springs or suplex range has springs aso, both giving oem ride height. If wanting specific ride height, tow or carry lot of weight or firmer handling then springcoil.co.uk do custom spec springs for SG at about £120 a pair and they A1 quality .

Idle switch issue is not generally related to the switch so much as the linkages inside box that engage with the switch, that why we use a thinner washer or remove it and use ptfe tape on threads which move switch closer to worn linkage. this issue not very well known, when our local subaru dealer gets stuck the cars end up with us ... dealers don't get a massive amount of experience on older running faults and only know what subaru tech bulletins teach them. Idle code can be tricky one though and though fault itself normally cheap it finding it first that the issue. ecu connector clean worth a go too as we resolved couple code issues with that over the years . clean maf and maf connector and clean tps and neutral switch connector too . do one thing at a time so can draw conclusion if get a change . good luck ...

Oh I see, I thought P0519 was resolved with iav . Can't see why dealer thinks it Cat on that code I would try looking at neutral switch (fit thinner sealing washer) as mentioned in previous post about idle fault. perhaps map sensor too . removing ecu connector and cleaning with elec contact cleaner could be worth a go too, has worked for us before on odd faults . take it idle is perfectly fine.

I would guess it going be P0420 fault code (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold) which really is either the rear sensor as this is the one that relates data to cat efficiency or Cat itself could be an issue. Other things can cause like poor spark plugs/leads, fuel, dirty maf, exhaust leaks. . Worth grabbing a cheap obd2 code reader so can see codes yourself http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Engine-Fault-Code-Reader-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reset-Tool-OBD-2-CAN-BUS-EOBD-UK-/172200936611 You could try running some cat cleaner in your fuel system mixed extra strong . If P0420 not a big problem but can be pain be sure exactly what at fault . Would imagine reason it found it's way to dealers was due to intermittent engine light & no obvious course of action to resolve . Cat not cheap and silly money via main dealer so would want warranty involved if using main dealer. Hopefully couple attempts of cat cleaning additive & trying a better fuel may help ...

No additional network required, the wifi dongle is a network and you search and connect to it. That little ebay reader is good little unit for money, have couple of them in car glove boxes as quick no hassle check option. Plenty of wifi dongle for ios on ebay if look and choose wisely. Will need software from app-store.

need wifi for iphone as ios bluetooth no good as locked down on functions . cheap stand alone solution > http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Engine-Fault-Code-Reader-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reset-Tool-OBD-2-CAN-BUS-EOBD-UK-/172200936611 .

They not very good, all taiwan ones much same . BC potentially better on price and parts/rebuild but none are proper good on b road use, main reason bumps and bushes gone is rod stroke too short and bottom out all time . easy enough get new bumps and expect could find or make polly bushes for eyelet, springs could do with blasting and epoxy powder coating. someone probably buy them .

Is it 1 button fob and is it separate or built into key head ? single button fobs separate to key can be had on ebay cheap and reprogrammed using info on this forum. fob boards fitted in the key head can be swapped so can buy used ones of those reprogram and swap, is also a company on ebay repair the boards at fixed pricing .What ever solution you use it worth also grabbing a spare fob and programming it also as handy have .

what are spark plugs like, do they show good mixture burn and in good order. tricky one diagnose without logging oem sensors and physically looking at cat condition etc . Can you fit cat yourself so cost minimal .

^ lol done some restoration work few years back on one of those for an old chap who loved it like a family member . awful but nostalgic :-) Land Rover was about our best in the car world but sold out . Sad really young generation got very few opportunities in big manufacturing or much to be proud of . I've been to Infar plant in taiwan and it amazing see the design & manufacturing capability they have, we really dropped the ball purely as big business wanted maximum profit and sleazy politicians let it happen .

I would love for our government reduce foreign manufacture and add massive company tax for using it. I would like buy tools made in UK like old days of Gordon, King D1ck & original Britool, companies like britool sold out to facom and now sell taiwan and china rebranded generic tools .Recently started dealing with UK battery manufacturer Powerline, wish I could deal with few more ...

Like Hilary much better , she a compulsive liar and in the pockets of big corporations . Brexit will happen one way or the other, EU is heading to internal protest & bankruptcy, Greece scenario & immigration is ridiculous .Would you want give up the pound and become a full federation :-S I sure as f00k don't . Companies can not keep going to likes of china for production as no work or wealth for the home country. All these west european workers in uk do nothing but bleed money out of the country, EU policy on food and car regulation is insanity ...