Mr B

Only easy if obvious loom/plug issue under seat. elements and thermostats all within seat cushion base .

head gaskets , common issue on 2.5 ... stick with 2.0XT

I would stick with 2.0xt as far better engine .

does the switch light up on high setting ? if so check wiring harness under seat and run some contact cleaner on connector .If working on low elements are ok as work in series in low and parallel for high, if switch & wiring good it probably thermostats for high in the seat . Hope u get a rain free day as keen see how these mouldings work on arches and what covering the give . mileage results can seem odd, seems sensible figures though .

Manual potentially bit better mpg plus tend resale better. If really want an auto stick it out for one. Have a look at this one as more see better idea you get on price and condition. Be fussy as it easy get almost immaculate xt models as generally low mileage and little abuse, more so for auto. I found good ones easily compared to the base model work horse. Ignore dealers as they full of it and use your own eyes and hands, inspect everything, operate all electrics and inspect paint finish as os wings and rear bumpers get knocked easy. Plenty about and worth traveling a bit as proper tidy one saves thousands long term .

As above, 04 and 05 get premium as better road tax bracket. don't buy a 2006, road tax is crazy and they harder sell on . this time of year jumps price 500 to 1000 good ones can be had as low as 2500 but needs be private sale. Plenty good XT's about and autos easier/cheaper find. Don't rush and only buy if 100% happy and inspected car in depth, look and check everything and do not trust what sellers tell you especially trade dealers . Inspect rear arch wells and turrets for rot as some prone to it, need physically tap metal as rot from inside so can look pristine outside, visually look at rear subframe too & also see rear ride height seems pert and not saggy . Good long test drive needed on good B roads, check gear change crisp (2nd and 3rd especially) & clutch ok . engine should be smooth with no hesitation .

I would look at mocal perhaps, something like a 235mm matrix width 25row (194mm) and look into having a thermostat on it and even a temp sensor & guage perhaps . USA does few transmission cooler kits so worth looking at US websites etc to get more ideas .

do the tyres rub at all ? is indeed a foretza . lol reminds me a bit of the oz impreza version wagon

Is a common code and sometimes as in your instance a pita resolve . Is worth checking plugs etc, ideally want a road test with wideband logging & cats looking at , you can add a spacer fitting to rear sensor that moves tip out of main flow as a poor mans fix/function test .

yeh that was roughly full dealer retail fitted back in the day which is extortionate and why don't see that often on the foresters . You want see price of genuine moulded mud flaps & load liner mat lol :-) rear rolling load cover is about £350 :-) Do a review on strip as interested how that works/looks . would be cheap solution and keep edges from light scrapes and parking door dings too . May find adding the black door edge moulding strips kind of makes it more oem blending/complete, we done a few with that in black & chrome saves door edges so again practical addon ... Seems practical and sensible solution to your minor blemish mark, think will look fine on dark green too . good luck ...

I haven't found SG accessories catalogue, found SH but arch moulding kit not in that one. We got them from US parts specialist as way cheaper plus ordered a few rear bumper protectors help spread shipping costs as was only £28 compared to UK £75 :-O Arch moulding kit was about £280 (few years ago and £ to $ was good plus US prices way better start with . Could be worth trying the 3m tape as if around 18mm coverage good enough it could work well & look oem if fitted carefully & give you similar look for less than £20 then keep eye out for arch moulding kit if want beast it up some more ... Don't see many with them & ones I seen tended to be demonstrator cars so fit most accessories for show, I recall UK subaru price around £580 :-O

No idea how good that 5M trim is, get similar stuff in local body shops, maybe bit small for what want do ! Link below same trim but way better price. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/E-TECH-WHEEL-ARCH-GUARD-TRIM-WHEEL-ARCH-PROTECTOR-UNIVERSAL-BLACK-/191199762094 oem arch guard kit is indeed quite cool. they should of been done standard in my opinion and same for rear bumper guard. I'll have look on workshop computer before leave as got a full pdf on extras somewhere and pretty sure a part number with it, numbers will difffer for colours but gives you something search with .

silencers don't sound sweetest (local factors no better though and twice price) but seem last well & is aluminised steel . Worked out good on older subarus as meant we could cost job cheaper than car value :-) and keep older cars affordable & on the road . Forester ones are about £60 to £70 . Just message them car reg be sure right and ask pipe diameter to be sure it not dropping size from oem, you'll get bit cheaper if do offer ...

you need get waxoil in the arch cavity which need access from inside boot . I will try dig out part number for arch protectors, them are an extra like the black rear bumper protector . Full price is silly money but they hide arch edge and do a good job of protecting body work a bit . one we done was not a AWP so bumpers & door lower guards all black & black arch trim matched in perfect. They do them in same grey/gunmetal as the bumpers/door guards.If you call a dealer they may be able help Look online as may find way cheaper . Other option is something like this, as you got dark green black blends nicely with it . http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/331984431810

These are good budget option, better than stuff we get from local motor factors at almost twice price, used them on foresters & old justy . Make an offer .I purchased a few SF & SG foz systems . http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Subaru-Outback-3-0-Subaru-Legacy-3-0R-24V-4x4-exhaust-system-silencer-3528-/321754044440

You want spray waxoil inside rear arches so getting down to that arch lip, will need remove side trims in boot. Rear arches are about 30/70 bad/good on these and they either go from inside out or out panel start going because arch lip failing . We done a red one which was bit bad and needed plating on inner arch and small area of outer arch. Rather than blend in body paint the arches had the genuine subaru black optional front & rear arch trims fitted (not cheap but may get old stock deal on them) which covered the repair visual body paint & made job easy and could use a marine grade epoxy paint final coat which way better than 2 packs long term . Rust on these is best attacked quick as modern steel soon de-laminates . The older SF forester was better steel and thicker sheet metal on inner arch guard Least other minor faults fixed and dealer happy and easy in covering the work ... .

You on about the power aerial in front n/s wing ? or the antenna booster amp ? Think aerial was option so not sure how well covered in manuals but not too hard trace it back from harness link here > for 1998 sfsm in pdf sections which maybe useful

Can't say I noticed a trend on fuel to P0420 . You may find rear one for about £90 (from online lambda specialist such as ecolambda.co.uk) at best if cross match subaru part number, most cheaper ones still turn out be same denso sensor.Front one easier find cheap than rear rom last time I sourced one . You could throw £100 at garage to check rear sensor and cat and still have a 50/50 diagnosis result . check connectors for sensors well & give them squirt of elec contact cleaner .

You could try some cat cleaner additive first, even try the additive twice and drive it hard so cat gets real hot. This may bring some life back into a carbon blocked cat and clean sensor heads a bit. 2.5 head gasket issues can help reduce cat lifespan . lambda sensor has it's own fault code for main failures but it could be reading off and cured couple with rear sensor when no real fault data found to conclude anything else . Hard one diagnose and expensive how ever you go about it.

That code rarely linked to front sensor so mechanic probably not too clued up to replace that first. cat could be fine at 130k but other issues such as oil & excessive fueling can shorten the lifespan . rear sensor or related wiring is the more common one, rear sensor around £130 roughly and easy fit . If you can fit a rear sensor yourself it probably better option than paying garage do tests . Do check exhaust condition for potential leaks though .

Rather than pay a garage you could buy obd to usb cable and use freessm software on notebook or for a basic solution buy a simple code reader (10.99) http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Car-Engine-Fault-Code-Reader-Diagnostic-Scanner-Reset-Tool-OBD-2-CAN-BUS-EOBD-UK-/172200936611 Some members on here used these fine and simple easy use solution if not into notebooks or no android phone to use a bluetooth obd dongle and android torque app . get the exact code & also check & clean sensor harness plugs with elec contact cleaner .I would guess it going be P0420 (Catalyst System Efficiency Below Threshold) which really is either the rear sensor as this is the one that relates data to cat efficiency. sensor data can be read & sensor bench tests can be done, Cat itself could be an issue, also leaks in exhaust can cause it too .

On the diesel it can be the clutch or dmf . new clutch complete with dmf is expensive on those, if minimal judder & only when cold it probably go for long while yet but if things get worse get it looked at & if do a clutch be sure do dmf too .

Yeh with mafs I would go recirc as way you map around them does nothing good for throttle response, if using map sensor and after market ecu then no real issue. modern mafs are super sensitive & anything changing turbulance in piping can be an issue. I lost count of amont of evo's & subarus that had gear change hesitation issue (some only at high speed change of say 100mph) due to vent bov, even older cars like nissans on jec maf's could be fussy with pipework shape and needed good valves be trouble free. .

You won't see any gain from BOV at factory boost level, only reason to upgrade technically is needing something technically better/reliable when boost increased or you want a setup where some boost pressure still held in intake rather than bleeding it all off. On maf & maf/map combined systems recirc tends work best, some cars have hesitation on vented or if no noticeable hesitation if you log the ecu & wideband you will see less than ideal data at times. Only time you get gains from aftermarket valves is if standard broken/leaking either to age or fact you boosting way over standard pressures or by bov system designed hold some intake pressure so when thottle open you gain boost faster . Ideal scenario on road cars with no antilag is holding about 3 to 6psi in intake. rally cars & lot of drag cars don't use bov as want absolute best throttle response thus want boost pressure present as soon as throttle opened, they use the antilag to to stop the turbo stalling & noise you here on rally cars is the impeller chopping through stalled compressed air & the wastegate

Relay is to right of drivers fusebox under dash & wants bottom dash panel off for access . relay is same as some other circuits so can swap one for a test, relay cover is removable & can be cleaned inspected . Picking up a cheap used drivers button panel can be helpful for diagnosis if running out of stuff you can check. Try and test drivers motor with a direct earth & power feed and see how functions .