Mr B

crank design, they had at least 2 revisions on the crank.

slight re-tensioning should do the trick, easy to do diy .

heater strips in the front screen where the blades sit in parked position .

Crank snapping is known issue on those year diesels .

quite shocking have this problem on a 3 to 4 year old car, between this injectors & dpf I can't be bothered with a diesel subaru for my own use as just not worth the hassle for the price they demand. Still not had one snap off yet but they do feel close to it at times. Subaru really needed help out on this & also introduce preventative measures for replacements ... Subaru really needed a good diesel but the introduction experience to owners has done serious brand damage ...

I would try video the issues so you got a record of proof then get them do something about as soon as possible. reality is you likely will need a replacement unit as I doubt faffing about will lead to resolve. I got no time for lazy dealers, be firm but stay polite, if it faulty even intermittently it must be fixed ...

2.0 litre is rated at 1500kg tow & 2.5 litre 2000kg. non turbo has low range, turbos do not & 2.5L was only turbo (XT) in uk market. 4wd is permanent & a very good system with a proper true viscous centre diff & LSD rear diff so need of diff locks is not really needed in most scenarios. Spares can be bit expensive but the majority of run of the mill parts are about average in cost & available from local parts factors or specialists like ICP & also you don't normally need fix them much as they are above average in reliability. I think your biggest issue will be towing weight & missing the torque of the TD5.

60k miles for N/A or 50k miles for Turbo, or 5 years . Europe has really low mileage for belts, in USA & Oz it more like 90 to 100K miles. Main niggles are ripped drivers seat on leather edge, mucky seats as light cloth stains easily, drivers window not working, roof bars faded & scratched, exhaust heat shields rattle (easy fix), sumps can get heavy rust spots (mainly as no oil leaks covering whole front car like most european junk) Do look for hard use from towing, rear suspension is (SLS) self levelling hydraulically internally within strut & they fail & rear sags, this costs good £300+ from garage to replace with KYB struts & matching springs, they not SLS as that only from subaru parts & at almost £400 a strut. Check transmision/clutch smooth & free from clunks. Check underbody not dented up from off road use etc. Check tyres for even wear as with AWD you don't want bad wear from possible accident damaged car or from faulty suspension They tough vehicles & if serviced well & had good owners even 140K foresters have loads of life left. Just take bit of time, test/look at everything & don't rush at first one you see. older SF models are better built & in my opinion far better design than the SG so if you see one of those around 99 to 02 they certainly worth a look ...

Any chance in any paperwork you got with car you know what garage done work for him, a clever call may lead to fact they already know about car as tested for the seller & then you have some hard proof he new about issue prior to sale.

A lot of the problems can be caused from debris entering oilways during rebuild & also lack of good oil flushing cycle after rebuilt. If engine is evaluated well prior to work commencing & work done to a high standard then it not a problem, you always going get an odd job go bad but making a mountain out of a molehill just to cover your a55 on every job at expense of the customer is not professional service or good mechanical engineering.

^ It not luck

Absolute rubbish, I have done a fair few 2.5 heads gaskets only & had no come backs & have 2 which regular for servicing & mot & one of those done almost 60k with no issues. HG issue is breakdown of coating & normally it leaks external & any water ingress is minimal, obviously you gauge engine condition prior to planning route of repair but a lot of these leaks are so small they hard to diagnose let alone bad enough to do any major damage. Bottom bearings are engineered for greatest stress & that is not from compression or ignition but from inertia of sudden change of direction at bottom & top of stroke, that load can be around 10x that of combustion.

75w90 gl4/gl5, need 4l really if wanted drain & refill, most motor factors have half decent 75w90 in 5l at sensible price

^ you need quality head gaskets such as cosworth, rocker seals, inlet/exhaust gaskets, oil & filters, coolant, head inspection & surfacing, timing belt. £500+ in quality parts/machine-shop for decent effort .

comp ratio can be reset by using thicker head gasket or machining head chamber to set volume correct. amount skim off heads is absolute minimal as it just about refacing/cleaning super smooth and not about correcting warping or pitting issues as HG issue on these is down to HG break down ... I've done a few 2.5 turbos over the years & never done or had bottom end issues from them .

Gerlach germany do alu-steel cat back system for 2.5 & 3.0 outback/legacy for about £120 for the parts (includes gaskets etc). Not bad quality for money as have used them myself (3yr warranty I think). Just buy system yourself & check/measure it looks right & matches what ordered then pop into a decent local independent garage, should be fitted well in under 2hrs .

I have done a fair few 2.5 HG & if it not been used much or leakage minimal then you will be ok just doing the heads, I done a few that way & know they been good as still service & mot them. no idea on state of your lump though as need see & here it to make those decisions ...

i buy all my cars private if possible, normally were best cars are found if you know the basics to avoid major issues. I expect seller did know but chances of proving this in court will be next to zero, seller will state he not knowledgeable & will also push point vehicle was open to any inspection so then it your fault for not inspecting properly. 2.5 lumps a notorious for HG issues . The law is an a55 & I feel your pain, don't go trusting dealers too much as they experts at peddling turds & can play the law as well clued up on it. Main trick when buying a car is test & look at everything, take no notice of sellers/owners & don't rush into things.

You could try the 2008 model online manual: http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Forester/2008/Forester%202008/index.html As for alarm that does come with its own booklet. Sigma M30 doc link below which has good info inc how reset 4 digit code with just a working remote. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7Ub2apq5-pfcjJhSm5XUHNyUzQ/view?usp=sharing

I still have 2 hp dv2500 14" notebooks (over 8 years old) we use with diagnostic software, they run windows 7 32bit with 4gb ram (use 3.5gb), have been fitted with 2.4ghz duo core processors (£20 ebay), improved heat clamping on cpu & gpu & increased fan intake & case venting, fitted decent 128gb ssd drive & rom drive dumped for platter hdd & they boot in under 40 seconds (that to usable desktop inc antivirus-avast running & password) & run way way better than most new laptops plus dirt cheap to fix if parts pop. Most new stuff is junk with nothing but big technical numbers that mean f00k all really. Windows 7 was & still is f00king brilliant, why people want go to 8 or 10 without good reason is beyond me ...

genuine new gaskets won't leak if fitted right & nothing damaged or over tightened . Ideally you want complete cover gasket set, old gaskets can be used with bit of sealer instead of new when supply/time or money an issue . oem gaskets to pattern part gaskets are night & day in quality & fit difference. I only use oem as almost 100% eliminates issues so job jobbed first time & for a long time.

If using new oem gaskets then right sealant is none, just lightly rub them through fingertips with smidge of grease as helps hold in place & bed down to seal. If using old ones or buy cheap tat gasket off ebay then the 5699 would be ok to keep um from weeping ....

Seems you have an android phone you probably best trying a bluetooth obd dongle & torque app as first step as they cheap. A good old cable & notebook with some software is good too. Some links at bottom of linked post may be helpful (torque app, pc software, eBay link). http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/10869-help-forester-diagnostics/#entry63645 other option is a cheapish handheld, they tend have less connection issues to ecu over the china elm327 bt dongle scanners, quality of the china elm327 stuff is bit iffy as newer ones are all about even cheaper manufacture so they have more compatibility problems . http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Autel-Autolink-AL319-OBD-II-EOBD-Code-Reader-/111745966028?hash=item1a04941fcc

http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/Forester/2005/

£45 to push one button (F11) i'm in the wrong trade :-(