Mr B

@ Ganbit Any rules on selling on here ! Don't really deal with selling via forums so not up to speed on it, just want make sure following the rules/guidelines roughly :-)

One I have is 2003 to 2008 forester model range, light grey, fully working & as far as I recall close to new condition really. Would have to get it out & look to report accurately plus do some photos. I'm pretty busy too at moment so doubt I will be able organise that till middle of week. I would want £90 inc of P&P, shipping not cheapest due to length being too much for super cheap deals. ... SOLD ...

If he sent that standard 1st class I would of probably claimed never received & get my money back via PayPal. Indeed not technically correct but at least you get money back & can do something with the free tat you got. Personally eBay are at fault as the amount of fake & unlicensed goods listed is unbelievable & they need monitor the worst offenders. As Gambit said if you know you buying fake & price fair then all well & good but in cases like this the fookers need sorting & best way is making sure they don't keep your money thus they are loosing money :-) If they start loosing too much they go under or clean up.

Looks menacing that . I had a Mk3 7MGTE for a while, bought it with high speed kerbing damage. Needed suspension, subframe, steering rack, bumper, wing. Also had to do a head gasket to HKS metal layer & fit better turbo. Was quick & bit of fun but lowsy performance & handling in reality :-S Always loved the GT4 but never got one of those :-/ that funny thing with me, many cars I really like I never have owned ! I love a few special impreza turbo models but never owned one :-/ Mmm time for some car shopping :-D

I have a grey one from a 2003 SG AWP. PM me if interested, would need shipping as i'm down in the south west.

Miltek do one . You could also look at a custom system from powerflow or tweaking an impreza performance system to suit your forester.

change struts to standard non SLS. If SLS faulty & got saggy rear then worth mucking with but if in good order I would leave alone & spend money on checking all suspension bushes are in good order & buying quality tyres/wheels perhaps Lowered foresters tend to be a worthless job unless done well. We done a 2.5XT & rather than lowering we used KYB struts to replace worn SLS & fitted custom rated standard height springs all round to give firmer ride & little less body roll. Problem with impreza suspension swap is you need do some homework so use a good donor option plus you need buy good used 100% standard rather than half dead & fitted with unknown non standard springs, buying suspension used is a risky game.

Be careful lowering foresters as if on SLS rear struts you will need change them as well. Most people swap to impreza struts-springs as cheap used part option so find what works with you forester version & go hunting. Is a few specialist breakers but they are never the cheapest & subaru used parts hold good value due to demand & low number of subaru vehicles in the dismantling networks.

Sounds good & worth a little effort sort the niggles. I would get a good check of complete front suspension/hub/wheel & obviously let them test drive if fault easy to induce prior to alignment. Bumpers would be quite easy to take off & refinish, not super cheap for decent job but would make a clean car look almost new if done ... Good luck with it .

Are you sure it the tyre squealing & not the power steering pump pulley belt squealing on that particular lock at low speed. Any sign on tread wear suggesting alignment issue. Are the tyres new all round (important all tyres are evenly matched) Would assume MOT would of picked up on any fault with suspension but could be wise give it a good visual as perhaps something could be slightly bent from likes of curbing at speed !

Would be wise give suspension a good check over. Also clutches can be issue for some people so if got any concerns best chase it up. Only other issue can be diesel injectors noisy so once again if any concerns in this area with noise or less than perfect running get it looked into.

No iridium has better longevity in terms of electrode tip. High boost cars can benefit with more durable electrode tip but not a necessity. I use standard NGK R in both my NA foresters & also use them in my gtir as get too many problems running them with occasional misfires/plug breakdowns. Subarus are ok with the iridium plugs though. Up to you really on your cars set-up/use & your budget.

Standard NGK R are £2 each NGK Iridium are probably around £9 each Standard are good plugs & sometimes less problems plus at the low cost you can replace them more punctual.

Yes they do look nice, much prefer the SF to SG really. TSW & BBS have/had very very similar wheels to that spoke design.

Spacers ideally as even if clear of SG strut I'm not a fon of reducing the vehicle track. If you happen stumble on really nice used wheels at cheap money then worth doing but you may find buying a new set with suitable ET not much more expensive than used wheels & spacers. Also think about the spare as if drift from standard radius your current spare won't be much use.

Basically ET is the offset of the mounting face of the wheel to the centre line of the wheel Standard Fozzy is 48mm , if used ET55 55mm then wheel sit inwards (closer to strut) an additional 7mm which is not the best thing. Could fix this with spacers but then adding to cost. Going 16" is the best all round compromise, Foresters as a rule look awful with low profiles plus road handling/ride on 17" 18" 19" is awful.

Tesco Momentum is good plus easy get. I use it in 2 of my own turbo cars, one being a GTiR with stock pistons but boost at 1.3bar, used momentum when it was mapped without complaints & seems fine on it. Most street pump fuels are quite equal but Tesco fuel don't sound so good so not talked about so much as shell .

Could indeed be a leak, have done a few though that sound like a slight blow but turn out be exhaust shield resonating. Hopefully easy found & sensible price fix. Good luck ...

What you after ? full set or just rears. KYB do struts for reasonable prices, probably around £80 for a SF model, Monroe or Sachs are other options. If rear currently Self levelling you would need springs too which can be KYB at £40 a pair or better quality/spec springcoil at around £100 a pair with varying spec to improve handling, adjust height or cope for heavy loading/towing etc.

Heat shields on the exhaust is the norm for noises & can be hard track down as come and go in early stages & temps & exact load all play vital roles & are hard to replicate when inspecting. I have had problems pin-pointing exact exhaust shield area even when know it at fault via test drive. As your mechanic seems good & car mileage/servicing good I very much doubt it anything else, but that is just based on your post & my experience with subarus & foresters. Exhaust inspection would be worth revisiting as would giving it a month or so for you to log issue & perhaps gain more info to make diagnosis easier ...

Best done then really with full quality kit such as blueprint or ICP kits as use a OEM top quality parts, I would do water pump too at that mileage & probably crank seal best done too. My pointers on fitting is in link below, hard to go wrong as long as you have some basic experience & far more room & easy procedure than say a Pug 206 HDI so don't be put off with the boxer syndrome as they easy layout for a lot of jobs & designed well for repair aspects. http://uk.subaruownersclub.com/forums/topic/6205-pig-of-a-job-please-read/#entry35434

I stumbled on that thread & to be fair I did not look that closely at pics but indeed you don't need compress on vehicle. take assembly out & off to you shed for compressing-stripping-assembling. compressing spring is no big deal *do be safe & think about safety though* just wind each clamp a little in alternating stages keeping eye it pulling down evenly & clamps look secure on hook points. once load off top hat you ready remove the strut rod nut. I have airgun so they rattle off easy, main problem is if tight or corroded they hard undo due to not being able stop rod turning easily as turning nut, normally forester ones are not corroded as good grade metal & top turret stays clean/dry so even this should not be too difficult. hope goes well, your good strut could make decent price on ebay making the job very affordable. You can do me a favour & measure spring height & any spec you know on ones you chose as I will measure the KYB springs for comparison & when get opportunity will test on 2.5xt so can post sticky on tested facts on fitments through all forester SG's. Also measure your current ride height so have accurate comparison once job complete.

As above all those can cause issue plus few other options such as water temp sensor, bad earth points on main loom & also the sigma alarm immobilizer can have sticky relays causing intermittent lack of function on circuit it wired to. Crank & Knock are 2 of the more usual ones & to come across needing replacing, worth checking condition of all connections/wiring to these sensors first & if lucky with having some fault code data it can help narrow search areas. Decent knock/crank sensors can be had for around £20-£40. local decent motor-factors will have some & plenty can be found on ebay making it easy for the diy repairers get fair price parts. Don't go too cheap though as likes of £10 knock sensors are not much use, the work in terms of fooling ecu that sensor works but without the ability for proper knock detection. Basically avoid the stealer dealer & cheapy chinese & good parts for realistic price can be had easily. Good luck with the prognosis ...

Best you keep your cat then. Nothing wrong with stringent fair MOTs really as in some instances it the only time a car gets looked over by a professional annually. Do like a bit of common sense though rather than failure for sake of it. Onboard test function like on your SF & the early Nissans was very useful, should of been made a requirement that CEL could be used for full code & basic setting adjustments making it easier for people fix minor faults rather than run around for months avoiding hassle & expense.

Here's an interesting post and it's on an XT too. He's used Sachs but KYB Monroe etc are all same fitment range on SG. I like KYB & so do Subaru as use KYB as OEM for suspension (strut top hats are from KYB factory) Personally I would say KYB & custom springs from likes of springcoil will be better end result than pedders & especially so for XT model with prodrive pack. Trim is clips, drop rear seats & start on end, pull out horizontal & lift up as needed, trim is quite strong & clips are firm.