Mr B

Have a look at this thread for some guidance points

depends how bad, if just very lightly cracked then should pass but will probably have it noted as an advisory. One of those things that can not give yes or no answers as ain't seen them plus different testers will have different limits within reason.

Tea bag type thing is the fuel screen/strainer, the filter is above the pump (zinc plated with white plastic top) http://www.carid.com/2008-subaru-forester-fuel-delivery-parts/item-8825811.html You can actually remove it & bridge gap with fuel pipe & add the older engine bay fuel filter to the fuel line in engine bay. Was/is a popular mod for people in locations with less than great pump stations/fuel as could change filters more regularly & at a fraction of effort & cost.

Doubt it, ebay & paypal got to be more expensive than card payments from my experience, would assume low on eBay due to price competition between sellers.

could get another copy wrx pro calliper then at least you got a paired set, keep the originals as you may want them fully reconditioned with ss pistons for future use ...

Looking at the scuff & still very good looking alignment of bumper I would suspect no further damage beside perhaps a few broken or popped clips, slightly twisted fixing holes for the bumper fixing. Has it scuffed the wheel arch slightly as well ! certainly annoying but luckily the prick got stopped & hopefully will suffer some heavier insurance premiums & you get your car back to as was condition at a top quality repair shop.

Hope you get a positive result ...

well I will put in a favourable word for you. Only 3 kids ! really haven't been that sinful sir, to much Subaru influence keeping you from going astray ...

looking at your avatar you could be a perfect match, are you married Mr Gambit ;) she is available & I suspect very good at a bit of clandestine arm wrestling :D

Lol, if you ever meet my sister you will realise how funny that is, she quite a lad in some ways & rarely any makeup in her bag if she even got one on her :-S

@mickjo, yours has the auto arming activated & that feature can be turned off, as for the issue related in original post Ganbit has covered that already. Basically the 30 second immobilizer arming after unlocking can not be turned off as an important feature linked to the cat 1 cert the alarm is approved to. All you do is in scenario when you turn to crank the engine & nothing happens or you just here a relay click because 30 seconds have passed & damn immobilizer has come in is to leave the ignition key in IGN position (next twist would be starter/crank engine) then press the single alarm button & it will disarm the immobilizer & then you can twist ignition key one turn to crank & start car as normal, no real hassle or bother. The alarm senses the ignition key IGN position & if ignition key in this IGN position (where key sits when car engine running) pressing the key can only turn immobiliser off or do nothing otherwise it would be possible to turn alarm on while driving & actually cause car to cut out & potentially cause an accident. If when you try turn the immobilizer off you are arming the alarm it is because you are turning the key back to ACC ignition position or further then it possible to arm the alarm & also holding button down acts as panic mode & alarm goes straight off. Had same issue with Fozzy I recently gave my sister, fortunately a quick lesson on that & how use the oil dipstick effectively should have her fully subaru efficient :-/ lol

thermostat & rad cap needs ruling out of equation first, & the thermostat is super cheap, could be replaced & a coolant flush done at same time as cheap first step cure/prognosis & rad caps can be tested or just swapped with a friend, cheap one from autofactors or breakers. Pumps only loose efficiency if get clogged in scale or blades get corroded badly on pump & this is not a trait on subaru but worth evaluating if nothing else shows up. I would also get the coolant checked again for exhaust gases to rule out headgasket yet again as to be honest it sounds like a sneaky posibilty, you can use exhaust gas analyser to sniff the radiator & if detect high exhaust gas readings you now head gasket problem. Sounds easy but sometimes at early stages it very minimal thus hard to detect also it may only be leaking at specific high temps & conditions not being reproduced during testing so could unfortunately still be a possibility. also possible you get minor external leak on the head on these & once again only on a hard run & when real hot then by time you cooled it down to look or take it to a garage no super obvious sign & needs a super keen eye & someone familiar on the subaru headgasket issue to pickup on it. Fingers crossed on the simple options but I wouldn't waste too much money on likes of pump replacement without really checking for minor leaks (only occurring when engine cooling system really hot), thermostat & rad cap etc.

Yeh having seen some of those I would say they are copies as machining finish was bad on set I had a look at.

Some do & technically a 118MPH T rated tyre (12MPH lower than H) is still acceptable & also may open tyre options & lower prices, but can have legal issues with insurance etc so best checked first as you will be surprised what little things can invalidate insurance with some polices & underwriters even though technically no one should really be getting close to even a T rated tyre on UK roads.

A lot of the All Weather Foresters had the Sigma Security upgrades as it was quite often a sales throw in to close the deal. Sigmas are very good but faults can be a little more odd/erratic & hard to diagnose.

Well at least you are kiling them in style, quite worthy deaths for both of them. Silver not a bad colour on these & do like the green but shows marks so easily that can make even a really clean 15 year old car look worse that it really is. The all weather is a great buy for what you get in terms of equipment & all round practicality. At 95K the engine is barely run in yet :-D with a bit of luck & sensible servicing & avoiding hidden shovels you & your dogs should enjoy a reliable and enjoyable future with the new chosen Forester.

Well is possible as if have a voltage problem such as earthing issue your fuel pump voltage & current could be reduced thus at high fuelling requirement the fuel pressure drops as pump efficiency reduced thus fuelling run low/lean & thus faults. Loads of other possibilities too & needs looking into quickly as some possible reasons could cause serious engine damage.

If you have just the standard basic subaru system (your comments sound as if you do) you have just remote central locking & also a immobilizer that has a coded pairing chip built into the key & this pairing immobilizer chip in the key is the transponder. I would also be dubious of your mechanics electrical system technical ability as seems to be using technical buzz words with little knowledge of what they actually are & simple looking faults like you have here can waste big money in the wrong hands. I would suggest you make 100% sure you also actually do not have the subaru security upgrade sigma alarm (mainly as fault finding on Sigma is a different ball game) as many owners do & never know till have faults that need fixing, basically if you have two small pod sensors on the windscreen d-piller trims, a bonnet switch on a big black bracket mounted behind the securing bolts for the windscreen washer bottle & a small keypad in the flip down coin box located by drivers right knee then you have a Sigma Subaru security upgrade fitted. Basic remote central locking has the receiver control unit that stores the paired key fobs, receives the fob signals & sends switching voltage signal to the central door locking circuit. The Sigma systems control on central locking is more complex & incorporates dead locking. I have never replaced a central locking receiver control unit in 15 years+ they been in use on Subarus, it is the most unlikely part to of failed but indeed is still possible, almost all faults I have had on Subarus central locking have been down to the motor & switching related to the drivers door when all doors are effected. First thing to do is stop using the fob buttons & just use the key to manually lock & unlock the car in you daily use & see if problems still arise & if does it 99% likely not related to remote locking controller & even if doesn't show the fault still needs the door side of locking reviewed first before spending your cash on expensive parts. Sorry if seems bit long winded but hard to help much without a long reply & I know all too well a lot of money can be wasted on these type of faults through bad diagnosis & at times can be hard to pinpoint even when a good technician is on the job so worth approaching your repair route with extra care & giving very good details of all fault symptoms, this can make a huge difference to repair costs as many times if a customer has given me very accurate details & answers a few points well I almost know likely cause of faults before even investigating myself & this can save a huge amount of time thus money too ...

lol :-D only downside I see when going of topic is it makes it hard for some people to find answers to questions when searching as they are in unlikely topic threads but hard to cure & at end of day the more discussion & info the better on the whole :-)

You got to be careful when comparing prices as if not comparing same quality parts then not really that true a comparison, I personally won't use Gates kits on subaru as the belts just are not high enough grade for the demanding belt run of the boxer engine layout also the water pumps you get vary HUGELY in quality so what seems sometimes £50 cheaper may actually be £100+ cheaper & the shop is making more on your job due to cheaper parts so do your homework well. I personally only use ADL or SA brand parts on Japanese cars as a general rule & for the Subaru cambelt the ADL kit is only one I use & am happy to guarantee ... With some of the cheaper range parts you are probably throwing a more serviceable original part in the bin so take some care when budgeting on parts ...

Quite the norm that on the whole, Have 2 foresters 1 at 120K and a 15 year old one on 105K & I got bored of checking the oil lol. have an old legacy (19 years) on 180k & that just the same, !Removed! things :-D Recent Forester AWP I purchased I gave to my sister as she lives in proper rural area & is a nurse & covers a lot of local emergency call ins so any weather road or track AWD is great, they nice & safe, super practical, low used car price for what you can get & so reliable I really can trust she won't have any hassle & just an annual check up pre MOT is all that needed which saves us all hassle & importantly money.

Good to here, was hoping was drive belt as I mentioned in post above. welcome to the lucky Subaru club :-) with a little bit of effort & luck when purchasing a used Subaru you can get a very useful & super reliable thus cheap annual outlay car for quite cheap money really :-D Don't tell everyone though or they'll get harder to find & possibly used prices would go up :-O ...

varying prices relate to what actually done mainly, basically belt only could be £150. Belt with all idler pulleys, tensioner & water pump too could be almost £400 using OEM quality japanese ADL parts.

Do you have the M30 or M20 Sigma Subaru alarm option or do you have the standard remote locking fob with just the chipped key immobilizer system. Basic quick points below kind of relate to both alarm options but need a lot more details on fault to be more precise in commenting. Are both key fobs causing same issue ? if so highly unlikely it issue with the fobs. What exactly is the issue in finer detail? If simply doors are not always unlocking, first thing to do is see if alarm is actually turning off even if doors didn't unlock, so unlock drivers door using the key and perhaps siren will go off (if on M30/M20 alarm), also start car to be sure alarm immobilisers are off & functioning ok but purely central locking the iffy part. Point being if alarm is fully off the alarm itself is not faulty but the cenral locking is & you best getting a decent clued up mechanic or auto electrician to have a look & start from drivers door as this is activated via remote & then signals the rest of the door locking motors. as mentioned above interference from likes of mobile antennas can cause issues but if having these issues at several locations then highly unlikely, if alarm is actually not turning off then issue with alarm receiver/antenna or alarm electronic mainbrain is possible. Obviously just using the key on the drivers door to test the locking & unlocking for a few times will help to diagnose what at fault too as if work all the time via the key then likely the initial driver door locking motor at fault. Transponder is normally term associated to the chip with the key that disarms the immobilizer via proximity to a sensor near the ignition barrel. if doors are locking then unlocking when pressed I would be checking basics of central locking function first & if on the basic standard alarm the fob is purely remote central locking in reality with a separate transponder chip that purely works with immobiliser. M30/M20 alarm has a reset procedure which might be worth looking into & I suspect details on this are in a thread already if need.

whine on acceleration wouldn't be drive belt would it as if slipping to some small extent can make odd noises (squeals to light whines when accelerated) & could tie in with your power steering feeling sort of on/off notchy when using a lot of lock & this normally worse when cold as extra load on pump (cold oil) causes belt slip more easily then pump pressure drops. obviously a lot of other possible reasons & without hearing & seeing the car I could be well off track. In terms of transmission the rear diff is most common for whining noises but also wheel bearings & even tyres faults can cause rumbly whines. If no major faults are found & vehicle has no solid record on last change of all transmission oils & not done at this interim service you would be wise to do it with good quality oil, it is quite simple DIY job should you fancy start doing a few basic bits & save a little money too. engine light on when used heated seats is a new one on me, worth getting fault codes read or once again learning how to do this yourself is possible & cheap in terms of what required (few threads on this to help) & possibly just monitoring the situation a bit more if nothing conclusive found. Hope your bubble stays intact, on positive note due to Subarus general reliability most owners of general service interval respected cars don't get to know their local garages on first name terms :-)