norfolkRX

Driving a Subaru can protect you from many things but . . . . .

That's good to know and hear a real world experience - I'll have to get the manual out again and find out if there's a warning light or something if the system is not working.

Just wondered if anyone had experience of the Eyesight Pre-collision Braking actually working? I've had the Eyesight warning go off several times and the centre display put up a warning when approaching sharp corners, but I've never felt the brakes being applied as a result. I assume because the warning has gone off, that the driving situation has met all the requirements for the pre-collision braking to happen. It would be nice to know it's there and functioning without having to drive into something to prove it works . . . .🤔

and I meant to post this link:- https://www.paulstravelpictures.com/Articles/Subaru-Forester-Common-Problems-Repair-Maintenance-Guides.htm which are step-by-step How Tos that some nice person has posted - including the interior lights.

A selection of the LED replacements for the interior bulbs - the festoon bulbs were a bit of a struggle to fit as although they are the same length, the end caps are a different shape.The LEDs should reduce the current draw to between one third and one quarter of the originals. Whether you like the bright white light of the LEDs or the yellowish light of the originals is a matter of personal preference.

You are not wrong there, but as an engineer (mechanical), I would be completely lost without problems to solve 😉

My Impreza is registered Dec 2019 but the Dealer mode says: Product Information: Subaru-Gen3-Mid-EU-MY2017-REVA and I thought it was a Gen 5 MY2019?? Presumably it was on holiday for a couple of years in one of those huge car parks in the Midlands. Maybe they disconnect the battery? Mine too has the original Panasonic stop/start battery and the jury is out on it's condition. The previous owner had the car for 3 years and only did 2100 miles total - makes you wonder if they had issues too, with it being used so little. I'm fairly sure Updates is Off because I'd heard of people having problems with it.

Yes, I found some of your previous posts on this - thanks. I'm not sure how useful the setting is as it only says it's charging (14.3V) or not (12V) - but not battery health other than by implication. It's much like my voltmeter, except my old school solution doesn't need setting up each time and is visible all the time. An ammeter across the battery terminals would be useful for checking the level of parasitic currents that are usually present and if anything else is adding to them. At the moment I'm looking at replacing lights, that might get left on by accident, with LEDs. The dealer I bought the car from did actually warn me not to leave the car unlocked or the doors or hatch open without having the engine on - this was a first for me!! Do you know if setting the key fob to sleep also reduces how often the alarm system is looking for the fob and therefore reduces the drain on the car battery?

Well, I fitted the Voltmeter which I got from:- https://www.amazon.co.uk/Gorgeri-Universal-Voltmeter-Voltage-BX100007/dp/B08CNFBPMG/ref=asc_df_B08CNFBPMG/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=499298107818&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=18332633606580583942&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045081&hvtargid=pla-1004357903227&psc=1 other Voltmeters are available . . . It turned out to be a neater installation than I had expected and more importantly - less work! The supplied bracket can be screwed to the centre cup divider, leaving the other cup holder still usable. The whole installation is easily removable and the only damage from standard is two small holes in the centre divider.

SFBS, and Yes, I'm another 'victim' of Subaru's poorly designed electrical system. I got a "you want to go somewhere, well not today Mate" from the car this morning. The battery was showing only 4 volts and Yes, it was partly my fault for leaving an interior light on, but come on, should a car with so much electrical equipment & stop/start be fitted with only a 65Ahr battery as standard? And given the car has so many safety systems on it that protect the driver from themselves, why use an incandescent bulb for the interior light (which might be left on by accident) when a low power LED would have been more suitable. This circuit should be timed to be switched off sometime after shutdown - I can't see any reason why the interior light would want to be left on in a locked car (other than by accident). On the binnacle on top of the dashboard it is possible to display some useful info like Water Temperature, Oil Temperature and Average Speed . . . . Average Speed!! really? how useful is that, why not a Voltmeter given the car has so much electrical/electronic stuff on it?? Anyway I'm going to fit a voltmeter in one of the redundant cup holders (I don't drink and drive) in the centre consol - it will be powered from the nearby accessory socket. I've checked that power is removed from this when the car is switched off. While I'm on the subject of electrics, why can't you default off the stop/start system? Rant over . . . . 'til the next time . . . 😉

Needless to say the seller's quick fix didn't work, but using this stuff did - now I have nice clean glass. https://soft99store.co.uk/en/home/34-glaco-glass-compound-roll-on-4975759103080.html Also just got the Bosch A157S wiper blades which fit fine.

Normally I'd agree on that but with the current economic downturn I think ordinary people (as opposed to Subaru fans) are watching costs - there's a lot of WRX and STI models for sale at the moment.

Apologies for digging this one up, but only just got round to trying it out - thanks Justin for the post - you do have to be fairly quick with the fingers to get into the settings. The Factory Settings seem the most useful. I thought my late 2019 car was a Generation 5 but slightly confused by stuff under the System Info & Product Info settings - in the latter is says: "Subaru-Gen3-Mid-EU-MY2017-REVA". Also several software titles mention dates ranging from 2015 to 2017 so has the dealer just not updated the car or is this standard for EU models? Or, has the car been sitting in a field for two years before being sold? I know, if it ain't broke, don't fix it . . . .

Yes I agree, I'm a physical mechanical connection is best, sort of person. I saw a video on what to do in the event of hydraulic brake failure in an automatic, by a driving instructor. I think it was a Ford and the electronic handbrake stopped the car progressively but quickly - which is what you want. Maybe the technique is to modulate the switch so it is like cadence braking?

Well just wondered, as you do, whether the electronic parking brake would function like an 'old fashioned' handbrake in an emergency. I tried pulling up on it at about 10 mph and it locked the back wheels and the car came to an abrupt halt. I'm not sure if the switch is an on/off one or a progressive one but the brakes release OK when you let go of it. Probably for smoother deceleration you'd knock the drive into L and use the EPB when slow enough?

Yes, I agree, unless you've experienced 4 wheel drive on rubbish country roads, or its safety credentials are very important to you, then there are better more stylish cars out there. Where I live, 4 wheel drive is definitely worth it compared to 'ordinary' cars I've driven. I didn't want auto, but there's no choice now, and I wasn't convinced about the drop from 2.0 to 1.6, but I have to say the 1.6 auto is more spritely than the 2010 2.0 manual which was sluggish off the lights. I'm not keen on some of the tech and the ability not to default it off and Subaru's paranoid obsession with locking the doors all the time is not me. It does seem better built and finished than the previous one - time will tell.

I've just been looking on 'How Many Left' and it seems that very few non-turbo ( 1.6 and 2.0 litre) series 5 Imprezas were registered in this country. 2017 = 48, 2018 = 176, 2019 = 148, 2020 = 11 and 2021 = 4 which make these cars on the new global platform pretty rare.

Well I took the plunge and bought a skinny space saver spare wheel from The Wheel Shop (I have no connection with them) who were helpful with dimensions etc. It fitted fine into the wheel well. It was slightly thicker than the existing trim allowed for so the carpet board in the boot was raised up by about a centimeter or two. You'll need to rig up, or buy, a hold down to keep the wheel in place but there is room in the centre of the wheel for existing tools except the wheel brace. Subaru were happy to sell me a full size spare wheel + 'necessary' extras but they wanted about £600 for that !!!

My car came without a spare wheel, and where I live you might have to wait a long time to be recovered so I was thinking of getting a space saver wheel. Has any one tried to fit a 17" skinny space saver wheel into the wheel well in the boot - it looks a little shallow to me? Subaru won't sell me one because it's apparently "not approved" but I'm fairly sure this car in other countries is fitted with a space saver? Cheers

Took it back to the seller and they cleaned the windscreen with some special stuff they had (maybe brake cleaner?) and for good measure put on a new wiper blade f.o.c. - so hopefully all good . . . . judging from the black colour of what they cleaned off, I think the old blade was breaking down.

Thanks - I'll contact the seller to confirm the fitting. Can't think why everyone has to re-invent the wheel all the time - Subaru keeping one step ahead of the after market, I suppose.

Sorry to dig up an old post, but anybody got ideas where to buy the wiper blades with the slim top fitting? Just picked up a 2019 Impreza and the wipers (probably original) are smearing the screen something rotten. I've cleaned the screen twice in four days but no improvement - just wondered if the Subaru wipers are depositing something on the screen. The cleaning method has worked in the past but not this time.

They don't look like they do one for a 2010 MY n/a hatchback with a single o/s outlet or was yours a custom one?

I had to get some work done for an exhaust leak to pass the MOT. Just checking Subaru's prices for the three main parts I found:- 1. Cat section - £2574 +VAT 2. Mid section - £325 +VAT 3. Back box - 577 +VAT or £4171 inc if you wanted the lot - obviously gold plated!! The garage mentioned that you could weld in a cat from another manufacturer - has anyone tried this and what did you use?

Thanks Steve Took it to my local garage and they managed to get nut off - said it was a common problem and they didn't know why people had locking wheel nuts on alloys, seeing they are fitted to virtually every car now. The nut thread for future ref. is apparently M12 x 1.25. My service book doesn't have that comment - I presume my car was a run out model with extras fitted that weren't properly checked.