[misfire]

Hey BHPians,

Our Forester's condenser has gone kaput and needs replacing. I live in Hyderabad and I've been to the Chevrolet dealer who said they'd be able to order the part, but at quite a cost.

I wanted to know if there is way to order the condenser other than through the Chev dealership. If someone has any idea or information, please do share, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks.


P.S. I also need to replace one of the headlights which has cracked, so will have to order that part too.

[pganapathy]

If you have a friend who lives in a country where the forester was sold in decent numbers and Subaru still sells other products (USA, UK, Japan are examples) you could ask them to source and get you the parts. We used to do this when we owned a Maruti 800 in Africa. We would take a few parts on every trip. Please note that this is a pain for the friend due to the weight of the spares. If so find out if the friend can parcel it to you.

Another option is to go online and look for shops in either Europe or Asia that sell spares

[dhanushs]

Originally Posted by misfire

I wanted to know if there is way to order the condenser other than through the Chev dealership.

Try this: http://www.eurocarparts.com

[Guna]

Originally Posted by dhanushs

Try this: http://www.eurocarparts.com

This seems to be a very good option. I have been sourcing parts from USA but I should try this next time.

@misfire, AC on my Forester is also giving problem and I shall take it to the workshop to get it checked. Condenser/evaporator seem to be problematic in foresters.

[GTO]

I highly recommend GSF; have bought parts from them and yes, they do ship internationally.

If you intend to keep the Forester for long, best to order a bunch of consumables together.

[IcarusMan]

Originally Posted by Guna

AC on my Forester is also giving problem and I shall take it to the workshop to get it checked. Condenser/evaporator seem to be problematic in foresters.

@Guna: In my case, a simple refrigerant recharge at Trident CASS back in January solved the low A/C cooling issue. However, I've identified a small leak where the high pressure pipe connects to the compressor: compressor oil leak is quite visible in this area. From online research + the Forester Service Manual, it appears that a simple replacement of the O-ring at this attachment should plug the leak. Not sure If I need OEM seals or whether these thingies are common/standardized for other seals to do the job.

[misfire]

Thanks a lot for the prompt suggestions you guys, but sadly neither eurocarparts.com nor GSF had the condenser or the headlight cluster.

Eurocarparts did have an email ID they suggested that one contacts if they can't find the part listed. Done that, waiting for them to get back.

Also, inquired about the parts at good car service centre in town, they said they'd get back to me when they have some concrete info.

[Tapish]

I would recommend Euro Car Parts. They ship internationally and have a good catalogue.

Cheers
Tapish

[naut]

Originally Posted by GTO

I highly recommend GSF; have bought parts from them and yes, they do ship internationally.

If you intend to keep the Forester for long, best to order a bunch of consumables together.

GTO,

Thanks for the reference. In case of shipments to India from the UK,

• Can I import the parts without paying any duty?
• How can I calculate the "customs duty" for the parts?
• How do I pay for it & when? Can I get some help from shipping agents?
• How do we ensure that we are charged the correct duties and not more?

Lastly, how was your experience w.r.t "duties" when you imported parts from "GSF"?

[IcarusMan]

Amayama in Japan has it:

Condenser or Condenser assembly.

So does www.subaruonlineparts.com (US).

However, no experience with ordering from either of these.

[nandishpal]

i would suggest you logon to the subaru site,pick the country you are comfortable with & draft an email to them with your requirement.once they write back to you with the prices tell them you want an international shipping for which you will make a payment in full,they will happily ship it to you,in my case i have been using Cheam Subaru from UK,now they are known as Gatwick motors.

jim.childs@gatwick-group.co.uk, Jim Child
write to him with your chassis # & the requirement & you will have the parts in a weeks time.i can vouch for this supplier,i have been ordering for subaru parts from him since 2008.make sure you give my reference for the best prices.

[misfire]

Thanks again guys, the last two post were really helpful.

But my patience has run dry and with summer here seemingly in full swing, I gave up on saving a few thousand bucks and have gone with the Chev dealership/service centre here in town.

[Guna]

Originally Posted by misfire

Thanks again guys, the last two post were really helpful.

But my patience has run dry and with summer here seemingly in full swing, I gave up on saving a few thousand bucks and have gone with the Chev dealership/service center here in town.

This is a very wise thing to do.
When you order something on your own, few things can go wrong, especially with large/complex and delicate parts.

I had ordered front brake rotor and brake pads. It was stuck in the customs and finally when it arrived in the local post office, the parcel was totally torn apart and one of the pad had broken. Now with four parties involved (Subaru warehouse, USPS, Customs and Indian Post) I am not sure if anyone will own up the responsibility. Imagine what can happen to a part like a condenser!

BTW, I had left my Forester for the AC work. Folks in the service station have simply refilled the gas and they could not detect the leak in spite of keeping the car for observation for 3 days. Now they have applied some chemical according to them will help in finding out the leak if it happens again.