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-   -   Forester Owners: Servicing? (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/technical-stuff/49888-forester-owners-servicing-4.html)

• Compressor oil =718
• Refrigerant=972
• AC vent cleaner=581
• Labour (cleaning the evaporator coil, cabin filter, vents etc) = 3000

Note that my AC was totaly non functional and yours may not require all these. On the other hand I am glad that they did not have to replace the evaporator coil or the compressor

Thanks much! This looks good.

WRXXX, thanks for this tip. I had a go at checking the condition of the cabin air filter. And man, there was a lot of gunk/junk trapped, including leaves :eek:



Looks like it has never been replaced! But then I've never replaced the cabin air filter in my Alto either! (Is there even one?)

[quote=IcarusMan;2978246]Thanks much! This looks good.


WRXXX, thanks for this tip. I had a go at checking the condition of the cabin air filter. And man, there was a lot of gunk/junk trapped, including leaves :eek:

Attachment 1020658

While this is not related to the forrester -I have a Hyundai i10 which has the cabin filter as well. It is well documented that when servicing the cabin filter has to be taken out and cleaned (not replaced). Of course, the so called "service" guys never take it out. Directions for taking it out are clearly in the Manual (I suppose the Forrester would have the same too). FInally I do it myself - its a 15 minute job every 3 months. Suggest you do the same too and dont rely on the Service guys. At Trident, some of these so called "mechanics" dont even know about it till I tell them - and then, its better for you to do the job, than let a guy who is clueless do it.

[quote=motorguy;2979113]Incidentally, its on the Swift as well , but not documented. But, its quite difficult to take it out on the Swift, because removal of the glove box door is quite hard and you run a risk of breaking the glove box door. - I suppose it would be there on the Alto as well.

You are welcome!

I found it out the hard way too.... Now I replace it every 20k
At the least we can clean it regularly I think. I for sure know that it improves the AC cooling and air quality considerably.

Guys,

We need to tread carefully here... Lot of Subaru components are built to last.. and worldwide Subaru is regarded for their reliability more than the BMWs or other German counterparts for example!

Now in the above case I agree that there could be genuine failures that needs fixing, but there are a lot of cases where the suggestions to get something fixed will be random guesses by the Service Centre and a way to fleece the customers. I think we should refer to the service chart when things are not broken and the service center recommends fixing, also use the mature local and http://www.subaruforester.org/ forums for cross-check on prices and the cost involved.

For one I know that there are few services that can be very expensive... among them one that involves rear-differential. AFAIK Sundaram never touched that part!!

The maximum for service I have paid is 6k that included me falling for the trap from the service centre for interior cleaning. Regular oil change service cost so far has been 1700-2000 rupees when I have supplied the fuel filter and oil filter myself.

Maybe, one of these days I will try and compile a chart for both parts and labor involved for regular intervals and approximate cost that should be in India.

I now wonder can't we directly order from Subaru Japan/third party vendor who does international shipping? And then use a local service centers(for example an equivalent labor applied to a Chevy) as reference for the labor costs.

[quote=motorguy;2979114]I have placed an eBay order for ceramic brake pads (non OEM) which comes out to Rs 2700 including shipping. I shall share the my experience as soon I receive the part.

forester has been 1 of the most reliable car,also to mention it has been the number 1 car in the USA for last year.if maintained well with regular oil change,belts & pulleys it would be a lifetime car.
i was just sharing with Guna 1 of these days that we purchased a brand new i10 a week back & i still feel 6L is alot of money for an i10.you can rather buy a pre worshipped Forester :thumbs up

Got my much-awaited tailgate struts today by India Post, 20 days after ordering. Documenting the mini DIY install.

Well-protected in a cardboard tube:


"Strongarm" from Lift Supports Depot:


OEM strut and Lou's strut side-by-side:


Note difference in rod-end attachments - OEM with fixed ball enclosure (upper) and Lou's with U-Band enclosure (lower):


This caused a mild moment of panic/dismay; there was no way to attach these end of the new struts to the body. Until my kid found these ball studs inside the plastic packaging:


Relief! It was now a cinch to insert the ball studs inside the U-band enclosure and attach them to the car behind the rear light assembly.


A shot of the new struts at work!:


The zonked-out OEM "Showa" LHS strut in fully compressed position:


Hmm, would it be possible to recharge this with gas for use as a spare?

And oh yes, a clearer shot of the IDS sticker:


At least for now, this is the only TBHP sticker I'm willing to commit to. The LTD sticker looks cool but the "Live" part of the LTD is too much; "Like" would be more like it!

These struts were purchased from Lift Supports Depot and shipped by USPS Priority Mail International. Costs: $49.48 + USPS shipping of $43.46 for a set of two. Customs didn't charge anything clap:

Very happy with the struts & purchase experience. Of course, now I'd be denied the perverse pleasure of watching some of the over-zealous security types at the office gate who insist on opening the tailgate (when everything in the cargo area is clearly visible thru the windows/glass area), straining themselves to lift the considerably heavy hatch :uncontrol

Mod Note : Post Edited. Smiley usage is restricted to two per post on Team-BHP. Please do not use more than 2 smileys in a post.

Insightful/informative/encouraging stuff there!

Actually, in the course of researching tailgate struts, I bumped across this vendor amayama.com who sells and ships OEM parts internationally for various Japanese JDM cars. You can search by Subaru part #'s. But one look at the price for a single strut put me off!

please:

@Guna & @WRXXX: How about ownership threads from the veterans? I'm sure a lot of Forester users will benefit, including lurkers :)

+1.

In my specific circumstances, I'm very glad that I chose the Foz over the 8L+ Thar or million rupee+ Duster 85 RXL (without ABS/Airbags!) or 6L+ 2009 Civic A/T that I almost went for during my prolonged search for a car with "character + fun + value". The Foz is now my daily driver despite my initial plan to use it on relatively longer hauls. Poor low-end torque be damned! (Take that @GTO!).

Low end torque is an issue but you need to change the driving style a bit and it wont be too much of an issue. Idea is to give it it a bit of rev to engage in first gear and continue to get the momentum in the first gear before slotting to second. Second gear is very tall and hence it feels dead at low revs.

Yes the ownership report is long overdue

Sure... will do this soon. It would be nice if some vetarans could start the
thread :-)

Other experts are free to correct me.

I don't think it is the low-end torque ... it is more of torque mapping that seems very dieselish''' (very flat) in nature... This very same nature helps us when going off-road. And if you carefully observe you will see that it is the very relaxed boxer engine which is working to give you that feel. Also, I noticed that you need not do any gymnastics either car is already moving faster than most of other cars even when u are feeling that it may die!!

By experience giving more gas is much better than revving in low gears,
do give it a try and let me know. In the forester 2nd gear should almost be treated like first gear too.

My honest opinion after having owned more than one subaru and owned/driven few diesel cars it is just the engine mapping and requires getting used to. Of course putting K&N filter improved the responsiveness a little but not much.

Prior to forester I owned a WRX(in US) which exhibited the very same behavior... Yes.. I agree that some people might not like this Subarurish behavior.

[quote=Guna;2981174]While my order is still being shipped, the brake pad got totally worn out and started making scrapping sound when applied. Disk requires planning before the new pad is fixed. I have placed an order for a new set of rotors while the old one is being planned and fixed back as a temporary solution. I am hoping that the machined rotor doesn't pose any problem.

Guys, need some advice here on replacing front disk brake pads. Recently, I'm hearing a squeaking sound sometimes when applying brakes. Pads appear to be wearing out. Per the manual and the FSM***, the pads need to be replaced immediately. Would you recommend sourcing the pads yourself and having it fitted at CASS or ordering the same from CASS directly?

The difference in cost appear to be significant. CASS indicates 10K'ish for the pads and a lead time of 2 weeks. While at www.subarugenuineparts.com the OEM parts website shared by WRXXX earlier, the front pads set goes for $73, though with shipping + customs, this might go up significantly.

Thanks

*** The FSM is a real gem, 3780 pages. Let me know if you want a copy of this PDF.

Yes... no delaying here.... these usually last around 30K... delaying this
replacement will eat up the rotors and that is going to dent the pocket.

I would recommend ordering it yourselves... And I heard some reliable parcel forwarding service in the US can do the work. After seeing and hearing what Guna went through I would recommend using a reliable courier service via http://www.myus.com/ to get your parts.

My friend has been using this and I personally haven't used it to certify.

I am not sure what the cost will be when it lands here... but I think it
is still worth ordering it yourselves... If you don't want to order from
Subaru genuine parts then some research might be needed to get an after market replacement. Guna ... any suggestions??

Can I have the copy of the FSM please?? I would love to see it.