[IcarusMan]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

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...

Appreciate the advice. 10K+ for OE brake pads from CASS seems excessive. I'm thinking of something like Hawk HPS Performance Ceramic Brake Pad. This has good reviews over at subaruforester.org. Even at $70 + shipping, it would still compare favorably with CASS and I'd get ceramic pads in the bargain! OTOH, there are some good reviews for normal pads which come real cheap ($20ish) over at rockauto.com.

That myus.com suggestion looks good. Seeing that I need other stuff (rear cam seal, A/C hose o-rings, grill logo etc), should be useful in future too. Subarugenuineparts does not look very 'international-shipping-friendly'. That reminds me of something else I've been meaning to ask - Did you have to get the emblem "base" to fix the Subaru grill emblem too?

Here's the link to the FSM (2005-2008). It's a whopper; link works - tested it just now

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Appreciate the advice. 10K+ for OE brake pads from CASS seems excessive. I'm thinking of something like Hawk HPS Performance Ceramic Brake Pad. This has good reviews over at subaruforester.org. Even at $70 + shipping, it would still compare favorably with CASS and I'd get ceramic pads in the bargain! OTOH, there are some good reviews for normal pads which come real cheap ($20ish) over at rockauto.com.

Cool! Please do let us know how they fair.

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

That myus.com suggestion looks good. Seeing that I need other stuff (rear cam seal, A/C hose o-rings, grill logo etc), should be useful in future too. Subarugenuineparts does not look very 'international-shipping-friendly'. That reminds me of something else I've been meaning to ask - Did you have to get the emblem "base" to fix the Subaru grill emblem too?

Yes I had to get the base too.

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Here's the link to the FSM (2005-2008). It's a whopper; link works - tested it just now

Many Thanks .... just started the download...

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Here's the link to the FSM (2005-2008). It's a whopper; link works - tested it just now

This is the "Forester Bible" indeed. Excellent find IcarusMan!!

[IcarusMan]

In the end, I opted to go with Akebono ACT929 ProACT Ultra-Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Set from Amazon for $54. Good reviews + looks like Akebono is a (or "the"?) Subaru OE brake pads supplier. Also, couldn't ignore the $20 difference with Hawk HPS. Here's the cost breakup:

Pads - 3,139.75
Shipping - 1,391.25
Import Fees Deposit - 1,399.96
Total - 5,930.96

Via AmazonGlobal Expedited Shipping. Yes, customs is prepaid and included. At ~30%, sounds about right. I think it is great to have some certainty about customs/import fees at checkout. Good first experience with AmazonGlobal but the proof of the pudding will be when they actually deliver the goods at my doorstep.

I did seriously consider myus.com but cheapest courier shipping (DHL) was working out to ~$70, significantly higher than with AmazonGlobal. I think this makes sense only if (1) you order frequently from US and/or (2) The merchant does not ship internationally.

Originally Posted by WRXXX

This is the "Forester Bible" indeed...

Right-to! The vast amount of information, down to wiring diagrams, is astounding.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

In the end, I opted to go with Akebono ACT929 ProACT Ultra-Premium Ceramic Brake Pad Set from Amazon for $54. Good reviews + looks like Akebono is a (or "the"?) Subaru OE brake pads supplier. Also, couldn't ignore the $20 difference with Hawk HPS. Here's the cost breakup:

Pads - 3,139.75
Shipping - 1,391.25
Import Fees Deposit - 1,399.96
Total - 5,930.96

Via AmazonGlobal Expedited Shipping. Yes, customs is prepaid and included. At ~30%, sounds about right. I think it is great to have some certainty about customs/import fees at checkout. Good first experience with AmazonGlobal but the proof of the pudding will be when they actually deliver the goods at my doorstep.

That has worked out really cheap by all standards!!
Given that you need to do this probably every ~30-35k it is better to go
for something that solves the purpose at the right price.

One catch here is ..whether this item really attracts that much duty or not.
(But from past history... it might be that much) If the customs is less, then I suppose amazon would pay the consumer back?

Side question:
When you checked out did you use US currency or INR?
Does Amazon charge your card in US dollars and your bank do the currency
conversion or it is charged in INR to the card (I think it is the former).

Yes I noticed the very high shipping charges with myus.... I think they use DHL.

I think their value add really is in things like
- Shop on websites that don't have international shipping
- consolidating the packages
- verifying the packages and returning it back to the US merchant
if not in order..
- and the weird and undocumented workarounds for customs ;-)
for premium members.
Which I can't talk in a public forum!!

[IcarusMan]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

That has worked out really cheap by all standards!! Given that you need to do this probably every ~30-35k it is better to go for something that solves the purpose at the right price.

Yep! But first, I hope I get the pads intact and in time . For the value-conscious, the wisdom on sf.org seems to be to get better quality pads, even if higher-priced, and cheap rotors.

One catch here is ..whether this item really attracts that much duty or not. (But from past history... it might be that much) If the customs is less, then I suppose amazon would pay the consumer back?

Yes. And no additional fees in case actual customs charge exceeds the deposit. (Hah! But fat chance of this happening!) Quote:

For AmazonGlobal items, you won't be charged additional fees if the actual Import Fees exceed the Import Fees Deposit we estimated. For items sold by Amazon Marketplace sellers, please check the seller's policies.
If the actual Import Fees (paid by the carrier on behalf of the recipient to the customs and tax authorities of the destination country) are less than the Import Fees Deposit collected by us on your behalf, you'll automatically be refunded the difference to the payment method you used for the order. You'll receive a notification e-mail confirming the amount of the refund. The process takes 60 days from the shipment date.

Side question:
When you checked out did you use US currency or INR? Does Amazon charge your card in US dollars and your bank do the currency conversion or it is charged in INR to the card (I think it is the former).

At checkout, amounts were presented in INR. Also, my card shows charge in INR. On previous purchases on Amazon, it was all in USD. These pads are sold and shipped from Amazon directly under the AmazonGlobal label. I think this is something fairly recent.

A good option to have, in any case. If I didn't need the pads immediately, I'd have gone with standard shipping which would have brought down costs further. Or thru another third party reseller via USPS Priority Mail + India Post and take my chances with Indian customs. I think this is what I'll do for ordering consumables for the Foz. Customs didn't charge anything for my similarly-priced tailgate struts sent thru USPS.

Yes I noticed the very high shipping charges with myus.... I think they use DHL...
- and the weird and undocumented workarounds for customs ;-)
for premium members. Which I can't talk in a public forum!!

Heh, interesting Yes, myus has DHL and FedEx.

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

A good option to have, in any case. If I didn't need the pads immediately, I'd have gone with standard shipping which would have brought down costs further. Or thru another third party reseller via USPS Priority Mail + India Post and take my chances with Indian customs. I think this is what I'll do for ordering consumables for the Foz. Customs didn't charge anything for my similarly-priced tailgate struts sent thru USPS.

You should talk to Guna.... he did not have very good experience getting
his brake pads via USPS at all.. infact it arrived shattered I think.
So sticking to a reliable courier will greatly help in getting the stuff in good shape.

[IcarusMan]

So, while I'm waiting for the pads to arrive, I decided to take a look-see at the condition of the pads myself. Took off driver-side front wheel and opened up the upper caliper body (post requisite tuitions from Youtube). Surprisingly, the pads though worn are nowhere near loosing the grooves. Perhaps, the squeal was from the other wheel. Or from a warped metal "shim" that I fixed up by hammering it back into shape.

This whole brake-pads replacement caper looks pretty easy. I'm inclined to do it myself, and have some "fun" in the process, except I don't have 2 things: (1) A C-clamp to push back caliper pistons (2) High-temperature brake caliper lubricant.

As I was putting the tyre back, I noticed a bolt (yes, bolt, not a nail!) lodged on it. Tried to pry it loose but heard the hiss of air rushing out. Fitted the spare instead and got the punctured tyre repaired at the newly opened "SLNP Pitstop" Michelin tyre and alignment shop in HRBR. Side note: Tires are Yoko Geolandar A/Ts with purposeful-looking grooves but they are quite noisy on the highway and ride errs on the bumpier side.

Anyhow, as I was making my way back, suddenly became aware of a growling sound from the car. As in a loud, throaty exhaust note. (Perhaps similar to what a souped-up STI would sound like?) Carefully made it back home and peeked under the body. This was the culprit:



The pipe has completely broken off from rust at the joint of one of the chamber thingys! This is in the center section of the exhaust after the cat con and before the muffler. After Googling around, not least of which involved reading up on exhaust pipe experiences from our esteemed members here, I've concluded that a relatively simple welding job is all that is required. Barring the exhaust, there is no rust visible on other parts of the underbody. There's some sort of thick protective coating (anti-rust?) on the belly of some exposed parts.

After what Guna went thru with his exhaust pipe crack issue with CASS, I'm inclined to steer clear of Trident for this job. Also, everytime I call up Trident, their appointment book does not seem to have any openings until 3-4 days thence. Well, at least somebody's business is booming... I intend to go to Milestone Motors on Hennur Rd for the welding. First visit, but another esteemed member has recommended it recently.

Would appreciate any advice/recommendations for this exhaust pipe welding job.

[IcarusMan]

Welded the broken exhaust pipe at Milestone Garage. Per the expert opinion of the owner, it's not from rust but from failure of the weld at the joint. Nor would it help to apply normal anti-rust coating on the pipe since it's exposed to high temperatures.

[IcarusMan]

Well, if anybody's still interested... Got the Akebonos fitted. Braking has improved significantly, though not dramatically. The old pads still look good for another 10k kms, perhaps about a fourth worn thru. Should serve well as emergency backups.

Originally fixed an appointment with Trident Chevrolet, Kalyan Nagar for 10 am Saturday to change the pads. Showed up at the appointed time on the dot only to find that the Foz would be #32 on the queue. The SA, Mr. Dinesh, told me that I could pick up the car on Monday evening (What in &%$!@ tarnation!). Urrgh, no way I'm going to leave my car for *2.5* days at CASS for what is essentially, a routine *30-45* minutes job. No way, Sir, especially since this is my only car.

Milestone Garage did the honors. The Akebonos do come with 2 small satchets of the special lubricant "Molycote" prescribed in the FSM. They don't use brake cleaner spray, preferring to rough-house it with compressed air. Lots, lots of dirt/brake dust on disc/calipers/hub areas blown away. The FSM specifically warns against using compressed air for health reasons. But, hereabouts, a garage guy's got to do what a garage guy's got to do, I guess.

The Akebonos look the business. Arrived in exactly 7.5 days from ordering via Aramex. Aramex rose above the frighteningly abysmal reviews on google.co.in, at least in this case.

Next up for the Foz: Diagnose and fix engine oil leak. Cosmetics like the OEM Subaru emblem have to wait, cash-strapped that I am. Want to get all mechanicals up to top-class working order first. Did I mention that some *evil* entity swiped the 'el-cheapo' third-party emblem that I got off Ebay for $22.95 and fixed on top of the Chevy emblem base?

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Well, if anybody's still interested... Got the Akebonos fitted. Braking has improved significantly, though not dramatically. The old pads still look good for another 10k kms, perhaps about a fourth worn thru. Should serve well as emergency backups.

Interesting... Subaru Owners Manual states that the sound from the
brake pads come only from the driver side of the wheel...

I hope you made sure that the sound you heard from the brake pads were not temporary... I ask this because you are saying the pads will last
another 10k??

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Milestone Garage did the honors. The Akebonos do come with 2 small satchets of the special lubricant "Molycote" prescribed in the FSM. They don't use brake cleaner spray, preferring to rough-house it with compressed air. Lots, lots of dirt/brake dust on disc/calipers/hub areas blown away. The FSM specifically warns against using compressed air for health reasons. But, hereabouts, a garage guy's got to do what a garage guy's got to do, I guess.

The Akebonos look the business. Arrived in exactly 7.5 days from ordering via Aramex. Aramex rose above the frighteningly abysmal reviews on google.co.in, at least in this case.

Brave guy!
I want to go this way moving forward... need to identify a reliable garage that can do these kind of work... especially now that we own the FSM

My AC belt is worn out .. currently it is making some horrible sounds on
cold starts .

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Next up for the Foz: Diagnose and fix engine oil leak. Cosmetics like the OEM Subaru emblem have to wait, cash-strapped that I am. Want to get all mechanicals up to top-class working order first.

Oil leak??? That sounds very unlikely.... Did the car bottom out anywhere??

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Did I mention that some *evil* entity swiped the 'el-cheapo' third-party emblem that I got off Ebay for $22.95 and fixed on top of the Chevy emblem base?

Pictures of this on the car please???
Did you manage to get the emblem for the steering wheel? I am running
without it for a while now!

[IcarusMan]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

Interesting... Subaru Owners Manual states that the sound from the brake pads come only from the driver side of the wheel... I hope you made sure that the sound you heard from the brake pads were not temporary... I ask this because you are saying the pads will last another 10k??

I missed this info from the FOM. Now that you mention it, I notice that on the old pads the wear indicator is present only on the RHS pad. (The Akebonos come with indicators for both RHS and LHS). But it's pretty obvious that the squeaking noise was *not* from this - still quite a bit of pad material before it wears down enough for the indicator to scrape on the rotor. The squeaks started halfway back after an outing to Nandi Hills. The noise abated several days before I replaced the pads. I'm not really sure what was up. I still suspect the warped metal "shim" (Akebono calls this the "noise insulator" in the installation instruction sheet) I mentioned in an earlier post.

Yes, the old pads still look good for definitely a few more thousand kms, if not 10k km (10k km estimate is from the mechanic), though on one pad, the wear is uneven - one side being thicker than the other. They have JURID636FF stamped on the back. Google indicates Jurid is a Honeywell brand.

Still, happy to swap these with the Akebonos. Braking has definitely improved and this is an aspect where one cannot skimp...

Brave guy! I want to go this way moving forward... need to identify a reliable garage that can do these kind of work... especially now that we own the FSM

Actually, I didn't have a choice The garage I found itself is not what one would call impressive. No car lift, no fancy tools etc., but the owner is quite knowledgeable with an automotive engineering degree and 15 years in the Gulf with some big auto brand names. Also, he specialises in imports. And heh, it was nice to check out the mean SWB Nissan Patrol with 2-inch Ironman4x4 lift + Ironman bullbar + Ironman roof rack. Now, don't get me wrong - I love my Foz, but that Patrol is shaping up nicely...

My AC belt is worn out .. currently it is making some horrible sounds on cold starts .

I know the feeling :-) Suffered from this for several months on my old Alto before taking it to MASS to get the belt changed but the mech insisted belt was still good. He adjusted the tension and it never bothered me again.

Oil leak??? That sounds very unlikely.... Did the car bottom out anywhere??

No, car has not bottomed out. Leak has been there since I bought the car. I noticed it in the course of cleaning the engine bay (Very, very difficult to do on the boxer-engined Subie, I may add). I'm 99% convinced that it's from a cam seal on the driver-side rear of the engine below the air box resonator. Apparently, on turbo models, this serves as the turbo oil return opening. On the NA engine, the seal for this opening has an O-ring that can leak. I suspect the O-ring has failed. More details after I've debugged this to satisfaction.

Pictures of this on the car please??? Did you manage to get the emblem for the steering wheel? I am running without it for a while now!

Would post pix except this emblem was stolen about a week back! I got it along with the big " S U B A R U" lettering on the tailgate back in January. But I don't recommend this particular emblem because it's a wee bit small and looks out of proportion on the Foz's grill. Maybe on the Imprezza grill, it looks fine. Yes, steering wheel emblem + wheel center hub emblem are definitely on the agenda but not just yet!

[WRXXX]

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

I know the feeling :-) Suffered from this for several months on my old Alto before taking it to MASS to get the belt changed but the mech insisted belt was still good. He adjusted the tension and it never bothered me again.

It could be tension too... I did a physical examination of the belt... there
is some wear and the ribs are giving away.. Also, followed the water
spray test (recommended on SF.org) to identify which belt is the culprit.

Will ask CASS to assess the situation. If pulley tension adjustment helps
I will go that route till belt gives up Since this belt is not as critical as
the alternator belt I replaced last year.

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

No, car has not bottomed out. Leak has been there since I bought the car. I noticed it in the course of cleaning the engine bay (Very, very difficult to do on the boxer-engined Subie, I may add). I'm 99% convinced that it's from a cam seal on the driver-side rear of the engine below the air box resonator. Apparently, on turbo models, this serves as the turbo oil return opening. On the NA engine, the seal for this opening has an O-ring that can leak. I suspect the O-ring has failed. More details after I've debugged this to satisfaction.

Do keep us posted on how this goes... seems to be an interesting
discovery path.

Originally Posted by IcarusMan

Would post pix except this emblem was stolen about a week back! I got it along with the big " S U B A R U" lettering on the tailgate back in January. But I don't recommend this particular emblem because it's a wee bit small and looks out of proportion on the Foz's grill. Maybe on the Imprezza grill, it looks fine. Yes, steering wheel emblem + wheel center hub emblem are definitely on the agenda but not just yet!

I somehow have this feeling... it could be just me... that unless I have seen
these things on a forester it is tough to imagine how they would fit.. especially when this falls in the looks department... Alternate to original badges is trial and error I suppose.

The Original Subaru emblem is of extremely high quality.. hope you can find the right one for yours. Good luck.

[Guna]

@IcarusMan, glad that your pads have arrived safely.
In my experience, whenever I had ordered something from eBay, they have arrived in good condition, and landed directly in my doorstep. But I had terrible experience ordering from SubaruGenuine Parts.com this time. I had to run around to customs and the package was in bad condition with damaged pads!
One more bad news is that the rotor I had order doesn't fit! Since the pad which is meant for 2.4L fits the 2.0, I had assumed that even the rotor should fit.
My AC has stopped working again. This time it doesn't seem to be a gas leak but the compressor itself is not running. Also, there is a bad smell (of rat urine?) when the blower is turned on. Looks like the rats have made a home somewhere near the AC inlet!

[IcarusMan]

Originally Posted by WRXXX

I somehow have this feeling... it could be just me... that unless I have seen these things on a forester it is tough to imagine how they would fit.. especially when this falls in the looks department... Alternate to original badges is trial and error I suppose.

The Original Subaru emblem is of extremely high quality.. hope you can find the right one for yours. Good luck.

You're spot-on about this. Certain parts one can safely source from third-party retailers. Others, including emblem, seems to be one of those where only OE parts from the likes of subarugenuineparts.com will pass muster. One case, where my penny-pinching did not work: My emblem, though not of shoddy quality, did not look "premium" at all. But given how easily it was stolen, now somewhat wary of putting another back. Still, the grill logo seems to be a must-have. I took out the Chevy emblem *base* since it was looking unsightly without any emblem on top.

Originally Posted by Guna

@IcarusMan, glad that your pads have arrived safely. In my experience, whenever I had ordered something from eBay, they have arrived in good condition, and landed directly in my doorstep. But I had terrible experience ordering from SubaruGenuine Parts.com this time. I had to run around to customs and the package was in bad condition with damaged pads! One more bad news is that the rotor I had order doesn't fit! Since the pad which is meant for 2.4L fits the 2.0, I had assumed that even the rotor should fit....

@Guna, welcome back! We missed you :-).

Sad business there with your pad + rotor experience. I guess I got lucky. I think it'll help to double-check with the FSM for parts to confirm dimensions etc before ordering. By the way, rockauto.com stocks parts under a Forester 2.0L NA spec too, in case you've not already seen it.

Very glad that this thread exists on TBHP. Look forward to learning from the vets when the time comes to change timing belts, transmission fluids, suspension bushes, boots etc.

Very happy with my Foz. Perfect driving position + great steering feel + stable and planted on-road manners + huge & flexible cargo area. I get 7.5-8 kmpl in the city on Shell. Only real gripe is unsettling body noise (not rattle) on rough/uneven patches. I guess I'll have to live with this...

Oh, today, I fixed a pair of cheapo LED lights ($8 from dx.com) for the parking/brake lights. The original incandescent brake lights conked out (though the parking light filaments are still good) and of course, Trident CASS does not have them. A bit brighter than stock. Let's see how they fare...