otis

I have to agree with nipper and montana. I don't think Subaru has any obligation for a HG failure at 150k miles. BUT... if the subaru rep said they would help, then they should help. He shouldn't have made an empty promise.

Just to post a follow up... we successfully made the move with no real issues. At one point I thought I smelled something burning, but it turned out to be a ripped axle boot spewing grease (grr... 2nd one in a year) I guess I'll never know how "close" i got to the limit since I don't have a temp gauge for the tranny, but everything "seemed" normal. the car has since gone in for it's 90k service where all the fluids got changed anyway.

thanks for the replies everyone. I think i will try to go w/o the atf cooler and change the fluid after the trip. Since the trip is 99% major highway and we will be traveling with small kids (ie many breaks), I'm hoping things will be ok. also the weather will be cool so I wont need the a/c.

We are moving next week and although we are having movers move the majority of stuff, there's going to be quite a bit of stuff we still have to move ourselves. we were thinking of renting a 4x8 u-haul trailer to put on the back of our 2000 forester (auto). Do I need a transmission cooler? everything I've read RECOMENDS having one, but a lot of times people plan to tow multiple times. this is a one time deal and we are going 550 relatively flat miles (over 2 days- missouri to minnesota). the trailer apparently weighs 600ish lbs empty and we'll ahve 2 adults, 2 kids, 4 cats in the car with maybe a few hundred lbs in the trailer. I'd like to install a cooler, but I'm so pressed for time now. If I can get away with not putting in a cooler, that would make for 1 less thing to worry about. otherwise, if I run a risk of damage, I'll certainly make the time.

According to this article, subaru is dropping the big nose grill. http://carsguide.news.com.au/story/0,20384,20248914-21822,00.html

I'll give the "lame" answer... I like OEM stock brake pads. I once got semi-metallics and I hated them because of the squeal. I've tried ceramic pads and honestly, I don't notice the difference.

5"???? think bigger, like 7" http://www.crutchfield.com/S-04BZ0yj6neA/cgi-bin/ProdView.asp?g=168550&I=099AVN7000

Well, since you only asked for opinions, here's mine... I don't think it would make a difference. if it were my car, I'd put the 2 new tires in front and be done with it. my wife had a 96 imprezza (5mt) where in the very first year, she got a blow out. every year or so, she'd replace another tire. this went on for 80k miles with no apparent problems. she never replaced any tires in pairs, let alone sets of 4. our current 00 forester (auto) got a flat in one tire and we replaced it 2 years (25k miles) ago with a used tire. turns out the used tire (different tire brand) had a much bigger circumference (I think it was > 0.5"). we finally replaced all 4 tires just last week. add to that the post above and you get 3 seprate incidences on the internet, so you HAVE to debunk this myth. actually from a statistical standpoint, this anectodal evidence means nothing. but at the same time, I do recall posts about folks who alway rotate their tires and get torque bind as well as people who claim their transmission problems stem from mismatched tires. I have yet to see a post that says they see a real corrolation between tires and transmissions. Nobody knows the answer. everyone is going by the spec in the manual. there are those who believe that the failure is real but the 0.25" tolerance is very strict. then again the manual also says get an oil change every 7500 miles, and everyone here changes it at their own interval. my bmw manual says my transmission fluid is lifetime and I never need to change it. SO change only 2 tires at your own risk. my opinion is in the minority here. but then again, I did (on 2 separate cars), and we're ok.

If you're looking for fancy, why not take out the little cubby hole underneath the current radio (assuming it's DIN sized) and relpace it with a radio with a flip out screen. Then you keep the the cubby hole cover and mount it ontop of your new radio whenever you leave the car so any theif would only see an odd-ball sized radio not worth stealing. all these new stereo's have all the plug n play gizmos's youre looking for like ipod adapter, XM, or even Nav. plus you could put a cool screen saver like "finding nemo" on the screen. So you get your "cool" stereo and it's got the benefit of being almost theft proof.

I'm also not a tire expert, but it seems you have 2 sets of tires that are night and day. I don't know which pilot's you're looking at, but I always thought pilots were high performance tires with so-so wet/snow traction while the TT are strictly all-season tires, with no-performance (z rated vs t rated). I guess it kinda depends on what your "driving style" is.

I agree with this... the first subaru we bought we got an extended warrenty and we filed 2 claims (maybe $500 at best), which certainly didn't add up anywhere close to the $1000 premium we paid upfront.

ok, so now you gotta bring transexuals into this too, eh???

I haven't seen the latest list, but there are cars that show up on multiple lists. I think the S-10 was once a top lesbian and straight guy car. At least it's not like the simpsons where Homer buys a a big Canyonaro SUV to bolster his male ego- only to find out he bought the LS or the "chick car" version where the cigg lighter was replaced with a tube of lipstick. So I'll continue to buy Subarus until they decide to substitue the parking brake for a double dilldo holder.

Do you still have the broken piece?? I used to cut keys and we were able to make duplicates from the broken fragment- assuming it isn't mangled.

that's easy... http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=62994

Physics may not be my specialty, but I gotta add a vote for 1 ft-lb = 1 ft-lb regardless of what planet you're on. I get that the same mass will have 2 different weights on 2 different planets- but we're talking about a measurement related to force- 1 lb of force on earth is still 1 lb of force on mars. so if you torque down 2 different bolts to the same spec on each planet, they will be the same. NOW- if you torque your bolts by standing on a wrench (ie changing a flat tire on the side of the road), then yes, you will be applying 2 different torques depending on your altitude or planet. but if you torque your bolt by listening for the "click" of your torque wrench- then you will have the exact same torque no matter what planet youre on.

I don't know- I think these 2 worlds are converging. I also agree that most people who drive SUV's don't need the attributes of a "traditional body on frame SUV." and as more manufacturers make "crossover suv's," we reach a happy medium. Honestly, I don't need a traditional SUV and I'm probably in the minority when I say that I like the move manufacturers are making by building more crossover wagons. In fact I think society would be better off if every soccer mom traded in her tahoe for a highlander (basically a camry station wagon). kinda like the last generation legacy gt's

I think acura's target was the bmw x3- and if you compare those 2 cars, the rdx has a lot going for it. but to answer your question of why someone would pay so much money for one? that's like asking why you would pay for a lexus over a toyota or an audi over a vw. most people dont care about who has the "best" awd system- they just care that it has awd. they just want a luxury suv with all the frills that come with it. anyway, I just don't see the rdx as an outback ripoff- if anything I'd say it's more comparable to the tribeca (both crossover suv's with luxury ammenities)

Sorry to thread jack, but I just wanted to say that my wife and I have argued the validity of the speedo, because it always seemed like we were going slower than indicated. it's nice to be right once in a while getting back to your post- I've put T rated tires on a H-rated car- no big deal- just a little loss in handling when you push it. I wouldn't worry about it on a forester. in fact I plan on slapping on some tripletreds on our forester soon.

Here's my take on this... I'm going to guess that the infiniti's sound better than the stock tweeters. but I would think that without a new head unit and external amp, the sound improvement would be marginal. if the car had no tweeter, I might be inclined to get the infiniti's. but for (what I think will be) the small improvement in sound, I don't think the cost and hassle is worth it to replace the stock tweeters.

there's no "universal" guide as to whether or not an outback would suit your needs. I know folks that drive a corolla as their family car. I'm not dogging the corolla, it's just not a typical family cruiser. so really only you know if an outback will work out for you. but I have a feeling coming from a minivan, you'll hate the smaller size of an outback. I have 2 kids (1 and 3) and whenever we go on trips, we rent a minivan. after just 1 trip in a minivan, I can't imagine not having one for trips. For everyday driving, it really doesn't make a difference.

please don't send me a "WTF" for saying this ... but without gap, the insurance company doesn't have to pay you the payoff (imagine if you only owed $100 on the car and that's all they payed you). they just have to pay you what it's worth. and while I'm sure your car was indeed worth more because of it's condition, it's hard to say what the car is worth with no rust, or new transmission, etc- because people put different value on these things. but if you say you got the car appraised last year, show that appraisal to the insurance company. I got to think that would be an "objective" number used to determine the value of the car.

Hi, my forester needs new tires. the hitch is that we think we may sell the car in the near future- perhaps in the next 2-6 months- it kinda depends on a new job and relocation. there's even a (remote) chance that we might keep the car and just sell the other. my first instinct was to just find the cheapest tires and put them on. but then I worried about the possibiilty that we may keep the car for longer than expected and I'd want a higher quality tire. Because they get such rave reviews, I thought about buying GY tripletreds. but it seems stupid to spend $600 on tires that I'll barely get to utilize. I'm not looking for a specific tire recomendation. what I need is to know which tire should I buy- cheap or expensive? I really think most buyers don't care what kind of tires are on the car- just as long as they "look good." at the same time, I don't want to appear as some cheap skate who always skimps on his car. would having the "#1 CR tire" be a selling ppoint to offset the higher cost of the tire? (ie will I make an additional $300 on the selling price of the car?)

was the spoiler a factory option on the special ed? (I thought it was only the GT's that got spoilers) to me, rusted bolts indicate someone slapped on a spolier without consideration to material and/or seals (basically you're setting up a galvanic cell between 2 disimilar metals). beleive me when I say no manufacturer is dumb enough to use the wrong bolts or not take the right precautions. if it is in fact a factory flaw, then the rust coverage is taking care of your claim- so no worries. if it is a dealer or some aftermarket job (as I suspect), then be THANKFUL that subaru is covering the claim. If I were subaru and I found out someone drilled holes into the sheet metal, I'd deny the claim. did you buy the car new?

I also want to re-iterate something carl said in an earlier post- get a rental car for your upcoming trip. This way you won't be pressured into making any rash decisions. Maybe you need to drop $5g into your car, and maybe you don't- either way, I don't want to be pressured into making such a decision involving a large chunk of change in a short period of time. I don't know enough about these problems to give you any suggestions on what to actually do in terms of repair. I understand the last thing you want is to be stranded during your vacation (it's happened to me ). so take that variable out of your decision making process and rent the car. last month we rented a dodge durango for $230/week from enterprise (yeah I wouldn't buy one either, but it's bigger than our forester)