canoeist11

Thanks for all the good advice. Problem solved! After taking your advice and reinspecting, there was one small piece of ice (about the size of a marble) wedged in the base of the wiper arm at just the perfect location to create a jam. Nearest I can figure, the car had been warmed up, at which time the wipers were working. Apparently, snow had thawed from the roof, ran down the windshield and refroze at the wiper arm base where it was not too visible. Turns out the washer function is just an unrelated freeze issue, which has happened on a couple of past occasions. Thanks again. BTW, it is up to 8 degrees below today.

this a.m. and it is 0 degrees and snow; and of course no garage. The motor and washer do not operate; I checked and replaced fuse and does still to no avail. Any suggestions would be helpful. Hopefully, if it is not a quick fix I can have a non-dealer do the repair?

My 05 XT Forester has 69K miles at present. Although I am not sure, the roar that has developed the last several days sounds like a wheel bearing. I have not had recent vehicles where this has been a problem at this mileage interval, so I have the following questions: 1. Is the mileage intereval reasonable for this vehicle? 2. If one rear bearing is bad, should I expect to replace both at the same time? 3. Is this a job that can be reasonably be accomplished by a good mechanic, or is it "dealer only" type job? 4. OEM bearing replacemnt suggested or aftermarket? I guess I am not overly impressed with the longevity of OEM for this component. Thanks

Has anyone experienced premature fabric wear on the seats? My 04 Forester actually purchased new in 05) has 61 K on it and the driver seat fabric is now becoming threadbare in certain spots. I have had other non Subaru vehicle makes with 165K and 10 years old and never have had this type of problem. I am under 200 lbs and do not drive with a wallet in my hip pocket. I like my XT, but you don't replace seat fabric at the local auto part store.

Although I cannot address the specific rating and Goddrich issue, I asked essentially this same replacement question a few months ago. After some research, I just three days ago put on some Goodyear Assurance Triple Treads on my '04 Forester XT. Although, I have no long term experience with these tires yet, I did already have the opportunity to drive through some fairly substantial wet road downpours and was impressed with the wet traction of these tires. They are way better than the Yokohama Geolanders they replaced. My driving is primarily on-road in the Midwest.

My OEM Yokakama tires are now about evenly worn out at 50,000 mi. Any suggesions for replacements? I probaly average about 12 k per yr. and 7,000 or so of that is interstate driving. I Do very little offroad driving. Thanks

My original Yokahama tires are now about worn out at about 50,000 mi. Any advice on what new replacements to get? Most driving is not off-road and I average 7,000 mi per year on interstate. Thanks

Thanks all for the input. Certainly sounds like the "special" machine the dealer talked about is meant to increase their income. Will approach my brake work in the same manner as I have with my previous vehicles; will likely use OE parts.

My XT now has 30,000 miles on it and I noticed that the service manual states the the brake fluid should be "changed" at the 30,000 service interval. I have never previously owned a vehicle that I have performed this service on and am wondering how necessary it really is. I believe I have some warped rotors so am looking at some brake work anyway, However, it seems that only Subaru dealers have the equipment necessary to do the fluid change, so it would limit my options for service. Also, how important is the use of OE rotors and pads?