joybell

I lost coolant in my 03 Forester during extremely cold days this winter. I took it to the dealer and they found faulty coolant hose clamps. The contraction that takes place during very cold temperatures was enough to have the coolant leak.

I think you are better off to sell it for whatever you can and buy an older model with a 2.2L engine.

I think Subaru should "give" an extended warranty with the purchase of each new car with the 2.5L engine. It sure would inspire confidence if Subaru would go out on a limb a little, and not the consumer. Owners of 2000-2002 models are being given the 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty when adding the coolant conditioner. New cars with basically the exact same engine should have the same warranty.

But isn't the EJ255 exactly the same engine as what's in the 2001, with maybe the coolant additive put in at the factory? Or has it been modified? Still, an engine with such a poor reliability rating should be discontinued. Check out this chart: http://autos.msn.com/research/vip/reviews.aspx?modelid=9667&trimid=-1&src=ratings&tab=4#rel Even if there are modifications, the engine has a bad reputation and I cannot see how anyone that has internet access, and even if he/she is a Subie fan, can purchase a new car with this engine in it. Why not bring back the 2.2L engine?

Gosh Amanda, isn't yours a 2003 Forester?

I think I'll take it to a different dealer this time.

My Forester 2003 2.5x MT is 9 months old. When it was about 2 months old I had problems with it. It idled roughly (rpms going up and down), and also occassionally but not always stalled on startup. The dealer "cleaned the idle valve" and told me that I wasn't driving it enough. It had 2,200kms at that time. Now it has almost 7,000kms and it's starting all over again. How many times will the dealer "fix" this problem under warranty? Can I expect this problem every 6 months?

I had a 93 Loyale wagon until last year when the rust ate too much of it away. I never had any issues with it, no trips to the dealer for warranty fixes ever. I can't say the same about my new Forester though. I wish Subaru would have kept making that wagon. I really wanted a new one exactly the same, except with maybe a 2.2L engine instead of the 1.8L. My brother in law has a 92 Loyale wagon, which he fixed up with some parts of my mine (hood, headlights, rear wiper motor..brass parts btw) before it went to the junk yard. It has about 250,000kms on it and no problems except rust. You can't kill them mechanically. I think Subaru got their repution from the Loyale and will lose it with the new Legacy.

However, what if the dealer puts the additive in "on the sly" on my next visit?

I am wondering if anyone has had that "coolant conditioner" added to their 2003 or 2004 Subaru and automatically got the warranty extension to 8 years or 100K as have the owners of 99-02 2.5L engines.

Well, you could get an extended warranty, and trade it in before that expires. Maybe by then Subaru will have seen the light and brought back the 2.2L engine. That's what I'm hoping for.

Read this thread on the head gasket leak on a 2003 Forester with 46,000 miles, and Subaru put stop leak conditioner in the coolant instead of fixing it: http://www.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/showthread.php?t=13950

Yes but lately VW (like the "bug") reliability is even worse than that of older Foresters with the Phase 1 engine. I have also heard that the head gasket failure rate is somewhere around 20% for those Phase 1 engines.... try a search on this board because I think this is where I read that. I also could have had a very good cash deal on a 1998 Forester as well, but when I took it to an independant garage to have a $100 checkup on it they found too much wrong and I backed out and bought a new Forester, and make payments. Was your purchase agreement conditional on inspection? Otherwise, I suggest a 1998 Impreza wagon with the problem-free 2.2L engine. That would be a much better buy.

Then it should have been sold with hubcaps.

Well, here is a pic of my 9 month old Forester's wheels. Is this normal?

You must keep your wagon on a 5 ft high rock pile, with a roof over it, and never use it when it's wet outside! Seriously, what's your secret?

Salt isn't the only culprit. Humidity/moisture is bad too. Parking the car on your lawn is a big no-no, as is leaving it muddy. The mud attracts and retains moisture. Also, a heated garage is not good when the car goes in wet in the winter. This was told to me by a local body repair guy, who gave my Forester an "oil-treatment" last fall.

Kevin....you are very lucky. I just noticed that you have an Impreza with a 2.2L engine, and so does my mom. Those are great cars, very reliable and problem free, with the exception of a rear wheel bearing that was replaced under warranty. Hang on to it. My mom decided last month not to trade her 1998 in just yet! It has absolutely no rust spots at all, even having been driven 7 winters of salted roads and no dealer or aftermarket rustproofing ever done to it.

I had a discussion with my dealer on this rust issue. He told me that "there have to be holes before the 5 years is up" in order for the warranty to kick in. Holes! Let's see....that would be two years of no rust, one year of bubbles under the paint, one year of paint coming off the bubbles and rust showing, and in the last warranty year (maybe) a hole "starting". That pretty well makes the warranty useless. I think all car manufacturers have this same kind of warranty. I have heard of a VW 12 year rust preforation warranty but is it true?

Rust on my 03 Forester wheel nuts two weeks after purchase. I didn't bother the dealer about it because I had more important stuff going wrong with it (stalling on startup, rough idle, clunking noise on startup, lighterfluid like smell). Too bad, its a great car otherwise, but not like my old Subarus at all. I never had to go back to the dealer for warranty issues until this one. It will be the last. Ford buyers are used to that sort of stuff, Subaru loyalists are not.

Mine was also just at an idle. When it is very cold outside I do not sit in the car and wait for it to warm up. I started it up and went in the house to wait, then went back out about 3-5 minutes later and found an overheated engine and antifreeze smell. The second time there was only the smell and no overheating. From then on I had to sit in the car and wait for it to warm up. Needless to say I used our Chevy truck on very cold days so that I didn't have to sit and freeze in a cold vehicle watching the temp guage!

I also have an 03 Forester that leaked coolant and overheated. It happend on a very cold day and the dealer blamed the coolant hose clamps. That was the first time......and then it happened again on another cold day. Bluesoob, what kind of weather did yours leak in? I think these are not good winter engines. Or maybe it was just coincidence? I'm waiting now to see if it will happen again. I have owned Subarus for 20 years and will NEVER BUY A SUBARU WITH A 2.5L ENGINE AGAIN, nor will I recommend them to anyone.

Vixen: Shouldn't you be getting a voluntary recall letter from SOA? They have a new "stop leak" additive for the coolant that the dealers have to put in. I also heard that they will refund HG repairs. Letters were supposed to go out in March, I think, to the owners of the oldest models with the 2.5L engine first. Call your Subaru dealer and ask.

On a very very cold day this past winter my 2003 Forester with less than 2500km on the odometer overheated and smelled while being warmed up. The temperature guage was past the halfway mark but went back down after driving for 5 minutes. There was the smell of antifreeze and the coolant level was low. I took it to the dealer and they diagnosed lose coolant hose clamps, which were replaced and more coolant was added. About a week later we had another record cold day. The engine did not overheat but I smelled antifreeze. Although I was told the 2003 engines did not have the external leak problem, I am not convinced.

I have never heard of a "travel ban" before. There is usually a list of road closings available on the radio and a "travel advisory", but there are always other roads we can take going the "long way around" closed roads.