Rooster2

Regardless where you purchase, you have chosen well to buy KYB shocks/struts. They are my first choice. KYBs have always performed well for me, plus they are reasonably priced.

I don't think "the bump cover" will come off. They are well attached to the car. The actual bumper is a metal beam bar behind the bumper cover. Yank on it if you like to see if there is any looseness where attached. I bet there is minimal looseness. I am pretty much like you, if a car is older, a cosmetic dent or ding doesn't bother me. They become character lines to the car. If it were me, I would ask for $200 to $300 from the guilty party for damaging your car. That is giving the offender a break. At a body shop, figure repair cost of $1,000 or more. I would prolly just pocket the money, and drive the car as is.

If no one knows for certain, take a tape measure and measure the distance between floor mounting bolts on OB seat (both north/south, and east/west) and pattern on the floor of the Forester. If the same, you have a fit.

If Trans-X is going to fix your delayed forward engagement, you will know after driving the car for only 10 minutes. Please drop a reply note on this thread telling us your experience using Trans-X. I hope the product works well for you.

Same thing happened to me, it was a bad alternator. EZ to replace yourself.

I once owned a 91 Leggie wagon, so I can envision what you are saying. I don't think the aluminum window molding strip can be removed without damaging it. Then it would be difficult to find a good replacement strip. I can tell that you want to do a good job on rust repair and further rust prevention, but in this instance, I think you would be better off leaving the molding strip on, and painting up to where the molding meets the sheet metal. It may help to spray some rust preventive up and under the molding as best you can. I hope this advise helps.

Car got home just fine, then worse than ever.........Suggest going back to the same mechanic, tell him that the problem has returned. Ask to have the codes pulled again to see what they say. Maybe the replacement knock sensor isn't any good? Pulling the codes should tell you what needs to get fixed.

My same thoughts, the problem is with the contacts in the switch. Spray the contacts or replace the individual switch should fix the problem.

As touchy as the EPA is about auto emissions, you will be hard pressed to find a shop that will modify the emissions equipment on your car. If caught doing so by state inspectors, a huge fine can be slapped on a shop equipping modifying an exhaust system so that it is not pure OEM stock. The only way around this, is to do the work yourself.

I have used an old time oil additive product by the name of Rislone to remove the clatter in old American iron V-8s. Worked really well. With 205K miles on your odo, I wouldn't recommend a tear down on an engine with that many miles. If it were me, I would drive it "as is" until the motor dies. I know what you mean about the bad cloth seats in OB wagons. I have a 99 that wears my back side out on any trip beyond an hour's drive. Drop in a set of leather seats from a Leggie Limited model from a wrecking yard. The leather seats are so much more comfortable and supportive. My wife's 98 O BW has the leather seats. She is the lucky dog to have the better seats.

Just got my Subie back from the shop. Guys there fished out the rest of the bolt after applying torch heat. I bought a bolt from Ace hardware, and took it with me to the shop. For $68, I feel blessed to get out of this mess for that amount of money.

I have a 98 Subie OBW that needed a front brake job. It needed rotors and pads. The brake job went bad when I sheared off the lower bolt head that attaches the caliper bracket to the spindle assembly. I guess after 11 years, the bolt is really rusted on. I reassembled, and drove the car to my mechanic's shop. I am hopes my mechanic will be able to drill out the remaining portion of the bolt. If he isn't able to do that, is my only option to go to a wrecking yard and buy a used spindle assembly? Any thoughts and advise greatly appreciated!

VW spent a lot of money with direct injection for diesel engines, plus lower sulfur content in the diesel fuel to meet emission requirements. Perhaps VW has proprietary patents on their injection system that Subaru diesel can't use to lower emissions. As soon as the US economy revives a bit, I fully expect to see rapid inflation hit the country. All that government stimulus money that is being thrown around, and mounting national debt will cause foreign countries to not want our currency, therefore inflation. Expect to see gas prices at the pump over $3.00 soon, with $4.00 pricing not unexpected. The next ten years of auto production is going to be very interesting. What will cars be powered by, as alternatives to petroleum become economically feasible?

I developed the same problem recently on my 98 OBW. I figure the bulb burned out, but I bet it is a pita to replace. Since my AC still works, I am just letting it be.

It may not be possible to seal rear air struts, because of a torque leak. I am thinking the 2" lift is more then the air struts were designed to handle. IMO, it is better to replace the air struts with regular struts.

My guess is that your latch handle is rusted. I had this problem, kept lubing and lubing it with various stuff, but the lube wouldn't last long. It would eventually bind up again. About a month ago, I replaced the latch handle to permanently fix the problem. A new latch handle cost about $35 on line. It is an easy self install.

I have a 99 Leggie OBW. I am the second owner. By the time I bought it, there were no head rests for the back seat. Don't know if 2000 head rests will fit a 99. Seems to me my Leggie has seat cushion holes for only 2 head rests. I will have to look.

I am with you. I buy Subies as dependable transportation. I would not want to be the guinea pig operating the latest CVT. I think I would want to wait about 3 years to hear how well they hold up in the real world before buying one.

The 2001 Forester will have the 2.5 phase 2 motor. Yes, it can have head gasket problems, but they are not necessarily severe. From what I have heard, it results in coolant loss at the corners of the head gasket that runs down the outside of the block and onto the pavement. Subaru dealers put an additive in the cooling system to stop or prevent the coolant leakage. It is the earlier 2.5 phase 1 motors (1997-1999), that when they blow a head gasket, the driver gets stranded on the side of the road with an over heated engine. You won't have this problem with the phase 2 motor.

Noise from the rear end may not necessarily be from bad bearings. It could be as simple as a tire that is out of balance to create "howling" or "thumping", so check for unusual rear tire wear. Subaru bearings generally don't go bad at 84K on the odo. Hope the Forester turns out to be a good one!

any one have a rule of thumb for how tight to make it??? The rule of thumb that I heard long ago, is to tighten a belt, so that if twisted in the middle at it longest distance between pullys, the belt can be rotated 90 degrees using your finger tips with firm tension. It is really important to buy a good quality belt, either dealer OEM, or from Gates, or a Goodyear Gator back. Buying a cheapie belt will stretch and start slipping and squealing in a matter of just a few months. BTDT.

Funny that you should post this at this time. I just took my wife's 98 OBW to a private garage last night to have the front driver's side half shaft replaced. The inside boot broke, and threw out the grease. The best way to fix is to buy a replacement half shaft. My mechanic lets me bring in parts. My cost $59 for a rebuilt half shaft, $138 for my mechanic to install, to give you some idea of repair cost. Simply replacing the half shaft should be all you need to fix the problem.

I have bought and used several rebuilt Subaru starters from parts stores. One lasted many years, a couple of others have lasted only a year or two. The nice thing about a rebuilt starter from a parts store is that they are generally sold with a life time guarantee. The starter is a pretty simple "diy" type job, so no big deal swapping out a starter for free using the guarantee. I bet if you install another rebuilt, your problem will be solved.

Thanks for the advise.

I use the PH3593A on my 98 and 99 Outbacks with the 2.5 phase 1 motor. Your 05 has the 2.5 phase 2 motor, so your engine is a little different. However, I bet the PH3593A will work just fine on your engine.