StructEngineer

I'm wanting some basic things like a transmission flush, rear diff fluid change, fuel filter, brake fluid change. Honestly I could do most of this myself if I had a garage and time. I also have a Honda, and had nothing but trouble with private shops who claimed they worked on foreign cars....the dealers seemed to be the best of the worst. I can imagine for the subaru it will be even more difficult to find anyone competent to work on it. Am originally from Chicago, and never had this sort of problem till moving down here.

I'm having a heck of a time finding anywhere to take my forester. Am really wary of taking it anywhere but the dealer since Subarus really arent all that common here.....but there's only one dealer in the entire Louisville area and they're always booked solid a week out. How do you go about finding a decent shop that can work on Subarus? I dont know anyone else with one.

150Watts is good to go for a laptop. I did it for a 5000mile camping roadtrip out west last spring and had the same concern. You dont want to use that inverter for anything but a laptop, a battery charger, or similar small device. Yes, the cig lighter has a fuse on it, but if you actually look at the wire to the lighter it is ungodly thin. I forget the gage, but it heats up if you push her. Typical for foreign cars I've found. So just a word of caution, but I really wouldn't worry. Though, I would never even think of running a 400Watt inverter off the cig lighter as stated above. That is downright dangerous, and you even run the risk of messing your ignition relays. I ran a tap off the fuse panel for an additional plug (because I had multiple small devices running) and with a thicker wire and noticed it didn't get warm. Note this would give you the option of running something to the trunk or back seat if you needed it and know how to use the correct gage. (longer the run the thicker required). Probably doesnt apply to you, but if you need to run anything big you need a bigger inverter wired directly to the battery and be cautious to not drain it.

Went with Traction T/A H's, hope they all they're cracked up to be. FWIW, I notice nobody really seems too concerned about tires on this site. One would think with AWD, people would be a bit more picky. Any particular reason for this? Anyhow, thanks for the recommendations.

Do you have H or V? Both are showing up as options.

2002 Forester Non turbo Driven mainly in the midwest states, though I do drive in the Appalachins in the winter. Driven on plowed pavement 95% of the time. I'm looking for a good allseason as I dont have space to store 2 sets of tires (summer/winter). Will probably tow a trailer every once and awhile. Drive only on pavement.

The other posts I found on tires are kinda old. What allseason tire works well on a forester?? It always feels like a crapshoot when picking a tire....the reviews on tirerack are so misleading its not funny. I'm running on Hankook's now and they're kooked. I looked at BF goodrich traction T/A's but see some people say they're not good for AWD. Is there a handling difference between the H and V ratings? Bridgestone Potenza G 009? Any help appreciated.