The Dude

Has anyone ever removed the front bumper cover on a 2006 Forester? The driver's side headlight housing is 2/3 full of water. Apparently to get to the headlight housing I have to remove the front bumper cover. Any help would be appreciated.

Help, the passenger side headlight head light housing is about 2/3 full of water. I guess it's remove, reseal, and re-install. Does the bumper front cover need to be removed? Thank you.

I did a webpage site search and nothing came up. Can anyone recommend a source for discount genuine Subaru parts? The local dealer wants $28 for belt 809218370. One on-line dealer wanted $18 for the belt, but wanted to charge $34.95 for the shipping. Thanks.

Is there anyway to safely transport a 1/2"-4'X8' plywood panel on the factory standard roof rack of a 2006 Forester? Thank you.

My wife has a 2012 Impreza. Around town the oil consumption is high, but it is tolerable. On the highway the car will guzzle a quart every 700 miles. Can anyone explain this?

Do not run the starter motor for an extended period of time. The starter motor draws a lot of current but has no provision for cooling. It is possible to overheat, and ruin, the starter motor.

Didn't some of the H6s have chain guide problems?

The salt spread on icy and snowy roads is the main culprit for rust. Look for rust free cars in snow free areas away from the salty ocean. I live Columbia, South Carolina. Cars bodies here are free from rust and practically last forever,

I am sorry to hear of your troubles. In the future I would suggest applying anti-seize compound to the threads of the spark plugs. Personally, I use a torque wrench each and every time that I change the spark plugs. It is very easy to strip aluminum threads.

I just got off the phone with my local Subaru dealer. I was told valve adjustment is NOT required on my 2006 Forester as it is not listed in the 105,000 service that includes changing the timing belt. My indie shop said "we have never done a valve adjustment on a Subaru." So, is valve adjustment required? Is there Subaru service literature stating that a valve adjustment is required? I want to avoid a burnt valve(s).

My two cents. What does "replaced the timing belt" actually mean? Because if just the timing belt was replaced you could have a problem. Is it reasonable to expect the pulleys and tentioner to go 210,000 miles? I don't think so.

Do you do a lot of "stop and go" driving? I would expect the clutch last over 100,000 miles, but commuting in "stop and go" traffic could account for the worn out clutch, brakes, and suspension. If you want a car to run for as long, and as cheaply, as possible do not buy a turbo. A turbo is just one more thing that can break on a car. Also, you need more expensive hi-test gas to run a turbo. I hope that you were aware that turbo has to be "simmered" after using it.

When I start the Forester for the first time of the day, the power steering cuts off and then back on. This happens about a dozen times right after starting the car. After a couple of minutes of driving, the power steering stays on for the rest of the day. The drive belt seems nice and tight. I don't hear any belt squealing. The fluid level is good. Any thoughts on what might be happening? Thanks.

It's property tax on you car. We have it here, in South Carolina. It is paid annually. In our case "car tax" is a county tax and not a municipal tax.

What parts are required to perform a valve adjustment on a 2006 Forester? Valve cover gaskets? Spark plug gaskets while I'm in there? Any "tips" on doing the adjustment? Thanks.

My Wife's 2009 Impreza burns oil. Expensive all synthetic 10-20 oil. Subaru's response? Define "normal" as burning one quart of oil every 1,500 miles. I had have good luck with my 1999 and 2006 Foresters. I will say this though, it appears that Subaru has no problem leaving customers twisting in the wind. First the head gasket fubar with the DOHC 2.5 and now this. Five added quarts per 7,500 mile oil change interval is not "normal" in my book. I will wait and see how the CVT holds up before I buy another Subaru.

Time well eventually tell. Does 0-20 oil shorten engine life? Is 0-20 oil just a marginal MPG booster that will reduce your engine's life? Same thing about the CVT. Sure, the CVT "saves" about 0.5 MPG, but what is the life expectancy of the CVT? They are very expensive to replace. I buy Subarus because I want a car that can go 200,000 miles without a lot of expensive repair drama. In fact I would hope to get 300,000 miles from a Subaru with a little luck.

The '99 OBW has the Phase 1 dual cam shaft engine, which has four overhead camshafts. The '99 Forester has the Phase 2 single cam shaft engine, which has two overhead camshafts. So, the two timing belts aren't even close to being the same.

I buy Subarus because I want a reliable car that will last for hundreds of thousands of miles. Any consensus on CTV reliability and useful life? Will the CVT go at least 200,000 miles without any expensive repairs or replacement?

I have a 2006 Forester with an AT. Does the external transmission filter have a replacement interval? Thank you.

Purchasing a rebuilt engine was one of the worst experiences of my life. The "rebuilt" engine used a quart of oil every 200 miles and soon had a blown head gasket. I had to take the shop to small claims court to get my money back. I bought the engine from the installer. Therefore, I only had to sue the installer and not the rebuilder. The installer was in my state, so it was easy to drag him into small claims court. If you buy a rebuilt engine and it's good, there's no problem. But if you get a bad engine you can probably look forward to a trip to hell. A reputable rebuilder will replace a bad engine, but you're on the hook for all installation and de-installation labor. You are also responsible for all freight charges. And guess what, the replacement engine may be a bad engine as well. Usually you can't get money back if you get a bad engine. Your only remedy is a replacement engine.

When working on the timing components a torque wrench is highly recommended, if not mandatory. The bolt hole that you stripped is speced at only 35 ft lbs. Aluminum threads strip very easily. On the other hand, the crankshaft bolt is speced at 133 ft lbs. Under tightening the crankshaft bolt is fairly common. That creates additional problems. Also, if you are working on a Forester you might want to remove the radiator to gain enough working space. Good luck.

My wife's 2012 Impreza with 30,000 miles has had an alarm attack. The warning lights for traction control, ABS, and hill holder all came on at the same time. What's going on? Is this car possessed by gremlins? Any insight on this problem would be appreciated.

A strange problem with our 2014 MT Impreza with 30,000 miles on the clock. This car burns excessive amounts of motor oil when it is driven for long periods of times at highway speeds (65-70 MPH). Our Impreza used more than 1 quart of oil during a recent 650 mile drive to Miami, FL. When the car is driven around town at 35-45 mph, it uses considerably less oil. Any thoughts on this? Thanks.

Apparently, when the clutch wears the gap becomes to great for the electromagnet to reliably engage. Removing the spacer/shim reduces the gap. This is my first post on this new board. Did the old posts on the other board carry over to this boarr?