Numbchux

Yep, just a rusted out fender. Pretty common for road grim to build up behind the factory mud flap (first thing I do is throw those away) and dissolve the steel behind it. It's only cosmetic, that'd be listed as rust-free here in MN, so nothing to worry about if you aren't concerned with the look. Otherwise, look for a used fender in the same color, or get a new one (OE or aftermarket) and have it painted.

I don't see a CD changer port on the back of that. So the modulator is probably your best hardwired option. Yes, rocker switch just a simple on-off switch

Plug in a code reader that can read live data. See if you have any stored or current codes (no light does not mean not codes). Then check the temperature. After sitting overnight, the engine temperature and intake air temp sensors should read almost identical.

Reason not to? How about it's not what Subaru calls for, what they do call for is about 1/4 the cost, and abundantly available. Maybe it won't do damage, in fact, it probably won't make anything worse. But why spend more on the wrong stuff? Plain Jane, no-name Dex/Merc is perfect and costs about $2.50/qt

In my experience, the signal on these between the adapter and radio generally sucks. Which is why I went with a hardwired unit. Same idea, but cleaner looking and better looking.

I don't have any specific experience with your model, but I've added an Aux input into my last 3 Subarus with stock radios, in 3 different ways. Look up your specific radio (either with a part number/manufacturer on the faceplate, or use your VIN on parts.subaru.com and look up the subaru number there, the former will likely be more helpful, though). Subaru doesn't make their own radios, and they use many different manufacturers, so there will be different answers depending what radio you have. Every Subaru radio I've looked at in the last 25 years, has had an unused CD changer plug on the back. The McIntosh in our '04 Outback VDC, I bought a yatour digital music adapter, which plugged right in, and was super simple, but cost like $100. I had a '97 Legacy that had a pretty simple input, I was able to make a quick adapter using a rocker switch and a panel mount audio jack. When I looked into it on my '00 Outback, I don't think the Yatour one was available (or I just didn't want to spend $100 on a $500 car), and when I looked into a DIY, I discovered it was a digital signal, so would require a converter. I found someone who made a converter for it designed to integrate into an ipod or thumb drive, but was way overkill for what I wanted. I ended up just using a hardwired signal modulator. Works the same way as one of those crappy remote modulators, but it's actually wired inline with your antenna, so it gets a much better connection to the radio, and disconnects the car antenna so you don't get any interference. I got this one, and their install kit, simple install, works great.

Yep, as long as it's a matched set of 4, no problems.

They've been making Foresters for 22 years, with a variety of different engines, some require synthetic, some do not. Please be more specific. The best oil is new oil. I do not subscribe to using better oil. I use cheap oil (my go-to lately is a blend, anyway) and change it more often then recommended.

The Takata airbag is in the dash. No, the seat does not need to be touched for that job. Something else is going on

A detent lever has a series of notches and has a spring that pushes against it. This is the "clunk" you feel as you move from one gear to the next. Here's a good picture of a GM lever: The notches on the left are where the detent spring/roller rides. The hole on the far right is for the linkage that puts it in park. And there's a roll pin through it that holds it to the shift shaft. This is all internal to the transmission, definitely requires removing the transmission pan, maybe valve body as well. On a subaru, I'm not sure if there's any mechanical linkage that selects the various gears, or just back to the park pawl. I'm extremely unclear on your symptoms of whether the transmission is damaged or not. And it sounds like you've already disassembled the transmission, so you can no longer test it. There are hundreds of ways to resize an image. Google it. Or upload to a different site (I use Flickr now, you can click the "share" icon on the picture, and then copy the BBCode and past it here and the picture will display).

And just as an anecdote. Here's how my '01 VDC came to me: 20190602_191605 by Numbchux, on Flickr Front ujoint broke at fairly low speed (20-30mph, according to the PO). Ripped the heat shield off, beat up the exhaust pretty bad, and mangled the rear oxygen sensor. I can absolutely see how with more speed, or just different luck, that shaft would have been kicked up into the shift cable and body-side linkage.

Answers in red In the US anyway, only the H6 VDC models have the VTD AWD, the other models (LL Bean, anniversary, etc.) have MTD, and those transmissions are identical to the 4-cylinder ones (might want to check the axle ratio, as I think H6s got 4.111s and H4 ATs got 4.444s). So, assuming this car doesn't have the VTD, the parts should be very easy to swap. The VTD and MPT transfers are mechanically interchangeable, but electronically not. The only case I saw of someone retrofitting a VTD transfer into an MPT car was not fully functional.

The lever on the side of the transmission has a roll pin that connects the inner linkage to the shaft (and therefore the outer linkage). I suspect when the driveshaft grabbed the shift cable, it yanked it back so hard that it sheared off that pin. So regardless of what you do with the external linkage, the trans is still in 1st. I think this pin is accessible/visible from the pan without removing anything else. When you move the linkage, do you feel the separate gear positions? Yes, all 00-04 Legacy and Outback Auto transmission driveshafts are the same, regardless of body style or engine (manual transmission uses a longer driveshaft), and in fact any Legacy/Outback AT shaft from 1990-2004 should work (I used a 2007 shaft in our 2004 temporarily, but it's a bit longer and I was worried it would bottom out in the transmission). Some sources say that the Outback center carrier is shaped differently to account for the small body lift in the rest of the drivetrain, in practice, I noticed no difference other than a small rubber bushing on the mounts that spaces it down by about 1/4". There's a chance that the yoke being stuck in the transmission means internal damage, but you can't get in there to address that without removing the yoke, so it's just a matter of applying enough force. Maybe a slide hammer? Considering that and the linkage damage, I'd probably be checking the local yards for a decent used transmission....

https://www.billsautofab.com/ and

You are going to have a hell of a time getting those to hold air. Shouldn't be hard to find another set to work on.

There's a way to put it in Valet mode (check your owner's manual), that will prevent the alarm from going off. You might need the remote, though. Also, when you get out of it, lock the car with the key, not with the button. This will not arm the security system and allow you to unlock it with the key normally. If the alarm is going off, put the key in the ignition, and quickly turn it from "off" to "on" (2 clicks) 3 times. This will turn off the alarm and allow you to start it. And yea, used fobs aren't hard or expensive to get a hold of, and you can program them yourself (instructions in the owner's manual).

I play it by ear. If I can't spin bolts in by hand, I generally run a tap in the hole and hit the bolt on a wire wheel. If it's greasy, I clean it. Engine internal parts shouldn't have any issue with either of those, but sometimes...

If you're talking about just the hub flange, definitely. If you're talking about the whole knuckle (with the wheel bearing and hub flange), probably, the only thing to look at would be the ABS sensor location.

Almost anything will work. The EJ22 had pretty mild fuel requirements. Just need something that'll handle fuel injection and inline mounting. I've used stock SPFI EA82 pumps, universal inline pumps, and once I used something for an '80s Ford Grand Squire wagon... Being able to put a 90 degree fitting off one end (pressure end in stock config, IIRC) makes putting it in the stock location easiest.

AFAIK, the only changes with the 5x100 EJ knuckles, is ABS sensor and bolt-on vs press-in bearings. And I remember years ago WJM using knuckles with bolt-in bearing housings in his RX, so there shouldn't be an inherent problem with them.

Hmmm...I suppose that is probably what they were quoting. Either way....something doesn't make sense, even with OEM parts and a healthy markup.

For a simple, slightly-more-powerful, reliable version of the car you already have. Late '90s EJ22 with an adapter plate to your current transmission. The OBDII requires a bit more wiring to get it to be happy, but completely worth it, IMO.

DCCD is very strong, but it's still no locker. No locker available for the front, and only automatic lockers available for r160 or r180 rear diffs. To get a manual locker in the rear, you'll have to swap out a different rear diff, which will have to be a perfect match for the front diff (best is 4.444, almost non-existant for a 6-speed, but available for the 5-speed). Then you'll need custom/hybrid front axles. Custom mounts, custom linkage. Hydraulic clutch pedal conversion. Not to mention an EJ engine. And you loose low range. All completely doable, but a serious amount of work if you really just want RWD instead of FWD.

You're actually a bit low for MSRP on OEM brake parts. They're about $85 for a set of pads, and for each rotor. Still, that's only $510 in parts. I bet book rate is 1.5 hours or so per axle, even at a dealer labor rate, that's probably $900 or so with tax and shop supplies. Now, due to the number of times I've been on the other side of this situation, I will never condemn a shops estimate/work as a 3rd party. But something definitely doesn't add up. OE rotors are considerably better than aftermarket. $20 spent resurfacing a 6 year old rotor is much better than $20 spent on a cheap new rotor.

Anything is possible. But the transmission is not designed to not send power to the front wheels. It would take considerable custom machining and manufacturing to change that and keep the basic layout. Plenty of people have put a conventional truck (Nissan, usually) transfer case behind the stock transmission, and then an extra rear diff mounted under the transmission as a front diff. This requires a considerable lift and a lot of fabrication.