Leroy

A new engine - wow. At least they seem to be accepting responsibility. I'll certainly be checking oil level in the soon-to-be-our 2.5i. We checked it out the other day, and it's a beauty! It turns out to have the shifter paddles after all, plus a load of other bells & whistles that will probably take some time to sort out. Very clean, only 18,000km, nice to drive, easy to park, lots of get up & go when you need it. We take possession next week once all the paperwork is sorted - looking forward to it! Thanks to all who weighed in on the discussion. Cheers.

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, it seems that Subaru discontinued the paddle shifting option for 2014: All 2.5 model CVTs have L-D transmission control. L is Low mode, and is the only option other than Drive. There is no manual control available on 2.5 models, and is the first Forester without it. It means the driver can't control or get more power when needed for passing on hills or 2 lane roads, or for towing a trailer, driving on camping or snowy roads etc. All previous year Foresters have had controllable transmissions for safety and performance. If you think Subaru should put Paddle Shifters with manual control back on the 2.5 model, please voice your concern to Subaru's customer support at 800 SUBARU3 (800 782-2783) (from Joe Spitz, cars101.com) so I won't have that option. Having always driven standards, it might take some getting used to. We're checking the vehicle out this afternoon; I'll let you know what we decide.

We're looking at one of these in a couple of days, and I'm just wondering what opinions folks on the forum have about this model. Is it subject to the excessive oil consumption problem? How useful is the Eyesight feature? What about the CVT transmission - good / bad? Thanks in advance for the feedback. Cheers.

This looks like the ticket. The pedal hasn't stuck yet, but it feels like it might. No visible leaks. http://endwrench.com/images/pdfs/ClutchPedal.pdf Thanks, guys.

Now that warmer weather is here (at last), my clutch pedal has started acting up. It's fine first thing in the morning, but after about 20 minutes of city driving, it starts getting mushy - instead of about 3/4" free play, it takes almost half the travel before I get any resistance, and the engagement/disengamement point is almost on the floor. It still disengages, but I can feel a little thunk when I change gears, & that's with the pedal mashed right to the floor. I don't know if it's connected at all, but I did have a new clutch put in about 3 months ago. Is this the last gasp of my master cylinder, or is there something else at work here? Oh yeah - it's a 2000 Legacy L with about 112,000 km on the clock. Thanks.

Thanks for all the help, guys. I'm going to set this up this week.

Yeah, I think that's the best plan. He may never have done a Subaru clutch before, but he's a great mechanic, so I'm sure he'll figure it out. Any recommendations on an aftermarket clutch manufacturer?

Nowhere near enough - 106,000 km. The previous owner was not too kind to the car, & most of my driving is heavy city stuff. The car is still quite drivable - I just have to remember to lighten up with the right foot...:-\

Time to replace the clutch in my 2000 Legacy L wagon, & I've got a few questions for you folks: 1. New or rebuilt? My regular mechanic (who has never replaced a Subaru clutch) has always preferred to use new clutch kits. A new aftermarket kit is going to run about $500 to $600 (Canadian $). The local Subaru dealer only sells rebuilt, they are $350. My neighbour's mechanic, who regularly works on Subies & has done lots of clutches, recommends the dealer kit - good value, he says. This brings me to my second question: 2. Which mechanic? My regular guy has worked on our vehicles for about 20 years - Citroens, Toyotas, Nissans, Volvos, and now my Legacy. Small shop, father & son (both named John), no lifts, no computer, neat as a pin, many loyal customers. My neighbour's mechanic: English is not his first language (maybe not even his second) so there's a bit of work in the comprehension department, his shop is a mess - stuff strewn everywhere, obviously experienced with Subarus, highly recommended by my neighbour, whose word I trust. They've both said that it would take 5 to 6 hours, and their labour rates are about the same. 3. If I go with my regular guy, is there anything I should bring to his attention about the job? He's very careful & conscientious, but I'd like to give him a heads up on any little quirks that might not be obvious. Thanks in advance. Leroy

Yesterday I had to replace my right front tire, & I talked to the tire shop guy about Subaru wanting all 4 tires to be the same kind, size etc. He said that he could match the tire (Michelin Hydroedge - great tires), and that there wasn't enough wear on the original to make a difference. When I got home, I looked in my files & found that I had put just over 19,000 km (+/- 12,000 miles) on the original set. Is this enough to make a significant difference in tire size? It's been mostly city driving, & I'm not a wild-rump roast driver. What do you guys think? Thanks.

All good news, just in time for the long weekend. Thanks, guys.

I took my 2000 Legacy MT in to my mechanic for the 95,000 km (60,000 m) service and he pulled the #1 plug to see how it was (it was okay) and reported that there was some oil in the plug well. He reckoned that it wasn't something that had to be fixed right away, but said I should get it taken care of in the next couple of months. He didn't look at any of the other plugs (end of the day was rapidly approaching), but said that he would check them all when I brought the car in. Any thoughts from the experts out there? Is this a minor concern, or is it a sign of something bigger at work? All opinions appreciated!

Thanks, Frag - that is a great link. I'll pass it on to my mechanic. Leroy

I have a 2000 Legacy L wagon, standard transmission, 2.5 l engine, about 55,000 miles on it. The Check Engine light has been coming on & going off for the last couple of weeks, with no apparent relationship to anything, and no obvious change in performance. I finally had a chance to take it in to my mechanic today & have him pull a code. He's not a Subaru specialist, and although he managed to get a code, he couldn't figure out what it meant, so I'm hoping someone here could help out. The code he pulled - P1136 - has no reference to any Subaru item in his documentation, although it apparently points to a Chrysler O2 sensor, which doesn't help me any. Does anybody out there know what this means? Thanks in advance.

I just put Michelin Hydro-Edge on my 2000 Legacy, & so far they are great. Designed primarily for rain, they're also supposed to be pretty good in light snow, which is about all I expect to get here (Vancouver, B.C.). Check out tirerack.com for more tire reviews than you can shake a stick at... Leroy