howards11

I got stuck in some snow in my drive. I couldn't back up. After several tries I managed to back out. As I was driving I noticed that the ABS light had come on and when I tried to brake on the icy drive I had no ABS. After some driving the light went out and all seems fine. This is the first time I've had any problems with the ABS system. Question: Did the ABS wheel sensor or sensors get icy and fail to operate ? Or do I have a more serious problem. Thanks in adavnce for your help. ~Howard :cool:

Get a NEW gas cap. I had a CEL with a code of P0440. I was using a cheapo locking gas cap. My mechanic suggested going back and using the regular Subaru cap. I got a new Stant non-locking cap and the problem has never come back. Oh......last thing.....find yourself a new mechanic too. This guy is ripping you off big time. ~Howard

I had a friend's cat poop in my car on the back seat. I cleaned it up but the smell lingered. Another friend suggested spraying OZIUM in the car and letting it sit a few days. I did that and the odor was gone FOREVER. The product is available at Pep Boys. ~Howard PS: The cat is now banned from ever riding in my car even in a carrier.

BUMP

I'll suggest Bridgestone Turanza LST. Good all season tire. ~Howard :cool:

Thanks for your help. Do you have better instructions ? ~Howard

The fan in my 2000 Forester is making a "whirring" noise that is driving me nuts unless I have the radio on. How do I get to the fan to give it a good cleaning out with some compressed air ? Suggestions please. Thanks ! ~Howard

I would agree with a wire being cut or something like that. There is usally a lead to keep alive the clock and radio setting. ~Howard

I went with a 16" cheapo from Pep Boys; their brand. Made in China. Seems OK. ~Howard :cool:

The specs for the 2000 Forester say a 15.5" replacement blade for the rear wiper. Question: Do I buy a 15" or a 16" as a replacement. I'm replacing the entire blade and not using a refill. Thanks in advance for your help. ~Howard :-\

Bridgestone Turanza LST I've been very happy with these on my Forester. Handles very well in snow, wet weather and dry. ~Howard :cool:

My mechanic said that the locking gas cap I was using might have caused the problem. He cleared the code and all seems OK. I got a new non-locking Stant gas cap just to be safe. He said that if the problem returns he will go further. He didn't want to run up the bill. I'm due next month for state inspection and emission testing so if the CEL returns it will have to be taken care of at that time. Thanks to everyone for their help. ~Howard :cool:

I have inspection coming up in December. If you have a CEL you won't pass the emission testing. It would really bug me if I spent $$ and the same CEL came back again 500 miles later. During the summer the CEL came on and it was the knock sensor. I told my wife if this stuff continues with the Forester it's gonna be hasta la vista for it. Can you say HONDA CR-V ? ~Howard

I am having a problem with my 2000 Forester. The CEL came on and I had Auto Zone pull the code. The code is P0440;Evaporative Emission Control System Malfunction. It does not seem to be the gas cap. Anyone have a clue ? Thanks for your help in advance. ~Howard

Here's the article from the AP: Toyota Buys Fuji Heavy Stake From GM By DEE-ANN DURBIN AP Auto Writer DETROIT - General Motors Corp.'s decision to sell its 20 percent stake in Fuji Heavy Industries will help the troubled U.S. automaker streamline its business and raise cash, auto analysts said Wednesday, but some questioned Toyota Motor Corp.'s purchase of GM's stake.Toyota said Wednesday it has agreed to buy an 8.7 percent stake in Fuji from GM for about $315 million. Fuji is a rival Japanese automaker that makes Subaru cars. GM, the world's biggest automaker, plans to sell its remaining 11.4 percent stake and dissolve its alliance with Fuji, the companies said. GM said "there were not enough collaborative projects" to sustain the alliance and that it planned to find other partners and markets in the Asia Pacific region for its resources. GM will make around $725 million from the sale of its entire share of Fuji, Merrill Lynch analyst John Casesa said in a note to investors. Once GM's sales are completed, Toyota, Japan's biggest automaker, will be the top shareholder in Fuji. Troy Clarke, president of GM's Asia Pacific region, resigned as Fuji's director of the board Wednesday. "We've had a good partnership; however both GM and FHI came to the conclusion that there were not enough collaborative projects to sustain the alliance and that each of our interests could be better served through a different approach," Clarke said. Breaking its ties with Fuji is a small step in the right direction for GM, which is in need of a much larger restructuring, Casesa said. The sale will make GM more competitive and provide the company with some short-term liquidity, Casesa said, but it's not a great return on the automaker's investment. GM bought its stake in Fuji five years ago for about $1.3 billion. Masaki Taketani, who analyzes Asian markets for CSM Worldwide, said Fuji is doing well right now but its future isn't bright in terms of product or its global manufacturing capacity. GM owns more valuable stakes in Japanese automakers Isuzu Motors, a truck maker, and Suzuki Motor Corp., which makes small cars, Taketani said. GM wants to concentrate on bringing small cars to Asia and Eastern Europe, he said. The sales come in the wake of GM's worldwide losses of $1.1 billion in the first quarter and another $286 million in the second quarter. GM also is in the middle of tense negotiations with the United Auto Workers union to lower its health care costs and with its former parts supplier Delphi Corp., which is threatening bankruptcy. By contrast, Toyota reported its best ever fiscal year profit in May of 1.17 trillion yen ($10.3 billion) as sales grew in North America, Europe, Japan and the rest of Asia. But Toyota Executive Vice President Mitsuo Kino denied the move was a bailout for GM. "We absolutely do not have help for GM in mind," he told reporters at a Tokyo hotel, where he appeared with Fuji Heavy President Kyoji Takenaka to announce a new alliance between the Japanese automakers. Tsuyoshi Mochimaru, auto analyst with Deutsche Securities in Tokyo, said the move showed that GM and Fuji both saw that their alliance wasn't bearing fruit. "In that sense, GM's alliance efforts with Fuji failed," he said. "But it will take time to assess whether synergies can grow between Fuji and Toyota." Access to Fuji's plants could be a way for Toyota to raise its production capability at a time when its sales are on a roll, but Mochimaru said Fuji, a relatively niche market player, only runs one plant in North America and is unlikely to deliver much of a boost in production for Toyota. Erich Merkle, a senior auto analyst with the consulting company IRN Inc., said the alliance will give Toyota access to Subaru's all-wheel-drive technology. Even more significantly, it will give Fuji access to Toyota's hybrid technology, Merkle said. Merkle said GM failed to leverage its partnership with Subaru. GM had plans to use Subaru's all-wheel-drive technology but never did, Merkle said. GM also should have taken advantage of Subaru's expertise in the growing crossover segment, he said. GM will continue work with Fuji on one production vehicle, the Saab 9-2x, GM said. But other projects will end, including the joint development of a crossover vehicle, announced last year. Toyota is paying 520 yen ($4.60) a share for the roughly 68 million Fuji shares it is buying from GM. That is below the closing price for Fuji shares of 540 yen ($4.70) on Wednesday before the deal was announced. The price of GM's remaining 89 million shares will be determined in the marketplace as GM offers the shares back to Fuji as part of Fuji's open-market share buyback program and through market sales. That stake was worth about $418 million at Wednesday's closing Fuji price. Toyota, based in central Japan's Toyota city, holds stakes in two other Japanese automakers, Daihatsu Motor Co., which makes small cars, and Hino Motors, which makes trucks. Toyota shares, which have held steady over the past year but gradually rose since May, dipped nearly 1 percent to close at 5,250 yen ($46) before the deal was announced. GM shares were down $1.45, or nearly 5 percent, to close at $28.63 on the New York Stock ~Howard :-\

NOKIAN ALL SEASON. ~Howard

I agree. I've had two used ("previously owned") cars in the last few years. I both cases the dealers had no objection having me take the cars to my mechanic. One car had an extended warranty from Saturn. The Subaru Forester had a 2 year warranty from AAA which I purchased separately. ~Howard

I'd do a Carfax on it before buying. ~Howard

Try the Nokian all-season that was suggested earlier. It's gotten some good reviews. ~Howard :cool:

Let's face it. Everyone has his preference. That's why they make chocolate, vanilla and strawberry ice cream. ~Howard

I have heard that the Nokian all season are great. I can't find a dealer close to me. ~Howard

If I were buying tires right now I give COOPER TIRES a shot. Check out the DISCOVERER A/T. ~Howard

Another review of the Tribeca from US News & World Report: 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Please-no muddy boots By Richard J. Newman Nits: The sound system is weak for an upscale vehicle. At full volume, with the windows down on the highway, it's only moderately loud. G forces: Road performance is outstanding. The 250-horsepower "boxer" six-cylinder engine powers the Tribeca comfortably through the full range of off-the-line bursts, on-ramp accelerations, and passing maneuvers. Handling is great for a tall vehicle, with stiff cornering that makes this "SUV" feel like a car on most curves. Even if it were a sedan, the Tribeca would be agile. Gizmology: Subaru calls the Tribeca's interior layout a "twin cockpit" design, with each of the front seats equipped to feel like its own personal habitat. Very hip, but it also creates some awkward ergonomics. The dash curves inward on each side from the center console, yet half the radio preset buttons, for instance, are on the passenger side. That's a stretch for someone in the driver's seat. Standard steering-wheel controls for the radio make up for the reach somewhat. Otherwise, controls are solid and easy to use, with key info nicely displayed in the digital screen on the dash. Kidmarks: The Tribeca has many flexible features parents will love. The back seat divides 60/40, with each side capable of sliding forward or back 8 inches, offering more legroom for adults and a closer fit for babies or kids in boosters. The rear seat also reclines, perfect for naps. Cupholders are in the middle armrest. The optional third-row seat is one of the tightest I've ever seen, but it still provides seven-passenger capacity if the third-seaters are roughly 10 or younger. Hot or not: Hot. Because it's different, not especially elegant. Envirometer: Not yet rated for pollution or tailpipe emissions by the EPA. Mileage ratings range from 18 mpg/city to 23 mpg/highway. One downer: Requires premium fuel. Crash course: Not yet crash-tested by the government or by private testing groups. Three sets of airbags, including side-impact and side-curtain bags, are standard. Price points: Base prices range from $31,320 to $34,520. Price as tested: Approximately $39,000. (All prices include delivery fees.) So where does the Outback end and the Tribeca begin? On the surface, Subaru's avant-garde new flagship vehicle–which the automaker calls its first SUV–looks nothing like the Legacy or Outback wagons that were among the first successful "crossover" vehicles on the market. The Tribeca's needle-nose front grille and buxom cabin represent the edgiest styling seen in an SUV since the Nissan Murano debuted three years ago. Inside, a swooshy dashboard spills onto the door panels, as if enveloping the occupants in an artistic statement. Fiddling with the Tribeca's knobs and buttons feels like participating in an interactive art-gallery exhibit. Could this be the same Subaru that surfers, skiers, campers, and assorted friends of Mother Earth have grown to love so dearly? Actually, yes. The Tribeca is indeed festooned with creature features–some will say artifices–that Subaru's core customers may disdain, such as accent lighting in the doors and foot wells, two-zone air conditioning, a moonroof, and a seven-inch digital screen for radio, climate control, and other vehicle information. This is simply the way the market is going, however. Virtually every automaker, from Kia to Volkswagen, has been offering more higher-priced "luxury" models, to capitalize on consumers who seem willing to carve out ever more of their monthly paycheck for a swank ride. And with a third-row seat available as an option, the Tribeca offers at least one thing the Outback doesn't: It's an alternative to a minivan. Subaru is targeting the same upscale family buyers that Chrysler has gone after with the Pacifica, and Ford with the Freestyle. Still, the Outback does much of what the Tribeca can do, just a little less noticeably–and for about $6,000 less. The Tribeca comes with standard 18-inch tires, two sizes larger than the base-level Outback, for a more grippy, stable-feeling ride. But the Tribeca's ground clearance, 8.4 inches, is the same as the Outback's. And the Tribeca is equipped with all-wheel drive similar to that found on other Subarus, rather than full-blown four-wheel drive, the standard for true off-roaders. There's more flexibility in the Tribeca, with a rear seat that slides up and back 8 inches, for instance. And of course there are all those feel-good features. In many respects, the Tribeca resembles the glamorous, supertrendy Manhattan neighborhood it's named after. It's much more than utilitarian, and the style and glitz are worth something, even to Subaruskis. But the Tribeca will get you up to the cabin no more effectively than any other Subaru. You'll just look more chic as you emerge from the vehicle. ~Howard :cool:

The 2000 Forester L DOES NOT have 4 wheel disk brakes. The setup for the L is disc from/drum rear. The 2000 Forester S came with disc brakes all around. The above is true unless there was a mod done on the car. ~Howard :cool:

OK Guys....I get it. Someone was having some fun. I knew the Forester was only a 4 but I thought I missed something. ~Howard :cool: