howards11

It's a mini-SUV in the same category as the Honda CR-V or Toyota RAV4. It was one of the first "crossover" vehicles. ~Howard

I think I am going to try a Dobie Pad and a small amount of cleaner to gret rid of the gunk that has built up on the windows. The Dobie pad won't scratch the glass. Then I'll finish it with some good window cleaner like Invisible Glass. ~Howard

Bar Keepers Friend is very harsh ! ~Howard

Has anyone heard of using Bon Ami cleanser on car windows to remove the junk that's on them ? I saw this on another board and before I attempt this I was wondering if anyone else had heard of this use. Thanks in advance for your comments. ~Howard

I have a 2000 Forester L. One area where this car lacks is an intermittent rear wiper. Does anyone have any suggestions on installing an intermittent control for the rear ? Thanks in advance for your help. ~Howard

I needed new front disc pads. I suggested to my mechanic ceramic pads and he said that Akebono was the BEST. So I went with his suggestion. The ceramic pads seem to stop better plus you rarely get that disc pad squel. My mechanic also lubricated the rear brake slides (?) and re-bled the system. The Akebono pads weren't cheap and neither was the service but the end result was like night and day. ~Howard

I'm using Akebono pads on my 2000 Forester and they are just great ! ~Howard

I would purchased my Bridgestones locally. I used the tirerack.com as a reference because consumers make very interesting coments there about the tires. The Bridgestones had very good comments. ~Howard :cool:

I'm using P205/70R15 Bridgestone Turanza LST on my 2000 Forester. They did very well last winter in the snow and are doing very nice in all the rain we have been having this summer. They are very highly rated at tirerack.com ~Howard :cool:

There is a gentleman on eBay selling just the cases (with buttons) and a new battery. You just lift out the circuit board from your remote and put it in the new case. You can use the BUY IT NOW feature on eBay or contact him directly. I'll see if I can dig up additional information for you. The new case will not say SUBARU but CODE ALARM. ~Howard

NEVER CHANGE THE ATF ? That's a crock ! Fluids wear out. I'd change the AFT and the filter ASAP. ~Howard :-\

A/C pee !! ~Howard

They have a free version that has ads on the top. Once you pay for it, you get a code that stops the ads. ~Howard

TRY OPREA ! ~Howard :cool:

I have a locking one on my 2000 Forester. Make sure you get a STANT brand. I used a cheaper one (I forget the brand) and I was not pleased with how it worked after a while. Remove the one on the teather and put the screw back into the gas tank; that way you can't lose it should you decide not to use the locking one. You do not need a vented one; the plain one will be fine. Just be sure not to cross thread it. I did that once and it was a bitch getting off ! ~Howard :cool:

I deal with a pretty good mechanic in Northeast Philly. He's not a Subie specialist but he's taken pretty good care of my cars over the years. He's currently taking care of my Forester and my wife's Camry. I can e-mail you the details if you want. BTW: He's AAA approved. ~Howard

TWAWA: There isn't a state in the US that requires this switch. It's needed by the European market. Requirements for cars in the US is set by US DOT; not by individual states. In my humble opinion having the switch on autos sold in North America is a VERY DUMB idea. The placement of the switch isn't very bright either. ~Howard

I've done the same thing on my 2000 Forester. I had them on for about a day until my wife noticed that the lights were on. My one burning question: Why in God's name do they put the switch on cars bound for North America ? Wouldn't it be simple to make the switch inoperable for the North American version ? One of the fun reason of being a Subie owner. ~Howard

Just make sure to TIGHTEN the gas cap until it clicks and be sure not to cross tread it. Have a good time !! ~Howard :cool:

RON2368: Do not be afraid to go ! It was probably your gas cap. It takes a while (and I mean a while) to clear. This problem is one of the joys of owning a Subaru. I use a locking gas cap and the last time I had this problem I cross threaded the cap. It must have taken 60 or so miles after I found the problem to clear. ~Howard

RANGER 83: The Forester uses 6.5" speakers in the front and 5" ones in the rear. In the front I'm using Panasonic 6.5" 2-ways speakers and in the rear I just installed 4" Sony 2-way. The rear required use of a special adapter. My ears aren't as selective as yours; I bought on what would fit both the car and my wallet. All together with the rear adapters the speakers ran me around $120. The Crutchfield prices weren't too bad and in my case shipment was only a day or two from ordering. Plus they include adapters for the speaker wires so you don't have to start cutting wires, etc. My headunit is a Pioneer 1-cd that I had installed at Best Buy. I think the original speakers are junk. Subaru should be using standard size speakers for the rear. ~Howard :cool:

THE SAGA ENDS.......................... My rear speaker upgrade is finally COMPLETE. I installed the 4" adapters today along with Sony 4" 2-way speakers. WOW....what a difference. Even my wife can tell the improvement. This also completes my sound system upgrade. ~Howard

I am using Bridgestone Turanza LSTs on my 2000 Forester (P205/70R15). They worked GREAT this past winter. No problems ! My wife's Camry LE V6 is using Firestone Affinty LH30s (P205/65R15) and they were fine too. I had Cooper tires on another car in the form of a Pep Boys Futura tire. They were OK. If you want to hold down cost and you're on a budget, the Futura line is fine. These were on my wife's old Camry and she kept picking up nails. Pep Boys is within walking distance of my home so it was easy getting them repaired under the road hazzard warranty. Cooper BTW is the largest producer of private brand (store) tires. Whatever you purchase I strongly suggest getting the road hazzard warranty. It's extra but worth every penny. ~Howard :cool:

FERRET: Thanks for your help ! ~Howard :cool:

FERRET: How do you remove the top and bottom housing on the steering column ? Would you have a part number ? ~Howard