howards11

A lot of the stuff from China is just plain junk. There is little quality control no matter what brand name is on the box. I wouldn't buy anything that says Made in Russia for the same reason. ~Howard

YEP........and make more $$$ for the company ! ~Howard

Like I said the warranty rep from Bosch told me he would send a "fresh" set. They were very nice about it and I received the set in about a week. He said the fresh set would be right from the factory. The ICON blades were a good price. I think I got them on sale at Advance Auto in a buy one, get one free sale. The odd part is that I remember Bosch's products were made in Europe (Belgium maybe ?). But these new Icon blades are made in CHINA. Like some Chinese made products they tend to skimp on things; like maybe better quality rubber. I might continue using their products but not the ICON blades. Once I use the free ones, I'm going to try Michelin brand from Wal-Mart or Target. I've made it a habit to change my blades before winter. ~Howard

I have no idea what Bosch considers "old rubber". But according to the warranty center rep I spoke with the problems I am having with the blades means they are aging faster on the car; they are not as flexible as they should be, etc. ~Howard

I have used Bosch blades in the past and they are great. Except this time I had the idea to try their new ICON blades. Plus they were on sale; buy one get, get one free. In my book you can't beat that ! These blades have been on my car about 5 months and they will need replacement shortly. I even tried cleaning them with alcohol. They did improve a bit but they still aren't real good. I contacted Bosch and they are replacing them at no charge. Bosch blamed the dealers for not rotating their stock and that I purchased "old rubber". The other Bosch blades I have used were made in Belgium. These new ICON ones are made in CHINA ! ~Howard

Anyone try the Michelin blades I see around ? They're made by someone else (of course !) and they're just using the Michelin name. Anco maybe ? ~Howard

I'm using the Bosch Icons on my '00 Forester. I put them on in the Fall. I really don't like them. Particles get trapped in the double blades and you have to wipe them down. In the cold weather they are no better than anything else; they don't wipe the window completely dry once I defrost it with deicer. I think I will be replacing them come this Spring. This was a first time purchase of the particular model and it will be my last. Bosch wipers are usually great but not this one. ~Howard

Here in Philadelphia we run up to 10% ethanol year round. I don't think there is a E85 station in this area. I still add some gas line antifreeze when it gets really cold around here (like now). Seems to make starting easier; there is less strain on the battery. ~Howard

Here in Pennsylvania we have a once a year inspection of cars. It's done by private mechanics who will not pass you if something violates the vehicle code. They do not want to lose their franchise to inspect vehicles. Without an valid inspection sticker and a valid emission control sticker, you can not legally drive your car in PA. You can also be stopped by police for not having valid stickers on your car. ~Howard

Fantastic looking but are they street legal here in the US ? :-\ GEE..........shipping must be a killer !! ~Howard

V8VOLVO: Safe driving on the new Michelins! We're getting another storm late Monday evening (3" to 6") so I'll have another test of the Dunlops. For the amount of driving I do Michelins would have been a waste of $$. ~Howard

I would check out Dunlop. I started using their SP50's all season tires on my 2000 Forester. The SP50 is only available in 205/70R15 but they have and SP40 and SP60 that are available in other sizes. The SP50's seem ok in snow and ice. I used them this week in the storm we had. Seemed to do very well; no skidding and no problems in the snow. Price was good too............$90 which included mounting, computer balancing and a valve stem. ~Howard

I replaced all 4 tires today. One tire was flat due to something like a push pin in the sidewall. That was not repairable. I have no idea how I picked that up or if someone did it. My tire guy took one look at the rest of the tires and told me they were GONE. The only ones he had in stock today in my size were a Dunlop SP50 and a Kumho. Getting anything else would mean Tuesday. That would have screwed things up for me. I settled on the Dunlop. Price was $90 mounted, computer balanced and the valve stem. I didn't think the price was too bad. Thanks to everyone for their suggestions. Sometimes you have to take second best. ~Howard

That's probably why my tire guy suggested the Avid ATZ plus the good review in "leading consumers magazine" didn't hurt either ! ~Howard

How much road noise do you get from the Geolanders ? A buddy has those on his Buick Rendevous and he seems to like them. Like I said I want to keep this change cheap. I don't know about the stability of my job and if my job is OK I might want to replace the car this summer. ~Howard

I'm going to replace my Bridgestone Turanza LST's on my 2000 Forester (205/70R15). I don't seem to be getting much traction on these tires and the ABS seems to be kicking in too much in only wet weather. Don't even ask about the light snow we got today. I wanted to replace them with Uniroyal Tigerpaws ($85 mounted and balanced). My tire store suggested Yokohoma Avid TRZ all season touring tires ($90 per tire mounted and balanced). Please keep in mind that I want to keep it under $100 per tire. Thanks in advance for your suggestions. ~Howard

When I run my rear wiper in the winter, I always put on the rear defroster to heat the window a bit. Seems to help the chatter problem. I also (per some thread I read here a while ago) use the cheapest blade I can find. Better blades are too straight and don't conform to the rear window as well as would a cheap one. I'm using a real cheapo from Advance Auto on my Forester. ~Howard

I recently replaced my Sears Diehard Silver with a NAPA 65 month battery (16 month replacement.....no prorating.) The Diehard was 5 yrs old; warranty was 6 yrs. It started having corrosion problems; that white chalk stuff all over the battery and the hold down. I kept cleaning it off and used that purple colored preventative spray but it kept coming back. When I used my turn signals at night with the headlights on; the headlights used to go off for a second or two. My mechanic said that the NAPA is made by Deka. ~Howard

2000 Forester L owner. Bought 3 yrs old for around $14,000. 25K miles to start my ownership. Replaced (other than normal wear and tear items): Cat Converter Ignition Coil Rear Wheel Bearing Knock sensor Both O2 sensors Rear CV's Gas cap Oil filler cap Miles now on the car...........67K. MPG in City driving............15-17 TOPS. Would I buy another one ? Maybe but I'd seriously check out the Ford Escape/Mercury Marnier and the Honda CRV. ~Howard

THE VIRGIN SWITCH

YUBA49R: This past summer I think I had the same code among a few others on my 2000 Forester. At one point the CEL was not only on but it was flashing at me. It required new spark plug wires, 2 plugs had to be cleaned because they fouled and the ignition coil had to be replaced. Are you getting any backfiring ? ~Howard

Can you get SPRAY graphite ? ~Howard

I like to spray WD40 into the locks rather than the graphite. Seems to do the trick ! ~Howard

I swapped out the control for the front which has the has the switch for the intermittent rear. The front now has variable intermittent but it did NOTHING for the rear. I think it's missing the electronics for the rear intermittent. ~Howard

I have a 2000 Forester. My MPG SUCKS. City or highway it plain stinks. I get 17-18 in the city driving. 95% of my driving is city driving. This is with NEW O2 sensors and a new cat. I thought it was my driving. You have to allow about a 10% loss in MPG for the AWD. Plus the Forester is just a box with wheels. I am seriously considering a Ford Escape or Mercury Mariner as my next car. I've about had it with the Forester. The folks here are the BEST but the Subaru.........well..........it takes a lot getting used to. ~Howard