Hi there.

My car came with the "Starlink" 3G (dis)connected solution, and while it's not terrible, there's a lot to be desired, mostly the fact that the screen is completely unreadable when out in direct sun. The GPS actually works pretty well and the over-the-air weather forecast is the very cool! Never seen that done before (without internet) and it seems to be a more reliable (thanks NOAA!) forecast than the Weather app on my phone. The car also has Harmon/Kardon speakers.

So I'm wondering about two different styles of kit.
A) retrofit kits that provide a face plate, DIN brackets, and a small number of bare-wire cables to connect an aftermarket radio unit to the car's wiring

B) apparently plug-n-play kits purpose-made to fit directly into the 2016-2016 Forester radio hole, face plate already attached and everything

I'm wondering how they interface with the factory speaker amplifier under the driver's seat, the FM antenna, the backup camera, the media control buttons on the left side of the steering wheel. Are the inexpensive CarPlay devices super buggy, crash often, laggy, overall low quality? I like the idea of having a larger than 2DIN sized screen, but not if it means I have to have a more pixelated view, or suffer with a crappy UX.

If links are allowed, I'll gladly post some of the listings I'm referring to, but if you enter 2016 forester DIN into your favorite online auction site you'll see right away some of the stuff I'm seeing.

hello Foz experts. I got a 2006 XT and had some issues already which i fixed but the engine bay generally feels pretty hot to the point that i can see the heat on top of the hood at times. Normal or not ?

thanks

Reg hidden

Just picked myself up a 2025 Forester limited. Has anyone else taken out the big styrofoam thing over the spare tire and used that area as storage? If so did it make it any noisier in the car?

Also, any good ideas for add ons? I want window rain guards already and crossbars. Does anyone have grill lights (raptor lights)?

I only wanted a manual 6 speed and I found one! 114k 2 owners. That Boxer purr is music to my ears! Super clean I found it at a Mercedes dealer of all places for 8k! Perfect Carfax too! So happy I had to share! And the icing on top, is this red instrument cluster.

For the shifter linkage that's on the side of the transmission. Will any other automatic one bolt on or do I have to find the 98 year.

The other day I posted about the class action battery settlement, and how we received a FREE battery replacement and upgraded model at zero cost thanks to this sub's help. A link to that post can be found here "Y'all rock!!! 2020 Forester Battery replaced for FREE!!!" if interested. Well, today we received this LETTER about our Gen 3.1 Infotainment warranty being extended. Granted, we've yet to have an issue with it, but it's nice knowing we went from being two years out of warranty to now three years in warranty. The miles don't affect our day-to-day since we'll never meet it before the years.

I saw on the r/Subaru there was a similar letter sent to the dealers. That post can be found here "Subaru Radio Head Unit Warranty Extension" for anyone interested.

Anyway, I wanted to share these letters with y'all in the event one of you are currently experiencing an issue with the infotainment system or any of the other issues listed below. So far, I've found our VIN belongs to all except the fuel pump class action.

Subaru Battery Settlement

• NHTSA: TSB 07-207-22R - 11/29/2022 Revision
• 2015–2020 Outback, Forester, Legacy, or WRX
• 2019–2020 Ascent
• All VIN's from these MY's are included
• Extended Warranty Coverage: Subaru will extend its existing express New Vehicle Limited Warranty, applicable to the Settlement Class Vehicles. The duration and coverage will vary for first and subsequent battery replacements.

Subaru Windshield Settlement

• SELECT 2019–2022 Subaru Ascent & Forester
• SELECT 2020–2022 Subaru Legacy & Outback
• Check your VIN against this site's Class Action VIN lookup
• Extended Warranty Coverage: Eight (8) years or 100,000 miles

NHTSA 09-119-24: Thermo Control Valve (TCV) Warranty Extension

• 2020-2022 Outback & Legacy
• 2019-2021 Forester
• 2021 Crosstrek
• Extended Warranty Coverage: Fifteen (15) years or 150,000 miles

NHTSA 15-322-25: CP1 & Gen 3.1 Head Unit Warranty Extension

• 2019-2023 Forester, Impreza, & Crosstrek w/ Gen 3.1 Infotainment
• 2019-2021 WRX & STI w/ Gen 3.1 Infotainment
• 2022-2023 WRX & STI w/ CP 1 Infotainment
• 2019-2022 Ascent w/ Gen 3.1 Infotainment
• 2019 Outback & Legacy w/ Gen 3.1 Infotainment
• 2020-2022 Outback & Legacy w/ CP 1 Infotainment
• Extended Warranty Coverage: Eight (8) years or 150,000 miles

Subaru Fuel Pumps Settlement

• SELECT 2018-2020 Subaru Impreza, Outback, Legacy, Forester, Ascent, BRZ, or WRX
• Check your VIN against this site's Class Action VIN lookup, NHTSA Recalls and the main Subaru Recalls lookup page
• This is a recall, so offers a varying warranty service for affected vehicles.

WISHLIST: I hope the cheap leather that Subaru uses will get a warranty extension. Our driver side is starting to crack, so I know it's only going to get worse. I posted about that here 2020 Limited Dash Dust & Seat Cracks.

If any of you know any other warranty extention situations, please comment them below so I and others can check our VIN's against it.

Thanks!

Popped up at my local Nissan Dealer, I would like a few years newer but this one is close to home.

2015 Forester 2.5i limited (CVT)

112,049 KM (69,600 Miles)

$18,999 CAD ($13,100 USD)

I would pull the carfax and look for CVT fluid changes, anything else I should check for?

I have a 22 Forester Sport with almost 45k miles on it (ugh). I always take my car to the dealership for oil changes/maintenance since it's still under warranty. Every single time that I go, they always recommend of extra service, including brake fluid exchange. My dad is a mechanic so I talked to him & he said he thinks it's mostly something they try to up-sell and that it probably wouldn't be needed until closer to 100k miles, but that he obviously couldn't say for sure since he wasn't the one working on it. I also feel it's mostly an up-sell thing considering they've been tryint to get me to do it since my very first oil change at 6k miles & they always just say it's something they recommend to everyone that's at that mileage & not that they see trash or anything in mine. Anyone have any insight on this? Are you always offered this too and do you do it? I don't want to skip something that my car may need (although my brakes are fine) but also don't have a ton of extra money to spend. Thanks!

'24 Forester Wilderness :)

Hi all,

I’m at a point in my life where I want to upgrade my car and a Subaru forester seems like a good fit for me. I’ve heard some not so great things about used Foresters, do you think a 2016 or 2017 with less than 100k miles could be a good buy? I can drive stick so if I found a manual I would be very tempted to buy, but the majority of used Foresters in my area are CVT. How common are CVT failures in that era, and what mileage do CVT issues usually present?

What about the previous generation? I’ve heard to stay away from 2015 Foresters but there are a few for sale in my area that seem pretty reasonably priced.

Subaru recalls 20,000 vehicles for defective wheels

Hi All, Im buying a 2024 Forester Wilderness with 6080 Miles for 29,600 + taxes and fees outside of Boston.

The finance guy was pushing hard to go with the extended warranty for $1920 and gave me until the morning to decide.

The car is dealer fleet vehicle/loaner and low miles. would you go with the extended 7yr/100 knowing that you only have 2 years left on the standard coverage or splurge on 2 Grand to get coverage for another 94,000 miles.

I work from home and this car will really be used around town and longish (300m) trips to Maine and back.

thanks!

I've been thinking about this for too long...like months... Just got a silver touring coming from a 22. Could not be happier. Anyone Photoshop handy?

Any idea what the recommended/minimum speed rating & load index are for tires on a 2012 Forester Premium 2.5X? (225/55R17).

I can't find this info in the owners manual and I don't have immediate access to the car itself right now to check the tires themselves or the placard inside the vehicle.

Thanks.

Hello everyone!

Finally finished wrapping the steering wheel.

Full leather ones are easier but I wanted the shiny carbon. The glossiness made it harder as it reflects any flaws there. Took a few adjustments to smooth it out.

I had stitched it on but had a friend redo the stitch. She is much more skilled than I am at it 😂.

Took my 2021 Forester premium to a garage recently and I need new TC arms on the front for it to pass safety inspection. The car was purchased in 2020 and has 84k miles.

I’m wondering if anyone knows or knows where to look for the mileage/lifetime rating for the OEM TC arms?

I know in just over 4 years, at around 21,000 miles a year I have not been babying this car.

Thank you in advance for the help.

My family friend is selling this car, about 50k miles on it. I’m going to test drive it soon, but has anyone had any big issues with this year or model?

Picking her up for $2,000 with 168k on her only needs an o2 sensor and belts.

My 2015 Forester (Touring) was my dream car. 75,000miles - never a problem. Perfect mix of adventure/mountain/mom/city car. I hit a deer on a dark mountain highway -the deer and Forester died. Planned to drive it another 10 yrs. Now I unexpectedly need a new car. I loved the clearance, the utilitarian vibe, the amazing visibility. I did not like or use the infotainment system.

Yesterday I test drove some Foresters thinking it'd be a simple choice. Not one was perfect but maybe the 2024 Wilderness was the winner? I ski, bike, camp, hike, etc. I live in the PNW. I cart a preteen around in a busy city. The ride was similar for all and fine. Each had interior/exterior touches that I didn't love. I like esthetics very basic/simple. I want leather seats/steering. I don't love the huge touchscreen and I consider myself warned based on previous experience.

I need a car within two weeks. The Forester hybrid release date is not clear to me but I'm highly interested. So, I'm soliciting thoughts on the 2024/2025 Foresters of any sort to guide my decision making. Or, can you help me think outside the box as a means of holding out for next models? Should I buy used? Should I lease short term? Do you love yours? What don't you like about your Forester? I looked at a CRV, RAV4 just to be sure. I just don't think I can cross over. Appreciate any help.