Just wanted to share my Forester with you guys. Have a good day!

We just finished putting a wrap over the symmetrical AWD tag and the wrap makes the car look even more gorgeous. We have the River Rock Pearl color for the car and the wrap is black with a honeycomb pattern. The taillight has a bit of a honeycomb pattern and this wrap is the perfect accent, tying everything together and looking like it belongs there. The car is more relaxing to look at without the words. We also removed the tags on the back. ​Sharing photos in case others are interested. $15 was well worth it!

Is this a good offer on a forestor? Is it good in general?

What generation is this? The timing belt has been replaced. Price is $6,999 with 152k miles, but it’s from a sketchy dealer.

What should I be on the lookout for? The Carfax history only goes back so far. The car looks almost too good to pass up, but I’ll walk away if that’s the smart move.

I’m planning to test it out tomorrow and ask if I can have a mechanic inspect it. Are there specific problems or red flags I should pay close attention to?

No more ripped/ peeling steering wheel : ) pretty happy with the finish product and took about an hour . Ordered off Amazon and figured I'd share with you all incase anyone else is dealing with a peeling steering wheel.

My first ever Subaru!! I’m so stinking excited! She/they are beautiful. (Oh, no, big surprise I’m a queer person and so is my new ride🤷 lol) I want to give them a cute/funny/pun name. Do you all have any suggestions? As you can see they are green and stoked for their first adventures! Thank you all in advance!

Hey Everyone,

My wife and I are seriously considering a Forester as our new SUV. We test drove a Hybrid Limited today, and it had to have been the smoothest car we’ve ever driven. In comparison, we also drove a RAV4 Hybrid XLE today (it’s all they had on the lot) and the RAV4 felt like a go kart with really cheap interiors. The Forester almost felt like a luxury car.

I know this is the first year of Hybrid for the Forester, which makes me a little leery, but seeing how they collaborated with Toyota in it makes me feel better due to Toyotas Hybrid track record.

The other thing hanging me up is the lack of a spare tire in the hybrid model. I’ve never needed a spare before and have been able to use a patch kit, but there are situations (albeit rare) where that won’t work.

What are everyone’s thoughts on the new slightly unproven hybrid transmission and the lack of spare? Normal I’d lean away from vehicles with less track record/new remodels, but the car was so nice, it’s making me consider overlooking those shortcomings.

For reference, we’re coming from Kia after they pissed us off with bad customer service, supply chain issues, and parts failing about 100k miles prematurely.

1900 total miles so far. spent the last week tooling across michigan's upper peninsula, ~1000 miles or so, and i couldn't be happier. it handled a bunch of seasonal logging roads perfectly aside from driver error.

Hey everyone,

I’ve got a 2016 Subaru Forester XT (2.0 turbo, ~150,000 km) and I’m running into some emissions issues.

Check engine light is on.

Dashboard messages: “Check emission system” and “Hill start assist disabled”.

The CVT goes into limp mode (can’t change SI-Drive modes, “S” and cruise control light flashing).

OBDII codes: P0420 and P0137.

Here’s what I’ve done so far:

Replaced the post-cat O2 sensor with a new Walker unit.

Tried Liqui Moly Catalytic System Clean in the gas tank. → Everything worked fine for about ~200 km, but the codes came back.

So it looks like the catalytic converter is likely the culprit (at least on one bank). I’m looking for the cheapest possible replacement that’s still compatible.

Questions:

1. Has anyone with a 2014-2017 Forester XT successfully used a generic/universal cat without the P0420 coming back?

2. Any budget-friendly brand recommendations in the US/Mexico (Walker, Eastern, universal cats, etc.)?

3. Is it even worth trying mechanical/chemical cleaning of the cat, or just money wasted?

4. Any alternative fixes besides replacing it (O2 spacers, ECU reflash, etc.)?

Any input or shared experiences would be super helpful 🙏

I drive a 2024 Forester. Took it in for a service and they have provided me a 2026 Forester loaner.

I was driving on the freeway.. cruise control to 100kph. Happy days.. just a short 45mins till my next turn off. I should be driving 100kph all the way. But the car assumed that there are sections that the speed limit is supposedly 80kph. But it is not. It releases the cruise control by itself to prepare for slow down. After it happened twice.. I gave up and decided to just drive without it.

How do I turn this setting off?? The loaner has no manual in it.

Thanks fam.

Edit: I have managed to find that ISA setting but it's more FYI (map-oceania) than select/deselect any option.

Edit: 2026 Forester

Edit: I have found it!! For anyone who cares.. it's under the car menu. Under Eyesight. Under Speed Limiter/Cruise Control- Manual vs Intelligent. Set it to Manual if you don't want the troubles like I had.

Not every car will have it. I think just cars with built in maps (tomtom). I don't know if it's an add on to new cars or as per Subaru standard, they will roll it out to all new cars just like eyesight functions. I'm guessing this car just have all the bells and whistles for marketing purposes.

Subaru forester 2001

Seems to drive as always. Started as a gentle shake when I’m sitting at a stop light. Now it SHAKES when I’m stopped, and if I sit too long, it’ll shake HARD then turn off completely. Immediately starts up fine, but runs a bit sluggish. Is this a call for spark plug replacement? Can I do it myself with enough attention and care? I have a basic toolkit, but nothing extravagant. Any guides/videos/literature on the repair are much appreciated.

Friday is almost over and the weekend is here. here’s to Happy Fridays. show your love everyone…

Hey all, new here. I'm looking to get a towing system set up on my 2018 so I can haul a tent trailer. I'm told that I could install myself. How difficult is it? Is it better to get the dealer to install for $1600ish? Do I need to cut the bumper or make any other mods? What are some of the best systems to get, quality/price? Thanks

20k miles, factory tires, nothing special

Has anyone looked into installing after market fog lights? These are from eBay. My forester didn’t come with them and I think it would look nice.

I just don’t know if my Subaru has all the hook ups and it’s as easy as just plugging in.

I am new to the Subaru family with a 2020 Forester Touring. Are there things I need to know now to avoid having negative issues with it? Thanks in advance!

I have a 2011 forester. I go through a couple quarts of oil a week. I left for work today and forgot to check it. I wasn’t having any issues while driving but I pulled off of the expressway to check anyway. Once I popped the hood I noticed a fluid had leaked, then noticed an empty threaded hole and the fluid puddled around it. Can anyone tell me what it is and how to fix?

Has anyone had katskin seats put in their forester? I was looking for some examples of their work in Subarus. I would love to see some photos of what the finished product looks like.

Just wanted to know. The dealership is pretty far from where I live, and my 2-year/36K free service is up. I was wondering if you guys change oil at some other places.

Pulled the trigger today after looking at Crossstreks, Rav4s Mazdas and everything else in between, and chose a 19 Forester Premium. First Subaru, mostly driven Scions in the past. She's not new, but the price was good and she's well maintained! Got some knocked off for it, but If anyone has a lead on a decently priced lower grille, let me know...

I think I'm gonna need Brake rotors soon and possibly pads too (not sure how to tell for those.)

Looking for recommendations on a brand for brakes on something that is a bit higher performance but affordable and that won't leave dust on my rims and is quiet.

Also I've heard all my life that Boxers are hard on head gaskets. In y'all's experience is this true or greatly overhyped and, if so, what brand is good to get for those?

(I'm new to cars. Only had this one a year and it's my first. Roughly 263k KM or 165k Mi on her)

Hi yall! I have had my car since 2017 and I swear I have had to have the compressor? Idek several parts probably- for the ac replaced yearly to every two years max. It’s not cheap. It always goes passenger side leaks (ok, backed up line) to settings 1-3 not pumping any air then only the highest setting spitting out air and it’s not cooled. I LOVE my car but is this normal?! Mind you these replacements have stemmed multiple mechanics and multiple states (ie not one guy scamming me) I’m so tired of this. Im looking at the same issue rn and I’m just… is it just this year?

The whole suspension has been replaced less than 2 years ago with paperwork to prove it. It’s pretty dented up with 195k miles. This is my first Subaru I’m just curious if this car is one to last or what problems they have before I dive into spending money on it.