Recently, I sold my 2004 2.1 build WRX sedan to purchase a 2014 Forester XT. I miss the WRX, but am glad it went to a good new-owner, and will be a fun car for him. As far as the XT is concerned, I have loved it so far! There are a few items that I continue to purchase to get it up to spec for now (not looking to do anything to void the warranty....yet...). 2014 Subaru Forester XT Premium Transmission: CVT Color: Satin White Pearl Mileage When Purchased: 23,135 Interior: Synthetic leather trim with cloth inserts (Black) Options included: Approaching Lights Bluetooth Capabilities 1 1/4'' Tow hitch Rear Bumper Cover Moonroof (I'm sure I'm missing more...) Options Added: Cargo tray Cargo Cover Splash Guards Rear Seat Cargo Protector Aero Cross Bars On the List: Homelink Mirror (February 2016) Possibly Tint the front two windows (Flawless Front Ends Winter '16) 3M Clear Bra Heated Seats (3rd Party through St. Cloud Subaru April '15) Remote Starter Fog Lights/JDM-style LED strip(February 2016 OEM) Plasti-dip Chrome Grille (April '16) I am still on the fence, but don't really want to pay $360 for the Sport Grille, and I'm not a huge fan of chrome.) Rain Guards (St. Cloud Subaru April '15) Interior LED kit As far as the "on the list" goes, I have begun inquiring with a few local vendors for the tint and clear bra, but I am curious as to if anyone has experience with installing heated seats, or, more importantly, a remote starter. Any suggestions? I would love to have one I could access from my phone (iPhone). Heated seats were a nice amenity I had on the WRX that I would not mind at all again, but are not by any means urgent. Fog lights I am currently looking at Morimoto XB LED fog lights, but am open to suggestions if anyone has experience with others that may work well with this application. I will use this link to upload photos and updates, and per usual, any advice is always welcome!
Today, I got a few little odds and ends taken care of. On the way home from work, I stopped at Holiday to transfer my wash pass to the new vehicle. I also picked up my Seat Back Cargo Protector, as well as the OEM Splash Guards (wasn't a huge fan of the look of the RA style flaps, and although those may be a little better for coverage, I am glad that I have something to put on soon). The cargo cover came plastic wrapped like the cargo tray did, and on the outside was a yellow warning tag that said to find installation instruction to go to stis.subaru.com, and out of curiosity, thought I'd check out the site. $35 to join for 72 hours or something like that, and there were no instructions available from them for free which I thought was interesting...as soon as I removed the plastic, my stomach immediately sank for anyone installing these cargo covers because it was literally circular velcro pieces on the edges that stick to the upholstry.... One slightly frustrating/inconvenience I found today was that there is no lighting in the cargo area (or if there is I am completely missing it). I have found a few DIYs to install a LED strip on the inside of the hatch and connect it to a switch by one of the outlets in the rear. Maybe someday I'll think about that. Here are a few photos from today.
Those guys are in no hurry to get anywhere fast. I figured that would be a cool spot to get a decent photo of the new car. I got one with my WRX there too a few months back.
CVT!?!? OK, dude. A 6MT swap should be on your list of future mods. That miiiiight void the warranty a bit, though. And yes, let's do another food 'n cruise soon.
Nice pickup. Those options reminds me of the one my brother just picked up. XT Premium but in DGM. He already did the front LED bumper mod with HID. He was thinking about adding the factory fogs as well but he thinks its going to be too much going on so he's going to leave it at that since the HIDs are bright enough to light up the road. He got the clear bra done at the dealer (Morries Minnetonka), they did a good job on it and it's hard to tell it even has one. He just ordered a factory Subaru remote start and is going to install it himself and have the dealer reprogram the fobs (it's what I did for my wife's 2012 Forester). The factory remote start works great and it's still working 3 years later. Very cheap if you buy it online from a different Subaru dealer or even fleabay. Instructions are included and it's all plug and play.
Thank you, and awesome XT! I love that color! Would he be willing to share his info for the DIY bumper mod? Does he have HIDs in there too? I love how that looks. I also would be interested in hearing more about the Subaru brand starter. I have read mixed reviews about it, but am definitely interested in getting a remote starter.
I love how the Forester XT's look. Def interested to see where this goes. I wonder how those wheels would look on my WRX.
First Mod: Buy it a MiniMe. (Sorry for the low quality iPhone photo...more to come another day.) ----- EDIT ----- Also, have decided to hold off on the remote starter for a few months, and hopefully take care of that in the fall. Other small odds and ends have been picked up for functionality (all weather mats, and a 4 bike Yakima hitch-mount from woot.com, etc.). I have been looking for LED lighting for the bumper, similar to what @subiet 's brother has, and I found these: http://www.ebay.com/itm/2x-LED-DRL-Daytime-Running-Light-Lamp-for-SUBARU-Forester-13-14-Smoke-Screen-Ver-/221503215243?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&fits=Year:2014|Make:Subaru|Model:Forester|Submodel:XT&hash=item33929ed68b&vxp=mtr I like the smoked look a lot, as it would help retain that stock look when they are not turned on (I love the hints of black around the vehicle and would like to retain that). My only concern about any further lighting and wiring would be if it would compromise the warranty at all. Any thoughts? I am still on the fence about the regular stock location fog lights, as I'm not 100% sold on them. If I do go that route, it will probably be HID (do it once, do it right).
Installed the Grimmspeed relocation kit this evening (and removed the St. Cloud Subaru decal). The 08+ WRX/05-09 Legacy kit fits the SJ Foresters, however it does leave the plate about 1.5'' away from the bumper.
I appreciate the offer! I believe the threading may be different though, which was why I had to find the 08+ kit. I will let you know!
A few minor changes this past week while I was on spring break from both work and grad school. Plastidipped the front grille "wing" piece and emblem surround, along with the rear emblem and badges. Added OEM splash guards. I will post photos with those items soon, but I'm not sold with how the dip turned out. May retry it next weekend. I also picked up "smoked" plasti dip to try for a different look. Last weekend, I drove down to Iowa City and on the return trip took a scenic route to change view and drive through some smaller towns. I also made a pit stop at the alma mater for this photo opp. I also sold a fair amount of left over parts from the WRX this week, which will help fund the fog light set up I'm saving for.
Updated photo of the front with the plasti-dipped "wing" piece, XTi Delete plate, and GS relocation kit.
Nope, it's a TMIC. They just removed the hood scoop, and the new "scoop" resides in the grille. There are two directing splitters that are on the top half, and they direct the air through the hood to the TMIC. I can try to snap a photo of it later.
Not the best photo, but here you can kind of see what I'm talking about. (This was during the first disassembly of the grille.)
Interior LED kit came today. Ended up going with Diode Dynamics based on a few quick factors: 1. User friendly website 2. Quick response from customer service 3. Reasonable prices, and 4. Strong reviews online. I also have some "whiter" low and high beams that will probably all go in at the same time. Before and after photos to come soon.
LEDs are installed in the map and dome light. Later this week going to do the door, cargo, and license plate lights. I also have a new cabin filter (oem) and K&N intake filter to put in sometime soon... Probably in the next two weeks. I also realized that my XT came with two different types of floor mats. The top two look like they may be from an Impreza sport? A guy from the Subaru Forester XT page on FB is sending me his stock ones for the cost of shipping which is sweet. I just can't handle not having them match.
Taking the car in on Wednesday to see what Subaru can possibly do to repair/replace the cracks in the drivers seat. In the photos, you can see the repair the previous owner (Subaru salesman) had done through the dealership that only held up about 2 weeks before it started peeling and splitting further again. This photo was taken last night. The second I just noticed Friday after work on the side of the seat. So far, over the phone the dealership has been very supportive and it sounds like the 3 yr/36k bumper to bumper warranty will cover this for a new seat cover. I am also having heated seats installed Wednesday. I am not a big guy by any means, and have never been rough on my cars. The seat material is probably one of the bigger let downs so far. The panoramic sunroof though, I cannot get enough of.
After wrestling with some aero-bar- adapters on my bike trays (and unfortunately finding out they will not work on these bars), I did a test run with the trailer mounted bike rack and it worked out really slick. Along with a conversation had with another forum member, I am curious to see how much I will like this style. It does have a nice quick release to get the hatch open, but the rack needs to be unloaded for that to happen. For my personal use, I think that this will be just fine.
Added some window vents today, along with a little scheduled maintenance and heated seats. While it was in, I got to use a 2015 Outback. Not a bad ride.
It was through a 3rd party company that they work with. Honestly, they heat up nice and quick, and go up higher on the back than my OEM ones in my old WRX. It was one of the only "non-negotiables" that had me hesitate about this car, and it was something that took about an hour to have put in. Definitely worth it.
Today: - Cleaned the engine bay, including taking out the full intake system and cleaning it. There is a weird looking "snorkus" as I learned today that is a turbo silencer. Apparently some people have taken that off and plugged the hole, but I am still finding conflicting reports about the effect on the MAF sensor. The air box itself was quite dirty, along with much of the engine bay, as the previous owner did take this car out in the fields and hunting frequently. - Installed K & N drop in filter - Installed new head light bulbs and DRL bulbs (SilverStar Ultras and GE Night Hawks) - Garage opening in the fuse box (where my old WRX had a coin tray, this car has just a empty hole leading to the fuse box when opened, so I took some 3M strips and stuck my garage clicker in there, which has turned out pretty slick, and hides away the ugly opener). - Interior clean - Save for later this week - cabin air filter. Also, this week I have been in contact with Subaru of America, and after discussing this with their customer care department, Subaru will be replacing the seat cover on the driver's side. While that does mean another trip out to St. Cloud in the next couple weeks, it will be nice to have the one major "flaw" in this vehicle taken care of. When I make the return trip to St. Cloud, they will also be checking the passenger seat heated-seat, as I think the sensor for the passenger got shifted around... it has been dinging when there is no passenger. EDIT: Cabin filter installed 6/17/15. Was quick and simple, and if I ever decide to dip/wrap the silver trim pieces inside, they came out very easy. Overall quick and easy, with the exception of one screw on the bottom left of the glove box. I cursed it, verbally abused it, and publicly shamed it for all in the alley behind my house to hear, for being so fidgety and a p.i.t.a..
So, how did the headlights turn out?! I held off on my HIDs and am curious if this this the better route to go. Did you disable the DRLs while you where in there?
Headlights turned out well! The Ultras I really like. The nighthawks did make a difference as I drove from Burnsville to Minneapolis late last night, but are nothing overly dramatic. I will try and snap some photos tonight/tomorrow. I made a rookie mistake, and forgot to take a photo before . I think I will be able to say more after a few more night drives with them especially. I am curious about their life span, and toyed with the idea of still doing an HID/LED set up, but I am nervous about the reflective housing. I also did not disable the DRLs yet. I kind of like them/appreciate the safety aspect, however, I may still do it. Supposedly it is very simple; the connector is just under the intake. My "Budget HomeLink" turned out pretty sweet too. haha. EDIT: Sorry for the iPhone photos, but it gives you an idea of how the lights turned out.
What kind of MPG's are you getting on this thing? The used XT's are finally dropping in price and would be in my DD price range, assuming I change up my current "fleet" lol.
In the city I have been averaging between 24-26 pretty consistently. That is keeping it in the "Intelligent" mode about 85% of the time. Highway, I have hit up to 35/36 MPG (also in "intelligent"). This has been using the digital gauges that came built in, maybe similar to your 3.6R? The MPGs are also measured per trip, so when the car shuts off, it will give you that trip's specific MPG, and I have had some city driving break 35 before, but more often right around 30 is what it will read. Driving from S. Mpls to SSP during the school year those individual trips are around 28-30MPG.
Cool, thanks for the info. However you may want to check the accuracy of the digital car gauge by calculating the actual MPG using miles driven on the tank and # of gallons added. The digital MPG gauge on my Legacy consistently reads 2 MPG high, and others have reported the same. The most I've gotten on the highway is about 28-29 (doing about 75 with the A/C on). Around town in the summer, normally low 20's. In the winter with ski rack, snow tires, and crappy winter gas...I'm in the mid to high teen's lol.
Autotrader....nationwide search lol. I saw one at $20k and one at $21-22k. Quite a few in the $24-25k range. Mainly all out of state though because selling a Subaru in Minnesota demands quite a premium lol. I've bought 3 out of my 4 Subaru's out of state...it's not as bad as you might think. I won't take this thread too far off topic, but if you'd like to hear more on my experiences/advice, feel free to message me!
Last trip to St. Cloud Subaru for a while... got the new seat cover on! Also picked up some touch up paint for a small chip, and may have found a lead on some exhaust...
Went up to the family cabin (just north of Grand Marais by about 20 miles) with a couple of buddies and got to do a little very light off-pavement driving. Was fun to actually use the X-Mode, and push it a little!
Another day trip - this time to Decorah, IA. Wife and I went down for the day and had nice time cruising around Decorah, and SE Minnesota. Photo back on the Minnesota side of the border on Highway 52. If you're ever down in Decorah, check out Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. Also ordered in some black black vinyl to try and wrap the second grille I picked up.
Small mod struggle, that I'd love some ideas on. A while back, I decided I'd like to throw a Yakima Fairing on my factory bars. *Sidebar: I know that this will not necessarily do it's job, as there is already the small pop up fairing, and that these are what I believe are called "whisp bars," but this is primarily for looks.* I found a link on Nasioc, where a guy successfully put a fairing on his factory bars (but WRX) using Yakima Mighty Mounts. Over all, It got the look I was hoping for, now it's just getting the fitment tighter.. The Mighty Mounts are made to fit these whisp bars. Here is what I did. Assembled the new fairing as stated in the directions. Test-fitted the fairing on the car before moving forward. Cut off the round bar tabs with enough space to drill a new hole. Drilled a hole (5/16) for the screw to go through both the Mighty mount and the fairing tabs. ISSUE: The Mighty Mount don't seem to fit just perfect. They look like they are for a thicker bar. Everything else came together nicely. Do I try and get a spacer/wrap to thicken the bar at the mounting point? I am not sure that the Mighty Mounts come in another size, but if they do, I think I will just try a smaller size... Photos will be uploaded momentarily!
