r/SubaruForester

AC cold while driving, blows warm while idling. What would cause this?

A few months back I made a post about AAA service center performing improper maintenance on my Subaru drivetrain where 75 weight gear oil was replaced with CVT fluid, causing a catastrophic failure.

The maintenance occurred on October 7, 2025 and the failure occurred on March 28, 2026. AAA did not want to admit fault. I documented everything and finally got an insurance claim number out of the district manager who gave me the general number for the insurance company and it took me over 30 minutes to get to a claim representative.

The insurance company sent a claims adjuster to dealership where he had the car towed each day after the failure, on April 28th. The adjuster supervisor indicated there was a question of fault. I found an attorney through a local Bar Association who was very helpful.

I was advised to give the insurance company covering the claim 10 days to make a determination or we would file a complaint. On the 10th day, the insurance company admitted fault, and coughed up a repair estimate for over $10,000 and a list of available parts from various dealers. This was $2000 less than the dealerships estimate for OEM.

I gave the greenlight to go ahead with the repair cause I wasn’t gonna get any further with the insurance company. They were not going to cover the damage to the rear bumper caused by the tow truck driver when he bounced my car off the flatbed tow truck at the dealership since the front wheels were locked. So I gotta go after the tow truck company to try to get compensation.

I’m gonna to try to get a refund for the maintenance services done to my transmission and the $30 towing charge I had to pay. Already tried a dispute through the charge card company, but they only go 120 days.

So I’m curious how the car will work once it’s repaired which I’m expecting will probably be sometime next week. I am thinking about trading at him for a new car and taking a $2500 loss on maintenance services. I had done within the last six months, and giving up on the 80,000 mile Michelin Defender 2 tires with less than 10,000 miles on them. Sigh

Hi, I have a 2020 Forester and my car has a very strong odor to it. I ran an ozone machine through it and no luck, so that tells me it must be internal. There is no wetness or moisture coming from the passenger side floor and I have changed the cabin air filter.

I bought Lubegard HVAC System Cleaner and ran the tube under my car through the tube… I didn’t have a car lift so I did my best to shimmy under there and stick it in, it seems like most of the foam shot right back out. I’m not sure if clogged or user error…

My next step is to go buy something to spray in the vents and run my cars AC on internal air flow. But before I go out and buy more stuff I wanted to come to the good folks of Reddit and see if anyone could point me in the right direction?

Used this product: https://www.autozone.com/p/lubegard-ac-heater-system-cleaner-96030/1459535?spps.s=1997&cmpid=LIA:US:EN:AD:ALO:GOO:TRS:SHO:OTE:GEN:NA:ALA:NA:NA:NA:NA:NA:NA:NA&gclsrc=aw.ds&gad\_source=1&gad\_campaignid=22356757832&gbraid=0AAAAADkcoVv5Dhjwf6a6XttthDuONrVSr&gclid=CjwKCAjwt7XQBhBkEiwAtStpp4krY5szOmQp2J4zGt1Z2cVglzvK3rtHJ7ZU4rCqWvziP2SeYKeZExoC63EQAvD\_BwE

Considering going to buy this: https://www.autozone.com/p/certified-a-c-pro-air-freshener-spray-17900/530806

I have a low mileage 2018 (50k) and it developed a humming/growling noise that went on for about 6 months, gradually getting worse after a couple of cross country road trips between NY and AZ late last year. I had it in the dealer and my repair shop several times, complaining about the noise but it was never diagnosed. Worse yet, I was told my car was completely safe for the long drives (and they replaced/ adjusted several other items). Finally before my third scheduled trip, I investigated myself and discovered the wheel bearings were a likely cause. I took it back to the shop and specifically told them to check them all out. Lo and behold both rear wheel bearings were failing and needed replacement. Since then I have decided to replace the vehicle, since there are additional issues as well (eg the A/C compressor was replaced and it still is not working great). I really loved the Subaru up until all these issues came up. The wheel bearing issue is particularly disturbing to me as I could have easily experienced a catastrophic failure with them at high speed on one of my trips so it has somewhat soured me on the brand. My question is, should I replace it with another Subaru or get a different make (eg Toyota, Hyundai, etc). I still want an SUV but definitely want to get a hybrid this time around. Another option would be to keep it and deal with all the mechanical issues but definitely I do not like dealing with them.

Paging any and all dirt bike owners that drive a forester! How are you all moving your dirt bikes without overclocking your suspension.

Rocking a U-Haul trailer hitch.

My options are

A small bike trailer, more money, more weight,

OR

I would prefer a trailer hitch carrier, however I do have concerns about hitch tongue weight.

Any solutions or thoughts are welcome!

My god, this car has been nothing but a money pit.

Recently changed my struts, and now I have a P0500 code that will not go away (speed sensor issue). I have chased this issue to the end of the world - no damage to wire from changing strut, no loose mounting bolts, nothing unplugged, I am lost. I just removed sensors and cleaned just in case and they look completely fine visually (cleaned inside of hub which is OEM), nothing resolving P0500 code. I know I can buy a new sensor, but I can’t bring myself to sinking another dime into this with such a non sensible situation.

What is something I can do to try resolving this?

Before swapping struts I never had an issue with the speed sensor/this code, I can’t understand how a new strut just causes it to no longer work when nothing was damaged/everything is installed and mounted correctly.

I'm curious about the expenses. Mostly interested in people who don't do stuff themselves (I'm no good with cars).

Would especially like to hear how your 30000 mile service costs were.

Curious because I'm considering Forester and have heard of higher expenses in maintenance compared to Honda or Toyota.

Decommissioning our old Honda minivan in favour of a naturally aspirated 2010 Forester with the 4EAT transmission. Before I dispose of the old minivan, I was considering pulling out the Hayden 679 trans cooler and Derale inline thermostat I installed for towing, so that I'd have them around to install on the Forester.

But, from everything I see online, additional cooling isn't really needed with the 4EAT transmissions, and is mostly aimed at the CVT models. Does this change if I want to "push" the car a bit and do some light offroading or towing? Would a Hayden 679 + inline thermostat be overkill?

Also looking for similar input on PS cooling requirements. For my old Honda both coolers were a must, the PS pump and the torque converter produced tonnes of heat.

Thanks!

While chilling in the evening, I like to watch personal special interest Youtube videos.

I own a 2026 Forester Hybrid and long for videos of ppl taking that (or the '25) car or the petrol version off road. I search and see the regular USA sponsored videos, but that's it.

My plan is to take it out camping into some not too remote areas. Yes, I have the knowledge and equipment to do so and have decades of wilderness hiking camping experience and won't go alone.

Currently I have a stock standard car, but can afford regular mods and when required will get some AT tyres.

Anyone care to share their leads on some good Youtubers that might accommodate my choice?