Subaru Problems

Brakes are not covered by the warranty; they are considered consumables that wear out as a matter of course. That they need machining at such low lays is frustrating, have you thought about asking the dealer to show you the discs and justify their opinion they actually need machining. There's no harm in questioning your dealer.

Remapping the ECU might fix it, but it's not really addressing the problem. It's most likely that it's running lean for some reason. Cleaning the throttle body is a good thing to start with, checking fuel filters can work, and checking the fuel injectors would be a good move.

It doesn't appear to be a safety recall as it doesn't show up on the government recall list, but it could be a Subaru service alert, in which case owners with this issue should approach their dealer and request it be fixed.

The Forester with CVT transmission is rated to tow 1500kg, but you also need to make sure you stay within the maximum weight limit for the car. Provided you are within those limits you shouldn't have any trouble with the CVT.

Check the shock absorbers and the bushes and you could try swapping the shocks from side to side to see if the rattle goes with them. It's really a case of trial and error when trying to find the cause of a rattle.

It's always a good idea to check for a simple answer before assuming it's going to be an expensive fix. Can save red faces all round.

If it is still doing it having been worked on by the dealer it's a fair bet that it is an electronics issue as you suspect. It could be a faulty sensor or a bad connection.

I would be asking the service centre to explain why the nuts are seizing when they service the car. I would suspect the nuts are being over-tightened and their wheel guns need re-setting so they don't over-tighten.

Sorry that you haven't been contacted about your concern. I will pass your latest e-mail on to the people involved at Subaru.