1) With 21k miles, it failed state inspection. The lovely factory Yokohama tires are worn out.
2) The rear brakes grind because of excess rust on the caliper. Subaru would not fix the problem since 50% of the pads are left. WTF? Should a $25k car grind to a stop? I don't think so... And please don't tell me there is nothing wrong with my car when only 1 of 4 rotors is making a grinding noise!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
10 Reasons Why My 2008 Subaru Forester Sports XT is a Turd
1. Front underspoiler kit is shit. It costs $500 to replace and you should expect to replace it every year because it is way to brittle for winter states.
2. Fake STI wheels: they look good, but they are nothing like the real deal (BBS). They are also wrapped with horrible Yokohama Geolanders.
3. Non-WRX calipers.
4. Does not include roof rack crossbars from the factory. That’s OK, I will give Thule my money.
5. Turns like a truck. Funny, people want their trucks to turn like cars. Would it have been too much to put a WRX steering rack into this car?
6. Average Fuel Economy – 20mpg.
7. Sloshy suspension. Is it too much to ask for slightly lower, WRX suspension?
8. Wimpy hood scoop. It should be bigger.
9. Where the fuck are the fog lights?
10. Restrictive exhaust system.
2. Fake STI wheels: they look good, but they are nothing like the real deal (BBS). They are also wrapped with horrible Yokohama Geolanders.
3. Non-WRX calipers.
4. Does not include roof rack crossbars from the factory. That’s OK, I will give Thule my money.
5. Turns like a truck. Funny, people want their trucks to turn like cars. Would it have been too much to put a WRX steering rack into this car?
6. Average Fuel Economy – 20mpg.
7. Sloshy suspension. Is it too much to ask for slightly lower, WRX suspension?
8. Wimpy hood scoop. It should be bigger.
9. Where the fuck are the fog lights?
10. Restrictive exhaust system.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Go Ahead and Litter All You Want
The other day I took a ride to Maine. As I was heading home, I looked in the rear view mirror and saw a beat up Maxima with Connecticut tags leaking McDonalds paraphernalia out its window. In this day and age, littering is pretty despicable. Frankly, it’s really appalling when you do it while others are watching. Since I drive somewhere close to the speed limit, it did not take long for the losers to catch up and zip past me.
As I gazed (and glared) at the two women in the car, who were in their early twenties, I realized that it wasn’t a bad thing they were littering. Why is that? I’ll tell you why… As previously said – it takes a real scumbag to litter in the middle of broad daylight. On the bright side, there are people that benefit from such gross irresponsibility. They may date the scumbags or they may be relatives. Who really knows? What I do know is that the beneficiaries typically wear orange suits and need a good reason to get out there and work on their tans.
There is a certain caliber person in this country that thinks common courtesy, rules, and laws do not apply to them. The sad truth is that even the smallest infractions, like littering, only hurts the ones they love. So go ahead, litter all you want – your boyfriend will be out there picking it up, not me.
Sunshine
As I gazed (and glared) at the two women in the car, who were in their early twenties, I realized that it wasn’t a bad thing they were littering. Why is that? I’ll tell you why… As previously said – it takes a real scumbag to litter in the middle of broad daylight. On the bright side, there are people that benefit from such gross irresponsibility. They may date the scumbags or they may be relatives. Who really knows? What I do know is that the beneficiaries typically wear orange suits and need a good reason to get out there and work on their tans.
There is a certain caliber person in this country that thinks common courtesy, rules, and laws do not apply to them. The sad truth is that even the smallest infractions, like littering, only hurts the ones they love. So go ahead, litter all you want – your boyfriend will be out there picking it up, not me.
Sunshine
Sunday, April 20, 2008
In Search of More MPG - Subarus are not Green!
I have decided I want to get rid of my Subaru Forester XT in favor of a vehicle that gets better fuel economy. I average 20 to 21 mpg depending on the temperature and driving conditions. That’s just not cutting it for me anymore.
I owned an Impreza and wanted more power and a little more room. The 2006 Impreza was naturally aspirated and averaged 23 mpg around town and 27 mpg on long all highway trips. It was very difficult to part ways with the car, but I really wanted more room in the back for my dogs. At first, the Forester XT seemed like a logical choice. It is a repackaged Impreza. I test drove the XT, liked it, and then bought one. After owning the car for 8 months, I rate the vehicle a complete dud.
My grievances with the car start with how it runs. I run high test fuel and the car (5500 miles on it) is always coughing and sputtering at low RPMs. Personally, I feel the engine ECU is improperly mapped and overly constricted. There are some companies out there that offer devices to remedy that dilemma, but it is costly at the tune of $695 (COBB). With no other mods, their AccessPORT will increase the stock 225 bhp by 35 and also add 45lb-ft of torque. That’s a lot. It should have come with that boost from Subaru. I might not be writing to my blog if that were the case. But one question still remains: would the power boost increase fuel economy? With the turbo, I doubt it. Can anyone out there answer that?
Further grievances with the car are the front underspoiler kit which broke when I had 2100 miles on the car and costs $500 to replace and the steering ratio. The car turns like a bus which is an issue that was evident with my Impreza but not nearly as bad. I have no idea what broke the underspoiler – a puddle or deep snow is the cause – which speaks volumes about the quality of the part. Save your money: don’t buy one. It’s about the cheapest plastic I have ever seen. All wheel drive Subarus are supposed to be winter cars and this one couldn’t handle a puddle or 8 inches of snow. Lastly, the fuel tank is the same size as that on the Imprza. The tank is about 14 gallons (I don’t feel like being very technical today) which means I can go 280 miles or on a tank of gas. That’s pretty weak. Subaru could have integrated a bigger tank onto the car.
I hunted around on the web for ideas that could help boost my fuel economy and found 2 suggestions:
1) Acetone – some people out there claim you can add acetone to your gas and you will get great fuel economy. Does anyone out there want to try that and then let me know how it works? Frankly, there is something fundamentally wrong with pouring acetone in the tank of a $1000 vehicle let alone something that cost over $20000.
2) Oxyhydrogen – also known as Brown’s gas or HHO. Check out You Tube or Google HHO and you will find dozens of people and videos that swear you can attain better fuel mileage by supplementing your gasoline with HHO. I don’t believe it. I think anyone peddling information or selling HHO generators are con artists. All I can say about it is that if it sounds too good to be true… I’ll wait for Mythbusters to try one before I spring for one.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the solution to my problem is to sell the Subaru and buy a Toyota Yaris. I can downsize my gas bill, my payment, and my insurance bill in one swoop. I would prefer a MINI for performance, but they are expensive. I hear the Yaris gets about 36 mpg. It’s too bad Toyota doesn’t sell the diesel in the US. If that were the case, I would convert the car to run on Fry-O-Diesel.
Sunshine
I owned an Impreza and wanted more power and a little more room. The 2006 Impreza was naturally aspirated and averaged 23 mpg around town and 27 mpg on long all highway trips. It was very difficult to part ways with the car, but I really wanted more room in the back for my dogs. At first, the Forester XT seemed like a logical choice. It is a repackaged Impreza. I test drove the XT, liked it, and then bought one. After owning the car for 8 months, I rate the vehicle a complete dud.
My grievances with the car start with how it runs. I run high test fuel and the car (5500 miles on it) is always coughing and sputtering at low RPMs. Personally, I feel the engine ECU is improperly mapped and overly constricted. There are some companies out there that offer devices to remedy that dilemma, but it is costly at the tune of $695 (COBB). With no other mods, their AccessPORT will increase the stock 225 bhp by 35 and also add 45lb-ft of torque. That’s a lot. It should have come with that boost from Subaru. I might not be writing to my blog if that were the case. But one question still remains: would the power boost increase fuel economy? With the turbo, I doubt it. Can anyone out there answer that?
Further grievances with the car are the front underspoiler kit which broke when I had 2100 miles on the car and costs $500 to replace and the steering ratio. The car turns like a bus which is an issue that was evident with my Impreza but not nearly as bad. I have no idea what broke the underspoiler – a puddle or deep snow is the cause – which speaks volumes about the quality of the part. Save your money: don’t buy one. It’s about the cheapest plastic I have ever seen. All wheel drive Subarus are supposed to be winter cars and this one couldn’t handle a puddle or 8 inches of snow. Lastly, the fuel tank is the same size as that on the Imprza. The tank is about 14 gallons (I don’t feel like being very technical today) which means I can go 280 miles or on a tank of gas. That’s pretty weak. Subaru could have integrated a bigger tank onto the car.
I hunted around on the web for ideas that could help boost my fuel economy and found 2 suggestions:
1) Acetone – some people out there claim you can add acetone to your gas and you will get great fuel economy. Does anyone out there want to try that and then let me know how it works? Frankly, there is something fundamentally wrong with pouring acetone in the tank of a $1000 vehicle let alone something that cost over $20000.
2) Oxyhydrogen – also known as Brown’s gas or HHO. Check out You Tube or Google HHO and you will find dozens of people and videos that swear you can attain better fuel mileage by supplementing your gasoline with HHO. I don’t believe it. I think anyone peddling information or selling HHO generators are con artists. All I can say about it is that if it sounds too good to be true… I’ll wait for Mythbusters to try one before I spring for one.
I’ve come to the conclusion that the solution to my problem is to sell the Subaru and buy a Toyota Yaris. I can downsize my gas bill, my payment, and my insurance bill in one swoop. I would prefer a MINI for performance, but they are expensive. I hear the Yaris gets about 36 mpg. It’s too bad Toyota doesn’t sell the diesel in the US. If that were the case, I would convert the car to run on Fry-O-Diesel.
Sunshine
Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Big Lots Serta 10 Inch Memory Foam Mattress
Once upon a mattress...
My wife and I had been debating whether or not we should spring for a new bed. Our full size mattress was twelve years old and the foundation was even older. A typical morning involved the two of us trying to make sense of the bedding strewn about the bed, me asking my wife how she slept with her responding, “Horribly!” and me feeling like I did not sleep more than an hour. We decided a mattress was a sound investment for our well-being and our careers.
After speaking to several friends, we decided we wanted to check out memory foam mattresses. After making that decision, I asked: Where should one begin shopping for a memory foam mattress? I typically shop online first and do my homework on the Internet. Then I move onward to shopping in stores. However, buying a mattress at a furniture store is almost like buying a car. Salesmen swarm over and start making promises they can’t keep and they start diagnosing you with sleep disorders you never knew existed. This was not getting us anywhere. While out and about shopping on night we did meet a very nice district manager at Bob’s Discount Furniture that was helpful and took the time to explain to us our needs based on our size and weight. He also explained the pros and cons of memory foam, latex, and innerspring mattresses. Armed with the information he provided, we decided we definitely wanted to go with a queen size memory foam mattress.
Over the next few weeks, I price hunted everywhere and nobody could beat Bob’s price on the Bob-O-Pedic. If we bought from Bob’s, we were going to get the Bob-O-Pedic Lite since we are not large people. We did not require the extra support from a 10 inch mattress. After considerable research, the only competition I found was the Sealy TrueForm mattress which was a few hundred dollars more. The Sealy came highly recommended from a trusted friend. I was leaning toward the Sealy 8 inch bed because it had 3 inches of memory foam versus 2 inches in the Bob-O-Pedic Lite. Then my wife happened to catch a Big Lots commercial for a Serta 10 inch Queen Memory Foam for $549 which just seemed too good to be true.
The very next day drove over to Big Lots to check out what all of the buzz was about. They had one Serta memory foam mattress left. We gave it a test drive and it was just as good as anything else we had tried. I did some research on the mattress – 3 inches of memory foam and 7 inches of base foam, which made it comparable to any other low end memory foam mattress we had considered. At that point in time, my conscience took over and made me buy the Serta at Big Lots. I ended up getting what I wanted – a name brand mattress for a great price. The mattress and foundation were $668 versus $999 for a similar Bob-O-Pedic ($599 for a Bob-O-Pedic Lite). The Sealy TrueForm was around $1200. After sleeping on this bed for the past three weeks, I have crafted my overall opinion of the mattress. I have compiled my findings below.
Pros
Cons
Noteworthy
I am 5’11” tall and 180 pounds. My wife is 5’1” tall and 120 pounds. We do not sink into the memory foam as far as many other Americans. Consider that when you are shopping for a mattress. The depth you sink into the mattress is proportional to how hot you are while sleeping on a memory foam mattress. I suspect that being encased in memory foam can make the mattress hot. Not surprisingly, “HOT” is the major complaint about this type of mattress.
Overall Rating
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the bed an 8.5. The price of the mattress and foundation was a bargain even though I had to arrange my own transportation. I take points away since the bed is most comfortable when I wake up, not when I go to sleep. I am very pleased with the bed thus far and would highly recommend it. I will post updates down the road since I have only had the bed for a few weeks. I think it is important to know how something works a year down the road.
Sunny
My wife and I had been debating whether or not we should spring for a new bed. Our full size mattress was twelve years old and the foundation was even older. A typical morning involved the two of us trying to make sense of the bedding strewn about the bed, me asking my wife how she slept with her responding, “Horribly!” and me feeling like I did not sleep more than an hour. We decided a mattress was a sound investment for our well-being and our careers.
After speaking to several friends, we decided we wanted to check out memory foam mattresses. After making that decision, I asked: Where should one begin shopping for a memory foam mattress? I typically shop online first and do my homework on the Internet. Then I move onward to shopping in stores. However, buying a mattress at a furniture store is almost like buying a car. Salesmen swarm over and start making promises they can’t keep and they start diagnosing you with sleep disorders you never knew existed. This was not getting us anywhere. While out and about shopping on night we did meet a very nice district manager at Bob’s Discount Furniture that was helpful and took the time to explain to us our needs based on our size and weight. He also explained the pros and cons of memory foam, latex, and innerspring mattresses. Armed with the information he provided, we decided we definitely wanted to go with a queen size memory foam mattress.
Over the next few weeks, I price hunted everywhere and nobody could beat Bob’s price on the Bob-O-Pedic. If we bought from Bob’s, we were going to get the Bob-O-Pedic Lite since we are not large people. We did not require the extra support from a 10 inch mattress. After considerable research, the only competition I found was the Sealy TrueForm mattress which was a few hundred dollars more. The Sealy came highly recommended from a trusted friend. I was leaning toward the Sealy 8 inch bed because it had 3 inches of memory foam versus 2 inches in the Bob-O-Pedic Lite. Then my wife happened to catch a Big Lots commercial for a Serta 10 inch Queen Memory Foam for $549 which just seemed too good to be true.
The very next day drove over to Big Lots to check out what all of the buzz was about. They had one Serta memory foam mattress left. We gave it a test drive and it was just as good as anything else we had tried. I did some research on the mattress – 3 inches of memory foam and 7 inches of base foam, which made it comparable to any other low end memory foam mattress we had considered. At that point in time, my conscience took over and made me buy the Serta at Big Lots. I ended up getting what I wanted – a name brand mattress for a great price. The mattress and foundation were $668 versus $999 for a similar Bob-O-Pedic ($599 for a Bob-O-Pedic Lite). The Sealy TrueForm was around $1200. After sleeping on this bed for the past three weeks, I have crafted my overall opinion of the mattress. I have compiled my findings below.
Pros
- Cost – the price was unbeatable for a 10 inch memory foam mattress.
- We move around much less during the night, just as the representative from Bob’s told us. Our bedding does not look like it has been flogged during the overnight while we slept.
- When I toss and turn, the bed dampens my motion and it does not propagate over to my wife.
- When I wake up in the morning, the memory foam in my opinion is at its optimum comfort level since it has warmed up during the night.
- I feel rested when I wake up – I sleep through the night more frequently.
- Most importantly, when I ask my wife how she slept she says, “Great!”
Cons
- Contrary to most, I have found this bed to be cool at times. It takes an hour or so for my body to warm up the memory foam. This may change once summer arrives.
- Diving into bed can hurt a bit. Hitting the bed fast is like hitting water fast – it’s surprisingly hard.
- From time to time I have back pain (not induced by this mattress). The bed has not made them go away, but I should not I did not buy the bed to fix my back. I’ve heard people say they bought a memory foam bed to cure back pain. The only back pain a new mattress can cure is that brought on by your old mattress!
- Big Lots does not ship. We had to rent a U-Haul which cost $40. Thankfully they were right next door.
- Big Lots did not have a cheap bed frame. I had to pick one up at Jordan’s Furniture for $40.
Noteworthy
I am 5’11” tall and 180 pounds. My wife is 5’1” tall and 120 pounds. We do not sink into the memory foam as far as many other Americans. Consider that when you are shopping for a mattress. The depth you sink into the mattress is proportional to how hot you are while sleeping on a memory foam mattress. I suspect that being encased in memory foam can make the mattress hot. Not surprisingly, “HOT” is the major complaint about this type of mattress.
Overall Rating
On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give the bed an 8.5. The price of the mattress and foundation was a bargain even though I had to arrange my own transportation. I take points away since the bed is most comfortable when I wake up, not when I go to sleep. I am very pleased with the bed thus far and would highly recommend it. I will post updates down the road since I have only had the bed for a few weeks. I think it is important to know how something works a year down the road.
Sunny
Monday, March 31, 2008
Free Diabetes Supplies (Free FreeStyle Lite Strips)
As I was shopping on ebay this morning I came across several scam artists’ listings that stated if you gave them money they would provide information on how to get FreeStyle Lite Strips for free. Given that I am closely affected by someone with type 1 diabetes, I was very upset.
You can get up to 100 FreeStyle Lite Strips for free if you take a manufacturer’s survey.
The people who charge money for the following information are swindlers. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that people do not ask for and since stem cell research is still highly regulated (another issue for another day) there is no cure on the immediate horizon. The human cost of the disease is astronomical. To regulate your blood sugar thoroughly, you must eat portioned meals and exercise regularly. In order to live well with diabetes, you have to assimilate to strict schedule – food, sleep, work, and all other aspects of life have to be regulated. The financial cost is another story. It costs about $1 to test your blood glucose level. You need to prick you finger, draw blood, and test at least four times a day. Some people require more. You need insulin which costs at least $60-$100 a bottle. You will use 1-4 vials a month depending on thy type you use. Over the years, the price adds up.
Diabetics contribute enough blood to measure their blood glucose level. Do not be lured in by the blood suckers trying to rip you off and steal your money on ebay so they can sell you the following URL:
https://www.freestyleliteprogram.com/adfree/
Please leave comments on this blog to show your support for those struggling to make ends meet with their burden of diabetes.
Sunshine
You can get up to 100 FreeStyle Lite Strips for free if you take a manufacturer’s survey.
The people who charge money for the following information are swindlers. Type 1 diabetes is a disease that people do not ask for and since stem cell research is still highly regulated (another issue for another day) there is no cure on the immediate horizon. The human cost of the disease is astronomical. To regulate your blood sugar thoroughly, you must eat portioned meals and exercise regularly. In order to live well with diabetes, you have to assimilate to strict schedule – food, sleep, work, and all other aspects of life have to be regulated. The financial cost is another story. It costs about $1 to test your blood glucose level. You need to prick you finger, draw blood, and test at least four times a day. Some people require more. You need insulin which costs at least $60-$100 a bottle. You will use 1-4 vials a month depending on thy type you use. Over the years, the price adds up.
Diabetics contribute enough blood to measure their blood glucose level. Do not be lured in by the blood suckers trying to rip you off and steal your money on ebay so they can sell you the following URL:
https://www.freestyleliteprogram.com/adfree/
Please leave comments on this blog to show your support for those struggling to make ends meet with their burden of diabetes.
Sunshine
Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Internet Explorer 7 Sucks
I would have to say I am well above average when it comes to computers, but I am far from being a guru of any sorts. For years I have been an advocate of Microsoft for its simplicity and ease of use. Thanks to Windows Internet Explorer 7, I am eating my words.
I have never thought that Windows Explorer (or any other Microsoft tool with the exception of PowerPoint) is better than any other tool out there. However, since it is used in almost every office in the U.S., and everyone knows how it works, it is the way to go. If you want to transfer a file with a memory stick on XP - you can. If you want to plug in another mouse - you can. Go ahead and switch printers - I dare you - Windows XP can figure out the mess. I was content with this. I was also content with the fact that my wife (who is more technically illiterate than a 1 year old) could browse the web or write a paper on Word.
Another thing I advocate is keeping up with the latest and greatest software. So Windows Automatic Updates is enabled on my computer. That was great until Internet Explorer 7 rolled out. It sucks. It sucks more than a Hoover and Dyson combined. It crashed, it hangs, and it is flat out slow as hell. I hate it.
Recently I was exposed to a few free versions of Linux. One version was Linux Mint which is a derivative of Ubuntu. I downloaded this OS, loaded it onto a PC, and in minutes I was browsing the web through Mozilla on my GNOME desktop (a Windows like environment). Did I mention this was free? Did I mention it took about 20 minutes to install? So why the hell does it take 2 days to rebuild Windows on my laptop? It sucks, and you pay for it.
What sweetens the deal with Linux is Open Office. Open Office is similar to Microsoft Office without the ridiculous price tag. It can do everything Office does. It's free. The only hard part about using Open Office will be teaching my wife how to use it. As I said before, I like PowerPoint. That is the best thing (my Xbox took a shit the other day) that ever came out of Microsoft. Anyone (including my dogs) can run this tool.
I am pissed off that Windows Internet Explorer can suck so bad and not have any patches to make it better. A few minutes ago, I finally decided to download a permanent fix: Firefox. Firefox rocks, it installed in less than 5 minutes. It is fast, it ported all of my settings in Windows, and it even looks like Windows Internet Explorer 6. With all that said, Bill Gates is never getting another dollar out of me.
I have never thought that Windows Explorer (or any other Microsoft tool with the exception of PowerPoint) is better than any other tool out there. However, since it is used in almost every office in the U.S., and everyone knows how it works, it is the way to go. If you want to transfer a file with a memory stick on XP - you can. If you want to plug in another mouse - you can. Go ahead and switch printers - I dare you - Windows XP can figure out the mess. I was content with this. I was also content with the fact that my wife (who is more technically illiterate than a 1 year old) could browse the web or write a paper on Word.
Another thing I advocate is keeping up with the latest and greatest software. So Windows Automatic Updates is enabled on my computer. That was great until Internet Explorer 7 rolled out. It sucks. It sucks more than a Hoover and Dyson combined. It crashed, it hangs, and it is flat out slow as hell. I hate it.
Recently I was exposed to a few free versions of Linux. One version was Linux Mint which is a derivative of Ubuntu. I downloaded this OS, loaded it onto a PC, and in minutes I was browsing the web through Mozilla on my GNOME desktop (a Windows like environment). Did I mention this was free? Did I mention it took about 20 minutes to install? So why the hell does it take 2 days to rebuild Windows on my laptop? It sucks, and you pay for it.
What sweetens the deal with Linux is Open Office. Open Office is similar to Microsoft Office without the ridiculous price tag. It can do everything Office does. It's free. The only hard part about using Open Office will be teaching my wife how to use it. As I said before, I like PowerPoint. That is the best thing (my Xbox took a shit the other day) that ever came out of Microsoft. Anyone (including my dogs) can run this tool.
I am pissed off that Windows Internet Explorer can suck so bad and not have any patches to make it better. A few minutes ago, I finally decided to download a permanent fix: Firefox. Firefox rocks, it installed in less than 5 minutes. It is fast, it ported all of my settings in Windows, and it even looks like Windows Internet Explorer 6. With all that said, Bill Gates is never getting another dollar out of me.
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