2015 Forester 2.0

[Kayaloti]

It's rather easy and straight forward in doing them, wifey can felt different immediately. Vibration from vehicle next to you were all cut out, you know if you stop next to a bus or high cc bike, you can feel the vibration of their engine humming. All the speakers would not need to be remove during the installation. There is a huge gap inside.

[WML888]

I realised that the forester is very smart when comes to negotiating bends at higher speeds (70-90/km/h) especially when u turn the steering towards the direction of the bend just before u enter the bend. U will feel very little body roll and the car just cruise around the bend confortably without having to apply too much brake. Is this the active torque vectoring at work?

 

The feeling is kinda different when say I try to make a fast turn from stop, where I still experience quite a lot of body roll.

Bro, raining season now, try not to exceed the tyres grip, and to corner safe safe.

 

On the bright side, a little body roll is good to exercise and to warm-up our hips before reaching home safely ... :)

[inlinesix]

I also used to think that 5w40 oils are not necessary in our climate until I experienced oil leaks in some of the seals when using thinner oils in the past. Used to try various kinds of oils at 30 weights on a few Jap makes, all end up with some oil leaks problems in engine bay. The whole intention of using lighter oils was getting better fc and better throttle response. Yes u do get those benefits, but very marginally. A high quality 40 weight oil will still give u the same or better performance as a 30 weight oil.

 

Nvm la, this time round I'll be good and believe in them. I doubt they can profit much if they charge $17+ more their mirt oil top up, or even $70+ for 300v top up. It's actually more expensive for me to buy 5L of 300v and pass to them.

 

I am not sure which 30wt oil you used.  I used red line 30wt on Nissan Sunny which makes the car livelier.

 

Nowadays, engine is designed for 20wt or 30wt.  Don't use anything thicker.

[WML888]

I done my own 4 door sound proof using material bought off tb.

It's just a fraction of what you paid to mi to do.

It's rather easy for door and I did 2 layer on them. Took me only 2-3hrs.

Seems like an impressive DIY. Got video or life streaming ?

 

If done on Forester XT, mind to help out Bros here ? Ie : tools needed, what to watch out for ? Etc.

[mrhan1982]

I am not sure which 30wt oil you used. I used red line 30wt on Nissan Sunny which makes the car livelier.

 

Nowadays, engine is designed for 20wt or 30wt. Don't use anything thicker.

Tried 30 weights oil from Mobil, royal purple mainly in the past

Bro, raining season now, try not to exceed the tyres grip, and to corner safe safe.

 

On the bright side, a little body roll is good to exercise and to warm-up our hips before reaching home safely ... :)

Nah the tires are fine. No screeching yet. Haa. Despite being all rounded suv tires these bridge stones grip pretty well.

[inlinesix]

Tried 30 weights oil from Mobil, royal purple mainly in the past

 

Royal purple does not have good reputation le.

 

Mobil 1 5-30 will be like light weight 0-40.

[Muser]

Should be one bah. All lot of bros here waiting for my feedback on 4 door sound proof. Heheh.

 

Single layer. MI can't confirm the exact model of the material used (which makes me shake my head), but I believe it's this one, based on me holding a sample of the material, and comparing it against the product photo: http://3mcollision.com/products/sound-deadening/3m-sound-deadening-pad-08840.html. 1.78mm thick, bitumen-based.

5w30 they have motul hitec plus. But that one is for legacy and fna.

 

They also offer Motul H-Tech 100 Plus in 0W20, which is the grade recommended in the Legacy/OB manual.

Used to try various kinds of oils at 30 weights on a few Jap makes, all end up with some oil leaks problems in engine bay.

 

You've had oil leaks with every single engine you've used 5W30 (or 10W30, or straight 30) in? At roughly what mileage, please?

 

I still suspect that the main reason MI pushes us to use heavier oils than are recommended for Subarus everywhere else in the world (including deserts!) is to disguise any excessive engine oil consumption stemming from engine design flaws. You all may have read about the class action suit in the US that Subaru lost earlier this year, thereby essentially admitting that excessive oil consumption is due to Subaru's engine design. Thicker oil is simply consumed more slowly, thereby disguising the flaw. Combined with our shorter  servicing intervals in Singapore, even defective engines may not manifest their excessive oil consumption, thereby saving MI trouble (not $, because Subaru should cover the cost of short block replacement). But nothing I've read indicates that less viscous oil causes excessive oil consumption. It merely manifests a problem more obviously. And if that happens within a warranty period, I say faster manifest lagi better. Then MI must fix. Perhaps we shouldn't confuse causes and symptoms. Then again, I'm not an engineer, so what do I know?

Edited July 21, 2016 by Muser

[WML888]

Single layer. MI can't confirm the exact model of the material used (which makes me shake my head), but I believe it's this one, based on me holding a sample of the material, and comparing it against the product photo: http://3mcollision.com/products/sound-deadening/3m-sound-deadening-pad-08840.html. 1.78mm thick, bitumen-based.

 

 

They also offer Motul H-Tech 100 Plus in 0W20, which is the grade recommended in the Legacy/OB manual.

 

 

You've had oil leaks with every single engine you've used 5W30 (or 10W30, or straight 30) in? At roughly what mileage, please?

 

I still suspect that the main reason MI pushes us to use heavier oils than are recommended for Subarus everywhere else in the world (including deserts!) is to disguise any excessive engine oil consumption stemming from engine design flaws. You all may have read about the class action suit in the US that Subaru lost earlier this year, thereby essentially admitting that excessive oil consumption is due to Subaru's engine design. Thicker oil is simply consumed more slowly, thereby disguising the flaw. Combined with our shorter servicing intervals in Singapore, even defective engines may not manifest their excessive oil consumption, thereby saving MI trouble (not $, because Subaru should cover the cost of short block replacement). But nothing I've read indicates that less viscous oil causes excessive oil consumption. It merely manifests a problem more obviously. And if that happens within a warranty period, I say faster manifest lagi better. Then MI must fix. Perhaps we shouldn't confuse causes and symptoms. Then again, I'm not an engineer, so what do I know?

I recall reading about it, i seems to recall the USA case is associated with the 2.5L engine (non-turbo), different than XT 2.0 DIT.

 

Aiyah, just enjoy the warranty for now ... in case any oil leak/consumption issue, will likely notice it within the 5-year/100,000km.

[Muser]

I recall reading about it, i seems to recall the USA case is associated with the 2.5L engine (non-turbo), different than XT 2.0 DIT.

 

Aiyah, just enjoy the warranty for now ... in case any oil leak/consumption issue, will likely notice it within the 5-year/100,000km.

 

Yes, the US case focused on the 2.5NA engine in the current OB & Legacy (my engine). But my point is, if none of the other Subaru engines have the same defect, why so kiasu with thick oils? What's MI so scared of?

 

Yes, the hope is that excessive oil consumption will be noticed within our warranty period... unless we dump thick enough engine oil in the engine such that - coupled with short servicing intervals - the problem is masked until after the warranty's up.

[mrhan1982]

Royal purple does not have good reputation le.

 

Mobil 1 5-30 will be like light weight 0-40.

Royal purple is pure evil. It's super silky smooth and u can really feel the improved response. Only thing is after 2 oil change, some of the seals start to leak lol.

 

Mobil 5w30 feels light than the Mobil gold 0w40. 0w40 feels very sluggish, similar to shell helix.

[mrhan1982]

Single layer. MI can't confirm the exact model of the material used (which makes me shake my head), but I believe it's this one, based on me holding a sample of the material, and comparing it against the product photo: http://3mcollision.com/products/sound-deadening/3m-sound-deadening-pad-08840.html. 1.78mm thick, bitumen-based.

 

 

They also offer Motul H-Tech 100 Plus in 0W20, which is the grade recommended in the Legacy/OB manual.

 

 

You've had oil leaks with every single engine you've used 5W30 (or 10W30, or straight 30) in? At roughly what mileage, please?

 

I still suspect that the main reason MI pushes us to use heavier oils than are recommended for Subarus everywhere else in the world (including deserts!) is to disguise any excessive engine oil consumption stemming from engine design flaws. You all may have read about the class action suit in the US that Subaru lost earlier this year, thereby essentially admitting that excessive oil consumption is due to Subaru's engine design. Thicker oil is simply consumed more slowly, thereby disguising the flaw. Combined with our shorter servicing intervals in Singapore, even defective engines may not manifest their excessive oil consumption, thereby saving MI trouble (not $, because Subaru should cover the cost of short block replacement). But nothing I've read indicates that less viscous oil causes excessive oil consumption. It merely manifests a problem more obviously. And if that happens within a warranty period, I say faster manifest lagi better. Then MI must fix. Perhaps we shouldn't confuse causes and symptoms. Then again, I'm not an engineer, so what do I know?

Hi bro, the 3m material is the one u highlighted. Just collected my car at tpy. Knock on the dirt and feel like it's more solid, minimal hollow sound. Sounds like my friend's 320, though door still not as heavier.

The 3m material itself dun look very convincing as it's quite thin and they only put single layer. Normally outside workshop recommend stp material of various grade and show u how thick it is, etc... But those are the foam types which are similar to the $580 package from clasani which mI offers.

Anyway, I drove back home taking pie towards changi, then go into kpe and exit Bartley with both music off and on.

 

The verdict is... This shit really works!!! Can hear improvement in sound quality! When music off, wind noise is very much reduced at 100km/h. I tried very hard to hear wind noise at 100km/h but could hardly detect any. Of course road noise sound the same to me and I already have clasani undercarriage coating. For $680 (minus $100 coz I use duo points) I think it's quite worth it. The 3m material is good quality and can withstand high heat so it wun melt. I've checked all 4 doors panels and the workmanship was flawless. All 4 doors now close with a nicer thud. So to me it's quite worthwhile investment. Best part is my hk sound system now sound better.

 

Regarding the engine oil leak. I've tried 5w30 (Mobil and Royal purple) on 1 Altis and 1 civic fd1. Both at about 80k mileage. Engine oil consumption is normal actually as long as the quantity is small. Most continental cars consume engine oil like siao after 5 years old. Lol... Motul 300v 5w40 will be my next choice for 10k service.

Edited July 21, 2016 by mrhan1982

[mrhan1982]

Yes, the US case focused on the 2.5NA engine in the current OB & Legacy (my engine). But my point is, if none of the other Subaru engines have the same defect, why so kiasu with thick oils? What's MI so scared of?

 

Yes, the hope is that excessive oil consumption will be noticed within our warranty period... unless we dump thick enough engine oil in the engine such that - coupled with short servicing intervals - the problem is masked until after the warranty's up.

At tpy, I also saw quite a few previous gen 2.5T forester. Heard 1 auntie went through her servicing jobs for her 2.5T like no major things to change and the car seems to be running great. It's about 100k mileage and around 6 yrs old. Subaru cars are quite hardy I think. Haa

[mrhan1982]

The service guy (kelvin) is pretty good. He was patient and explained to me about shell helix oil for fxt. This oil actually makes your car feels sluggish straight after oil change. It take about 1-2k km then the response will improve. Hmm I felt the same thing. Indeed, this shell oil is total crap. Lol. Anyway I use it for my 5k servicing since it's free.

[Muser]

The 3m material itself dun look very convincing as it's quite thin and they only put single layer. Normally outside workshop recommend stp material of various grade and show u how thick it is, etc... But those are the foam types which are similar to the $580 package from clasani which mI offers.

So you actually got MI to confirm the 3M product info? Steady lah, bro. I couldn't get anything out of them. Of course they never show you how thick, etc. Bet you most at MI don't even know. As for STP stuff, not just foam-based lah, got a huge range of materials, which is why STP's official local distributor RF Electronics, recommends a combination of STP materials in order to damp the widest range of frequencies.

 

The verdict is... This shit really works!!! Can hear improvement in sound quality! When music off, wind noise is very much reduced at 100km/h. I tried very hard to hear wind noise at 100km/h but could hardly detect any. Of course road noise sound the same to me and I already have clasani undercarriage coating. For $680 (minus $100 coz I use duo points) I think it's quite worth it. The 3m material is good quality and can withstand high heat so it wun melt. I've checked all 4 doors panels and the workmanship was flawless. All 4 doors now close with a nicer thud. So to me it's quite worthwhile investment. Best part is my hk sound system now sound better.

Thanks for your review, this is great news for the rest of us considering it, and wondering how it stacks up against STP installations. When you say you checked the workmanship, did you look inside your door panels?

 

Regarding the engine oil leak. I've tried 5w30 (Mobil and Royal purple) on 1 Altis and 1 civic fd1. Both at about 80k mileage. Engine oil consumption is normal actually as long as the quantity is small. Most continental cars consume engine oil like siao after 5 years old. Lol... Motul 300v 5w40 will be my next choice for 10k service.

At 80k mileage, it's very hard to say what causes leakages leh. By that point, so much wear and tear liao. I've had both oil and water leakages around that mileage in my old cars too - in my case, caused by worn-out gaskets.

[Shibadog]

Royal purple is pure evil. It's super silky smooth and u can really feel the improved response. Only thing is after 2 oil change, some of the seals start to leak lol.

 

 

 

huh?

 

I have been using RP 20w50 HPS in my current Subaru for a few years. Engine has no discernable oil leak/loss after few K km hard driving in Msia.

 

perhaps it is not the oil that caused the leak in your experience.

[Muser]

The service guy (kelvin) is pretty good. He was patient and explained to me about shell helix oil for fxt. This oil actually makes your car feels sluggish straight after oil change. It take about 1-2k km then the response will improve. Hmm I felt the same thing. Indeed, this shell oil is total crap. Lol. Anyway I use it for my 5k servicing since it's free.

I go to Toa Payoh too, and Kelvin does seem to be a great guy who does his best. He's the one who showed me the 3M panel samples, but he's also the one who couldn't give me exact product info, though I asked him to check and get back to me (he never did). Maybe he did check, and that's why he could tell you, lol. Hmm, engine oil that's supposed to make your call feel like crap right after an oil change, when it's supposed to feel the best. Interesting. Hai, I'd better not comment further, bro.

[Shibadog]

Sent in for 5k servicing today. They told me 5k Can still use shell oil since it's free and only using it for another 5k. 10k onwards can choose mirt 5w40 at $17+ or motul 300v 5w40 racing for $70+. The 300v sounds like good deal.

 

 

 

stockists selling 300v for abt SGD23/L. It goes for less during sale n bulk purchase.

[mrhan1982]

So you actually got MI to confirm the 3M product info? Steady lah, bro. I couldn't get anything out of them. Of course they never show you how thick, etc. Bet you most at MI don't even know. As for STP stuff, not just foam-based lah, got a huge range of materials, which is why STP's official local distributor RF Electronics, recommends a combination of STP materials in order to damp the widest range of frequencies.

 

 

Thanks for your review, this is great news for the rest of us considering it, and wondering how it stacks up against STP installations. When you say you checked the workmanship, did you look inside your door panels?

 

 

At 80k mileage, it's very hard to say what causes leakages leh. By that point, so much wear and tear liao. I've had both oil and water leakages around that mileage in my old cars too - in my case, caused by worn-out gaskets.

They dunno the exact part number for the 3m material. But touching it and checking 3m range of products, I think it should be the one. It's sold on Amazon at $22 usd for a sheet 50cmx50cm. So if need 4 sheets, total cost of material including shipping should be at most $150 sing. WA, MI just made a fat profit out of me. Lol...

 

I can't possibly check the interior of the door panels. I only checked that all panels are properly clipped in place. Lol and after knocking all over the 4 panels , it sound like the pad was uniformly applied. Personally, I didn't had good experience with stp products. But they do looked a whole lot impressive compared to the 3m ones.

 

Both the Altis and civic were pretty well maintained with all seals changed at 60k before I screwed them up with the engine oils bought from Amazon. Lol. I bought a whole range of 30 weights oil from various brands to try in the past. Even fed my old mark x with 30 weight oil, didn't bother to check the engine condition before selling it.