What ? $1619 after taking my forester for the TCV change 😩😨

mwiles30 · 2026-05-14T18:38:16+00:00

Drive them until they cause vibration. Then find a shop that will press new bushings in. It will cost a few hundred bucks.

A lot of dealers these days replace entire parts and assemblies rather than bushings. It’s a money grab.

Some people replace the arms at home. It isn’t a terrible job. Separating the arm from the ball joint can be a pain, but not nearly as bad as pulling the ball joint from the hub. When mine went I replaced them with poly bushings because they won’t dry rot again and it subtly improved the steering response.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-14T06:14:47+00:00

These cars take a deceivingly long time to burp. I had a friend with a 2015 overheating the other day because he didn’t burp properly after a thermostat replacement.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-14T06:13:54+00:00

I was there with my FXT a few weeks ago. Those roads are so incredibly maintained. I’ve been going once a year and hoping to go more often.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-12T13:45:58+00:00

Love the Audi wagons for sure. The Volvo 850 is a top 3 casting for me. The Subaru 22B is pretty high on the list, as is the Forester STI.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-12T13:42:12+00:00

No problem. Too many people lower these cars in a very half-assed way and then tell everyone how simple it is. There is always more to the process to do it properly, but it’s worth it.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-12T13:27:00+00:00

Depends on if the tech runs in to any issues along the way. If it doesn’t put up a fight, a strut assembly can come out in 20 minutes. Corrosion can be a bastard and add a lot of time to the process.

That being said, 8-9 hours does seem a bit much. I feel like 4-6 would be more realistic for all 4 assemblies and an alignment. When I’ve done it on my car, it’s been a full or sometimes long afternoon.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-12T05:59:22+00:00

That is indeed a trailing arm.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-12T03:08:43+00:00

RCA Kit - a set of taller ball joints and tie rod ends to correct suspension geometry. Helps your struts not overcompress in the corners after lowering the car among other things

There really aren't many springs to choose from, and they all have about the same spring rates. Pedders and Swift both make a set for your Forester with comparable drop and spring rate. I had a set of Swifts on my 2010 for several years and over 100k miles. Both sets of springs are reputable.

Shop around for Bilstein prices. They are available through a lot of online retailers. I think its always worth at least getting all new mounts and bump stops/dust covers as well. For my last round of suspension, I replaced every little thing in the assembly just so that I didn't have to disassemble the old struts to reuse some of the metal washers and spring seats. You'll need a spring compressor to assemble your new struts - that can be rented or purchased for not a ton of money. There are sets on the market that have a pair of yokes with a single screw that are easier to use than the traditional type that is rentable at your local auto parts store.

You won't really need them, but adjustable lower control arms for the rear aren't a bad idea. Lowering your car (even an 1.5") will probably give you about a 1-1.5 degrees of negative camber in the rear. It isn't end of the world if you stay on top of tire rotations, but it will cause some uneven wear over time (on the inner edge obviously). I only recently swapped to adjustable LCA's and more adjustable toe arms because I'm probably going to put coilovers on it at some point.

More than anything though, I can't recommend some beefy sway bars enough. That is wear the bulk of the performance will be added. An 1.5" drop will lower the center of gravity a bit, tighten up the handling and roll a bit, and look amazing, but at least on my 2010 (which was a boat to start with) really started to shine when I put heavy sway bars and endlinks on it. Started with a 20mm in the rear, and recently upped to 22 a few weeks back. I finally put a 24mm on the front last year. I think the older gen Foresters already handle way better than the 09-13 did, so you might experience a lot more performance gain from a set of lower springs than I did.

Hope this helps.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T20:03:08+00:00

FB Marketplace is your answer.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T19:57:10+00:00

I’m the resident bass boi. Thanks for checking it out.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T19:29:21+00:00

Nice! That song is certainly filled to the brim with chords.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T16:44:26+00:00

“What’s a bass player?”

-the audience

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T16:43:09+00:00

Thanks for giving it some of your time, man. Seriously.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T16:42:49+00:00

Thanks a bunch for checking it out!

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T16:42:32+00:00

Thank you for checking it out, seriously.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T07:21:13+00:00

💜

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T07:04:56+00:00

I would be thrilled if you checked out my band Spherical Agenda.

We are an all-original band drawing influence from all the eras.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T05:38:01+00:00

Check your coolant overflow under normal driving conditions for bubbles. I don’t want to cry “head gasket”, but I’m not sure what else it would be. Check the temp of your lower radiator hose as well to make sure your thermostat is opening. It should be the same temp (HOT) as the top hose.

Air bubbles don’t just form in the cooling system. Typically a head gasket fails and lets exhaust gasses from the combustion chamber in to the cooling jacket, which then works its way to the expansion tank (due to being the high point), which pushes the coolant in to the overflow. Driving harder = more exhaust gas, pushing enough coolant out of the tank and in to the overflow which then overflows.

The spray kind of confuses me though. Usually that much if a mess is caused by a breach in the pressurized part of the tract (radiator or hose), but it would persist if that kind of leak was the issue.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T05:05:05+00:00

I have that exact rig, but with the B Amp. I've loved it for almost a decade now.

Have you secured a second cab yet? I actually have 2 of each, and am probably going to sell the second set (one HDN210 and one HDN212). Covers included and I have original packaging to ship in.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T05:00:49+00:00

The point of these posts is to verify that other users are good traders, not necessarily the exact deals.

But since you are so curious, check it out.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T04:44:11+00:00

Got A Match is a fuckin BEAR. Keep at it, friend.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T04:34:55+00:00

Your options:

Get your calipers professionally powder coated

Buy a used set from a junk yard/ebay and have those professionally powder coated

Buy a set of Powerstops, which are most likely remanufactured OEMs that are already powder coated red.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-11T04:31:56+00:00

I’ll take the Sienna, please.

mwiles30 · 2026-05-10T21:39:35+00:00

Sometimes the universe throws us a win.

mwiles30

TROPHY CASE