2000 Subaru Forester from North America - Off Topic Comments

Interesting criticism of the Subaru Forester re. the claim the vehicle has problems with its wheel bearings. Since the criticism appears to be from a British citizen, let's look at what I know about a very British vehicle---and all of its problems.

I got my first Land-Rover (88" 2.25 litre petrol station wagon) on 16 April 1964. I was sixteen years old at the time my dad bought the car at City Buick in Long Island City, NY. Shortly thereafter the McKane family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah; two years later we moved to Missoula, Montana.

While I've loved Land-Rovers since shortly after getting my first one---and I always will love them---the reliability of the product (and other Solihull products of some years past) leaves much to be desired.

I was in the Land Rover parts business from 1974 to 1986. Had a business named McKane's Rover Imports, Inc. of San Diego, CA. During those eleven plus years we sold many rear axle shafts (591378 & 591379) for Series IIA & III Land-Rovers. (Yes, I realize the S-III 109" used the Salisbury shaft, but 109" vehicles were taken off the U.S. market at the end of the 1967 model year.)

Way too many 4 cylinder petrol (598473) exhaust manifolds would "crack." Way too many gear shift levers had the nylon ball come adrift from the bottom of the lever. Way too many speedometers and speedometer cables broke. And virtually every Rover product I've ever known or heard of has had major problems with oil leaks.

Land Rover (the product now called Defender) is a wonderful product on paper. It warms my heart as no other vehicle ever has or almost certainly never will. But the reliability of my original SII (24402456A) left very much to be desired.

My own 1972 SIII (25900379A) was a wonderful vehicle. But in some twenty-two years of owning it, I broke at least half a dozen rear half shafts. Had one rear diff basically fall apart. Had three speedometers in it and seven cables, if I remember correctly.

My next car will be a Subaru Forester. I've been driving a Saturn since 1999 when I bought that (SL-1) new. I like the Forester. I've considered that, a Honda CR-V or Pilot, and a Ford Escape. Never gave any thought to a so-called Land Rover Freelander.

When the day comes that Land Rover's products become as reliable as cars made by Toyota, Honda, Subaru, etc., then I will buy another "Land Rover" (Defender, please)!

If someone has excessive wheel bearing problems with any given car, perhaps the vehicle's driver does too much wading, or perhaps he/she drives too much in sand. I broke many main leafs in the front springs on my first L-R. But that was my fault---I used to love "flying" the vehicle through the air. (Rover 2000 SC's & TC's also had a probmel with the bonded neoprene piece on the bottom of their gear shift levers; the 2000's also had a problem with broken axle stub shafts; and they had many speedo problems, also. The TC had many cracked exhaust manifolds.)

Andy McKane

Missoula, Montana, USA.