Subaru XV Questions & Answers (page 2 of 3)

Sorry Mark, I cant assist you with that one. My only suggestion is that you could try to find a second hand unit.

Thinking of buying 2014 Xv Subaru is it good to get reliable no repairs needed at 68,000 km
I can’t be spending money on it as I don’t have it pls help answer me
Automatic
Why is it stiff to drive compare to a corolla I tried 2016
Is it normal for it to feel not very smooth
Pls help
Thank you

Is 2014 Xv good suv to get pls help answer me don’t ha e money to spend on repairs heard they are very expensive

Its the "CONNECTOR" IN the aerial.-REPLACE IT and/or the steering wheel volume toggles wiring loom behind wheel beginning to crack with hysteresis-my brohers experience there. Lane deviation not ideal in the city cycle as the front avoidance radar tends to "interrupt" I found in my new XV. Lane deviation works best in hwy cycles and is designed to work primarily in that cycle.

I also have had the same problem with the AM radio. I was told it would be resolved with a software update when I took my XV in for its 1000km service. It wasn't. I sent an email to Subaru Australia and was advised that version 4 would resolve the problem. I checked setting an my Subaru and it shows Software Version: 2. Clearly the Subaru Service Centre did not update the software so I have booked it in again for an update.

Thanks everyone I've since had a software update and it seems to be much better.Also the lane deviation is responsible for the steering wheel movement as suggested above.Thanks again Poppa

Dealer software reboot required.

I have had the same problem with the radio. Its a problem with the XV and the Impreza. You are right, Subaru have know about it for a while and so have their dealers. The dealers have sent reports to Subaru about this problem but to date Subaru are stonewalling, no doubt because it will require a recall. The local service manager told me that Subaru has put a small AM radio in these vehicles because the AM band will be discontinued in 1019.

I have contacted my local Consumer Affairs department and the ACCC and I would suggest you do the same. If the ACC gets enough complaints from the public they will take action against Subaru because they are selling these vehicles with a known fault and not telling the consumer. This offends ACCC laws. According to Consumer Affairs (SA) the dealer is responsible for repairs.

Bob

I had a 2013 XV and never had a problem with the AM radio. I purchased a new XV in 2018 and have been doing battle with Subaru Australia ever since. This weekend I will be lodging a formal complaint with NSW Consumer Affairs and will be writing to every motoring writer and editor in Australia and NZ asking them to publicise the problem.

Also feel free to write top Colin Christie, he's the CEO/Chairman of Subaru Australia. He's a rude prat and never responds to complaints so feel free to be as rude to the fool as you want to.

Have same problem with 2018 model XV purchased December 2017. Reported to dealer at first service and told it is a known fault which should be corrected April/May 2018. This is in Australia where the AM band is going nowhere due to ABC being emergency broadcaster. ABC is national publicly funded broadcaster and only long distance radio service available across the country.

Hi

Unfortunately not.

You can when the motor is off half press the ignition switch do not start the engine and the radio will come on but to then turn it off you must start your engine then turn the engine off and then the radio will go off . As I said before the electrics on this car are weird.

Yes, just push the start button without your foot on the brake and all the accessories work, push again to turn off

Sorry I have not had this problem and have no experience with this

slide whole assembly rearwards to release, sometimes rubber/nitrile gloves help with grip. They are usually stiff on the first removal

Have you tried using the 'twist' button as a joystick - ie pull back, side to side, etc?

This make mean that you've not sufficiently strongly applied the hand brake.

Hi Hems

The car is simply amazing on sand - for the type of vehicle it is be fine on dirt too, but you have got to be careful, the metal and trimmings are quite thin and easily damaged

As for towing, absolutely forget it, the car has barely enough power to get itself along, its the one area that is very poor, motor power output

Cheers

barely enough power to get itself along? good grief. Its a quite capable 2 litre car.

does quite well in moderate off road work

I'd be very susprised if anyone other than a dealer can fix this, because the idea is that it shouldn't be possible to steal a vehicle and just make new keys for it. You need one working key to prove to the system that you're entitled to program new ones. Even a dealer may have to replace the vehicle's computer to fix this, hence the price. 5K seems excessive, and if you had a mind to, you could challenge that later before the relevant tribunal in your state, but in the short term, I suspect you'll have to pay it.

Hmmm !, now let me see! You lost both sets of keys. You do understand the idea of two sets of keys ? Use one, spare one. Sorry I just find it hard to understand how you lost both sets. Anywhoo, with out a set to copy from your in a dark place. Oh by the way I agree that 5 k is outrageous. The first thing I always do after purchasing a new car is get a standard key cut. This key has no other function that unlocking doors or starting the car. This key is always attached to the car via very strong magnet or a wired safety line attached somewhere to the car. Another idea is try to find the company who takes these cars off the boat when they arrive. Surely the keys we get, all shiney and new are not the same ones that the drivers use to take them off the boat with. As I said good luck!

My vehicle is very early 2012, issue is only with the early versions. Anything from about mid 2012 onwards does not have an oil consumption issue, Subaru got onto it early

On the 2016 model, there's an interlock that prevents you from removing the key if the gear lever is not in the park position. It's possible your model has that too. A failure of the mechanism might prevent the key from being removed at all.

In our handbook section 7-26 there are instructions using the tool kits plain head screwdriver on releasing the Park lock to allow the shift to go to neutral with engine off though not sure if it would also release the key. We haven't had any issues with ours though have previously had my wife reduce the number of keys from 10 to 4 on her key ring as a general rule for any car is not to have too much weight on the key ring.

This sounds low, unsure if it relates to your situation have read on a US Subaru Impreza and XV site regular full lock turns during tight U turns or turning the wheel hard lock to lock when the car is stationary while parking will put stress and severly reduce the front CV joints life on the good side the U turn radius is impressively tight on these cars.

I have not experienced this issue. Have you tried lifting the spare wheel cover and giving everything a wiggle around to see if you can reproduce the squeak?

thanks purplewombat I tried that & added towels & double sided Velcro to keep things tight where polystyrene has been used around the tyre but still the squeak continues

It could also be foam behind the bumper. Some cars use this. Also check the door seals.

to be honest there are heaps of extras in the L and S models such as different gauges, start and stop and extra USB connections. But the S model has indicators on the side mirrors, self level lights, rain sensor wipers,leather interior, push start key less entry, chrome handle inserts, etc all the nice little touches that look a million dollars and a heated seat i think. There are a few more things but i think that would give you an idea.

Thanks for the reply.After doing a bit more research I see that you get a leather rimmed steering wheel on L & S & leather seats in the S. Looks like both models have a GPS & Reversing Camera in the dash and a sunroof in the S..Test drove a 2013 basic model without leather wheel and automatic gears. Afraid that I have been spoilt by having a leather wheel and manual gears in my 2002 Subi RX which my wife and I at 70 yrs. are finding it hard to get in and out of.
So it's a S model manual gears for me if I can find one with low K's,in the orange colour at the right price.

From our experience the XV probably drives better as the auto. We love manuals but were disappointed in the low down torque for the motor at take off, you had to rev just right on takeoff or risk stalling which was annoying. I was a dedicated Subaru owner after our family owning 4 fabulous cars, unfortunately the XV is a dud.

Hi Sarah, apologies for the delay in responding to you. I have had my XV for nearly 12 months and had no issues with it. I love the fact I get 6.8litres to the 100kms when highway driving which is what I seem to do a lot of. When I am driving around town it is still very economical with about 8litres to the 100kms. I generally get 600-650kms per tank. Whilst there is a lot of comments about the lack of torque for me the safety and reliability was more important when I have my 3 year old in the car with me. The interior is confortable and I like the navigation, audio and bluetooth features which you can also access from the steering wheel. If you are looking for a car with heaps of 'power' then the XV is probably not the right car for you but if you are like me and want a car that has all the features above then I would certainly consider one. Good luck!

Dont buy one of these cars. Good fuel economy but the oil comsumption isa shocker.

We did not experience this problem, so suggest joining an XV forum to ask question there, and also discuss with your Subaru service dept.

Hi, to answer your question in short... No. Wind noise could be better, but it's fine for the most part. At very high speeds (110-130km/h) for a very d long time you might want to look else where, but to be honest with you, if you like the car for everything else, I would buy it. I wouldn't expect it to be a concluding factor in the purchase of this car... Important factors should include performance, handling and comfort.... Or whatever your needs may be. Hope this helps, they are a fun car to drive. Cheers

Wind noise in general was not a problem, but road noise on highway asphalt was terrible, we attributed it to the rather low profile tyres. At exactly 100km/hr the vehicle whined to distraction, on delivery we also has an annoying rattle from the dashboard speaker grill on the driver's side, this was fixed by the dealer.

Dont know about the auto, seeing as I only have Manual cars. As for the key you would need to see what a new one from Subaru would cost. I' bet it wont be exactly cheap. Then you get both keys reprogrammed if you are worried.

The Auto is. CVT gearbox. It does not have gears as 1,2,3 etc. this sould just be smooth without feeling any gear changes.
The new car came with 2 keys (one must have been lost or just in a draw of the last owner) maybe try to contact the last owner?

Yes. Two keys.

Yes you should get 2 keys with 1 as a spare key as standard with all models.

Yes 2 keys and both have all the locking/unlocking buttons.