Hey guys. Dumb question.... my odometer is ALWAYS on. I can turn the car off and come back 8 hours and its still on. Not sure if it's supposed to do that. All the other cars Ive ever seen have them shut off with a key. Also along this line, my OBDII port is always powered. Normal as well? Once again, Im used to having the port deactivate when the key is off. I know its on because my Cobb AP stays on with the key off. Thanks for your help.

yea, all of them are like that. My friend pointed out to me a while ago that the gas gauge doesn't move when the car is off like most other cars, I'd never even thought about it. Guess it's just a subaru thing

thats how they are dude, live with it:)

Having those things powered on with the key OFF doesn't sound right to me but I can't say for sure what is really correct. There may be something wrong in the ignition switch area. I would think the display would at least go into a SLEEP mode after the ignition was shut off for some time. If other owners say that is the norm and don't have a problem with a battery drain then I guess it is fine. Having the OBD2 port hot all the time doesn't seem right either. I would think that should be switched with the ignition.

yeah, when i was shopping for subies, they all had the odo-ers on. it was nice to see the mileage was visible

....my '03 is always on but my '08 Forester is off.

yea, all of them are like that. My friend pointed out to me a while ago that the gas gauge doesn't move when the car is off like most other cars, I'd never even thought about it. Guess it's just a subaru

same story

....my '03 is always on but my '08 Forester is off.

really? my 08 forester stays on. so does my 02 wagon

really? my 08 forester stays on. so does my 02 wagon ....yep. As recent as two weeks ago I changed the oil in both. When I went to document the mileage on my logs (yeah, I'm anal like that), I recall having to use the key to read the odometer. .....with my '03 I did not. I'll check when my wife and I go home today (since we drove the Forester), but I'm fairly certain it doesn't display the mileage without the key.

Are the displays that stay on, LCD type displays? I could understand that if that is the case since they draw very little power. If they are vacuum floresent then I could see it being a problem.

....as a follow up to my last post, the following is from the Forester manual:
Odometer/Trip meter
This meter displays the odometer and two trip meters when the ignition switch is in the "ON" position.

NOTE
Even with the ignition switch in the "Acc" or "LOCK" position, the odometer and trip meters are displayed for 10 seconds when you press the knob.

Are the displays that stay on, LCD type displays? ....I believe for everyone else here (not sure about your application) the answer is yes.

....yep. As recent as two weeks ago I changed the oil in both. When I went to document the mileage on my logs (yeah, I'm anal like that), I recall having to use the key to read the odometer. .....with my '03 I did not. I'll check when my wife and I go home today (since we drove the Forester), but I'm fairly certain it doesn't display the mileage without the key.
This is correct newer model scoobies do turn the odo off after a while, however you do not need the key to read the mileage, simply hit the tripmeter reset button and it will display the odometer reading, and on newer cars that do gauge sweep it will also display the amount of fuel in the tank.

oops kean beat me too it.

The 02 head unit will give and take CDs with the key out too. Very handy.

The 02 head unit will give and take CDs with the key out too. Very handy.

... for stealing someones CDs

jp :p

....I believe for everyone else here (not sure about your application) the answer is yes.

Thanks for the reply Kean. Since LCD displays only require current measured in microamps to run the display it makes sense that the display can be on at all times.