|
DEUCE SLUICE posted:Am I being an awful WRX owner if I change my oil at around 5k miles? It's on Mobil1. Depends on how hard you drive it. If you drive pretty pedestrian it shouldn't be too bad. I would be cringing if I was you though, but I'm paranoid about oil changes. I've put 400 miles on my 2011 since Tuesday and I've noticed a few little oddities: The fly-by-wire throttle seems to only have 5 positions, Accelerating, Slight acceleration, maintain speed, Completely off but not actually off and Completely off. "Accelerating" Seems to cover everything above 40% throttle, putting in 40% is equal to smashing your foot into it. It also annoys me that every time you let off the throttle and it doesn't actually cut the throttle off completely. Every time you let off the throttle at speed it always farts, every single time. It's like nutcup is inside my exhaust (I know it's due to back pressure but it's pretty hilarious when you're letting off the throttle over and over listening to it repeatedly do the same burp/fart). The headlights are also fogging pretty significantly on the inside of the lenses, this really put me off but I've taken it to the dealership and they claim SOA knows about it and that it's perfectly normal.  It looks like I'll have to fix that myself.The gearbox is completely crunchy, shifting into gears is like my gearbox is full of cheerios. The synchros are fighting me every single shift, doesn't matter what I do. I got the short throw shifter option from subaru and I'm starting to wonder if they didn't install it properly or something since the dealer actually did the install. I couldn't shift aggressively even if I wanted to because it fights me so much. It also doesn't seem to have shortened the throw very much in comparison to aftermarket shifters. I'm going to go drive a WRX without the short shifter and see if there's a difference. Overall it's a good car but it will definitely benefit from a tune and a turboback. There's just these really strange quirks that have become more and more apparent to me as I drive. Bob Log fucked around with this message at 17:39 on Oct 22, 2010 |
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 16:55
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 06:28 |
|
|
There is a TSB about dew formation inside the lights from 2007 and it does state that it's completely normal and not a warranty item. I can't say I noticed any of your other issues on my test drive. The shifter was smooth as butter in the car I drove. As odd as it sounds, check your tire pressures. The shifter in my current car actually gets more notchy if the front/rear tire pressure differential is off. I'm guessing it puts different stresses inside the gearbox from didn't axle rotation rates.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 17:18
|
|
|
5w40 will be fine. a good tuner can fix the throttle mapping for you. Not sure what changes an off the shelf stage two map does.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 17:58
|
|
|
jamal posted:5w40 will be fine. Whether or not it will be fine for the engine or whether or not it meets the spec requirements listed in the owner's manual are two different things. I would probably shift to the 5w40 after the powertrain warranty was out, but if 5w40 is outside of their spec requirements for the oil then I'm not going to run it on a new car because they can refuse warranty repairs for that.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 18:15
|
|
|
jamal posted:a good tuner can fix the throttle mapping for you. Not sure what changes an off the shelf stage two map does. That said, I still had it replaced with a mostly-linear map. Some people have even done cable throttle conversions on their STIs.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 18:19
|
|
|
bull3964 posted:Whether or not it will be fine for the engine or whether or not it meets the spec requirements listed in the owner's manual are two different things. I would probably shift to the 5w40 after the powertrain warranty was out, but if 5w40 is outside of their spec requirements for the oil then I'm not going to run it on a new car because they can refuse warranty repairs for that. the spec in the owners manual has multiple grade recommendations based on usage and climate. Seat Safety Switch posted:That said, I still had it replaced with a mostly-linear map. Some people have even done cable throttle conversions on their STIs. jamal fucked around with this message at 20:01 on Oct 22, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 19:49
|
|
|
What's the consensus on the VF30 upgrade? I *never* thought I'd want to do a turbo upgrade on my '02 wagon when I got it... but now that it has an uppipe, downpipe, axleback, and tune, it really does spool *too* quickly and drops off badly at the topend. My friend happens to have a wrecked WRX in his shop with a VF30 and a set of 565cc injectors which I Could have for almost nothing.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:09
|
|
|
Yo Jamal. Would these clear the JDM 4pot/2pot brakes?
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:11
|
|
|
Hello Subaru guys, I've been looking at some used cars and this thread has been a good and informative read. I have a few pathetic questions, though. I have lived in the desert my entire life. My wife and I just moved to the Washington DC area and I understand that frozen water sometimes falls to the ground (like from the sky!). My wife is getting a job and we're going to need another car. I already have a 2007 MDX that she will drive. Obviously I'd like to get something that can handle the weather and not give me too many maintenance issues. My automotive knowledge is basic at best, so I wouldn't be working on it myself. Personally I'd like a manual transmission, but the part in the OP about 5MTs breaking is giving me second thoughts. I haven't driven a manual since I learned about 10 years ago. I don't want to break it the second I drive it away, so I just wonder how I can be sure that mine won't break. I have been looking mainly at Foresters and Legacies. Is ground clearance an issue with a Legacy in snow? Is there anything specific that I should be looking for (besides the headgasket stuff in the OP)? Timing belt maybe? Is that something that I can check to see if it's been done (maintenance records, I'm assuming)? Sorry for the paranoia - I've just never bought a used car before and I'm trying to be very careful. Here are a few of the CL ads I've been looking at. I would like to keep it under $7000 if at all possible. 2003 Forester 2.5X, 146,602 miles, $5995 2003 Outback, 149k miles, $4900 2002 Outback, 122k miles, $5000 Thanks, I hope to join your ranks soon! Cmdr Will Riker fucked around with this message at 20:23 on Oct 22, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:17
|
|
|
Sockington posted:Yo Jamal. yes
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:18
|
|
|
Cmdr Will Riker posted:Obviously I'd like to get something that can handle the weather and not give me too many maintenance issues. Tire selection will matter more than vehicle selection. The best AWD, traction control/etc vehicle with crappy all seasons will turn worse than anything with a proper winter tire.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:25
|
|
|
Cmdr Will Riker posted:Personally I'd like a manual transmission, but the part in the OP about 5MTs breaking is giving me second thoughts. I haven't driven a manual since I learned about 10 years ago. I don't want to break it the second I drive it away, so I just wonder how I can be sure that mine won't break. Driving a Subaru 5MT is not that hard; there is a NASIOC guide on how to drive fast with the 5MT without breaking it, which basically boils down to when you're doing the 1-2 shift, wait a beat or two until you stop being "pushed back" into your seat to complete the shift. I'm told the Group-N mount makes predicting potentially stupid shifts much easier, but I don't know if the Legacy is compatible with the Impreza Group-N mount. The Forester probably is. quote:I have been looking mainly at Foresters and Legacies. Is ground clearance an issue with a Legacy in snow? quote:Is there anything specific that I should be looking for (besides the headgasket stuff in the OP)? Timing belt maybe? Is that something that I can check to see if it's been done (maintenance records, I'm assuming)? Sorry for the paranoia - I've just never bought a used car before and I'm trying to be very careful. In my experience, dealers are terrible at finding body damage, though, so if there's body damage plan on taking a trip to an auto body shop and have someone experienced do the inspection on the body/chassis/etc before putting down the money. All of those cars appear clean - I would definitely look into them - but there's no way that 2003 Outback is getting 30mpg unless it's being towed behind a truck with the engine turned off. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 20:34 on Oct 22, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:31
|
|
|
Cmdr Will Riker posted:My wife and I just moved to the Washington DC area and I understand that frozen water sometimes falls to the ground (like from the sky!). Something to note here is, if the snow gets bad enough to require AWD, the entire city will close down and you will probably be off work. It's always nice to be able to leave your house if you have to however. I'd probably go insane driving a stick around here too, but that very much depends on your route to work and your tolerance for stop and go crawling.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:39
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:In my experience, dealers are terrible at finding body damage, though, so if there's body damage plan on taking a trip to an auto body shop and have someone experienced do the inspection on the body/chassis/etc before putting down the money. Why do that? Just bring a magnet with you. Magnet stick's? Metal. Doesn't stick? Bondo, and now you know it was in a wreck and repaired improperly.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:42
|
|
|
For what it is worth, the '10 Legacy manual says 5W30 is preferred but 5W40 is listed as well as 10W30, 10W40 and 10W50. Rotella is SM compliant so it is fine in gas engines. Also DC never really has issues with snow, it's either freak snow like last year in which the whole place is shut down or the plows are out and the roads only have slush on them. Not really much in the way of hills around here either.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:43
|
|
|
Amandyke posted:Why do that? Just bring a magnet with you. Magnet stick's? Metal. Doesn't stick? Bondo, and now you know it was in a wreck and repaired improperly. There are a lot of ways you can improperly fix a car.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:45
|
|
|
Syd posted:For what it is worth, the '10 Legacy manual says 5W30 is preferred but 5W40 is listed as well as 10W30, 10W40 and 10W50. Rotella is SM compliant so it is fine in gas engines. True, but seeing as how they are now requiring synthetic on the '11 and above, other aspects of the specs may have changed as well. I tried adding an '11 to my cars on my.subaru.com so I could take a peek at the owner's manual, but it actually downloads the '10 manual instead which doesn't have the synthetic requirement. I guess I'll just have to wait until I get my car to see if the documentation that comes with the vehicle is '11 specific.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:47
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:My car's exterior sheeting was repaired perfectly with brand new components, but they didn't bother replacing a lot of interior components that were damaged in the accident, instead choosing to just hack it together until it fits. They cut and welded the crash safety rebar back together again. Ah right, there is that...
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:48
|
|
|
My car has had a shitload of body work done all over it, it's never been crashed though. I got caught in a hail storm about 9 months after I bought it. Over $3k worth of damage. I needed a new hood and I counted over 30 dents over the rest of the car including harder places like the pillars. Yes, I had dents on the drat A-Pillars from hail. Nearly 10 years later and everything is still fine though. I have no idea what they had to do to get some of those dents out and I probably don't want to know.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 20:54
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:It's pretty hard to break the 5-speed on a naturally aspirated Subaru unless you do something stupid like clutch drop it from 6000rpm. I wouldn't worry about it, but you should definitely go through all the gears and see if it's grinding or binding. A little bit of binding when shifting into reverse is normal - just double clutch. This is all really good information. I have been pretty discerning with the ads I've been watching, so that's good to hear. I apologize for the idiocy of this next question, but I've never bought a used car before, so is it normal to take a car for an inspection before buying it? Do I just tell them that I want it inspected before buying it? I'm assuming I'd make an appointment to do so at the Subaru dealership. Sorry for the  nature of that question. As for snow tires, I've never purchased them before. Do I just buy a set of steelies and throw the snow tires on there? This will hurt my player image because I usually roll on 22s, but I am willing to make sacrifices. sanchez posted:Something to note here is, if the snow gets bad enough to require AWD, the entire city will close down and you will probably be off work. It's always nice to be able to leave your house if you have to however. I tolerate it just fine in an automatic, but I've never had to sit through this kind of traffic in Las Vegas, much less on the 495 with a manual. Kinda freaked out about that. Maybe I'll just stick to granny shifting the automatic and wait until I can afford something on which I can actually use it properly for the manual. So if there's really no problem with snow, should I even bother with snow tires? Or is that still pretty much a necessity regardless of how a city deals with it?
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 21:01
|
|
|
So I'm reading through the 2011 wrx owners manual trying to find some mention of the requirement of moving to Synthetic only. Annnnnnnnnd, it's not there. Nor is there a mention/update on techinfo.subaru.com. http://techinfo.subaru.com/static/whatsNew.html https://www.subaru.com/content/downloads/pdf/manuals/2011_IMP_Manual.pdf Is the users manual. Which seems like they'd keep that link updated with any new versions of the manual. Seems like it'd be difficult for Subaru to enforce the Synthetic ONLY requirement, when it states clearly in the owners manual that they can use either.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 21:06
|
|
|
After you load the PDF, it says 2010_Impreza_A.pdf, so it's not a 2011 specific manual. I said this was a mess right now. Most DEALERS didn't even know of the synthetic requirement until the bulletin was pushed out yesterday.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 21:20
|
|
|
Cmdr Will Riker posted:This is all really good information. I have been pretty discerning with the ads I've been watching, so that's good to hear. I apologize for the idiocy of this next question, but I've never bought a used car before, so is it normal to take a car for an inspection before buying it? Do I just tell them that I want it inspected before buying it? I'm assuming I'd make an appointment to do so at the Subaru dealership. Sorry for the I got mine inspected mechanically at the Subaru dealership; they should be fine since they'll probably use the inspection method they would use for deciding whether or not to buy a used car off the street. quote:As for snow tires, I've never purchased them before. Do I just buy a set of steelies and throw the snow tires on there? This will hurt my player image because I usually roll on 22s, but I am willing to make sacrifices. 05+ STI wheels do not have a compatible bolt pattern with nonturbo Subarus, but if you've managed to find 05+ STI alloys for cheap enough that you are considering buying them for winter tire use, I'll trade you a set of Impreza RS alloys for them. Seat Safety Switch fucked around with this message at 21:57 on Oct 22, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 21:54
|
|
|
Cmdr Will Riker posted:So if there's really no problem with snow, should I even bother with snow tires? Or is that still pretty much a necessity regardless of how a city deals with it? At a rough guess you'll be driving on actual snow of any depth at most 10 days a year, probably 5. The rest of the time it's clear pavement with patches of ice/slush in shaded spots, driveways etc. Goons with snow tires will know if they're any better on ice, I have no idea. I don't know anyone that has them here. (It's why nobody goes to work when it snows)
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 22:12
|
|
|
Seat Safety Switch posted:Remember that for snow tires, narrower is better. Narrower and higher sidewall. You don't really have all that much ground clearance so any bit extra helps.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 23:02
|
|
|
If he lives in DC, I doubt ground clearance will ever become a concern. If it does, there's likely a state of emergency declared and all non-essential driving will be forbidden. I really wouldn't worry about snow tires in DC. Just get a good set of all seasons that are decent in snow like the DWS's and call it a day. Hell, the only reason why I'm going to be buying snow tires this year in Pittsburgh is I'm going to be able to let my '02 sit wearing the snows if it's not bad out. I wouldn't want to daily drive snows around here.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 23:12
|
|
|
Excellent all around. Thanks for all the help, I'll post pics of me parking as hard as possible if/when this happens.
|
|
#
?
Oct 22, 2010 23:50
|
|
|
The air/oil separator on our race car was un-baffled and recirculated to the intake. At the last event we noticed that the car was burning a lot of oil, and stuck the outlet into a plastic bottle. Not even a drop ended up in there and the car seemed to run a lot better. Then we crashed. Today we got things partway back together and put it back on the dyno: Those are numbers at the wheels (well, hubs). Last time we made 650 and haven't changed anything else. jamal fucked around with this message at 19:10 on Oct 23, 2010 |
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 01:21
|
|
|
So crashing improves the power of your car? I don't think it's done wonders for mine.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 03:52
|
|
|
So I went over to the Subaru Dealer in Napa and they had another 2011 on the lot, I drove it and mine back to back with a tech and they admitted that something was wrong. It turns out that Stevens creek most likely just installed a second regular shifter linkage instead of a Short Shifter linkage and did so improperly. Gotta love it.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 04:49
|
|
|
Bob Log posted:So I went over to the Subaru Dealer in Napa and they had another 2011 on the lot, I drove it and mine back to back with a tech and they admitted that something was wrong. It turns out that Stevens creek most likely just installed a second regular shifter linkage instead of a Short Shifter linkage and did so improperly. Gotta love it. Man, so far I wouldn't want to have anything to do with your dealer.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 05:05
|
|
|
bull3964 posted:Man, so far I wouldn't want to have anything to do with your dealer. CharlesM posted:Ooohh Stevens Creek, really? Sorry.....
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 05:11
|
|
|
Every Subaru I've had has been nothing but problems, I thought buying a new one would fix that, ugh.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 18:32
|
|
|
Take your car to Subaru of Santa Cruz to get fixed, they are the best.
|
|
#
?
Oct 23, 2010 18:58
|
|
|
I did this today. And that's as far as I got. I have everything disconnected (I think  ), but I can't seem to make the engine separate from the trans. I can hoist it up and move it around and stuff, but it won't pop apart - even when I supported the transmission a little bit to take tension off of the studs where the nuts go to hold the trans to the engine. This transmission was put in less than 2 years ago, so it shouldn't be stuck too badly. I removed both motor mount nuts, trans cooler lines on both sides, both exhaust tubes, both starter bolts, all 4 flexplate / TC bolts, the two nuts on the bottom of the trans bellhousing, and the long bolt up top on the passenger side. The FSM said to disconnect the dogbone mount up top (even though it connects to the trans, and not the engine) so I did that also. Nothing is connected on the bottom. Anyone know what the gently caress I'm missing? Oh, and how do you fix sheared exhaust manifold studs? Two nuts threaded off, and the two on the other side sheared.  I'm not good at this.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2010 01:27
|
|
|
jamal posted:The air/oil separator on our race car was un-baffled and recirculated to the intake. At the last event we noticed that the car was burning a lot of oil, and stuck the outlet into a plastic bottle. I'm honestly shocked you weren't doing this before, glad you're seeing good results! Black88GTA posted:I did this today. Nice work, how long did it take to get everything disconnected and to the point where you could yank it?
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2010 02:06
|
|
|
Will this WRX subframe work in a TS wagon? Mine has seen some better days. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2010 05:02
|
|
|
Bob Log posted:Every Subaru I've had has been nothing but problems, I thought buying a new one would fix that, ugh. If Toyota owns them now, it explains a lot about what you described.
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2010 07:17
|
|
|
Our local club had a group drive though the Kancamagus Highway in NH today here are some pictures; http://www.flickr.com/photos/sneaker_pimp/sets/72157625233068746/
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2010 22:35
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 31, 2024 06:28 |
|
|
Sterndotstern posted:Nice work, how long did it take to get everything disconnected and to the point where you could yank it? A total of about 7 hours I guess. Slow, but in my own defense, I've only got hand tools (except for one cordless impact which is too large to fit most places), I have no help, and the area I have to work in sucks. Also, I dismantled more of the engine than necessary to yank it, so I kind of wasted a bunch of time on that. The last time I pulled a motor was 10 years ago, and that was an SBC. This is way different, so I'm learning (and making a few mistakes) as I go. Anyway, due to some bad stuff happening last night with a friend of mine which caused me to not get home until 7:45 this morning with no sleep, I didn't get hardly anything done today. All I really did today was to break the bolts holding the exhaust together just behind the resonator and get the forward section completely out. Those bolts have been in place less than two years, but they were so rusted that they sheared in half when I tried to break them loose, even after soaking them in SiliKroil overnight. They look like they've been rotting there since the car left the assembly line. Obviously I don't care if I break those since I was going to replace them regardless, but I have no idea how they got so rusty so fast. After that, I tried pulling the motor out again but it's holding onto the trans really well. I still have no idea what the gently caress is holding it on there, and it's pissing me off. 
|
|
#
?
Oct 24, 2010 23:55
|
|