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Subaru Impreza WRX

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    In my experience, re-paints are much more likely to peel than factory paint. My Escort had some right side damage, and the clear coat peeled like a sun burned tourist.

    My wife's old roommate repainted her Corolla after severe damage, and again the only panels peeling are the ones that were repainted. I don't think they have access to the high tech paint booths the manufacturers do.

    -juice
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    That's pretty funky, and would never have happened on my Integra

    The lowest member of the Acura family, the Integra (now the RSX), has a 3-coat 3-bake painting process....just a heads-up.

    Also, I never allow the dealership folks to wash my car (Acura 3.2TL), even though it is complimentary with all oil changes. I do allow the vacuum though. If you carefully notice the cars on the showroom floor, you will find plenty of hairline scratches and swirlmarks all over the car, from the "prepping" done on the new car at the dealership. If at all possible, I would prefer to avoid that prepping. I always hand-wash all my cars myself, in a 5-step process.

    Later...AH
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Frank: I've seen sheeting on GM and Honda vehicles, too. I think the biggest problem with Subaru paint is the thickness and hardness of the finish. Apprearance-wise, and based on casual observation, I think OEM paint jobs have gotten worse over the last decade; I've never seen so much orange peel in new car paint jobs as I have at the last several auto shows I've attended. I see that as a function of the use of more environmentally friendly paints and solvents. Not a pro or con statement, just a statement.

    Dennis: I'm going to give Klasse a try but the days have been too short and too wet of late.

    juice: the Chevrolet Avalanche looks like the most-clad, least painted vehicle on the market. What's painted, the hood, roof, and 25% of the doors and quarter panels? Pity they couldn't make it good looking in the process.

    Ed
  • wrxguywrxguy Member Posts: 51
    Once my CEL light came on. I wanted to reply due to the fact that mine came on during the first rain of the year here in Sacramento. It went off about eight days later. That was one month ago. It has rained since,(much I might add) but CEL light is operating properly. folks on i-club are keeping a running dialouge of specific things such as this. mysterious technology, gotta love it. :)
  • WarpDriveWarpDrive Member Posts: 506
    ..and the Subaru one is less "advanced" than some of the others. On my A4, the paint is soooo deep and luscious. My Miata paint scatches if you breath on it and the Subaru is probably a bit better. All the reason to choose a lighter color like Silver or White so that it is harder to see the inevitable scratches/chips/dents.
  • mgreene1mgreene1 Member Posts: 116
    Thanks for the link. Like an idiot, I had been searching i-club's archived WRX forum instead of their stereo forum. I was able to adjust without pulling out the subwoofer thanks to my Swiss army knife. Even though I didn't know what I was doing, the bass is now much less boomy and I'm a happy camper. Just turned 5000 miles and still no problems. This thing has turned out to be much better than I ever expected even though it can sometimes sound like an old VW Bug, which is fine by me since it goes like Herbie. ;)
  • rex_ruthorrex_ruthor Member Posts: 140
    It does seem to be a fairly brittle (and thin)paint job. I have gotten a couple chips from just driving around, plus I have a couple from accidentally opening the door of my other car into the WRX, although the other car did not sustain any damage whatsoever. I also have some inexplicable chips on panels that wouldnt normally be hit by road debris or the doors of other cars. Thank god its silver, doesnt show much.

    FYI, traditionally, the hardeners and other additives, as well as the type of paint processes needed to create a truly chip resistant finish have been very environmentally unfriendly, hence the trend towards crappy OEM paint jobs on these types of cars, as manufacturers have to tread the line between paint quality and stiff compliance regulations.

    But i think we will start to see the widespread benefits of new and improved paint technologies in cars priced like the Impreza. There are now zero-emissions paint hardeners that are water based, and have minimal environmental impact. So once car manufacturers have amortized the R&D investments and process change costs, there wont be as many OEM's using inferior painting processes or materials.
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    I recommend putting a Stongard "clear bra" kit on your car. I have a full kit on mine. You can order kits that are custom made for the WRX that come in cut out pieces to fit nearly perfectly on the front fascia of our cars, including nice thick pieces for the headlights and foglights. I got a tint shop recommended by Stongard to apply it, though it cost me a small fortune. But at any rate, it's nearly invisible and protects the paint from chipping very effectively.


    Here's the link:

    http://stongard.com/sgcontent/default.asp


    Here's a pic of my car with the Stongard full kit on. Yeah, you can't see it, that's the point. And yes, those are 2001 RS rims. They're 7" wide as opposed to 6.5" stock for a future 4-pot brake upgrade. Looks better anyway, IMO.

    image

  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    Looks like what they say is true. Never buy the first year production model. CEL lights, bad brakes and poor paint quality. Maybe I should stick with Nissan.
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Paint has been like that for a while. Yep maybe you should get a nissan. I hear their electrical systems are great ;)! And their AWD sedans and wagons sold here in the US are very very slow!

    -mike
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    I guess that puts you out of the running for the new Altima, presently in its first production run! :-}

    I had a Maxima that had no problems at all and had great fit and finish. Of course, it didn't even have ABS brakes to have problems with, and the paint was scratched by a constant onslaught of thieves stealing parts from it. One great thing about my WRX is that with the relatively small production number, and the fact that it's brand new, means that there's little demand for its parts in the aftermarket. Here in Brooklyn, that's really something to consider.
  • beanboybeanboy Member Posts: 442
    Will they fit the 4-pot brakes from the WRX across the pond? Thought you had to step up to a 17" wheel...

    -B
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Thank you, rex_ruthor, for confirming a lot of what I already knew. When I had my antique car repainted, the finish came our better than OEM; the paint shop even used a clearcoat which was unheard of in those days. (The car is a driver, not a show car, so I'm not losing sleep over points deducted for inauthenticity.) I can only imagine the impact that may have had on the environment had the shop owner not had the proper safeguards in place. In fact, without the knowledge of what is a proper safeguard I can't say with absolute certainty that the impact was minimized.

    The changes in paint technology can't come fast enough for Subaru and other mid- and lower-priced manufacturers.

    bedabi: I can assure you that any future Subaru I may buy will get that Stongard kit. I have the thicker stuff on my headlights and foglights; that allowed me to remove the grate-like covers from the fogs and made it easier to keep them clean. Looks like you have some kind of rear bumper rub strips on, too?

    Ed
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    I'm in Brooklyn also, so I'd appreciate if you could let me know where you got the installation done, and if you don't mind..how much is a small fortune?

    Also, do you have to wash the car differently once you put the kit on?

    Thanks

    Eric
  • mdimartimdimarti Member Posts: 12
    Now that you mention it, when my CEL came on for the third time last friday it was cold and rainy (some snow) here in chicago. On Sunday the light turned off. I cannot quite remember if the first two times were on rainy days but I know they replaced the air flow sensor and some gas cap sensor. I have not, however had the problem with the AT temperature light, and yes I do have an auto.

    Mark
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I agree, WarpDrive. My Miata is Crystal White, a color known for peeling. Yikes! Our 626 has many more dings than our Forester, though it is older.

    I can't complain about the Forester, though. I back into a "trail" in the Pine Barrens with bushes and tree branches, and she came out pretty well, all things considered. The lower half is all cladding and virtually bullet proof.

    bedabi: did you find someone to swap rims with? Looks good, and easier to clean.

    corkfish: people are complaing about the new Nissan Altima, too. Maybe Carlos "le cost cutter" Ghosn went too far? I still liked the Altima, despite the torque steer. People are calling the interior cheap, but I care far more about the VQ engine. A front LSD would go a long way on that car.

    -juice
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    The Max is a very different car from a Rex, but can be bought with a six speed manual and no options for about even money. Starting in Jan., Nissan will offer a helical LSD option for the Maxima... something to consider. My 1997 Nissan pickup has had zero defects in the 4+ years it has been on the road. Maybe I'm asking too much for a WRX to be glitch-free?
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Don't forget silver bullet, that pickups are setup as more heavy duty applications than sports cars. My old rodeo went 120K miles w/o any repairs in the 3 years I had it and I beat the crap out of it. I wouldn't expect a passenger car to put up with the same kind of abuse.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My wife likes the Max, but the rear suspension isn't even independent. I drove one at Edmunds Live and liked everything about it except the ride over bumps, where it did the back axle boogy. It just lost its composure, completely.

    That LSD will go a long way to tame 255hp driving the front wheels, though.

    I also don't like the droopy rear styling, but Nissan will fix that with the next gen. The G35 is far more interesting to me, though, because it's RWD. I hope they price it to compete with the Acura TL.

    -juice
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    beanboy: Everyone has assured me that it's the WIDTH of the stock 16x6.5" wheels that don't fit the 4-pot calipers if you keep your stock brake rotors. If you get larger rotors as well, then yes, you will have to get 17" rims. Personally, I'm very wary about getting 17" rims in Brooklyn because it already feels like I'm rally racing on potholes and cobblestone streets on my daily ride to work.

    lark6(Ed): Yeah, I got those ugly rubber rear bumper strips from subaruparts.com. I have to street park everyday, which means I don't suffer from parking lot door dings, but my rear bumper takes a major beating. I'm already 1/2 through my bottle of touch-up paint. I swear, if I could get brush guards like those mammoth SUVs around here, I would, even though it'd look like a Subie General Lee!

    esqknight(Eric): I called Stongard and they told me there's only one tinter in the entire tri-state area they could recommend. It was called "The Tint Shop" near Rutgers University in Jersey. It took the guy over five hours to apply and cost about $400(!). First rate job though. No, I don't have to wash it any differently. (I take it from your board sign that you're a Brooklyn lawyer as well?)

    ateixeira (juice): Sort of a swap.
    I bought them from someone on i-club, and sold my stockers to someone else. Then I got Dunlop S5000s. Great tires. And as for the Maxima - the major reason why I traded that car in was the poor handling. That and it was a little too big for me here in the city. But that VQ engine was heavenly! Much more responsive and smoother than my WRX. But NOT as much fun! Anyway, the new Altima, I've read now has independant rear suspension borrowed from the Skyline, and I'll bet the new Maxima will follow suit.
  • corkfishcorkfish Member Posts: 537
    All I know is my experience with a Nissan product has been positive. My Sentra is almost 9 years old and when I drove to a friend's house ( I hadn't seen him in a few years) he asked me if it was a new car! He couldn't believe the thing was old. All it's needed has been brakes, tires and oil changes. I drove the Altima and with the exception of the interior, liked it better than the six speed Maxima. Nonetheless, if I were serious about buying it, I'd wait till they get any bugs worked out.
  • dill6dill6 Member Posts: 120
    Are people experiencing this with auto trannies only??
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    Paisan, you are so right - I fear no pothole when I drive my truck :) It is funny - now that I own a "sensible" vehicle (after owning 19 that were much less so), I seem to be stuck with it. The rational side of me can find no good reason to get rid of it and go into debt on a WRX. Sure, the Rex would be tons of fun in the right environment, but the roads are flat, straight, boring, and crowded here in Houston. Just sittin' on that fence...
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    paisan was trying to go a group buy on some bull bars from Australia. There are actually some that fit on Subies. You could have one in the front, and then a hitch extension like paisan custom built for his Troopah.

    -juice
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    Which Rutgers campus is it near? Did you have to bring the stongard with you, or is the Tint Shop a dealer of their products?

    Yes I am a Brooklyn lawyer also. I work in the courts.

    Eric
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    It's on Rte 1 North in the Fords, not far from Ray Cantena MB, the Ford Plant, etc. I was going to get my tint done there on my old rodeo but then the lease was up. I actually sell the ECB bars, but there are none for the impreza lineup :( Zephyr who has the blue RS that comes off-roading with us is actually going to get a "corvette killer" as it is want to be called for his RS.

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    There was an RS in that Pine Barrens run with a push bar, though, was that custom made?

    -juice
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    That was made by Rallyspec. Long Live Rally Spec :(

    -mike
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's right, they closed down.

    Maybe some of the universal ones would fit. Though an Impreza would look pretty hilarious with a big one up front!

    -juice
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    Yeah, Paisan's got it right. Nice guys. They don't sell the Stongard kit, you have to bring it with you. I got mine on a group buy at i-club over the summer.

    I was only half kidding about the brush/bull guard. I doubt I'd actually get one fitted, although the thought of driving a "Mad Max" Subaru on a road as lawless as the Grand Central Parkway really, REALLY appeals to me! :]

    esqknight: I just came out of 360 Adams St. myself. (I'm an ADA here.)
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    A good place for you 2 is the bottom of the ocean! ;)

    -mike
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    Yeah yeah, I know... skid marks befor the dead skunk, none for us....
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    paisan and silver bullet--the WRX isn't much for driving over big potholes, but it's as good as anything out there for dodgin' around 'em. :)
    --RA
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    I'm wondering how these work, never having participated in one.

    I'm still a little vague as to the location of The Tint Shop, is that in Edison?

    bebabi: I work at 141 Livingston.

    On another issue, are you most of you riding on the stock tires, or did you already change them?
    I'm wondering if this is something important to do immediately, given that I'm picking up my car middle to late January.

    Eric
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    Are people experiencing this with auto trannies only??

    I have driven over 2500 miles with my Auto-WRX. Absolutely no issues whatsoever. No CELs, no nothing. Absolutely wonderful miles.

    Also, the CELs are related to emissions sensors and are not based on whether it is an Auto or manual transmission. Just a heads-up.

    Later...AH
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    Yeah it's in Edison.

    -mike
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    Yeah, it's Edison.

    I think there's now an i-club forum specifically for group buys. Just keep looking, a new one might start up. I think I saved about $80 or so.

    Overall, the RE92s are OK, but you definitely feel the slippage if you push it a bit. And I do not consider myself an aggressive driver. Although I wanted to for a while, I waited 13,000 miles to chang them, to ease my budgetary conscience.

    141 Livingston? We're neighbors! I'm in 350 Jay St.
  • lark6lark6 Member Posts: 2,565
    Here I had been led to believe that most Subaru owners were engineers, nurses, and "allied health care professionals," with a smattering of outdoor recreation guides. Could it be we're seeing more lawyers in the mix?

    Ed
  • edge01edge01 Member Posts: 28
    Well thanks for the input guys/girls. A group of us have written Subaru in Cherry Hill with the issue to express our conern. I dont' know if it will get anywhere, but it's worth a shot and I'll keep you updated. I just know that my last 3 cars have had over 150K miles on them each and looked better than my wrx does after 1.5mths.

    As to the question as to what I'm training for? I'm going for the US Olympic Snowboard Team in Parallel GS. Will be in SLC this weekend for the first 2 qualifiers.

    Take care all.
  • ramiller1ramiller1 Member Posts: 124
    two high-priced lawyers driving around in WRXs? Sounds to me like we have a couple of undercover guys from the Audi and Beemer forums, trying to gather a little Subie intelligence.

    I'm just a regular ol' web developer from Denver, so you know I'm legit. Let's raid their garages tonight at midnight to find out what they're really driving ;).
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I know he's for real. :) Hmm Web Developer, you mean those guys who charge large amounts of $ for doing web pages? Maybe we should check your garage :)

    -mike
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    Hate to shock ya, but if I could afford to drive an S-4 or an M3... I WOULD!!!!!

    OK, maybe not an M3, I'm pretty hooked on AWD now.

    Even people who know me but are unfamiliar with the WRX look at me funny when I tell them I bought a Subaru! ;-} Never liked granola...
  • silver_bulletsilver_bullet Member Posts: 1,339
    Has anyone seen a breakdown of WRX problems vs. VIN (build sequence)? I'd be very interested to know if most of the reported gripes relate to early production cars, and if Subaru has phased in "fixes" on the production line.
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    Here's a very involved thread that attempts to document CEL problems and some mentioned their VIN numbers. I DO remember you helped hook me up with Van Bortel where I got my WRX.


    http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=36779


    For the record, my car was number 926 off the line. No CELs, no problems. Squeaky front passenger seatbelt.

  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I'd like to see a CEL study compared to driver age/maturity level. I'll put $ on there being a higher corrolation to that data than VIN #.

    -mike
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    agreed. I'd throw in "tinkering" as a category too.
  • bedabibedabi Member Posts: 149
    For balance, read this thread too.

    http://www.i-club.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=125480
  • esqknightesqknight Member Posts: 78
    Since I am not in private practice, but am clerking for a judge. Best of luck braking into my garage anyway to checkout my wheels -- this might be a difficult task, given that fact that (a) my car wouldn't be arriving in the states until mid-January, but if you want to go get it for me early, I don't mind; and (b) I don't have a garage.

    Anyway, given that my car will be exposed in a driveway, rather then a garage, I am more seriously thinking about having the Stongard kit applied, especially if the paint is as bad as it seems to be from all the posts. Anyway know anything about the long term wear of these type of protections kits?

    With my car being at least six months through the production year, hopefully at least some earlier problems have been corrected, hears hoping.

    G'night Folks,
    Eric
  • hunter001hunter001 Member Posts: 851
    Starting the car first thing in the morning and then taking off like a bat out of hell...sure-fire recipe for problems in the long term.

    Cars like the BMW M5 have got rev-limiters that will not allow the car to be revved above a certain rpm, until the car has warmed up. But in the WRX, since there is no such limiter, irresponsible owners (due to ignorance ??) drive away at high rpms, right after starting, thus setting off such CELs and so forth and then blame the auto-maker.

    Basically, when the car has sat a while, there is absolutely no oil in the engine. The oil will have flowed into the pan. When you first start up, the engine is working with no oil whatsoever. So there is a lot of metal on metal rubbing going on at that time at high speeds without any oil to prevent it !!! By flooring the car (or driving at higher speeds), you are gouging the cylinder walls of the engine away. It takes about 30secs to a minute for the oil to circulate in the engine. When the temperatures are colder, it takes longer since colder oil does not re-circulate as readily as warm oil. If you floor the car right after starting in the morning, or drive away at higher rpms right after startup in the morning, you are indulging in vehicle abuse and would be solely responsible for any adverse symptoms later on.

    On the other hand, it does not make sense to keep the engine idling for a long time, since even though the engine heats up, the sub-systems of the car including the transmission fluid etc does not heat up, when the car is idling. So it is better to keep the engine running for about a minute after start-up and drive gently (rpm < 3000) for the next mile or so till the car reaches operating temperature, before indulging in antics like flooring the car etc.

    Take this from the owner of a car that completed 288,000 miles in 16 years (subsequently donated) with the original battery replaced at 210,000 miles and a few tire replacements and brake pad replacements. Everything else, original components that the car came with. The car ran like new till the day it was donated. All the above mentioned precautions were followed with the car, however.

    Later...AH
  • paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    I had a car go 120K w/o a single problem (other than some brake pads and tires) not even a timing belt or anything else except oil changes. I abused the crap out of it and it still ran like new after 120K miles of that abuse.

    I'm a firm believer in luck when you get a car. You just have to be the one who gets the car that is screwed together properly.

    With that said, those precautions are good advice and should be heeded, but they alone will not necessarily guarantee a long prosperous life for your car.

    -mike
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