Hello All,
New to the forums here and wanted to say, hello. I purchased a used, 2016 WRX Premium 2 days ago, only had 9500 miles on it. My question is, I can tell that there were some mods done to it already. AEM intake with heat shield, some mud flaps from Cobb and what I think is a custom exhaust. I’m not able to determine the brand, however. When looking at picks of stock exhaust compared to mine they do not look the same. Does it appear to be an aftermarket system? It also has a small Cobb sticker on it. What are the chances it was tuned with the mods he had on it?
Hello All,
New to the forums here and wanted to say, hello. I purchased a used, 2016 WRX Premium 2 days ago, only had 9500 miles on it. My question is, I can tell that there were some mods done to it already. AEM intake with heat shield, some mud flaps from Cobb and what I think is a custom exhaust. I’m not able to determine the brand, however. When looking at picks of stock exhaust compared to mine they do not look the same. Does it appear to be an aftermarket system? It also has a small Cobb sticker on it. What are the chances it was tuned with the mods he had on it?
I don't know what trim level you got, but a new 2016 starts at $26.5k. You said you can tell some mods were done, which implies that you aren't entirely certain to what extent it is modded. As for the ECU, that can be reset - I'd be curious how many key turns it has. Some dealers will report relatively "minor" mods such as an intake to SOA when processing warranty claims, and SOA has been known to deny those claims. If you want to retain your warranty, I'd have the dealer put the car back to stock and get something in writing from SOA reaffirming your warranty.
If the new 2015+ are anything like the older models, intake on a stock tune will cause serious trouble. The only power modification you can do without a tube is a cat-back. Intakes, down pipes, headers all require a tune as they directly affect the airflow.
I would be concerned if you have an AEM intake but are on a stock tune.
I went ahead and had the dealer place the stock intake back on the car. We completed the signing of the papers this past Saturday. I told them i would not sign unless the stock was put back on as i feared the car would not act right; which they did today. They are allowing me to keep the AEM so i can use it at a later time if I want. I'll wait until the 80k warranty expires then add it back on with a COBB tune.
As of now all it has is a Subi Speed exhaust. Thanks, all, for the feedback.
Some dealerships offer warranties outside of the manufacturer. A local jeep dealership used to do this after Chrysler killed the lifetime power train. It also allowed them to warranty in house modified vehicles that jeep would have otherwise laughed at. Could be a similar situation as dealerships get a kickback from each warranty sold and its a good way to guarantee they get that sale.