WRX Noob

[lokey]

Synthetic every 3750 is the best bet, like Jar man said, replace filter every time. It's pretty easy to keep up the maintenance yourself. All you'd end up paying is for parts on the basics. Oil and filter/crush washer. DIY will mostly be cheaper for Oil changes and are easy. But talk to the dealer to see if they have any incentives or specials for oil changes...brake pads and rotors are are easy. Pads won't need to be changed til probably near 30k or later. Rotors, probably not til 50-60k even. Pads can be anywhere from $70-150+ for all 4 corners, depending on what performance you're looking at. Plugs are a bit of a pain to get to because of the boxer engine, but again, still not that bad. All in all maintenance is average and will be pretty cheap or on par with any other car if you do it yourself.

I'd skip on the SPT exhaust from the dealer. For one, it's way too overpriced. For two, it's known to drone rather loud when cruising on the 5 door. You can find a lot of other aftermarket options down the road, for much cheaper. You will also be able to find used options in great condition for fractions of new cost. As for performance...there won't be any. CBEs on WRXs (of any year really) are just noise makers, or silencers. The real restriction comes with replacing the downpipe which is attached to the turbo, or the portion before the Catback (the dealer has no aftermarket option for this, unless they stock or sell other aftermarket parts, which is highly unlikely). Doing this will require a comparable Stage 2 tune to properly run the downpipe.

OEM short shifter isn't a bad option, but it only shortens the throws by about 10% over stock. It achieves this by shortening the linkage to the transmission. It's not that overwhelming of a difference. Again, aftermarket options such as Kartboy, will be much cheaper and will shorten throws 20-25%, and shorten the lever itself which are better for performance.

Boost gauge simply tells you how much boost the turbo is creating, and pushing into the engine. It really has nothing to do with when you should shift. It does give you an indication of your powerband though simply because more boost means you will be utilizing more power. You should shift based on the feel of the engine, rpms, and how you're driving at that particular moment.

^

As for the short shifter, this varies by personal preference. Test drive first. If the throw is WAY too long for you, don't waste your money on the OEM short shifter, as it won't be enough. Take it from the guy with the OEM and Cobb installed.

[MainFrame]

Yes, I saw the recommendation, but unfortunately it doesn't come with any additional guidance. I've personally averaged somewhere around 6000 miles between changes on my car, with the first one at 3000 or so miles.

If 7,500 is the maximum, it seems to me that anything 7,500 or below should be safe. Especially since I drive 90% or so highway miles.

If this is not correct I'd love to know, as I am interested in taking care of the car. That said, I've put over 20k on my car in less than a year and I'd rather not waste money on superfluous synthetic oil changes. So for those of you that change the oil sooner, why? Is there a demonstrable benefit, or is it because it seems better? Also, how can you gauge oil condition visually? It seems like something that you'd need to measure with tools, unless it is sludge or has metal flakes in it, in which case the problem is obvious. I talked to a mechanic about this once and he said it basically all looks the same after 1000 miles or so.

In 2010 or 2011, Subaru switched to synthetic oil. My understanding is that this is why the oil change interval was increased. I do not believe that the recommendation would be 7,500 miles for non-synthetic oil.

If you're using a high quality fully synthetic oil and not beating on the car, then 7500 should be okay. However, the only way to really know would be by comparing UOAs. I'd do one at 3750, then another one at 7500. If the condition of the oil turns out substantially worse at 7500 miles then it would be a good idea to either change it more frequently, or to look into using better oil in the first place.



There are a couple of reasons I change out my oil more often than what is deemed "safe" for a commuter car. The main reason is that making nearly three times the amount of power the car came with from the factory, my engine will experience MUCH higher loads than your average car. This, coupled with high revs (8500rpm), and high heat is hell on motor oil. Also, todays motor oils were not designed with ethanol in mind. Ethanol has different solvent properties than gasoline, and running e85 instead of standard gas causes the oil to separate and break down faster than if I were running gas. Furthermore, I enjoy driving.. while some of my miles may be considered normal driving conditions, much of it would be considered extreme conditions. My engine also has different clearences than an OEM engine, which is why my oil pump was upgraded and modified. And lastly, I spent over $12,000 on the engine in my car and I'm not about to lose it because I didn't change my oil often enough.

That's why I change my oil often, and also why I got a larger capacity oil pan. A new engine costs a hell of a lot more than a $20 oil change. To me, keeping the engine in top shape is far more valuable than a couple extra oil changes.




Bottom line, the only way to know if your oil change interval is sufficient would be by doing multiple UOAs.

[XRedJar]

Yes, I saw the recommendation, but unfortunately it doesn't come with any additional guidance. I've personally averaged somewhere around 6000 miles between changes on my car, with the first one at 3000 or so miles.

If 7,500 is the maximum, it seems to me that anything 7,500 or below should be safe. Especially since I drive 90% or so highway miles.

If this is not correct I'd love to know, as I am interested in taking care of the car. That said, I've put over 20k on my car in less than a year and I'd rather not waste money on superfluous synthetic oil changes. So for those of you that change the oil sooner, why? Is there a demonstrable benefit, or is it because it seems better? Also, how can you gauge oil condition visually? It seems like something that you'd need to measure with tools, unless it is sludge or has metal flakes in it, in which case the problem is obvious. I talked to a mechanic about this once and he said it basically all looks the same after 1000 miles or so.

To really know where the best milage window is to change oil, you'd have to have analysis done. If I'm honest, sending samples out from 4k, 5k, 6k miles is more effort than I'm willing to throw at it. I figure the 3750 (severe use interval) is the safe way to go.

Also the mileage window will be different for different people. My trips to work are only 15 min or so, where if you are putting 20k on yours in a year and most are highway miles...you will probably be able to run longer change intervals. Your oil will get up to temp and burn off any water and I'd think you'll be putting less load on the motor running highway miles. Those are also contributing factors.

All that said....the only way to really know, is a lot of analysis for how each car is usually run. I'm just playing it safe by using the 3750 interval.

[Pretty Boy]

A new engine costs a hell of a lot more than a $20 oil change. To me, keeping the engine in top shape is far more valuable than a couple extra oil changes.

I'm curious, where do you get your oil changed or where do you buy your oil and filter? And what kind is it (sorry if you've already mentioned that)? I've called around to several non-dealer shops and an oil change with "premium" synthetic oil is ~$70+ so I'm tempted to go and buy some blocks of wood, make my own ramps and change the oil myself. However, if there's a place that will do my oil and filter for less than $35 it's worth it to go there instead because the synthetic oil apparently costs $35-40/change. Not to mention the hassle of climbing under the car, taking off any engine covers and getting rid of spent oil.

Has anyone put a skid plate on their car? Would those be more hassles than they're worth? Can you still get at the general maintenance items under there without having to take it off (ie oil change)? I don't intend on going through anything gnarly...but then again I said the same thing with my last jeep and wound up driving through 3' of water in a creek one day!

[11blackwrx]

I would say you should totally change your own oil. Its very easy and fairly quick and a decent money saver

[MainFrame]

I change my oil at home. I buy bulk jugs of Rotella T6 at Walmart for about $21 a piece, WIX filters at O'Reilies.. most places that sell oil include a disposal fee in the cost, so you just fill the empty jugs with your old oil and return it to the store.


I have a skid plate that I remove to get at the filter, no harder than removing the stock plastic tray (if you don't want to remove it then just cut access holes). Draining the oil is quick, easy, and mess free with a fumoto valve and hose attachment.


I have never (and never will) taken my car to a quick change place. .all of the horror stories you see on a regular basis should be enough to steer anyone away from those places.

[Pretty Boy]

I change my oil at home. I buy bulk jugs of Rotella T6 at Walmart for about $21 a piece, WIX filters at O'Reilies.. most places that sell oil include a disposal fee in the cost, so you just fill the empty jugs with your old oil and return it to the store.


I have a skid plate that I remove to get at the filter, no harder than removing the stock plastic tray (if you don't want to remove it then just cut access holes). Draining the oil is quick, easy, and mess free with a fumoto valve and hose attachment.

Great, thank you (all) for the feedback! Where did you get your skid plate? Did you have to come up with a custom way to fasten it or is there a set of pre-drilled and tapped holes?

[MainFrame]

Great, thank you (all) for the feedback! Where did you get your skid plate? Did you have to come up with a custom way to fasten it or is there a set of pre-drilled and tapped holes?

I drove to Discount Steel's shipping facility and picked up a drops piece of 1/8" 5052 aluminum plate, 4' x 3' for $40.. Then I measured the holes from the stock splash guard mounting points, made stand offs, and drilled the mounting holes in my skid plate in the same place as the OEM guard. That way it just bolts right up to the factory mounting points. Cheap and easy.

[Pretty Boy]

I drove to Discount Steel's shipping facility and picked up a drops piece of 1/8" 5052 aluminum plate, 4' x 3' for $40.. Then I measured the holes from the stock splash guard mounting points, made stand offs, and drilled the mounting holes in my skid plate in the same place as the OEM guard. That way it just bolts right up to the factory mounting points. Cheap and easy.

Awesome!

[wrx650]

I drove to Discount Steel's shipping facility and picked up a drops piece of 1/8" 5052 aluminum plate, 4' x 3' for $40.. Then I measured the holes from the stock splash guard mounting points, made stand offs, and drilled the mounting holes in my skid plate in the same place as the OEM guard. That way it just bolts right up to the factory mounting points. Cheap and easy.

That's cool. Do you have any pics of it?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[MainFrame]

Not right now. .I'm going to be updating my build thread with new dyno charts and a ton of new pictures when the next build is done. Hopefully in about a month.