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WRX Potential Problems: Clutch/Transmission/Engine

2K views 9 replies 4 participants last post by  McBill 
#1 ·
Hello! :)

I have a 2014 wrx sedan (limited) so that should make the questions below easier. :cool:

So I've been talking with some friends who chose a different route with their cars when it came to stock vs modding and all of that fun stuff. Some drive WRX's like us while others drive anything from FWD Si's to RWD German or American coupes. I have been bitten by the mod bug pretty hard lately and have been filling up that empty void with cosmetic work to the car, but it does not seem like enough anymore. I really want to do some performance based mods besides what I already have, which is a catback and some solid tires on the car, which isn't much of course. But I do have a concern about the volatile nature of our cars since we always hear stories about blown ring-lands and other fun problems coming up with even the simplest touch to the vehicle.

With that said, I have a few questions listed below, and would greatly appreciate some people taking a moment to address them! :D

---

1 - It is apparently very common for WRX's to have ringland failure, especially on models from 2008 and up. I have come across articles and videos saying that even a "stock tune" can still cause ringland failures. Knowing this happens I probably will keep the car on a "stock tune" even though everyone urges me to go to a "stage 1 tune" for a more smooth and quicker ride. If I keep the car stock I should be fine if God forbid a ringland DOES blow but I still have warranty and they will cover it right? No questions or issues about that?

2 - If I do my own oil change (following the owner's manual and warranty manual on when to do the changes) will that void my warranty? I know if you use oil that is NOT recommended that voids the warranty, but what about taking care of the simple job yourself?

3 - I plan to improve the handling of the car down the road (bad pun intended) so I wanted to know that if I improve say, for example, the brake: pads/rotors/calipers/fluid from aftermarket parts (not STI or SPT) will that void warranty?

4 - A question on the side, but is it true that these cars start having major clutch and transmission problems around 50k miles even if they are never launched hard, abused, or taken to the drag strip or a race track? Everyone has some spirited driving from time to time, but if you do not go to any race tracks or drag strips or rally courses then you should be fine correct?

5 - Does anyone have any suggestions for mods and improvements to my car that will not void warranty or cause any problems in the future?

6 - Is there anything anyone here recommends for me to follow to make sure that my engine doesn't blow? I'm being serious haha.
 
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#2 ·
This has all been covered repeatedly and a search will yield multiple threads. Those threads with the correct answers might read as follows:

1, 2: I have done my own maintenance since roughly 2004 or so. I've also taken the car to the dealer for warranty claims repeatedly (because love is what makes a Subaru, a Subaru -- or Subarus are reliable, or something; anyway, I needed expen$ive $tuff fixed under warranty more than once). Radiator, clutch assembly, valve covers, a few other things. They took apart my gearbox to fix an output shaft bearing under warranty too. Lots of $$$.

I brought along a binder with dated receipts for ALL expendables that I used during scheduled maintenance.

They fixed my car.

YMMV.

3. People will say "nothing voids warranty.'

That is absolutely meaningless though, because whether "void" is the correct term or not is a semantic issue. They can deny a claim for any or for no reason, and you're left with a broken car. You can then go get a lawyer. Yay! Do lawyers fix cars? No. Mechanics fix cars. So whether a warranty is "void" or whether only a specific claim is denied makes zero difference -- only the bill matters.

4. It's untrue, except when it comes true. Wait and see.

6. The manual.
 
#3 ·
#4 ·
1. Irony is when the stock tune causes problems that a safe stage1 tune would have avoided :p

2. Use Subaru oil filters - anything else and they could blame the filter if you have a problem. Obviously use the recommended oil grade as well.

4, 6. The chances are that you'll not have any problems if you treat your car respectfully, but with ANY type of car there is a chance of bad luck. You can't plan for that.

Driving a tuned WRX is like not having to wear a condom with a stranger - the reward is amazing, but you take a risk of something much worse happening. If you want to stay safe then keep it stock, service it frequently and drive it sensibly. I have one word for that... "Meh", but it's up to you decide what impact a non-warranty failure would have on your life, not for douches in a forum like me.
 
#5 ·
Haha thank you both very much and those articles are very helpful! :)

On a side note, which I find hilarious, is what Raven pointed out. I actually did come across specific maps and tunes that are "stage 1" that improve the "stock" tune but at the "cost" of having them deny warranty. What a joke in my opinion, but whatever. I hope nothing goes wrong by me keeping my car stock because that would just be a middle-finger to say the least. :p

Thank you both, I really do appreciate the help and advice! :D
 
#6 ·
It's a nice car. Maintain it according to the book, preferring authentic parts and keeping ALL dated receipts. Then just hope for the best. Remember, the first 100 years in life are going to be difficult, but after that you'll get used to it.
 
#7 ·
Oh yea I love the car from the bottom of my heart and have been very careful about how I've been treating and maintaining it so far. Been following all of the right steps and doing it all right. It has to last me another four or five years at least, maybe even pushing six or seven if I stay in and around these parts lol.

Thank you! :)
 
#8 ·
A car will only last as long as the owner wishes it to. This could be said about any car out there. Bottom line is, if you take proper care of the car then the car will take proper care of you.

1. Failure percentage is actually quite small... However, this one also plays a little into what I first stated. Sometimes it's unavoidable, but most times it is avoidable. If you do things properly then theoretically, these things should not happen. That doesn't mean they won't, but they shouldn't. Finally, the reason you hear SOOOOOO many things about ringland failures and spun bearings is because it is natural to speak up and complain about the bad as opposed to the good. So essentially, you hear these hundreds of stories of failures but you NEVER hear about the success stories. For every one failure there are likely thousands of untold successful stories. So when people complain about this, I shake my head. I'm acknowledging that these failures are a problem with our cars, however, it's not quite as big of a problem as most believe.

Essentially, if you through a TBE, blow off valve, intake turbo timer, boost controller and an intercooler on the car without a tune; you better expect something to blow up. Those are what most of the failure stories consist of, is negligence and ignorance.

2. Keep records, and use the right oil. DIY oil changes are perfectly fine if you do that.

3. This warranty issue is a big one and their are many of threads that explain this. However, I will say this: SOA can deny a claim for ANYTHING they want as long as they have any bit of reason to believe it was not a manufacturer defect that caused the failure. Lets say you do a brake swap, and you spin a rod bearing (assuming a completely stock engine) , they have absolutely no reason to deny the warranty claim. However, lets say you installed an intake and you spin a rod bearing. More likely than not, they will deny the claim. The aftermarket part needs to have a relation to the failure in order for a claim to be denied.

4. Refer to my opening statement. I'm at 60k miles and I have zero issues.

5. If you're worried about engine failure, then go through and do all the bushings, brackets, and mounts you can do. That should keep you busy for a while and you will not be disappointed in how the car changes.

6. The owners manual. Always remember this, when you mod any car, for every part you install you are upping the risk of some sort of failure somewhere. Proper modifications bring the car above and beyond it's factory specifications, which is all the car is really built to withstand. It's the nature of the business, you either accept the risk or you do not. The risk will never go away. If you want to mod, then set aside emergency funds for the possibility of something going wrong. Easy as that.


:cool:
 
#9 ·
Thank you so much dude! :)

Yea that was very well explained. :D

I'm going to keep the car as it is for now until the warranty expires then see from there if I wanna start modding or buy the extended warranty. Either way I think it should be good. These cars are great and I love them. I think the biggest thing that is pushing me to start modding is because all of my other friends have their cars modded but they also like to buy used and ditch them after a few years while I like to keep something for a while. Oh well. :p

Gracias again! :cool:
 
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