thanks big sky, this thread helped a ton! i would have made a boat load of mistakes.
couple of things I noticed with my plug change:
on my 05 wrx, the battery did not need to be removed. maybe the 04 you have is slightly laid out diff but i got in there ok with the battery in. it was a little tight buy i managed.
some
i found a trick to get the socket off the plug you just installed: the first plug i put on the socket got stuck, had to use needlenose pliers to work it out. on the rest, i decided to throw a little spit on the insulator... as a lube... it helps the socket slide off w/o getting stuck in there. hehe, if you've never used spit as a lube before, youre lyin.
careful with the ratchets and sockets on the passenger side. when they drop they are hard to get, you need a set of needlenose to fish them off the skid plate, that's a real pita
someone asked which side the black and white plugs go on. for me it "black in back", white by the lights (thats the stupid rhyme i used to remember which wire went on which plug, but it worked)
last i would say take your time... my first time was about 1:45 or so, but there
some things you don't want to forget to install if you rush and fock up. next time it'll take me under an hour. thanks man.