[mjboudreaux77]

I have no mods at all, and am currently 35K miles.

Regardless if I drive hard or not, the outside of the car smells like something is burning. It doesn't smell like clutch, more like something is cooking on the exhaust pipe.

I don't smell it from inside the car, only once I have parked in the garage and gotten out.

Anyone else have this?

Not sure if it is related or not, but when I do drive it hard - I have noticed the power drop at ~5K RPM is more severe. The car bucked pretty bad on the highway today in 4th just after passing 5K RPM. It was repeatable for a while, then went away.

I will be scheduling an appointment with the dealer next week since the warranty is almost up - but was hoping some folks on the forum could give me some pointers if they have gone through this.

 

[Amaterasu]

I actually have the same smell when I get out after parking my 2011 WRX! It doesn't smell like it's burned, but it's hard to describe the smell.

 

[lokey]

I have no mods at all, and am currently 35K miles.

Regardless if I drive hard or not, the outside of the car smells like something is burning. It doesn't smell like clutch, more like something is cooking on the exhaust pipe.

I don't smell it from inside the car, only once I have parked in the garage and gotten out.

Anyone else have this?

Not sure if it is related or not, but when I do drive it hard - I have noticed the power drop at ~5K RPM is more severe. The car bucked pretty bad on the highway today in 4th just after passing 5K RPM. It was repeatable for a while, then went away.

I will be scheduling an appointment with the dealer next week since the warranty is almost up - but was hoping some folks on the forum could give me some pointers if they have gone through this.

The only way to tell is to get under there and check it out. My wife's car just recently had a terrible "burning" smell coming from it. Come to find out, a grocery bag found its way under there and had melted to her downpipe. So every time she drove the car and dp got hot, the plastic would heat up and cause the smell.

I don't think the bucking at 5K is related, but I've been wrong before. Definitely have the dealer check that out while you still have a warranty.

 

[mjboudreaux77]

so, now that I am trying to debug the smell - it isn't happening any more. Maybe salt from the roads got on the exhaust pipe and just needed to burn off.

i plan on getting the AP to fix the 5K power drop. Lots of reading on this and other forums is strongly pointing to the factory tune being the issue.

Summer tires getting installed next week - then the AP gets ordered.

I have to find a way to be happy without constantly finding ways to spend money!

 

[Graham2011]

Had a burning smell coming from my wife's 2011 Sti I had it out doing some hard launches checking 0-60 times, noticed the traction control kicking in probably should have turned it off and was on a slight incline in a couple of launches. Its her daily driver and when she came home from work and parked in our garage could really smell it. Checked the belts, exhaust and wheel bearings, all fine, believe it was/is brakes and is linked to the hill brake which does not always engage-disengage properly. We have a lot of sand and salt build up underneath and I think that causes the issue. Have been trying to keep things hosed off and have not had the problem since. The AP took care of all the power dips and roughness had the same drop around 4500-5000rpm