[MRGTX]

My family has a long history of happy Subaru ownership, including the first car that I ever rode in, a 1976 wagon

So while I've been off in the world of old Mopars, Miatas and more recently, Coyote Mustangs, it finally came time to find a fun/quick/reliable daily driver and the WRX was the obvious choice and I was overdue for my first Subaru anyway.

I'm 400 miles in so far, keeping it below 4K RPM is killing me but like many of you guys, I'm in this for the long haul. It's proving to be everything that I had hoped and even without dipping into the boost much, the car is a blast to drive.

I have a couple of questions so far-

1.) The only World Rally Blue/6spd base car that was available locally had over 100 miles on it. Previously, I never would have taken delivery of a new car that had been driven at all but the price was right and most folks said not to worry about it. The clutch doesn't chatter, there are no signs of abuse (of course)...but as I grow to love this car, I can't help but wonder what the worst case scenario might have been for this car's first miles. It will get the best of care from here on out...but is there anything I should look for to put my mind at ease? Really, the car drives insanely well...

2.) Sadly, my car has a dealer add-on which is a faux-carbon fiber piece above the license plate with a faint "STi" logo on it. It looks fine but it's not my style. Any advice on getting that off without damaging anything? Is it an application over a painted piece or would I have to buy a new piece of trim? Would anyone want to swap?

3.) Is there any tribal wisdom about break-in periods that aren't covered in the manual?

4.) Is there any benefit to letting the car idle after arriving (to cool off the turbo) or is that unnecessary?

5.) Subarus seem to have mixed results when it comes to body rust. I'm in New England which gets as much winter road-brine as anywhere else in the country (or the world?)...what do you guys do to minimize rust?
Touchless washing (with undercarriage spray) is the obvious answer but this only makes sense when you drive out onto bone dry roads. Otherwise, you might as well set the $10 bill under a tire and dump the clutch.

6.) Anything inherently wrong with the stock tune like previous generations?

7.) Is there a favored go-to snow tire in this community? What have you guys picked for your snow tire wheels?


So...any insight, words of wisdom or experiences would be extremely welcome!!
-Mike

 

[McBill]

My family has a long history of happy Subaru ownership, including the first car that I ever rode in, a 1976 wagon

So while I've been off in the world of old Mopars, Miatas and more recently, Coyote Mustangs, it finally came time to find a fun/quick/reliable daily driver and the WRX was the obvious choice and I was overdue for my first Subaru anyway.

I'm 400 miles in so far, keeping it below 4K RPM is killing me but like many of you guys, I'm in this for the long haul. It's proving to be everything that I had hoped and even without dipping into the boost much, the car is a blast to drive.

Well, first off, welcome to the club!

1.) The only World Rally Blue/6spd base car that was available locally had over 100 miles on it. Previously, I never would have taken delivery of a new car that had been driven at all but the price was right and most folks said not to worry about it. The clutch doesn't chatter, there are no signs of abuse (of course)...but as I grow to love this car, I can't help but wonder what the worst case scenario might have been for this car's first miles. It will get the best of care from here on out...but is there anything I should look for to put my mind at ease? Really, the car drives insanely well...

I wouldn't look much into this. It's likely it was a dealer trade and was driven 100 miles to your dealership from another. It could be test drive miles, but that seems a little high to be that.

2.) Sadly, my car has a dealer add-on which is a faux-carbon fiber piece above the license plate with a faint "STi" logo on it. It looks fine but it's not my style. Any advice on getting that off without damaging anything? Is it an application over a painted piece or would I have to buy a new piece of trim? Would anyone want to swap?

I can't think of what you're talking about. A picture might be helpful.

3.) Is there any tribal wisdom about break-in periods that aren't covered in the manual?

Nope. Just follow the break-in period as the manual states. I can't remember exactly what the oil change interval recommendations are in the manual for the new WRX's, but I want to say it states $7,500 miles. To me, that's too long for some oils. I would recommend changing the oil every 3500-5000 miles depending on how you drive.

4.) Is there any benefit to letting the car idle after arriving (to cool off the turbo) or is that unnecessary?

No, Subaru has designed their cooling system to continue to cool the turbo even after the car is shut off, through convection. This eliminates the need to employ a turbo timer or to allow the turbo to cool down through idling before shutting the car off.

5.) Subarus seem to have mixed results when it comes to body rust. I'm in New England which gets as much winter road-brine as anywhere else in the country (or the world?)...what do you guys do to minimize rust?
Touchless washing (with undercarriage spray) is the obvious answer but this only makes sense when you drive out onto bone dry roads. Otherwise, you might as well set the $10 bill under a tire and dump the clutch.

It's still worth it to spray down every once in a while, even if the roads are wet, to prevent buildup. Unfortunately, there really isn't much you can do in the rust belt other than to try and use touch less washes with undercarriage sprays and keep up with your paint protection. ie. wax/seal the clear coat frequently.

I would recommend a full front clear bra to help prevent rock chips, and the eventual rust that comes with them. Especially with living in the rust belt. Subaru's clear coat's aren't known for their durability against small pebbles.

6.) Anything inherently wrong with the stock tune like previous generations?

This is a common misconception. Nothing is "wrong" with the stock tune. It's perfectly safe and is the way it is for various reasons. Now, there are some complaints about the choppiness of the power curve on most year's. There seems to also be a pretty unanimous disapproval of the rev-hang that has been employed on the new generation. Both of these little quirks can be remedied with a professional tune or an off the shelf (OTS) Cobb tune. This is not recommended if you plan to remain stock for the foreseeable future. Doing this gives Subaru of America a reason to deny a related warranty claim should something go wrong. Seeing that these motors can be rather delicate if things are not done correctly, you'll have to weigh the risk of modifying for power gains yourself.

7.) Is there a favored go-to snow tire in this community? What have you guys picked for your snow tire wheels?

The Subaru community tends to flock to Bridgestone Blizzaks for winter tires. Personally, I think they are too expensive for what they are. There are cheaper options that function just as well. I run Michelin x-ice Xi3's and they worked well. However, I didn't have many opportunities to test them out in the snow this winter as our winter here in Ohio this past year was very mild. Other popular choices are Continetal ExtremeWinterContact, General Altimax Arctic, and of course any Nokian winter tire is the best of the best. You can't go wrong with any of those options.

So...any insight, words of wisdom or experiences would be extremely welcome!!
-Mike

Words of wisdom to live by: Do your research. Know what you are throwing into your car. Subaru's engines are known to be quite fragile when something is done wrong. ie. modifications without the proper adjustments to the ecu to compensate for said modifications. Should you eventually chose to modify, know what you are doing and how it will effect the engine. Otherwise, follow the maintenance schedule and check your oil frequently and there is no reason this car shouldn't live a very long and happy life.

:thumbup:

 

[WRB-T-Rex]

I have a couple of questions so far-

2.) Sadly, my car has a dealer add-on which is a faux-carbon fiber piece above the license plate with a faint "STi" logo on it. It looks fine but it's not my style. Any advice on getting that off without damaging anything? Is it an application over a painted piece or would I have to buy a new piece of trim? Would anyone want to swap?

This is just a trim piece that is either stuck on or screwed on. My bet, for the factory, they most likely screw it in but Heres the trunk trim

7.) Is there a favored go-to snow tire in this community? What have you guys picked for your snow tire wheels?

I ran X-Ice 3 on my mustang and I liked them, but I believe the General Altimax are a sister brand of Bridgestone (T-WRX on youtube said this). So I'm going to try those since they are much cheapeR

Welcome by the way. Hope you enjoy the car, had mine for about 3.5 months and it's definitely my favorite car I've owned so far

 

[MRGTX]

McBill,
Thanks!! Awesome info. This is extremely helpful.

The oil change interval is another good point. The book says 6,000 miles under normal duty cycle. While I don't intend to work the car too hard (no track days, probably) I do enjoy my engines...so I'd at least stick with the severe duty cycle which is much shorter of an interval (can't remember exactly what off the top of my head).

At what mileage did you guys do your first change?

WRB-T-Rex--
That's the piece! Wow...I guess it's real carbon fiber. Think of the weight savings!

 

[McBill]

McBill,
Thanks!! Awesome info. This is extremely helpful.

The oil change interval is another good point. The book says 6,000 miles under normal duty cycle. While I don't intend to work the car too hard (no track days, probably) I do enjoy my engines...so I'd at least stick with the severe duty cycle which is much shorter of an interval (can't remember exactly what off the top of my head).

At what mileage did you guys do your first change?

WRB-T-Rex--
That's the piece! Wow...I guess it's real carbon fiber. Think of the weight savings!

Heads up. It's not real carbon fiber lol. It's just a plastic cover that sticks on top of the standard trim piece. Source: I installed one on my old WRX.

Now, first oil change is always a highly debated topic. Personally, I would stick to what the manual states. Which I believe to be like 3500 miles or something? Some people claim you should change the oil after the first 1k miles (break-in period). I don't really agree with this. I'm not sure if Subaru employs break-in oil off the factory line, but if they do then it's pretty important to leave that oil in there for the duration they spell out. Otherwise you have the chance of dispersing more metal shavings into fresh oil, potentially. Keep in mind that this is all speculation. I have no facts to backup these claims.

 

[Firefighterjake]

Random thoughts . . .

I did my first oil change at 1,000 miles . . . every 3,000-5,000 miles since . . . which is more often than the Subaru recommendation, but nothing too crazy. The great thing about this car is how easy it is to do an oil change.

I'm not sure if it makes a huge difference or not . . . but other than two times (once when I picked up my car) I've tried to only run premium Shell gas.

I'm running General Arctics . . . so far I like them a lot.

Some folks complain about the stock tune . . . I've never had any great issues or concerns with it . . . I do know the clutch took a bit to get used to after having come from the buttery-smooth shifting Honda Accord.

 

[MRGTX]

Once again, guys. Thanks for the input! I'm almost through the break in period...I can't wait to wind it up.

I pushed the car a bit through one of my favorite twisty back roads and already I can tell that the handling is something close to magical with these cars. My Coyote Mustang has 285/35/19, 200 treadwear tires at all four corners, Eibach springs/Bilstein shocks and I thought that car transitioned pretty well...but there's no comparison.

Any word on how the FA20's head gaskets will hold up? Did they ever figure out why the older motors wrecked head gaskets at or before 100k?

How are peoples' clutches holding up after some mileage? This is my first AWD car and I can't help but think that without burning the tires off the line, the clutch has to absorb that much more slippage each and every time you launch in a "spirited" manner...

On that topic, are the magazine test/6000 RPM launches as abusive as they seem? I can't imagine doing that to my own car!!