[BenDiem]

Greetings all,

New to forum and will take delivery of a new '18 WRX Base real soon. I'm buying off the lot. This will be my first Subie.
I'm interested in body side molding & short shift kit. Also considering the Kicker speakers.

I'm coming from the JK Wrangler world. Trading in the Jeep for the WRX.

What can I expect for labor costs on the above dealer installations?

Do you recommend the SSK & the Kicker speakers? What other OEM options/parts should I consider?

Do you recommend an extended warranty? What is a good price for the extended warranty?

I'm definitely getting tints. Can't think of anything else that is a must.

Appreciate any advice/recommendations.

Merry Christmas & HNY!

Cheers/B

 

[Blk17WRX]

If you don't plan on flashing the ECU than the extended warranty is a good option.

I would skip the dealer addons and get them yourself. You can probably find an aftermarket shifter for much less, and same with the speakers. Not sure if the 18' uses the same radio as the 17', but if it does than you'll definitely want to go with an aftermarket radio because I don't think I've ever heard a worse factory radio than the one that is in my 17' WRX.

There are tons of mods you can do that won't get in the way of your warranty.

Upgrade the headlights & foglights to HID/LED
Grab yourself a switchback LED kit for the C light
Cat back exhausts don't require a tune, so there is almost no chance a dealer can try and use that to deny a warranty claim
Upgrade to an aftermarket radio & speakers
Tint all the way around

Subiespeed and MAPerformance are great WRX aftermarket retailers

 

[XJman]

Subispeed has a nice long history of having customers data stolen and fraudulent charges made to their Bank accounts.

I would opt for one of the fine vendors on this forum.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[WRX-maniac]

I agree with XJ. My main 2 vendors to shop from are rallysportdirect and subimods. Kronos and oakos are vendors here and are also very good.

I also agree with blk17wrx, if you have any kind of mechanical know how, I would opt aftermarket for the STS kit. Kartboy makes a great kit that includes the STS and bushings that will make a much better improvement over the oem STS option.

Congrats, and be sure to post some pics when you receive your new ride.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

 

[BenDiem]

TY, all. Appreciate the feedback.

HNY/cheers,

B

 

[irickchad]

You'll soon find with these cars, and it's probably the same in the Jeep world, if you're savvy at building a vehicle the way you like it, and not the way the "manufacturer" liked it when it came off the lot, you're much more likely to enjoy "aftermarket" mods vs OEM mods.

Others mentioned good vendors, and you can't go wrong with anyone on the forum, but my personal vendor of choice is Import Image Racing. I've spent countless dollars and received hours of support from them. A+++++

 

[Blk17WRX]

Subispeed has a nice long history of having customers data stolen and fraudulent charges made to their Bank accounts.

I would opt for one of the fine vendors on this forum.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

I had no idea they had issues like that.

Thanks for the heads up!

 

[XJman]

I had no idea they had issues like that.

Thanks for the heads up!

There are a few mentions of it here and quite a bit elsewhere. They may have things ironed out or are working towards a solution but I've seen recent comments about it and it would make me wary. If they get things straight more power to everyone.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[BenDiem]

^^^ Gents, great posts! Thanks for sharing.

Cheers/B

 

[BenDiem]

^^^ In closing the loop, I picked up my '18 WRX this past Saturday. Base in WRB. Love it!
Stalled exiting the dealership, lol. Have not stalled since.

Initial impressions: Clutch travel is long. Clutch action is very smooth. Getting a smooth acceleration from the 1>2 shift is difficult. I need to learn the sweet spot.

I like the comfort of the seats. I love the panoramic view. I love the dashboard and the rotary dials. Although I kept the car <4K rpms, it feels pretty quick. Steering wheel feels great. It feels very sure footed/well planted.

So far, the only dislikes are the poor performing/weak stereo! Trunk closure feels a bit hollow/cheap.

I ordered an SRS axle back w/muffler. Can't wait to install it. It looks a lot like the nameless axle back w/muffler. I also ordered fog lights, body side molding and mud flaps. Dealer ordered & will install...

I chose the Base over the Premium/Limited. Why: I hate sunroofs. I prefer 17" wheels w/45 ratio tires for a slightly softer/more comfortable ride. More rubber sidewall to protect the wheels on crappy roads.
This will be my DD. As such, I prefer a more comfortable ride over a more sporty ride. Moreover, 17" tires cost less than 18" tires, if I purchase winter tires.

Looking forward to a long & loving relationship w/this car.

Happy New Year, all.

Cheers/B

 

[90Duck]

I chose the Base over the Premium/Limited. Why: I hate sunroofs. I prefer 17" wheels w/45 ratio tires for a slightly softer/more comfortable ride. More rubber sidewall to protect the wheels on crappy roads.
This will be my DD. As such, I prefer a more comfortable ride over a more sporty ride. Moreover, 17" tires cost less than 18" tires, if I purchase winter tires.

Looking forward to a long & loving relationship w/this car.

Happy New Year, all.

Cheers/B

I think that is a valid call on the 17" tires. I have a '16 Premium with the 18" tires as my summer shoes and 17" narrower/taller tires for winter. The ride is much quieter and smoother with the winter combo on. With prior vehicles I couldn't wait for spring to change back to summer tires, but it is completely the opposite with the WRX.

 

[CQUICK01]

^^^ In closing the loop, I picked up my '18 WRX this past Saturday. Base in WRB. Love it!
Stalled exiting the dealership, lol. Have not stalled since.

Initial impressions: Clutch travel is long. Clutch action is very smooth. Getting a smooth acceleration from the 1>2 shift is difficult. I need to learn the sweet spot.

I like the comfort of the seats. I love the panoramic view. I love the dashboard and the rotary dials. Although I kept the car

I've found taking your time between 1 and 2 can smooth it out a bit. The rev hang seems to be the biggest reason 1-2 can be rough.

 

[m3incorp]

The Kicker speakers are actually a really good upgrade. Sure you can buy other speakers from such places as Crutchfield. They are plug and play. Took my son and I about 45 minutes to change out all door speakers and the tweeters. We added a 12" subwoofer enclosure the next day to make it complete. The short shifter kit is not that expensive and most dealers will give you a discount on parts when buying a new car from them. The 1 to 2 shift can be a bit of a nuisance..... but hey you aren't stalling so all is good.

 

[calsarah13]

What can I expect for labor costs on the above dealer installations?

There are standard prices on Subaru.com for these parts, which includes installation. You should still negotiate, though.

Do you recommend the SSK & the Kicker speakers? What other OEM options/parts should I consider?

I have had the STI short throw shifter on my 2015 WRX base, my 2015 STI Limited, and now my 2016 STI Limited. While I'm happy with the kit, I can tell you that there are better aftermarket options for less money. You should also look into a shift stop for sure. I have the Harmon Kardon system in my 2016 and I'm perfectly happy with it. TBH I often turn off the stereo to listen to the sound of the EJ rumble...

Do you recommend an extended warranty? What is a good price for the extended warranty?

I definitely DO NOT recommend it. If you really decide you want one sometime down the road, you can still purchase one. But the fact that you're already an enthusiast - enough of an enthusiast to find this forum and make this post - indicates to me that you will catch the modding bug sooner or later. The only mod you can do and be certain to maintain your powertrain warranty is a catback or axleback. Obviously there are other mods (suspension, brakes, wheels, etc.) that won't affect your powertrain warranty, but you might find yourself wanting more by the time you get to 1k, 20k, 50k, 60,0001 miles...

Good luck and have fun!

 

[BenDiem]

^^^ Most helpful! TY both, very much...

Best/Cheers,

B

 

[why2kmax]

I hated the factory stereo but after fiddling with it for weeks i finally got it to be mostly acceptable.

PUt the fade a little more toward the front and put the setting where the radio gets louder the faster you go to max or one under max. That all helped a good bit.

Not sure if Sirrus has upped their volume or quality but over the last few weeks the radio seems MUCH louder and sounds better on Sat radio.

 

[BenDiem]

^^^ I will try that. Thanks for the tip.

I saw a YouTube video where someone posted that you have to go into the radio settings and adjust the equalizer settings something like this, if I recall correctly...

First setting was one or two bars above half/even
Second setting was one bar below half/even
Third setting was even
Fourth setting was one bar below even
Fifth setting was one or two bars above half...

Something like that...

I'll def try what u suggested!

TY/Cheers,

B

 

[XJman]

Greetings all,

New to forum and will take delivery of a new '18 WRX Base real soon. I'm buying off the lot. This will be my first Subie.
I'm interested in body side molding & short shift kit. Also considering the Kicker speakers.

I'm coming from the JK Wrangler world. Trading in the Jeep for the WRX.

What can I expect for labor costs on the above dealer installations?

Do you recommend the SSK & the Kicker speakers? What other OEM options/parts should I consider?

Do you recommend an extended warranty? What is a good price for the extended warranty?

I'm definitely getting tints. Can't think of anything else that is a must.

Appreciate any advice/recommendations.

Merry Christmas & HNY!

Cheers/B

Jeep service is dirt cheap usually. Cheap generic functional good parts are a dime a dozen. What I've found with my Subaru compared to my JK was quite the opposite. Good parts command a high price, so do bad parts. Its what I call the rice tax. Before you dive into something research the product. You'll have a lot of morons out there who pump up the names of crap quality products because its cool. Labor is typically similar, dealer parts are usually comparable. When it comes to consumables like brakes my Subaru was far more picky about what went on, its so light and tight that cheap tires or brakes really impact what you are doing behind the wheel.

Unless the 18 changed, the 15-17 owners reported the biggest audio improvement from the head unit regardless of base stereo or upgraded. If you like car audio it might be worth your time to just get the cheap option and have a shop install a better set with all of other functionality you may want.

Extended warranties are a crap shoot. Some are good, some are glorified parts contracts. You'll have to read exactly what they are offering. Personally on a car I planed to modify at all I would just skip it.

My big must for any vehicle is great all weather floor mats. I'm partial to weathertech however husky and others make great kits as well. If you have pets a rear seat cover is pretty handy as well.

 

[BenDiem]

^^^ Appreciate the valuable info!
While waiting for the installation of some OEM accessories at my local dealer, I overhead some service techs going over the price of customer's service costs. Wow, I was surprised. Pretty expensive...

Cheers,

B

 

[mattleegee]

I would skip side molding, extended warranties (crapshoot) and install stuff yourself

My favorite mods so far
*Extended arm rest or better yet the "JDM dual console armrest" all you need is screwdriver
*Tints (pay for this install)
*Weathertech floor mats
*Lighting, on my premium the lighting was HORRIBLE, i swapped in LED headlights and LED foglights, DRL are ok but those got changed to in the swapping spree (install took a socket and screwdriver this time)

Speakers/HU are pretty bad, i adjusted mine front to back until it sounded good and played with settings for 10mins to get it dialed in, now not so bad but livable. There is a OEM sub you can hook directly into stock HU and mount in the trunk that (might) help