to void or not to void

its a ratio of how badly you want to mod it and how easily you could afford a new engine. if you absolutely cannot afford a blown engine and all the costs associated with that then dont mod it. if you absolutely want a faster wrx and could afford a new engine, even if it would suck to deal with that situation id say go for it.

i got an ap and tuned my 18 wrx at 1600 miles. i personally think the risk of engine failure is low, but at the end of the day i dont really know that for sure. what i do know for sure is my ability to pay for a new engine out of pocket if need be, would suck but id be far from bankrupt.

if you do decide to mod the car and go this route i will offer one piece of advice i haven't seen others bring up too often. just realise that the more powerful your car becomes the more fragile it becomes. if your engine is making 100 ft-lb's of tq more than stock you really better never get lazy with your driving. use that mute button on your steering wheel whenever your putting load on the engine, listen to it when its working hard, dont just always have music playing. the margin of error on the stock engine is far different than tuned, and shrinks more and more with more and more power. drive well and take care, it should last a long time.

but also realise subaru has a lot more resources than cobb, they put these cars together a certain way for a reason, and you meddle with it at your peril.

MainFrame said:

For what it's worth, the car should already be making around 300hp stock. You likely mean WHP (to the wheels).


Whether to go down the road of potential engine warranty claim denial is up to you and you alone. If you do decide to tune the car, make sure to do your research and don't cheap out. Do it the right way, and take care of the engine (let the oil warm up before going into boost, avoid high load low RPM conditions, avoid bouncing it off of the rev limiter/hard launches/extended WOT pulls/racing everywhere/general asshattery, run the right fuel, check your oil regularly, and stay on top of maintenance.. those kinds of things).

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this is the most sound advice for someone on the fence.


all the horror stories you hear of mod then blow are cases related to the average vapebro idiot that doesnt do any of the above. if youre relatively intuitive and care about your car, [moderate] modding wont run you into problems. i am at stage 3+ whatever you want to call it, and im doing okay. im working with an EJ so take it for what its worth. if you mod now, and blow the engine, youre paying. you wont get away with warranty claims. if you mod after after warranty and blow the engine, youre paying. so whats the difference? the difference is youre securing 3 years worth of driving on a stock engine. warranty is only good for an unmolested ecu/engine.

the warranty logic is only peace of mind for your stock engine, as it sits now. so if you want to be worry free for the next 3 years, stick with the warranty. trade off is stock engine. personally i just think youre prolonging the inevitable.

im not implying that mainframe is saying go for it, nor am i telling you to but just remember: you have to pay to play.