My 05 Blue "Premium" Subaru Impreza WRX. "Hit from behind!". 2/29/16

[CAMAROBOY69]

Sold my 2004 WRX because I simply cant daily drive a manual transmission with my bad back. Since I loved the 04 WRX so much, I bought another similar WRX.

2005 WRX blue "premium", however, this is an automatic. My plans are to keep it fairly stock. Just to have a nice reliable WRX for daily driving. It has been in the shop to repair oil leaks and fix other issues that existed prior to purchase. It has a limited warranty that covers major parts. Unfortuanetely the warranty did not cover the recent repairs. Most were maily seals and gaskets to prevent oil leaks. But at least I have a warranty in case anything major happens. I also removed the mud flaps right after I purchased the car. The Cobb exhaust sounds a lot better than the Magnaflow that was on my 04. This 05 als has a remote starter and I have been loving it for this winter.

Current installed upgrades (updated 1/16/16)
-170,000 Miles. "Premium" package including heated seats, moonroof, and heated front wipers.
-Cobb 3" downpipe (installed by previous owner)
-Cobb muffler (installed by previous owner)
-Aftermarket Led halo headlights (installed by previous owner)
-Aftermarket tail lights (installed by previous owner)
-New upper and lower radiator hoses (3/19/15)
-New oil sensor (3/19/15)
-New Subaru rubber floor mats (2/12/15)
-New power steering pump (2/12/15)
-New valve cover gaskets (2/12/15)
-New timing belt (2/15/15)
-New Continental all Season Tires (2/7/15)
-New K&N Filter (2/13/15)
-New oil cooler seals (2/12/15)
-New turbo gaskets (2/12/15)
-New cam and crank seals (2/12/15)
-New lower ball joints (2/12/15)
-New antifreeze cooler reservoir (2/12/15)
-New crank sensor (2/12/15)
-27 point inspection by dealership (2/12/15).
-New cabin air filter (9/8/15)
-New Windshield (8/20/15)
-New stainless steel up pipe. (11/25/15)


My current plans for this spring / summer.
-Paint blue "WRX" onto the calipers like I did with the 04 WRX.
-Currently has a stock 6 disc cd changer. So I might get an entire new stereo system. Probably a new deck, component door speakers, along with subs and amp. Probably a custom sub box. Similar setup to the 04 wrx.
-Detail the entire car inside and out.
-Undercoat under the entire car to prevent rust.

Recent pics 9/8/15 (Painted wheels black)

Previous pics BELOW. 2/26/15

------------------------------------------------------------------------
Below. Older pics Bought 1/3/15 My 04 and 05 wrx

^ Brought it home.
-----------------------------------------------------------------

^First bought the car. This is the owners house with my 04 and 05 WRX.

 

[Ibonibo]

Ahh nice choice 👍

Do you gonna keep the lights as they are or go OEM?

What I do miss on your future mod list are some wheel spacers

Very cool the pics with both cars!
Good choice on the mud flaps ( they look wierd on the last pic, way too long...

We expect pics after the detail session week

👍 👍

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Ahh nice choice 👍

Do you gonna keep the lights as they are or go OEM?

What I do miss on your future mod list are some wheel spacers

Very cool the pics with both cars!
Good choice on the mud flaps ( they look wierd on the last pic, way too long...

We expect pics after the detail session week

👍 👍

Thank you. Excellent question about the headlights. At first I was planning on replacing the halo lights with the OEM. But they have drawn a lot of positive attention and have grown on me. Every time I pre-start the car, the halos are on and look real nice. So for now, they will stay. I also noticed the previous owner removed all the badges. I will probably just leave it like that.

I have never and wont ever run wheels spacers. I was thinking about new wheels but I really don't plan to put much money into this car. Probably keep it a few years then get something different once the warranty runs out. At that point I will have no idea what I want. But it wont be another WRX of this year.

Currently I still smell a little oil or something from the engine compartment so if that doesn't go away soon, I will probably make a trip back to the shop to have them check it out. Not sure if it is more oil leaking, or a pocket of old oil that needs to burn off. The loaner they gave me last time was a 2015 Legacy so that wasn't too bad of a loaner at all.

The paint isn't too bad but it will be some work getting this car anywhere near as immaculate as my 04 WRX. The last week or so it has been -10f degrees so doing anything on the car is out of the question. I have been taking it to the underbody car was at least once a week to get the salt off. Looking forward to warmer weather so I can spend a good week or so detailing the car inside and out. Plus I want to undercoat the entire car.

 

[Kent]

Awesome car, always loved this model.
Nice choice in replacing the old one, looking forward to updates as you get this one into the shape of the last one.

 

[Harry6784]

No Camaro in the snow?

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Awesome car, always loved this model.
Nice choice in replacing the old one, looking forward to updates as you get this one into the shape of the last one.

Ty. Looking forward to spring and warmer weather so I can start detailing the entire car.

No Camaro in the snow?

haha nope.


I took a couple pics of the NON DETAILED interior over the weekend. Was snowing like crazy so I was only able to get a few decent pics. I really like the climate control system in this car. Being able to set the temperature and have it stay consistent is very nice in the winter. Also saves stress on the remote starter since the fan always starts at a low speed and works its way up.

Currently has some sort of pink or red "STI" pedal covers. I will probably remove those or replace them with something that is not pink. Or I could paint the pink spots blue. Not sure yet.

Some might remember that I struggled with the other WRX to find floor mats I like. Well I picked up some rubber Subaru floor mats and I LOVE them!! Plus the entire set was only $50.00.

 

[Leonidae@MFT]

When you got it:

"I'm going to keep it as is."

Bit later..

"POWERRRRR!"

 

[Ronald6]

That climate control feature sounds like a copy of the system Subaru put into their SVXs. I love how simple and yet effective it is.

Push AUTO. Set temp by degrees. Done. (I just wish mine workes properly. Hot is fine, cold... not so much.)

Edit:
And yes, those pedals have got to go.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

When you got it:

"I'm going to keep it as is."

Bit later..

"POWERRRRR!"

I promise that is not happening. My 04 WRX had "power" and was far from stock. But was just not reliable. I am leaving this 05 WRX bone stock to keep it as reliable as possible for a daily driver. If I want power, I will drive the Camaro.

That climate control feature sounds like a copy of the system Subaru put into their SVXs. I love how simple and yet effective it is.

Push AUTO. Set temp by degrees. Done. (I just wish mine workes properly. Hot is fine, cold... not so much.)

Edit:
And yes, those pedals have got to go.

I agree about the climate control and also about the "STI" pedal covers. Not sure if I will put other covers on there or just remove them completely.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

@Ronald6 I also found out something else last night about the automatic climate control. If the car is cold, the system will not turn the fan on at all for the heater. It waits until the car starts warming up, then gradually increases the speed of the fan. Works very similar to the electronic DC controller I have wired to the cooling fan in my 69 Camaro. Very similar concept.

 

[Ronald6]

Check my thread, I posted a couple of owners videos for the SVX. It mentions what you just said. It also informed me that the AC compressor runs all the time if I'm using the climate controls and I need to use the ECON button to turn it off. I can't tell a difference in HP between off and on. Supposedly it's a low pressure system or some such and not nearly as draining on the engine as a normal AC unit. Way cool.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I mentioned earlier that the car was at the shop getting quite a bit of repairs for leaks. I have had it back from them for the last month and it was still slowly leaking and I still smelled oil and fluid burning. I set up an appointment after work last Thursday to have them fix their unfinished repairs.

So last Thursday I had a very unexpected and frustrating surprise. Early in the morning and on my way to work. About half way there and I am doing about 65mph (speed limit is 70mph) and all of a sudden pow fluid spraying out of the hood. Shortly after that the oil light comes on. I smelled the antifreeze and figured the oil light was on due to the antifreeze getting onto the oil sensor. I knew the oil wasn't low because I just checked it. Every Subaru of this year has oil sensor connection problems and if they get wet, they turn on. At this point I knew I wasn't going to make it to work on time so I headed for the dealer. Luckily for me it was about a mile from where I was at. Keep in mind I have NEVER been late to work in the 14 years I have been here. So I arrive then call my boss to have him pick me up.

I call the dealer a couple hours later and vent my frustration. By the end of the day the car was repaired. They replaced the upper and lower radiator hoses, put ANOTHER valve cover gasket set in because the first set they installed had a pinch in the back that slowly leaked for the last month. They also replaced some other items, new oil sensor, and cleaned up the brakes. They also replaced the power steering pump because they somehow messed that up. Since they knew these errors were their fault, they fixed all these parts FOR FREE.

Car seems to be doing fine so far and I don't smell any fluid burning any more. I will keep checking for leaks. But this will for sure be the last Subaru I buy. Since no one around here knows how to work on these, it will be my last. I will hold onto it for a few years and before the warranty runs out, I will sell it or trade it in.

 

[Parker]

You sure do seem to have bad luck with Subaru, at least the repairs didn't cost you anything. Incompetent "techs" and "mechanics" that dealers seem to employ are exactly why I never take my car anywhere near them.

Everyone I know (and myself) have always had great service and reliability from Subaru. I know a few people with well over 200K miles on their WRXs and they've only done routine maintenance and I believe headgaskets, certainly not all the issues you've had.

 

[Ronald6]

I think you got lucky with the management, it's rare anyplace will admit fault and do the work again (sometimes even more work) for free without argument.

 

[Ibonibo]

Feared the worst seeing the title

Yeah as above, incompentence sadly is way too common, but most customers don't have enough knowledge to see through it, so they get away. At least they didn't recharge you. If the maintenance now was done faultless it should be good for quite a time 👍

 

[SVX]

I'm not too sure how knowledgeable my dad is with the tear drop/blob eyes, but if you have any questions regarding them let me know, and I'll ask him. He has a somewhat, er... healthy collection of Subarus and has years of experience with them.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

You sure do seem to have bad luck with Subaru, at least the repairs didn't cost you anything. Incompetent "techs" and "mechanics" that dealers seem to employ are exactly why I never take my car anywhere near them.

Everyone I know (and myself) have always had great service and reliability from Subaru. I know a few people with well over 200K miles on their WRXs and they've only done routine maintenance and I believe headgaskets, certainly not all the issues you've had.

Never had any major problems with my 05 RS at all. But the WRX cars of this year really seem to have a lot of unreliable issues especially with oil leaks. I do realize its not all the cars fault but trying to find a reliable tech in this area seems to be impossible especially since we have only 1 Subaru dealer in this area. They are the only place around here that can work on the car. Also if your friends had head gaskets replaced, its almost guaranteed they also had valve cover gaskets and several of the other items replaced that I mentioned. They all go hand in hand with this year Subaru. It doesn't help that the previous owners beat the heck out of these cars. So I usually have to replace everything they have beat up. I am beginning to think its simply the 2.0 engine that has more problems. The RS has the 2.5 and I know the STI also has the 2.5. So maybe it is the 2.0 WRX that has the most the issues. I could understand the problems if I was beating up my cars but I take immaculate care of my daily drivers.

I think you got lucky with the management, it's rare anyplace will admit fault and do the work again (sometimes even more work) for free without argument.

I went in beyond frustrated and when it broke down again, I literally parked it right in front of their company door. Then I called and gave an ear full about their poor service to their manager. Which in general it is not all the service managers fault, but the technicians doing the work. I am very patient but sheesh. I am just glad the service manager has been handling the return visits professionally. I have still been checking for leaks and expect to have to take it back again, but we will see.

Feared the worst seeing the title

Yeah as above, incompentence sadly is way too common, but most customers don't have enough knowledge to see through it, so they get away. At least they didn't recharge you. If the maintenance now was done faultless it should be good for quite a time 👍

After parking my car in front of the company door and venting my frustration, fixing the work for free was clearly the right thing to do. Yes hopefully it will be fine for a while. The only reason I even brought it in originally was because I didn't want any leaks. So it was just beyond frustrating that after all the work, the car was still leaking.

I'm not too sure how knowledgeable my dad is with the tear drop/blob eyes, but if you have any questions regarding them let me know, and I'll ask him. He has a somewhat, er... healthy collection of Subarus and has years of experience with them.

I have owned 3 of these cars and have a pretty good understanding how they work. I just hate to work on them plus I have a warranty so whenever something goes wrong, I bring it in so everything is documented. I appreciate the offer.


Not sure what my next car will be. Still want AWD. I wanted an EVO but again, its an import and I fear I would end up in the same situation where no one in this area can work on it properly. So maybe a Ford Fusion. I don't know of any AWD Chevy cars I like. Just not sure yet. I have a few years to decide but whatever I get will have a warranty for sure.

 

[eiriksmil]

Evos are much less of a hassle than Subarus though.. I mean it's hard to find a clean, stock car but if you can they'll treat you pretty good. HGs on Subarus seem rather common, although I'd love a lowered turbo Outback or Forester..

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Evos are much less of a hassle than Subarus though.. I mean it's hard to find a clean, stock car but if you can they'll treat you pretty good. HGs on Subarus seem rather common, although I'd love a lowered turbo Outback or Forester..

That's exactly what I have heard too since the Evo engine is an inline 4 cylinder with the plugs facing toward the front of the car. Like most other 4 cylinder cars. Where the Subaru has the Boxer H style 4 cylinder engine with 2 cylinders facing the passenger tire and the other 2 cylinders facing the driver tire. Making it VERY hard to work on. Just simply trying to change the plugs is a nightmare most will never understand. Everything is also twice as expensive. Even a simply valve cover gasket requires 2 valve cover gaskets and 2 valve covers in a Subaru because its an H style 4 cylinder. Just a complete pain.

In fact the owner of the previous WRX I sold, actually bought an Evo because the WRX was so dang hard to work on. I will consider an Evo for sure and it will be at the top of my list. Also more than likely it will have a different mechanic. The dealer I go to has different mechanics per car. So will for sure consider an evo. I wont ever own a Subaru ever again.

 

[eiriksmil]

I do love the sound of turbo Subaru boxers, but the trade-off is just so big compared to like you say, an inline four. The early DSM and VR4 units of the 63 had crank walk like the Subarus have head gaskets and trans issues in what it seems regular, but the Evo X has basically been 20 years in perfecting their inline four turbo design. Previous owners and potential abuse are the biggest threats to reliability I think.. Not like the Evo is an exotic or is really special in design or maintenance; it's just a damn sweet combination of good things

Btw does the auto have a lower hood scoop than the manual?

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I do love the sound of turbo Subaru boxers, but the trade-off is just so big compared to like you say, an inline four. The early DSM and VR4 units of the 63 had crank walk like the Subarus have head gaskets and trans issues in what it seems regular, but the Evo X has basically been 20 years in perfecting their inline four turbo design. Previous owners and potential abuse are the biggest threats to reliability I think.. Not like the Evo is an exotic or is really special in design or maintenance; it's just a damn sweet combination of good things

Btw does the auto have a lower hood scoop than the manual?

That is one feature I do truly love and will miss about the Subaru is that subbie sound. Like a little baby muscle car. Just such a unique sound.

I actually always wanted an Evo and Subaru. Started looking for an evo but could not find one at all in Michigan. So I started searching for WRX's. Love the cars just hate how unreliable the WRX is. The STI is truly the way to go with these Subarus. The 6 speed is much more reliable and so is the 2.5 engine. But I need an auto so that is out of the question.

Btw does the auto have a lower hood scoop than the manual?

The WRX has the same scoop if it is an auto or manual. My 04 WRX 5 speed manual had an STI hood scoop that the previous owner installed because it had a larger turbo and quite a few STI upgrades. So the larger scoop on that manual WRX really was necessary for cooling functionality. I prefer the lower stock WRX hood scoop like my 05 WRX has.

RS-No hood scoop (manual or auto)
WRX-Medium hood scoop (manual or auto)
STI-Large hood scoop (these cars only come with a 6 speed manual)

 

[savage388]

The only bad part about the evo is the price of a used one, which is even more insane than the markup on the subies. Oh and other than the evo x there all standards, which you can't do. You could always look at the lancer ralliart, same power as a wrx, dct trans and they're really cheap.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

The only bad part about the evo is the price of a used one, which is even more insane than the markup on the subies. Oh and other than the evo x there all standards, which you can't do. You could always look at the lancer ralliart, same power as a wrx, dct trans and they're really cheap.

I didn't realize all the evos other than the X were manuals. I will also keep the lancer ralliart in mind. Might consider the Lancer X if the price is decent in a few years especially since I would rather have a new version anyway. That way I will have a decent warranty.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

@savage388

I decided to take a little peak to see what my options were for the Ralliart Evo and whoa! The options are better than I expected. This is a automatic, Blue, 09 Ralliart evo with 75k for about 13-14k. Not bad at all!!

Has a Twin clutch SST 6 speed automatic. Also has paddle shifters. No heated seats or moon roof but this is for sure what I will be looking at getting.

I will definetly keep something like that in mind in a few years when I sell my 05 WRX. This is pretty much exactly what I would want as a Subaru replacement. Kinda wish I had not found this because I want it now!

 

[Ibonibo]

I looked way too long to find a fitting gif, after the usal memes (I know that feel, approved,...)

 

[savage388]

13-15k will get you a really nice clean one, I don't know why but everybody forgot about these as soon as they came out for reasons I just don't get.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Technically it's a Lancer Ralliart.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I looked way too long to find a fitting gif, after the usal memes (I know that feel, approved,...)

13-15k will get you a really nice clean one, I don't know why but everybody forgot about these as soon as they came out for reasons I just don't get.

The only rally art I ever heard of was the red black and white car in the Gran Turismo series.

Technically it's a Lancer Ralliart.

Thanks for the clarification. So this isn't actually a brand of Evo? Its a brand of Lancer called Ralliart? I really don't know much about the difference between Evos, Ralliart, or the other versions.

I also need to do some research about the AWC and the SST twin clutch. Most important I need to find the width of this thing to make sure its not much wider than my 05 WRX. When my wrx was being worked on they gave me a 2015 Legacy that would not fit in my garage next to the Camaro. But the WRX fits with no problem.

I also called around to make sure someone local could actually work on this Ralliart. Luckily the dealership right next to my house can work on it. So I am going in tonight to discuss this entire situation with a sales rep and see what we can work out. I don't feel like selling my wrx local so if he gives me a decent amount on the trade in, then this might happen. But we will see. As of right now, I don't expect this to go much further than a pipe dream.

 

[CodeRedR51]

Thanks for the clarification. So this isn't actually a brand of Evo? Its a brand of Lancer called Ralliart? I really don't know much about the difference between Evos, Ralliart, or the other versions.

You might consider it an Evo "light", but yeah it's marketed as a Lancer Ralliart. If you go to mitsubishicars.com, click the "vehicles" tab at the top and select the Lancer, it will give you the option to build one. They start at $29,495.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

You might consider it an Evo "light", but yeah it's marketed as a Lancer Ralliart. If you go to mitsubishicars.com, click the "vehicles" tab at the top and select the Lancer, it will give you the option to build one. They start at $29,495.

Ok thanks. Not quite an evo but a lighter, more mild version. Kinda how the WRX is compared to the STI. That makes sense.

I googled the AWC and SST twin clutch so now I have a better understanding of those. The SST is actually a sick system. I also like how it can be shifted with paddle shifters OR using the shifter.