We love the sound of our new (and quite expensive) Alpine system, but the complicated interface and low-res nav screen have annoyed many of us. We also encountered the quite-annoying problem of the trans consistently popping out of second gear, which was ultimately fixed by a $7000 (!) job involving the replacement of the entire transmission by our local dealership. With everything working it is a blast to drive, although many of us still feel we'd prefer the more-raw previous generation model.


2008 Subaru Impreza WRX STI - Long-Term Road Test Update

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_up date/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_12/1727627-1-eng-US/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_12_gallery _image_large.jpg

Current Mileage/Months in Fleet: 21,002 miles/7 months
Average Fuel Economy/Range: 20 mpg/338 miles
Service: $308
Normal Wear: $0
Repair: $0

We mentioned in our last update that the STI hadn’t received a lot of road-trip love, what with the presence of our long-term Mazda CX-9 (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_mazda_cx_9_awd_long_term_road_test), but the past three months have seen the Subie rack up nearly 12,000 miles. Indeed, our hot little hatch has seen a lot of unique terrain, traveling to South Carolina, New York City, Wisconsin, New Jersey, Maryland, Kentucky, and everywhere in between. It wasn’t all fun and games, though, as the STI spent about two weeks in service during the month of August.

...

Time in the Shop? Say It Ain’t So!
Our Subaru (http://www.caranddriver.com/buying_guide/subaru) was living a trouble-free life until nearly everyone who drove the car began to report the transmission popping out of second gear. (A quick Google search shows that we aren’t the only ones to experience this problem (http://www.iwsti.com/forums/2008-sti-discussion/119094-problem-my-2008-wrx-sti-transmission.html).) In the STI went to the local dealership, where—of course—the car refused to repeat its misbehavior. After a couple of weeks, we self-diagnosed the problem as occurring during light acceleration while traveling between 10–20 mph and took the car back in to the dealer, who now recognized our issue. The service rep decided to install a new transmission—at just 16,745 miles!—as well as a new clutch, pressure plate, and throw-out bearing, a $7000 job thankfully covered under warranty. Afterward, the dealer said that another option was to simply crack the gearbox open and repair it at a cost of $1000; why they didn’t do this isn’t totally clear. In any event, we’re happy to report there have been no further issues with the gearbox, but nor should there be.

Click here to read the rest at CARandDRIVER.com (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_up date)

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_up date/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_48/1728089-1-eng-US/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_48_gallery _image_large.jpg

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_up date/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_23/1727781-1-eng-US/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_23_gallery _image_large.jpg

http://www.caranddriver.com/var/ezwebin_site/storage/images/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_up date/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_30/1727879-1-eng-US/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_scotts_edit_30_gallery _image_large.jpg

http://www.CARandDRIVER.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/long_term_road_tests/2008_subaru_impreza_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_up date

waste of space :banana:

Man, those factory rims really made the car look nice, and they had to swap them for the same, played-out gunmetal rims everyone rolls with.

Not knocking OZs, but at least go with the gold rims! Geez.

sotc

"At the same time our transmission was being serviced, we had our dealer perform a mandatory ECU reflash required by Subaru of America. The manufacturer states that under certain harsh driving conditions “abnormal combustion could occur, resulting in serious internal engine damage in the form of broken piston ring lands.” (A PROBLEM THAT THEY BASICALLY IGNORED ON THE 2007 MODEL STi, CAUSING MANY BUYERS TO BECOME VERY UPSET WITH THEIR TREATMENT BY FUJI HEAVY IND.)

FIXED


sotc

Man, those factory rims really made the car look nice, and they had to swap them for the same, played-out gunmetal rims everyone rolls with.

Not knocking OZs, but at least go with the gold rims! Geez.

sotc

The OZs are our winter wheels, with the Blizzaks.

the 08 taillights look like they belong on a hyundai.

With everything working it is a blast to drive, although many of us still feel we'd prefer the more-raw previous generation model.

This.

I spy Photomatix on those photos...

Wow, so much for reliability.:unamused:

Wow, so much for reliability.:unamused:

Sweet haha

1 transmission goes down and its the end of the brand as we know it.

man that sucks, i love this car to death and am thinking about getting one. atleast it has warranty cus that $7000 is no pocket change

Ok

Enough is enough.

C&D obviously got their driving skills out of a cracker jack box. They also have it out for the STI. Obviously.

^ They're not the only ones having particular problems.

Well, a bit dissapointing about the gearbox, but at least it was covered under warranty.

When you guys take it in for service do they know it's a Car and Driver test vehicle? If so I'm sure that plays a large part in how they warranty the vehicle.

Aww sucks to hear, still digging that black though.

WOW how retarded. So C&D abuse the tranny and they replace everything. WTF
The dealership should have sited abuse and sent them packing with a sign (you got to pay to play) Like SOA does to everyone else.

u put it so real.. and truthfull thank for a great article

WOW how retarded. So C&D abuse the tranny and they replace everything. WTF
The dealership should have sited abuse and sent them packing with a sign (you got to pay to play) Like SOA does to everyone else.

Customer service at the dealerships is terrible, this car has a lot going for it but very poor support. Many will wonder about making $700 payment on a car that they might have to argue about with the service guy on warranty repair.

i got 13k miles on mine now hmmm.... no problems yet... i change the oil every 2k miles to be on the safe side..... i need more evidence... subarus are not made to be shifted hard , they need a chance to properly get into gear..=conclusion they abuse the crap out of that car... you can tear up anything with abuse.... and you can take care of your car it will last a lifetime...:D:cool::D

The gold BBS should be an option for the Black.

It'd be interesting to see C&D do a couple light mods, like maybe a stage II but I doubt they'd do anything that would void the warranty.

man, new tranny after that many miles in an sti? They must have absolutely been beatin' the crap outta that thing...

WOW how retarded. So C&D abuse the tranny and they replace everything. WTF
The dealership should have sited abuse and sent them packing with a sign (you got to pay to play) Like SOA does to everyone else.

Werd... I bet they'll get the motor replaced when it pops too!

This reeks of bad shifting

Road & Track has over 16k on their '08 STi (http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=7194), and didn't need to have the tranny fixed.
(although the AC compressor clutch did die...)

People make it seem like its so UNCOMMON to have something go wrong with a car? Things go wrong with cars everyday with every model from cheap to expensive.

Its just a matter of whether we hear about it or not.

Road & Track has over 16k on their '08 STi (http://www.roadandtrack.com/article.asp?section_id=4&article_id=7194), and didn't need to have the tranny fixed.



:lol::lol:

These days, it’s almost unfathomable to set off on a long road trip without some sort of navigation system.

No, it's really not if you have a good sense of direction. I drove from NJ to southern TX 4 times last year with no directions, no map, no navigation nothing. I followed the obvious signs for major highways pointing South & west on the way down, and North & East on the way back. 1,908 miles with no navigation, easy stuff. 3 weeks ago, I moved to Minneapolis, MN from NJ again with no directions I followed highways leading south through the correct states and got here with out a problem.

I think you ought to discuss more about how the vehicle performs, and the type of on boost off boost mileage you can produce. I think you ought to spend $5,000 on different oils and see which one performs the best.

What do you have, a 17 year old test driver? Most adults such as myself do not want a $5,000.00 stereo system in the car. You wasted cargo space with the subwoofers, and actually paid money to have someone install what are very basic components in your car. Not very clever for a magazine that is trying to give people real world experience.

Most of the guys and gals on this website, work on their own cars because we take pride in doing so. From the navigation, to the boom in the trunk you wasted a lot of money just to write a whole lot of nothing.

"We drove all over such as blah blah blah blah." But the transmission broke.

Why didn't you tell us more about how the roads, local laws, and other motorists effected you and your driving? You completely omitted anything anybody looking to purchase the car would have wanted to hear. But you certainly didn't neglect to mention the fact that the transmission has an issue which was more than likely related to the fact that your driver can't rev match a down shift to save their own life, and doesn't have a clue what double clutching even is.

I'd be willing to bet the driver side steps the clutch, which will result in your next article being about how Subaru warrantied your prematurely worn clutch. Proper driving technique isn't something you are born with it's a skill which one must hone over time.

:huh:

WOW how retarded. So C&D abuse the tranny and they replace everything. WTF
The dealership should have sited abuse and sent them packing with a sign (you got to pay to play) Like SOA does to everyone else.

man, new tranny after that many miles in an sti? They must have absolutely been beatin' the crap outta that thing...

This reeks of bad shifting

That would be a typical assumption, if there were no other data points.

iWSTI: Problem with my 2008 wrx sti transmission... (http://www.iwsti.com/forums/drivetrain-components/119094-problem-my-2008-wrx-sti-transmission.html)

Did you just say subaru owners are guys and gals that work on their own car?


who are you kidding


They were getting 20mpg on average over their 20k miles, they wern't driving it THAT hard...

Well i cant say the same about my 08 I had it since dec 07 and curently have 16000 miles on with a couple upgrades to it harman motive turbo back aem intake and protune by harman motive and it runs like a dream never once have i had a problem with mine.

WOW how retarded. So C&D abuse the tranny and they replace everything. WTF
The dealership should have sited abuse and sent them packing with a sign (you got to pay to play) Like SOA does to everyone else.

You're kidding right? Are you really being serious?

A. They have not modified the car at all.

B. They have serviced according to the book.

So tell me, if I beat the car to **** left and right, but service as required, why would my warranty be void? Key point here, there were no modifications done to the car. Cited abuse? what abuse? I should be able to beat any car that I want as long as I maintain it...

-Wes

i got 13k miles on mine now hmmm.... no problems yet... i change the oil every 2k miles to be on the safe side..... i need more evidence... subarus are not made to be shifted hard , they need a chance to properly get into gear..=conclusion they abuse the crap out of that car... you can tear up anything with abuse.... and you can take care of your car it will last a lifetime...:D:cool::D

I thought the 6mt was bulletproof, especially with stock hp. Guess I'll keep my 5mt after all.

If you ask me after reading this and thousand of other topics about subaru transmissions i would say that subaru is no good at all with their trannys. You would think after the bugeyes haveing all their tranny problems with second gear blowing alot(from what has happened to me and what i have spent many hours reading about) that subaru would make it a point in their new cars to fix that problem but seems like they didnt cause 2008 STIs are having problems with hmm what was it oh second gear. I love subaru to death dont get me wrong but i think they need to focus on different things

If you ask me after reading this and thousand of other topics about subaru transmissions i would say that subaru is no good at all with their trannys. You would think after the bugeyes haveing all their tranny problems with second gear blowing alot(from what has happened to me and what i have spent many hours reading about) that subaru would make it a point in their new cars to fix that problem but seems like they didnt cause 2008 STIs are having problems with hmm what was it oh second gear. I love subaru to death dont get me wrong but i think they need to focus on different things

I cannot believe some of the people in this thread taking shots at the 6spd transmission because of 2 minor issues. The fact that they replaced the tranny doesn't mean it was "major" since it was possible to fix the issue for ~1k dollars.

This thread makes baby jesus cry...

Great to have Car and Driver on Nasioc. Your magazine has been my favorite for 25 years. Keep up the good work. I love it cover to cover. Want to hire an airline pilot who is addicted to cars?:)

I thought the 6mt was bulletproof, especially with stock hp. Guess I'll keep my 5mt after all.
my tranny fine .... i dont launch ... i do enjoy getting on it through 2nd, 3rd, 4th then wat the hell im already hittin a 100mph .... oh well if you want check out my car on youtube"08sti stg2 prt2" prt 1 is just the downpipe tune:D

I thought the 6mt was bulletproof, especially with stock hp. Guess I'll keep my 5mt after all.

:huh:

yeah you do that! :lol::lol::lol:

this thread is dumb, not because of the topic, but because of the moronic responses.

that not a good thing that the trans had to be replaced....:( that scares me. Sounds like the same issue the the civic SI and the sentra spec V has...

i'm glad my 04 is still runnin like a champ.;)

All this crying about who's right or wrong on tranny and shifting...wow.

I BEAT the crap out of my old 02. My engine blew up at about 60k miles (boosted it to hell and beat on it ALL the time) and my tranny lasted more than 80k miles just fine (then sold it) because I knew how to SHIFT PROPERLY. Drag, auto-x, rally-x, and abuse on the street and it lasted. I even burnt up a bit of clutch here and there on my 4-5k releases and eventually upgraded/replaced that. So anyone who thinks they can go from a FWD/RWD car while redline dropping and slamming gears to the Subaru and do the same thing needs to be beat. Learn your CAR.

That being said, maybe there IS an issue in the tranny's. LOL /sarcasm/

6k miles, not a single problem here
while everyone else is whining and complaining about a car they don't own, I'll be outside enjoying mine ;)

This reeks of bad shiftingCould have been worse. 2005 LGT long-term test (http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/hot_lists/car_shopping/entry_luxury/2005_subaru_legacy_2_5gt_limited_long_term_road_te st).

Imagine for a minute a mystical place free of fiscal restraints, a place where people almost never drive a car in which they have any financial interest whatsoever. Intrigued? That's every day here at Car and Driver. Think of it as your house, filled with a couple dozen teenagers anxious to get the keys for a weekend, and you get the idea, although that comparison may be too kind. Oh, but they always bring the cars back just like they got them, right?

It's amazing — then again maybe not — how dents and scratches magically appear overnight, how interiors suddenly reek of pet stink and dark corners bristle with dog hairs, how windshields bear vast crack lines, how wheels bend, how stains leap out at you. Even more shocking is how many of these incidents are reported as somehow not being our fault. Hey, who did this?

With our history of bashing and crashing cars, it takes a lot to surprise us. But it happens.

Our poor long-term Subaru Legacy was the subject of this random mercilessness when, at 31,731 miles, someone introduced it to a tankful of diesel fuel. Let us say for the record at this point — purely as a historical note — that Subaru has never offered a diesel model for sale anywhere in the world. The Legacy, meanwhile, did not take kindly to this oafish outrage and refused to propel itself so much as an inch from its resting point in a gas station. After a tow-truck ride and a $400 fee to drain the tank, flush the fuel lines, and clean the injectors, we were back on our merry sprint to 40,000 miles.

i got 13k miles on mine now hmmm.... no problems yet... i change the oil every 2k miles to be on the safe side..... i need more evidence... subarus are not made to be shifted hard , they need a chance to properly get into gear..=conclusion they abuse the crap out of that car... you can tear up anything with abuse.... and you can take care of your car it will last a lifetime...:D:cool::D

Sold in the mid $30's advertised drifiting on dry pavement, 300 hp and the STI was not ment to be shifted hard? Maybe not dumping from a dead stop, but that tranny should take everything thrown at while rolling with stock horsepower ratings.

The overabundance of idiots in this thread is quite disheartening. I suppose it will happen when nobody has ever heard of a car until they come out with a hot model, then all of a sudden failboats worth of retards start buying them. It appears that a few of them have learned how to type.

Class dismissed!

I've lost intelligence reading the idiotic replies in this thread (vast majority).

Not to mention this car doesn't deserve any attention.

Class dismissed!

I've lost intelligence reading the idiotic replies in this thread (vast majority).

Not to mention this car doesn't deserve any attention.

well said!!

i honestly sold my 06 sti because of a massive paycut. I do not like the new sti at all. I have seriously thinking about going to the dark side and getting an evo X in 2009.

i hope they go back to the coupe before i make up my mind

Sold in the mid $30's advertised drifiting on dry pavement, 300 hp and the STI was not ment to be shifted hard? Maybe not dumping from a dead stop, but that tranny should take everything thrown at while rolling with stock horsepower ratings.

Absolutely; please don't tell me that everyone should rev match when they shift... that's what synchronizers are for. If I was turned down for warranty repair becuase of "abuse" that dealership would be going straight to small claims court. Subaru advertises the top speed, acceleration, etc. If it can't be driven that way without breaking, then they should not falsely advertise it's capabilities.

Absolutely; please don't tell me that everyone should rev match when they shift... that's what synchronizers are for. If I was turned down for warranty repair becuase of "abuse" that dealership would be going straight to small claims court. Subaru advertises the top speed, acceleration, etc. If it can't be driven that way without breaking, then they should not falsely advertise it's capabilities.

And you would lose :) Easily... read the warranty, the advertising won't get you anywhere.

Absolutely; please don't tell me that everyone should rev match when they shift... that's what synchronizers are for. If I was turned down for warranty repair becuase of "abuse" that dealership would be going straight to small claims court. Subaru advertises the top speed, acceleration, etc. If it can't be driven that way without breaking, then they should not falsely advertise it's capabilities.

Yes, don't revmatch, don't double clutch, the transmission will last forever! You might as well go in to court and say "hey, I don't know how to properly drive a manual transmission, and then it broke. Moneyz pleez?" Might be a good idea to learn to drive.

All this crying about who's right or wrong on tranny and shifting...wow.

I BEAT the crap out of my old 02. My engine blew up at about 60k miles (boosted it to hell and beat on it ALL the time) and my tranny lasted more than 80k miles just fine (then sold it) because I knew how to SHIFT PROPERLY. Drag, auto-x, rally-x, and abuse on the street and it lasted. I even burnt up a bit of clutch here and there on my 4-5k releases and eventually upgraded/replaced that. So anyone who thinks they can go from a FWD/RWD car while redline dropping and slamming gears to the Subaru and do the same thing needs to be beat. Learn your CAR.

That being said, maybe there IS an issue in the tranny's. LOL /sarcasm/

+1. Nearly 60,000 hard driven miles on my 05 STI and I've had zero transmission problems. The only warranty work I've had done is the rear struts. My clutch didn't start to slip until around 55k, but then again I don't dump the clutch or slam gears. If you feel out the car, you can quickly and smoothly click through the gears without being an a$$hole to it.

As far as warranty coverage goes, I know its bull****, but most dealerships of ANY manufacturer will give you hell on warranty if you so much as put a catback or intake on your car. I actually had a local Subaru dealership try to tell me I would be building more boost if I put an aftermarket catback on... Um... Isn't there a boost controller for a reason?...

Ah well, thats what the Magnuson-Moss act is for. If they can't prove it was YOU or the aftermarket accessories on the car, they are legally obligated to repair/replace the factory parts under warranty. It might take a bit of screaming and yelling (and occasionally a lawyer in rare cases), but they'll fix it. Just don't think your 35psi boost monster is going to have anything replaced under warranty. Thats just f$cking stupid.

And you would lose :) Easily... read the warranty, the advertising won't get you anywhere.

Yes, don't revmatch, don't double clutch, the transmission will last forever! You might as well go in to court and say "hey, I don't know how to properly drive a manual transmission, and then it broke. Moneyz pleez?" Might be a good idea to learn to drive.



I've not had any mechanical problems with my subaru (even the clutch is holding strong) so I haven't really had any experiance with warranty issues.

I would like to know how many people actually have brought a dealership to court here. First off, evaluating whether or not the driver has been double-clutching when they shift or not is a fairly moot point in my view, as there is probably no way of proving one way or the other how the driver has used the vehicle. If they don't need to prove abuse, why wouldn't dealerships simply reject all engine/transmission problems as "abused"? If they could do that, what is the point of even supplying a warranty other than bait/switch?

Additionally, "double clutching" is neither neseccary nor is it expected of typical drivers of vehicles with manually operated transmissions. From Wikipedia:

"A double clutch (also called a double declutch) is a driving procedure primarily used for vehicles with an unsynchronized manual transmission.... Before the introduction of transmission synchronizers (in the 1920s) and helical cut gears, double clutching was a technique required to prevent damage to an automobile's gear system. Due to the difficulty and most often unnecessary redundancy involved in learning the technique, coupled with the advent of synchronized gearing systems, it has largely fallen into disuse. "

Now, take that with a grain of salt if you want, this is wikipedia after all. I must observe however that out of the hundreds of people I know who drive manual transmissions (with adequate proficiency) I am probably one of two or three that uses the technique, let alone knows what it means. I would also guess that a the judge who hears a such a case wouldn't know what it means, despite having driven manual transmission cars.

Sorry to be so long winded, but I hardly think it is as cut and dry as "read the warranty". Any part of a contract can be legally nullified if it is found to be unreasonable or impracticable.

You're kidding right? Are you really being serious?

A. They have not modified the car at all.

B. They have serviced according to the book.

So tell me, if I beat the car to **** left and right, but service as required, why would my warranty be void? Key point here, there were no modifications done to the car. Cited abuse? what abuse? I should be able to beat any car that I want as long as I maintain it...

-Wes
That has to be the dumbest thing I have ever heard. Any car will break (even in stock trim) if you go out there and do clutch dumps with it. I'm not saying that C&D did, but you definately can not beat the crap out of your car and then say, "Well I had the oil changed when I was supposed to" and expect a warranty to cover you. That being said, there are a number of problems I have noticed with newer WRX's and STi's. The paint is very soft for one, and will start to look grey near the rear wheels after a short while. The hill assist is a hit or miss thing, sometimes it turns on other times it doesn't. There are some low RPM idling issues, in certain weather conditions (high humidity) if you let the car idle for 5 minutes and then take off, the widshield fogs up and smells like antifreeze, lastly the brakes wear out quickly if you don't turn the traction control off. Otherwise it is a terrific car to drive and I have a lot of fun with it. If it was perfect, I'd hate it.