I would like to get an idea of what you guys consider to be "questionable quality" at best, about/in our cars.

From the tires these cars roll on out of the factories - to the tail light bulbs on your RSs/TRs/WRXs/STIs.

99

Tires are good quality, just a poor choice.

Quality I'd say is reasonably good...

....so I'll start then:

-got a 2006 WRX 3 weeks ago, or so.....

After attaching my radar detector on the windshield (just above dashboard) I had the cord sort of dangling, but tight (no motion at all) across the dash.
No biggie - right?
(i was waiting for my direct cable to come in)

1. Can you believe that after 2+ weeks of having the detector cord against the dash it actually wore off the silver plastic center vent shroud?!?!
(paint came off to expose white, clean plastic)
Is this "world class" component??

2. Heated seats (Limited WRX) - although start warming up fairly fast, they are less than average at best.
When on HIGH, they get slightly warm for about 30-50 secunds, then go off to a "letargic" state of almost "0" heat for the next 10-15 mins. or so.
Wife drives a 4Runner, where the steats are a joy to sit on during winder.
Had a 2003 F150 on which heated seats were just simply amazing.

2b. Don't think it's only an Impreza issue withthe heated seats. My mother has a 2005 Outback, where the seats have 5 heat positions; at highest her seats are just as lausy as mine.
(she has cloth, and I have leather in WRX - makes no difference).

please continue with whatever you think (legimatelly) is a sub-par component/equipment of your car.
99

only bulbs i have replaced was the silverstars in the head lights. you could wish for better handeling tires but the factory tires do the job.
what is thepiont of this discussion??

what is thepiont of this discussion??

I'm just spitballin here... but I think this thread is here to share which parts we feel could be better in our cars and why.

Plastic Motor Mounts on 2006 STi's.

Any and all the plastic interior clips. Once you pop you gotta stop...and buy new ones.

what is thepiont of this discussion??
...that ppl who spend $20+K on "top rated" world class vehicles should NOT have to worry about paint wearing off after 400 miles!

....nyways - those who do know what I'm talking about, please continue.
;)

ummm...

- my STi wing seems really flimsy, it shakes a lot when i close the trunk
- the paint really sucks, orange peel all around

those are my only complaints so far, but that's being a bit picky :confused:

It does suck that some of our parts are below par...but most of the money is in the performance of the car. I do understand the complaints though, you spend 25-30 grand on a car and you want everything to be great, but sometimes a few things suffer for the whole of the car.

If you want really top quality parts and performance, you may have to step up to an Audi S4...etc.

Slowscooby knows...my car has thin metal on the roof and doors don't "chunk" like those on an Accord and the damn cruise control stalk has buzzed/rattled since day 1 but the alignment is perfect after 14 months, the rotors aren't the slightest bit warped, the heater could smoke a turkey, etc.

We pay for the stuff under the painted surfaces [suspension and AWD] at this price level.

C'mon...whining about heated seats in NJ [it ain't the Klondike]...buy some flannel-lined khakis from LLBeans! Or blow a lot more coin and buy a Volvo [aka, Waldo] or Audi and enjoy the heated seats and sumptuous interior treatments while it is in the shop!

I am entirely happy with what I got for $18k...after a few grand in tires/wheels/suspension bits, I sincerely appreciate the engineering that I paid for [it outhandles my modded MR2 turbo in every cornering situation easily]. Thanks Subaru for a job well done!

my only real issue is the price and availability of subaru accessories. impreza guys have it great, you have parts readily available. forester owners have to look to europe or japan to get anything decent for our cars. i found out the hard way that there are NO forester specific springs available in the US. i had to get mine imported (overnighted from japan, lmfao). there are no replacement grilles available except for in europe, and it costs over $300 to get one shipped here. i can't even find a place where i can get some of those sweet jdm forester sti taillights. the bright side is a lot of powertrain parts are interchangeable with the wrx sti. i love my forester, don't get me wrong. i understand the laws of demand and supply, but it doesn't make me feel any better.

If you want really top quality parts and performance, you may have to step up to an Audi S4...etc.
I don't know if that would get you there either in the parts department. I owned an '01 A4 1.8T, I know it isn't the S4, but it's the same platform and I had my share of problems in the 6 months I owned it. Sure the materials might feel nicer and look great, but the electronics, buttons, and hardware are junk. Between my A4 and the two A6's my Dad owned we had plenty of broken parts (window switches, stereo buttons, HVAC controls, lights out, etc., and to top it off my SRS control modual fried itself). Multiple wheels bearings went bad, all before 60k. Controls arms fell apart on all three. Almost all the vacume hoses dry rotted on my 1.8T. I could go on, but I think I made my point (vw and audi's are nice, but not the epitome of quality parts). You could pick apart just about any car if you tried hard enough.

In regards to my WRX, I'm happy so far. The interior isn't as 'prettiest', but I think it will hold up well and is functional. My only complaints are the lack of folding rear seats in the sedan and the thin paint. Other than that I'm very happy. :banana:

From the tires these cars roll on out of the factories - to the tail light bulbs on your RSs/TRs/WRXs/STIs.

99

Are the tires not stipulated by cost measures and the class of vehicle. Tires don't seem to be a problem on the 30K STI?

Damn, my light bulbs still work some 30K miles later?

This thread is effin hilarious. You drive a souped up ECONOBOX and you think its an effin WORLD CLASS CAR?

Did you know WORLD CLASS CARS have issues too? Ever own a Porsche or Benz? Probably not... :lol:

ohhh!
good call with the rear seats!

Take all the "performance" junk aside........and look at it this way:

Would it friGGin kill anyone @ Subaru to make that rear seat a 60/40 split?
It is THAT much more work?

Excellent point man...

...and gpoing back to my issue with heated seats.
I know NJ aint he Arctic pole, but that is not the point.
If you call yourself (or are considered one) a world leader or close to it, AND you decide to make heated seats - WHY not make something worthwhile?

So much R&D goes into these cars - yet such simple things can be designed so poorely.
:/

3 years and 30k+ miles, and for the money I have no complaints about any part quality at all.

Would I prefer certain things to be built of better materials or have better fit and finish? Sure, but the expense would mean either that they'd cut costs in other areas (how about a 140HP WRX?) or the car would have to cost more (S4?).

I am 100% satisfied with my car, and there is no other car I'd be interested in, in the same price range, that has as much value for the money.

P03w

PS- it also has a lot to do with how you care for your car...several weeks of a cord rubbing on the silver trim was not likely something the materials team anticipated. I've got 33k miles on my silver trim, and the only mark on any of it is a small scratch on one of the vent trim rings from where I ham-handedly removed the trim to fit a boost gauge in there. Blaming Subaru for the silver trim problem is akin to blaming them for the paint rubbing off when the car rubs on a guard rail.

Did you know WORLD CLASS CARS have issues too? Ever own a Porsche or Benz? Probably not... :lol:
I guess this will turn into the usual nasioc idiocy thread then?
Ohh well.....I see why others don't bother engaging in anything short of tech. talk around here.

...nyways, I was going to respond to your post, but why bother?
Maybe others have their own little items they wish to list here, and we'll move on through the topic till it dies.

I didn't make this thread to complain - i made it so that everyone can jot down their own little devils, and read about ours.
If ppl like u wanna turn this into a drama/comedy series - go right ahead.
99

....so I'll start then:

-got a 2006 WRX 3 weeks ago, or so.....

After attaching my radar detector on the windshield (just above dashboard) I had the cord sort of dangling, but tight (no motion at all) across the dash.
No biggie - right?
(i was waiting for my direct cable to come in)

1. Can you believe that after 2+ weeks of having the detector cord against the dash it actually wore off the silver plastic center vent shroud?!?!
(paint came off to expose white, clean plastic)
Is this "world class" component??

2. Heated seats (Limited WRX) - although start warming up fairly fast, they are less than average at best.
When on HIGH, they get slightly warm for about 30-50 secunds, then go off to a "letargic" state of almost "0" heat for the next 10-15 mins. or so.
Wife drives a 4Runner, where the steats are a joy to sit on during winder.
Had a 2003 F150 on which heated seats were just simply amazing.

2b. Don't think it's only an Impreza issue withthe heated seats. My mother has a 2005 Outback, where the seats have 5 heat positions; at highest her seats are just as lausy as mine.
(she has cloth, and I have leather in WRX - makes no difference).

please continue with whatever you think (legimatelly) is a sub-par component/equipment of your car.
99


I had the same problem with my STI. The radar detector cord wore off the silver :mad: I put the radar derector all the way on top, so the cord dose not rub on the dash.

I have no other problems at this time. I have 1,600 mikes on her.

I upgraded the tires and changed a lightbulb on the rear lic. plate. The car is a 2002

my only real issue is the price and availability of subaru accessories. impreza guys have it great, you have parts readily available. forester owners have to look to europe or japan to get anything decent for our cars. i found out the hard way that there are NO forester specific springs available in the US. i had to get mine imported (overnighted from japan, lmfao). there are no replacement grilles available except for in europe, and it costs over $300 to get one shipped here. i can't even find a place where i can get some of those sweet jdm forester sti taillights. the bright side is a lot of powertrain parts are interchangeable with the wrx sti. i love my forester, don't get me wrong. i understand the laws of demand and supply, but it doesn't make me feel any better.



Ummmm

You can buy Forester specific springs from your local dealer.

I guess this will turn into the usual nasioc idiocy thread then?
Ohh well.....I see why others don't bother engaging in anything short of tech. talk around here.


how was his comment 'nasioc idiocy'? Its just a different opinion.

Hes 100% right BTW. We drive econoboxes with AWD, of course theres going to be plastic clips and cost cutting to give us a reasonably priced AWD car.

Did No One Hear Me!?!?!?! Plastic Motor Mounts For The 06 Sti!!!!

3 years and 30k+ miles, and for the money I have no complaints about any part quality at all.

Same here. I leave my lights on all the time and have only had 1 running light bulb go bad.

My 95 Legacy has 170,000 miles on the original clutch, radiator, struts, etc, etc. The exhaust and battery only failed last year.

Same here. I leave my lights on all the time and have only had 1 running light bulb go bad.

My 95 Legacy has 170,000 miles on the original clutch, radiator, struts, etc, etc. The exhaust and battery only failed last year.


Unpossible!

Subaru batteries are junk!

The one in my 95 OBS lasted 240k your's was inferior!


:devil:

I would like to get an idea of what you guys consider to be "questionable quality" at best, about/in our cars.

From the tires these cars roll on out of the factories - to the tail light bulbs on your RSs/TRs/WRXs/STIs.

99
Well I loved the stock tires my STI had on it. For the handeling on dry and summer. I put on Toyo's for all season here in Ut. I will be getting another set of wheels and tires for summer driveing/rallying.
My only B!tch is the Rear Struts on the STI are Crap. Yeah I have had them replaced but the car has less than 30k on it. Also the Fix was to replace with the same part that went bad. I hope they do a recall soon and swap them out with ones that don't lock up. Mine would Bind up and not operate smoothly like they should.
I love every thing eles about my car. It's still stock other than the K&N filter and now tires.
Steve

This thread is effin hilarious. You drive a souped up ECONOBOX and you think its an effin WORLD CLASS CAR?

Exactly.

Well I loved the stock tires my STI had on it. For the handeling on dry and summer. I put on Toyo's for all season here in Ut. I will be getting another set of wheels and tires for summer driveing/rallying.
My only B!tch is the Rear Struts on the STI are Crap. Yeah I have had them replaced but the car has less than 30k on it. Also the Fix was to replace with the same part that went bad. I hope they do a recall soon and swap them out with ones that don't lock up. Mine would Bind up and not operate smoothly like they should.
I love every thing eles about my car. It's still stock other than the K&N filter and now tires.
Steve

Unless they were replaced way back when they first came out, the struts are different.

Ummmm

You can buy Forester specific springs from your local dealer.


ahhh yes, with the whopping 15mm drop in ride height and rediculous price.......

i found out the hard way that there are NO forester specific springs available in the US



So are there springs available or not?

:p

ok, VIRTUALLY none available :D

Unless they were replaced way back when they first came out, the struts are different.
Was replaced last month. They were still stock when I bought the car as a 2004 model, and were replaced in August for one side.. then in Sept for the other side. If they have fixed this problem I was not aware of it.. so would retrac my earlyer statement for lack of knowlage.
Steve

I can't believe you guys are complaining about these non-essential details on a 25k car. WRX owners think they drive Lambos. :lol:

Was replaced last month. They were still stock when I bought the car as a 2004 model, and were replaced in August for one side.. then in Sept for the other side. If they have fixed this problem I was not aware of it.. so would retrac my earlyer statement for lack of knowlage.
Steve


I didn't say the problem was fixed, they just changed the struts ;)