So there I am, positively glowing over my new WRX that I just picked up tonight. I'm really bummed that I can't spend the whole night just driving around, but I only have an hour to get to a restaurant to meet my wife and friends for dinner. We enjoy a nice dinner and leave for home. After everyone has left, I spend some time admiring the car in the garage. I almost died when I realized that while we were having dinner, some motherf*&^@#$ backed into my brand new WRX!! The taillight is cracked, and the bumper fascia is all scratched up. :( :( :(

Son of a bitch.. I mean come on!! I spend all this money, wait for months, and now I get to have someone REPAINT something that isn't even dry yet!!!! DAMMIT! :mad: :mad: :mad:


On to more interesting discussion.. I have only two minor complaints about the car so far.

1.) The carbon fiber shift knob has a sharp edge that actually hurts my palm after driving for awhile. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it, as I think it's just the way the shape is designed. Does anyone else have this knob that I could talk to? Is there a sharp edge?

2.) I hate how the revs hold at their level for a split second after you've lifted off the gas. I realize that this is for emissions purposes, but it annoys me. Once I start driving it harder (only up to 4K rpm so far), I know it's going to be worse.

I drove around on some twisty roads tonight (after the bumper debacle) to get a feel for the handling. I have to say, I am very, very, very happy with it! I can't say enough about how impressed I am with the balance between ride and handling. It soaks up bumps like nothing, yet handles wonderfully.

That's it for now. Thanks for listening to my rant. It really does make me feel better to talk about it a bit.

Rob W.

Man that totally sucks!!! I going to the dealer to pick mine up tomorrow. I'll besure to be extra extra where I park.

Well at least you didn't do the damage yourself. Maybe you got the bad one out of the way early and it will be clear sailing from now on. Parking lots are our biggest enemies. The doors ding so easily. I got a nice ding from some mf in an SUV the second day I owned it.

Ya know, it just doesn't get any worse than that! Four hours! I guess it just means you've got your "I wrecked my WRX" incident out of the way, so it's smooth sailing from here...

Man that sux! I couldn't imagine how upset I'd be in your shoes!

Oh don't worry about those revs holding for a sec after you let off. Its just a matter of getting used to it and timing it properly. My CRX did it, but then my Mustang didn't. After a week it makes no difference. I'm still, after 3 months, getting used to matching the RPM's when downshifting! I guess a part of my brain won't let go of that stang!

sorry to hear about your mishap. hopefully that'll be the worst of it and the rest will be all fun.

I noticed your in the area. what dealer did you do business with and how would you rate them?

Correct me if I am wrong but doesn't the WRX hold those revs due to the extremely heavy flywheel? I remember reading an article in SCC and there Project Focus did the same thing but when they replaced the flywheel with a 12 pound unit it was none existent. The WRX needs a lightened flywheel very badly imho.

sorry to hear about the little accident, hopefully you got his name/insurance... good luck to you! :)

Nothing hits home like a guy from the same state as me, with the same car and color, and the same name as myself having his dream crunched into. I am truley sorry aboot your injury.

BUT......

You got the car!!! And I only got mine 1 day earlier than you :p
But you got it. CONGRATS!!!!!!!

Oh yeah? My WRX was only 2 weeks old, until my friend with a 2.5RS rear-ended me. Now I need a whole new rear bumper.
1 week later, I hit a curb and had to replace my left control arm (good thing Irvine Subaru game a deal on the ALUMINUM ALLOY pair) and I had to purchase 2 new rims........


All I can say is, be careful driving, watch those around you, and watch where you park.

Raymond

I feel your pain. :(

Congrats on the car, you got your the same night as me! Fortunately, no A-hole hit mine. You didn't say if it was a hit and run or not (hopefully not). Is the bastard going to pay?

It is definately a sick feeling when something you waited on for so long gets damaged the first night. When I ordered a 2000 Camaro SS, I waited 10 weeks. The wife insisted on getting to drive it the first night and promptly scraped the crap out of both driver side wheels at a freakin' drive through window....all while I kept telling her she was too close to the curb! Nice chunks out the the wheels that covered almost 180 degrees. Not to mention the fact the the tire's sidewalls looked like crap! I was pissed for while, then the joy of owning the new car calmed me down. At least the tail light should be easy (and cheap) to fix. :)

Sorry about that man. Some people just don't care. At least you can still drive, and enjoy, the car until you get it fixed. :)

Nope.. the dirtbag didn't stop. I didn't even notice the damage until after getting home that night. I need to go file a report with the police this morning.

WRXThis: Yeah, often the rev problem is caused by a heavy flywheel, but I don't think that is the case with the WRX. I get a strong feeling that it's the engine ECU flipping the idle air control valve on for an instant to keep the revs up. This reduced emissions. My friends BMW does the same thing, but his is much, much worse.

jerymon: I went through Harlen at Dwyer & Sons (Haggarty and Maple). Yesterday's experience was flawless and quick. The first time I went there, Harlen was a real prick ("I'm not sure if my boss is allowing WRX test drives anymore.") Overall, I guess I'd recommend them pretty well though.

everyone else: thanks for the encouraging comments. I guess I should count myself as lucky that nothing worse happened (at least the trunk sheet metal didn't get hit).

-Rob

Waited 2 months to get mine had it 1 month when someone hit it with a boat of all things. It was in the shop another month.

Look at the bright side at least you still can drive it.

I picked my silver wagon up this morning (it had 5 miles on it). On the way home, we stopped off at Jamba Juice so I could buy my friend something cold for diving me and waiting. We get the juices and head home.

I get home, call my dad up, he comes over to check the car out and what do we find but scrapes and a dent behind the rear passenger side wheel well. I'm guessing it was the red 4-Runner that parked next to me while we were getting the juice. So from the dealer to the juice place is ... 15 minutes tops:mad:

I read your post earlier, and all the nice, placating things I was going to tell you, I'm now telling myself:rolleyes:

No kidding about that heavy flywheel, BTW!

My S4 was three days/600 miles old. Transitting through a parking lot. BAM! Older lady backs out of a parking space and puts her Toyota's trailer hitch right into my passenger door.

waaahhhh..... $2800 later, car looks like brandy-new.

Then the other ins. co. says I am partially to blame!! My company didn't fight it -paid 10-15% of the cost - and my "clean" driving record went out the window and my rates went up.

grrrr.... I'm still pe-od about it.

But you move on and you go for a yahoo drive - and life is better. wwhheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

- E-Ticket

sorry to hear that your brand new WRX was hit hard on the first day... :( that really sucks. i hate ppl who can't even back up or park right/properly, they should be suspended for "dangerous drivers". don't you think?

i hope you will have your baby fixed soon, so you can enjoy it again. just think this way, you lost a little to avoid a big trouble in future. :)

Well, the wheel arch metal has just a little dip in it and I think I can rub out the scratches, and the plastic gouges I'll try to ignore.
So rather than fixing it fully, I'm gonna concern myself with getting those first 1,000 miles under my belt:)

and then... Release the hounds!

I had a friend who was eating in a restaurant and saw some guy park next to his car (it was an old monte carlo) the guy gets out of his car and swings the door into my friend's car door. My friend (big guy, about 6'2" 240) watches the guy do it and then walks out to "confront" the guy. Actually, he walked out there, didn't say a word to the guy (who had started to walk away and pretend he didn't do it) he unlocked the door to the Monte (which has nice heavy doors) and literally bashes the other guy's door in. The other guy didn't say a WORD, just looked and then acted like it wasn't his car, lol. Some people deserve ***** like that, lol.

Would not like to get mine banged up, I park WAAAAAY away from everyone.

I also have the carbon fiber shift knob, yes it was alittle sharp at first but seems fine now. I don't know if my hand hardened up or the edge wore down????

I also have all the other carbon fiber goodies and it make the interior look much less cheap.

Again, sorry for the problem!

:eek: :eek:

Originally posted by Rob W.
2.) I hate how the revs hold at their level for a split second after you've lifted off the gas. I realize that this is for emissions purposes, but it annoys me. Once I start driving it harder (only up to 4K rpm so far), I know it's going to be worse.

first off, *shakes fist @ people who can't drive and hit other's cars* grrrr :mad:

As for the revs, isn't that due to the flywheel's mass?

Congrats on the new ride....sorry to hear about the parking lot incident. That guy should be hunted down and you can stick your rear bumber right up his arse!!!
Hey good work on your mini review as well.
Tim:D

Coati: I'm really sorry to hear about your incident. Glad to hear it's not too bad.

Personally, I'm deciding that mine isn't too bad either. With a $500 deductible, I don't think it'll make any sense to file a claim. Actually, I *thought* I had broad collision coverage.. but I came to the unhappy discovery that I only had basic collision, which means I have to pay the deductible. I definitely need a new taillight, but with all the people crashing their WRXs, I'm hoping it won't be too hard to find a used one at a reasonable price. I spent an hour buffing the bumper to try to hide the paint damage. It looks a lot better, but 3 or 4 scratches are down deep into the plastic, so I'm going to have to pay someone to fix it right eventually.

chuckpo: I'm very glad to hear that: A.) I'm not the only one willing to pay that kind of money for a CF shift knob. :rolleyes: ;) and B.) That you noticed the same problem and that it improves over time. It definitely seemed aweful on my drive home from the dealer, but it already seems to be getting better. For those of you who don't know, the CF knob has a metal ring around the top edge of the shaft. The edge of the ring is rather sharp, and digs into your palm if you shift by grabbing the top of the knob. But like I said, it's getting better.

Corpsie: no, it's not the flywheel that's the problem. In fact, I can see the revs blip up from 3900 to ~4100 after I've lifted off the gas and pushed in the clutch. The computer is definitely doing it. Hopefully it'll be better at higher rpms. I'm at 250 miles now.. a quarter of the way there! ;)

PhillyWreX: excellent story!! :lol: :lol: :lol:

-Rob W.

no, it's not the flywheel that's the problem. In fact, I can see the revs blip up from 3900 to ~4100 after I've lifted off the gas and pushed in the clutch. The computer is definitely doing it. Hopefully it'll be better at higher rpms. I'm at 250 miles now.. a quarter of the way there!


How can you be so sure it's not the flywheel especially when you only had the car 4 hours man? IHMO the WRX needs a lightened flywheel very badly and I will be getting one when the clutch gets replaced. Do you feel the little clunk in between rough gear shifts? That is the flywheel crying out to be lightened. I will be sure to let you know the difference it makes in drivability whenever I need a new clutch. ;)

If it truly is the computer causing the revs to hold perhaps my unichip will get rid of that.

You know, my dad said the same thing about it not being the flywheel. We both felt it and thought maybe it was the BOV sticking. It does feel like the boost jumping right as your foot comes off the gas. It only did it yesterday (miles 5 through 230) and I didn't feel it at all today, so maybe it's just the BOV breaking in?

Originally posted by Rob W.

1.) The carbon fiber shift knob has a sharp edge that actually hurts my palm after driving for awhile. I'm not sure what I'm going to do about it, as I think it's just the way the shape is designed. Does anyone else have this knob that I could talk to? Is there a sharp edge?

2.) I hate how the revs hold at their level for a split second after you've lifted off the gas. I realize that this is for emissions purposes, but it annoys me. Once I start driving it harder (only up to 4K rpm so far), I know it's going to be worse.

1) Sounds like you're resting your hand on the shifter. This is not only bad for the transmission but also bad for your driving. If you are indeed resting your hand on the shifter, get it on the wheel. It should only touch the shifter for the short time it takes to shift at any time. The rest of the time it should be on the wheel.

2) Heavy flywheel can be replaced with a lighter one if you'd prefer the revs to rise and fall much faster.

I'd like to hear more about the hand on the shifter issue. I've heard that mentioned before (and even read it in the owner's manual), but I've never heard *why* it's such a bad thing to do. Could you explain?


It's not just the heavy flywheel, though that bugs me too. It's the ECM interfering with the throttle. Try this: run the car semi-hard (about 3/4 throttle) up to 3900 rpm. QUICKLY pull your foot off the gas, then push the clutch in. You'll see a very artificial spike of the rpm before it settles down. It's not the momentum of the flywheel causing an overshoot, but rather the ECM is 'blipping' the throttle slightly. It's easy to see if you watch the tach. It even happens if you keep the clutch engaged (you can feel it pull after you let off the gas). I think the key to triggering it is to lift your foot off the gas very rapidly.


-Rob