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Old 07-31-2005, 09:56 AM   #1
Gr8fulDave
Scooby Newbie
 
Member#: 68483
Join Date: Aug 2004
Chapter/Region: MAIC
Location: Columbia, Maryland
Vehicle:
2005 LGT Ltd.
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Default STI cluster swap into a WRX

Hi everyone:

I thought I'd do a write-up on the STI cluster swap into a WRX issue because several people have contacted me privately and it seems to come up on a fairly regular basis.

First a disclaimer: I am an attorney but this write-up is not intended to be legal advice and anyone who does the swap does so at their own risk.

Anyhow, whatever you do, do not replace the cluster yourself if you care about your warranty. I know that it is an easy mod that takes about 15 minutes if you don't care about getting the outside temperature probe to work, but you are almost guaranteed to run into warranty problems if you do. Obviously I don't know what every model year warranty book says, but in the 2003 WRX warranty book it states on p. 14, under the section titled "Cars Ineligible for Warranty Coverage" that "The car is not eligible for warranty coverage if . . . . the odometer mileage has been changed so that mileage cannot be readily determined."

The way to try to avoid this problem is to have a shop that is authorized to do swaps involving odometer changes to do it for you and to properly document the mileage on the original cluster and the replacement cluster. Apparently, there is a federally mandated sticker that is placed on the driver's side door jamb to document the actual mileage at the time of the swap and the mileage on the replacement cluster. The SOA rep told me that you do not need to have a Subaru dealer do this, but I'm going to my dealer anyway. I want to make sure that the information is entered into the Subaru computer system and that SOA can't challenge the swap by saying that an outside shop may have played games with the mileage or improperly documented it. Also, if you use a mom and pop type garage, you run the risk that the shop may go out of business and you may have trouble getting the necessary paperwork down the road if you need it.

Even if you do everything properly, there is a still a possibility that your dealer or SOA would attempt to deny warranty coverage if a defect arose after the swap. The warranty section also states that "The car is not eligible for warranty coverage if . . . . the vehicle has been dismantled, destroyed, or changed in such a manner that constitutes a material alteration of its original construction." SOA could argue that putting in a cluster that was not "designed" for the WRX is "a material alteration of its original construction." I personally think that is a losing argument since the STI cluster is 99% plug and play into the WRX ( I believe wire number B28 needs to be cut to avoid shorting out your radio; see Scoobymods.com for a complete tutorial with pictures), but that would not stop an attorney from trying to make it.

It probably would not be worth it to the average person to have to pay for a lawyer to fight them since it could very well cost them more than just paying for the repair out-of-pocket. However, I have the advantage of not needing to hire a lawyer because I could easily handle what would be a very simple breach of contract case.

Again, a final disclaimer, my statements are not intended as legal advice because every car, every situation, and every state involve unique legal questions. If you have any specific questions about your personal situation, I urge you to contact an attorney in whatever state that you reside before you have the swap done.

Good luck, have fun in your WRX, but be safe,

David

P.S.
Thanks to Jon [in CT] for the relevant United States Code citation of 49 USC 32704. It doesn't seem to bar a "person" from doing it themselves as long as the sticker documenting the change is affixed to the door frame, but I would still have a Subaru dealership do it. If an individual does it themselves SOA could always say that it was fraudulent or not properly documented and that "the mileage cannot be readily determined." Also, I'm not sure if the sticker has to be in a particular format; the dealer that is doing my install said that they had the right type of sticker, so it seems like there may be some sort of official federally mandated sticker. Again, a disclaimer, these statements do not constitute legal advice.
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Last edited by Gr8fulDave; 07-31-2005 at 11:46 AM.
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