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Old 10-27-2012, 06:30 PM   #1
Ronen91
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Default '13 STi Advice and Questions

Hey guys,

just got my '13 STi sedan and I'm loving it!

There's a few things that I need to do to prepare myself for winter and the future life of the car.

1. I live in Chicago, and I am looking for a place that does an excellent job on clearbra applications.

I've tried looking around but haven't had any luck finding a place. I need to have this done asap as well before I have one unlucky rock chip in my paint

2. I called my dealership today asking for pricing for a car cover ($80) and the bag ($12) which is ridiculous.

Does anyone know of any generic car covers I can buy for a lower price. Halloween is coming and I don't want to take any risks...

3. During that phone call I asked how much it would be to install a set of mudflaps for the STi, when they responded that they don't have that for any year STi and don't do installs of that nature at the dealership.

I said that's crazy and asked for the service manager who wasn't there today (saturday), so I will call back and deal with that.

4. Winter is right around the corner in Chicago, and I need a good set of winter performance tires. I am looking at Blizzak LM60s and Dunlop winter sport 3D's once November winter packages come out. So my question is, what is the proper sized tire and wheel specifications are required for my '13 STi?

Tirerack says 235/45-17 for the tires. What size wheels would I need?

Does this information sound correct? I just want to make sure before spending $800+ dollars for the wrong set of tires and wheels.

5. Someone told me I need to start my rust prevention before the snow starts. Don't know if it's true or what methods to use, but he said something along the lines of oil on the fenders.

6.I'm new to driving manual. I know there is a sticky somewhere that lets people know the proper shift points and gears to be in etc including how to get the best MPG's as well, and if anyone can direct me to that I'd greatly appreciate it

7. Is there a sticky somewhere on detailing care for the car? I'm not really big on waxing or polishing, so I want to start simple. What things do I need to give my baby a safe old fashioned car wash?

Thank you guys for taking the time to help and read this wall of text. Any ounce of help is appreciated!

-Ronen91

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Old 10-27-2012, 09:34 PM   #2
willoc
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RE: #7 ---- oh boy there is a lot to learn to wash the black paint correctly. Stay away from any drive-thru car wash. You will need 2 Home Depot buckets and grit guards to start off with...and I will repeat do not go through any drive thru car wash. The high pressure stream by itself will cause endless swirl marks in your paint. Do a lot more digging in this forum and you will understand. But congrats on the car!!
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Old 10-27-2012, 11:57 PM   #3
lancelucas
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2. Unless you want a cover that might do more harm than good, $100 to protect a $35k car is a darn good price. It's probably less than your deductible You should look up the pricing on a California Car Cover.

3. I don't recall seeing any factory mud flap options for the car, so they aren't totally off base by saying they don't offer any. Look into a set of Rally Armor or DRT flaps.

4. That's the WRX tire size (TireRack booboo). The factory STI size is 245/40/18 with 18 x 8.5" wheels. Not all wheels will clear your Brembos (spoke clearance) - be careful. There are lists in other areas on NASIOC that list Brembo-compatible wheels. If you do go with 17's, you'll want a bigger tire than 235/45/17's. Probably 245/45/17's (much closer rollout to the factory size).

Enjoy your new car!
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Old 10-28-2012, 12:40 AM   #4
SJ9ninety
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I just got my 13 WRX 3 weeks ago and am new to manual too haha. Once I got the basics down (2-3 day) I pretty much learned the rest by just driving around. I hear the STi is a bit harder though since it's a double clutch?

Detailing and keeping clean, I wash my car with the two bucket system and hand waxed with Collinite 845. That is a very good winter sealant/wax. My car is black as well. Also the Turtle Wax Black Box is nice as well.

The base STi doesn't come with fogs? odd.
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Old 10-28-2012, 06:47 PM   #5
Ronen91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by lancelucas View Post
2. Unless you want a cover that might do more harm than good, $100 to protect a $35k car is a darn good price. It's probably less than your deductible You should look up the pricing on a California Car Cover.

3. I don't recall seeing any factory mud flap options for the car, so they aren't totally off base by saying they don't offer any. Look into a set of Rally Armor or DRT flaps.

4. That's the WRX tire size (TireRack booboo). The factory STI size is 245/40/18 with 18 x 8.5" wheels. Not all wheels will clear your Brembos (spoke clearance) - be careful. There are lists in other areas on NASIOC that list Brembo-compatible wheels. If you do go with 17's, you'll want a bigger tire than 235/45/17's. Probably 245/45/17's (much closer rollout to the factory size).

Enjoy your new car!
2. Yeah, I found a dealer that sells it for 25% off just gonna order it from them. Won't be here before halloween lol

3. It is true, and I watched the instructions for installing the mudflaps and I'm just scared to do it myself. Still kind of silly they won't even install RA ones for me though.

4. I think I will have to do a bit more research on that subject

My car is Dark Gray Metallic not black lol. That's why I got the color because I LOVE black, yet hate the downsides of swirl marks and such.

Also, can someone elaborate more on the two-bucket method?

-Ronen91
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Old 10-28-2012, 07:12 PM   #6
SJ9ninety
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Fill one bucket up with soap+water the other bucket with just water. Dip your wash mitt into soap bucket and apply to car. Once you are out of soapy water on the mitt, dip it into the water bucket to rinse dirt off of the mitt. Repeat. This helps to prevent you from washing your car with dirty water.

Also, people like to get grit guards for the buckets. This keeps dirt at the bottom of the buckets and off of your wash mitt.
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Old 10-28-2012, 07:16 PM   #7
Ronen91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SJ9ninety View Post
Fill one bucket up with soap+water the other bucket with just water. Dip your wash mitt into soap bucket and apply to car. Once you are out of soapy water on the mitt, dip it into the water bucket to rinse dirt off of the mitt. Repeat. This helps to prevent you from washing your car with dirty water.

Also, people like to get grit guards for the buckets. This keeps dirt at the bottom of the buckets and off of your wash mitt.
Oh sweet. If I have time tomorrow or tuesday I will pick up some stuff

I'm probably going to end up at pepboys or autozone. Any recommendation on what mitt to go with, towels to avoid, and type of car wash brand?
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Old 10-28-2012, 07:25 PM   #8
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I need to get some grit gaurds and high quality microfiber clothes as well. Two bucket method is the way to go. Especially on a black car.

Congrats on your STi. I would help out more lol but I'm on my phone and don't feel like typing a novel out. Good luck man.
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Old 10-28-2012, 07:36 PM   #9
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$92 is ridiculous for a car cover? You just spend $35 thousand-ish on the car. A nice car cover should be no big deal.
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Old 10-28-2012, 09:03 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronen91

Oh sweet. If I have time tomorrow or tuesday I will pick up some stuff

I'm probably going to end up at pepboys or autozone. Any recommendation on what mitt to go with, towels to avoid, and type of car wash brand?
I don't like anything at local auto stores, check out detailersdomain.com or autogeek.net.
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Old 10-29-2012, 05:39 PM   #11
Ronen91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SpicyPeaNut View Post
$92 is ridiculous for a car cover? You just spend $35 thousand-ish on the car. A nice car cover should be no big deal.
Lol I thought they ran for $50 or less. I was clearly wrong. I ordered a Subaru cover and bag for $83 from Heuberger Subaru in Colorado, which I asked and said they keep Rally Armor flaps in stock and install them, unlike my dealership.
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Old 10-29-2012, 06:56 PM   #12
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3. As far as I know, the dealer doesnt do mudflap installs, nor do you need them too. Super easy install. Check out Rallyarmor Urethanes, or DRT's. Theres also some great DIY options(Great meaning you put the effort into making it look good, not just slapping cutting boards on there).



4. Im on the dunlop DWS, and cant complain. However to me, tires are 100% preference once you pass the performance threshold.

5 & 7 : Subaru paint really is not the best. In any detail work for subarus(washing, waxing, ANYTHING) just take EVERY caution. ONLY use clean, noninfested microfiber/brushes, and only the best stuff. Honestly this should be the case with any car youve spent good money on, but regardless. I use mostly meguirs.
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Old 11-01-2012, 10:55 PM   #13
Ronen91
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I did some research on how to wash the car and the results were amazing!

Today, I created a "three" bucket method lol. I also used hot water from inside my house.

One for car wash, one for rinsing all the dirt, and another for a second rinse. I ran to about 6 places looking for grit guards, and couldn't find them so I caved in and just went along with it. I also used a sheathing technique that I learned from this video that I strongly recommend everyone should watch!


I know I need to wax her before the snow fall comes, but I don't think I'm going to have the time this week!

Here's the items I used. Peak Extreme Weave Towel, Meguiar's Gold Class Car Wash Shampoo & Conditioner, and Peak Knobby Wash Mitt, and a final drying chamois.


I also am planning on maybe clay barring if I find time. Anyways the car looks great and I will snap some pictures tomorrow.

I forgot to pick up rim cleaner, because I was unsure as what to use, but can anyone make some suggestions on what works well on these rims?
I'm thinking a simple spiraled wheel brush, but I don't know which cleaners are safe for these rims. They are the base STi rims.

My current priorities on the car right now are Rally Armor, and winter tires (waiting for November deals)

Any other suggestions?
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Old 11-02-2012, 01:41 AM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SJ9ninety View Post
I just got my 13 WRX 3 weeks ago and am new to manual too haha. Once I got the basics down (2-3 day) I pretty much learned the rest by just driving around. I hear the STi is a bit harder though since it's a double clutch?

Detailing and keeping clean, I wash my car with the two bucket system and hand waxed with Collinite 845. That is a very good winter sealant/wax. My car is black as well. Also the Turtle Wax Black Box is nice as well.

The base STi doesn't come with fogs? odd.
I could be wrong but i'm pretty sure that the double clutch is only for some automatic transmissions such as the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution MR. The WRX and WRX STI should be equally as easy to drive. Congrats on the 2013, i've had mine for about a month!
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Old 11-03-2012, 12:28 AM   #15
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super awesome new subie. My two cents is to pay the extra for the dealership cover because my bro bought a cheap car cover which actually just scratched the car.
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Old 11-07-2012, 11:05 PM   #16
Ronen91
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So I got the car cover in yesterday. And I was wondering what kind of precautions I should take.

I mean I understand the car should be just washed and dried. But do I have to wax the car in order to use the cover so I don't get any scratches?
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Old 11-08-2012, 12:16 AM   #17
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Super jealous of your sti man. Here's a grit guard that I found online after searching for like two seconds lol. http://www.autobarn.net/gritguard.ht...FUlxQgodAAcAvg
mudflaps-buy them brand does not really matter however you should be able to install themselves as their are numerous install videos and instructions online.
Tirerack is usually pretty good for everything-brands,price, availability so I would choose what they recommend but it also doesnt hurt to hear about other people's opinions. Personally Ive only heard good things about blizzak's but their are other options.
Rust prevention-Thats debatable, some people dont do anthing while others will rhino-line their entire undercarriage
Driving-Theirs some really good video's on youtube. In a nutshell, after a while it will become very natural to you. However I dont know why you would want good mpg's when you bought an Sti haha.
Detailing-Keep researching this sub-forum and you will find all the info you need
Good luck and enjoy your new suby!
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Old 11-08-2012, 04:16 PM   #18
luan87us
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Why are you afraid of installing the flaps? All you have to do is take a few plastic clips on the bumpers off, then slip the metal bracket RA included in and put the clip back on. Pretty simple and straight forward.

Clear bra installation will be very costy. The dealers usually want $800-$900 for it. If you go to a tint shop or a vinyl shop it will be around $500-$600. If you can do it yourself you will only have to pay for the material (Multiple 3M pre-cut kit on ebay/amazon for $250 or so).
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Old 11-08-2012, 07:33 PM   #19
Ronen91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by luan87us View Post
Why are you afraid of installing the flaps? All you have to do is take a few plastic clips on the bumpers off, then slip the metal bracket RA included in and put the clip back on. Pretty simple and straight forward.

Clear bra installation will be very costy. The dealers usually want $800-$900 for it. If you go to a tint shop or a vinyl shop it will be around $500-$600. If you can do it yourself you will only have to pay for the material (Multiple 3M pre-cut kit on ebay/amazon for $250 or so).
I talked with my sales guy today. He said that the guys at the dealership will do it for me at a cheap rate that is both the clearbra approx $600 for the whole front end and the mudflaps as well.

I'm still looking for an answer to this question though!

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronen91 View Post
So I got the car cover in yesterday. And I was wondering what kind of precautions I should take.

I mean I understand the car should be just washed and dried. But do I have to wax the car in order to use the cover so I don't get any scratches?
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Old 11-15-2012, 11:04 AM   #20
luan87us
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Ronen91 View Post
I talked with my sales guy today. He said that the guys at the dealership will do it for me at a cheap rate that is both the clearbra approx $600 for the whole front end and the mudflaps as well.

I'm still looking for an answer to this question though!
Wow that's is pretty cheap!!!! My dealer wanted $950 for just the clear bra installation!!!
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Old 11-15-2012, 11:33 AM   #21
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Please don't use AutoZone/Advanced Auto/PepBoys products to wash your car. Look into www.adamspolishes.com. You will be amazing what a microfiber towel from them feels like compared to "microfiber" from AutoZone. No comparison.

Otherwise, good luck with the car!
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Old 11-15-2012, 02:52 PM   #22
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Install the mudflaps yourself? Lol. nice car man i'm jealous O.O
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Old 11-15-2012, 02:58 PM   #23
Ronen91
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Quote:
Originally Posted by STi804 View Post
Please don't use AutoZone/Advanced Auto/PepBoys products to wash your car. Look into www.adamspolishes.com. You will be amazing what a microfiber towel from them feels like compared to "microfiber" from AutoZone. No comparison.

Otherwise, good luck with the car!
Yeah the Microfiber is already starting to wear and the small pieces are starting to pull from the mit. I'm going to return that POS. I was washing my car two days ago and somehow it started skipping over dirt spots and the wash wasn't working.

One thing I can't get right are the suds in the Car wash (meguir's gold class). I am using hot water. I've tried different amounts of water only hot water. I've tried putting it on the mit, before adding water and after.

Any suggestions? Also, is the Sonax wheel cleaner worth the $15? I've heard good reviews.
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Old 11-16-2012, 12:50 PM   #24
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My suggestion, again, is to go to www.adamspolishes.com. If you don't care much how your car is washed, you'll think their prices are expensive. If you care about truly keeping up on your paint, you wouldn't mind paying a little extra for their stuff. Plus, less is more when it comes to basically anything they sell.

I've never personally used Sonax wheel cleaner. My best results are simply washing wheels with a different mitt but with the same shampoo I was my car with (Adam's Car Wash Shampoo).

Hope this helps! PM me if you want to discuss further or need any other suggestions.
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Old 11-16-2012, 01:01 PM   #25
dsn112
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Sonax is awesome, I have used it on some terrible bad Audi wheels and its amazing how well it has worked. I always have it on hand, but I don't use it all the time. If you stay on top of your washes, a cheap mitt and any car wash in a separate bucket will do. Sonax is great for times of neglect, or if you are lazy and can't scrub anything.
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