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Old 03-30-2004, 10:44 AM   #1
mmm3587
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Member#: 6212
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East of Eden
Vehicle:
2002 WRX (deceased)
Now 2003 S500, 97 911T

Default Fuel leak / vacuum leak

I'll try to keep this from being too absurdly long, but I'd like to hear advice about what I should do.

So, I've had my 2002 WRX with 50,000 miles in the dealer six separate times for the fuel leak problem. It has the following relevant mods: catless uppipe, Blitz EBC (with boost gauge), upgraded intercooler hoses, EGT, oil pressure and boost gauge.

1st time: they couldn't find anything wrong and I didn't know about the TSB.

2nd time: I told them about the TSB and we fought about whether or not it was a warranty repair, even though I'm within the powertrain warranty. They agree to do it, and ordered the part.

3rd time: the part had come in, and I brought my car in to have the repair done, but the part was damaged and they had to order another one.

4th time: they installed the part, but when I picked it up, the car was stalling, throwing a blinking CEL, running very roughly and weakly and making strange vibration and exhaust noises on acceleration and deceleration. I wouldn't have even taken it home, but they were already closed. I was also pretty annoyed that they had just cut out the tap line to the seconc boost gauge. All they had to do was disconnect the hoses and reconnect them when they were done. Now, there is a bolt and washer screwed into the end of the line that the boost gauge was tapped on.

5th time: I brought it back the next day, and they first tried to claim that my car was heavily modified, and they I had caused all the problems, and that they shouldn't have even worked on it. If they didn't want to work on it, they shouldn't have tried and screwed it up. They also told me that the guy that took it apart wasn't the guy who put it back together, and another tech told me that both of the guys are kind of idiots. All the stuff I've done on my car has been pretty simple and minor, and it's always run perfectly. I get annoyed just from getting that standard EGR CEL and get it reset (at AutoZone, not the dealer) right away. They finally said that there was a cracked vacuum solenoid, which they assumed was already like that. They also assumed that the rough and loud idle was how I brought it in. Anyway, they say all my problems are due to a vacuum leak and that it will either be fixed with the new solenoid, or that they didn't cause it.

6th time: they installed the new solenoid they ordered, and it's mostly better. There is still a very rough idle, but I think that I need to reset the ECU and let it relearn how to idle and how to run. The power is definitely back, but I can't see how much boost and vacuum I'm making. There seems to be some noise on accel and decel, but I'm not really sure. The APS catless uppipe is a little louder, so I can't really tell. But, I can't believe that they let it go idling like that.

Anyway, my question is what to do. Here are some of my options and thoughts:

I've already called SOA earlier in the process and they were completely unhelpful. Should I try them again and kiss up and ask what I should do? I've been honest about my mods. If they caused something, then fine, it wouldn't be under warranty. But the fact that the tech couldn't just put the boost gauge back like it was and went so far out of their way to be rude really makes me mad. I've actually been really nice to them and really gone out of my way to be cool and just tell them that they had to fix it, but it's really not getting me anywhere.

I'm definitely going to reset the ECU tonight.

Should I remove this crazy washer and bolt and reinstall the boost gauge line, so that I can see boost and vacuum and know that the lines in that area are tight? That's also where that vacuum solenoid is.

Should I go back to this dealer and tell them that they still haven't fixed the problems they caused and that they need to?

Should I go to a different dealer (some of the less convenient ones have better reputations) and try to get them to warranty this work to fix whatever vacuum leak may remain?

Should I just wait until I take the car into GRD in a month or so to have the stealthback and the ECU reflashed, and have them look stuff over and make sure it's all kosher, even if I have to pay them extra to do it?

I understand Magnuson-Moss and I am generally pretty good at dealing with people to get them to help me out. But I'm kind of fed up with this dealer. I am thinking it might be better just to have GRD makre sure that everything is working right when they tune it; even if it costs me $200 extra or so (? or more or much more), it would be nice just to know that someone who knows their stuff is checking out, without just automatically saying "There's a boost gauge, we don't have to be careful with this guy's car."

Thanks for your advice. I'm probably not going to name the dealer, so please don't ask.
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Old 03-30-2004, 11:00 AM   #2
cdvma
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Member#: 21980
Join Date: Jul 2002
Chapter/Region: NESIC
Location: Central MA
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2002 PSM WRX (Sold)
2017 BMW X5

Default

Reconnect your boost gauge to wherever it was taped so you can eliminate that as a vacuum leak. Report back.
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Old 03-30-2004, 12:20 PM   #3
mmm3587
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Join Date: Apr 2001
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2002 WRX (deceased)
Now 2003 S500, 97 911T

Default

I'll do that. Do all these problems sounds consistent with a simple vacuum leak that hasn't thrown a new CEL in 20 miles or so of city and highway driving?

Also, I think removing their silly bolt and washer and putting the brass vacuum fitting back in (it really freaked them out and they had no idea what it was) is going to cause my dealer to not do anymore work on my car, since they're just going to be all "it worked fine, and then you put that crazy brass piece back on, and now it's messed up."

Should I call the service manager first and tell him the problems I'm having, or should I just reattach the boost gauge myself and see what happens?
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Old 03-30-2004, 01:39 PM   #4
Eraz3r
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silverstone

Default

vacuum leaks are nasty, your rough idle is most likely attributed to that. Make sure all the vacuum lines that are attached to the intake manifold, purge valve, pcv valve, and turbo are tight and get that boost guage vacuum line hooked back up. If you have any disconnected vacuum lines its almost impossible to track down an idle problem.

general rule of thumb, if you're gonna mod your car, be prepared to do most of your own work. dealers are worthless.

good luck.
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Old 03-30-2004, 03:08 PM   #5
mmm3587
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Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: East of Eden
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2002 WRX (deceased)
Now 2003 S500, 97 911T

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by Eraz3r


general rule of thumb, if you're gonna mod your car, be prepared to do most of your own work. dealers are worthless.

good luck.
Yeah, I know. I had been really careful when I did it all before, I just knew that I couldn't get the updated parts for the fuel fix TSB for free and I didn't want to do the labor myself, since it's apparently pretty involved. I just assumed that they would not mess things up. All they had to do was reconnect two hoses, and the thing that they cracked wasn't even something I had touched.

It appears that was a crazy thing to assume. I think it's mostly this dealer, which is why I'm still kind of wondering whether I might take the car to another dealer if I ever need to take it to a dealer again. But I am pretty sure that this car will never see a Subaru dealer again as long as I own it; I'm just fed up.
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Old 04-01-2004, 08:38 AM   #6
Eraz3r
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Member#: 25446
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: bloomington, IL
Vehicle:
2005 Nissan 350z
silverstone

Default

Quote:
Originally posted by mmm3587
Yeah, I know. I had been really careful when I did it all before, I just knew that I couldn't get the updated parts for the fuel fix TSB for free and I didn't want to do the labor myself, since it's apparently pretty involved. I just assumed that they would not mess things up. All they had to do was reconnect two hoses, and the thing that they cracked wasn't even something I had touched.

It appears that was a crazy thing to assume. I think it's mostly this dealer, which is why I'm still kind of wondering whether I might take the car to another dealer if I ever need to take it to a dealer again. But I am pretty sure that this car will never see a Subaru dealer again as long as I own it; I'm just fed up.
I let a dealer install my clutch once.... never again... they didnt attach the shift linkage correctly and it kept fallin out of gear. I'll hit up subaruparts.com for gaskets and then turn all my own wrenches... easier and safer that way.
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