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Old 03-31-2012, 11:49 PM   #1
gordyzero
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Default 2011 STI blown pistons 13k stock tune !

Repeat cylinder 4 misfires, dealer did a leak down test. Told me cylinder 3&4 were smoked! Making no more than 80 psi. Stock tune, never beat this car, never raced, launched, nothing. This is my 3rd WRX and my first STI . I couldn't be more disappointed. Is anyone else having this issue who doesn't even beat the **** out of their car ? I heard the cracked ringland stories before from aggresive drivers. I have never even broke. 100 MPH in this car. Pathetic !
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Old 03-31-2012, 11:58 PM   #2
drewvdw
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**** happens, you get a bad tank of gas and the stars and planets align just right as a sun spot occurs and you get a problem. You have a warranty for this exact reason. Manufacturers guarantee their products not to break and if they do, they replace them. There should be no surprises here. Just suck it up and enjoy the loaner car and see if you can get any extra perks.
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Old 04-01-2012, 12:10 AM   #3
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Agreed ,your right. Suck it up I will. I have to admit after this I don't feel as good as I once did about the brand. The tech @ the dealer recommended upgraded pistons and a tune. Then went in to tell me the stock pistons suck and it will happen again. I appreciate the honesty. I have to say @ 40 grand I expected better. Thats all.
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Old 04-01-2012, 12:42 AM   #4
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It's not that the stock pistons suck. They are as good as you can for a cast piston. Forgings are stronger, but need more cylinder wall clearance and cold you have piston slap issues.

What does suck is the tune. For emissions reasons the transition from closed loop to open is delayed when you first dip into the throttle and you are lean in that transition.

Just don't tell the dealer about the non- OEM tune. With a stage 1, you can pick up a little power/torque too. After the rebuild/new short block just take it to an independent shop ASAP to do the deed...

P.S. The '04 has 3 different OEM tunes. The early ones were subject to detonation. The later ones have 2 degrees less spark advance.
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Old 04-01-2012, 12:54 AM   #5
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this is why a tune is the FIRST thing you have to do to these cars....just to get rid of the factory tune....and hope yer local dealer is k00 and understands that this is needed and wont deny you warranty work because of it
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Old 04-01-2012, 01:04 AM   #6
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Thanks for the tip! I have been told numerous times the tune sucks. Honestly I can't get my head around that, but I do believe it. I have always kept my cars stock. And never had a single problem. My last car 07 WRX limited had 145,000 on the clock when I traded it. Original clutch, rear brakes and turbo. Still didn't use a drop of oil. I would often laugh at my friends who had the " tuned " NIGHTMARES ... it was always a problem. Mostly cobb stage 2 and lots of abuse, those tunes led to glowing red turbos, massive oil consumption ... not to mention other minor issues. I thought Subaru would be able to produce a safer tune. Not to mention this problem I am having started @ 8,000 miles. I just kept deleting the code. Thinking it was bad gas. I really feel stupid for that. Now I am hoping that the bearings are damaged as well. According to the dealer its the only way they can give me a long block. If not to a short block @ best. This bone is going to get traded before the warranty runs out. The dealer told me any map tune & I will no longer have a warranty. Great! Time for a beer.
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Old 04-01-2012, 01:06 AM   #7
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I went Cobb stage 2 within the first 5 days of owning my car. I bought it in June 2011 and I already have 22000 miles it. I hit 20psi at least 4 to 5 times a day. I beat on my car. My point is, the stock tune seems to be the problem. After your car is fix, get a tune. At least Cobb stage 1.
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Old 04-01-2012, 01:14 AM   #8
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WRX904, I am totally on your side. But the dealer said any tune mod, they will know and they cant honor my warranty any longer. This sucks. But so far is my reality. I don't know my way around this one. I will see what they find when they tear the motor down Monday. The support here is great. Thank you all. I'm just a simple guy who wants to just drive my car and trade it every few years. No track days, no bull****. I should have never sold my dodge omni. LOL....
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Old 04-01-2012, 03:10 AM   #9
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Here is how I look at it ...

When my WRX comes in, I'm flashing it to stage 1 right away. Sure, my drivetrain warranty will be gone, but IMO there is no reason that a stage 1 tune should blow my motor .. so if it happens, it would have happened even if I stayed stock. I'm personally willing to gamble, and flash a better tune to try to preserve my motor, because I feel that is the reason for the failures.

I figure if stuff breaks that would have been covered under warranty, I'll just replace it with good aftermarket stuff. Sure, I could get burned and have to replace a shortblock at my own cost ... but I promise you the shortblock I put in there will not blow up at stage 2 .

If cash is tight for you, and you need that warranty, then stay stock. Just keep in mind that at 60k, the warranty is gone regardless .. I simply refuse to worry about it or worry about "oh what if Subaru denies my claim" .... I say screw em, I'll deal with it myself and replace broken stuff with better stuff.

edit: Forgot to add ... based on what I said above, here is my advice. Ask Subaru if they would replace the pistons and rods in the new shortblock prior to install with some forged ones you will provide. They may allow this, but will tell you that it will then void your warranty ... but DO IT. You will likely have to pay for the pistons and rods yourself, but this is your opportunity to never worry about ringlands again, or have to pay for the labor of install. Just my 2 cents.

Last edited by GrumpyPitbull; 04-01-2012 at 03:23 AM.
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Old 04-01-2012, 07:04 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gordyzero View Post
Thanks for the tip! I have been told numerous times the tune sucks. Honestly I can't get my head around that, but I do believe it. I have always kept my cars stock. And never had a single problem. My last car 07 WRX limited had 145,000 on the clock when I traded it. Original clutch, rear brakes and turbo. Still didn't use a drop of oil. I would often laugh at my friends who had the " tuned " NIGHTMARES ... it was always a problem. Mostly cobb stage 2 and lots of abuse, those tunes led to glowing red turbos, massive oil consumption ... not to mention other minor issues. I thought Subaru would be able to produce a safer tune. Not to mention this problem I am having started @ 8,000 miles. I just kept deleting the code. Thinking it was bad gas. I really feel stupid for that. Now I am hoping that the bearings are damaged as well. According to the dealer its the only way they can give me a long block. If not to a short block @ best. This bone is going to get traded before the warranty runs out. The dealer told me any map tune & I will no longer have a warranty. Great! Time for a beer.
Karma's a bitch, isn't it?

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Old 04-01-2012, 11:55 AM   #11
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Karma, maybe. ? Spending more money too lose a warranty . Isn't something Im interested in. I have to admit defeat. Everyone , even the dealer says forged pistons and a tune. I drove **** box cars for years had to work on them all the time. You won't catch me under the hood anymore. Its gross that a stock tune & internals can't survive. Maybe all the low engine speed driving I did contributed to this failure in some way.
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Old 04-01-2012, 02:13 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gordyzero View Post
Karma, maybe. ? Spending more money too lose a warranty . Isn't something Im interested in. I have to admit defeat. Everyone , even the dealer says forged pistons and a tune. I drove **** box cars for years had to work on them all the time. You won't catch me under the hood anymore. Its gross that a stock tune & internals can't survive. Maybe all the low engine speed driving I did contributed to this failure in some way.

I'm with you 110%, a bone stock off the lot car, sports car, highway sled, whatever, with proper care and maintenance, reasonable driving, should not drop a motor. A Yugo, maybe, otherwise....

Then the kicker, if you modify it to make it reliable it voids the warranty.

Subaru has had a problem with the oem tune since '04, you'd think they would have it right by now.
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Old 04-01-2012, 02:49 PM   #13
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I really hate seein this! It just boggles my mind that Subaru puts out a tune on these that they do. Anyone that has seen the stock tune can see without even a datalog that the tune sucks! REALLY SUBARU??? Give us a break. I've had a heavily modded WRX that put out 340 WHP and a stage 2 STI. The difference, a good tune. A friend of mine had this happen on his 08 STI, 15,000 miles later the motor went out again and the dealership wouldn't cover the cost so he ended up buying a new motor. Its ridiculous that the dealership Is telling you that forged pistons and a tune are the correct fix and yet Subaru will deny the warranty work is something happens. They're a billion dollar company that cant get something so simply fixed. I guess they don't like being showed up by a little mom and pop shop that takes a few extra hours and does it right. Very sad!

OP, push for the new block, if you can, even if you have to pay out of pocket a little for the product and work. You will be happy in the long run, trust me. If you need an additional source for confirmation, PM me.
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Old 04-01-2012, 04:16 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fourmicah
I really hate seein this! It just boggles my mind that Subaru puts out a tune on these that they do. Anyone that has seen the stock tune can see without even a datalog that the tune sucks! REALLY SUBARU??? Give us a break. I've had a heavily modded WRX that put out 340 WHP and a stage 2 STI. The difference, a good tune. A friend of mine had this happen on his 08 STI, 15,000 miles later the motor went out again and the dealership wouldn't cover the cost so he ended up buying a new motor. Its ridiculous that the dealership Is telling you that forged pistons and a tune are the correct fix and yet Subaru will deny the warranty work is something happens. They're a billion dollar company that cant get something so simply fixed. I guess they don't like being showed up by a little mom and pop shop that takes a few extra hours and does it right. Very sad!

OP, push for the new block, if you can, even if you have to pay out of pocket a little for the product and work. You will be happy in the long run, trust me. If you need an additional source for confirmation, PM me.
Subaru HAS to put the tunes on like that to meet federal emission standards. If they don't meet the standards, they aren't allowed to sell cars here in the states. If you want it to be reliable, YOU have to have it tuned by a third party.

It has nothing to do with Subaru being "showed up". It all comes down to cost and regulations. Period.
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Old 04-01-2012, 04:46 PM   #15
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I think this is the first 2011 to blow a stock motor. They don't have the same problems as the 08-10.
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Old 04-01-2012, 05:39 PM   #16
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Thank you all for the feedback, however my STI boner has really gone soft. Not even thinking about a 4 th subaru if this happens one more time .. , and what I paid for this MoFo .. I had to drive 3 hours away to find a satin white pearl limited .. thats how far I drove to get it fixed as well. The dealer has been great! And been totally honest with me. That this could happen again. I might have hit the rev limiter 3 times. Never Broke 100 MPH and always used Subaru oil and changed it every 3750. I would average 25-28 mpg if that tells you how I drove it. Not too impressed so far.
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Old 04-01-2012, 06:47 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gordyzero View Post
Thank you all for the feedback, however my STI boner has really gone soft. Not even thinking about a 4 th subaru if this happens one more time .. , and what I paid for this MoFo .. I had to drive 3 hours away to find a satin white pearl limited .. thats how far I drove to get it fixed as well. The dealer has been great! And been totally honest with me. That this could happen again. I might have hit the rev limiter 3 times. Never Broke 100 MPH and always used Subaru oil and changed it every 3750. I would average 25-28 mpg if that tells you how I drove it. Not too impressed so far.
Uh, Subaru Synthetic is changed every 7,500 miles. Did you use non-synth?

Also, in VT, do you guys have 93 oct or 91 shipped up from Portsmouth?
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Old 04-01-2012, 06:52 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Snow Drift View Post
I think this is the first 2011 to blow a stock motor. They don't have the same problems as the 08-10.
I hope you're right.

I am going through a similar situation with MY 11, I just havent ignored the CELs unlike the OP.

http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/show....php?t=2321863

I am getting a compression/leakdown test next week to see if there is any internal damage yet.

If everything looks good then I am probably going to get it tuned ASAP.
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Old 04-01-2012, 06:54 PM   #19
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Subaru synthetic is all I used, 93 octane only...
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Old 04-01-2012, 07:11 PM   #20
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What made you finally have it checked out instead of just clearing the CEL?
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Old 04-01-2012, 07:16 PM   #21
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I keep my vehicle stock as well but decided on the tune. I have had a few issues come up with the turbo where they dealership could have tried to avoid responsibility with the "your car is tuned so your warranty is voided." They didn't say a word about it and happily replaced my turbo. I guess it comes down to if they want to do it the easy way or the hard way.
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Old 04-01-2012, 07:18 PM   #22
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This bull**** started around 8k. Cleared the light twice thinking it was bad gas. I was on my way to the dealer to swap tires and the light came on 2 hours before my appointment . Perfect timing. Besides I was going in to request a cylinder leakdown test anyway. Due to what I have read here and on other forums. The timing couldn't have been better
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Old 04-01-2012, 07:35 PM   #23
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Originally Posted by Snow Drift View Post
Uh, Subaru Synthetic is changed every 7,500 miles. Did you use non-synth?

Also, in VT, do you guys have 93 oct or 91 shipped up from Portsmouth?
if your changing your oil at 7,500 miles everytime your an idiot for that after so long the oil starts to degrade and things happen
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Old 04-01-2012, 08:11 PM   #24
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Yea, he's the idiot for following the recommended maintenance schedule...
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Old 04-01-2012, 08:12 PM   #25
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I don't know why subaru just can't put in a turbo motor oil change schedule instead of labeling it as "extreme duty"
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