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Old 01-18-2013, 05:59 PM   #1
colbsterz
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Member#: 337159
Join Date: Nov 2012
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: San Diego
Vehicle:
2013 WRX Premium
SWP

Default Uh ohh! super scooby newbie at your service (pics for clicks)

Hi everyone! I just picked up my 2013 WRX Premium last night from the dealership and boy am I psyched! It was a long wait but totally worth it

Ive got a lot of plans and cant wait to start.. Looking to go stage 3 and make at least 400+whp.............. haha JOKING!! some of you probably have already hit the "Back" button by now, oops

Seriously tho I am super psyched to start putting some work into her, I have serious problems keeping things stock... especially the ride height Im brand new to AWD and brand new to turbo'ed cars (though I hear blown is the way to go ) so I definitely planning on taking things slow so I can thoroughly enjoy each upgrade and learn along the way. No 400whp beast anytime soon.

I come from the VW scene so im no noob to modifying cars.. except most of the time I spent making mine and my friends cars drive, period. rarely ever leaving time to make em quick.
I've made the "noob mistakes" all too many times on my VW's (chopped exhaust, blacked out emblems, stupid shift nobs.. the list goes on) before I figured out that taking your time, and careful research goes a long way in the end. Needless to say I'm not looking to make those mistakes again with my subie and would greatly appreciate any and all help/advice you all have! So enough of my boring rambling and heres some pictures:

Taken shortly after I picked her up (sorry for the crappy iPhone pics)





Completely blank slate, no upgrades at all except the included winter package.. need my bunz toasty.

So i guess the rambling isnt over.. looking for advice:
I am a firm believer that the first modification to any vehicle should be the suspension, closely followed up with wheels/tires. The reason for this that in my experience, any engine mod cant be fully appreciated when you dont actually "feel" the road. this also includes bushings/motor mounts/swaybars/end links etc... when i step on the gas I want all of its potential to be delivered.

Do most of you disagree? everything ive read so far is to get Cobb AccessPort first and/or a professional tune. I'd love to hear your input, is the stock tune really that bad? TIA!
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Old 01-18-2013, 06:03 PM   #2
colbsterz
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Member#: 337159
Join Date: Nov 2012
Chapter/Region: SCIC
Location: San Diego
Vehicle:
2013 WRX Premium
SWP

Default

double post.. im a space cadet sorry

Pics of my GLI if anyones interested!


Cruisin to OC, Maryland in September (didnt drive her home )


Roller by my best friend Zak DePiero, kid kills the photography and VW game
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Old 01-18-2013, 06:03 PM   #3
jthatch12
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Location: Philly/SJ
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03 Big 16G WRX
PSM

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Honestly, keep your car stock until your warranty is up. IN the mean time get a short shifter and shifter bushings.

Sway bars etc... are a good choice too. Just stay away from powertrain stuff for your own good.
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Old 01-18-2013, 06:07 PM   #4
B03scooby
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Congrats on the hatch. welcome to the world of Subaru and the forum. We all make mistakes every once awhile along the way
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Old 01-18-2013, 06:12 PM   #5
424wrx
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i have the racecomp cup kit suspension. its a great setup. its hard to get right now and back ordered for months. bilstein dropped the ball. another option are koni inserts. im not a coilover person.
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Old 01-18-2013, 08:11 PM   #6
Gallo2011
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Welcome to the forum, colbsterz. Sounds like you've got some brain matter between your ears, unlike quite a few newbies we've seen lately. There's a whole lot of reading to be done so I suggest gettin' to it. The stickies here as well as Unabomber's Manifesto contain a wealth of info regarding various suggested mods and FAQs. You have a really nice car. Treat it well and it should last for many years to come. Enjoy!
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Old 01-18-2013, 08:15 PM   #7
ChesterWRX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jthatch12 View Post
Honestly, keep your car stock until your warranty is up. IN the mean time get a short shifter and shifter bushings.

Sway bars etc... are a good choice too. Just stay away from powertrain stuff for your own good.




said the guy with an 03. i'm stage 2 and have no issues w/ warranty. i've been to the stealership twice for ECU-related updates / programming and they know what i'm running.


S.T.F.U. PLEASE.
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Old 01-18-2013, 08:22 PM   #8
BigRob74
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChesterWRX View Post



said the guy with an 03. i'm stage 2 and have no issues w/ warranty. i've been to the stealership twice for ECU-related updates / programming and they know what i'm running.


S.T.F.U. PLEASE.
x2. good luck with that stock tune, poor bugeye owners are haters cause a pontiac aztek looks better... yeah i went there
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Old 01-18-2013, 08:27 PM   #9
blue sedan
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Congrats!Enjoy the car stock for awhile and mod it gradually as needed.
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Old 01-18-2013, 08:31 PM   #10
ChesterWRX
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRob74 View Post
x2. good luck with that stock tune, poor bugeye owners are haters cause a pontiac aztek looks better... yeah i went there
i dated a chic with an Aztek. she was weird.
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Old 01-18-2013, 10:42 PM   #11
tommyson01
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ChesterWRX View Post



said the guy with an 03. i'm stage 2 and have no issues w/ warranty. i've been to the stealership twice for ECU-related updates / programming and they know what i'm running.

S.T.F.U. PLEASE.
First off, there's no need to be a tool.

Secondly, this is not the experience of most. More often than not the dealer is completely in the right to deny a warranty related issue if said issue was caused by a modification. Basically it comes down you've got to pay to play. It's fools like this that break stuff then try to get the dealer to fix things under warranty and ruin it for the rest of us.

OP, enjoy the car and figure out what you actually want to change. Don't just start throwing parts at it. You said you want to do this right, research twice buy once. With that said some people have had issues with the stock tunes so a quick reflash probably wouldn't hurt, but as we've established could cause issues with your warranty.

Last edited by tommyson01; 01-18-2013 at 11:02 PM.
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Old 01-19-2013, 04:39 AM   #12
Zach Thomas
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Silver

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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigRob74 View Post
x2. good luck with that stock tune, poor bugeye owners are haters cause a pontiac aztek looks better... yeah i went there
You're just upset because your year's front end looks like a slightly better Camry....yeah I went there.

OP I have personally never modded a car under warranty but have watched multiple coworkers and friends with new STis and WRXs get screwed out of warranty claims (rightfully so) because of their mods. Otherwise, good luck with the car and clean VW
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Old 01-19-2013, 07:15 AM   #13
the RIOT act
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Lmao...he said a Camry! I'm a 13' owner an gotta admit that's funny. Although a Camry IS better looking than a VW beetle or Fiat 500 look alike

But as far as the warranty, I've voided mine as of yesterday. Went stage 2 and very confident about it. I know the stock tune is plain dangerous so IMO ill have less problems this way than leaving it alone. On the other hand stupid (unrelated mod) stuff happens so be prepared to pay up for anything power train related that's all.
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Old 01-19-2013, 04:15 PM   #14
colbsterz
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Join Date: Nov 2012
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Location: San Diego
Vehicle:
2013 WRX Premium
SWP

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Quote:
Originally Posted by Gallo2011 View Post
Welcome to the forum, colbsterz. Sounds like you've got some brain matter between your ears, unlike quite a few newbies we've seen lately. There's a whole lot of reading to be done so I suggest gettin' to it. The stickies here as well as Unabomber's Manifesto contain a wealth of info regarding various suggested mods and FAQs. You have a really nice car. Treat it well and it should last for many years to come. Enjoy!
Much appreciated man, thanks! I've read a good portion of Unabombers manifesto already, great stuff.

Quote:
Originally Posted by tommyson01 View Post
OP, enjoy the car and figure out what you actually want to change. Don't just start throwing parts at it. You said you want to do this right, research twice buy once. With that said some people have had issues with the stock tunes so a quick reflash probably wouldn't hurt, but as we've established could cause issues with your warranty.
Great words of wisdom thanks! I definitely plan on doing extensive research before I purchase any upgrades. Especially tunes and electrical mods, coming from a mechanical engineer that stuff is voodoo magic to me i need to educate myself for sure

Quote:
Originally Posted by Zach Thomas View Post
OP I have personally never modded a car under warranty but have watched multiple coworkers and friends with new STis and WRXs get screwed out of warranty claims (rightfully so) because of their mods. Otherwise, good luck with the car and clean VW
Thanks Zach! for the props and the advice lol. spent a lot of time and money into that car and plan on doing the same for my WRX. I've never even owned a car under warranty before so thats very good to know.



Sorry i cant acknowledge everyones comments but thanks a ton! Sorry in advance for any dumb questions i may ask in the future, you all seem like a bunch of cool guys/girls and very knowledgable of this stuff.. Much different from my old forum :cough:vwvortex:cough:
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Old 01-19-2013, 04:32 PM   #15
DearDiaryJackpot
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2013 sti
white

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If its your 1st awd turbo car like mine. Then you WANT to feel everything from the car because its "a whole new world" (pun not intended).
Do what the shirt and stickes says "eat, sleep, subaru" then each time you change something , don't go out looking for the next one, lick it, taste it, then the next mod.
I'll be keeping my subie until at least 250k miles and I'm planning on enjoying each one of them if God lets me, Or until he lets me. So your first mod should be covering that front bumper and a reason to drive the new toy tomorrow
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Old 01-19-2013, 04:59 PM   #16
USCG-ShaDoW
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Location: Miami beach on base
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WR Blue

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Hey colbsterz welcome man.. And thanks to you, i've narrowed my color choice for my upcoming rex... WRB or SWP... Very hard because i want to do the color with black wheels and lips etc... Sorry if thread jacked... Welcome and enjoy
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Old 01-19-2013, 05:21 PM   #17
LUMBERZACK
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Welcome to the forums. Subarus are amazing and rarely do people wrong. Its when people do Subarus wrong is when Subaru bites back.
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Old 01-21-2013, 11:59 PM   #18
colbsterz
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2013 WRX Premium
SWP

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Quote:
Originally Posted by USCG-ShaDoW View Post
Hey colbsterz welcome man.. And thanks to you, i've narrowed my color choice for my upcoming rex... WRB or SWP... Very hard because i want to do the color with black wheels and lips etc... Sorry if thread jacked... Welcome and enjoy
no worries man, those were my choices too i liked how the SWP was a bit more subtle tho. good luck with your purchase!
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