[MikeBoom]

Hey, Everyone--

I'm not a complete newbie to the world of Subaru--we've already got a Legacy GT 2.5 and a WRX in the family. I'm presently contemplating replacing a car that was recently stolen and crashed () with an '08 STI. I have questions about two issues, both of which have been discussed in these forums:

-First, has there been an resolution of the issue with paint wear on the sides of the cars? If not, are mudflaps effective in preventing this problem?

-Second, should I be at all concerned about buying a new STI from dealer's stock, given the earlier "stop sale" related (I believe) to metal contaminants in the engines' oil?

Thanks in advance.

[Tortfeasor STi]

Q1: The paint on STIs is not great. Anything you can do to protect it is worth a try, but I have seen no definitive research into whether mud flaps actually work. I know lots of people love their clear bra's though to prevent front end chips.

Q2: Were I in the market for a new car, the stop order and the string of blown 08 engines would have me seriously concerned. If you can source an pre 07 STI with low miles and few mods this would be the hot ticket in my opinion as these cars seem to be more durable.

[MikeBoom]

Thanks. Any car I buy will be getting the clear bra . . . it seems like almost all modern paints are less durable now that environmental concerns have caused them to be reformulated.

As to the blown 08 engines . . . has the failure rate been any higher than in the past? Have these been unmodified engines?

[Endymion]

Originally Posted by MikeBoom

As to the blown 08 engines . . . has the failure rate been any higher than in the past? Have these been unmodified engines?

The failure rate appears to be most closely linked with the awesome stock tune on the 07's and 08's.

If you look at the link below, you'll see that a large majority of 08 STi owners are happy with their cars and have not experienced any major meechanical failures.

http://www.iwsti.com/forums/2008-sti...-problems.html

If you're in the market for an 08, I'd vote to pull the trigger - but that's only because I'm a slave to my impulsions. If I had any sort of patience, I'd wait for 09 to see what tweaks/fixes/changes they make. Regardless of your decision, drop the stock tune as soon as you can and go stage 1.

[MikeBoom]

Thanks for sharing that info. If indeed my stolen/wrecked car is totaled, I'll start shopping in earnest (I'm in limbo at the moment, as a result of a sloppy insurance estimate that missed a tremendous amount of crash damage to a once-perfect Lexus SC430).

Could someone elaborate a bit on the "awesome" stock STI tune? My understanding is that there are a couple of points where the stock tune leans out the fuel mixture excessively; is that what you're referring to? Sorry to be dense . . . I was not planning to be in the market for a new car at this time, so I'm not up to speed as much as I normally am when I start shopping.

[boondocksaint]

Originally Posted by MikeBoom

Could someone elaborate a bit on the "awesome" stock STI tune? My understanding is that there are a couple of points where the stock tune leans out the fuel mixture excessively; is that what you're referring to? Sorry to be dense . . . I was not planning to be in the market for a new car at this time, so I'm not up to speed as much as I normally am when I start shopping.

The short of it is this: on some cars, the aggressively lean factory tune causes detonation, which can blow a ringland/piston. A lot of people have had good luck with a richer aftermarket reflash (tune). There's a lot more to it. Browsing the 08 Forums will produce more detailed info.

[MikeBoom]

Originally Posted by boondocksaint

The short of it is this: on some cars, the aggressively lean factory tune causes detonation, which can blow a ringland/piston. A lot of people have had good luck with a richer aftermarket reflash (tune). There's a lot more to it. Browsing the 08 Forums will produce more detailed info.

Gotcha. Thanks. It seems that that should be easy enough to correct with a proper tune. I'll dive into the 08 Forums to learn more.