[Kilya]

Sometimes in my 07 after I would get gas i would shut the car down and goto start it back up to get the gauge to Full it would grind even though the car was off and engine was at 0 rpm and clutch all the way in.

[thekiffer]

Originally Posted by Rum

shoot you can hear mine with the windows up if the stereo is off. I listen to it every day stop and go, stop and go on the freeway.

Clutch is too soft and too high compared to what I am used to. I've yet to get a nice solid launch out of the thing. I either end up lurching it, or slipping it and burning it up.

Good luck with that startup thing.

I am experiencing that big time!

[Digitalfiend]

Originally Posted by thekiffer

I am experiencing that big time!

Yes, I wouldn't mind having the '04-'05 style pull-type clutch. It had a nicer, heavier feel. My wife definitely prefers the lighter clutch though.

[Rum]

Originally Posted by Digitalfiend

Yes, I wouldn't mind having the '04-'05 style pull-type clutch. It had a nicer, heavier feel. My wife definitely prefers the lighter clutch though.

Yeah, but you know, there's no denying this car is better than it ever was as a daily driver. Sure I get up in the twisties as often as I can and I can't wait to start autoX/track with it, but 5 days a week I sit in 38 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 405. I sure appreciate the light clutch then, along with all the other various amenities.

This is my only car. I'm sure my viewpoint would be different otherwise, but then again, the "jack of all trades" nature of the 08 is really what ultimately drew me to it. That and FINALLY the deletion of the quadruple-decker shopping cart handle.

[FlyinbySTi]

when you go to start it are you holding the key all the way to start for a second. I have gotten this noise a couple times on my 05'.

It happens when I just like blip the key to the start position and release it before the car actually gets a chance to start.

[Digitalfiend]

There is no doubt in my mind that this car is way better as a daily driver than the old car and I'm positive it handles better too.

I just did a 360km drive that I used to do in my '05 and I would be somewhat uncomfortable by the end of the trip, but these new seats offer more support so I was completely fine this time. They are obviously insufficient for serious track days but I managed those just fine in my '05 seats.

The rear end is also much better behaved over surface imperfections than the old car. There are a couple corners on this trip that used to be a bit hairy in the old car at speed and the new car stuck like glue. I was quite impressed. The steering definitely needs a bit of firming up but it's not as bad the reviews lead you to believe. It doesn't "load up" like my '05 did under hard cornering, but it is still precise and predictable.

Originally Posted by Rum

Yeah, but you know, there's no denying this car is better than it ever was as a daily driver. Sure I get up in the twisties as often as I can and I can't wait to start autoX/track with it, but 5 days a week I sit in 38 miles of bumper-to-bumper traffic on the 405. I sure appreciate the light clutch then, along with all the other various amenities.

This is my only car. I'm sure my viewpoint would be different otherwise, but then again, the "jack of all trades" nature of the 08 is really what ultimately drew me to it. That and FINALLY the deletion of the quadruple-decker shopping cart handle.

[Digitalfiend]

Well, it did it again to me. I had just filled up at the gas station and went to turn the car on and "screeeeach" - sounded just like the starter motor. I turned it back to ON then IGN and "screeeach". So I turned it off entirely and then tried again and no problems...it started right up. I really believe there is something wrong with the starter.

[redbaron]

I have the same nose on 1st and 2nd gear under engine brake. I had it checked with the dealership and they said its same with some other new 08 Sti . I asked them if i can try there demo Sti 08 but there demo car seems to have a weaker noise. Since its the demo car we concluded that it gets blasted everyday when a customer tries it ....could be a break-in issue .....should go away in a few thousand Km. The demo car has less than 3000km though but its roughly handled

[Digitalfiend]

Originally Posted by redbaron

I have the same nose on 1st and 2nd gear under engine brake. I had it checked with the dealership and they said its same with some other new 08 Sti . I asked them if i can try there demo Sti 08 but there demo car seems to have a weaker noise. Since its the demo car we concluded that it gets blasted everyday when a customer tries it ....could be a break-in issue .....should go away in a few thousand Km. The demo car has less than 3000km though but its roughly handled

I doubt you have this noise while decelerating in 1st/2nd as this sounds exactly like a starter motor. If you're car sounds like that while running, there is a serious problem.

[martind]

Mine has done the same with the startup...a few times.

[jonny427]

Originally Posted by shagnwrx

The metallic noise you hear when you let off throttle in gear is probably normal. Straight cut gears have a tendency to be VERY noisy. They'll whine, make that weird noise when you lift off, and yes it goes away when you throw the clutch in. My 04 STi did the same thing as does my 08 STi.

As for the screech on startup, I wonder if the starter has a flat spot on it somewhere... hopefully just a minor defect that the dealer can remedy for you.

iirc, the gears are helical, not straight cut.

[waktasz]

Originally Posted by martind

Mine has done the same with the startup...a few times.

Mine too...I think when I didn't push the clutch down far enough.

[G-REX]

Originally Posted by jonny427

iirc, the gears are helical, not straight cut.

Starter gears are straight, unless you have a helical cut flywheel.

[G-REX]

Well that's what I get for being a smartass in my last comment.

Same thing happened to me yesterday DF. Did you have yours checked out yet?

[Digitalfiend]

Originally Posted by G-REX

Well that's what I get for being a smartass in my last comment.

Same thing happened to me yesterday DF. Did you have yours checked out yet?

Haha sucker...

As for having the dealership look at it, they kind of looked at it. When I took it in for the "stop sale" test, they confirmed that all the connections were good and did a visual inspection of the starter. The issue is really intermittent. My wife had it happen to her while she was out alone last week. Thankfully I told her about it so she knew what to do.

There seems to be no rhyme or reason but I'm positive it is related to the starter. Maybe it's a bad solenoid, but then why the horrible screech? The only other thing could be that the clutch isn't fully disengaging (intermittently) so that the additional resistance on the flywheel stops the starter. Therefore, it disengages enough to trip the clutch safety but not enough to disconnect the clutch from the flywheel. That really doesn't make sense to me though.

If it wasn't such a horrible sound when it happens, I'd probably not worry about it. It seems interesting that a few other people are having this issue too. Perhaps there is a defect with some of the starters? When was your car manufactured?

I've asked the dealership to order a new starter motor for me and we'll see if that fixes things.