First "mod" to my Legacy

I bought a 2009 Legacy 2.5i in June of 09, and got rear ended a few weeks ago. Since it needed some bodywork, I had the bodyshop apply the matte black treatment around the rear exhaust, since on my car, that part is the same color as the rest of the car. I think it turned out really well, the work is top notch, and the body shop just charged me an hour of labor for it.

 

So here's how it looked before. This was in June 2009, the day I bought the car, iirc.

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/patty3.jpg

 

No pictures of smashed rear end. I never took pictures of the damage, but here is the car back from the bodyshop with the matte black finish around the exhaust.

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00464.jpg

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00465.jpg

 

I think it looks way better than it all being a single color.

I like it!

Very nice!

I agree...it looks very nice that way. Thought about doing the same thing.

However, on another note, I'm not digging the bodyshop's work on your rearend. The bumper and trunk don't line up at all. (big hump in the top of the bumper) It's tremendously off if you look at the original pic from when you bought it.

Thanks for pointing that out, guess I'll have to make a phone call tomorrow.

Flat black on that spot looks great man.

Thanks guys, I'm really glad I did it.

I like the uc davis frame the best.

i like the look

 

has anyone tried this with vinyl? i was thinking of asking a custom vinyl shop to cut me a piece to black that section out, with the idea that it could be removable.

you could just buy some vinyl and do it yourself. Your exhaust might melt it though.

interesting, looks good. i always thought about doing this. looks good on the 05-07 cars.

 

i was thinking about wrap too, but maybe using that carbon fiber wrap that everyone's been using lately? is it something i can take off later? is it too much rice?

I think this would look especially good on white. It looks good on mine, but whenever I see a white Legacy, I always kinda kick myself, shoulda bought white.

I wonder how much it would cost to get it done, my exhaust is turning my white bumper brown and melting some of the cutouts.

Looks good, thats how the 05-07's came from the factory:

 

http://img690.imageshack.us/img690/8522/fallsube01.jpg

I wonder how much it would cost to get it done, my exhaust is turning my white bumper brown and melting some of the cutouts.

 

Any bodyshop should be able to do this for you. Mine just charged me an hour's worth of labor. They probably cut me a deal though, because last winter, a lady swerved into my Mitsubishi Lancer, so that was a few grand worth of work they got, then my friend got rear ended in her Ford Escape, so I referred her, then I got rear ended in my Legacy, so they've gotten quite a bit of work thrown their way. Not that I love being a repeat customer to a bodyshop, but you know what I mean. Anyway, even if you don't get a hookup, I can't see anyone charging more than $100-$150 for this. And for that price, you're not getting some rattle can job, it's professional, and looks really really good. Now when I see other Legacy rear ends that are all body color, that almost looks "wrong" and mine looks like it was factory. I really don't know why Subaru stopped doing this.

Any chance the 05-07 part (is it the diffuser?) and the 08-09 parts are interchangeable?

 

I have an 06 SWP and personally am not much of a fan of the black - if they are interchangeable and someone were interested in a trade, I might be game.

Wow, the black looks sexy as hell!

So the matte black around my rear exhaust got the mod bug going a little bit, and as tempted as I was, I passed up on a set of nearly new 2009 LGT Spec B wheels and tires. It was a smokin' great deal, but I still passed.

 

But I did get an autodim / compass rearview mirror:

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00466.jpg

 

I also bought an LED interior light kit from diodedynamics.com, the quality was great, the install was a snap, and the results are fantastic.

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00476.jpg

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00477.jpg

 

I don't have a photo of the front map lights on (they dim out when you leave the door open for a while) but they cast a crisp, bright, white light now that is actually usable. Compared to the stock bulbs, the new leds are great. They make the stock bulbs look old, dim and yellow.

 

Here are the rear license plate led's.

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00479.jpg

 

Also, lately, the weather has been warming up here in Denver and my commute is directly north / south. This means when I drive to work in the mornings, the sun is blasting the left side of my face, and when I'm driving home northbound in the afternoons, the sun is again blasting the left side of my face. As much as I dislike the way tint makes a car look, I thought of it as a necessary evil, especially with the weaksauce Subaru a/c, so here is a photo of my new 3M tint:

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00474.jpg

 

I didn't really want the windshield part, but the shop gave it to me for free:

 

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00472.jpg

 

All in all, I'm happy with the mods to my Legacy. The rear bumper treatment really cleans up the look, the rearview mirror just makes life easier, the led's help light up the interior in the dark and when I park at work in the parking garage, and hopefully with the tint, my commute won't be as annoying.

Which stage LED kit did you buy? I've been planning on buying a set for a while now, I'm glad you reminded me.

I bought the stage 2 white light led kit. I'm pretty happy with the light output. Also, the license plate bulbs aren't as hard as I thought. It took me all of 10 minutes to do.

 

The LED's really freshen up the look of the interior, and I'm really happy with the license plate lights as well.

Sweet deal, I'll have to order some up, thanks.

http://i307.photobucket.com/albums/nn307/chuggis/DSC00741.jpg

 

Free!

 

http://www.badgeofownership.com/Default.aspx

Looks real good. What is the process to change the license plate bulbs? Easy or difficult?

License plate bulbs are way easier than I thought. Just slowly peel the inside liner away, you don't have to remove it completely, just enough to get to the bulbs from the inside and then pull out the factory bulbs and replace them with the led's. Be sure to check them because the bulbs are one way only so if they don't light up, pull them out and flip them and put them back in. Once you are sure everything is working, simply put the liner back. The rivets that hold the liner seem pretty sturdy, I didn't break any but be careful just in case. Also, the sheetmetal underneath the liner isn't finished or rolled so the edges can be sharp, so be careful.

License plate bulbs are way easier than I thought. Just slowly peel the inside liner away, you don't have to remove it completely, just enough to get to the bulbs from the inside and then pull out the factory bulbs and replace them with the led's. Be sure to check them because the bulbs are one way only so if they don't light up, pull them out and flip them and put them back in. Once you are sure everything is working, simply put the liner back. The rivets that hold the liner seem pretty sturdy, I didn't break any but be careful just in case. Also, the sheetmetal underneath the liner isn't finished or rolled so the edges can be sharp, so be careful.

 

 

Thanks! That is what I figured but wasn't too sure. Our book says take it to the dealer.