What did you buy for your 5th gen today? - V3

Just scored the usually obscenely priced official STI pinstripe for Legacy BM/BR (part # ST91042EZ010, priced around $170-$200) for about $45.

 

You really have to stop this.

 

Giving me too many ideas.

Bought factory STI center caps. I had previously purchased some cheap reproductions that do not fit (should have known). These are used off Ebay, but look to be in great shape.

Just scored the usually obscenely priced official STI pinstripe for Legacy BM/BR (part # ST91042EZ010, priced around $170-$200) for about $45.

 

You score so much stuff I had no idea even existed lol! Thanks for giving us an idea of what's out there for the 5th gen!

Purchased STI 6 speed manual gearshift knob.

Purchased STI 6 speed manual gearshift knob.

 

That sentence got less exciting with every word...

 

Congrats on the new knob.

A 2016 sti trans, rear diff, axles, drive shaft, dccd will be bought next day or two.

That sentence got less exciting with every word...

 

Congrats on the new knob.

 

I have the same one. It adds a little pop to the interior without being overdone.

You know you can change the underneath to any color you want?

My knob was not in best shape and i haven't found the underneath separately, so purchased complete knob

You know you can change the underneath to any color you want?

 

I do, and I watched a video on youtube multiple times from a guy that did it on his WRX. But I found the red knob pretty cheap, and it wasn't worth the money saved to chance messing up the original knob IMO.

I just got a set of 215/55R17 Nokian R3's for winter and it's opened the flood gates a bit. also put koni cut a strut and rear struts (8610-1453S & 8010-1055S) on order and mevotech front lower control arms(CMS801114 & CMS801115) and kyb excel g's (339223 & 339222)

 

who thinks i need strut mounts? they are surprisingly expensive at $80 a pop for genuine Subaru ones, anyone know of good alternatives? do group N mounts exists for the 5th Gen? also spring helpers and dust boots are 22 a piece? dust boots will likely be fine but helpers may be smart. also who thinks the rust belt has rendered all my hardware useless? probably will come out to another $50 or so tho i haven't really tried to add it all up yet.

Definitely do strut mounts too. Group N mounts do exist (I don't know the part numbers), alternatively you can go with KYB all around, they are very inexpensive and hold up well. I did the KYB, Tim B did the Group N, take your pick.

I just got a set of 215/55R17 Nokian R3's for winter and it's opened the flood gates a bit. also put koni cut a strut and rear struts (8610-1453S & 8010-1055S) on order and mevotech front lower control arms(CMS801114 & CMS801115) and kyb excel g's (339223 & 339222)

 

who thinks i need strut mounts? they are surprisingly expensive at $80 a pop for genuine Subaru ones, anyone know of good alternatives? do group N mounts exists for the 5th Gen? also spring helpers and dust boots are 22 a piece? dust boots will likely be fine but helpers may be smart. also who thinks the rust belt has rendered all my hardware useless? probably will come out to another $50 or so tho i haven't really tried to add it all up yet.

 

What are spring helpers? You mean bump stops?

 

I may have some rear LCA hardware sitting in the garage, one of the bolts and nuts is brand new, the other are used but rust free. Cover shipping and they're yours.

04-07 STI group N front strut mounts are the same fitment as ours.

Definitely do strut mounts too. Group N mounts do exist (I don't know the part numbers), alternatively you can go with KYB all around, they are very inexpensive and hold up well. I did the KYB, Tim B did the Group N, take your pick.

thanks, i guess I'll be going with KYB's as much as i want to go with the stiffer group N mounts for the clout and handling performance the standard stiffness KYB will likely be more compliant and just as good most of the time since i will likely be set to full soft on the koni's most of the time.

 

What are spring helpers? You mean bump stops?

 

I may have some rear LCA hardware sitting in the garage, one of the bolts and nuts is brand new, the other are used but rust free. Cover shipping and they're yours.

 

yea, Subaru calls them spring helpers but they sure look like bump stops. I'm going to say they are probably fine since they sit underneath the dust boot. I'll keep you in mind about the hardware but I'll probably just go all new since I'm likely going to need a bunch of other stuff. when i put the winter set on I'll do some investigating.

This is all good to know since I'll be getting my Koni's hopefully before the end of the year. I've pretty much made up my mind to go Koni over the Cusco, even thoughI think it would be nice to just plug and play compared to all the cutting. One of the things that pushed me off the fence is the warranty. Lifetime for Koni, and 1 year for Cusco.

who thinks i need strut mounts?.

Since you are in the rust belt, it's probably worth replacing them if they look ugly - might be worth pulling a strut and seeing how the bearings feel if they are not heavily corroded. I re-used my OEM strut mounts, but the southwest is pretty radically different than the rust belt - generally speaking, everything I remove looks new except for being dirty. The bearings were still smooth on mine, and they had less than 60k miles on them, so I kept them. (the Subaru top mounts are pretty beefy compared to what I have seen on other cars, such as our van - I am guessing that's what drives up cost - I am not sure how much benefit there is with going with a Group N mount - I am sure they are more solid, but I am not sure how much they add from a practical point of view.

 

 

The Koni's are great, and the install (for the cut-a-struts) is not hard, you just have to take your time and get the measurements correct. (if you have a belt sander, you can cut close, then fine tune it to get the measurement perfect - I do not, so I made one cut to remove the innards from the donors high up on the strut, then made a final cut to the exact dimensions I needed after that (when you are removing the innards you have to rotate the strut around as you don't want to cut through the old cartridge - then once they are out, you can do the second cut straight through). If you cut, new, good quality blades are a must.)

 

 

What are you using for springs?

What are you using for springs?

 

thanks for the tips they are much appreciated, I'll likely be using a file to get a nice finish to exacting dimensions but cutting it high and sloppy to get the guts out of the way is a good idea. for springs I'll be getting 2013 3.6R springs, I still pretend the legacy is Subaru's preferred rally vehicle and i drive it as such on some pretty shitty roads so stock ride height is a must. i even like to gain some additional height in the winter with bigger tires.

 

in other news I finally got a date for my brake/airbag recall to be done nov 13th. while i was at it i had them quote me new coolant lines for the turbo and they quoted me $1400-$1800 dollars!!!! does that seem high to everyone? they talked about having to drop the turbo and the exhaust. I've looked up the parts and even if i get real crazy with replacing everything that gets touched its not more than $700. are they really setting aside $70-$1100 for labor wouldn't that be 7-11 hrs?

Edited October 24, 2019 by ripstik

while i was at it i had them quote me new coolant lines for the turbo and they quoted me $1400-$1800 dollars!!!! does that seem high to everyone? they talked about having to drop the turbo and the exhaust.

 

$1400-1800 Yikes! $1500 is approx. the going rate for the timing belt/water pump at the dealer.

I am not sure that the turbo & exhaust needs to be dropped for the coolant line that rusts out either.

I am not sure that the turbo & exhaust needs to be dropped for the coolant line that rusts out either.

 

I don't think so either I've looked at it before and if memory serves it seems like most of them can be replaced by just disconnecting and snaking the lines out and back in. i wish captain Ned was still around for some knowledge on the subject, i think he's the only person on here who has had this done.

If I were doing it myself, I'd probably remove the front engine mount to be able to fit bigger tools in there, but the turbo definitely does not need dropped. I could see that being the subaru service manual method, but there's no need. I put my new lines on while I had the engine out of the car and left them loose, and tightened them after reinstalling, so its definitely possible to do.

I don't think so either I've looked at it before and if memory serves it seems like most of them can be replaced by just disconnecting and snaking the lines out and back in. i wish captain Ned was still around for some knowledge on the subject, i think he's the only person on here who has had this done.

 

There is a good chance that I am going to be working on a project where I could look at the logistics of the coolant line in a couple weeks...

for springs I'll be getting 2013 3.6R springs ... stock ride height is a must.

Same thing I did, for the same basic reason (wanting to preserve stock ride height) - I really like the ride!

i had them quote me new coolant lines for the turbo and they quoted me $1400-$1800 dollars!!!!

Seems really high to me - what all are they replacing? just the coolant lines on the front of the turbo? Pulling the turbo for a car in the rust belt looks like a pain...

 

Looking at the car, I'd probably give it a go by draining the coolant, remove the upper radiator hose, remove the two cooling fans, support the engine and remove the front motor mount, put something against the radiator so you don't mess it up (I have a thin board I usually use) and it looks like you have all the access you could need to get them off... looks like plenty of room to pull everything up and out and get the new ones in there. You could probably forego removing the motor mount if you go from underneath, I bet - access is limited, but at first glance, it appears pretty doable. I'd probably just go from the top anyway since it gives you easier access to remove/reinstall the flexible lines to the hard line being replaced. I mean it really looks like a 2-3 hour DIY job. (go take a look - if you remove the top air intake duct, you can see everything plain as day, and it sure looks easy enough to get tools on everything to me...)

 

If the book has them dropping the turbo, I am guessing that's where the cost comes in.