I feel bad driving on my winter tires, the weather is warm enough and its time to get some summer shoes on. Since the summer tires that came with car are worn off, I need to buy a new set
So the question is. well really two questions
1) Performance vs All Season
2) What brand
What do you think, I have no clue when it comes to tires
I was watching TV yesterday, PBS to be specific. You know how PBS has no commercials during the program, instead they do the, this program was made possible because of… and do one or two quick commercials. Well one of the shows was made possible because of Subaru. The commercial came on showing the Subaru latest and greatest with all the features…
Obviously Subaru knows that folks like me watch this show, perhaps you are one of them too, and if you are time to come clean.
So here its is, are you an Antiques Road Show fan?
I am, there I said it.
Hi All
I am in the process of moving the hosting of the blog, so if you experience any issues please let me know. Also if I took out some access you had let me know as well, I am working through restoring everything
Thanks
Before I tell you what happened, why it happened and what happened after it happened. I want you to know I am not making excuses and what happened is totally my fault
So if your comment back to me is, you are an idiot, save your self the trouble.
(AGAIN NO EXCUSES) But, I have been quite busy lately, really busy, more so than I need to tell you. I had also gone on a few long trips with the car, Toronto a couple of times, NYC, etc… and somewhere between work and life, totally forgot about the Oil Change. How much you ask? well lets say I over shot it by 4K.
I was driving to Toronto, car loaded, and about 3 hours in. I hear a hissing noise. When I heard it, it hit me that the car has not been going as fast as normal, and the noise seemed to come on when I press the gas. I exited, got to a gas station and looked at things. checked the oil and lets just say it was LOW. So I added some, and hit the HWY again. By the time I ramped up to 120, the noise was really loud. So I dropped down the speed and put it on cruise, wanted to get to the next exit and get off again. Within a minute, the car made a weird noise, then the cruise came off, the check engine light came on, and the traction control light came on as well. Luckily there was an exit close by, got off, parked, and called road side assistance.
They offered to take the car to the closest dealer, which I asked them to do in the morning. They where very helpful except that the one thing I really wanted / cared for when its that late at night, and cold, is the safety of my family, which the road side assistance does not care to cover. I had written a blog post on that in the past you can read it here
In the morning the car was taken to Whitby which was the closes dealer to where I was
As soon as they looked at the car, the decision was clear and instant.
a) The Turbo is gone
b) It was my fault for neglecting the car
Since it was Saturday they could not source the part to work on it, but they promised to work on it on Monday and get it fixed. The only question was, who will pay for the damage.
Long story short, the dealer called me on Monday afternoon and informed me that Subaru Canada would like to have a word with me. within 30 minutes, a lady and a gentleman from Subaru was on the phone. They where very pleasant, and did a good job letting me know that I was at fault. Informed me that the cost of replacing the Turbo was close to $2000 and that it is not covered by warranty. No argument from my side. What can I say. However they had a proposal… They would pick up the cost of the turbo IF, I am willing to do an engine flush and the 24K service at the dealership. That sounds like a great offer, Deal. With that Subaru was generous to pick up the tab, and I got off with a $600 bill for maintenance that had to be done anyway.
So the moral of the story is, PLEASE, learn from me, Change your OIL on schedule, its very important… TRUST ME
Before I warp up, I want to give a plug to the Whitby dealership, they were nice and Mark the shop manager was very helpful.
I started to think after why Subaru would do that I don’t have the answer yet but I have 3 theories
1) I know the Subaru folks that called knew about my blown engine and maybe they feel bad so they paid for the Turbo
2) The Subaru folks thought if I pay for the Turbo, I wont do the engine flush, and by the time I get back home, I will need a new engine
3) The Subaru Folks know about this blog and want me to say something nice about them
Maybe its a combination of all of the above, and that is fine by me.
What do you think?
So it has happened. Finally have decided on a winter tire package and they are now installed. Go see the Kyle at Budd’s Subaru (Oakville) if you are still in the hunt. He did a great job setting me up with a great price and a really sharp looking package. 17″ ASA sports 7 spoke alloy wheel in silver ( I might have this painted to black or bronze, not sure) and Blizzaks 215/17/45 (or 50, can’t remember) 91V They look and drive great and now I cannot wait for some snow!!!
So I might have got something else for the car as well. Rally Armor urethane mud flaps. They look the part. So I am planning on running them through the winter and removing them in the summer. So that is my project either today or tomorrow. I want to have them on before the snow.
I will post pictures so you can all see the winter tire package, and I will write about the process of the flap install and show some pics as this might be a good winter mod for everybody. I think next spring (depending on the finances) springs and a lip might be on the wire.
JT83
Alright, this topic has popped up a few times, worthy of its own post and discussion. Last comment came from cata_o and mwrx in the 1 year review post
Here are the comments:
“Just wanted to ask you a question about the engine at idle. Mine trembles occasionaly. Not all the time, here and there, there are some little shakes. This is not new, I felt it from the day 1. The dealer told me everything is fine. Did you experience this?”
and
“My 2010 wrx idles rough when I first start it and it does shake every once in a while like when sitting at a red light. Its has about 1,100 miles on it. I also noticed somtimes when I go to pull in my driveway or a parking spot it almost stalls out. It only happens in low speeds and when its in first gear. I hit the gas to go then push in the clutch an almost stalls out.
Anyone had any stalling problems?”
Comments?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USHeM5rZejk]
Ok but this is not machine car wash and no soft cloth car wash. This happened at the coin car wash, you know the ones you put a couple of dollars in and you wash the car yourself.
It turns out that if you go with the high pressure water washer and hit the windshield and wipers with it, this can happen to you. There is a cap that covers the wiper base and if it comes loose, the wipers well, will stop wiping. All you have to do is put the cap back in place and you are set.
But just a warning, if you are washing your car yourself, easy on the water
Where has the time gone? Its been more than a year and I just passed the 20000 K mark, so time to do a quick blog post
As you know if you read this blog, I had the knock of death on the WRX engine and looking back, and in a weird way, glad it happened to me and not someone else in the sense that I have this blog and am able to share this information. I know there are other forms and news groups out there dedicated to WRX fans, many who are more hard core than me. But I think and based on the feedback I get, me sharing my experience has been useful to many.
Other than the engine, I had a few minor issues, but no more than any other car would. Cars will have an issue here or there so no big deal.
I also have to say that, the dealer I got it from, sent me a letter on the 1 year anniversary. That is a nice touch, and much better than the horrible letter they sent to get the survey a while back.
The one thing I will say for sure, a year later, 20K later, is this.
I LOVE THIS CAR. I want to get in and drive it every chance I get. Anyone who gets in it, loves it, its just an amazing ride. Subaru did a good job with it overall, glad to have owned it.
So next week will be a month, and I am now through the break in.
Dam this is one fast car. I can not begin to tell you all how surprised I have been with the power and acceleration.
I have to agree with previous complaints on the blog,
-I would love to have one more gear. In my SVT Focus (still for sale, I would love to sell it) I had a 6speed gear box, and cruising down the highway at a low RPM is quite missed now.
Other issues:
-The luggage/cargo cover in the back squeaks a lot! Drives me bananas! But I have mentioned this to Kyle at Budd’s and he told me he has a quick fix for it that we will do when I am in for my first oil change.
-The reverse gear like an angry house wife is very selective about when it lets you in. I guess it is a straight cut gear (based on its sound) and thus requires some coaxing. Has any one else had this issue?
On that note, those are minor. The list of pros would go on and on. I cannot get over how sure footed this car is in the rain. I normally would white knuckle in the rain on sport tires, but I have to continually check my speed when in this car even in the rain. It builds such a level of confidence. I am blown away constantly the power you can ease in mid corner. The mountain switch backs in Hamilton were child’s play. Apex’s were easy to hit, throttle response was world class and the car is so stable, although feeling a little soft with body roll.
I think I will be going to a stiffer lowering spring, and maybe upgrade the sway bars next season to reduce some of the nose lift/dive, and body roll. I will be very tempted for a track day.
(behave behave)
On that note, here is a question:
What have people been doing for winter tires?
Anybody running 16”s?
JT83
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