It Seems I Have Contracted A New Disease

[colin_ross]

And it's called Subaru paranoia.

Let me explain - I have a daily driver ford focus. I change the oil on it once in a while and the brake pads when sparks pour out from all four wheels yet I feel it will never let me down. I take it for granted it will start every time and don't have as much as a screwdriver in the boot in case of emergency. I turn the radio way up and never look at the temp gauge secure in the knowledge that all will surely be well.

Now lets look at my subaru. I drove it all of 3 miles tonight and in that distance I must have looked where I was going for about 500 yards. The rest of the time I was busy looking at all of the gauges, over and over, my rear view to see if there was any smoke and when I got where I was going the bonnet was up staright away and 15 minutes of looking and prodding still left me feeling uneasy. The boot has a FULL toolkit, tow rope, vital fuilds and 3 fire extinguishers and the radio only get used when the engine is turned off so I can hear whats going on.

This car get nothing but the best but because so much has changed, all at the one time, I have virtually no confidence in it not going wrong.

So.....has anyone else got this bug or is it just me?

[jimser]

And it's called Subaru paranoia.

Let me explain - I have a daily driver ford focus. I change the oil on it once in a while and the brake pads when sparks pour out from all four wheels yet I feel it will never let me down. I take it for granted it will start every time and don't have as much as a screwdriver in the boot in case of emergency. I turn the radio way up and never look at the temp gauge secure in the knowledge that all will surely be well.

Now lets look at my subaru. I drove it all of 3 miles tonight and in that distance I must have looked where I was going for about 500 yards. The rest of the time I was busy looking at all of the gauges, over and over, my rear view to see if there was any smoke and when I got where I was going the bonnet was up staright away and 15 minutes of looking and prodding still left me feeling uneasy. The boot has a FULL toolkit, tow rope, vital fuilds and 3 fire extinguishers and the radio only get used when the engine is turned off so I can hear whats going on.

This car get nothing but the best but because so much has changed, all at the one time, I have virtually no confidence in it not going wrong.

So.....has anyone else got this bug or is it just me?

i think i have the same symptoms,all will be fine after your map mate

[RS Grant]

I know what you mean... doesnt even stop when you buy a new/nearly new car and throw a couple of mods on it. I also poke, prod, idle, blip, etc in my car and its nowhere near as modified as yours is.

When I had my Celica, it was a nightmare, that did have a lot of mods on it and I rarely listened to the Radio and always seemed to talk myself into the fact that there was a noise that wasnt supposed to be there.. or that I should just double/triple check everything each time I stopped the car regardless of how long or how hard it had been driven.

But when you plant the foot and go for it, you've got no choice than to look where you're going and all the worrying is worthwhile!!

Cheers,

Grant

[paul555sti]

I know what you mean. Ever since i had the front mount fitted on mines and the mapping done i have been paranoid.

The slightest noise or smell has me looking at the dash to check everything is ok.

[RA Dunk]

same here after my last run of mods lol

[AlanG]

It's normal. After any change there's bound to be feelings of doubt and it does take a while to be confident in the car even if you're totally confident in your ability to build it.

Back in 2003 when i had the 2 litre at 400+, i was never 100% at ease with the car, always looking at gauges at all the time even though they always displayed the same thing. It was ruining the enjoyment of driving the car.

When i specced the 2.5 build in that year i vowed to minimilise the number of gauges and have the car built so that i could drive it and forget what was going on. Even the mappers were told what i wanted and how i would be driving it, so they knew it wasn't taken to the Nth degree.

Once you've put a few miles on it and you build up confidence, you and the car will be fine unless you start changing bits again and the scenario starts all over again.

The good thing about your build is you've taken the experience of others having been there, so you've tried to cover all bases before you've even used the car in anger, so all you need to concenr yourself about is your ability in the build of it. If there's anything niggling in your mind wondering if it's going to be alright, then either sort it properly or check what is done is satisfactory cause 9 times out of 10 it'll come back to bite you! and your confidence takes a nose dive.

[st3ph3n]

I'm feeling like that with my car just now and have been for a while. I think it's now relegated to an exciting daily driver for the rest of its career and wont see the track again.

My problems with the gearbox last year left me feeling less than confident at REALLY pushing the car and not breaking something I don't really want to be forced to fix. Plus even though the dealers rectified the problem, and it's been serviced by someone I trust since then, I still have my doubts that the box will last another 20 or 30K, especially if it's tracked. It's maybe just my imagination that changing gears is just that bit more clunky than it used to be .... but then that's the subaru paranoia!

[thewelsho]

Perfectly understandable given your situation. It seems that such behaviour is unavoidable, but its like all things thorough-bred; they are twitchy, tempromental and at times unreasonable, but awesome at full tilt. I'm like that too and as stated by someone else, my car is not modded nearly to the levels you have. I suppose I'm nearer Stephen's level, especially the gearbox. I worry about it breaking, however, I can't see my avoiding track days for too much longer. The thrill is too great and if the car breaks then I'll worry about it then. Hopefully I'll be able to source the cash for a 6-speed in due course, and who knows, if I win the lotto, I'll install some PPG goodies!

I have noticed my oil temps creeping up to 102Degrees under normal use - any ideas why that is?

[Joe1989]

I also do this and i dont even drive an Impreza! I though it was just me being over worried glad you all do it too.

Edited May 14, 2008 by Joe1989

[AlanG]

I have noticed my oil temps creeping up to 102Degrees under normal use - any ideas why that is?

Ambient temps are higher.

[thewelsho]

Ambient temps are higher.

Should I worry about it? Is there anything I can do about it, short of installing an oil cooler?

[AlanG]

I wouldn't at that temp, personally.

[thewelsho]

I wouldn't at that temp, personally.

Ok cool (pardon the pun).

[Casper Spec D]

A think if you ask anybody that has modified a car in anyway,you would probably get the same answers. A think its the fear of the unknown and the fact that you don't want to break your pride and joy as a result of yourself. A was the same when a done the stuff to my car but as people said if you keep worrying you stop enjoying your car.You just got to have faith!

[johnnyr6]

Personally, i couldn't give a sh@t

Johnny

You know the only weak point on you car and it'll be sorted asap.

And it's called Subaru paranoia.

Let me explain - I have a daily driver ford focus. I change the oil on it once in a while and the brake pads when sparks pour out from all four wheels yet I feel it will never let me down. I take it for granted it will start every time and don't have as much as a screwdriver in the boot in case of emergency. I turn the radio way up and never look at the temp gauge secure in the knowledge that all will surely be well.

Now lets look at my subaru. I drove it all of 3 miles tonight and in that distance I must have looked where I was going for about 500 yards. The rest of the time I was busy looking at all of the gauges, over and over, my rear view to see if there was any smoke and when I got where I was going the bonnet was up staright away and 15 minutes of looking and prodding still left me feeling uneasy. The boot has a FULL toolkit, tow rope, vital fuilds and 3 fire extinguishers and the radio only get used when the engine is turned off so I can hear whats going on.

This car get nothing but the best but because so much has changed, all at the one time, I have virtually no confidence in it not going wrong.

So.....has anyone else got this bug or is it just me?

[colin_ross]

Glad to hear it's not just me and that others have similar concerens. It probably got more to do with having seen all the work done rather than having dropped it of at a tuners and picking it up when it's finished. I'm painfully aware of all the issues that had to be overcome. Ignorance is bliss it would seem.

You know the only weak point on you car and it'll be sorted asap.

What? The driver?

[jimser]

have you got a map date yet colin?

[colin_ross]

have you got a map date yet colin?

2nd week in June so not too long to go. Was trying to get a hold of Andy today to discuss it but he's a tricky one to get on the phone.

Got the car mot'd today so not much left to do now although I'm very much stil in shakedown mode. Still haven't made it into positive boost yet.

[jimser]

2nd week in June so not too long to go. Was trying to get a hold of Andy today to discuss it but he's a tricky one to get on the phone.

Got the car mot'd today so not much left to do now although I'm very much stil in shakedown mode. Still haven't made it into positive boost yet.

good stuff mate,you must be looking forward to driving it in anger

[fai17]

Personally, i couldn't give a sh@t

Johnny

You know the only weak point on you car and it'll be sorted asap.

I do care and i don't too....if it breaks down then i tow it to the garage to get it fixed....

I don't drive it easy either(when it's working) and after this build i'll be giving it large to see what i can get from it.

The build it's nearly finished and it's getting ready for the final map!

[johnnyr6]

What? The driver?

Edited May 15, 2008 by JohnnyR6

[AlanG]

Thought the banjo was done yonks ago??

You still got issues?, or is it the paranoia case of not trusting it?

[johnnyr6]

No, we thought we had, but it has a very slight ( and i mean slight) leak at the mo, but nothing thats going to stop proceedings, well mot, geometry and mapping.

Got a few ideas to try.

Johnny

[AlanG]

what type of washers did you use Johnny?

[colin_ross]

what type of washers did you use Johnny?

We've tried a combination of copper and fibre of different sizes. With the heli in place it'll take masses of torque now but we think the larger bore is stopping up getting a good seal.