mystery machine

Almost as bad as that curious breed of low-brow vigilante that have emerged in the last decade or so, a bunch of whom got into trouble a while back for vandalising the home of some poor woman after discovering that she was an acting PEDIATRICIAN On the Scooby theme: Hawkeye tail lamps (much prefer the Bug/Blob items)

Now we're rolling, have to add phoney 'green' road tax to that too...

Jings, I only just got there

Some stuff a little more Scooby-related... Chocolate newage shocks Equal length headers

That's the spirit And what about those chumps who fail to cancel their indicators even after a mile of motorway traffic has passed them, lights a-flashing, horns a-tooting?

Ranting is a proven (and often entertaining) method of stress relief and as a Scotsman it is my duty to ensure that at least 50% of my verbal communications include a moan or gripe of some sort (75% for folks from Dundee). We're not Englanders - "mustn't grumble" is not part of our vocabulary*. Complain away folks... * let it be known that I have no general gripe about English peoples - canny bunch of lads, most of them

In the mood for ranting today, so here's my starter for ten: Drivers who park closer up the side of your car than necessary. The evil cousin of the above, the careless munter who opens his/her car door onto yours. Cyclists who appear out of the blue in queuing traffic and pass within millimeters of your bodywork. Comments from passers-by when you're washing your car to the effect of "you can do mine when you're finished!". Hardy. Hardy. Har. Digital roadside signs that display useless information that does nothing more than distract drivers - they could at least flash jokes up there, or a weather forecast, or fitbaw scores (or even nikked wummins, if the technology's up to it?). Gritters spraying the highways on dry evenings when it would be warm enough to take the bins oot in yer kekks. Anything to add? The less obvious, the better P.S. Let's no' get too heavy - wouldn't want it to turn into a 'haters' thread (I hate those)

Och aye - I don't have the legs for that Next Falkirk Wheel gig I'll be there! (provided it's held during the day, and it's dry, and it's at the weekend, and Saturn is aligned with Uranus, etc ).

1) Yes, it has to be super unleaded or the ECU warning light may come on, which I guess implies possible engine damage if regular unleaded is used routinely. 2) Not quite (unfortunately?). The brief technical explanation is: If you set the DCCD to 'manual' and roll the dial back to 'O', then the centre diff is fully open (i.e. no limited-slip lock-up) and the F:R torque split will be the diff's mechanical default, which for you car I believe is 41:59 (earlier STIs I think were 35:65). In simple terms, using the mode you describe will give you the most rear-biased setup. I usually use 'Auto' in the wet and 'Manual, fully' open in the dry 3) That's the user-configurable rev limit warning. You can set the point at which this is activated by turning the ignition on and twisting left and right that stalk that protrudes from the dash. In my car the rev counter needle will move around to show the current setting, but I think earlier STIs might've had a different method of indicating that (via the LCD odometer display or summat).

Interesting - just thought I'd ask because mine doesn't have them. I guess I was hoping you were going to tell me that they're used to spray pink paint at tailgaters or some other such James Bondish shenanigans

Aye - the handling's peachy in Auto, and as far as I can deduce, that's the mode to use for the ultimate in speed/grip.Sticking it in manual mode an rolling the lock control right back to 'O' seems to liven up the back-end, and possibly sharpen the steering a bit - which I quite like. Also had a few power oversteer shimmies, which - if I'm being honest - make me feel like more of a man. I guess if I also took the dress off that might help too... (I'm kidding about that last part )

OK, confused the hang oota me, but that's no' very hard I grant you... Nice motor

Never seen a pic of your Scoob before, Gordon - very stealthy, very smart

Hello and welcome to the forum

P.S. Just noticed the little dimples on the rear bumper... are they parking sensors?

Wasn't implying you had, Barry my man. Just meant 'traded' in the wide sense, as in 'gotten rid of and replaced with' Aye, the 6-speed is great - one of my favourite features. Played with the DCCD much yet?

In my best Glasgow accent: "Abs-u-loot feckeen carneedge, mett..." I kept expecting - trying even - to have the back end step out a little coming off roundabouts, but it never happened... Didn't want to try too hard, mind... a wee shimmy was all I was after!

I hadn't even realised you'd traded that beautiful bug for a - gulp - AUDI?! Exactly what kind of madness were you overcome by man? Anyway - delighted to see that you've returned to the fold in uber-style! Can't go wrang with a metallic grey Hawk STI, here's mine: Tell us more about how your hawk compares with the old bug. I'm always interested to hear that sort of stuff, as the only two Impreza turbos I've ever driven were my Hawk WRX and the above STI

Best of luck with that - I'd be interested to know how it turns out

Fujitsubo need to have a word with their English translator - "viable"? They meant "variable", surely?

It's for sure on the Type UK models from a certain date onward, fairly certain that includes the Blobs...I've never found mine (never looked), but I had to phone RAC to have it registered in my name. Damn near keiched myself later the same day when they put it into 'test mode' while I was driving down the motorway (gave out a serious of loud bleeps, etc)

There's nowt gay at all about 'that diff thingy' Set it to manual, roll it right back to 'fully open', and feel the back end come alive. Go easy with it in the wet though if you're not used to rear-biased drive Each to their own, but IMO that's about the most useless and gimmicky feature of the STI It is a good conversation piece, though Here's a (not necessarily comprehensive) list of bits'n'bobs the STI has over the WRX. This list originally referred to the Hawkeye, but I believe the late Blobs were much the same spec (it includes some of the items you mentioned already): 6-speed gearbox - the upper gears are close ratio, very useful when you're pressing on through the twisties. The 'box can apparently also handle much more torque than the WRX's - handy if you're ever looking to boost engine power. DCCD (driver-controlled centre diff) - you can effectively vary F:R torque split from 50:50 to 41:59 (either manually, or by letting the computer do it automatically). Doesn't sound much, but the latter mode gives the car a palpable rear-drive feel - the back-end comes alive, steering becomes sharper, and you can even generate some throttle-on oversteer. Bigger (Brembo) brakes. Bigger hubs. Bigger turbo. Less restrictive exhaust system. Different shocks (although still made out of Cadbury's fudge). Bigger intercooler. Smaller steering wheel with a higher-geared steering rack. Wider track. Slightly longer wheelbase. Slightly chunkier rear bumper. Forged crank and conrods. Bigger injectors. STI instrument panel (much nicer than the WRX item). Tracker. The end is listless... Of course, the most important difference is how it feels to drive. IMO, the steering is sharper and more direct, the throttle response is quicker, there's more power, there's even more grip, there's less body roll, close gearing keeps you right in the zone... great cars.

Car looks fantabulous - has the all-important rear arch lips too That'll be the one that's been sitting outside the (Citroen?) garage in Grangemouth for the past couple of weeks then? Congrats - I made the WRX -> STI transition back in June (sounds like something you have operation for). Never looked back.

Car looks great Was it your car that was keyed in a Dundee multi-storey? Did you have to have it sprayed?

I reckon your wife may have a point, Phil...I've had two Hawkeyes - a standard WRX and the current standard STI. I was hardly ever tailgated in the WRX - I wondered perhaps whether the Scooby rep was putting people off being drawn into a losing battle. However, the STI has a strange polarising effect on other drivers. Some see it approaching on the outside lane of the motorway and almost seem to make a dash for the left lane - even if you aren't travelling particularly quickly, or you didn't need them to pull over (and I don't drive up the back of folk or no nasties like that). However, on the flipside, all manner of ding-dongs seem to want to stick to the back of the STI through 30mph zones. I guess it must carry some weight down the boozer, "aye - blew oot a Impreza STI the day - couldnae pull away fae me for sh|te!" - neglecting to mention that this white-knuckle limit-of-grip showdown never saw him exceed 15mph on the bends or 35mph on the straights... Given that the most obvious difference between the two Scoobs I've owned is the style of spoiler, I'm fairly convinced that's a large part of the problem. Yes, a Scoob can indeed be a fanny magnet, but seldom in the way you might want it to be... These days, if someone persists in tailgating me (and this only really works in dry weather), they shall be treated to several gallon of screenwash from the headlamp washers until the hint is taken. Works particularly well on van drivers with open windows, and even better on convertibles