mystery machine

Thanks Alastair! Any other options worth considering? Cheers.

Of course! Almost goes without saying. Been stuck behind sports bikes on really twisty sections of roads though... only to see them disappear on the straights... and catch them up at the next twisty bit. Best just to pull of the road and wait for a fresh gap in the traffic

You do get that Seldom a problem when I'm out driving for fun on a Sunday morn... I suppose the chavs are still in their beds nursing Lambrini hangovers at that time. Either that or they just don't 'do' country roads. Either way, I reckon that even the most determined chav would struggle to keep up with a Scoob on a twisty road However, if ever I'm out in the car locally on a Friday or Saturday evening I'm almost guaranteed to attract a window-licker of some description. Usually youngsters, but not always – once had a guy in a his fifties driving a Chrysler Crossfire Coupe () tailgate me to within an inch of my bumper, showing off to his 'fur coat and no nickers' wife. I had the wee one in the back of the car at the time so was not best pleased I would reckon that some of these people who indulge in competitive driving on public roads are looking for bragging rights to turn up at the pub and boast to their mates about how they "blew out a Subaru the other day", are showing off to their passengers, or are simply hoping to massage their deluded egos I'd imagine Evo drivers suffer the same harassment in traffic. I've had a van overtake me as I was going over a speed bump, in a 20mph limit, on a road that had parked cars both sides. Fail!

Can anyone recommend a quality 100% synthetic oil for my Hawkeye STI? Main dealer used Castrol Magnatec at the last service. It meets A3/B3 A3/B4 spec but I'd like to use something better this time. Cheers

If that's the case Kenny, then I want a slice of the action – my income's spread way too thin these days – fed-up being an outsider!

So-called 'Danish' bread – does anyone actually buy this stuff on purpose?! ...or is it only ever bought because there was nothing else on the shelves, only for it to be cursed on a daily basis for being too small or for toasting to charcoal in under 30 seconds?

I am totally comfortable stating that I am absolutely not any kind of Subaru guru, and never have I claimed to be! And I'm not in the motor trade either. Like many others on here I'm just a novice enthusiast who is picking up info and experience as he goes along and passing it onto others when he thinks it might be helpful. Isn't that what these forums are all about? What I have managed to glean from from a custom exhaust maker of several years and a Subaru ECU mapper (with a few 2.5L remaps under his belt) is that yes 3" bore exhaust system will ultimately yield more power than 2.5" bore, but 2.5" bore is an option worth considering over a 3" bore if you prefer a quieter exhaust and you aren't looking for 'huge' power gains. I thought info would be of help to the OP. Don't you agree? And if you have some good advice about which exhausts systems are worth avoiding then I am genuinely interested in hearing about it, it's that sort of info that I come here to read!

Fascinating! Who'd have thought there would have been an archaeological aspect to filling station development?

Who said he doesn't know about exhausts? I posted that info for the benefit of the O.P. – info that I gleaned from a custom exhaust maker of several years. I got exactly the same message from a Subaru ECU mapper too. OK – tell us which ones you mean, so we can avoid them.

Sinny, it's your prerogative to take your car to wherever you want, but I've been in a similar position myself once and ended up regretting going with a 'cheap option through in Glasgow'... (that's not a comment on Scottish Subarus, BTW – I've never used them). If I were you I'd call Duncan back, tactfully mention the other quote you've been given and ask him for a breakdown of the job, exactly what's involved, hrs labour, parts prices, where the parts are coming from, etc. Perhaps there's a good reason that one quote is higher than the other? I mean, at £48hr it's hardly as if Hypertech charge an outrageous rate for labour, so something else has to account for that large discrepancy between the two quotes... might be something you want to know about! Just my two boab – understandably there's always huge pressure to go with the cheaper option when that amount of money's involved, but that's a nice car you have there and it would be a shame if it ended up being given anything less than the careful treatment it deserves. All the best, mate

You're not kidding! I had one of these... Which Andy transformed into THIS...

In that case I don't think the value of the insured car is even relevant... they're probably more concerned that he's going to go straight out in that Corsa and crash into a showroom full of new BMWs!

Did you consider looking for a hoose in the Mar Policies?

Oh Kenny, you big tease you!

Think that Hypertech charge around £48/hr inc VAT, so that's sounding like at least a 'three man days' job? Blimey.

Some one got it, at least Thought I'd dropped a real thread-stopper there...

Here's an idea, Sinny... If your impending house move involves selling one place and buying another, instead of paying the solicitor when the transaction is complete, use the cash to fund a nice forged piston upgrade and a bigger turbo. Then tell the solicitor "the cheque's in the post", because **** knows they wouldn't treat you any better, the robbing *******s... Me? Bitter?

Scary. That's enough to make me think twice about having my car mapped. Not saying it couldn't happen with the standard map, of course! (anecdotal evidence suggests that it does from time to time). I'd almost be tempted to have forged pistons stuck in there while the engine's out... yet more cost on top of an already-huge bill, but you'd at least be gaining something on what you had before! Is the replacement gasket going to be an uprated item then? You moving away from Aloha, Sinny?

Interesting to know I guess some folk would still prefer their own car back, mind – especially if a lot of time/money's been put into modifying it. Assuming the tea leaves hadn't ruined it, that is...

Oh man, what a bummer... Sorry if it's a daft question, but will they have to replace both HGs or will a compression test isolate the dodgy one? Mind you when one's away, you do wonder how far behind the other one might be...

How do you think they can afford to offer premiums that are so much lower? Genuine question – I don't know the answer, but I do wonder...

Cheers Paul, although TBH it's not really what I'm after. Think the light polished silver of the cap might look a bit daft against the darker silver of the wheels. JMHO. Cheers anyway.

Think I might have had my STI 8s mixed up with my STI 9s (or 10s)...

Thanks for all the info re 'open mouth' Looking at the pics, I guess I'd assumed that all aftermarket sports cats are open mouth, but I'll certainly double-check now... Yes, I'm going to replace the fuel pump and fit a high-flow panel filter.