scholesy87

Being a fan of cheap home maintenance i have recently seen a couple of videos (one from the states) about people who have installed grease nipples to the shock absorbers to overcome the knocking problem. As my shocks are nearing that point ive been wondering if anyone on here has done anything similar rather than just go to coilovers as i cant really afford them at the moment. The shocks should be easy enough to take apart and grease but not sure about drilling and tapping a thread in them. Any help or advice appreciated Scott

Hi mate, I think it depends what your plans for the car are, if you plan on doing a lot of modding an STI is gonna give you a better start, especially if you get one with a PPP kit as you are already at 300bhp and get the bigger brakes and 6-speed box like you said. Things to watch are knocking shocks as the standard KYB untis are terrible and WILL fail at some point so make sure if you hear any noises get them to stick a new set on. The engine is pretty much bullet proof in 2.0 form but i know the 2.5 from word of mouth is not as reliable. Head gasket and piston ring problems so be sure to make sure its been well maintained. If you search on here for threads about the 2.5Ltr engine you will find out all about it. Im not saying dont buy 2.5ltr as im looking at one in the near future i think you just beed to be more cautious and i have been told they cant handle as much power reliably as the 2.0ltr. In terms of running costs i went from a 1.5ltr tubro mitsi colt averaging about 35mpg to a 2003 STI and the loss in fuel economy does take a bit to get used to. On long runs high 20's (I managed 32 on a 150 mile cruise at 75/80) are possible but average of 23-25 for normal driving. Pushing on and your 15 and falling, lol. Things like brakes and pads are not much different to most performance cars. Its all about what your willing to spend. Good performance friction kits can cost upwards of £500 for the best quality brakes and if like me you dont require serious stopping power then basic standard discs are about £120 pads around 50-80 depending where you buy. Again you get what you pay for. Ive had mine for a year and its a fantastic car, its not missed a beat and has never let me down. In terms of wear and tear in the year ive had it its needed a wheel bearing, a drop link a new battery and it had a new radiator but these are things that could affect any car. Subarus are generally good for reliability and my engine and gearbox are solid and the cars done 78k miles. Hope this helps a bit and welcome.

Admiral multi car is great, I got my 03 sti for £620 and being 24 at the time it was a great price, most other companies were 1k plus

The noise is from the front left which was what made me think its the front but it may not be, ill check all over to see, take thd back off aswell and see, you are maybe right tho as the rear pads don't seem to have much depth compared to the front

Funny you say thay as its thd front left that seems to where the noise is, its brembo callipers with Godspeed discs and ferrodo pads I believe, or so I was informed by the previous owner

Upon a closer look the front pads seem to have loads of thickness compared to the back so you could well be right. Just seems to be noisy at the front left so i think ill strip and clean every corner to see if that helps, cheers Kenny

No its from the front but there is no vibration through the wheel, and it stops as soon as you are below 40/45, think ill strip the discs down as the car often sits for 4 to 5 days without moving so it could well be corrosion building up somewhere

My car had recently started making light vibration noises when braking, only above 50 and as soon as it slows the vibrations stop, it doesn't pull on the steering at all and doesn't do it when just driving along so I presume its the brake discs/pads beyond those useful life...just wondered if anyone else could confirm this, thanks.

Ok thanks, ill see how I get on.

Just wondering how easy it is to remove the header tank lid on an 03 sti, is it as simple as unbolt and remove the hoses or do u need to drain any coolant. Gonna give it a sand down and some paint as its a bit corroded around the bolts.

Cheers mate, its only a wee bit at the near right corner so i lights is possible, thanks for your help. Soon as the heavens have closed ill get the tools out.

Has anyone had any issues before with water getting into the boot of the car. I think its most likely the seals as before i bought the car at S & S they had the spolier off to respray the boot lid so i think it may not have gone on properly. Just interested to see if anyone has had an issue with this, its not a lot of water but not welcome all the same.

He certainly has!!!

It was more than i wanted to pay originally, lets just say that, however they offered me 1k more for my car than anyone else did and the warranty was a bonus so it worked out the best deal overall. More than happy with the car for my first scoob experience....

Yup, its getting brought out for the barbeque again, its the only time i wear it I shall get some pics up on over the weekend hopefully!!! Nice to finally have my own!!!!