briforbes

"Is Innerleithen commutable to Edinburgh? I need a gaff in or near Edinburgh before my commute kills me." Yeah, it's about >25 miles to town, doesn't take long and the roads are great. Cheers, Bri

Thanks guys, Lol at the house comments!! It was built by Border Homes last year, it's a small development in Innerleithen that sits back up the hill from the village. There's 2 left if anyone wants them? ;-) Cheers, Brian

A few of you may remember my post back in december about the engine letting go the day after I bought my impreza.......well it's now back on the road! In the end it needed 3 rods, shells, main bearings, crank, and a modified oil pump was fitted at the same time. Spent the last couple of days spannering away to get the rebuilt engine back in and it started first time. I did around 60 miles in it yesterday and everything seems nice and smooth - couldn't be happier with it. Having to keep it under 3k revs for the first 1k miles will be a pest, but the weather here isn't the best just now so it may be a blessing in disguise. Big thanks to Andy at Special Scooby's who did the rebuild, very helpful and I'd reccommend him to anybody who needs similar work done. Here's a couple of pictures I took this morning.... http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/brif.../Picture040.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/brif.../Picture037.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/brif.../Picture038.jpg http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y148/brif.../Picture041.jpg Cheers, Brian

Thanks guys, much appreciated.

Hi folks, Does anyone know where I could get a replacement MAF for an MY98 2.0 Sport. My Dad's one has failed and his car is running very rough. I'm local to the penicuik area if that helps. Going to try Nobles but I doubt they'll be able to do it for a reasonable price? Cheers, Brian

£3k sounds a bit rich, it needn't cost that. www.importcarparts.co.uk are offering rebuilt engines with new crank, pistons, rods etc on an exchange basis for £900 plus VAT, based on an impreza turbo such as the one you have. I would have a look at that as a possible option, the guy there is quite friendly and will go through various options with you. He also usually has a stock of second hand engines and short motors also. There have been stories of the pistons in the oil pumps sticking due to a potential design fault, if they do fail they could cause bearings to run dry which would lead to a broken bottom end. Rebuild time is a good opportunity to fit one and for the amount they cost would be a worthwhile mod for peace of mind if nothing else. Bri

Hi Baz, I found myself in the same position as you after one day of STI ownership....so I know how you must be feeling. I researched all possible avenues - but decided that the best option for me was to get my existing block rebuilt. I had originally decided to go for a 2nd hand engine as these are generally a bit cheaper than a rebuild, however most had done around 30,000 miles, and what with my bottom end having broken at 41,000 miles, I couldn't see this being a sensible option in the long term. For a few hundred more my engine is now being rebuilt with new crank, bearings etc and will have the modified oil pump fitted to prevent that potentially causing engine failure in the future. I also get a full 12 month warranty, which as I will be using the car for work is a big peace of mind thing to me. PM 22B-Andy from here as that's who is doing my rebuild. Hope you get it sorted soon - you'll wince every time you walk past it until you do! Cheers, Brian

Here's mine.... Currently looks like this though.... Cheers, Brian

I bought it privately so there was no warranty with it. The car is otherwise immaculate and it had only covered 40,000 miles so I wasn't expecting this at all. Thankfully, the previous owner has been great, and has offered to help. I'll give greersport a call after christmas is out the way and see what they say. Thanks for getting back to me so quickly. Bri

Hi, I picked up my new car on Thursday - an MY97 sti v3 555. It was great while it lasted, but sadly after less than 24 hours of ownership it spun a bearing and clattered to a halt outside Noble's Subaru dealership in Penicuik. So, it now needs a new engine but I am stuck as to what all needs to be replaced, how much it will cost and where to get it from. I have a quote from Subaru but would like to assess all options before deciding what to do. To say I'm gutted would be putting it mildly, so any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Merry christmas, Brian.

Makes me a bit mad too - feminists/women never pipe down about equal rights, equal pay, equal this, equal that.......then we get bombarded with car insurance ads from the likes of 'Diamond' and 'Sheila's Wheels' (Sheila's Wheels FFS - are they mad?!) who only insure women because they are safer drivers than men. Pfff....

Where about was that mate?

Someone's been listening to the radio!