Mother Theresa

Do a search as there is plenty of info on the forum. In a nutshell very little goes wrong on a WRX. If you are planning on modifying it then it is usually cheaper to buy one pre-modded as you never get the cost of the mods back. If you are sticking with standard it is pretty bomb-proof.

Digital boost gauge as the current one is knackered. It arrived today as it happens.

Sod's Law says it will be the more expensive one - so I'd go for the diff.

I hope you took a few pictures of your arm 1st as a ruptured head of biceps makes your arm look very muscly....

Well if it's not coming out then it's going in. Are there plumes of blue smoke coming out of your exhaust?

Yes. one cat is enough if it is is hot - so ask if they'll do the emissions test 1st.

If the clutch is going you will hear the engine pitch rise without the accompanying blurring of the scenery. This will happen at max torque levels as that is what gearboxes don't like, not bhp per se.

How much do you want to spend? If you want a decent warranted rebuilt engine I would go to API. They are not the cheapest but as a trade off for quality and value they are hard to beat. There are plenty of stories of Legacy engines being sold to the unwary as being from an impreza. If you look at the FAQ I think there is a section in there about what the codes all mean.

That graph shows a 33% (ish) transmission loss which seems a bit high to me as 22-25% is the usual figure quoted. Just an observation.

Yes mine is lowered but it's all adjustable so I could put it back up again in 30 mins with a couple of C spanners. The Eibachs will take you down as far as you want to go and will certainly improve the ride as well. You do need to get ones for wagons though otherwise it looks like you have half a tonne in the boot.

My stealth wagon is now about 380bhp 440ftlbs and goes like stink - but it cost quite alot to get me there, it would have been cheaper with an STI - but I don't have Sydney Opera House on my boot which I kinda like.

The track of the saloon is 15mm more than the wagon, the rear suspension is a little bit shorter (no idea why) and it is marginally lighter. The wagon is more stealthy, fits more in (obviously) but only comes in WRX form these days. Performance-wise unless you want to go for the modability of the STI there is nothing in it. For the minor price hike that an STI commands I would go for one of those as it costs a lot to get the extra performance on a WRX.

For the money the parada 2's are hard to beat. Vredestein Sessantas are fantastic but quite a lot more.

I would have thought someone would bite your hands off to do a swap for 18 -> 17s. Cheaper than new springs....

The 225 is the tyre wdth in mm, the 40 is the tyre height (and is a percentage of width, not in mm).

The old 'uns on here will know this but I have detailed installation instructions (with piccies) for speakers, head unit and sub which can be e-mailed to those that want them.

Shorter springs is the only way to bring the car down. That, or start eating....

I don't have any pictures. All they so is bend the seam that sticks into the wheel arch back onto itself to give anothe 7-8mm of room which is all I required to get 225/40/18s under my rear arches. They then relaquer the area as the paint may have cracked microscopically and that is all. I had mine done about 4 years ago and no rust yet.

Just move on to something better, you'll be back there in a couple of year's time to have them done again.

Most body shops will do it. I had mine done locally at Bodywrx in Daventry (Northants) if you're really stuck.

ALK made a big difference to my car (for the better), before fitted the fronts would scrabble a bit when accelerating and cornering at the same time, no longer.

Without wishing to sound crude the knobs got better on the 05 and the inside just feels more modern. If I had the choice of the three for no extra cost then I would go for the 05. The WRX picked up inverted struts on the 05 I think but other thatn that it all just minor styling tweaks.

Surely for your baby you can take a day off and zip up to Zen? If it's just a tweak it won't take long.

The man who knows more about gearboxes than anyone else in this country is David at API engines. Ask him. He is usually good with free advice to a fellow subaru driver in need.

Head gasket.