WrxKnight

Will reflashing the ECU void the warranty? The answer is yes, and no. If the dealer finds out that your ECU has been reflashed then he can and, depending on the dealer, will reject your warranty. However, there is no way for the dealer to detect if your ECU has been reflashed if you set it back to normal before taking it in. Got that? This is where I see the advantage of the AccessPort from Cobb. Reflash to race - have fun -reflash to stock - take into dealer - back to race - more fun. Obviously a little more complex but thats the gist of it.

Of course this all depends on what else you plan on doing, if you're reflashing because of a turbo upgrade or something like that then you have nothing to think about because the turbo upgrade voids the warranty anyway.

cpages2

ok here is my situation and tell em what you think.....

I want to get an 04' because I like the body styling more and from what I have read it seems the car is more rigid and sturdy.

If I get the WRX any mods I do would be light... Maybe new Plugs/Wires, Air Intake, Exhaust and maybe larger top mount IC....

The car would be my daily driver and I need it to be reliable... I also need piece of mind with a warrenty... I dont need 400+ HP because im not looking to race around everywhere...

The most I would do past the modding it maybe raise the boost up to 15 PSI..

So with all that in mind... Do I need to drop almost 1000 on an ECU flash if im just taking that route. I understand teh EM issues you explained earlier but im not planning on dragging or racing my car much less betting on it everyday.


- Mike

scoobywrx

I think the intake,plugs, and intercooler are a waste of money. IMO the first mods should be (in any order) uppipe, downpipe, some kind of engine management (ecutek,utec,or accessport),and catback.

xFactor

Yeah Buddy! ^ Ditto, what they said.

What you will notice most with EM is smoother drivability. Yeah, with an added bonus of more power. Now that Masto isn't doing new reflashes, it has made me seriously look into the cobb AP. AP is probably cheaper than a full exhaust system, certainly easier to install, and I feel you will get better grin factor.

Now stop lying to yourself saying that you won't mod it much because you probably won't drive too hard. Heh heh... You'll wind up driving the piss out of it, loving every second behind the wheel! That was my first mistake. "No baby, I'm just gonna lower it. I'm not gonna fuck with it - It's fast enough.."\

NOT!!!!

later, x

cpages2

I know im probbly just BS;sing... But voiding teh warrenty is defently what I dont want to do... i need reliablie transportation.. And I think an up pipe and down pipe alone would void teh warrenty...

Also I have read and heard soem stuff online that says the transmissions are very week and meny peopel have had to get theres fixed/replaced.... I went edmunds and read 101 reviews and 18 people alone said they had there car in for transmission issues. 7 of them said the dealer would not honor it under warrenty and it cost then 4000 to fix..

- Mike

WrxKnight

Well, according to Subaru you can get into warranty trouble for something as insignificant as a turbo timer. I'm not sure it so much that the transmissions are that weak as it is that many of these cars are running significantly more horsepower than the trannys were designed for.

These mods are what will give you the most bang for the buck....
1) Boost controller - I'm not a big fan of these b/c of the driving characteristics associated with it, but it will get you horsepower for cheap. It will void your warranty if seen but is easily removed before going to the dealer.
2) ECU reflash - Moderately priced, and can give you a decent boost. As I posted earlier, the accessport ($600) can be removed if you're worried about warranty issues.
3) Up-pipe - Reduces your turbolag by getting rid of that 3rd CAT. Priced in between the other 2. This one requires some technical know how as it is fairly difficult to put in. Definitely not removed easily, and will void the warranty.

Alberto411

First things first - Subarus are great cars, but just like anything out there - they have limits.

Essentially, what I'm trying to say is that I've seen too many people have unnecessary problems with their Subarus and belly-ache about how crappy they are until they are blue-in-the-face.

I personally have a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX and love it. It can be characterized by the 'bug-eye' look as with the '03 model line. As some of the other guys have said, they have their little quirks, but overall they're great cars if you treat them well.

I have a buddy with the essentially the identical car, but has immediately gone the route of upgraded turbo, fuel/engine management. He pushes about 380 crankshaft horsepower, but has also gone through two transmissions. That is one thing about that car that goes out if mistreated/overworked - the stock 5speed manual transmission.

Also, there was a time where eBay motors was filled with wrecked/salvaged WRX's.

Why?

Simple.

People again don't know the limits of their cars [their WRX in this case].

A majority of 'drivers' out there figure that a sticky All-Wheel-Drive system and a responsive Turbocharger will get them out of any jam out there. Sadly, one couldn't be more wrong. AWD, by nature, still will generate a tad of understeer, because the front wheels are still spinning. Some cars are better than others at fixing this, but it will still happen with the WRX. This is one of the reasons you'll find a few wrecked WRXs lingering on the internet - be sure to always check VINs when buying!! The turbo-charger gives ample boost and most people with other turbo-charged applications for other cars will immediately opt for a boost-controller, but this again isn't the best upgrade for a stock WRX. I have seen too many people try to push too much boost and run lean and essentially either blow their motors or turbos at the least. Why mess with it? As stated earlier, its all about balanced and moderate engine management really [if you think you're going to have a true streetable car that you can actually drive].

Anyway, sorry for a ***RANT***, but just some things that obviously really bother me that you should keep in mind.

Just be sensible... You can have a lot of fun with a WRX, but just know its limits.

FlatFour

Get a turboback exhaust and up-pipe. When you don't get the rush of the extra power anymore and your looking for more, get an ecu upgrade (not an EBC or MBC). When the cycle repeats itself and your looking for more again, do something about the transmission and then upgrade the fuel system, intercooler, and turbocharger. It's really as simple as that. There are other upgrades that will give you smaller gains and might not be very expensive, but i would say those are the basic power stages to follow, the rest is just icing. The difference between the 02-03 and 04-05 is minimal at best, if you avoid an MBC and EBC like you should, you should have no problems with the ecu.