I have a 05 Sti, 47,000miles, completely stock, never drivin off road or raced. The rear struts appear to be going out. This is based on two phone conversations with a mechanics,both familiar with Subarus( Biker Boy) I have heard that struts are supposed to last a whole lot longer than 47000, especially when it hasnt been abused. I dont live or work on any rough roads that I would be driving over everyday or anything like that. I also have heard that Subaru has replaced these even after the 36,000 mile warranty, anyone have this same problem or been lucky enough to get these for free. Is this a common problem among Impreza's or just the Sti. Are they expensive to replace with after market struts of the same caliber or hard to do on your own.
its very common on even lightly driven STIs its a bad design. as for warranty after the fact, i think its part of powertrain, but dont quote me on that.
Are they just making noise, or are they actually done? If they are just clunking you can jack up the car and lube the strut shaft, that will make the clunk go away for awhile. 47k is pretty good, many seem to start making noise around 20k. It can't hurt to check with the dealer since it is a well-known problem but I wouldn't count on anything happening there. You can find take-offs on nasioc pretty cheap, anything from 05, 06, or 07 STi will work. There are exactly two aftermarket strut options for the '05+ STi, Ohlins or Prodrive, both of which are ~ $2k. Or you could look at coilovers, some of which are cheaper than that. check iwsti.com for spring/strut replacement how-to guides.
3yr 36 warr. Mine went out around 15k, If you have any chance of any type of warranty shot, I would call SOA and present you case, but if you have not been doing you maintenance at a dealership, most likely there going to say no, they like to help customers that have been loyal.
$2000 for just rear struts?!?!?! thats nuts. They make a clunk, and then when I come to a stop, sometimes the rear dips down like the tires are in a little indent in the road, just slightly.And the rear end seems sloppy around corners, i really feel it on a clover leaf even at slighlty above normal speeds. Is this a danger type thing or a performance problem? Anyone have any stock Sti stock struts laying around?
2k for the package (fronts, rears, springs). From the reviews the Prodrive setup is how the STi should have came. 47,000 on the OEM struts is a long time. I've got 12k on mine and I want them out... :laugh:
its only a safety issue once they are done... it will increase your braking distance, and decrease the braking performance... if its just making noise it may not be an issue as of now, but they wont fix themselves
If you are at the point where they stick (which you are, based on your description), they will become a safety issue. The car becomes quite a handfull in low traction conditions, it oversteers like crazy. Fun? Yes, but definitely an annoyance most of the time. ...trust me, I have been through 3 sets of rears now...2 of them under warranty
"...when I come to a stop, sometimes the rear dips down like the tires are in a little indent in the road, just slightly..." This is actually the "stiction" you will hear about as you do research. In reality, as you apply the brakes the struts extend, as they should. However, when you come to a stop and there is no more force trying to extend the struts, they stick a little before compressing and coming to a steady state position. It feels as though there is a little pause, then the rear drops that little bit.
