So then. Brand new 2018 WRX. Sits just like it came from the factory. 1200 miles. I have noticed a suspension clunk or pop from the rear (not 100% sure) in parking lots when pulling out of a spot as I straighten the wheel or after I back out of the driveway and get underway. Steering rapidly right then left and back again will induce it as well as weight transfers from side to side. I can hear it at slow speeds in the parking lot or street over small bumps but not so much in normal driving. SOMETHING has broken, come loose or is malfunctioning. A google search returns TONS of the exact same thing on the 2015 + WRX’s and no solution as far as I can tell. I have scheduled an appointment soon with the dealer to have it repaired. We will see. Anyone out there with a like problem or possible solution. Any thoughts, expertise welcome. Otherwise, really nice car so far. Thanks for reading.
I am 85% sure. That’s where I hear it in the parking lots and that’s where it seems to come from if I transfer weight side to side. Right side rear is what it sounds like. NASIOC has multiple threads on it. Just wondering if someone close to home has the same experience and solved it.
The car is at the dealers now. It was getting louder and more frequent and coming from both sides. Not so much in steady state driving but VERY noticeable at slow speeds and as you leave a parking space or your driveway. Like something is binding and then releasing. Rode with a tech who confirmed the noise in under 1 minute. Struts? Sway bar? Mounts? Flux capacitor? What’s your guess? Place your bets. My 2013 Forester, on the other hand, is almost at 150,000 trouble free miles. My best vehicle ever by a large margin. Good gas mileage........comfortable......rock solid mechanically........blew through last April’s blizzard on all season radials like it was a sunny day. Carries nearly everything inside or on the roof. Tows 1500 lbs. The 2018 WRX almost made it to 1200 miles..........almost.......before suffering a known, reoccurring problem from 2015+ WRX’s. Come on Subaru. No way this should be happening on the fourth model year of this generation. Especially after the refresh. And certainly not in their “made only in Japan” rally car. Also, this car has never been tracked or off road (unless you count bumpy Minnesota roads as such) or even driven hard. I just got it through engine break-in. Doesn’t sound like differentials or axles or joints but who knows. I guess they have some sort of “ears” they attach around the car that listen while the car is driven. That should find it.
My 17 did the same thing, however, it got better over time. Only does it on cold winter mornings now. Tha,t or my old ears learned to ignore it, hmmm.
Thank you all for your “tech” tips and solutions. Hilarious. I thought for sure one of those would be the solution BUT, as it turns out, Morries and their fine service team took 4 days to make sure they got it right..........at least for now. There is a two page write up on the car. They worked with SOA and SOA engineering............. swapped parts.....swapped parts from different cars.............. drove with electronic “ears” attached.........and even drove with other service guys in the trunk even to 1.). Find where it was coming from and 2.) Make it stop. Suspected parts defects ranged from every part in the suspension and trunk to a faulty weld in the chasssis. EVERYTHING was disassembled, inspected, tested and then reassembled. Solution: Fasteners for the rear sway bar end links were not torqued to spec from Japan. They would load up on turns or uneven surfaces and pop or clunk as they released. Subtle at first but louder and louder as miles accumulated. Just drove it about 40-50 miles over every road surface and it is good for now! So, I must say that the team at Morries Minnetonka did an outstanding job on a difficult diagnosis and repair. They notified SOA engineering and it will now generate a possible TSB if enough data comes in. I am also super happy my car is stock because they asked if it was modified and may have checked as well. They even noted my aftermarket F1 Fog/ stop light. With that exception, and the Weathertrch floor mats, everything on the car came that way from the factory or Morries installed it. A new car warranty is fantastic when you need it and is part of the expense of a new car. Mine will be stock until 3/ 36,000 miles is up. Saw Mike Clapper today. Told him he sold me a lemon. Ha ha. Seriously, go see Mike when the time comes. Again. Really nice job Morries Minnetonka.
On a side note, my loaner car for the last 4 days was a base Legacy. Wow. Great car. The CVT has progressed nicely. No drone or rubbery feel. Depending on your throttle position it will either act as a CVT or mimic a tradional 7 speed automatic. There are paddle shifters on the steering wheel too so you can operate it as a manual transmission of a sort. It is worlds better than the first CVT I drove. The Legacy has a ton of ground clearance, a nice ride and great handling. I personally do NOT like driver aids like Subaru Eyesight, which this car had, so I turned them all off except the emergency braking function. The lights, beeps and steering bumps drive me crazy. And get this. I averaged 36 mpg around town and over 43mpg on the highway at speeds from 55-65 mph. I would have definitely bought a Turbo Legacy or Turbo Crosstrek ahead of the WRX were they available.
I also had a loaner Legacy base model and definitely thought the CVT felt more like a traditional transmission.
