Bought my first STi! Rods already a knockin'

Discussion in 'The Welcome Mat' started by Het, Feb 16, 2016.

  1. JasonoJordan
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    JasonoJordan Well-Known Member

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    This is the reason why I stopped changing my own oil on the last 2 new vehicles I have bought. For the price it costs for a oil change now at most dealers you are only saving $10-$15 off doing it yourself with quality oil. Then they also have a reccord of the maintenance along with myself with receipts from them.
     
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  2. pillboy
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    pillboy Well-Known Member

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    I still do my oil changes except when it is very cold out in the winter. I also keep receipts for the supplies I buy. I don't use Quicky-Lube places as myself and a friend have had bad experiences with them. That said, I have lost some faith in the service newbs at the car dealers too - why do they throw the guys with the least experience in the oil change pit? Multi-point inspections that either call for service on something that I know for a fact is not needed, or it gets an "OK" on something that I know is marginal at the moment (guess I'm hard to please). Had one car come back from a dealer oil change a half quart low on the stick. NOBODY is going to give my car the same care I am. Well, maybe if I was getting a $200+ oil change at a Ferrari or Porsche dealer they would. Maybe.
     
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  3. Het
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    Het New Member

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    Probably keeping the RS Die cast, part of this crazy story.

    Car has been running well. Had the dealer do an oil change at ~1300 miles and got a UOA from Blackstone. Blackstone didn't seem too concerned with the values, and from googling I don't think I should be either.
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    I've been asking myself, what now? I want to have some car fun. The MN Subaru cruse in late July would be fun but I'm not sure if I can make it.

    I heard about and signed up for the the MN Autox novice instruction + driving days next month. I've had a Miata in mothballs for years that I got running with help of a friend, which will be a blast to run over some cones in. (It would be better to bring the STi, but I'm too worried it would break again, ugh)
    Should improve my pavement driving skills, but what about gravel/sand/mud?

    My family has some land up north and we have a twisty off road ~1.4 mile course we drive ATVs on. It'd be a lot of fun to take the STi around the trail, but again delicate snowflake STi.
    I've been keeping my eye on CL for a while looking for something... manual and subaru-ey. My buddy found something perfect.

    Picked this up for cheap. 2001 Impreza Outback Sport. Rusty but trusty at 260,000 miles. Burns a good bit of oil. Might need a new wheel bearing or two, a clutch master cylinder, and one of the turn signals is smashed out of existence. But none of that shouldn't be too hard to fix.... right?
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    My buddy calls my STi "the princess" because it is finicky, high maintenance, and has lubrication issues; It would only follow that the outback would be my trailer park princess.

    I'm trying to be no more than $1k TOTAL into the outback, so I have a couple hundred for parts and some steel to fabricobble a brush guard/tree deflector. Also have to find some used tires to make apexes for turns; I don't think a 70+ year old oak tree makes a good corner to aim for. I want to have fun but I don't want to die.

    More hoodscoops == more better. Except for insurance purposes.

    [​IMG]
     
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