Blow'd up 08 STI

A paying customer brought a product to you complaining of something, not everything was done to help him and the product then later failed.

Man you can throw that crap at me all day. My car still blew a piston or a ring. The symptoms I complained about are consistent with that. I suppose I expect too much out of people.

 

Mike, the 07 STi is the same way.

I do not sell reflashing services. I do it as a free service to save good customers from their 07 STis cracking pistons.

It holds the car in closed loop.

Closed loop fueling means the Air Fuel Ratio stays at 14.7:1.

With these VERY LARGE delays in the 07~09 STi, when you go wide open throttle and the engine is running 14~16psi, the timing map is doing what its told, but the fueling is still at 14.7:1 under 4200~4600 RPM.

This is the MAX TQ load of the engine.

The engine likes 10.0:1 to 11.0:1 at WOT with boost.

So running lean (14.7:1) plus timing ment for richer AFR, means DETONATION and a cracked piston.

On a bone stock car.


Plus side is that the car passes LEV2 emissions requirements to we suckers get to buy it and blow it up in stock form.

 

first off you did not bring the car to me, lets get that straight. also now that your car actually threw a code it is being looked and and will be taken care of by subaru. the proper channels have to be taken in order to get things done with warranty. we cant just do things on a whim from customers that have been freaked out by people running there mouths online as not everything is true. subaru has set guidelines we have to follow to get things done. as far as what you have said about your experience with SOK that was your side, i was just stating SOK side of the story so people heard both sides and are not just hearing one sided story's.

 

WJM in one post you said you dont have capabilities to feflash beyond stock, then you said you dont sell reflashes you do it as a free service to save good customers from cracking there pistons in 07 sti.

which is it? whatever it is things that you have said on this thread has done nothing but freak people out and scare them about there cars. why dont you take your information to SOA and try and go that route before freaking the whole entire community

 

I do not have the capability to reflash any 08+ STi. I do not have the version 2 tactrix cable to reflash the CAN-BUS SUBARU ECUs.

I can reflash anything else up to 2007 and some 2008 that are not CAN-BUS.

They dont care and dont listen. All they care about is getting the car to pass emissions standards and selling it to the dealers, then they've washed their hands of it. They expect the dealers to sugar coat a whole bunch of BS and then tell the customer its their fault the piston broke on their 07/08/09 STi because some bulletin says so.

I'll agree to the bulletin for the 04~06 STi, 04~09 Forester XT/Baja Turbo and the 06~07 WRX. But everything else, its going to self grenade the piston sometime in its life. If it doesnt, its lucky.

Since SOA doesnt listen, I have to inform consumers. Informed consumers are smart consumers.

 

Hey WJM what was the TSB on the 04-06, etc?

 

:unamused:

 

i really dont think that is 100% true or at least i would hope not. if the pistons breaking is that big of an issue i would think SOA would do something about it and listen to the people who truly make the product what it is ( the enthusiast) and fix things

 

<--- was an enthusiast. Now more of a pessimist. or someone just "running his mouth online".

edit.

no I'm serious. Anyone want to buy an 08 sti once its fixed? or know someone who does?

I'm going to try to get rid of this thing if subaru won't take it back. Maybe I can get a decent deal on a VW or something.

 

Lol, go from a vehicle that is generally regarded as very low maintenance and high reliability (excluding this current issue) to one that has about the worst reliability. Makes sense to me.

 

kind of my point

 

lmao...btw and totally off topic, but if your screen name from Monty Python Life of Brian?

 

'fraid not.

But you should all take your shoes off and be like the messiah.

 

I'll trade you my car straight up right now. its faster than that pos 08

 

Thanks King.

 

man do you smell that.....










































That be the lock that is coming to this thread

 

I hope not...

While I see everyone's point, hopefully we can keep this going to see what the outcome is. While there may be some personal comments made, I think the majority of this is good information any 07+ STi would like to know.

I would suggest keeping personal conversations to the PMs and leave this thread to see how SOA and all related dealerships solve Biggis's problem.

 

Those working at SoK take the position of "well there wasn't anything wrong and we tried, stop complaining."

Myself, a customer, will take the position "you should have performed a compression test."

Be careful fellow owners and customers of the local Atlanta area Subaru dealers. You might find yourself in a similar position.



edit^2. crap on that, don't lock this please Alex. Call me an idiot, incompetent, a whiner or whatever you want. The rest of the community and SoA needs to know what to expect when they need honest to god warranty work IMO.

 

I think WJM hit the nail on the head ATL dealers hate warranty work, this goes for all dealers not only subaru.

IBFL

 

Not true.

 

The Cl to OL delay is probably 50% of the issue. The other issues are futher in depth which I do not feel like discussing as I have hours and hours of time invested into the new 08sti ecu's.

The 08sti's are not a kiddies ECU, even a tooned one can result in a broken piston. Then again it helps when your tuner owns one.
Guess who had a huge hand in making the 08sti OTS maps for Cobb

 

Good Luck with that one. I am afraid Subaru has a lot more high powered lawyers on staff than Biggis can probably afford. It will be years before he will ever see a new car or resolution to the problem. I know from first hand experience watching my old roommate in college trying to get ford to buy back a Taurus SHO.

 

Yea, I doubt the lemon law will apply considering they did not attempt to fix the problem.


If the manufacturer, its agent, or the new motor vehicle dealer is unable to repair or correct any nonconformity in a new motor vehicle after a reasonable number of attempts, the consumer shall notify the manufacturer by certified mail, return receipt requested, at the address provided by the manufacturer.

All it needs is a new motor if not just a rod. That doesnt qualify as a Lemon, shit just happens. It sucks you are getting the run around about it, but yea, shit happens and it will work itself out. I wouldnt hate the brand, especially considering how much you loved the car before all of this happened.

 

It continues to make absolutely no sense to me that Subaru would allow such a blatant weakness in the EM of its highest performance car...money or not.

I mean, sure...without the delay (and more complicated things, apparently), the car wouldn't pass as a LEV. Why are Subaru so worried about the STI being green? I mean probably 75% of the enthusiasts out there ride around catless running rich as hell...so why even bother? (I know this isn't realistic in the least but still...think about it.) I mean someone educate me here.

To me, Biggis should be given a brand new block and all the trimmings no questions asked.

And SoK probably should have performed a compression test...I mean whats the big fucking deal? I know if my car (a significantly less expensive WRX, but stil 28k) was knocking or blowing smoke in a stock state, that shit would be at the nearest dealership fast enough to make your head spin and my every whim would be catered to...if I had to kill a bitch to get some attention. I REFUSE to spend all that money on a car and then get ignored when it om noms a piston after completely normal usage. You don't want the warranty work? Go fucking tell someone who cares...but first fix my car. Your parent company did a shitty job programming this thing's ECU and its not my fault and you ARE GOING TO FIX IT.

Like I said, SoK should have performed a compression test.

Like for example, I went to Troncalli to try and schedule an oil change. They almost didn't let me bring my own synthetic.

:squint::unamused:

Their in-house synthetic is MOBIL 1!!!

:unamused:

Seriously?!?!?! They're using an oil that is known to cause oil consumption issues in the WRX and STI and they still use it?!

I mean what the hell are these dealerships thinking? You can't trust Jiffy Lube, you can't trust the dealership?

Fuck it, do it yourself.

Who wants to help pull Biggis' block and replace it ourselves?

:unamused::unamused::unamused::unamused::unamused::unamused::unamused:

 

Double post fail

 

^^^

I'm not 100% sure, but I think I heard somewhere they get huge tax breaks and avoid paying certain fees for having 'green' cars that pass emissions. The sad thing is, if this is true, Subaru is probably saving a lot more money in government breaks than it's (not) spending fixing busted cars.

That's somewhat speculation on my part, just what I've heard from one place to another.

 

I'm down.

Corporate Subaru=FAIL

 

I would imagine so, I just can't imagine it being worth such a huge shortcoming in the car's overall reliability and design.

Oh and my boss says you're cute. I think in kind of a "Oh ain't he precious" kinda way.

But watch out....

/threadjack

 

This is an article from, "Car and Driver" no less! I believe that this is not only pretty non fck’n biased but also about as “main stream” as you can get without literally disclosing what we may all know and what Biggis experienced. Denying this at this point may validate another hit off the corporate: see no evil, hear no evil, I’m sk’n a big juicy "stay quiet" corporate dick"
What’s it gonna be?????

http://www.caranddriver.com/reviews...a_wrx_sti_long_term_road_test_update_update_2

"At the same time our transmission was being serviced, we had our dealer perform a mandatory ECU reflash required by Subaru of America. The manufacturer states that under certain harsh driving conditions “abnormal combustion could occur, resulting in serious internal engine damage in the form of broken piston ring lands.”

 

Subaru can not sell a car in the US that does not pass emissions off the factory's lot. Once the car leaves the lot, it is not their problem if the customer removes emissions related things, and then fails because of it. If they aren't making the car "green" for the states, then they can't sell it here. So no "green" STi means no STi period.

 

beggis took the car to sog before he took it to sok. sog did not do a compression test either and its my understanding that they did not do half as much as sok did to look into his problem either. so, my question is why is everyone being so hard on just sok when both dealerships he took it to did not do a compression test?

 

I took the car to SoG a month after I got it (September 08), complaining of stuttering and hesitations during acceleration. At the time it was not burning oil. (noticeably) I did not request a compression test. To me, the customer, there were no outward signs of a piston failure.

When I took it to SoK (on 1-31-09) , it was burning oil NOTICEABLY and there were signs of piston failure. I requested a compression test, it was not done. The car then failed less than a week later forcing me into this position.

 

I think that ALL dealerships should do all POSSIABLE diag. testing to rule out problems esp. after taking it to a few dealerships who "found nothing wrong" .

Compression test should have been done the FIRST visit IMO.

ALL Dealerships should step the fuck up and make us believe we can trust them and they give a fuck!!!

I feel sorry for the suckers that have no clue about the Subaru community and dont get usefull info...why the fuck wasn't the recall / reflash mentioned to me when I bought my car??? Then I read a post and have to call my "service advisor" who tells me that I need the reflash...asks me when I want to get it done...my responce was "4k miles ago prior to taking delivery of the car!" Then when I get there I am told by the tech that the reflash was already done...My question is who the hell dropped the ball and why was it not listed when/where the reflash was done...It should be documented SOMEWHERE! But where...


I feel like a JackAss for buying another Subaru after all the problems I had with my 06...

I know it is not JUST the Dealerships but SOA also...but If you run a dealership that sells/services Subaru then to the customer the dealership IS Subaru....

 

That makes two discontent 08 owners from this little event. Care to go for three?

 

Longfury? Who eles got an 08 STi?


I want my oil leaking...good running 06 back

 

I love my 08... its the best subaru I have ever owned.

 

Face, I remember you saying the same thing about yours when you first got it. I believe your words were the comfort and DD factor make it much better than your '06, even though it wasn't as quick.

Hopefully this will all work out...:hsugh:

 

You dont have to worry about warranty and dont have a stock tune

 

If anyone that has an 08 sti wants stop by the shop I will fix the issues from the factory tune that causes the broken pistons for $50 bucks. This will not raise the boost or power but will fix the issues that you guys are concerned with.

Just an option to get you through till you can get a custom tune.

 

I am content. I knew of the potential issues before I signed. If I had not been comfortable with all this, I would have kept my gas guzzling, too small, oil eating, replace the engine every 80K-100K-ish miles RX-8.

 

DING DING DING DING DING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And best of all, SUBARU of America has NO WAY to detect an opensource reflash!

 

Winner winner chicken dinner!

 

Actually thinking about it now.. you may pick up some power since the OMGMYRINGLANDSAREGOINGTODIE reflash will fix the timing issues the 08sti has aswell.

But it will be nothing like a custom tune.

 

hmmm

 

True, its like...5 or 10hp or something. Defiantly noticeable....and DEFIANTLY not as much gain as a custom tune.

 

Here is a quick screen shot of the base timing changes... about all i am willing to show .... humm which one is better.... LOL!!

Like I said the issue is more than just the CL/OL

 

I see what you did there.

 

hmm... me thinks purple is bad.

 

Colors just help you see the graph/map better. The actual value and its location plus the knowledge of whats what determines if its really bad or not.

 

Interesting...