VirtuaIceMan Posted August 2, 2015 Share Posted August 2, 2015 I've had a Japanese imported Forester STi (blue) for a month now (this is the car I bought: http://torque-gt.co.uk/car/subaru-forester-sti-11/), and I have a few little questions about it, some are probably quite noob-ish I realise! 1. Rattling from rear shocks at slow speeds, I assume this is the knocking that I've read about, which requires the suspension stripping down and greasing up? 2. There's a short mechanical "clack" sound from the left somewhere, every time I let off the accelerator, at any speed. Should I worry about it at all? 3. Under reasonable acceleration there's a light rattling sound inside the dash, possibly around the steering area, or it could be a noise from the engine. Has anyone else heard this? I guess it could be some loose wiring or trim rattling otherwise. 4. Am I right in thinking that swapping the original Stereo with a different unit loses the rear subs in the boot, without extra amplifiers? 5. I've been given a radio band expander, which needs tapping into (ideally) the aerial electrical line, how would I go about identifying which cable this might be? 6. When I brake gently, the front brakes squeal, but when I apply normal pressure they don't. Is this a sign the pads need changing? 7. The seatbelt on the driver side retracts very slowly, can this be easily improved? 8. Is the steering usually quite sensitive? I had it converted to MPH from KPH (BIMTA certified mileage) but I remember reading for some cars the steering sensitivity is related to the speed conversion, is this the case with the Forester (and the conversion might be a bit out), or is the steering usually quite quick to react? 9. Does anyone else find the STi front seats feel a bit narrow? Are they optimised for smaller Japanese peoples rears? That's about it for now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stants Posted August 3, 2015 Share Posted August 3, 2015 Hello & welcome looks very nice, I'll try and point you in the right direction with regards to the questions, 1, sounds like the common shock issue 2, the clacking noise could be one of many things, possibly drive train movement, they are a bit slack, maybe investagate the various bushes, 3, at what speed and revs does this sound occurr? The injectors are noisy and do tap away plus the engine is know to be a bit noisy, unless it's horrible knocking sound it should be ok, has the car been mapped for UK fuel yet ? 4, Is it the factory sub in the side of boot ? An aftermarket head unit will have pre outs for a sub to be wired in so you should be able to keep it 5, the ariel is usually the bigger back cable with a 3.5mm jack on the end 6, I guess the car has been sat on the boat for a while so it may just need driving more, or some more grease on the back of the pads 7, it's probably got some fluff in or general grime, you should be able to take the b pillar trim of to get at the reel and give it a bit of a clean 8, not sure about the steering, mines imported too but it doesn't feel that light, what pressure are you running in the tyres ? 9, I've sat in newage sti's and didn't notice the seats to be small they do grip you tightly though, may be worth seeing if any impreza owners would measure the base dimensions? Anyway hope this helps and I'm sure someone else will be along to offer some more help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peejay Posted August 4, 2015 Share Posted August 4, 2015 I can only help with No. 7 :) I had sluggish seat belts on a previous car and was advised to try this. It worked. Should be available on fleabay! http://www.tunap.co.uk/Products/INTERIOR-AND-WINDSCREEN/286-/PREMIUM-104-INTERIOR-PLUS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirtuaIceMan Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 @stants 1, sounds like the common shock issue I've seen the pictures/videos for fixing this, do you think any garage would be able to do this easily? I've not got the skills or space to do it myself 2, the clacking noise could be one of many things, possibly drive train movement, they are a bit slack, maybe investagate the various bushes, Should I ask a Subaru specialist place to have a look, or could any garage? 3, at what speed and revs does this sound occurr? The injectors are noisy and do tap away plus the engine is know to be a bit noisy, unless it's horrible knocking sound it should be ok, has the car been mapped for UK fuel yet ? It's at low revs/speed as you accelerate hard, it could well be the engine. It's not a huge issue. I don't know if the car was mapped for UK fuel, I've just been running super unleaded as Torque GT recommended. 4, Is it the factory sub in the side of boot ? An aftermarket head unit will have pre outs for a sub to be wired in so you should be able to keep it Okay, I think I'd need some radio specialist place to have a look, if I ever go that route (am using radio transmitter at the moment to play music from my phone). 5, the ariel is usually the bigger back cable with a 3.5mm jack on the end The band expander I have looks a bit like this: http://i01.i.aliimg.com/photo/v0/115387571/FM_Band_expander_Radio_Converter_18_MHz.jpg - it's where should the red cable be soldered/tapped into that I need to figure out. I haven't taken the existing radio out yet though (not had time with new baby!). 6, I guess the car has been sat on the boat for a while so it may just need driving more, or some more grease on the back of the pads Torque GT replaced a couple of the pads but said the other 2 were OK instead of Good, so I suspect they might be getting old. The car brakes well though, I was just wondering if the squeal was some sort of "pads are wearing out" indicator? 7, it's probably got some fluff in or general grime, you should be able to take the b pillar trim of to get at the reel and give it a bit of a clean @peejay may have the answer, I'll look into this stuff. 8, not sure about the steering, mines imported too but it doesn't feel that light, what pressure are you running in the tyres ? Actually I haven't checked the tyres yet! They're Toyo Proxies. I plan to have a look soon though. @scoobystu78 reply (which I can't see now but was emailed to me) said the STi has a more sensitive rack, it might just be that. 9, I've sat in newage sti's and didn't notice the seats to be small they do grip you tightly though, may be worth seeing if any impreza owners would measure the base dimensions? Yeah, be interesting to know. I was just curious, that's all! Hopefully I'll get some time to take a look at things soon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stants Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 Hi mate, not sure what a shock fix is I'll have a look but I'm sure any good garage would be able to do it . Where abouts are you based ? There's probably a good subaru independent near ish same with the bushes/ drive train, a good mechanic will know what he's doing, You'll be able to hear the injectors clicking away at low speeds and especially it idle, if you intend to keep the car for a bit it may be worth investing in a remap ad it will be better in the long run for the engine and you'll get more mpg torque and maybe a slight increase in hp The pads do have wear indicators but it would make a racket all the time not just under breaking, maybe the new ones need to bed in a bit more ? Sounds about right for the rack it may have a quicker one than the regular models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david1972 Posted August 5, 2015 Share Posted August 5, 2015 How are you finding the car - is it in as good a condition as the photos suggest, or does it have age related dings the pics don't pick up? Keen to know as I'd like to import in the future :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VirtuaIceMan Posted August 5, 2015 Author Share Posted August 5, 2015 The car's great, so much quicker than my 2006Celica VVTLi GT! Just some random little issues as above, but it drives well. The GPS added on screen is Japanese, but has a functional reversing camera, so I haven't ditched it yet! There's no real bodywork issues at all! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david1972 Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Pleased to hear you are happy with it. Ideally I'd like one that has already landed in the UK or will be on its way at the time. Options under consideration are: Foz sti Foz cross sports auto Impreza wrx auto saloon or wagon Currently have an auto and love it, so that is influencing me heavily, although if the sti was auto it'd be a no brainier. I know the stb Foz sti was auto, but don't want to be going that old. Anyway, at least 4, probably 5 years to wait yet Sent from my iphone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stants Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 S/tb =manual T/tb = auto [emoji12] Can't have people thinking I'm driving an auto now can we lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
david1972 Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Ah [emoji15] lol Sent from my iphone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr B Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 Shocks can be improved with the grease nipples but not many garages will know about it so likely want try going for a subaru specialist or very good independent willing to give it a go ... clunk on throttle lift off likely be backlash in transmission/prop/rear diff or mount/bushing and certainly worth looking at. Rattling behind dash likely be related to recent work such as conversion jobs or an alarm perhaps. i've had quite a few imports where conversion work had be revisited due to rattles or elec faults from brash work. Brakes likely be new pads fitted poorly or some dirt/metal scale caught in pad causing the noise, would of thought Torque would do some of this under warranty or good faith . Problem with Torque is they inconsistent with quality in terms of car grade & pre sale prep . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demondriverdave Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 I have the same rattling in the rear shocks. I spent time trying to find replacements from other suppliers but the Foz STi ones appear to be unique. I ended up getting a second set from America. Once I've fitted them I'm going to get the old ones refurbished. Sent from my iphone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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